Software:Duck Detective: The Secret Salami

From HandWiki
Short description: 2024 video game

Duck Detective: The Secret Salami
From left to right: Manfred Ernst, Sophie Wintheimer, Eugene McQuacklin, Freddy Frederson, Laura Angst
Developer(s)Happy Broccoli Games
Publisher(s)Happy Broccoli Games (PC/console)
Snapbreak (mobile)
Director(s)Annika Maar
Designer(s)
  • Annika Maar
  • Joni Levinkind
Programmer(s)Joni Levinkind
Artist(s)
  • Annika Maar
  • Caroline Buchmann
Writer(s)Annika Maar
Composer(s)Svyatoslav Petrov
EngineUnity[P 1]
Platform(s)
Release
Nintendo Switch, Xbox, Linux, macOS, Windows
  • WW: May 23, 2024
Android, iOS
  • WW: April 9, 2025
PlayStation 5
  • WW: May 22, 2025
Genre(s)Adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Duck Detective: The Secret Salami is a 2024 adventure game developed and published by Happy Broccoli Games. It is a comedic detective story where players solve puzzles to progress through a mystery. A sequel titled Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping was announced in December 2024, and released in May 2025.

Gameplay

Duck Detective: The Secret Salami is an adventure game presented in an isometric perspective.[R 1] Players control a duck detective, Eugene McQuacklin, in a city where all the residents are animals. It is fully voice acted, and there is a button that makes Eugene quack.[P 2]

Close-up of the "deducktion" mechanic. This is the first "deducktion" players make; that Eugene is broke because he has spent all of his money on bread.

In a manner similar to The Case of the Golden Idol,[R 2] players solve puzzles, called "deducktions", in the form of phrasal templates where the correct words must be inserted into Eugene's notebook.[R 3] Investigating the scene gives the clues and the words needed to fill the notebook.[R 4] After the sentence is fully filled, an approximate amount of incorrect words is revealed,[R 5] unless "Story Mode" is activated, in which case the incorrect words are highlighted.[R 6]

Scene investigation takes the form of moving around the rooms, interrogating non-player characters, and inspecting objects with a magnifying glass.[R 4] Occasionally, players must solve miniature puzzles to progress, such as figuring out the password to a safe.[1] There is a hint button in case the player is stuck.[R 4]

Though the solution to the mystery is always the same, players can choose how to end the game. After completion, players can see what percentage of people made each choice. The game takes two to three hours to complete.[R 7]

Cast and characters

Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination
Brian David Gilbert
Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination
Lizzie Freeman
  • Sean Chiplock as Eugene McQuacklin: a down-on-his-luck duck detective
  • Annika Maar as Sophie Wintheimer: a depressed giraffe
  • Brian David Gilbert as Freddy Frederson: a crocodile obsessed with detectives
  • Lizzie Freeman as Laura Angst: an overworked cat
  • Nola Klop as Margaret Whitlock: a motherly sheep
  • Shane Mullan as Rufus Sederis: a practical penguin
  • Dashawn Ricks as Manfred Ernst: a bear and a family man
  • Cyrus Nemati as Boris Petrovic: a naive bull

Plot summary

Eugene McQuacklin is a detective who is recently divorced, broke, and addicted to white bread. Laura Angst hires him to investigate a case at a branch of BearBus, whose buses are always late. When Eugene arrives, no one, including Laura, wants to talk to him. Eugene has to figure out the identities of BearBus's employees: Sophie Wintheimer is the receptionist; Manfred Ernst is the branch manager; Freddy Frederson works in the operating office; Laura and Margaret Whitlock work in customer service; Rufus Sederis is the janitor; and Boris Petrovic is the bus driver.

Packages of salami

After this, Laura explains to him that a co-worker, known only as "The Salami Bandit", stole her lunch. She strongly suspects Freddy of the crime, as his bag is full of salami. Eugene realizes that Freddy is being framed because he had taken the wrong bag. Meanwhile, Margaret hosts a surprise birthday party for Sophie. She opens her presents, and one of them is a letter with a hidden, threatening message, attached to salami. Suspicion immediately turns on Freddy. Eugene realizes that salami is being smuggled into the country using BearBus, and that this is the reason why the Salami Bandit is being taken so seriously.

