A Bark in the Dark is a point-and-click game created by Bart Bonte (author of Chicken Grow, Fields of Logic and more) entered into our 3rd Casual Gameplay Design Competition. This title takes the replay theme quite literally and incorporates a few sub-games that you must complete in order to win. And the puppy? Cutest. Animal. Ever.
Controls are as simple as any point-and-click adventure game, just click what you want to interact with. To move, slide the cursor to the edge of the screen and click. Items are used by highlighting them and then clicking where you want to use them.
Puzzle solutions in A Bark in the Dark aren't always immediately obvious, forcing you to experiment in order to find the right answer. The experimentation is part of the fun, however, and even an "incorrect" set-up leads to something entertaining. Once you gather the items you need it's a fairly simple matter to assemble everything correctly and proceed through the game.
Analysis: A Bark in the Dark has all the trappings of a classic Bart Bonte game: a straightforward point-and-click with odd puzzles and a dash of wackiness here and there. The difficulty is toned down quite a bit in this game, so don't expect your synapses to get in a tangle. You will need to summon your arcade reflexes and memory to complete the sub-games, however.
It was a nice change of pace to have games buried within the game, but being forced to complete them in order to continue can be frustrating for some players. Sure, the games weren't too difficult, but if a player happens to fail and discovers he/she has to start the mini-game over, many will simply close the browser window rather than see the the game through. It's always a touchy situation to mix genres in this manner, but A Bark in the Dark barely manages to pull it off.
Another fun point-and-click game from Bart Bonte!
Jay - Bart has entered every one of our competitions so far, and it is a pleasure to have A Bark in the Dark as part of the collection for our 3rd. The inclusion of the "familiar statue" and the contraption that gets constructed in the game made me laugh out loud while playing this one. Besides the stylized graphics we're used to seeing in his games, and the sometimes annoying bird or bark, it's the injection of humor into his games that makes them so enjoyable to play. A well thought-out game with no major flaws. One of these times, Bart, I promise we'll have a "point-and-click" theme for a competition. :)
Walkthrough Guide
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Complete Walkthrough for A Bark in the Dark:
Go right one screen.
Click on the part of the baseboard that seems to be sticking out to get the "piece of wood".
Go right another screen.
Grab the dog bone and the familiar looking sculpture.
Right again, getting both the glass on the stool and the mouse food on the other stool.
Now go back to the mouse cage and place the glass in the cage.
Also place some mouse food on top of the strange tower.
The mouse should eat the food and knock down the glass.
Now place the peice of wood on the glass, the jig statue on the peice of wood, and one again some mouse food on the tower.
The mouse should fly and knock off the vase.
Go left and pick up a key.
Go left one screen and unlock the sports bag to get the extension cable.
Use the cable to plug in the game.
Follow the on screen instructions.
Level 1:
Repeat the dogs barks.
Level 2:
Same.
Level 3:
Same. Remember to ignore red barks.
Level 4:
Same. Remember to ignore red barks.
Level 5:
Repeat the dogs barks in a reverse order.
Level 6:
Same. Remember to ignore red barks.
Level 7:
Same. Remember to ignore red barks.
Level 8:
Same. Remember to ignore red barks.
Level 9:
Repeat the dogs barks.
Write down/ remember your 4-digit completion code.
Go to the phone beside the door.
Click to drop the receiver.
Now use your completion code on the phone, i.e. if your code is 4321, click on the phone 4 times, wait for it to say "4 beeps!?", then click 3 times, wait, 2 times, etc.
If done correctly, the door should unlock.
Go through the door to the garden.
Replay the lamp puzzle by placing food on the feeding platforms, so the mice run across the wires, turning on the bulbs as they run them over.
Level 1:
Click the bottom feeder, wait for the mouse to pass the middle light, then click the top feeder.
Level 2:
Click the top then quickly the bottom feeder.
Level 3:
Click the bottom, then top feeder. Time it so that the bottom light is illuminated before the third.
Level 4:
Click the top, then bottom, then middle feeder.
Level 5:
Click the feeders from the bottom to the top. (4th, 3rd, 2nd, 1st)
Feed the dog the bone.
Well done! (Enjoy the authors comments)
Posted by: Vinny | July 16, 2007 7:04 PM