When comparing The Darkside Detective vs Botanicula, the Slant community recommends Botanicula for most people. In the question“What are the best adventure games on MacOS?” Botanicula is ranked 2nd while The Darkside Detective is ranked 14th. The most important reason people chose Botanicula is:
Botanicula utilizes [immersive mode](http://www.slant.co/topics/2012/~what-are-the-best-andriod-games-with-immersive-mode) which is available on all Android devices that are on 4.4+.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Lighthearted and humorous cases to solve
Each case you investigate focuses on a different aspect of the paranormal (zombies, portals, possession, etc), however this is a not a horror game whatsoever - each case has a comedic twist and lots of humor thrown in to give it a lighthearted feel. There's nothing overly malicious in any of the cases, and next to no violence.
For example, the case "Buy Hard" takes place in a shopping mall during Christmas time. However, Santa isn't exactly who he says he is (no spoilers), and has possessed the elves who run around the mall causing mischief in a lighthearted way, such as pulling hair or stealing candy. Some zombies you meet in another episode speak to each other using the word "brains" in various patterns, moan and shamble around, but there is no scene in which they eat anybody. A lake monster demands a tin foil hat so government agents don't find him. The list goes on and on, but each case is handled in a way that puts humor greatly above scares.
Pro Entertaining chemistry between the main characters
During your adventures as Detective Francis McQueen, you are accompanied by your blissfully and hilariously unaware sidekick named Dooley.
While McQueen tends to be serious about solving the cases, Dooley can be considered somewhat of a slacker and classic underachiever. He's always quick with a sarcastic remark, life advice, or a story you didn't ask him to tell. His dialogue normally runs the gamut of government conspiracies, weird tales of his personal life, or asking if he can just go home already. Through all this it's quite apparent McQueen is used to Dooley's shenanigans, so he's always quick to dismiss him or ask him to be quiet.
The relationship between the two is always filled with humorous dialogue due to them being such polar opposites, but they make a great and likeable team that you just want to cheer along.
Pro Great for quick and satisfying gaming sessions
Darkside Detective features a variety of different paranormal cases you can investigate, with each one taking about 20-60 minutes to play through. Even if you don't have a lot of time, you can still work your way through a self-contained case from start to finish and feel like you've accomplished something when you solve it.
Pro It's fun to spot all the pop culture references
Almost everything in the game is a reference to pop culture, a parody, or a play on words. Some are rather subtle, such as a line of dialogue here or there where you don't notice it at first. Others are rather pronounced - such as the name of the town, Twin Lakes, being a not-so-subtle nod to Twin Peaks. Or the police chief named Scully, a clear reference to the X-files. All in all, there are hundreds of references crammed in, and it's really enjoyable to play through the game and see how many you recognize.
Pro Great balance between story and puzzles
The puzzles are numerous, yet easy. So while there's plenty of puzzles to solve along the way, you're never getting stuck for too long or halting story progression. It's a great balance between the two where you spend equal time solving puzzles and enjoying the story without one overpowering the other.
Pro Beautiful pixel graphics
The graphics are a throwback to the pixelated look of old school adventure games, however they have a much cleaner and more modern look than the grainy pixels you'd find in older games. The chunky pixel style is very crisp and colorful, featuring pleasant palettes and vibrant color schemes. Everything has a smooth and polished look that's easy on the eyes, making this game one of the best examples of pixel art done right.
Pro Can run on extremely low end systems
The game's minimum specs are very low - only requiring a Pentium 4 and 2 gigs of RAM.
Pro Immersive mode
Botanicula utilizes immersive mode which is available on all Android devices that are on 4.4+.
Pro Graphics border on being art
The fantastic visual in the game is remiss of art one would see in a pop art gallery.
Pro Intuitive puzzles
Unlike this studios previous work (Machinarium) the puzzles are intuitive and difficulty ramps up fairly.
Cons
Con Puzzles are usually extremely easy
While a few of the puzzles may require a bit of thinking or cause you to get stuck for a few minutes, none are notably difficult. This is a very easy game in general, so if you're looking for a point-and-click with lots of brain busters or cryptic puzzles, this isn't the one for you.
Con A little bit simplistic
The simplistic point-and-click interface combined with low-fi pixel art might be too simplistic for some modern gamers.
Con Buggy and crashes
There are quite a few graphical bugs in the game as well as a lack of stability.