Last week, I was watching G4TV as usual, and saw a link to what seemed an interesting game on Attack of the Show. It didn’t take me a minute and I was already on the respective site starting it up.
The Goat in The Grey Fedora is a flash-based familiar point-and-click adventure that plays like a black and white detective movie. Although the atmosphere of the game may seem a bit somber at first glance, you will soon find out that humor is a constant (and a very strong point) in this adventure. In fact, I don’t think I have laughed this much with a game since I played Monkey Island 1 and 2.
The story starts as your usual black and white detective flicks do: Nick Bounty is a private detective who receives the visit of a lady, asking him to retrieve a small goat statue. Strange task indeed, but since business is slow and Nick isn’t really a “Private I” yet (in fact, he is only a “Public M” at this time) he accepts the job. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have a game!
So off goes Nick, hunting for clues to find this little goat statue to make the lady happy. But what he finds is a very eccentric (for lack of better words) adventure with a psychic Chinatown store clerk, a stick puppet freak, a giant kraken and the genocide of an ancient civilization. Plus, there are two very suspicious goons who keep following him.
The game looks amazing for something that’s free and plays in your browser. Aside from the very weird faces on the characters, everything seems to be 3D-rendered and the animations are very smooth. The sound is equally good and the voice acting is superb, and that’s what makes the game. Nick’s personality is just perfect. It’s worth spending time inspecting everything and picking every available line of conversation just to hear what he and other characters have to say.
The puzzles aren’t exactly straightforward, but with a little thinking and some creative improvisation, it all works out.
The Goat in The Grey Fedora is an immersive adventure that will keep you hooked until you solve the case. And the best thing of all, the humor in it sets it apart from everything else I’ve ever played. I laughed the hardest with the scene in the room in total darkness, it was hilarious! The only downside is that the game is pretty short, but it’s totally worth the time.
Having amassed over 5000 hits in the first 12 hours of its release, Pinhead Games really has done something creative and original with the Goat to captivate gamers. Makes you wonder what this team would do if they had the right budget to work with.
If you want to play the game, you can go here and start playing it on your browser, or you can download the PC and Mac versions at the official site. While you’re there, make sure you try out the other games too.