Video Game / Dynamite Duchess

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Dynamite Duchess is a first person puzzle-solving game developed by Mike MacDee (AKA Impie) for GZDoom, and initially released in 2020 and the first two episodes remastered in 2025 with the third episode releasing at a later date. Set in an alternate Napoleonic Era in the early 1800s, you play as 10 or 11 year-old Dinah Wyck, the young heiress to the Wyck family, consisting firstly of Dinah's father, a inventive man whose dabbling into explosive constructions were believed to have reversed Napoleon's fortunes and allowed him to win "The Great War", and then establishing the nation of Fosna in victory. Dinah's father would then go to build a factory in the new Fosna to construct other explosive-themed inventions, including the Cherry Bomb, one of the many items found throughout the game's trilogy.

Dinah's mother on the other hand was more focused on the forces of magic, able to create a sort of pocket dimension based on family secrets, which when a strange and unknown plague threatens all of Fosna, allows her to build the world of Castle Quarantine for the sake of her daughter's protection.

However, the plague, in more ways than one, causes things to go sour for Fosna, and the prospects of the Wyck family, as at the beginning of the game, Dinah suddenly finds herself awakening in the gardens of Castle Quarantine, with a large purple robotic automaton with some visual similarities to her mother, called Hand Mother, telling her she is sick and needs to rest, warning Dinah to avoid the "Hammerduck infestation" nearby, before teleporting away and leaving the Wyck heiress on her own to figure out what's going on.

Dinah must now fight her way through multiple zones, connected to each other akin to Hexen and Strife, where you can revisit places and the monsters slain and items accquired will not return. And also much like in Hexen, Dinah must find items to solve various puzzles, while fighting off dangerous and surreal foes, such as the purple Hammerducks with their ability to lay cricket balls like eggs and bonk them at her, to the more dangerous foes like the gold-armored, shield-bearing Centaurions, and many other foes, if she wishes to survive and figure out what happened.

Thankfully, in spite of her age, Dinah is well suited to wielding explosives like the kind her father has built, having taken a shining to many of her father's hobbies as opposed to her mother's, like the aforementioned Cherry Bombs, Bottle Rockets, Spinner-Chasers, and Scatter Poppers. Items such as Apple Wine, a magically constructed curative, can be held onto akin to Heretic and Hexen's Quartz Flask for emergency healing, and other weapons and ammo, some surreal, others a bit more down to earth though unexpected as weapons like the Scrambler, the SuperVac and the Grimophone, will be found on her path.

MacDee also later released its sequel Appetite for Detention in 2020-2021, and then it's second sequel Carnival of Souls in 2022, both sequels also taking on similar puzzle-solving elements mixed with more traditional classic FPS game play. The games can be found on Uncle Mac's Gamebook Shack,

See also Day of the Toys, Strange Aeons (Mike MacDee), Splatterhouse 3D and Realms of Dr Chaos, other mods made by the same author.

Dynamite Duchess Provides Examples of:

