Agatha Knife (2017)

There is no doubt that the subject matter that Agatha Knife is built on won’t be for everyone but if any of this sounds interesting to you than I recommend it. It isn’t challenging and the controls can use some tuning but I love the art style the developers went with for this game and the dark story mixed with humor was enjoyable from start to finish for me.

Not everyone will enjoy Agatha Knife's off-putting world but those who do will find a lot to like about this quirky adventure game.

However, for all that talk about the game’s subject matter, its satire is no stranger than what you used to see in South Park’s heyday. Agatha Knife is all barks and no bite as it makes fun without being mean or mocking. I expected to sit through some profound lesson but much to my surprise – and without spoiling too much – the outcome was positive for all the parties involved. In the end, the unique presentation and a curious premise hide a somewhat familiar parody and the so-called criticism the game likes to think it represents isn’t as sharp as Agatha’s knifes.

Agatha herself is a wonderfully complicated character; we see things from her innocent and skewed perspective, for good or ill. The puzzling is relatively simplistic -- there's nothing here to match the nonsensical item combinations of the genre's luminaries. But this is a game more about story and tone than pixel hunting, and the result is a decent, bizarre experience.

Agatha Knife is like the South Park of Point-and-Click games, a cartoon aesthetic with very dark and adult themes. Mechanics-wise, the game is rather simplistic and very easy to pick up, but the solutions to the problems will certainly make you think. I love the fact that there are multiple ways to solve most of the obstacles in your way as well as tonnes of interaction points which expand on the brilliantly written narrative. There's never a dull moment, even when you're walking around due to a lack of fast travel.