Version Tested:
Also Available On: PS4, PS3,
Developer: Vicious Cycle Software
Publisher: Little Orbit
Genre: Action-Adventure, Role-Playing
Adventure Time: Finn & Jake Investigations is an all-new story driven graphic adventure game developed by Vicious Cycle Software. This is the fourth game based on Cartoon Network’s popular Adventure Time show and the first in the series presented in full 3D graphics. The game is loosely based on the show’s sixth season. You’ll quickly find yourself wandering the Land of Ooo with the task of solving each of the five investigations that you’ll receive from your ticker-type machine. Your detective skills will be put to the test as you search for clues, piece together evidence and interrogate witnesses throughout the game. The voice talents from the show reprise the roles of their characters here as well.
Adventure Time: Finn & Jake Investigations begins with our two main characters in their tree house as they uncover an old ticker-type machine that was initially used by their parents to solve various investigations. The ticker-type machine begins to spit out a new investigation and Finn & Jake decide to take the case. Before taking the case, you do have the ability to explore your home and get acclimated to the game. Story teller Cuber will also ask at several different junctures if you’d like to complete a tutorial to familiarize you with the different actions and abilities you will have at your disposal throughout the game. The first case will take you to the Candy Kingdom where a wizard friend of Finn & Jake is wrongly accused of kidnapping Peppermint Butler. You’ll have to search for clues and solve puzzles to clear his name.
When first starting out in Adventure Time: Finn & Jake Investigations I found myself frustrated at several points with my first assignment in the Candy Kingdom until I was able to get the hang of the game mechanics and how everything played out. I had interrogated several witnesses in an attempt to solve the mystery at hand but was unaware of one last piece of evidence I had missed that caused me to roam the playable area for close to ten minutes before finally uncovering the last clue. Even then I didn’t realize that I had actually solved the puzzle until I was presented with the multiple choice dialogue leading into the fact that I did. With the exception of two or three additional such instances throughout the game, I thoroughly enjoyed the play through.
As I said, the puzzle solving was initially a bit tedious, but quickly became more engaging as the story progressed. Finn & Jake also find themselves involved in combat at several points in the game. Combat is fairly simple and somewhat repetitive but remains enjoyable. Finn has access to several different swords throughout the game, each with their own unique power. As Finn remains on the offensive, his special ability meter will charge allowing the player to activate the special ability of the sword or to partner with shape shifting friend Jake who also accompanies you into combat. Jake has four different styles of shapeshifting to aid Finn in combat. My personal favorite is the muscle suit which Jake will transform into, allowing Finn to wear him and “Hulk” out on his enemies with heavy punches and thunder claps. After each battle, the player receives a verbal review detailing how they did on combat and is given the choice to continue or repeat the battle again in an attempt to perform better. The story will play out the same way regardless of how well you do or don’t do. Any “treasure” you receive from performing well in battle just seems to be a cosmetic addition of more treasure for Finn and Jake’s Treehouse.
During the course of this review, I enlisted several of my children to provide me with their input on the game as I played through. My three-year-old little boy sat several times at length with me to watch the story play out and seemed to be drawn to the characters and events on screen. My more antsy eight-year-old got a little bored with some spots of extended dialogue (as did I somewhat) but he otherwise enjoyed the game, particularly the combat. He became as equally frustrated as I did with some puzzles.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onOMJYMPCT0[/embedyt]
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While the dialogue in the game doesn’t always coincide with the lip movements of the characters, Adventure Time: Finn & Jake Investigations looks good and plays well. Environments in the game are rich and vibrant for each respective theme, making it fun to explore the areas as seen in the cartoon in the third dimension. The whole story took me about 7 hours or so to play through. Once the final investigation is complete the player will be asked to guess the theme of all five investigations that were played through. This was a nice touch to have at the end to provide a final connection tying together the individual segments of the full investigation.
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