Hector: Badge of Carnage wants you to cringe.

It seems like the developers of Hector want you to contemplate whether you should even continue playing in the first minutes of the game. Fans of the adventure genre will no doubt be surprised when they boot up Hector for the first time. The game starts with a graphic hostage negotiation scene. Within seconds of starting, a cop’s head is blown off.  Once that scene closes, you are then immediately subjected to making a fishing net with a used condom in the inaugural puzzle.

The shock value hadn’t paid off yet. It seemed like it was gratuitous for gratuity’s sake. It continued to get worse with an overweight hooker being the focal point of the following puzzle. Was it going to be worth it to finish? Yes and no.

Game: Hector – Badge Of Carnage
Publisher: TellTale Games
Developer: Straandlooper
Genre: Point-and-click adventure
Price: $9.99
Verdict: A gross out adventure with a bit of sheen underneath.

Acquired via Publisher

Hector does get better. The puzzles start to get deeper, and Hector’s interactions with the veritable crew of Clapper’s Wreake expand. The pinnacle of anti-hero, Hector does a great job of making himself the unlikable-likable character that we so often see in these kinds of stories. You’ll learn to love-hate Hector while he carries out the bizarre demands of a hostage-holding terrorist.

The demands, of course, bring about a host of conversations and puzzles. While some of the puzzles were dumbfoundingly easy, others were so frustratingly obtuse that going through the game without at least a hint or two might cause one to go insane. The puzzles hit their stride toward the end of the game. However, the game’s final puzzle feels too disjointed, as if the developers were just ready to be done and get the game out.

But, as mentioned before, the interactions between Hector and the oddball citizens he meets really help you find an affinity for this irreverent game. There is no shortage of crazy people, homeless or otherwise, in Clapper’s Wreake, and you start to understand why Hector, as cranky as he is, is, surprisingly, the normal one in town.

The game seems a little on a lean side, even though it is episodic. That may be the case largely because of that slow start. It really doesn’t pick up until you’re through about the first hour of the game. Being a two to three hour game means that you’re only really into, at best, two thirds of the game. Luckily, the game is a steady upward climb the entire way, and the cliffhanger doesn’t disappoint.

Ending on a high note, Hector‘s final cut scene will leave you wanting to find out what happens in Episode 2. This is a crucial mark to hit for episodic gaming. It’s a gamble. Developers have to be clever enough to dissect an overarching narrative into pieces that are big enough to savor and feel like a story in and of themselves while making sure the gamer is left wanting more. Hector struck this balance, even if it took him awhile. Just be prepared to be offended every once in awhile. All of the name of fun, of course.

GrE Grade: C+

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