Eugene gathers all of the BearBus employees, except for Sophie, who is missing. He explains to them that there is a criminal conspiracy at BearBus. No one takes him seriously, and they leave him. After this, a note at Sophie's desk is discovered, saying that she has quit BearBus. Eugene investigates her computer, and discovers that she was, in fact, kidnapped by the Salami Bandit, because she wanted to snitch on them. In addition, Eugene discovers a separate criminal conspiracy: Rufus has been blackmailing Manfred to keep him from talking about Rufus's illegal voucher selling, and Margaret is the one who provides the vouchers to Rufus.

Eugene begins to unravel the case. He realizes that Sophie is being held captive in one of BearBus's busses. He compares Manfred's and the Salami Bandit's handwriting, and realizes that they are the same. He deducts that Boris is an accomplice of Manfred's, as he is the only one capable of importing the salami. Sophie is also an accomplice, since she used to date Boris, and Manfred needed someone who could convince Boris to join the conspiracy.

Eugene frees Sophie from the bus, and everyone else joins them. Eugene begins explaining the case to them. Manfred's branch had its budget cut, and so he devised the salami conspiracy to make a better living for his family. For this, he convinced Sophie to trick Boris with a false story to join the conspiracy. Boris took large detours to get the illicit salami, which is why their buses were always late. When Eugene arrived at the scene, Sophie attempted to snitch to the police, but Manfred captured her before she could. The player is then given the choice to arrest one or more of Manfred, Sophie, or Boris.

In a post-credits scene, Eugene realizes he forgot to collect his payment from Laura, and is unable to pay for the bus ride back home. Freddy, waiting outside, offers Eugene a ride back to his office. Eugene, with much reluctance, agrees. During the drive, Freddy offers to be Eugene's sidekick. Eugene doesn't respond.

Development

Developer Happy Broccoli Games is based in Berlin, Germany.[P 3] In September 2020, they were funded by Coffee Stain Studios as part of its Levelling the Playing Field initiative, which funds studios with "teams that are 50% women, non-binary individuals, or individuals from a variety of backgrounds and cultures".[2] Their first game, Kraken Academy, was released in 2021.[D 1]

Annika Maar, the director, had the idea to make a game titled "Duck Detective" after Gamescom 2023.[P 4](2:32) After "the publisher that originally was interested in funding [Happy Broccoli Games] was not anymore", they had to drop their planned project,[P 4](2:59) Odyssey Island,[3] which they were developing along with Duck Detective: The Secret Salami.[P 5] Without funding, Duck Detective: The Secret Salami was developed and published in six months so Happy Broccoli Games would not go bankrupt.[R 8]

Adventure and puzzle games like Return of the Obra Dinn (2018) and The Case of the Golden Idol (2022) served as inspiration,[P 2] and the detective aesthetic was inspired by the Sherlock Holmes video game series.[P 4](14:43) The setting and plot twist were inspired by Maar's experience working as customer service for a bus company.[P 4](4:05) Maar said the "deducktion" mechanic was "stole[n]" from The Case of the Golden Idol, and that Happy Broccoli Games wanted to create a more casual take on what they felt was a very serious and difficult game. Joni Levinkind, designer and programmer, described Duck Detective: The Secret Salami as a "mashup" of its inspirations.[P 4](13:57)

The aims for the game were: to have plot twists; to have the player figure out the twists by themselves; and to make a cozy and casual game.[P 4](1:16) To achieve the first aim, the game was written to misdirect the player by showing them a plot unrelated to the actual plot. In addition, a subplot connected to the main plot was included as a sort of red herring.[P 4](6:31)

Bread is unhealthy for ducks.

