Weird vibe to this one. The first Darkside Detective has a formula to it. Weird twisty case, intentionally dumb jokes, throwing a bunch of stuff at the wall. The characters aren't super well-defined beyond goofs and they aren't really supposed to be.

The sequel takes a weird but fascinating new angle to that. Fourth wall jokes are dialed up to the max. The puzzle designer shows up to refuse to provide an answer after she worked so hard on it. An NPC groans that he's "not really feeling" his role as an obstacle but is just kinda going through the motions and hoping for something better in another case. So on and so forth. The entire world presents more like a bunch of actors putting on a performance, only in your way because that's what the script requires for the puzzles to exist.

This runs the danger of being a bit too cheeky and annoying, and it certainly makes you worry about how much the creators even enjoyed making this game beyond kickstarter obligation. But it circles back around to endearing to me. The first game really pits McQueen and his partner Dooley against each other in the straight man/goofy weirdo dynamic. But with the complete lack of regard for the setting really ends up highlighting McQueen and Dooley's friendship. They're turning to each other to mock the world now. When they insult each other, there's more affection to it. It becomes more like Sam and Max than Guybrush vs NPCs. On the rare moment there is a sincere attempt at a story, its centered on McQueen and Dooley's relationship above all else. Its surprisingly refreshing! There's a cynicism that comes with the games growing distaste for maintaining a plot, but it manages to swerves back around to a better place for it somehow.

I talked myself into a higher rating than I expected through rambling all this. Its a fun point and click, and I'm a sucker for em.