Growing up, point-and-click adventure games were a big part of my life. The hours I spent playing games like Kings Quest and Space Quest are more than likely why I’m so bad at going outside and playing sports today. However, while those games demanded of me the sacrifice of physical prowess, they offered so much more in return.
I’m convinced that the entire reason why I could already read at a higher level before I was even old enough to attend primary school is that I willed myself to learn so that I could sit and play my point-and-click games without my parents having to help me and holding me back.
Just something about the genre ignites my soul, unlike any other. This love for pointing and clicking at things has never truly gone away. Whenever I find a new title to lose myself in, it’s like instant time travel.
As soon as my mouse makes that first CLICK, I’m back to being that small little child, using the force to will herself to read so that she could help Roger Wilco, the bumbling space janitor from the planet Xenon, save the universe. Or try to, at the very least.
When Jenny LeClue: Detectivu first appeared on my radar, it promised everything my heart yearned for in a point-and-click adventure game. It was a delightfully and vibrantly drawn game with polished controls and a magnificently voiced cast of characters. But I only played it once it was released on the Nintendo Switch.
Now I would very much like to tell you that as an adult, I have a firm grasp on my self-control and that I paced myself with the game. Playing for an hour here and an hour there. But that would be a lie. Instead, I purchased Jenny LeClue: Detectivu for myself on a whim, and that’s all she wrote until I looked around me and realized days had passed, showers and meals were missed, but it was all okay. I had helped Jenny solve the mystery, and that’s all that mattered.
Jenny LeClue tells the story of a writer, Arthur K. Finklestein, who is being pestered by his editor to mix up his wholesome Nancy Drew-esque mystery series and add some spice to it or face being cancelled. So for his 38th book, Arthur reluctantly decides to tiptoe towards the dark side. Instead of having the protagonist of his stories, Jenny, track down some missing kittens, she would be tasked with solving an actual murder.
Players then take on the role of Jenny, and it’s up to them to help her solve the mystery and make it through alive. Jenny LeClue is as engaging as the LucasArts adventure games of my childhood and as outrageous and cute as an episode of Gravity Falls. And it is one of the best point-and-click games I’ve played in a long time.
Now, as usual with my reviews, I’m not in the business of spoiling anything or elaborating on the story much more than giving a brief overview, and it’s not going to be any different this time around. , that’s irrelevant. Jenny LeClue is terrific, and if you’re a fan of the point-and-click genre, then this is a game you should pick up. The end.
One of the biggest draws to the game, and the reason I found it impossible to stop playing, is that it’s practically bursting at the seams with personality. And how that personally comes across is in your, the players, hands. A standout mechanic is that the player’s choices shape how Jenny interacts with other characters and the story as a whole.
These choices can lead to Jenny adopting one of eight vastly different personalities, which adds such a dynamic feeling to the game you’ll be wondering why other point-and-click games haven’t done this before.
The visuals are also a big draw and help accentuate the atmosphere. There is something about the childlike innocence that meshes so well with a darker and more mysterious story that unravels as you play.
There’s also a good mix of gameplay mechanics to liven up by just pointing and clicking for hours. The game is littered with puzzles, environments to investigate, and characters to interrogate. It’s great.
Just be sure you don’t go into Jenny LeClue: Detectivu expecting a tough-as-nails detective game because that’s not where the magic is. Instead, the game shines in how accessible it is while staying true to the genre and supplying enough wit and whimsy to keep you engaged all the way through.
