Sherlock Holmes, Columbo, and Jessica Fletcher (of Murder She Wrote fame) have nothing on Happy Broccoli Games' Duck Detective. The freshly divorced titular protagonist Eugene McQuacklin is trying to make rent, and just like all great fictional gumshoes, his relationship appears to be on the rocks thanks to his own particular vice: an overzealous penchant for spongy loaves of bread. With bills to pay and a toast habit to feed, it's time to do what he does best. Quack a case (I'm not even sorry).
From the minute I played the Steam Next Fest demo back in February, I was immediately taken with Duck Detective: The Secret Salami's comedic chops (or should that be beak). The way it constantly pays homage to film noir is a big highlight; with Eugene frequently delivering an inner monologue to describe a location during rainy, sepia-toned scenes. Philip Marlowe, eat your heart out. After receiving a phone call, I'm tasked with solving a case revolving around a stolen lunch at a local bus station. But after finding clues and questioning the employees, I make some deduc(k)tions that start to unravel an even greater mystery and I have the best time trying to get to the bottom of it all.
Ruffle some feathers
As a big fan of detective games, I've been yearning for a new experience that lets me scratch my investigative itch, and Duck Detective: The Secret Salami has been doing just that. With one big case to solve that initially starts out with you looking into the theft of a lunch, you begin to understand there's more afoot in this bus station than first meets the eye.
This paper-folding puzzler about leaving home is beautifully, maddeningly satisfying
The way you go about your detective work involves you inspecting your surroundings or questioning those you meet in order to gather key clue words. From honing in on the details of a person you meet - such as their tired eyes, or a collectible badge that gives away their affinity for K-Pop - to looking at the contents of a duffle bag, your magnifying glass is one of your most important tools. It immediately brought to mind my time as Frog Detective - I wonder what the amphibian sleuth would make of Eugene McQuacklin? Now there's a crossover I would love to see.
Using the clues you've noted, you then open up your trusty notebook and try to piece together sentences. Once you've correctly filled in the gaps, you'll complete a deduc(k)tion which allows you to progress to the next part of the case. You're introduced to this feature right off the bat, since the game begins with you having to figure out why the Duck Detective is strapped for cash in the first place. While there is a core mystery to solve, you're essentially solving a series of mini cases as you work towards finding your culprit.
As I began to explore the bus station, for example, the first thing I had to put together was the names of the employees who serve as my core suspects - since no one was willing to give proper introductions. After questioning just about everyone and looking over every inch of the place - both inside and outdoors - I connected the dots and correctly named every character in my notebook. It was only then that I could work towards getting to the meat of the case.
Get a clue
Each step gets progressively more complex from then on, with more missing words to unearth through my investigative skills and longer deduc(k)tions to piece together. You go from trying to ascertain why a Giraffe is in a bad mood to who is doing something much more nefarious than nicking a sandwich - although let's face it, taking someone's lunch is still pretty cheeky. And if you're a duck who loves bread? Well, it's an even greater offense.
One of the great joys of Duck Detective is its sense of humor, coupled with the fact that every line of dialog is performed by voice actors, which really brings the experience to life. There are so many memorable personalities in the bus station, and it's such a treat to question them and learn more about them through my investigations.
At certain points, it was definitely not all that clear as to what I needed to do next to get a clue, and while there is a hint system if you do get stuck, it didn't actually help me all that much. Still, all told, it took me about two hours to reach the conclusion of the case, and I was left wanting more. I would absolutely love to see another installment of Duck Detective down the line, but even if this is all we'll see of Eugene McQuacklin, I really enjoyed my time in Happy Broccoli's bready caper. If you love detective games as much as I do, don't skip this one.
Duck Detective: The Secret Salami is out now on PC, Xbox Series X/S, and Switch. To see what else we've been enjoying this year, check out our Indie Spotlight series for more.
