Edna & Harvey: The Breakout – Anniversary Edition Review
Fast Facts
Edna and Harvey: The Breakout 10th Anniversary Edition
Developer: Daedalic Entertainment
Publisher: Daedalic Entertainment
Website: Daedalic Entertainment
Genre: Adventure, Other, Puzzle
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Age Rating: PEGI 12
Release Date: 17/06/2020
Price: £17.99
A code was provided for review purposes.
Crazy’s Back!
The original Edna & Harvey was released in June of 2008 on PC, very much to mixed reviews. It started as a University Project in Germany; this was a video game very similar in style and animations as “Manic Mansion”, The Secret of Monkey Island series, Sam & Max hit the Road and Day of the Tentacle (all games I loved).
I have never heard or played this title, but instantly after seeing the images and trailer, I knew this would be my style of game.
Total Recall
Edna awakens in a padded cell of an insane asylum, confused as to why she’s there and to be fair, she doesn’t feel like she belongs there, so escape is on her mind. However, she will not be alone on this endeavour, and her wise-cracking stuffed rabbit Harvey will be there to help.
On her journey to freedom, Edna naturally will come across some of the residents of the asylum, some a bit quirkier than others. There’s the man dressed as a bee, the resident king, the enlightened one and even the infamous Key Master, who is he, and why is he in solitary confinement? (to name a few)
Yet, Dr Marcel will do all he can keep Edna from escaping, as he has a personal vendetta against Edna recalling her past life, but what we don’t know is why?
What does he have planned for her!
The Time Before Detention
To escape, you will need to interact with objects, pay attention carefully to conversations and use specific items to achieve your goal of freedom. Each character has their little quirks, and I love how, even in a short game, these characters represent the layer of humour and sadness in the asylum.
One of the quirky aspects about the game that stood out was the ability to remember events and skills for Edna; these come in forms of flashbacks, where Harvey the “talking” rabbit becomes a playable character and encourages Edna to recall steps to retrieve that memory. This was a great way to separate the sameness of the asylum.
Do I Look Crazy?
Visually the artwork is excellent, I really like the 2D comic style that the game brings, it never feels dull and boring and instantly creates drama and a feel for the place, even when you can turn lights on and off in rooms, the visual elements are on point.
The over-arching humour that runs through this game is dark and comical; it naturally gets more ominous as the game progresses, and some things caught me off guard.
The voice acting between Edna and Harvey in their many conversations is well done and brings the “crazy” charm you’d be expecting here.
Let Me Out!
I picked this up and couldn’t put it down, and it was a joy to play and one I would happily recommend to anyone to try. Its quirky and dark natured content kept me entertained, and it took me back to the old PC days playing titles like ‘Day of the Tentacle’.
Two things stood out for me;
Highlighting objects successfully on the Switch and getting accustomed to the controls isn’t clearly defined at the beginning, so might take you a short period to understand those.
And I did finish it quicker than was noted as the gameplay length, but I also didn’t complete all the achievements. So there is some replayability to the game, to get that 100% completion.
Rapid Reviews Rating
You can purchase Edna & Harvey: The Breakout Anniversary Edition from the Nintendo eShop.
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