Speaking on the art direction, a balance was sought between being cute and wholesome and not being seen as aimed towards children. To maintain this balance, a deep voice was sought for Eugene McQuacklin, and the story begins with his addiction to white bread.[P 4](17:36) On the other hand, they avoided profanity, and despite the film noir atmosphere, they cut ashtrays and alcohol from the environments.[P 4](18:35)

Release

Duck Detective: The Secret Salami was announced in December 2023 at Wholesome Snack, an indie game showcase.[P 6] Marketing and public relations were provided by Future Friends Games.[P 7] It released for Linux, macOS, Windows, Nintendo Switch and Xbox consoles on May 23, 2024.[D 2] In September 2024, a limited physical release of 4000 copies for the Nintendo Switch was published by Super Rare Games.[P 8] It was ported to iOS and Android in collaboration with Snapbreak on April 9, 2025,[4] and to the PlayStation 5 on May 22, 2025.[5]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic79/100[A 1]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Destructoid5.5/10[R 3]
Hardcore Gamer4.0/5[R 2]
Nintendo World Report8.5/10[R 11]
PCGamesN8/10[R 10]
Pocket Gamer4/5[R 12]
TouchArcade4.5/5[R 9]

According to Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, Duck Detective: The Secret Salami received an average score of 79/100, indicating "generally favourable reviews".[A 1] According to OpenCritic, 78% of critics recommended it.[A 2]

Polygon praised its charm and humor, which they said made backtracking to find more clues fun. Given that it only takes a few hours to complete, they hoped Happy Broccoli would add more episodes.[R 4] Digitally Downloaded, in a 5 star review, enjoyed the parody of hardboiled detective fiction, which was a good hardboiled story itself.[R 7] PCGamesN called it "funny, entertaining, and satisfying" that is a good value despite its short length.[R 10] Hardcore Gamer recommended it to gamers who enjoy indie games and crime mysteries, who they felt would not be disappointed by the short length.[R 2] Nintendo World Report praised the writing and art, though they said they wanted more cases to solve.[R 11] Although Kotaku was occasionally frustrated by the puzzles, they praised it as a "game full of character".[R 6] Mystery Magazine (zh) praised the light-heartedness and humour, contrasting it against the usual serious tones of detective fiction, and said that it felt more like a workplace comedy than a criminal investigation.[R 13] The A.V. Club described it as a "loving homage to noir tropes that nails the balance between comedy and mystery".[R 14] In a more negative review, while Destructoid praised the art and its attention to detail, it criticized the "deducktion" mechanic for being too mechanical, and that the deductions required to be made were often unintuitive or irrelevant. The plot was also described as poor.[R 3]

Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination
Reviewers praised the combination of a duck and a detective.

Awards

Duck Detective: The Secret Salami was nominated for the 2024 Golden Joystick Awards in the Best Indie Game - Self Published category.[6] It was also nominated for Best Audio Design and Best Mobile Game for the 2025 Deutscher Computerspielpreis.[7] It won in the Best Mobile Game category, which came with a prize of €40,000.[8]

Sequel

Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping, a standalone sequel, was announced in December 2024 at Wholesome Snack. It is set in a haunted glamping site, and Freddy Frederson returns from the previous game as a sidekick to Eugene McQuacklin. The gameplay and length are similar to its predecessor.[9] It was released on May 22, 2025 for iOS, Android,[D 3] Linux, macOS, Windows, Nintendo Switch, Xbox consoles, and the PlayStation 5.[10] It won Best Audio Design for the 2025 Deutscher Entwicklerpreis,[11] and it was nominated for Best Audio Design and Best Mobile Game for the 2026 Deutscher Computerspielpreis.[12]

Potential animated series

Happy Broccoli Games intends to create an animated series based on Duck Detective: The Secret Salami. A pilot based on the beginning of the game was released on May 23, 2026.[P 9]

