Hey everyone, PushingUpRoses here and today I want to tell you about a game I played recently
that deserves way more attention; it was initially released in 2018, then a couple years later,
full voice was added and was released for the Switch, which is how I played it.
It’s called Jenny LeClue: Detectivu.
Arthur: “And she was the world’s greatest detective!”
I haven’t had time to devout to longer adventure games, especially because I decided to just
randomly become a professional abstract artist during the pandemic, as ya do, but this darling
indie game developed by Mografi caught my eye with its gorgeous artwork and intriguing
story.
Writing a mystery game in the style of a choose-your-own adventure is not easy; it takes a lot of structure,
character development, and world building, and I was pleasantly surprised when this game
exhibited all of those things nearly flawlessly - as you all know I love a good murder mystery
and I am analytical when it comes to how they are written and what kind of mechanics are
presented in a video game format; sometimes I am dissappointed, sometimes expectations
are met only by a smidge, and sometimes I find something exceptional that I want to
share, and the latter is exactly how I feel about this title.
I do want to make it clear that Jenny LeClue is a very positively rated game, I just can’t
believe it hasn’t spread even further out to mystery enthusiasts and adventure game
connoisseurs - and even if you are neither of these things, I think you could enjoy it.
Let’s dive in.
When I first saw this game going around the internet, I thought it was going to be akin
to a Nancy Drew style story, with mechanics similar to night in the woods.
I was half right; The titular character does remind me of Nancy Drew, a younger person
solving mysteries in a strange little town full of peculiar characters.
And the gameplay is similar to Night and the Woods, and a handful of other indie games
that go for a more casual style of side scroller - there is minimal action, but you still feel
like you are experiencing a grand adventure and getting from place to place using various
modes of transportation.
Oh, and you fall a lot.
A LOT.
What I was wrong about is that the game doesn’t stay light-hearted, and offers the player
a personal, character building design which is determined by your choices and dialogue.
At first glance, it does play like a game for adolescents.
You start off by solving silly little cases, and seeing how Jenny solves them using logic
and reason.
I was surprised by how deep the story actually gets, and frankly, how gorgeous and expressive
it is as well.
The story is about Jenny LeClue, a young, michevious little girl who wants to be a great
detective like her mother - she gets into a serious, life threatening situation when
her mother is accused of murder; she takes it apon herself to save her, and unveil the
secrets of Arthurton, a small umassuming town that has a restaurant called Agatha Crusties.
What I didn’t realize when I first booted up this game, was there was a bigger window
around Jenny - she is the creation of author Arthur K. Finklestein, who has been writing
the LeClue books for a long time.
Recently, his publisher has been bored with his overly saccharine books, and pushes him
to write something more dramatic.
Up until now, there has never been a murder in any of the Jenny LeClue books - and now
Finklestine finds himself at odds with his values, his morals, and his comfort zone,
as he tries to write something that will revitalize his beloved franchise.
Arthur: “You want me to turn Jenny’s world upside down?
Kill off my characters and destroy everything I’ve built over the last thirty years?!”
He narrates the book as he writes it, often interacting with Jenny - this is one of the
few games in a choose-your-own adventure game style that actually makes me feel like I am
being read a book - in fact, it made me want to read a book because it was written in such
a literary way.
It made me feel like I was involved with the writing process, and getting into the head
of a writer who is trying to do something different, despite it being scary.
I found myself relating a lot to Arthur; the game expressed his pain and apprehension very
well, though I can’t say I manage my pain by eating an entire jar of jam.
Arthur does end up writing a murder for Jenny to solve, and he is instantly regretful, but
he presses on, the game becoming less light-hearted and more real.
Arthur’s pain leaks into his character, as she realizes that murder mystery is not
all fun and games.
Arthur: “Who lay under that curtain?
Who had breathed their last breath?”
Jenny: “I mean it could be an escaped lunatic from the asylum!
Or an ax wielding maniac on the run from the cops!
It could be…”
Arthur: “It could be…”
Jenny: “Mom?
Oh no… please no.”
She was written to solve light hearted problems, like finding someone’s glasses, or helping
people out with simple problems, and now she has to contend with reality.
Instead of glossing over the fact that a small child has now found a dead body, the game
really states that Jenny is sad and frightened.
Arthur: “Jenny had longed for an adventure.
For a real case to solve.”
Jenny: “I...didn’t expect it to be like this.”
The story does a great job at balancing the lighter parts, clever nature of the characters
and Jenny’s personality with bigger things like things like change, and fear - it’s
like the writer and the character are experiencing a coming-of-age type of thing, and I was really
impressed with the level of maturity I felt from it.
The beautiful animation pushes the more mature parts even further - these are some of the
most expressive characters I’ve seen in a long time.
Despite their unrealistic designs, these characters are always moving in realistic ways - smiling,
eyes watering, Jenny pushing up her glasses - and I know, I know what you’re thinking:
“But Roses those all sound so rudimentary”, but they are SO WELL DONE. - these cartoony
characters didn’t need to have so many human elements to them, but they do, and I can tell
that so much thought and detail went into their creation.
Because they are fairly fleshed out, you get attached to them, and you want to see Jenny
interact with them and grow as a person.
For example, her cousin, Suzy, is more bubbly than what Jenny likes, but they discover they
can be friends and that Jenny had been too judgemental.
