‘Randal’s Monday’ Review (PC)
If there is one thing that geeks like it’s a reference to their favourite game, television show or film. Randal’s Monday is a new Point & Click adventure game that is full of them, everywhere you look you will see an Easter egg trying to get your attention. Taking an old fashioned style to the adventure game it isn’t exactly one that fits the Telltale Games model of being overly emotional about everything, this is one that looks for laughs and when Jeff Anderson and Jason Mewes are in it, fans of Clerks start to take notice.
Jeff Anderson voices the part of Randal Hicks, a man very much like his Clerks character and Mewes is of course, Jay. Silent Bob does make an appearance too but is not voiced by Kevin Smith (and yes, Bob does provide his sage like advice).
Back to the game though, Randal’s Monday has its own Randal, described as a kleptomaniac sociopath who is also a horrible friend. Randal is a total ass and doesn’t mind hiding that fact, so he is definitely based on his Clerks character. In the game Randal wakes up after an engagement party for his friend Matt. Discovering Matt’s wallet in his pocket he finds a ring, which being the good friend he is decides to sell it. This results in him being struck down by a curse which results in his friend committing suicide and Randal having to go through the same Monday over and over till he can fix the mistakes he’s made.
Although Randal’s Monday is a Groundhog Day style situation luckily the Mondays are not always the same, which is something to be grateful for. To have to repeat things would just be boring. Instead as you play the game you discover that things you did the previous Monday have altered events every time you wake up and things start getting really strange.
What makes the game interesting for fans of the so-called geek culture is the number of references in the game. For the gamers you can see constant Maniac Mansion and Day of the Tentacle references and each scene is stuffed full of not only game but also television and film Easter eggs. Threepwood Street is an obvious one and Comic Convention attendees dressing as Star Wars, Half-Life and Clockwork Orange characters are nice little add-ins. The longer you play though the more you tend to get used to the overload of references and get down to the important part of playing the game.
The interface for the game comes in two forms a more classic style and a modernised one click variety which I chose to use. Although you can change between the two I found little need for a classic style but that is just my opinion, for those who want it, it’s there. For people who need a little help getting through the game there is also a nice hint section hidden in the inventory and warnings are given before you unlock it, because it literally leads you step-by-step through the scenes. As with most Point & Click adventures pressing the space bar lets the user know what objects are available for interaction.
Nexus Game Studios have done a good job with Randal’s Monday and with all the references it is a fun game to play. Games like this can be ruined by bad voice acting and thankfully it’s not the case with this one especially with the work of Jeff Anderson who channels his previous version of Randal for this game quite well. There are times that I did feel that the game is too slightly too vocal and conversation go on a little too long but clicking the mouse soon gets the game through that section. This is particularly helpful if you’ve played the game before and just want to get on with it.
Randal’s Monday is a game that will catch the attention of pop culture fans, especially those of Clerks and its characters and while Jay and Silent Bob may not be in it much, they still are there and have fun moments that fit in with the game. For fans of Telltale Games and their style of Adventure Game Randal’s Monday may feel a little too old school for them, but in truth the style of Randal’s Monday is one of the best geek references that it actually makes.
**** 4/5
Randal’s Monday is available now for the PC.
