The weather is slowly getting colder as summer draws to an end, and for some reason, this time of the year always makes me itch for Point & Click games!

Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping | What is it about?

Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping is the second game in the Duck Detective franchise. You play as Eugene McQuacklin, a (duck) detective with money issues and a heartbreak that’s far from resolved, trying to move on with his life and hopefully pay his rent someday. In this episode, his fan/friend/roommate Freddy invites him on a surprise vacation at a haunted glamping site. But Eugene’s professionnal instincts makes him impossible for him to fully relax! First, he’s determined to uncover the identity of Freddy’s girlfriend… But when they arrive at their destination, he sees that there are more pressing matters to investigate first…

The gameplay loop

As a famous and reliable detective, you’ll interrogate every characters and search for clues in their most personnal belongings (even their lugagges or laptops). Certain items will give you words that you’ll later need to form deductions. The game lets you know if you are missing certain clues or words to make your deductions, and a hint system is available if you get stuck.

Thoughts

I like the Point & Click genre and at the same time I dread it because of my lack of patience. If I have trouble figuring out what to do and where to look for clues (which happens all too often), then it turns what was meant to be a relaxing play session into a a chore. That’s why I like Duck Detective, it’s not too easy nor too frustrating, it has the right balance. This makes it a great entry in the genre for a wide variety of players and ages… and people with a short temper like me!

It’s a short game that will you around 2 hours to complete. The game feels very cinematic, thanks to its quick pacing, cutscenes, and fully voiced dialogues. You could almost think of it as a short movie with few gameplay mechanics added. The immersion is enhanced thanks to the talented actors behind each characters. I was actually curious and checked out who voiced the Duck Detective… and turns out it’s the same VA as Diluc from Genshin Impact! This gives you a great indication of how good the voice acting is.

Even though the game is fairly accessible, the solution to some puzzles aren’t always obvious. The ending of the game in particular forced the conclusion through its final puzzles, and I wouldn’t have guessed it if I hadn’t tried random combinations. Maybe the Duck Detective is trully a genius for getting these deducktions right… Maybe the pacing of the game wasn’t the best, but it’s a short game so it can be expected for the story to feel rushed at the end.

Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping is the second entry in the franchise, but you can really start with any of them since there are no references to the previous case or characters. This episode didn’t do things much differently than the first one, so if you played the first one and liked it then there’s nothing in the second title that will dissapoint you. I played Duck Detective: The Secret Salami a few months ago, so I don’t recall if there were any major differences between the two. But I felt like this second title had more variety in the locations, more cutscenes, but maybe fewer dialogues with NPCs.

Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping is a game that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Everything—from the jazzy OST to the colorful cast and their archetypes, and the stellar voice acting—is carefully crafted to feel like a subtle parody rather than a forced comedy that tries too hard to be different. It’s neither childish nor immature, but it’s also not overly solemn. It’s the perfect cozy Point & Click!

Based on the ending of this game, a sequel will likely arrive next year. But the formula might change a little, given the cliffhanger of the story!

If you want a break from games (or life in general), want a good laugh but still feel a little challenge, then Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping is for you!