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

By Adam Riley 07.01.2019

Review for The Adventures of Bertram Fiddle: Episode 2: A Bleaker Predicklement  on Nintendo Switch

Last year saw the highly comical, British-tinged point-and-click escapade, The Adventures of Bertram Fiddle Episode 1: A Dreadly Business, delightfully ported across to Nintendo Switch, and much adventurmuring took place, with the odd titter here and there thanks to the comical over-the-top accents and some well-placed, purposely misspelt words, which drove home the nincompoopery of Mr. Fiddle, the self-proclaimed "Leading Victorian Explorator." Now, he and his one-eyed compatriot, Gavin, return…but things are not going quite as well as expected when events are returned to here in Episode 2: A Bleaker Predicklement.

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.

Screenshot for The Adventures of Bertram Fiddle: Episode 2: A Bleaker Predicklement  on Nintendo Switch

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.

Screenshot for The Adventures of Bertram Fiddle: Episode 2: A Bleaker Predicklement  on Nintendo Switch

Cubed3 Rating

7/10
Rated 7 out of 10

Very Good - Bronze Award

Rated 7 out of 10

After the success of the first episode of The Adventures of Bertram Fiddle, it is great to see that Episode 2: A Bleaker Predicklement does not let the side down, delivering more of the same point-and-click adventuring goodness, complete with sufficient doses of comic relief and some smart puzzling antics. With any luck, a third entry is currently in the works!

Developer

Rumpus

Publisher

Chorus Worldwide Games

C3 Score

Rated $score out of 10  8/10

Reader Score

Rated $score out of 10  0 (0 Votes)

European release date Out now   North America release date Out now   Japan release date Out now   Australian release date Out now   

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