See, Jenny is definitely a “cool girl” at the start of the game - she believes girls
like her cousin are too frilly and annoying.
As the story progresses, Jenny realizes she had been too harsh, and finds an ally in her
pink-teddy-bear living cousin, and Suzy becomes an extremely likeable, hilarious character
in her own right.
The voice acting is especially good.
Something adventure games can struggle with is keeping long sections of dialogue interesting
- I find that some can stand to be more terse.
Jenny: “No no no!
You must never move the victim’s body!”
Student: “Mrs. LeClue, she’s doing it again.”
Julie LeClue: “Jenny, you are a dead body.
Dead bodies don’t talk.”
This game doesn’t drone on for long periods of time, and the voice acting is so good it
feels natural - I enjoyed listening to it.
Julie LeClue: “The students need to learn to think for themselves, Jenny.
That’s why they are here at Gumbolt - to learn.”
Jenny: “I just thought we all had places to go.
Speaking of which…”
Julie LeClue: “Where are you off to, young lady?”
Jenny: “I’m a dead body mom, dead bodies don’t tell.”
The dialogue has a great, sarcastic comedy style that doesn’t get weary.
Even though the story did become serious, the characters remained humorous and delightful,
especially Jenny who is a snarky, intelligent little rule breaker.
She IS often very judgemental, and has to rethink her behaviors and actions throughout
the game, but she IS adorable.
I found her very entertaining as the main character.
As for the gameplay - I find it pleasant, though I did have moments of feeling bored.
The puzzles are varied - when you are solving cases, you have to use clues you found to
make deductions.
Some are easy, some might require more thought.
There are also logic, clicker, and hidden object puzzles, plus some light platforming.
It doesn’t get terribly difficult, I was never stuck for very long during the few times
I did get stuck.
There’s a lot of trekking across the settings, which can get a little tedious.
Jenny will work something out in her mind, like how to solve a puzzle, without our help,
and we have to carry those out by walking and jumping places, and I thought that got
tiring.
I wish we had done more manual puzzle solving, though I don’t mind that this was more relaxed.
I need relaxing games, I don’t have time for much else, and the laid back gameplay
allowed me to focus more on the story.
It’s really a minor nitpick in the grand scheme of things, and even when I was doing
long bouts of running, climbing, or walking, the game does try to be a little more visually
stimulating with wide zooms and cool looking transitions.
I can’t express enough how gorgeous and detailed this game is - every background is
lovely, and the music is appropriate.
I wouldn’t say it stands out, but if I am being honest, when I am playing a more literary
game, I don’t need a grandiose soundtrack, I just need something complimentary.
You do get dialogue choices for Jenny, and even though they don’t seriously change
how the game will end, or what happens during, it does change your personality and dynamics
with characters.
In my playthrough, I got the protector personality based on my choices.
Damn fuckin’ right I’m saving some baby ducks.
But there are several more you can try to get, and if you finish the game, scene select
becomes an option and you can bounce around, trying out different things.
There is also a collect-a-thon aspect, which does seem a little childish but I could not
get enough of collecting every sticker and postcard piece.
One last nitpick I’d like to add is the story can get convoluted, and it ends on a
bit of a cliff hanger because there is definitely a sequel planned.
I am not very fond of that decision personally - I like my games to have a finite ending,
especially when I worked so hard to uncover all of the secrets and have gathered up SO
many clues; it’s unsatisfying to not be rewarded with a grand conclusion.
There are also a lot of loose ends, but again- they could come back in a sequel.
I think that is one of the biggest challenges when writing a mystery - tying up any loose
ends.
So many murder mysteries end up overloading you with information that doesn’t go anywhere.
And while some of that can be amusing, I found that Jenny LeClue had more egregious loose
ends that I was frustrated at when they didn’t get resolved.
But overall, you must be able to tell by now that I was very impressed with this game.
I think it can also have a wide audience - kids can play this game and I think they will be
delighted in the easier gameplay, humor, and characters, and I think adults can enjoy it
for its meta commentary and deeper themes.
Even if you still think this game looks too childish for you, I want to say that it’s
okay to revisit things for young adults - especially if you are an artist, writer, or game dev.
You never know where you are going to find inspiration and ideas for your own projects,
and if that comes from media more targeted for young adults, there is nothing wrong with
that.
I do hope you give the game a chance, show it to people who may enjoy it or snuggle up
on your couch with a cup of hot chocolate and enjoy a cozy evening with it.
And one more thing before I go: There are crows.
Lots of them.
In a mystery game where tragic death occurs.
TALK ABOUT A MURDER OF CROWS.
Yeah, okay - thanks for listening and until next time, happy gaming.
Hey everyone, thanks for watching my video on Jenny LeClue.
If you want to see more adventure game reviews, I have some suggestions, but first I want
to give a shoutout to my amazing patrons - thank you so much for supporting the show, and if
you are bored and looking for something to do, why not consider becoming a patron yourself?
Or not - likes, shares, and comments also churn my butter and they are free.
If you want to watch more of my videos, here’s a few recommendations.
On the left I have a hilarious review of the X-Files FMV game, and on the right I have
a review of a Goosebumps adventure game.
Apparently I am all about those licensed video games right now.
Thanks again, as always, I will see you in the next one.