• All There in the Manual: The identities of Dinah's foes, their threat levels and some of their weaknesses are listed in the PDF manuals for each game in the trilogy. Many of the games' levels/locations are also alluded to, with minor hints on things to do when you're in each level. The weapons and their damage "attributes"note and general power-levels, explanations of the non-puzzle inventory items, etc, also appear, at least in the first game's manual. Some of the later games' manual assume you to have the first game's and will refer you to them for certain info on older foes/elements introduced in said games.
  • As for plot though, only a small bit is seen in each manual, as all three games of the trilogy are very story-driven with dialogue and in the second and third games, even having the option for Dinah to talk to people akin to Strife in order to make progress and acquire important items or information.
•  Bag of Spilling: Though all three games/chapters take place in the same reality, Dinah never keeps what she finished one "chapter" of the trilogy with, so she starts the next game/chapter in the trilogy at square one. This doesn't actually happen to her within individual levels within the same game/chapter though, with one or two minor exceptions to specific magical potions being confiscated in certain maps in Appetite for Detention.
•  Bayonet Ya: The Blunderaxe is seemingly Fosna's take on a bayonet shotgun, being it shoots leaded pellets of Blundershot for its ranged attack, but the under barrel of the weapon is formed into the blade of an axe, allowing it to be used up close to slice things apart. It is particularly effective on wooden enemies Dinah encounters for example.
  • That said, the Blundershot of the weapon is not depicted as a hitscan attack, but as a set of projectiles that fly forward. It is also greatly inaccurate at long range, as expected of a shotgun-type weapon. The shot attack can also emit a brownish-black smoke that can briefy obscure a player's vision when used.
•  Bittersweet Ending: Dynamite Duchess and Appetite for Detention's endings have elements of this.
•  Boom Stick: The Wizard's Pike. Using , this weapon emits a large wave of large and small purple, lightning-ball looking shots that are essentially the closest analogue to pure offensive "magic" in the trilogy. All of the Pike's "Zap" shots also deal a bit of  to nearby enemies.
  • A note is certain foes can also shoot (usually singular) Pike shots at you, such as Centaurion Sergeants, a upgraded Centaurion who can attack at range occasionally. Other foes are left to be discovered by the player in later games in the trilogy.
•  Carry a Big Stick: The Apple Jack is a essentially a mace with a red spiked ball resembling an apple, similar to the Cleric's mace in , however unlike the Cleric's mace, the Apple Jack's melee attack is actually a double-bonk attack that usually makes it the best melee weapon for quick combat at close quarters out side of the axe-chop of the Blunderaxe.
  • Additionally, it also has a ranged attack where you literally launch the "aggro-apple" macehead at enemies to deal bonking damage to them. The individual projectiles aren't as effective in damage as the melee since they're dealing one "hit" technically versus the melee's two, but they are still good for staying away from foes, and certain foes Spider Censers are weak to "bonk" damage, making the aggro-apple projectiles still preferred over other weapons in those cases.
• Cricket: Dinah's most iconic weapon is her Cricket Bat, likely passed down to her by her father, who also enjoys the sport himself. It's her slot 1 weapon in game, able to bash/bonk at melee range, and smack Cricket/Croquet Balls at enemies as a ranged attack as its alternate-fire. Cricket is also mentioned by other characters and NPCs in the later games fairly often too.
• Elemental Rock–Paper–Scissors: Many foes have specific weaknesses to various attack/weapon attributes, but are strong to others. Dinah herself doesn't have any strengths or weaknesses though.
  • The living tree-like Planters for example are very weak to fire-based fireworks items and the Chop attack of the Blunderaxe, but they also have a high resistance to the  Blunder shot ranged attack of the same weapon. A lot of the trilogy's wooden enemies in general are susceptible to fire and chopping attacks, though.
• Fatal Fireworks: In addition to Dinah's standard Doom-equse slot-based weapon sets, she also has a few inventory items that are effectively attacks, and virtually all of them are fireworks, and they can also deal Dinah self-damage through Splash Damage, and all of them but the Scatter Popper basically deal fire damage:
  • Cherry Bombs are thrown like a short-range grenade, hitting with a single damage splash up to 128 damage, and some impact damage. These are Dinah's most commonly found offensive item.
  • Spinner-Chasers will lash out and then seek the closest enemy, even without Dinah having to be looking directly at a target. They will explode on contact.
  • Bottle Rockets are launched straight forward and will emit a "line" of explosives around its impact point for a couple of seconds. This is also a rarer offensive item to find and is likely one that a player can accidentally kill themself or critically injure themselves with if they are not careful.
  • Scatter Poppers are the only firework that are not automatically fire-elemental, but their use is a bit complex to explain. Not only does Dinah emit a loud burst of sound when using one that can do a bit of  to other foes, but it launches several explosive hitscans and some projectile shrapnel that can pierce multiple enemies while in flight. It can either be devastating against many enemies in a group, or it can be almost ineffective in situations, when used depending on your angle and which enemies your facing.
• Frying Pan of Doom: The Scrambler is a golden frypan with the magic ability to launch Fractal Eggs at enemies, which break apart into smaller clusters of eggs that can attempt to bury an enemy with  damage. Of course, Dinah can also use it to "bonk" enemies in melee range, though it's not that much more powerful than a smack of the Cricket Bat.
