Back in 1992 or so, I bought my first PC to play a game called Wolfenstein 3D, by a little known game company called iD Software. That spiralled me into cutting my “gaming chops” on the PC which was during the LucasArts “golden years”. I couldn’t get enough of those classic point-and-click adventure games with Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis being one of my favourites. It was this yearning to relive those heydays that brought me to review Daedalic Entertainment‘s latest classic styled adventure game to see the light of day on the Nintendo Switch system. Does Edna & Harvey: The Breakout – Anniversary Edition fill that void? Welcome to our Nintendo Switch review for Edna & Harvey: The Breakout – Anniversary Edition!
Crazy Past And Onto The Present
Calling Dr. Howard, Dr Fine, Dr Howard!
Edna & Harvey: The Breakout was a point-and-click adventure game that originally released in 2008. Now the game has an “Anniversary Edition” that comes with high-resolution visuals and intuitive controls. Since I never played the original on PC I can’t speak to whether the new controls via the Nintendo Switch is a step in the right direction. I can say that the graphics are crisp and gorgeous. The art style is reminiscent of a Matt Groening (Futurama) or Seth MacFarlane (The Simpsons) cartoon. This anniversary edition allows you to switch at will between the old and new visuals. Unfortunately, I never flipped this switch since I truly enjoyed the look of the anniversary visuals.
The Inmates Are Running The Asylum
Ride the dialogue wave to get out of some situations
The story revolves around Edna and Harvey, but Harvey might not be who, or what, you’d expect. This classic adventure game starts in a common way… when Edna wakes up, she has no memories of her past, yes, we’ve heard this before. But in this game, our “heroine” finds herself in the padded cell of a sanatorium. Though she hasn’t the slightest idea how she ended up there, one thing is on her mind… she wants out. In her mind, she seems completely sane. Just ask “Harvey” her partner in crime. Harvey isn’t a boyfriend or childhood buddy, no, “he’s” a talking stuffed bunny! The in-game dialogue between these two is witty, offbeat and humorous. It felt like watching an adult cartoon, without being too adult-ish. The game instilled memories of such greats like Sam & Max Hit the Road.
One Point-And-Click Over The Cuckoo’s Nest
You can expand Harvey’s topic inventory
The gameplay is pretty much what you’d expect from a classic adventure game, other than you need to control Edna and then Harvey to get through some puzzles. Often times you use Harvey to look at and save off topics then speak to Edna for ideas or to pick-up items. You have a radial dial with the “use the currently selected inventory item”, look, take, etc. For the most part, the controls work well other then you use the joy-con sticks to highlight “hooks” on interactable items. So in some regards, it does become a “pixel hunt” but not to that small of a degree. As you get near interactable items a circle will fade in which indicates an “interaction point”.
“Through Your Eyes, Behind Your Mind”
Dad? How could you fraternize with that child!
The nature of the game’s offbeat humour led to some illogical solutions in some cases. Once you get past the first few solutions your mind will just go to that offbeat place for the rest of the game. The game plays well in docked and undocked mode but shines as an on-the-go game. The dialogue text at times can be a bit difficult to read depending on the coloured text used but all dialogue is spoken.
At the end of the day playing Edna & Harvey: The Breakout – Anniversary Edition did instil those loving memories of those “classic point-and-click adventure games” of ole! If that describes your flavour of games, and you don’t mind a bit of offbeat humour, then this one is highly recommended!
Compare To:
- Sam & Max Hit The Road
- Day Of The Tentacle
This review was accomplished using a Switch code provided by PR.
