A Case of the Crabs
You ready for a golden oldie? Well, Nick Bounty's A Case of the Crabs is so golden you can't even see the gold because it's all in black and white (er, that means it's really old, circa 2004). So get those brains fired up and those clicking fingers oiled for this whodunit point-and-clicker.
It's the big city, and Nick Bounty is a down-on-his-luck noir-ey noir-ish black and white, fedora wearing gumshoe looking for his next client…
Okay, stop for a second. I mean, come on, we all know what happens next. Somewhere between the gritty descriptions of the big city and the ruminations on how it's a good thing he's taken to sleeping in his office because his rent is three months late, some knockout femme fatale will walk in with a slinky evening dress (it would be red, except this is black and white, so it's really gray), and she'll start going on and on about her rich husband's murder or some such. And really, there will be no need to investigate, because she obviously did it herself, because the femme fatale always did it, or else the "fatale" part wouldn't be necessary. We only conduct investigations because if there were no investigations, there wouldn't be a movie/book/video game etc…
Wait, what's that? It's not a femme fatale, but a guy carrying a crate of crabs? Pfft! He's still probably the one that did it…
What do you mean he couldn't have done it? Oh, yes, I suppose a knife sticking out of his back might put a damper on my theory. Still, was it the lower back? Because you know if you reach around just so…
Okay, okay, I get it. Let's gird up our loins with trench coats and well worn shoes, and hit the pavement in this cold, ruthless burg. We've got a killer to catch, and also, a counterfeiter of crabs.
Analysis: As was the case with Goat in the Gray Fedora, a Case of the Crabs isn't so much a whodunit as it is a pretty standard point and clicker, granted a very funny point and clicker.
The visuals are fine (better, in my opinion, than the updated 3D graphics used for GitGF), and unless you hate slow jazz it's hard not to dig the background music. And the voice acting is pretty solid, even if the production quality is a little rough around the edges.
But what really matters is that A Case of the Crabs is truly hilarious parody. From the opening sequence to the final confrontation, there is no shortage of jokes and playful jabs at the old private dick tales of yore, all told by someone who obviously loves the genre he's roasting.
As for the item-based puzzles, many are fairly simple, but they are sandwiched between the ones which defy logic. This may put off some players, but true PnC fans will tear up with affection — no point-and-click adventure enthusiast is a stranger to item usage that makes zero sense whatsoever.
It's been around for a while, so we expect many of you are already familiar with A Case of the Crabs, but if Nick Bounty's first adventure missed you, now's a great time to give it a go.
Walkthrough Guide
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A Case of the Crabs Narrative Walkthrough
Posted by: SonicLover | April 9, 2009 12:23 PM
Another Case of the Crabs walkthrough...
A Case of the Crabs Walkthrough
Posted by: eileen | April 9, 2009 3:29 PM