A Hardy Developer's Journal

How funny can be a game that parodies the classic noir fiction, but happens neither on the Discworld, nor in the skeleton-laden Land of The Dead, but looks like just a “straight” parody of the genre set in our boring Earthrealm? Incredibly funny it seems. Presented in true B&W and equipped with a P.I. hero who likes to provide elaborate narrations full of metaphors, Nick Bounty is a game which stays true to the original detective novel, at the same time being completely crazy.

It all begins with a scene borrowed from The Maltese Falcon – a man delivers a box with mysterious contents (more…)

Emerald City Confidential succeeds first and foremost as an adventure because it tells a good story. I cannot emphasize even  nearly enough how much this game has surprised me with its gripping narrative with a fresh take on the already well known Land of Oz and its inhabitants. (more…)

Gumshoe tells the story of a run-out-of-luck sap from Liverpool called Eddie Ginlay – hitting 31, living alone, small-time bingo caller and noir-fiction aficionado for years trying unsuccessfully to make out as a nightclub comic. As far as the man’s social life goes, his woman was stolen by his wealthy brother a year earlier and his constant Sam Spade-like manner of communicating with people makes them think he’s not right in the head, or at best a poor joker.

Ultimately, even Eddie himself has a mocking way of looking at his life-style. He puts a half-serious advertisement in the paper to appear the day of his birthday, describing himself as a private investigator. Soon, he gets a call from a potential client asking for a meeting, but it will be a very different kind of a job from what Eddie would expect…
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