Jenny LeClue: Detectivu (PC) Review

Jenny is the protagonist in a series of novels that take place in Arthurton; a cosy, completely harmless, peaceful town, where nothing ever happens. "Kids these days" want something a bit darker, though, as the writer of her adventures learns from his editor. After a few moments of frustration, this old-timer decides to actually do the deed, and throw in a little bit of murder into her life. He sits on his comfy chair, starts hitting the letters on his typewriter, and voila! Jenny is lying on the floor, deadly poison spilling from her lips. Too dark? Worry not. She is just faking it. After all, Jenny Le Clue: Detectivu is too light-hearted to start with something so bleak.

No, this is just the game's tutorial, where two forensic science students are studying the scene of a crime, with Jenny acting as the victim; a segment that has the pleasantly snarky heroine rise up from her grave to scold them both, only to then proceed and offer the solution herself - to the dismay of the one who is charge of the classroom, aka her mom. In practice, this has her searching the scene (her body) for clues, before she attempts to solve the case by playing what is a connect-the-dots-style mini-game. Sadly, these "deduction" sequences are the only challenge here - and that's an exaggeration.

This mostly feels like a visual novel, instead of the point-and-click adventure it pretends to be. Forget easy. This doesn't have just a low level of difficulty - it has none! In other words, one basically has to go through the motions to win, with puzzles being simplistic mini-games, rather than actual riddles than require any form of thinking. In fact, even collectibles, like the stickers that can be found around, and then be used to decorate Jenny's journal (a pretty enjoyable distraction), aren't even hidden, as she only needs to walk next to one such item for the 'Search' option to appear.

In all honesty, the only truly enjoyable thing here is the interaction of Jenny with the denizens of Arthurton. Of course, this extremely adventurous, overzealous junior detective, is the main star, but it's also fun to watch her talk (and be sarcastic) with the various quirky folk of her town. Frankly, if this was an animated series, it would definitely be a hit. It is a looker too! While the visuals have that children's fairytale book vibe, each step of Jenny's journey is beautiful; striking, and with a great use of its vibrant colour palette. From the… Autumn-y, sunlit college campus, to the more mysterious dark blue vistas of night time Arthurton, Jenny LeClue has plenty of character.

The overall presentation generally make you want to keep on playing, and find out where Jenny's quest will lead her, and which character she'll meet next. Oh, and don't forget - this remains part of a novel, not reality… yet Jenny frequently breaks the fourth wall, surprising the old fart that is dictating her life, offering even more laughs, even if the comedy is generally low key, and not of the laugh-out-loud variety. This has that special magic that many teen (or young adult) franchises seem to have, like for example the king of them all, Harry Potter, but unlike Mister Potter, this is painfully boring.

Surprisingly, one could simply act as if this was just a cartoon; one that chose to offer players control of its protagonist, that is, and Jenny LeClue would still be a nice recommendation. The flaw that completely breaks this, though, is how much the action drags. This is literally filled with all kinds of tedious parts, which essentially add more time onto what would actually be a three hour-long affair. You'll fall asleep while pushing objects to reach a higher place, searching for a key to open a door, or navigating a boat that moves like a snail. Poor Jenny! She just wanted some adventure in her life…