PEGBRJE: BasketBelle and Detective Hank and the Golden Sneeze
Stories can be told in a variety of ways.
BasketBelle is a surreal exploration of a basketball game made by onemrbean, the clever solo dev who brought us Soundodger and Choice Chamber. Players are young individual named Luc who plays basketball with his legendary father, but after an incident with the younger sister Luc must find out how basketball can be utilized in some truly odd ways.
To call BasketBelle an experiment is somewhat of an understatement, for the only genre I could really fit it in to comfortably was ‘narrative’. There’s only one real rule: the winner is whomever reaches 11 points (well, usually). To gain a point, players need Luc to get a ‘ball’ in to a ‘hoop’, which usually involves pressing and releasing a button (X) at the peak of a jump. At first this follows the standard routine that many would find in a basketball game, playing one on one and seeing who can get to eleven first. Luc can fake out his opponent, slide underneath them, and dunk the ball while hustling back to block one of their shots shortly afterwards. These mechanics never truly change, but how they are used is soon manipulated by the game itself as Luc ventures in search of his sister. Suddenly each chapter alters exactly what those rules mean and what the definition of ‘basketball’ is, from platforming puzzles to shoot a hoop inside of a stomach to treating oneself as the ball to score a hoop in midair. It’s all to convey a sense of wonder and surrealism as Luc battles each one of these terrors in an effort to find Belle, but also grounds itself in those mechanics so players know what to expect; after all, a ball of some kind needs to go through a hoop.
Coupled with Bean’s signature cardboard aesthetic and a killer soundtrack, BasketBelle is a treat to experience in under an hour. It tells a simple tale, but still keeps itself earnest and emotionally charged as it does so you feel invested in every attempt that Luc does. There are a bunch of tiny tricks that are thrown in as well, only revealed by the ‘behind the scenes’ video which are a lovely touch for anyone wondering what the thought process was behind some of the decisions. If you love simple narrative tales that bend their own rules of engagement, then this is definitely one to try.
Detective Hank and the Golden Sneeze is a mystery visual novel made by Obsessive Science Games, an indie developer based out of the Netherlands. Players follow Detective Hank, a residence of a steampunk-esque world and top detective as he attempts to uncover what exactly happened when a priceless artifact was stolen; the issue is that there isn’t always one correct answer.
Following a traditional visual novel system, Detective Hank will be finding himself at the initial crime scene to gain information. From there, players will branch out and investigate different individuals throughout the town that may have ties to the stolen artifact, culminating in a chapter-based system. To get information from these people, Hank will need to ask clever questions while understanding who the person is to be able to coax the information out of them. Successfully gaining information will be rewarded with a fun soundbite and can be used later down the line when accusing someone, but on the flip side it is extremely easy to ask the wrong questions and gain absolutely nothing. There are not many ‘do-overs’ within, so if Hank doesn’t get the right information in time to narrow down a suspect he’ll be left with every person and no evidence to accuse them in court. This is by far the most interesting aspect, because it relies on players ability to understand the game while mitigating losses in the future. It can definitely be frustrating when it feels like information is constantly being blocked, but finding that hidden detail is crucial to success. Granted, if Hank presents the information incorrectly at the end then it doesn’t matter how good the data is; the case can still be thrown out.
Where Detective Hank and the Golden Sneeze sets itself apart is in its relatively short run time, but completely variable plot lines. There are multiple stories to choose from, none of them specifying what their outcome is so that players can randomize and go down a different ‘path’ every time. That means whomever is the true culprit may not be known during every run unless one plays dozens of times. Finding out the culprit on one path is exhilarating, and getting stumped by the next just wants you to dive back in and try again. It’s campy, it’s fun, and it just wants to solve a mystery; if this is your style of visual novel adaptation, then give it a whirl.
