Brok the InvestiGator is an interesting experience as it combines two distinct genres that seem polar opposites, into one experience, namely beat em ups and Point & Click Adventures. Specifically, the developers have called Brok the InvestiGator a Punch & Click, and that term works rather well. Brok the InvestiGator should not work at all, but somehow it does.
The game sees you take control of Brok, an anthropomorphic gator and private investigator who must deal with a case that soon shows deeper themes in his world, including racism and loss, and also of the interaction with the other characters like his son Graff. The characters all seem well realized, but every interaction is connected and this includes the choices you make.
A wrong decision could lead to a character dying and yet the story continues and the result is a branching path system with multiple endings that is perfect for multiple replays. You may find a decision’s results frustrating, but the game’s narrative is so compelling, you will want to keep going just to see how the game plays out. Indeed, the narrative adventure aspects of the game are so well done, but I do need to stress that the beat ’em up segments do tend to be the weaker part of the game. They are not bad per se, but only a few sections feel really fleshed out, with many feeling like padding between the adventure segments.
The investigations in Brok the InvestiGator are a high point of the game and feel much more involved than that of a typical adventure game. There are layers to this, but it never delves into obscure puzzles that you need a walkthrough to figure out. No, here simple logic works and you will have to interact with the world properly to figure things out. If you miss a detail, you can also go back and figure it out, and the game does provide plenty of hints if you need one.
Part of the combat is done while traversing from area to area and this just feels like it is there to be there. The brawling is fine, but as said above, it just feels like padding except for areas where it lets you go all out. Brok the InvestiGator does feel good when you can go all out in brawling, but I feel that these two parts of the game could have been paced better. This is where the DLC The Bar Brawl comes in, with more exploration and combat and it feels so much better integrated here. There are challenges to do, and challenges you can create on your own, and the game’s story focuses more on the past of Brok that is hinted at in the main game.
The Bar Brawl has plenty of surprises to discover and new characters to meet, and it all feels like it flows together much better. In the base game there are skills you can level up, but do not really mean much, but here everything just clicks and it seems the flaws COWCAT left in the original game have finally been ironed out. There is a good amount of challenge and you will get beaten down more than a few times, but the game also feels more satisfying as a result. I would even go so far as to say The Bar Brawl DLC is essential if you plan to check out the game in general, just because of how it makes the combat work better.
Brok the InvestiGator in general is a great looking game with a throwback cartoon art style and devoted players of adventure games will pick up that part of the game easily, but with The Bar Brawl, the combat will also be appealing as well. While the voice acting isn’t the best in the base game or DLC, the game in general is worth checking out. Just be aware that this is a unique experience that requires you to have an open mind when trying out something new.
Disclaimer: Review keys for the game and its DLC were provided
