The Nick Bounty mysteries are flash games (or free downloads) from the independent Pinhead Gamescompany. The first mystery is called A Case Of The Crabsand the second The Goat In The Gray Fedorawhich gives you an idea of just how serious they are.

Nick Bounty is a parody of a hardboiled detective, with deadpan painful metaphors and black-and-white sketch noir graphics. You don’t have to love trenchcoat detective stories, old movies or retro gaming to enjoy this free flash game, but it helps.

I’ve written about feeling trapped in games with set answers, and the need to pick the “correct” choice or highest-point choice instead of the funniest dialogue choice. In Nick Bounty games, when you pick a sarcastic comment, instead of the obvious plot-advancing choice, the game shoots sarcasm right back at you.

This is a free flash game so check it out!

Game Review: Nick Bounty is a post from: Thumb Gods

One of the problems with Laura Bow, and with Sierra games in general, was the many ways to accidentally kill yourself. Getting into the elevator? Oh, sorry, you didn’t say you checked to see if it was on your floor. You fall down the elevator shaft and die. Crossing the road? You’re hit by a bus and die. Petting a cat? You contract a particularly virulent strain of rabies and die. Eating some candy? Well, you get the picture.

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A few days ago, I discovered the Nick Bounty mysteries, flash games(or free downloads) from the independant Pinhead Games company. The first mystery is called “A Case Of The Crabs” and the second “The Goat In The Gray Fedora”, which gives you an idea of the seriousness. (I think Laura’s boyfriend in one story was a dockworker called Steve Door)

Nick Bounty is a bit more campy, with black-and-white sketch graphics, and sarcastic comments and narration, imitating hardboiled detective novels.

Read the whole article here.

Detective Games is a post from: Thumb Gods