Inspector Parker (PC)

 So, i'm back. Time to put some wrinkles on my brain and follow the footstep of the famous Detective Holmes even though my intelligence only fits as Watson. I'm  playing Gamehouse's Inspector Parker (2003). 

There's the Inspector Parker himself. The player takes a role as silent investigator who's fresh graduate from Scotland Yard academy and Inspector Parker's protégé. I finished this game once long time ago and my old brother likes it even though he's not so into puzzle game. Even though i'm experienced with this game, i hit the Tutorial first.

 

For the first tutorial level, i'm given the puzzle board with 2 rooms. I get notebook panel on right. It contains testimony from witnesses that we gather. In this case, the testimony is: Knife is in the room below where Fred located. It's clear that Fred (in pink square) is the one in the bottom room and not Boris (in aqua square). Thus i should press left mouse button on Fred's icon. The main objective of the this puzzle game is simple: determine who or what in the room when the murder happens and the murder analysis will automatically revealed.  

 

Next tutorial level is slightly more complicated because the number of the room is increasing. The right mouse button has the opposite function of the left mouse button. You use it to erase possibility instead. According to clue, Gerald (the old English explorer stereotype) is somewhere on the left of Harriet (The old maid). So you should erase either Gerald icon on the most right of the pair or Harriet icon on the most left of the pair.

 

After doing so, the other Harriet or Gerald icon will be pulsing which means it's the only possibility located in that room and it's safe to press left mouse button on it or rather you must do that to finish the puzzle as soon as possible. Once you declare correctly, the selected icon will become large and other same icon in other room will disappear. Then you can carry on to work with other clue soon.

 

If you make mistake from either stating or removing the icon, you get thunder rumble sound. There's limit on how many time you can make mistake. But because this is tutorial level, you can make mistake how many time you want. :P

 

For the last tutorial level, we get 2 type of icon on the same room instead of 1 like in previous levels. Just analyze the clue more carefully and you will be fine. The clue with more than 2 icon is quite a bliss because it takes more room to determine thus it's less vague. Same goes to clue with "+" sign or exact number of room distance. "+" sign means the icon pair is on the same room. I think the most helpful clue is the one related with the room like in top-right corner. Because the room has the exact position possibility, this kind of clue is the most exact one and you should treasure it.

 

After tutorial, i go to Puzzle Mode with difficulty setting "Medium". I know that i have experience with this game but that's long time ago. I shouldn't be cocky and go for "Deadly" difficulty at least not now. As you can see in loading bar that board is randomly generated. Surely this to prevent the game being finished with memorization.

 

So here's my first real murder case. According to Maurice testimony: Boris in a room to the left and the parlor. Also he couldn't harm a fly. We will see about that.    

 

Maurice is the culprit afterall. You bloody liar! Engineer_dominationspy04.wav    

 

You think Maurice is dragged into the brig after that case but no. The bloody killer still there! After i sort the items again, guess what?

 

The miserable bum did it again! This time he uses knife to done in Aunt Agatha. Engineer_specialcompleted03.wav

 

After finishing another murder case (which isn't done by Maurice this time, honest), i graduate from the academy. Scout_award11.wav

 

Of course, i meet more difficult puzzle but this just in 3rd level so it's shouldn't be that hard. Each level always has one practice stage where one or two icon are revealed at the beginning thus make it easy for you. But for next stage, all icon are entirely mystery. In this stage, there's another icon type: motive for the murder. There's money, will, illegitimate baby, jewelry, broken-heart letter, and angry letter. Obviously, you want to work on clue that related to already revealed item. But as you can see, none of them are related to Laudanum but at least there's no other Laudanum icon in this place called Misanthrope Manor.

 

Thank you for your compliment, sir. I kind of wonder about the content of the will. Do Portia's deceased parent are longing for Aunt Agatha's demise with knife? Sounds terrible.

