Jenny LeClue: Detectivu
Sep. 15th, 2023 03:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
porticoI found myself at a loss after finishing Horizon Forbidden West. I knew I wanted to play Baldur's Gate 3, but wanted a rest between two humongous games. A palette cleanser, if you will. And so I turned, as always, to mystery.
At some point in the past, I added Jenny LeClue: Detectivu to my wishlist on the switch store. Not sure why I hadn't just bought it then? Possibly I was put off by the art style, which does feel a little dated. Anyway, I ended up looking at my wishlist this week while searching for something new, and noticed that Jenny LeClue was on sale for $2. I had more than enough stars or whatever in my switch account to cover that, so I thought--why not? It's free. Reader, I am so glad I did that.
I was expecting a twee mystery game, but I got something much more charming and complex.
To begin with: the format of the game. You are not just playing as Jenny, you are also playing as Arthur K. Finklestein, the author of the long-running Jenny LeClue book series. Those books ARE twee, and have become so predictable that nobody reads them anymore. Arthur's career is at an end if he can't spice up the next one. His editor suggests murder. Enraged, Arthur agrees but only on his terms. You are thrown into the book, and Jenny's story.
Jenny may be a kid (I think she's meant to be a teenager? She reads as younger but her friend drives a motorbike so what do I know), but this game is far from childish. Jenny discovers a dead body and is thrown into a mystery that is far larger, and far closer to home, than she could have imagined.
In terms of gameplay, I loved a lot. While the character art initially put me off, the backgrounds and objects are wonderful. Just a beautiful game to interact with. There are secrets to be found throughout, so you are rewarded for checking out every passageway. Real nice variety of puzzles to keep you on your toes. You are also able to control some of Jenny's actions and conversation in a way that forms her character. My Jenny was rather take-charge (she was described as a "CEO" in my notebook). Playing this felt like playing the HER Interactive Nancy Drew games did, back in their heyday. Which is not to say that the gameplay was similar--it's a very different kind of game--but it itched that part of my brain.
The game was a Kickstarted project and originally launched on steam and apple arcade back in 2019, so some of my complaints about puzzle mechanics might spring from the transition from mouse-click design to button-press design. I found myself having to trial and error my way through some tasks (such as putting stickers on my notebook) which you would think would be simple. And the game would frequently plop a puzzle down in front of me without any instructions or any indication what end result i was going for. It was never so frustrating or obfuscated that I couldn't quickly figure it out, but some direction would have been nice.
The game ends on--not really a cliff-hanger, but a to be continued. It looks like a sequel is in the works, though! I wasn't disappointed by the end of the game, but I would love to spend more time in this universe. The sale on the switch game is on until 9/26, I believe, so jump on it if this sounds good to you!
At some point in the past, I added Jenny LeClue: Detectivu to my wishlist on the switch store. Not sure why I hadn't just bought it then? Possibly I was put off by the art style, which does feel a little dated. Anyway, I ended up looking at my wishlist this week while searching for something new, and noticed that Jenny LeClue was on sale for $2. I had more than enough stars or whatever in my switch account to cover that, so I thought--why not? It's free. Reader, I am so glad I did that.
I was expecting a twee mystery game, but I got something much more charming and complex.
To begin with: the format of the game. You are not just playing as Jenny, you are also playing as Arthur K. Finklestein, the author of the long-running Jenny LeClue book series. Those books ARE twee, and have become so predictable that nobody reads them anymore. Arthur's career is at an end if he can't spice up the next one. His editor suggests murder. Enraged, Arthur agrees but only on his terms. You are thrown into the book, and Jenny's story.
Jenny may be a kid (I think she's meant to be a teenager? She reads as younger but her friend drives a motorbike so what do I know), but this game is far from childish. Jenny discovers a dead body and is thrown into a mystery that is far larger, and far closer to home, than she could have imagined.
In terms of gameplay, I loved a lot. While the character art initially put me off, the backgrounds and objects are wonderful. Just a beautiful game to interact with. There are secrets to be found throughout, so you are rewarded for checking out every passageway. Real nice variety of puzzles to keep you on your toes. You are also able to control some of Jenny's actions and conversation in a way that forms her character. My Jenny was rather take-charge (she was described as a "CEO" in my notebook). Playing this felt like playing the HER Interactive Nancy Drew games did, back in their heyday. Which is not to say that the gameplay was similar--it's a very different kind of game--but it itched that part of my brain.
The game was a Kickstarted project and originally launched on steam and apple arcade back in 2019, so some of my complaints about puzzle mechanics might spring from the transition from mouse-click design to button-press design. I found myself having to trial and error my way through some tasks (such as putting stickers on my notebook) which you would think would be simple. And the game would frequently plop a puzzle down in front of me without any instructions or any indication what end result i was going for. It was never so frustrating or obfuscated that I couldn't quickly figure it out, but some direction would have been nice.
The game ends on--not really a cliff-hanger, but a to be continued. It looks like a sequel is in the works, though! I wasn't disappointed by the end of the game, but I would love to spend more time in this universe. The sale on the switch game is on until 9/26, I believe, so jump on it if this sounds good to you!