Insecticide (DS) Review
Posted by Jacob Lopez on 04.17.2008
Insecticide is Crackpot Entertainment’s first game. It combines two different types of gameplay, platforming action and detective/puzzle solving. The development team’s attempt was to make a completely new experience out of two different genres, and do it seamlessly. Does the former LucasArts team manage to impress?
The Story in a Nutshell
Sometime in the very distant future bugs are evolved into human-sized creatures. The pollen in the air has become so toxic, that what is left of what is now the human race must now wear HAZMAT suits to protect them from the now deadly air. Insects, immune to this, have now become the supreme race. This is where our detective story takes place.
As rookie detective Chrys Liszt you must shoot, jump and interrogate your way through fishing piers and city streets to solve the case behind a grizzly squashing.
Graphics
I have very mixed feelings about Insecticide’s graphics. They actually look pretty good for a DS game, full 3D, excellent character design, and a nice atmosphere really help bring things to life. Unfortunately, it ends there. The game is plagued by popups and seemingly randomly generated enemies who tend to catch you at the worst possible times, like in the middle of a jump causing you to plummet to your death. There were a few times that I was shot at by an enemy that just two seconds ago had not been standing there.
On the other hand, the cinematics are excellent. As mentioned earlier, the character design works really well, this is where the team’s years of experience at LucasArts becomes apparent. You get full motion video sequences and quality voice acting even on the small screen. The video, of course, had to be compressed, but that is just a necessary evil when dealing with full motion video and audio on such a small storage format.
Gameplay
The game is actually divided into two parts, one is the platforming/action sequences and the other is the puzzle/investigative part of the game. Crackpot’s big aim with Insecticide was to combine two completely different genres seamlessly for a brand new original experience. How well does it work out?
Insecticide on one part works out really well. We have a team who really seems to have it together when they made the puzzle/detective part of the game. Many reviewers say the game was too dark, but I actually had no problem with that (For the record, I played through several parts on both a DS phat, and on a DS lite). In the puzzle parts of the game, you have no attacks and you can’t jump, it is simply about going around and questioning other characters and collecting evidence, and it works very well. It plays a lot like a point and click adventure, but players have full real-time control of Chrys. You are given the chance to ask questions and choose answers from a preset menu of responses, and at times, the results can be pretty humorous. If you stop to take a close look at an object the game will snap to a prerendered close up in which the player can use the touch screen to further examine key objects and/or put them in your inventory. These are the best sections of the game, but seem very short when compared to the action/platforming stages. (Note: Some of the game designers names are hidden in the an area of the game, try to find it.)
Then there is the bad. I hate to sound like every other reviewer when I say this, but the platforming sections were the weakest area of the game. I will explain why. Chrys’ controls are very clunky, she is not very agile and her targeting can be frustrating. The thing is, when watching the cinematics; you get the impression that she moves like a ninja. Then, when it comes to playing the game, her movements and control become kind of clumsy. Her auto aim is a great idea, but there are times when enemies are just a little bit too far for her to target, especially irritating when facing a flying enemy or hopping on platforms. There were times when I had trouble jumping and shooting at the same time, and others when it worked just like I meant for it to. A major frustration came from these enemies that would just pop up out of nowhere (sometimes behind you) and kill you in 2 or 3 shots. You do get a few special abilities and guns that help even things out, but even the special abilities are very late in the game. A quick-turn feature would have come in handy for this, but no such thing here.
Sound
There are so many great things to say about the sound, honestly. As far as music goes, this DS game has what is probably one of the best original scores out there. The music fits the game’s theme perfectly with those jazzy film noir style horns and pianos. Don’t worry about compression, this old detective music is supposed to be lo-fi. If there is one thing that bugged (Don’t even go there, I hate bad puns) me about the music, it’s the obvious loop at the end of the track. Everything comes to an abrupt stop then the music cycles in again, but I will forgive that, being that the hardware can be limiting and that the music was very well composed.
Not only is the music great, but the voice acting is right up there with it. The script is funny and the voices are very suiting for the characters. Roachy was by far the greatest character in the game, and made a great comic relief sidekick.
The sound effects themselves fit well into the game, but don’t expect a whole lot if it’s not part of a cutscene. You get enough to know what is going on.
Lasting Appeal
The game does not keep track of playtime, so I have no idea how long it took me to beat. If I had to give my best guess, I would say it was about 6-7 hours. Once you beat the game there is probably not a whole lot else to do, but as you progress, you are given the option of replaying any level or cutscene you have already seen.
I had fun replaying some of the detective levels a second time through, even if once you play through them you already know exactly what to do to complete the stage. Still, after playing through this game once, there probably isn’t a whole lot left to do.
Fun Factor
Simply put, the detective levels are a great deal of fun and make the game worthwhile. The platforming stages and boss battles however, really hurt the gameplay and actually take some of the real fun out of the overall experience.
The 411
In the end, the game is ok, given that it’s a brand new IP. The character design is great and I would like to see more of these guys. You have a team formerly of LucasArts and it shows during some parts of the game. Too bad that the platforming sections of Insecticide couldn’t be as wonderful as an experience as the detective areas were. The idea is there, but the execution was just a bit off.
This is one of those games that has a chance of pulling it together if they make a sequel. I would have also liked to see more of the precinct and possibly a quick-turn function. If nothing else, the game could probably make it as a 100% detective/puzzle sort of game.
As some of you may know, I had the chance to talk to one of the creators of the game during EIEIO. Because of that, I know that the real aim of the game was to combine two elements that normally don’t go together in a videogame. Maybe it will happen when we get Insecticide 2.
Graphics
8.0
Full 3D worlds and excellent cinematics compliment the great character design. The game pushes the DS hardware, but it shows a little too much and comes at the cost of popups and other graphical glitches.
Gameplay
7.0
Solid detective gameplay is fun but short and bogged down by the clunky action stages.
Sound
8.7
Great voice acting and some of the best music I have heard on a DS game. Very suiting, but the obvious loops and limited sound effects don’t do a lot for the game.
Lasting Appeal
6.0
The game is pretty short, and will probably do little for gamers on a second run through.
Fun Factor
7.5
Fun detective stages make certain sections of the game worthwhile, but the platforming areas are just too frustrating to make for a solid title.
