The Goat in the Grey Fedora

Overview

The Goat in the Grey Fedora is the second game featuring the Public M Detective Nick Bounty. Unlike the previous game A Case of the Crabs which used drawn characters and environments. The Goat in the Grey Fedora uses pre-rendered environments and 3D models turned sprites for the characters. Only the mouth movements continue to use the previous game's style of animation. The Goat in the Grey Fedora maintains the noir styling and trappings, along with the humourous writing of the previous game. It is free to play and download from Pinhead Games' website.

Story

We find Nick Bounty in the middle of a poker game with some friends. Nick enters himself into the next hand, but finds himself short on money. It's been a slow week for the Detective. He asks for a loan, much to everyone else's annoyance. A fellow player Mick notices his watch and asks him to put that up instead. But this simple watch holds a great deal of sentimental value to Nick. One of the two reminders of his latest case. The other, a broken heart.

He begins to recount his latest adventure. Again, much to everyone else's annoyance.

Nick is in his office, throwing darts at a photo on the wall. A day like every other, for Nick Bounty. Until a knock graces his office door. In walks a drop dead gorgeous dame, with eyes like stars in a clear night sky and a dress as tight as a Scotsman. The woman introduces herself as Katherine Ledbetter and asks Nick to find for her a ceramic Goat statue. This simple statue belonged to her recently deceased Uncle. As she is not immediate family, the office where her Uncle worked and stored the statue, would not let her in. Nick is reluctant to accept. This isn't his type of case. He's more of a missing persons and murder kind of Detective. But, with the promise of his latest acquaintance becoming his new best friend, Nick is a bit more eager to aid Ms. Ledbetter in her plight.

And so begins the case of The Goat in the Grey Fedora.

Gameplay

Whilst this is still a pretty standard point and click adventure game. The Goat in the Grey Fedora differs from it's predecessor with a more simplified interface. Gone is the list of potential actions, replaced by three options. Each associated with different parts of his body, which appear when an object is clicked on. These are his eyes (Look), hands (Grab/Pick Up) and mouth (Talk/Chew/Lick). Whilst the mouth has the most options, it is primarily used for talking. Some things in this world were just simply not meant to be licked or chewed.