Score
Gameplay:	7
Graphics:	8
Sound:	7
FunFactor:	7
PlasmaFactor:	7
Overall:	7.2

Insecticide Episode 1 Review
July 17, 2008 by Justin Puik

Insecticide is a game from Crackpot Entertainment, released in two parts for its PC edition. You may have already heard that the game has been released on the DS; however, the PC Version is being split up into two parts with two separate releases. This unique film noir adventure set in a run down city populated by bugs has its faults, but it can be enjoyable.

It Was A Dark, Stormy Night…

The game begins with a chase scene over rooftops with the main character Chrys Liszt, a rookie detective in the police’s Insecticide division assisted by her partner, Roachy. The insect puns don’t stop there, as the game is crawling with them (no pun intended there, folks). The humor is present in every part of the game, film noir parodies, insect puns and all. You’ll either chuckle or roll your eyes at most of the jokes, but regardless it is pulled off well and often. The game proceeds switching between two styles of gameplay: platformer and point and click adventure. Both of which are done moderately well, but it feels as though the developers tried to balance the effort placed between the two and ended up with something less than great.

The point-and-click adventure portions of the game can range from simple to frustrating, depending on how easily you can pick up the challenges presented to you. None of them are terribly difficult as they usually come down to simply finding the right place to click on the screen, but once you do you’ll find it comes easily. Finding out where to click is another thing though, as it could lead you to combing a room several times before giving up in frustration. What was most rewarding about these sections though was talking to the various people on the scene, which usually ended with humorous results.

"Point...Click...Confused"

When you’re tired of investigating crime scenes the game switches to a platformer style of gameplay, guiding Chrys through the city streets or over rooftops. The platform sections are mediocre, with no special challenges past running, jumping and shooting. Chrys is given six weapons over the course of these sections, though only three of them are useful for the bulk of the gameplay. Despite the relatively lackluster gameplay and repeated chase scenes provided by these sections, they made for a good break from the point-and-click adventure style from earlier. However, the main problem with the split between genres is that neither the platforming nor the point-and-click adventure portions of gameplay will appeal to their respective audiences as they do not have enough depth. The platforming sections are simple and repetitive while the point-and-click adventure is too brief and simplistic to fully enjoy. The blend of genres resulted in to distinct sections that could have been better.

The platforming and adventure styles serve to tell the story of Chrys Liszt, a rookie detective known for having nightmares about her mysterious past: If that sounds cliche to you than you won’t find many surprises within the story. The stereotypes are all here including the gruff cop with a heart of gold, the rookie detective as his partner, and the mega-corporation involved in a conspiracy. However, these elements all form a parody of those cliches with an insect twist on it, as the game’s title Insecticide is also the name of the department the main character works in.

Graphics

The style of graphics has a cartoony style to them but it doesn’t go overboard and keeps itself grounded in its darker mood. The city and its inhabitants are well-rendered and the cutscenes are rendered in mostly the same way. At the same time nothing stood out much in terms of graphics. If I can say anything about them, it’s that the game will not tax a graphics card like most PC games being released. The graphics fit the gameplay well and help it portray its film noir parody style.

"Fitting Physique"

Sound

Insecticide’s soundtrack fits quite well with the film noir mood, and all of the cutscenes are narrated by Chrys’ partner Roachy, who peppers his dialogue with various puns. It is not suggested to keep the sound down while playing the point-an-click adventure portions, as the dialogue more than often leads to important clues about where to look. During the platforming sections the music definitely fit the mood of the area Chrys was exploring, though it was nothing memorable. All of the characters were voiced over well and the sound generally fit the film noir style perfectly.

Plasmafactor

“Man, that guy’s uglier than my ex-wife. All of them.”

If there is anything that makes this game stand out it is the humor. If you fall into the crowd that can chuckle at puns and the parody type of humor this game throws at you than you very well could enjoy Insecticide from start to finish. Since this is only Part 1 you’ll likely find the game to be short, but by the end of it, you’ll know if you want to pick up Part 2 or simply roll your eyes and walk away.

Conclusion

At a suggested retail price of $14.99 and the promise of Part 2 there is not much to lose by trying out Insecticide as the price is very favorable compared to other PC games. Even though the platforming and adventure portions of the game are not as polished as they could be, if you can enjoy the story and the humor, then I would recommend giving Insecticide a chance. If the thought of a long string of puns and switching between simplified gameplay elements does not appeal to you, however, then you can easily skip this game. However, for a few hours of entertainment you could do much worse.