Guard Duty

As a ninties kid I love these pixilated, point-and-click adventure games. Art is great to look at. The main character is a sweet likable doofus. You get to meet a motley of side characters with interesting backstories. The ending is subverted with some science fiction subplot out of nowhere. The gameplay is pretty linear, like an interactive visual novel.

Some of the other reviews have mentioned that the game is short, and that the puzzles might feel lacking. They aren't wrong. There are only a few puzzles that have more than two layers to unravel, and the entire third act is "contextual" in terms of problem solving. You interact with the correct location, and if you have what you need in inventory, it works in all but one case. The climax is more of a cutscene than a problem, as well. I like the game, and the level of effort put into evoking nostalgia is admirable. The voice acting is also a worthwhile addition. Overall, the frustrating streamlinedness of the final act keep Guard Duty from getting five stars, but it's absolutely worth playing if you don't mind the whole thing basically being in easy mode.

It's truly a wonderful game and I feel very happy having bought and played it. Yes, as practically everyone else has mentioned, it is short (just finished playing it and it clocked at around four and a half hours), but it never feels rushed - in fact, the pacing and the acts are very well done. I have to disagree with one negative commenter that the third act does not feel like the first two, to me it matched perfectly and the throwbacks were all in good fun. If anything, if the game ever gets the extended/director's cut treatment, I hope they add a chapter between acts 2 and 3 where the some of the actions described in the end take place. Hit me up, SickChicken, I would love to write that!

I'm sorry to be this harsh rating it, but the last part ruined the game for me. I'm not against the idea of thoses two very different atmospheres in the same game but the Sci-fi part isn't good. The Metal Gear rip off (the gardener wasn't very subtle but the Second hero with the imitation of David Hayter's voice and the continuous use of the codec is really too much). And the point and click gameplay that become super streamlined. The medieval part of the game is not hard either but you have to look around and think more to proceed further into the levels. Spoilers******************** The worse thing is that the day is saved by the nerdy chick that talk to you by the codec. She has no build up whatsoever, like a secondary secondary character. She plan it with the princess alone and make the story of Tondbert completely useless. none of what you did mean anything because she entered in the sacrificial chamber without your help and would have killed the boss without any help anyway. It's completely dumb. ******************************* It's really is a waste because the 3/4 of the game is a great and colorful point and clic adventure with some dark undertones. It's just that the last part of the game has been handled very poorly (maybe rushed ?) Also, no widescreen support for a game released in 2019.