References

Reviews

  1. ↑ Groth-Andersen, Magnus (2024-05-23). "Duck Detective: The Secret Salami - Review" (in en). https://www.gamereactor.eu/duck-detective-the-secret-salami-1393653/. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Murphy, Matthew (2024-05-23). "Review: Duck Detective: The Secret Salami". Hardcore Gamer. https://hardcoregamer.com/review-duck-detective-the-secret-salami/. Retrieved 2024-09-07. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Handley, Zoey (May 23, 2024). "Review: Duck Detective: The Secret Salami". https://www.destructoid.com/reviews/review-duck-detective-the-secret-salami/. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Carpenter, Nicole (2024-07-30). "Duck Detective: The Secret Salami takes the hard-boiled detective trope and makes it quack". Polygon. https://www.polygon.com/review/24209581/duck-detective-the-secret-salami-review. Retrieved 2024-09-07. 
  5. ↑ Aukamp, Matt (2024-06-05). "Duck Detective: The Secret Salami review". https://adventuregamehotspot.com/review/1705/duck-detective-the-secret-salami. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Jackson, Claire (2024-05-23). "Duck Detective Is The Perfect Indie Mystery You Can Finish In Just 2 Hours" (in en-US). https://kotaku.com/duck-detective-secret-salami-how-long-1851497669. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Sainsbury, Matt (2024-05-24). "Review: Duck Detective: The Secret Salami (PC)". Digitally Downloaded. https://www.digitallydownloaded.net/2024/05/review-duck-detective-the-secret-salami-pc.html. Retrieved 2024-09-07. 
  8. ↑ Irion, Lea (2024). "Duck Detective" (in de). GEE (73): 37. 
  9. ↑ Madnani, Mikhail (14 June 2024). "Steam Deck Weekly: Reviews Including Monster Hunter Stories and Duck Detective, Lots of News, New Deck Verified Games, Sales, and More". https://toucharcade.com/2024/06/14/steam-deck-weekly-reviews-including-monster-hunter-stories-and-duck-detective-lots-of-news-new-deck-verified-games-sales-and-more/. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Kelly, Paul (23 May 2024). "Duck Detective The Secret Salami review - a bite-sized detective game". https://www.pcgamesn.com/duck-detective-the-secret-salami/review. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Cygan, Allyson (2024-05-23). "Duck Detective: The Secret Salami (Switch) Review". Nintendo World Report. https://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/66994/duck-detective-the-secret-salami-switch-review. Retrieved 2024-09-07. 
  12. ↑ Brassell, Jack (2025-01-25). "Duck Detective: The Secret Salami review – “A quack-tastic meat-based mystery”" (in en). https://www.pocketgamer.com/duck-detective-the-secret-salami/review/. 
  13. ↑ "Wright" (2025-11-01). (in zh-TW)Mystery Magazine (95): 320–321. https://www.airitilibrary.com/Article/Detail/P20250515001-N202510230006-00027. 
  14. ↑ Lennon, Jen; Oller, Jacob. "Staff Picks: Solving a crime with a "ducktective" and spinning Jack White's No Name" (in en-US). https://www.avclub.com/staff-picks-duck-detective-jack-white-no-name. 

Review aggregators

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Duck Detective: The Secret Salami reviews". https://www.metacritic.com/game/duck-detective-the-secret-salami/. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Duck Detective: The Secret Salami Reviews" (in en). 2024-05-27. https://opencritic.com/game/16752/duck-detective-the-secret-salami. 

Databases

  1. ↑ "Happy Broccoli Games Games" (in en). https://www.ign.com/games/producer/happy-broccoli-games. 
  2. ↑ "Duck Detective: The Secret Salami". Gamepressure. https://www.gamepressure.com/games/duck-detective-the-secret-salami/z869b7. Retrieved 2024-09-07. 
  3. ↑ "Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping" (in en). https://www.ign.com/games/duck-detective-the-ghost-of-glamping. 

Primary sources

  1. ↑ Saver, Michael (2024-06-10). "Games Made with Unity: May 2024 in review". Unity Technologies. https://unity.com/blog/games/games-made-with-unity-may-2024-releases. Retrieved 2024-09-07. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Future Games Show: Summer Showcase 2024 - Saturday, June 8, 12pm PT / 3pm ET / 8pm BST. June 8, 2024. Event occurs at 1:10:34. Retrieved April 22, 2026 – via YouTube.
  3. ↑ "Home". Happy Broccoli Games. https://www.happybroccoligames.com/. Retrieved 2024-09-17. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 Happy Broccoli Games (November 26, 2025). Duck Detective: The Secret Salami talk - narrative design behind-the-scenes (!!SPOILERS!!). Retrieved May 8, 2026 – via YouTube.
  5. ↑ Template:Cite Instagram
  6. ↑ Duck Detective: The Secret Salami - Official Announcement Trailer | Wholesome Snack December 2023 - IGN. December 6, 2023. Retrieved April 22, 2026 – via www.ign.com.
  7. ↑ Maar, Annika [@AnnikaMaar]. "Future Friends is doing marketing + PR for our game Duck Detective and I can honestly say I 100% recommend them!!". https://twitter.com/AnnikaMaar/status/1758123584898138431.  Missing or empty |date= (help)
  8. ↑ "September Update - 5 years Happy Broccoli and Physical Release" (in en). 2024-09-26. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2637990/view/4665255575232829026. 
  9. ↑ "Duck Detective: The Secret Salami - Happy Birthday, Duck Detective! - Steam News" (in en). 2026-05-23. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2637990/view/676246109700491312. 

