Last time, you decided that highlighted interactive objects are better than retrievable reusable ammo. I understand why you decided that. Your fondness for this thing makes perfect sense. It is very helpful. An immensely practical thing. And still… ah, we must move on. This week, I ask you to pick between two right different right-clickings. What’s better: drawing Frog Detective’s magnifying glass or drawing Blade Runner’s gun?
Drawing Frog Detective’s magnifying glass
At any point when playing Frog Detective, you can right-click to pull up your magnifying glass. As the second-best investigator, Frog Detective will need to scrutinise clues and suspects to help solve strange cases. Suspects could be anywhere, could be anyone, so best be ready. Maybe… even you’re a suspect.
Now that I think about it, I can’t remember if you ever need to use the magnifying glass at any point in any of the three games. Maybe you don’t? But you will. Of course you will. As you wander around, you will peer through the magnifying at everyone and anything of interest, because: 1) that’s what a detective does; 2) the lens distorts images and it is very fun to make people look silly by rolling the view over their face and body, eyes bugging and chins bulging then snapping and noses filling your screen. It’s such a joyous way to inhabit a character and roleplay in a world while also enjoying the simple optical magic of things looking silly through a lens.
“I can’t solve mysteries without it!” the Detective says in The Case Of The Invisible Wizard. “Well, maybe I could, but I wouldn’t want to.” I wouldn’t want to either.
Drawing Blade Runner’s gun
At any point when playing Westwood’s Blade Runner adventure game, you can press right-click to pull out your pistol. As a rookie Blade Runner, Ray McCoy will need to protect himself when chasing down suspected illegal androids. Replicants could be anywhere, could be anyone, so best be ready. Maybe… even you’re a Replicant.
While most of the game is quite safe and you’ll barely use your gun, you don’t know this at first. One of the few controls and one of your main buttons is to draw your gun. Anywhere, anytime, there it is, right under your middle finger, ready to go. It implies that you will need this, that this is one of the few ways you will interact with the world, that the game is dangerous, that threats are everywhere. I was on edge for a long time on my first playthrough, instinctively and fruitlessly drawing my gun upon entering somewhere new.
This quickdraw makes you play out the paranoia of a cop/potential robocop. You start to think of everything as a situation to potentially solve with a gun, and this is reinforced when it works as a puzzle peice to intimidate certain characters into compliance—unless they take issue with it and shoot first. Oh, it’s enough to give anyone the Blade Runner Blues!
But which is better?
I cannot pick. The Blade Runner quickdraw is a powerful paranoia. The Frog Detective quickdraw is a powerful joy. I leave this one to you. What do you think, reader dear?
Pick your winner, vote in the poll below, and make your case in the comments to convince others. We’ll reconvene next week to see which thing stands triumphant—and continue the great contest.