What to Expect With The Adventures of Bertram Fiddle Episode 2

I love adventure games. Which is why I didn’t hesitate to back The Adventures of Bertram Fiddle part two on Kickstarter despite never having played the first one. Until now that is. In order to get a feel as to what to expect for the next installment of our intrepid explorator I decided that a romp through the weird version of Victorian London was in order. So, just what can we expect for the continuing adventures of our sleuth and his Cyclops manservant? Well, read on.

The Adventures of Bertram Fiddle starts out with the titular character wishing for an adventure because, apparently, he hasn’t been on one for a while. His wife emasculates him as she sends him to get her dog groomed. Happenstance happens as the classic “suitcase swap” gag happens and he’s on the case to find the owner of said purloined luggage to get Foofy back. That’s pretty much the entire first chapter in a nutshell. Oh, and he ends up on the trail of a notorious serial murderer. Known as…sigh…Geoff the Murderer.

The second episode of The Adventures of Bertram Fiddle continue where the first chapter left off. Namely in continual pursuit of said shadowy fiend. Literally. He’s portrayed throughout as a shadow enshrouded stalker of the night. Since as far as I know the majority (or partly thereof) of the next installment takes place in the dark alleys of Victorian London there’ll be plenty of cameos from returning characters. Personally, I’d love to see more of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Yes, these crack investigators are on the case as well. And Holmes is an ass. Just sayin’.

The series is a comical farce of living in England back in the day and the humor never lets up. Which means we should see more of the same in the next chapter should it get funded. It’s one laugh or groan right after another as Fiddle and Gavin find themselves in one predicklement after another. They’re not exactly a dynamic duo, but unlike a certain French detective they’re at least not bumbling through the case. Which means hilarity with some intelligence sprinkled throughout the investigation.

Being a continuation, while we’re certain to see some characters returning there’ll also be a good number of new people to interact with. And, based on what I’ve seen of the art during the campaign, I shall not be disappointed. Even if most of the characters have creepy proboscises. Honestly, the character art nearly put me off but as I always say you can’t judge an adventure game by art alone. The story and personality more than make up for this.

The Adventures of Bertram Fiddle is a worthy addition to any adventure game fan’s collection and I do look forward to seeing the second episode make funding so that I can continue my search for Geoff the Murderer. With less than a week it still hasn’t gotten funded yet, a bit shy of the £25,000 goal. Which will be a real shame if it doesn’t make it. After playing the first game I’m left wanting more. Which is always a good thing.