Red Johnson’s Chronicles

When I was younger I had a list of jobs I wanted to be and Private Eye was up there with teacher, horse rider and actress. So Ive always had a love for anything to do with detective movies or games. The quick witted, moody detective being asked to take on a case by a mysterious, seductive woman becomes a more complicated case then he first imagined, with politics, drugs and everything else thrown into the mix… he was only helping to look for a lost kitten!

Red Johnson’s Chronicles is a puzzle adventure game packed with punch ups, black and white cut scenes, dames, bullets and dead bodies. Red has been asked by Officer Roberts for help with a murder investigation and, like all good buddies, he decides to help. Little does he know that he is about to start on a trail that could cost him his life! As if we didn’t see that coming. Everyone in the city is a villain, had a reason to commit the murder and its down to you to help Red solve the case and keep him alive in the process. In order to do this, you need to press the corresponding button in the short time limit given to you. It can be frustrating, but you do get to keep trying. If you do keep trying, it does affect your overall grade at the end of the scenario.

The character of Red reminds me very much of Nathan Fillion’s character Malcolm Reynolds from classic cult TV series “Firefly”. Quick witted, charming and quick on the draw, you do warm to Red. He isn’t cocky in his work, but he knows the facts and gets down to business. His two companions are Officer Roberts, who seems to be the slowest police officer ever, and who I think became a policeman because he had nothing better to do, and Saul, who can become annoying very quickly. Everytime he pops up to see Red, I have the urge to watch “Black Dynamite” due to the funky threads Saul dons and the even funkier theme tune he has! Saul is a pain, but can be helpful to you… if the price is right. What a true friend. For $100 and up, you can ask Saul to give you a tip on what to do next if you get stuck. I’d rather buy him a drink than part with a hundred “smackers” for a piece of info. Inflation or what? You encounter random and strange characters when digging for clues in this city of crime. The most memorable for me will be Ringo who loves living outdoors to be under the stars and can’t help doing all those MySpace poses when he finds an old camera.