The Darkside Detective series has built a loyal following through its sharp humour, warm character relationships, and distinctive pixel‑art style. With the newest entry shifting its gaze toward European folklore, Cubed3 spoke with Spooky Doorway’s Art Director, Paul Conway, to explore how the team balances fresh ideas with the familiar rhythm fans love. The conversation covers everything from puzzle design and visual challenges to unexpected emotional moments and the influence of a passionate community that continues to shape the world of McQueen and Dooley.
Adam Riley, Director at Cubed3: Compared to the other The Darkside Detective titles, what is the primary inspiration for this one?
Paul Conway, Art Director at Spooky Doorway: We wanted to explore some European myths this time around. Darkside is written as the Irish view on Americana and 90s US TV. It’s a weird lens that gives the game some of its quirky identity. We wanted to invert that a little this time and try to have the Americana view on European folklore. It’s not in every case, but we got a few elements in there that feel quite funny to us.
Adam Riley: The Darkside Detective games have a very specific comedic rhythm. How do you maintain that tone while introducing new settings, characters, and mysteries?
Paul Conway: We try to balance how much we call back old characters and introduce new ones in each case. We want Twin Lakes to feel akin to Springfield in the Simpsons, i.e. full of reappearing characters and locations. Lots of situations pop up during the design phase that feel like they suit some people we’ve met already. In contrast to this, we always want the characters to go somewhere new and meet new people. Callbacks are fun, too many and we end up just repeating ourselves too much.
Adam Riley: Point‑and‑click adventures live or die on puzzle design. What was your guiding philosophy for puzzles this time around, especially with this setting?
Paul Conway: We’ve avoided moon logic in Darkside as much as possible. Solutions tend to be logical for the most part and don’t have players doing mental gymnastics trying to find solutions. The Darkside Detective is about discovering the world and finding the jokes. If a puzzle is too confusing and gets in the way of enjoying the experience, we always try to rework it so it is not so obscure. We want our players to have a win each time they sit down to play the game.
Adam Riley: The series has always balanced humour with genuine heart. Were there any emotional beats or character arcs in this entry that surprised even the team?
Paul Conway: The biggest surprise was fan reaction to Dooley and McQueen’s friendship from the very beginning. A lot of people were so positive about their non-toxic relationship. When Dooley went missing at the end of the first game’s bonus cases a lot of fans were quite upset. We accidentally held Dooley for ransom, so to speak, and people needed to buy the second game to get him back.
Adam Riley: The Darkside Detective has a passionate fanbase. Did community feedback influence any design decisions or narrative choices for this instalment?
Paul Conway: We thought about updating the art style this time around, giving it a higher resolution and some more details to freshen it up a little. We realised that so many of our fans were creating fan art in the game’s low resolution style, we even saw someone had made their wedding invitation in the “Darkside Detective” style. Our fans really seem to like the game’s pixel art, so by updating the graphics we were losing some of its identity.
Adam Riley: Visually, the game continues your signature pixel‑art style. What artistic challenges did you have with this one, if any?
Paul Conway: The main challenge is trying to keep scenes interesting and fresh after doing so many different locations and stories so far. The ultra flat style doesn’t suit every situation, so we have to design around that sometimes. When Dave and Treasa design a case, we need to sit down and discuss it to see if it can translate to the art style. Usually it’s fine, but sometimes we have to abandon some ideas.
Adam Riley: The Darkside Detective has become a standout in modern adventure games. What do you think keeps players coming back to McQueen and Dooley’s world?
Paul Conway: I think the main thing, which brings people back to the Darkside games is the central friendship of Dooley and McQueen. The games are full of bizarre and silly situations that are fun to explore, but the games are kind and full of heart. McQueen isn’t snarky or mean in his humour, and his idiot sidekick is his pal, not his punching bag. In Darkside weird is just another flavour of normal, it’s a welcoming world with people who are nice to hang out with.
