Dǝad Hand Review
This short, satirical romp is fun for veteran adventurers and novices alike.
Dǝad Hand title screen solider and cat with title on red background. Dǝad Hand by Duck Made of Wood 2024.
Dǝad Hand is a point-and-click adventure game written and developed by Duck Made of Wood, a solo developer from Italy. It is a short but entertaining satirical cold-war romp. The fun story, simple point-and-click interface, beautiful pixel-art graphics, catchy sound-design and entertaining puzzles make it great fun to play for adventurers of any skill level.
Adventurers control Yuri Spraytyvich when playing Dǝad Hand. He is the newly promoted Junior Strategic Missile Force Manager of Čerëmuški military base in Chita, Siberia. Adventurers must help him complete his duties. Most of them include fixing the machinery, which is good, since Yuri’s work prevents tragedy.
Adventurers help Yuri with his duties by using a simple point-and click interface. It’s responsible for all of Yuri’s actions: movement, examining the environment, talking to characters and saving and loading the game. Left-clicking on a spot on screen compels Yuri to walk there. All the locations are filled with interactive hotspots. Hovering over a hotspot reveals its name. It also reveals the commands that are possible to use on it. Left-clicking executes the command on the left side of the hoptspot and right-clicking executes the command on its right side. If only one command is possible either button activates it. Activating the eye provides a description of the hotspot. If the hotspot is an object, activating the hand icon causes Yuri to pick it up and add it to the inventory he stores at the bottom of the screen. Using objects is simple. Left-click on an inventory object at the bottom of the screen to select it, then, move it over a hotspot, and left-click again. The game will let adventurers know if they’re successful. Yuri learns about his duties through observation and conversation. Activating the speech icon reveals sentences Yuri can say. Left-clicking on one of them causes Yuri to say it. Adventurers will enjoy the references to the Monkey Island series in the dialogue. Saving the game is easy. Press “Escape” then left click on “Save” then left click on a save slot. There are three save slots and an "Auto" save slot. You can select an occupied save slot to overwrite it with your new save. Whenever you quit the game, it is saved in the "Autosave“ slot.
When it’s time to load the game adventurers may do it on the title screen by left-clicking on “Load” or, from within the game itself by pressing "Escape" and left-clicking on "Load." Left-clicking on “Autosave” returns adventurers to where they were when they exited the program. Adventurers may exit the program by pressing "Escape," left-clicking on “Return to Titles,” then, left-clicking on “Quit.” It would be easier to return to the game after breaks if adventurers could type homemade labels for their games. Using the examine command does help adventurers slowly reorient themselves after breaks.
This simple interface allows adventurers to help Yuri navigate scenes brought to life through pixel-art. They are beautiful. Exterior scenes like this capture Siberia’s winter chill perfectly.
Yuri arrives at work on a snowy, cold day. Dǝad Hand by Duck Made of Wood 2024.
The sound-design works with the graphics and makes the game world real. The music is composed well by Hankworx, according to the developer. The well-constructed music adds to a feeling of suspense, but the voice acting and sound-effects are how the sound design truly proves its value. Voice acting makes Yuri seem real and authentic. Adventurers will want to help him. When an alert siren shatters the stillness of the neatly deserted base, and the screen turns frighteningly red, the sound-design raises the stakes of the game. Yuri’s frightened voice conveys his fear.
Yuri will fix this problem. Dǝad Hand by Duck Made of Wood 2024.
When adventurers hear the warning siren Yuri begins solving puzzles in earnest. Some of them involve using objects. A few puzzles occur in the control room. These puzzles create a close-up view like this one. Adventurers must reset sensors by plugging in colored cables in a specific order.
Yuri Must Plug in these cables. Dǝad Hand by Duck Made of Wood 2024.
Dǝad Hand
Dǝad Hand is a short but entertaining adventure game that uses all of its well-constructed assets; interface, graphics, and sound-design to tell a fun story with plot-driven puzzles. It's a wonderful game that can be used as a great way for novice adventurers to develop a passion for this beloved genre. Veterans will enjoy it too.