- Unforeseen Incidents is a conspiracy-driven point-and-click thriller
- Explore Yelltown and discover what’s behind a mysterious outbreak
- Find out what we thought of this title, and whether we recommend it
Is it too early for us to look fondly back on games where a mysterious pandemic sets people on edge? Unrelated, but you haven’t got a cough or a runny nose, have you? I’m just kidding.
Today’s subject is Unforeseen Incidents, which has just been released on mobile by Backwoods Entertainment and Application Systems Heidelberg. Set in a small backwoods town suffering a strange epidemic, the mystery thriller lets you play as average handyman Harper Pendrell as he stumbles on a deadly conspiracy that could have consequences not just for his home but the whole world.
The point-and-click genre is notoriously Marmite, so if you’re utterly aghast at playing them, you should look away now. But if you’re open-minded or a seasoned veteran of the inventory searching, tap-everything-on-everything style of gameplay, you’ll want to stick around.
How does Unforeseen Incidents hold up? And how well does it work on mobile? Let’s find out!
Gameplay
When it comes to gameplay, Unforeseen Incidents is entirely acceptable as point-and-click adventures go. You tap to move and interact with objects while dragging items from your inventory to either combine them or use them in the environment. I did find opening the inventory finicky, however, as it requires you to tap the top of the screen and more than once I accidentally pulled down my phone’s status bar.
Movement is also okay, as you’re able to skip the tedium of walking from screen to screen by double-tapping your intended destination. No such luck if you need to move somewhere within a single screen (or background in this case), as you’ll have to walk all the way over there. But these are all minor gripes, yet leave Unforeseen Incidents looking a bit backwards compared to the more elegant design of the recently-released Darkside Detective.
I will say that the puzzles tend to be more intuitive than you might expect, often requiring the use of Harper’s multitool which has a variety of attachments, such as a screwdriver or pincers. This isn’t quite the same as Monkey Island in terms of bizarre puzzle logic, and most are fairly straightforward if long-winded as you would expect from the genre. Even so, it does fall into the trap of the, “Oh so that’s how it works” moment of any point-and-click title, so if that’s your primary gripe with the genre, this probably won’t change your mind.
Graphics
Unforeseen Incidents’ visual style could best be described as: “trendy European comic book incidentally set in America(?).” The scratchy and stylised art would probably look a bit more basic on a larger screen, but it blends together nicely on mobile. The art direction and environments can look a little cluttered, but the welcome return of a button to highlight interactable objects makes that a negligible concern.
The atmosphere of Unforeseen Incidents is communicated very well by the design of Yelltown, and you get the sense of the melancholic, run-down nature of this small community. The vibrant colours also pop really well even on a small screen and highlight or blend together objects as needed. It’s as much a feast for the eyes as any game of this kind can be, and proof you don’t need to be 3D to stand out on phones.
Perhaps the only issue I might have is the lip-syncing and facial expressions. Some characters, like the journalist Helliwell, only have one facial expression with their eyes rolling around like some kind of demented puppet. It wouldn’t be as bad if it wasn’t for the fact that the camera insists on zooming in for some sort of dramatic effect, which just makes everything look a bit awkward. But that’s small potatoes.
I think that audio is where Unforeseen Incidents really shines. The soundtrack is incredibly varied for virtually every scene and really sets the mood. The ambient sounds also let you drift into the world and are perfect for anyone who likes that style of easy-listening. Some neat tricks include the soundtrack being muffled in one room while clear in another, leaving you unsure what’s diegetic and what’s not.
As for voice-acting, it ranges from “pretty good” to “cheesy, but we’ll allow it.” It’s not Shakespeare, and for fans of the Monkey Island series or other more humorous takes on the genre, it may just be a little too dry to be ridiculous, but there’s nothing offensively bad or even middling. Although I admit the Professor’s lousy Scotch accent does encourage a chuckle or two.
Performance
Nothing to say here really either way, it’s a point-and-click game so I’d be genuinely surprised if there were any issues performance-wise. The movement from screen to screen is pretty much instantaneous. Although if we’re expanding this section to include all technical aspects, I suppose I should complain that there are no separate volume sliders in the settings menu. On occasion, the music can drown out what characters are saying, and the ability to tweak those levels would have been very welcomed.
But aside from that, you get multiple languages to play, as well as the ability to select different font styles, including one for those who might be dyslexic!
What I liked
While I recognise Darkside Detective is, in technical aspects and art style, the superior game, I also liked the atmosphere and the tone of Unforeseen Incidents better. There’s some comedy there, but when it gets serious, it can definitely set a very spooky tone. I also enjoyed the more logical aspects of the puzzles, and the use of Harper’s multitool is a very neat addition.
What I also liked was the fact that you can actually nab virtually everything you need if you look around hard enough. There’s very little backtracking if you’re a relentless scavenger, and I think that’s always a plus in adventure games as having to go back on yourself is always the least pleasurable part of the genre.
What I didn’t like
Again, this is a short list, but there are a few technical issues that pop out to me. The aforementioned facial expressions can really get a bit daunting after a while, and naturally, you’ll find the puzzles quickly ballooning out of control and your inventory swelling. But the last two are at least the kind of thing you should go into any point-and-click adventure expecting to happen.
I think my biggest gripe however is that there’s clearly some stuff that should’ve had a second pass for use on mobile. The aforementioned touch to bring up the inventory for example, and especially a really irritating puzzle where you have to set radio dials. You can tell the devs knew that the latter would really turn people off because they actually make the number leap to the correct one when you get close enough. Why they don’t just let you input them manually somehow (given figuring out the fact that the numbers are for said puzzle is most of the work) is anyone’s guess.
Conclusion
Unforeseen Incidents has a strong core, and aside from some minor gripes with the controls, it’s got strong graphics, sound and gameplay that, while it won’t pull in any point-and-click sceptics, will give open-minded gamers a good entry point into the genre. It’s a complete experience that I definitely enjoyed looking at and listening to as much as playing.
But, since I’ve been making favourable comparisons to games like Maid of Sker, I should temper this by noting that Unforeseen Incidents is an upfront payment of $4.99, only a dollar cheaper than Sker and without the option to demo it first. It is however significantly cheaper than the much-shorter Darkside Detective which is priced at $6.99 (not including the second instalment I also reviewed).
So if you’re a consummate player of point-and-click titles, or want something that hits a more serious tone, Unforeseen Incidents is probably more than suitable for you.
Download now!
