35) Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping (2025)

Released in 2024, the first Duck Detective game, The Secret Salami, introduced us to the titular investigative water fowl in a short but well polished adventure game. The Ghost of Glamping takes place not long after the original, and further polishes the established formula. Also returning are the voice talents of Sean Chiplock and Brian David Gilbert, who once again voice their characters to perfection.

Our story begins with Eugene McQuacklin, our duck detective, now living with his number one fan, Freddy Frederson, as he attempts to get his life back on track. In the midst of a messy divorce, Eugene has once again turned to his greatest vice, bread, which he shamefully hides in his messy room. At the insistence of Freddy, we go to a purportedly haunted campsite for some much needed rest and relaxation. Crime, however, never rests, and we soon find ourselves front and center in yet another mystery. It's up to us to get to know the other campers and get to the bottom of the the spooky mystery that suffocates the campground.

Gameplay consists of walking around, interrogating people, and finding evidence all while filling in the literal blanks of the case in our notebook. Unlike the first game, the process has been streamlined and relies less on trial and error. In this way, the game is actually much easier than its predecessor. So easy in fact, that you can complete the entire experience in one sitting, taking only a couple of hours. What the game lacks in difficulty and length, it more than makes up for in charm and production values. The artwork is cute and approachable, and much of the humor lands pretty well, poking fun at itself and the genre as a whole.

The game is so short and easy, that I find it hard to fully recommend for most seasoned gamers. Instead, for anyone new to gaming or looking for a game to play alongside their children, then this will be a perfect starting point and introduction to the point and click adventure genre. While the story does tackle a few serious topics, such as divorce, it's presented in kid friendly package without coming off as insincere or condescending. Too often, media made with kids in mind lacks any real depth, but Duck Detective trusts kids to handle more complex concepts and ideas while also presenting them in a package that appeals to adults as well.

Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping stands as proof that just because something is made for kids doesn't mean it has to be low effort. The story is well thought out and doesn't feel cheap, while the artwork and voice acting are top notch. While it does suffer from the same lack of replay value that most mystery games tend to, since revisiting it when you know the solution is trivial, the heart and charm of the game makes it a tempting story to come back to. I look forward to further adventures with Eugene McQuacklin, and the Duck Detective series has, in my opinion, earned a place as one of the best in the surprisingly robust genre of animal detective games.