Attention law-school students who also happen to
be Adult Swim fans: Your game has arrived. Everyone outside that niche may only
be slightly enthused after playing Harvey Birdman: Attorney At Law. Though the game is
faithful to the bizarrely clever animated show about the former Hanna-Barbera
superhero turned attorney, it's also only slightly more interactive than a
dumbed-down Choose Your Own Adventure book, and a very brief one at that.
In Harvey Birdman's five cases (which range
from determining who burned down Harvey's house to finding out who ransacked
Harvey's office), you'll be tasked with collecting evidence, conversing with
suspects and coworkers, and finally going to court. That's where the only real
game mechanics come into play, as players press suspects whose testimony hints
at something incriminating, and present evidence that refutes or backs up their
statements. Make a misstep, and you'll lose a crest—the source of
Birdman's powers—and if you lose all five crests, it's game over. It all
largely mirrors Capcom's Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney series, though Harvey
Birdman is
obviously funnier. But what other game will have you peruse prawn pornography
for evidence, or instruct you to present proof "that Harvey is entitled to the
insurance money"?
Beyond the game: The game offers players
the chance to hear not one, but two Stephen Colbert impersonators, since
Colbert himself was too busy to reprise his Harvey Birdman voices here. The actor
playing obsessive-compulsive/paranoid prosecutor Myron Reducto is passable, but
the replacement voice of Sebben & Sebben law-firm president/co-founder Phil
Ken Sebben is downright awkward.
Worth playing for: Unlike many games that
attempt humor, Harvey Birdman has some truly funny moments, like when you can
opt to have Birdman listen to a pair of boxers for clues.
Frustration sets in when: You realize the game is
nothing more than a series of menus that trigger cutscenes. Also, collecting
evidence—always without a warrant—borrows a page from
point-and-click adventure games: Pick up all items that aren't bolted down then
sort out their relevance later.
Final judgment: A decent rental, but not a
wise investment.