  • The main sources of Fractal Eggs, the Fractal Chickens (and their younger Chicks, and olden Hen-like kin), are eventually encountered in Carnival of Souls, and the different tiers of Chickens can use the Fractal Eggs against you in various forms depending on their level of maturity, but as to be expected, can drop them when destroyed for you to use with the Scrambler.
• Kid Hero: Dinah Wyck herself, being 10-11 in Dynamite Duchess, 11-12 in Appetite for Detention, and 16 in Carnival of Souls.
• Healing Potion: Apple Wine is stated to be a curative wine created via "light magic" that can heal someone for 20% health per glass, and it can be carried for use later, similar to the "Quartz Flasks" of Heretic and Hexen, though slightly less effective versus their 25% health recovery per flask. Also though it is described as a wine, Dinah does not get tipsy or drunk off of using them, even if she uses up to five in succession. Eight can be carried at once, and they are Dinah's only healing item she can carry in her inventory, with Gala Apples being more of an equivalent to Doom's Stimpacks or Heretic/Hexen's Crystal Vials, which are used immediately.
• Hit-and-Run Tactics: The trilogy will often rely on you to understand that almost all of Dinah's weapons (sans the Grimophone) have a primary attack that is melee/close-range, and an alternate attack that is ranged. The Grimophone has only one attack, the ranged razor records, and the new  weapon in Carnival of Souls is also ranged only.
  • This means often, especially on the highest two difficulty levels, where monsters both deal extra damage to Dinah and have more health, as well as the ability for reinforcements to appear on many maps, that Dinah's ammo levels will be hurting for at least two or more of her weapons at most times, requiring careful melee fighting to survive or at least get out of a fight in good condition.
• Idiosyncratic Difficulty Levels: each referencing different fireworks
  • Sissy Sparkler Show ^note "Dinah takes half damage and auto-uses apple wine when badly hurt. Ammo pickups worth double. Monsters are dumb and die easily. Are you sure?"
  • Lit Bag of Snakes ^note "Dinah auto-uses apple wine when badly hurt. Ammo pickups worth double. Are you sure?"
  • Roman Candle Skirmish ^note "All damage, health, and ammo settings are normal. Are you sure?"
  • Cherry Bomb in the Toilet ^note "Apples heal for half as much. Monsters spawn reinforcements now and then. Dinah takes extra damage. Are you sure?"
  • Basically Illegal Explosives ^note "Monsters spawn reinforcements frequently, but drop more ammo. Apples heal for half as much. Planters and Centaurions ALL have ranged attacks. Helpful NPCs are removed. Dinah is dumb and dies easily. Are you sure?"
• Mascot Mook: The purple bird-like Hammerducks are the closest creature in the series to this. Some small gags and scenes in later games in the trilogy even have Dinah remark how she can't seem to get away from them entirely in spite of their relatively low threat level.
• Mature Work, Child Protagonists: Despite being 10-11 in the first game, there are some surprisingly mature [though not gory] elements Dinah has to face and deal with within all three games in the trilogy, with the first game probably being the heaviest of the three. Some of this however can also be partially explained due to the games taking place in the Napoleonic Era, or an alternate, magic-fueled version of it.
• New Work, Recycled Graphics: Some of the textures, props and items come from I. M. Meen and Chill Manor.
• Our Gargoyles Rock: Galgoyles are this in the series. Many times starting off in stone form as decorations, most will come to life to attack Dinah eventually as she makes more progress in the levels. Some can be found loose too, though.
  • They also are one of the enemies in the game capable of both moving on land and taking flight like other flying enemies in iDTech1 engine games, able to freely switch modes. If they are in midair, they can also swoop in on you to smash into you for damage, or shoot you with a pink, swirly goo-like projectile at range. Thankfully, they do not actively try to dodge your attacks while in flight, though sometimes they will randomly swoop in ways that can make a player think this incorrectly.
• Traced Artwork: Some of the enemies and bosses are edited versions of monsters from I. M. Meen and Chill Manor.
• Weapons That Suck: The SuperVac is a magically powered vacuum capable of swallowing up enemies and converting them into a dust-like energy which can be launched when 12 units of ammo are collected via its melee attack, in the form of tornadoes. Usually the size of a foe determines the number of bags/units of ammo collected. The vacuum melee attack, which acts very similar to  or , cannot be used if the Vac is full however.
  • The damage attribute for the SuperVac melee attack is "Suck" damage .
• What Are Records?: The Grimophone is one of Dinah's most powerful weapons found during the trilogy. Basically a  that can launch sharp-edged  that can even partially seek out enemies in flight, and are launched two at a time for one unit of ammo.
• When Trees Attack: The Planter and Man-Chineel monsters are various takes on this. The former are mobile and carry farming scythes to slash at you with in melee, and some can also have birds perched in their branches they can command to fly at you. The latter are rooted in the ground, but shoot large and heavy coconut-sized seeds to deal damage from afar. Many Man-Chineels also start off dormant, leaving the player to believe they aren't a threat and come to life during scripted sequences usually.
  • Both types of monsters, being wooden, are susceptible to fiery attacks [most fireworks] and chopping attacks from Dinah's Blunderaxe.
• While Rome Burns: While Dinah is fight monsters some of the Thuggra are wearing tuxedos while playing the piano with some singers.

