The Adventures of Bertram Fiddle: Episode 2: A Bleaker Predicklement (Nintendo Switch) Review

Gamers re-join the action with Bertram working in Dulsworth's Adequate Soap Factory, trying his best to sell washing products to people, by whatever means necessary. Victorian London has not been too kind to poor ol' Fiddle as of late, and to make ends meet he must do anything that comes his way. In fact, that is how the puzzle antics are introduced, with Berty Boy™ needing to work through a list of combinations on an old-style switchboard to phone various people, which is amusing to start with, but grows slightly tiresome quickly. Thankfully, that is not a sign of things to come, with the rest of the puzzles being more engaging, with the game dipping its toe into the fetch-and-return territory a few times, but not in a pedantry back and forth trek too often.

It is not long before Bertram Fiddle finds himself accused of being the culprit behind a string of murders, with the finger being pointed by a rather inept version of Sherlock Holmes, Fiddle's competition. The aim is simple enough: prove that Holmes has made a grave error in judgement, break Bertram out of prison, find the real dastardly villain…and have all sorts of fun along the way.

The light-hearted nature of the characters met en route to the final unveiling, the beautifully crafted variety of locations visited in the limited space of the "85% historically inaccurate" setting, and the regular moments of amusement encountered help to make A Bleaker Predicklement a joy to work through. Also being able to play individually as Bertram or Gavin at points, as well as using the two together later, switching between them to crack conundrums, works very well indeed. Even when losing track of where to go or what to do, locations are not so vast that revisiting places becomes a chore, something supported by the smart writing style used for the non-playable folk dotted around to interact with. Puzzles never seem overly complex, yet equally provide enough challenge to prevent this being a complete walk in the park. It may lack some of the shock factor and original spark of Episode 1: A Dreadly Business, but this sequel bodes well for possible future entries, nonetheless, and will please fans of the first entry, and tickle the fancy of newcomers, equally.