Other sources

  1. ↑ Hubbard, Yasmine (2024-06-27). "How to Unlock the Safe in Duck Detective: The Secret Salami" (in en-US). https://www.siliconera.com/how-to-unlock-the-safe-in-duck-detective-the-secret-salami/. 
  2. ↑ Valentine, Rebekah (2020-09-09). "Coffee Stain expands Levelling the Playing Field to fund racially diverse studios" (in en). https://www.gamesindustry.biz/coffee-stain-expands-levelling-the-playing-field-program-to-include-underrepresented-races-and-ethnicities. 
  3. ↑ Kudinov, Ana (2023-10-18). "Odyssey Island ist ein neues 2.5D-Action-RPG aus Berlin" (in de). https://www.eurogamer.de/odyssey-island-die-entwickler-von-kraken-academy-kundigen-neues-action-rpg-an. 
  4. ↑ Dellosa, Catherine (2025-04-09). "Duck Detective: The Secret Salami launches to offer adorable 2D mystery cosiness on iOS and Android" (in en). https://www.pocketgamer.com/duck-detective-the-secret-salami/out-now/. 
  5. ↑ Romano, Sal (2025-04-29). "Duck Detective: The Secret Salami coming to PS5 on May 22" (in en-US). https://www.gematsu.com/2025/04/duck-detective-the-secret-salami-coming-to-ps5-on-may-22. 
  6. ↑ Patches, Matt (2024-10-07). "Astro Bot, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth top Golden Joystick Awards nominees, with key indies close behind" (in en). https://www.polygon.com/awards/461690/astro-bot-final-fantasy-7-rebirth-top-golden-joystick-awards-nominees-with-key-indies-close-behind/. 
  7. ↑ "Deutscher Computerspielpreis 2025: Die Nominierten (Update)" (in de). 2025-03-17. https://www.gameswirtschaft.de/events/deutscher-computerspielpreis-2025-dcp-nominierten-liste-170325/. 
  8. ↑ "Deutscher Computerspielpreis 2025: Die Gewinner in allen Kategorien" (in de). 2025-05-15. https://www.gameswirtschaft.de/events/deutscher-computerspielpreis-2025-gewinner-140525/. 
  9. ↑ Murphy, Matthew (2024-12-10). "Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping Quacks Open Another Case in 2025" (in en). https://hardcoregamer.com/duck-detective-the-ghost-of-glamping-quacks-open-another-case-in-2025/. 
  10. ↑ Romano, Sal (2025-04-29). "Duck Detective: The Ghost of Glamping launches May 22 for PS5, Xbox Series, Xbox One, Switch, and PC" (in en-US). https://www.gematsu.com/2025/04/duck-detective-the-ghost-of-glamping-launches-may-22-for-ps5-xbox-series-xbox-one-switch-and-pc. 
  11. ↑ "Deutscher Entwicklerpreis 2025: Tiny Bookshop holt Triple" (in de). 2025-12-02. https://www.gameswirtschaft.de/events/deutscher-entwicklerpreis-2025-gewinner-tiny-bookshop-021225/. 
  12. ↑ Bier, Tillman (2026-04-30). "Die Gewinner des Deutschen Computerspielpreises 2026 stehen fest und das beste deutsche Spiel ist nicht Anno" (in de-DE). GameStar. https://www.gamestar.de/artikel/gewinner-des-deutschen-computerspielpreises-2026,3452307.html. 



Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Software:Duck_Detective:_The_Secret_Salami&oldid=4401243"