As the narrator from Little Riddle would put it; Remedy is baack agaaaaain fooor muurder! Blue Toad Murder Files: The Mysteries of Little Riddle Episodes 4-6 (Blue Toad) returns with another round of episodes to finish up the murder mystery files. The formula of puzzles, over the top accents and “whodunnit?” game play are all back in sharpish fashion. All of which can be bought together for $14.99 or separately for $7.49, just like before.
If you are unfamiliar with Blue Toad, the story centers around you, a detective of the Blue Toad agency, going for a getaway in the countryside in the quaint town of Little Riddle. During your time in the seemingly quiet city a series of murders and crimes take place which only you can figure out. Story progression is done by solving puzzles, looking out for clues and recapping details with brief quizzes.
For those that finished up episodes 1-3 last time, Blue Toad ends the caper in an over the top murder mystery fashion. The story still follows the tale involving The Miller, Mrs. Bothersome, Moses the Gardner and The Colonel. All return to flesh out their roles in the recent crimes in the colorful village. The story still moves at a slow but steady pace, recapping the most important facts every 2-3 puzzles. The remaining half episodes of Blue Toad encompasses conspiracies, cover-ups and a little bit of family drama just for fun.
The tone and feel of the game all return from the first three episodes offering stereotypical caricatures and bubbly conversations for the player to follow. Diving into the next 3 episodes though, the dialogue can get long and at times a skip movie function is desperately needed. Little Riddle’s inhabitants are charming but quite talkative to the point where a detective just wants to politely slink out the back to the next clue.
Puzzles return in full force to Blue Toad and are by far the biggest difference between episodes 1-3 and 4-6. For a person who enjoys a mindless game after a long day of work or just want to blow off a quick 30 minutes, one may want to wait until they are more alert to play Blue Toad. The puzzles are noticeably more difficult than its predecessor. This isn’t to say Blue Toad isn’t enjoyable, but expectations should be changed for the later episodes; there will be more times that the “give up!” text is attractive.
With puzzles still being a bump harder than before, Blue Toad still brings creativity and ingenuity to it’s brain twisters. Finding bees a la mine sweeper, finding how much is in the collection plate and a slew of other puzzles scratch the puzzle itch. A favorite involves helping an assembly of gentlemen so they are all happy sitting next to each other. Men with the same waist coat or hat cannot sit next to each other, with a limited amount of seats. These teasers are fun as they are quirky and are enjoyable in a short sitting.
Once again, multiplayer is featured but only one person at a time can play a puzzle. This element is understandable but still frustrating at times when it feels like nothing else but a missed opportunity. Playing Blue Toad with a group takes on the same feel as a relaxed cocktail party, as some of the puzzles take from 5-10 minutes to complete this time around. Just about enough time to gossip about the folks down the street or talk about how absurd it is that the Jones’ got a high speed jet boat they will never use.
The story in Blue Toad is in the same format as before, deciding which suspect committed the murder, applying little clues along the way to solve the episodic crimes and taking mysteries from the last episode and trying to solve them in the next. The twists and turns are fun but the story will not be the hardest to figure out for those who regularly read spy novels.
The Rundown
Blue Toad Murder Mystery Files: The Mysteries of Little Riddle Episodes 4-6 finishes the story strong and adds a bit of difficulty into the mix. More brain power will definitely be spent in front of the game doing math or estimating how many bees fit into a garden but the experience is still enjoyable and rewarding.
The tone, feel and gameplay all remain the same and perform just as well as the prior 3 episodes. Players will have fun solving the over-arching story that has tied all of the stories together whether alone or with a group. Once again, this is a great game to play with a gathering of chill friends to leisurely answer puzzles as you discuss the days events.