Vinnie, Nick, and Tony just want to watch cable TV. The geeks in the group got a signal descrambler so they should be able to watch some interesting shows. It’s nice to watch TV with friends secretly. What could go wrong?
We all know these words sound like Murphy alarm bells. Invasion and possible end of the world seems like even Murphy’s Law is overreacting.
Visuals and audio are the first things players notice, so I’ll start my review with visuals and audio. At this point, I usually have developers ranting about him overusing 8-bit pixelation effects. Switch is capable of stunning graphics, but here we are looking at his 1987. In this case, the game is set near his 1987, so the homage is fine. In addition to the game’s era theme, Unusual Findings avoided another pitfall that this visual style usually falls into. Here the size and proportions of characters and objects are rendered in such a way that it is not difficult to distinguish what an object or person is. I think the visuals could be smoother, but the pixelated look is enough for this game to get a pass. What needs to be in the background stays in the background, and dialogue is delivered clearly.
Since this is a point-and-click adventure, there are plenty of Joy-Con actions to select objects, but you can’t actually move your character. After selecting a location on the screen, press the button and the three amigos will walk towards the selected point. I will take care of the boys to get there for you.
Speaking of choosing things, there are features that are not explained in the game but are fairly common in games of this type. Press “up” on the directional pad and the game will identify all the objects you can interact with. This is the closest thing to the clues you’ll get in the game.
Not everyone wanders, sees things, collects things, uses things to solve puzzles, and progresses the story. Ohno. You can interact with other townspeople and have interesting conversations. By this I mean selecting a question/statement from a menu of options and trying to get information from the rest of the sleepy little settlement’s inhabitants. The voice acting is pretty well done in places, a little finicky at times, but always interesting.
The first level of Unusual Findings has you running around town to talk to some interesting characters, including encounter materials that earn you the T (teen) rating for this game. There are some interesting puzzles. Interesting means dull and unforgiving.
Many things so that you can experiment with objects, explore areas, and get the one final component you need to actually do what you already know you want to do. I have an interaction. Sometimes the setup to solve the puzzle is obvious, but it can take some time to arrive at the solution. If this is an adventure game and you don’t like it, expect frustration. If you like challenging puzzles where simple logic isn’t enough, this game will keep you entertained for a while.
At some point you might even get a game within a game. Like the primitive adventure it portrays, you’ll likely have to play several times to land where you want.
you get the picture
One of the compelling elements of the game is its nostalgia for the 1980s. The soundtrack, hero costumes, and visuals of the world around you use 80s music. It’s pretty obvious to anyone who remembers the references (properly hidden to avoid copyright/trademark issues). Some of these gently twisted cultural references are worth a grin or two.
Remember, just because Unusual Findings is an adventure game doesn’t mean it’s fast. This should take time. The game at the time of publication Available on Nintendo eShop $19.99. So it’s good to take some time to get over it.
Remember to be grounded.
