What Is Unforeseen Incidents?
Unforeseen Incidents is an animated, point and click mystery game from German games company Backwoods Entertainment in which you play as a small-town handyman who becomes embroiled in a conspiracy which threatens all of mankind. It is evocative of Twin Peaks, The X-Files, and Gravity Falls through its beautiful artwork, haunting music, and mysterious storyline.
What Rating Is Unforeseen Incidents?
There is no official age rating for Unforeseen Incidents but Common Sense Media suggests the game is suitable for ages 13 and up which feels about right to me. The central plot of the game revolves around a plague outbreak which some children may find distressing but there is no sex and no player-controlled violence in the game.
Can I Watch the Unforeseen Incidents Trailer?
You can, here it is:
Gameplay & Verdict
In Unforeseen Incidents, you play as Harper Pendrell, a scruffy handyman who lives in the small town of Yelltown. Armed with his trusty multitool and a classic inventory system to story objects he finds around the town, Harper is faced with a challenge. Yelltown residents have begun to fall victim to a mysterious plague and it appears there is a conspiracy underway to cover everything up. It’s up to Harper to uncover the secrets and save the world. The whole game is hand drawn with 2D animation that looks like an indie graphic novel come to life. It is beautiful throughout and has gorgeously atmospheric music that reminded me of Twin Peaks‘ lazy, relaxing lilt.
Harper is utterly relatable as a protagonist and instantly likable. When faced with a suspicious character who doubts his intentions, Harper’s response is exactly the kind of thing we could all picture ourselves saying – “I have no idea what’s happening and I am not smart enough to double-cross anyone. You can definitely trust me.” He’s an Arthur Dent-ish character, wandering around more than a little bemused about what is going on and how on Earth he came to be caught up in it all. This is a man who refuses to throw out his old, broken TV set because he feels guilty about evicting the spider who lives inside it so he’s not exactly the type you’d expect to find saving the world and his sarcastic responses to the people around him will have you regularly cracking a smile.
As you move Harper around town, he meets other characters and begins finding puzzles to solve, beginning with a phone call from his friend Professor McBride whose laptop won’t charge and who needs Harper’s help to fix it. Many of the things you come across won’t make sense or be usable until later in the game, but it’s advisable to click on anything and everything. Just because you can’t see a use for that torn bit of paper now, you’ll probably be delighted to have it later on.
Interacting with the various characters means clicking on them and then selecting from a choice of dialogue options. It’s worth spending your time talking to people in this game, as you’ll often learn things that will offer clues for later on. The other characters also offer some great diversity with an LGBTQ character and people of color to be found throughout the story. You’ll quickly find yourself beginning to love the little town of Yelltown and its quirky residents.
One thing worth noting here is that there is no hint system and the puzzles can be challenging, to say the least.
These puzzles are in the style where each attempting to solve one leads to five more things for you to do. An early example involves Harper trying to fix the engine of a car. Several items are missing, including the battery, fan belt, and oil, thus leading you and Harper to walk around town solving more puzzles in order to collect the various parts required to move on.
Many are not as simple as find the object, put it in your inventory, go to the car engine, click and drag it to the right spot either. You’ll need to stick bits together and use your multitool to craft the things you need. With no hints other than the occasional comment from Harper, I admit I ended up turning to some YouTube walkthroughs now and again for help.
As you progress through the game, you eventually leave Yelltown and begin on your mission proper, starting with collecting a sample of the plague virus from a hospital camp out of town. Soon you are on a voyage across a far wider world, visiting diners, farms, and other locations, and getting tangled up with local law enforcement along the way. It’s hard to say more without veering into spoilers territory, but the game continues with more of the same gameplay until its end, which will probably take you about five to ten hours in total.
Unforeseen Incidents has a wonderfully relaxing feel to it and takes you back to an older way of video gaming without the constant feel of rushing from one thing to another. This is a game that forces you to take your time and explore, getting to know the places and people that populate it.
I absolutely fell in love with Unforeseen Incidents thanks to its music, art, atmosphere, and cast of characters. It’s a game I can see myself revisiting again in the future too because it’s not just about getting to the end, it’s about spending time with the world it creates along the way.
Unforeseen Incidents is a perfect game to play on a dark fall evening and I highly recommend you give it a try.
What Formats Is Unforeseen Incidents Available In?
Unforeseen Incidents is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.
What System Specifications Will I Need?
Due to the basic point and click nature of the game, Unforeseen Incidents has very minimal system requirements and will run easily on most non-gaming machines. You’ll need:
- Processor: 1.2 GHz
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: 1024MB VRAM
- Storage: 6 GB available space
Plus DirectX Version 11 and Windows 10 (recommended) for Windows.
Are There Any Expansions?
This is a standalone game with no current expansions, however, you can buy a Deluxe Edition which comes bundled with an art book and soundtrack.
GeekMom received this item for review purposes.