 

I remember that you can click on the clue to highlight related icon but you're only allowed to do it one at a time. The highlighted icon will be surrounded by blue/yellow circle at all time so you can work on the clue more easily. You can pause the game by clicking the small "pause" icon on right-bottom corner. If you pause the game, there's big "pause" message box blocking the board while all of the icons disappear. Just like Flipull, this game doesn't allow you to playing trick with pausing the game. There's also timer to obey but in this game it's ticking up and serves as record parameter and not time limit.  

 

The series of murder doesn't stop probably because i choose to continue the game and not because of the psychology problem of the killer, sir. Just saying.

 

Now that there's 2 type of icon on the same room, the game become feistier. Not to mention now there's another icon type: the victim because Aunt Agatha is very tired to become dead everytime. Here's some tips regarding the clue with vague relation among the icon. By "vague relation", i mean like X is somewhere on the left of Y or X is somewhere above the Y. For example this clue regarding Boris and Fred. Because Boris on the left of Fred according to this previous bloody killer fine lady. You can erase Boris' possibility on the most right of the two and erase Fred's possibility on the most left of the two. As for the rest, you have to move on to other clue. You better get used to this pattern because it will appears very often from here on out.

 

I find the testimony from the witnesses is interesting. Here's the examples. Fred is neither a killer nor a fighter. He's lover just like that. On the other hand Harriet has mouth that as foul as mine. I thought maid is supposed to be polite but she proves the otherwise.

 

As i mentioned before clue with exact number distance is more helpful than the one without the number. In this case Fred mustn't be in the 2nd most bottom of the premise because he's 3 rooms above the baby, according to this clue.   

 

You get this small animation effect after sorting out all of the icon. Fred (once again) is the murderer, breaks a window, gets axe, kills Stella, and goes to angry letter. there's footprint and footstep between the phase which is neat effect in my opinion.    

 

After sorting another murder case, i'm now placed on C.I.D (Criminal Investigation Department). Soldier_cheers01.wav

 

On next level, this miserable git gives me some funny comment. Let's hope this murder case isn't your doing again, mister.

 

Really now? If there's murder case, naturally everyone here is could be potential suspect, including you too! Even you're not the murderer this time, i have to arrest you for unpleasant act, Mr. Jerk.

 

I keep my eyes very close on you, Maurice. It goes without saying that the more icon/possibility included, the more clue you get. I can't do anything further yet on this clue (Axe on the left of Maurice). But i can conclude that there's the one and only possibility that Rolly (the portly gentleman) above Maurice based on other clue. Some clue will complement each other whether directly or not. Even you can spot an exact outcome on some icon. I suggest you don't act harshly unless your conclusion is backed by the clue on notebook panel.  

 

Sniper_negativevocalization06.wav. Maurice is on it again! I knew it! I like to point out that the gun isn't revolver. It's matchlock pistol. Revolver is that handgun type with the circle magazine like you see in Wild West movie. Just saying.

After solving next murder case...

 

Wow. Just wow. Even though they're old, they can have love tragedy like youngster of this time to the point of involving murder. Demoman_jeers07.wav

 

I got promoted to Inspector! But things get more complicated as the Misanthrope Manor grows more room with more icon type: evidences left by the culprit. Some of them are usual/sensible such as piece of hair, footprint, fingerprint or blood. Some of them are fairly believable like cloth's button or handkerchief. But then there's bill note which doesn't make sense to me. You can get fingerprint from it, sure. But there's already fingerprint. ID card or brooch pin will be more sensible.

 

In this loading screen, Inspector Parker will introduce you to clue lock but i already spoil that much much early. :P

 

Inspector Parker isn't kidding about the case is getting more complex. Not only because of more room but also more icon type: item to dispose the victim's body such as: burn it with gasoline, bury it underground with shovel -classic style-, bury it in coal bin. Or the most ruthless method of them all: throwing it on tank full of Piranha fish! Why someone treat this carnivorous fishes as pet? What were they thinking? But i played Insaniquarium where the piranha can produce gem so who am i to judge? I like to point out that Harriet makes a bad joke about current predicament. Soldier_jeers01.wav   

 

Speaking of the old maid, Gerald says that he saw here somewhere below room where Boris located. I notice about you say "shooting". Would you kindly go with us for awhile, sir?

