Sleuthhounds: The Halloween Deception is a game by Sealeft Studios and is available on itch.io
Price: $3.99 (I got it on sale for $3)
This game is one in a series of short games about the same characters. All the games have Sluethhounds in the title, and all (that I’ve played so far) are point and click type games, where you have to solve puzzles and investigate your surroundings to solve the mystery.
The Characters include the main two that are in all of the games in this series, and then the characters that are only in this game in particular, and not the others, so here I’m only going to mention the main two.
- Pureluck Homes
- Main character. The main detective. Has an interesting viewpoint on some things. Default tends to be going from his point of view.
- Jane Ampson
- Main Character. Homes’ assistant. She is a writer and always carries an umbrella. You can switch to her point of view
The story of this game is that Jane and Homes were invited to a Halloween party by one of the people who work at a novelty making company. She’s afraid that something might happen. And true to what was thought, things start to happen once the two main characters are there, and as detectives, it’s their job to solve who, exactly, is taking practical jokes just a step too far.
For this game, don’t let the simplistic design and short gameplay fool you! I tend to play through on the “normal” mode, and there were still times where I was frustrated and clicking everything in sight because I couldn’t figure out what I was supposed to do.
The mini games contained within aren’t exactly easy either…the bobbing for apples game only gives you a minute, and if you don’t click on the shiny part of the apple just right, it doesn’t count!
This game definitely gets bonus points for being fully voiced. Every character that you talk to has a voice, including, of course, the two main characters.
More bonus points for being able to hear both Homes and Ampson’s point of views, depending on which character you are controlling.
Overall Score:
♠♣♥♦7.5/10♦♥♣♠
I gave it this score because I am an adult playing this game. The setup, style and gameplay all remind me of a children’s game, perhaps for ages 10-13 or so. The game itself doesn’t have an age range listed, but that’s what I would guess is the target audience. If I was a child in that age range, I think that I might up the score to an 8 or 8.5. But I’m not, so other than the few times that it seems confusing (bonus points for puzzles that actually take thinking to solve), the story itself is pretty simplistic. That said, if you have an hour or two with nothing to do, it’s definitely worth the playthrough.