Brok the InvestiGator review

Reptilian Mystery Adventure

Brok the InvestiGator is a very unique point and click adventure game that aims to shake up the traditional and timeless P&C formula by introducing fresh design elements while also combining it with the beat ‘em up genre. This project unites the laid-back, puzzley, and narrative traits of the adventure genre with the action and movement-oriented elements of the beat ‘em up genre; and uses its one-of-a-kind genre combo as a foundation to present the game’s two most important components: its story, and worldbuilding. Do not be fooled by its colorful appearance, cartoony art style, or witty attitude, as Brok the InvestiGator tells a very mature story with plenty of dark themes around every corner.

The game takes place in a society segregated by class, where members of the lower “Slummer” strata live in a barren and decaying wasteland while members of the upper “Drummer” strata enjoy a life of luxury inside a dome-protected city. In the game, you play as Brok, a reptilian private investigator who operates in the slums and tries every day to confront the harsh world around him in order to make ends meet for himself and, most importantly, his stepson Graff. One day, after having a terrifying nightmare, Brok receives a call from a stressed-out client who desperately asks for help of our rugged but perceptive protagonist. What initially begins as a simple lost-and-found assignment will quickly evolve into something much more perplexing.

On this journey, you will not only investigate a wide variety of locations, fight different enemy factions, meet an assortment of interesting characters, and solve an exciting mystery, but most importantly you will feel part of a fully-fleshed out world. In just a couple hours of playtime, I had already gained a good understanding of the world’s history, social norms, economic situation, cultural characteristics, and unique quirks. The further I progressed through the game it became increasingly obvious that worldbuilding was one of Brok the InvestiGator’s strongest suits. The worldbuilding process is so expertly executed in this game because it is a process that stretches far beyond writing or dialogue and is incorporated into the core gameplay loop itself. In the game you do not simply traverse a series of linearly-designed sequential rooms but you instead get to explore and interact with everything “Punch and Click” has to offer in a much more flexible and open-ended manner.

Punch and Click

“Punch and Click” is the name of the new genre that the team behind the game has invented for Brok the InvestiGator to describe the merge between traditional point and click adventure mechanics with beat ‘em up fighting as well as plenty of other action-related components. I am being very honest when I say that when I first heard of this special union between these two very different types of games, I was positively intrigued while also remaining equally skeptical. As someone who tends to enjoy more experimental projects, I am always interested in checking out interesting and unique genre combos.

However, at the same time, I have found from experience, that in many cases such projects can end up feeling gimmicky, contrived, and generally lacking a meaningful design plan. Thankfully, this is absolutely not the case for Brok the InvestiGator. This is a game that has a concrete and clear design vision and is able to develop all the appropriate foundational pillars to bring it to life. What I found especially interesting is how the game utilizes its beat 'em up side for more than just fights. While playing, you can, at any time switch between the standard point and click mode to “action mode”.

That way you can use mechanics that you would normally use in fights or action segments while exploring or investigating in order to unlock alternative gameplay pathways or discover secrets. This is where one of the central design motifs of the game comes into play: choice. This is an adventure that not only lets players choose how they want to approach any given situation, but also makes sure that player-made choices will influence the story and have an impact on the world. If I could describe the gameplay loop of Brok in just one word it would be “seamless”.

Seamless, not just in the methods it utilizes to smoothly transition between “point & click” and “action” modes, but also in the ways it combines different mechanics, design philosophies, and conceptual foundations. All these components united are able to produce a singular result, a great adventure, an adventure that is not just a series of disconnected mini-games but instead feels like a full and consolidated experience.Beyond just mechanics and gameplay, the concept of “Punch and Click” also fits very well with the overall setting of “underground detective mystery”, as well as the game’s general themes and story progression. Speaking of progression, the game’s pacing is very well-executed and provides enough breathing space for the player while at the same time never letting go of its engaging momentum.

Presentation, Polish, and Inconsistency

For its graphical presentation, Brok the InvestiGator uses a hyper-cartoony vector-like art style for its characters and a more mixed style between cartoony and painterly for its backgrounds, items, and other assets. Overall, this is not a game that I would describe as visually interesting or exciting on its own. However, when combined with all the excellent features described above, the graphical component is very fitting and is able to enhance the overall experience as well as highlight the characters and their distinct personalities. Most importantly, the clean and well-polished visuals and animations help the fighting and action dimension of the game feel fluid and responsive. On the audio side of things, the game is fully voice acted and the performances of all actors, and especially Brok’s, were brilliant and truly helped bring this unique world to life and made the game feel brimming with personality.

When I say “fully voice-acted” I mean fully in every sense. I cannot begin to describe just the sheer amount of voice-acted lines this game has for even the most obscure item dialog options. This brings me to my next point of how attention to detail and an extensive amount of effort are both patterns that are consistently visible throughout the experience. A great amount of thought and hard work has gone into making this project a reality and it definitely shows. The only element that I believe the game is inconsistent with quality-wise is the puzzle design. While many puzzles in Brok the InvestiGator are clever and well-thought-out, many others can feel forced, generic, or not well-communicated. And while this issue of consistency in puzzle design can sometimes be frustrating, I do not believe it breaks the game’s pacing or overshadows any of its other positive qualities. To conclude, Brok the InvestiGator is an engaging adventure with excellent worldbuilding and innovative ideas that I believe any fan of the point and click genre would enjoy.