Jenny LeClue: Detectivu

Genre: Graphic Adventure

Players: 1

.

Review:

Jenny LeClue is a family-friendly Graphic Adventure game released on PC and mobile devices in 2019 and brought to the Nintendo Switch in 2020. It tells a story-within-a-story of both the titular young sleuth, as well as her struggling author, Arthur, who endeavors to walk a tight line between keeping his work family-friendly while still delivering the sort of thrills his publisher demands.

I absolutely love the presentation in Jenny LeClue, and it is one of this game’s finest points. The graphics use a lovely hand-painted look that’s stylized but not lacking in detail, and the visuals are filled with a warmth and color that absolutely invites the eyes into the game. However, the real treat here is actually in the other elements of the presentation. While the music here is fine, and works well enough for the game, it’s the writing and voice acting here that are absolutely stellar.

Simply put, just as Arthur walks a fine line between the childish and adult, so too does this game, which manages to keep things family-friendly while retaining a razor-sharp wit and superbly well-written characters, all of them wonderfully voice-acted. While the story here isn’t anything truly incredible, the way that story is told is quite wonderful, and as a result, the story elements of this game overall are some of my favorites in a game in 2020 on the Nintendo Switch.

If there’s one area of the game that’s a bit of a disappointment, it’s the gameplay, although perhaps not in the way you may think. In keeping with the game’s family-friendly tone, the gameplay here is extremely easy, tasking players with just being observant of things that stick out and investigating them, followed by tying them together in a logical way. There’s nothing here that really stands out in the genre, and there’s very little you’re likely to get stuck on for very long. For veterans of the genre, this game will feel like absolute child’s play, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing – actual children will likely find it to be just right, and players of all age groups can still appreciate the game’s story.

One final thing I should note before wrapping this review up. This game’s traditional control scheme is good, and I have zero complaints about it. However, in handheld mode, the game supports touchscreen controls, and I have to say that given the option this is the better way to play, as they’re intuitive and faster to work with than the standard cursor. Either way, this is a game that works like it was made for the Nintendo Switch.

All told, Jenny LeClue is simply a delight of a game. The inviting world, great writing, memorable characters, fantastic voice acting, and extreme accessibility make this one of the easiest Graphic Adventure games to slip into and enjoy effortlessly, regardless of your age or experience level. It’s not really inventive or challenging when it comes to gameplay, and genre veterans will find the game to be a pushover, but the low barrier for entry makes this a great introduction to the genre for newer players, and regardless of your experience level you’re still likely to be charmed by the presentation.

tl;dr – Jenny LeClue is a family-friendly Graphic Adventure that tells a story-within-a-story of an author writing a tale about a kid detective. The presentation here is outstanding, with some truly wonderful writing and voice acting. The gameplay isn’t very revolutionary or challenging, but that only makes it a better choice for younger or more inexperienced players, and more skilled players will still probably find the game’s wonderful writing makes this a worthwhile purchase.

Grade: B+

.

This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2020 Game Awards:

Runner-Up: Best Graphic Adventure Game, Most Overlooked, Best Voice Acting

^{You can support eShopperReviews on Patreon! Please click HERE to become a Sponsor!}