 

It seems Stella notice about the romance between Ophelia with Grandpa Gus earlier and she makes fun of it. In return she's killed and later her body put inside a wall. Sniper_jeers02.wav.

On next murder case...

 

Ophelia kills Stella again! This time she wants Stella's precious jewelry  and buries her body within coal bin. Spy_specialcompleted10.wav

 

I'm not sure about that, Boris. The problem with level with more room than previous level is: i can't enjoy the room visually. I think i want to see the rooms more thoroughly and admire their beauty but alas the game doesn't allow me. I know that the level become more difficult when there's more room but i will appreciate if i can see them clearly especially without all the icons. Also i wonder why the manor need to contain 2 torture rooms (on the right bottom corner).

 

After solving that murder case, i'm promoted to Chief Inspector! Well, if you keep throwing the works at me. You never get promoted to Chief, Inspector Parker. :P

 

What's oubliette? Oh. Apparently, it's underground jail. Why this manor has jail? Later, i know that misanthrope is fairly close to sociopath. They should change the name into Miserable Manor! Obviously, clue-locking feature become nigh mandatory as dozen of icons are cramped into small room (which become smaller because there's more room into manor that never change its size from the beginning). With the lock turns on, the related icon will be enlarged a bit which allow you to deduct or claim possibility more accurately.

 

You can click on magnifying glass icon on bottom-right corner, to ask for hint at the cost of extra time on timer. The thing is, it's not so helping. The hint (from Inspector Parker) only points out icon that you can deduct with logical pattern that i told you before. I was in rush and immediately left-mouse click on that rope then i get the unwelcome thunder rumbles. I though the hint is  pointing out one correct possibility and not the otherwise. Scout_jeers06.wav  

 

You can say that because you're the suspect type and not the victim type. As i mentioned before clue with distinct number is quite helpful but you have to be smart/careful on the count. Handkerchief icons on first 4 columns from the left, are definitely false possibility. The same goes to Evelyn icons on first 4 columns from the right. So deduct all of those. I forget to mention you that when you become Chief Inspector, you can only be allowed makes 1 mistake only. More than that, you have to start over the level.

 

After finishing that case, the story mode is over. You will be presented with picture of the suspects, victims, and Inspector Parker himself. There's also the front view of the blighted mansion. Looks nice outside but it's horrible outside what with all of the murder and dark underground rooms.

 

Then Inspector Parker suggest me some options. 1) I can replay the story mode from the beginning. 2) I can choose a level as i want. 3) Try the timed mode. Or lastly 4) Try the Deadly (hard) difficulty. As far as i know in hard difficulty, the clues are all the vague instruction type. The -you know-  clue without exact number room distance. Also no clue that related with the exact room. Meaning the hard difficulty offers less variation but make the game more difficulty as intended. The culprit of the first case on hard difficulty is: Maurice! Ok. I think i'm done here. 

 

Gamehouse's Inspector Parker (2003) is pretty fun puzzle game with murder crime setting. The gameplay is fun and easy to understand. Unfortunately it gets boring quite fast for me. Because there's not much variation on later stages. At least not without clogging many rooms with a dozen or two icons. If the icon type also randomized on less number of icon type, it will be more enjoyable. In early part of the latter murder scene, it takes lots of time and effort to work on the clues and you have to cycle through them over and over again. But once you discover some of the real possibility, it will get easier from that point. Not only your analytic skill, The game also demands your patience. There's different mode that can offer you with extra playability. The music is appropriate with mystery theme but only 1 track exist on stage, which can also add the sense of boredom in me. The sound effect is fairly good. The graphic is pretty wonderful.

 

To me, Inspector Parker (2003) is kind of like Minesweeper but with more logical solution and less relies on luck. Casting aside of gameplay that becomes boring fairly fast, this game get my recommendation. It only need slightly improvement to make it great. I feel like my brain get some wrinkle by playing this game for 5 hours so play it with your discreet. Sorry for anyone named "Maurice" who happens to read this review, but it seems the game hates Maurice this time.