The first game Provides Examples of:

• Amnesia Episode: Played with. Dinah initially has no recollection of how she ends up where she is in the Gardens where the game starts, however she clearly remembers her own name, the voices of her father and mother, and still remembers the constant annoyance of . But it is played straight in that she has lost some of her most important memories of very recent events, which she slowly recovers (and then the player is able to vaugely see play out) when she defeats various boss characters or reaches certain locations.
• Sequential Boss: The final battle with Hand Mother is three phases, having 2000, 2500 and 2500 more HP, making her almost twice as tanky as a Cyberdemon in Doom 1993.
• Shout-Out: The Party Palace as a recreation of Hogan's Alley arcade game.

Appetite for Detention Provides Examples of:

• Boarding School: Vokter Finishing School is the central location/backdrop of Appetite for Detention, where Dinah finally returns to school after the plague referenced throughout Dynamite Duchess seems to have ended, and various other events in the interim have been settled. The school is also owned and managed by Eli Vokter, Dinah's paternal uncle.
• Bowdlerise: In the original version the Demented Nurses and Juffrau Joegenson had much more pronounced chests. In the remake their chests are now flat and look more respectable.
• Company Cross-References: The Rodentum and Nevermore potion contain the same morph tokens from Impie's Ghoul School TC.
• Sadist Teacher: Meister Krag is physically the biggest example of the eviler professors at Vokter Finishing School, and also being ex-military for Fosna's armies. In the intro level of Appetite, Dinah learns from one kid that Krag has even kicked boys into the river as punishment for particularly egregious offenses.
• Shout-Out:
  • In the Wonder Works a student named Bruce is trying to finish a spell that goes "Klatuu Barada Nikto" if Dinah helps him finish the sentence correctly he will turn into an Alumnus.
  • The potion that turns Dinah into a raven is called "Nevermore".

Carnival of Souls Provides Examples of:

• Our Hero Is Dead: The manual for Carnival of Souls states that Dinah has suddenly died and found herself in Heaven and that she decides to begin a new adventure. A later NPC reveals how this seems to have happened: Dinah was at a friend's carnival tent in New Orleans when a zeppelin apparently fell out of the sky onto the tent, exploding horribly and blasting the souls of everyone involved across the cosmos for over a month, and that Dinah's was just collected and brought to Heaven by the angels when the game starts.
• Shout-Out: Just like in Party Palace Delila Dorsey's Carnival of Souls also has a recreation of the Hogan's Alley arcade game.