[Review] Adventure Time: Finn and Jake Investigations
System: Wii U (reviewed) / 3DS
Release date: October 20, 2015
Developer: Vicious Cycle
Publisher Little Orbit
Author: Vincent
Adventure Time: Finn and Jake Investigations is a game that I want to love. I really do. I used to enjoy the show, and taking a quick glance at this title, it really doesn’t seem that bad. Once you dive deep enough, however, you quickly begin to realize how everything falls apart and how this becomes something that really doesn’t seem worth adventuring through.
Let’s start with the visuals. On the bright side, the environments are actually decorated very well and are filled to the brim with numerous Adventure Time Easter eggs and references. If you know even the slightest bit about the source material, you’ll be finding tons of things to look at and reminisce on from the show. Unfortunately, the characters are not as good looking as their environment counter-parts due to incredibly stiff and awkward movements. The fine voice-acting does lend a helping hand, but doesn’t completely fix the dialogue that seems to drag on and on.
In terms of gameplay, it doesn’t improve much upon the whoel experience. At its core is the standard point and click progression, with Finn and Jake collecting shiny objects and gathering information that’ll be used in later puzzles. This is fine, aside from the fact that it suffers from what often plagues most point and click games. For example, at one point in the first mission, there was a locked house that had a no open entrance aside from a chimney, and there happened to be a beehive nearby that was just the right size to fit right in and scare everyone enough for them to run out. Now, even though I had the tool to knock down the beehive, I wasn’t able to use it simply because the game didn’t want me solving the puzzle just yet. That may sound minimal, but similar occurrences are met along the way, and only becomes more bothersome as you progress.
Something else that irked me was how you’re provided with tons of environments yet with almost nothing to do in them. In a game in which you collect items to solve puzzles, I should be having fun when looking for things, but that never really held true here. Finn has the ability to highlight everything that can be interacted with, but much to my disappointment, none of it was interesting to look at. Most objects are just mailboxes and bushes that cause him to say, “don’t touch that!”. Aside from those elements, he tends to repeat himself, so only a few result in original dialogue. This makes it a drag to go around interacting with everything in hopes of finally finding something to help you on your journey. Skipping dialogue is not an option by the way, so each time you accidentally prompt an interaction, prepare to hear Finn scold you yet again.
In order to break up the main point and click-style gameplay, every once in awhile, there’s a bit of fighting to be done. In these segments, Finn and Jake will team up to take down any enemies they throw in your way. Sadly, they seem oddly placed and feel unfinished. The fighting mechanics work, though they do become repetitive very fast.
Another problem with the gameplay is how it mends itself with the story, which is not all that great. There are so many Adventure Time-esque “let’s be whacky!” kind of plot twists that you’ll find yourself not really too enthralled with. Still, that doesn’t bother me. What does bother me is how the game takes forever to get across one point in the story – so much so that it is honestly painful to keep going. It drags on and on, and when there’s really no reward at the end, why should I continue?
I found myself asking that question a whole lot during my time with Adventure Time: Finn and Jake Investigations, too. If you’re a hardcore Adventure Time fan who just can’t get enough of Finn saying “dude” and weird puns, you might just find something worthwhile here. Otherwise the ugly look, lackluster gameplay, and overall pointless adventure are going to make this a hard one to get through. It’s a shame, because I really did enjoy the Adventure Time franchise at one point, but it appears that even for a game where people are made of candy, Adventure Time: Finn and Jake Investigations is about as sour as it gets.
At the end of the day, I can’t recommend Adventure Time: Finn and Jake Investigations. Everything’s there. The environments look no better or worse than all the others, the fighting mechanics aren’t broken, and Finn and Jake’s “charm” is still present. However, the whole experience never manages to come together. If you’re looking for a game to entertain a younger gamer, perhaps this might just meet their standards. For any other instance though, you’re better off looking elsewhere through the Wii U or 3DS’ library.
