RANDAL’S TUESDAY

Some of you may remember Randal's Monday, an adventure game released eleven years ago (whaaat?) by Spanish Nexus Game Studios, at a time when Daedalic Entertainment was still investing heavily in the development of this niche genre. Although this adventure game had some good elements, it ultimately left mixed impressions, mainly due to its incessant blabber, but also the controversial implementation of the puzzles, especially from the middle of the game onwards, thus creating a sense of fatigue in anyone who played it.

Admittedly, we didn't expect there to be a sequel to the adventures of the rather unlikable protagonist Randal Hicks, but the folks at Nexus Game Studios had other ideas. In the (predictably titled) Randal's Tuesday, the Spanish developers take us back to Randal's past, even adding some company (his close friend Matt and their arch-enemy – and owner of the comic store in Randal's Monday — Charlie) and placing them in the period when the three of them were in college.

Of course, the prequel couldn't have the same storyline as Randal's Monday, so the Groundhog Day concept doesn't apply here. Instead, the game begins with Matt and Charlie on trial for a serious crime that took place at college, for which Randal is also accused, but he is nowhere to be found. We have no idea what happened, and the game keeps it a secret for quite some time, but the plot of Randal's Tuesday unfolds through the testimonies of the protagonists of the adventure, who recount the events from their own perspective, until it culminates in the coveted "truth." A perspective that is (naturally) filtered to the benefit of each witness, interspersed with a few exaggerations, extreme scenes, unpolitical-correct humor, and many pop-culture references. Everything we would expect, in other words.

In the main game, we control a different hero each time, depending on who is being questioned (of course, Randal will also appear later), with most of the action taking place on college grounds. Each time we have a specific goal to complete, which is achieved through various actions on our part that mainly involve collecting and using items, but also dialogues with the various, usually outrageous, characters in the game (including our protagonists). Of course, due to the nature of the story, there is quite a bit of "repetition" in the locations where we will be acting, but the game itself is almost never repetitive, being quite inspired in its variety of puzzles and situations. Especially if we take into account the fact that some puzzles have more than one solution.

For example, at some point in the game, when controlling Charlie, which item he will acquire next depends on our response in a dialogue, so we must act accordingly. Or, in another case, in order to get what he wants, the same hero can either give in to blackmail or follow another method, which is more time-consuming but entirely feasible. Undoubtedly, this is a very nice addition, and I wish it happened more often in the game.

So, no deviations from the "traditional" adventure format, except for one damn slide puzzle (oh gods – luckily it was easy), but it's worth noting that Randal's Tuesday is much more "polished" than its predecessor, on all levels. The dialogues are more laconic and spot-on, without losing their caustic humor, while the puzzles are a far cry from the moon-logic of Randal's Monday.

Sure, there are some unusual combinations of objects, and sometimes we'll need to use our imagination, but the game provides sufficient hints on how to proceed (there is also a small notebook with the objectives we have undertaken—and a complete walkthrough if you want it) and it never becomes frustrating. Even with some chapters being more "open" in terms of visitable locations than others, Randal's Tuesday manages not to overwhelm the player, but to guide them intelligently, either by throwing in apt hints or by temporarily restricting movement from screen to screen.

Of course, this has its consequences, as the difficulty level tends to be on the low side. With a few exceptions, mainly in the early chapters of the adventure, Randal's Tuesday flows rather comfortably and is unlikely to challenge an experienced player of the genre. However, as we progress towards the end of the story, the chapters (aka testimonies) become shorter and shorter, with the (obviously "extravagant") finale leaving a feeling of rush. We would say that this was more or less to be expected, as the development of the game, according to its creators, faced many problems, mainly of a financial nature. It is rather a miracle that Randal's Tuesday managed to see the light of day, even in its current form. Suffice it to say that the English voice-over was completed by volunteers (!), which is evident in the voices of some characters, who sound like they are speaking from a well, as well as in various in-game jokes.

Surely, on paper there would be a bigger plan for Randal's Tuesday, as its average duration is around five to six hours (about 1/3 of Randal's Monday), while the coexistence of the three characters, which could lead to puzzles in the style of Day of the Tentacle, is barely exploited throughout the game. Obviously, the lack of budget led to this "limited" result, which we would not characterize as incomplete.

Apart from the beautiful graphics, with huge characters and cartoon aesthetics, and the pleasant, mainly rock, background music, the game is complete. It has coherence, a clear beginning and end, nicely ties in with Randal's Monday, and hints that there may be a new adventure for Randal and his friends at some point (hopefully not in another ten years). It just doesn't reach the level that its creators might have imagined, and combined with the quality of the adventures released this year, Randal's Tuesday is simply a decent choice for fans of the genre.

Go to discussion...