BROK the InvestiGator, developed by French studio COWCAT, is a cross between a point-and-click and a beat ’em-up game with RPG elements. It boasts side-scrolling action, ’80s comic book graphics, and more.

This game is an Aggie Awards winner and the GameMaker Awards 2022 finalist. It features a futuristic cyberpunk feel and gritty anthropomorphic animals like in The Flower Collectors. However, this game has comic book-inspired graphics seen in games like One Punch Man.

What’s it about?

Brok the alligator is a private detective and former boxer living in a basement apartment with Graff, his dead wife's teenage son. Their world is a class-based society in which the privileged live a sheltered life in a domed city. Meanwhile, most of the citizens suffer from poverty and pollution outside of the dome.

What’s special about it?

Players get to control both Brok and Graff, as well as enjoy tutorials and opt between Investigation (point-and-click) and Action (punch ’em up) modes. In this visual novel/runner/arcade RPG, players mix and match clues, collect ads, take their fury out on NPCs, and weave between action modes to progress.

Who can play it?

This long detective game is available for multiple platforms and devices. It enables players to skip over fight scenes, change difficulty levels, and get hints by using RQ ‘ad’ tokens collected in the game. With inventory, progress, stats, extras, saves, maps, and other on-screen options, the menu is very easy to manage.

Thumbs up for this punch ’em up

Aside from the wordplay in the title, the game lacks any clever writing, as childish dialogue prevails, and brawn over brains is the norm. Nonetheless, it’s a satisfying sleuthing experience, emphasizing a focus on relationships and ‘human’ connections.