A really fun and endearing little point & click that stands out for its narrative qualities. Unfortunately it is also very streamlined and easy, at least for anyone who has played the first game in the series and expects a bit of a sleuthing challenge.

Detective Grimoire's first appearance was several years back in a free browser game that you should go and play right now[armorgames.com] if you haven't already. As a browser game it was unique, interesting, well made (for a free game) and its best selling point was that you were actually required to do some detective work: The game expected you to collect clues, solve puzzles, interrogate people with a fun little lie detecting mechanic, and actually stop, think and make some deductions on your own before you could accuse someone of the crime. It was perfectly possible to make mistakes if you didn't think things through and that was exactly what made the game really interesting.

This is sadly not the case with its crowdfunded follow-up. You are asked to sit back and enjoy an easy ride, in which yes, you are interacting with the world and the story in interesting ways, but, no, you are not asked to do any real thinking of your own. And then when you have collected all the strands and are hyped about thinking through the mystery, the game will step in and hold your hand while it reveals its secrets. To me (with my previous high expectations) it felt dumbed down, and that was a disappointment.

That said, this is a really really good, if short, point & click. It is less the answer to the mystery at its core that makes it interesting and more the charming, intriguing characters whose motivations and backstories you're watching untangle. I have a special soft spot for well written dialogue and Detective Grimoire delivers that in spades, accompanied by fantastic voice acting that makes the characters come alive. Bonus points for a dialogue system that expects you to pay attention when interviewing suspects, allowing you to become even more immersed in the game world. In fact not only the characters but the whole "Boggy's Bog" you are walking around in feels alive, thanks to some adorable art and an atmospheric soundtrack. I thoroughly enjoyed the lovingly hand-painted backdrops and all the neat animation details.

My own expectations aside, the gameplay is not bad per se. The fact that it is so streamlined may make the game feel too easy (for me), but one could claim that it also helps in allowing you to become engrossed in the game's story. Still, the puzzles are simplistic and many gameplay elements feel like a missed opportunity. For example, having a suspect screen where you can look through various facts that you have uncovered and tag them as suspicious or not suspicious but then never being allowed to use this mechanic in any meaningful way felt like a real let down. On the other hand, combining your clues into logical claims in order to open up new interrogation opportunities is a much better utilised mechanic, and thus becomes one of the most entertaining gameplay elements. All in all, there are many original ideas here, most of which were sadly not allowed to shine. So come to it expecting to interact with an interesting little mystery, but not to be a real agent of change in this world.

So there you have it. I was disappointed by this game, and yet I thoroughly enjoyed it. There is no denying its charm. It is a polished and very entertaining experience but it is also less than 3 hours long with no replayability, so gauge your preferred price tag accordingly. I experienced no technical problems, those elsewhere cited bugs seem to have been patched out. And for any achievement hunters amongst you, it is a really easy game to 100%. It gets a full thumbs up from me, it's a good little game despite its flaws and I have not regretted my purchase. But whatever you do, definitely do yourself a favour and go play it's free predecessor.

A really fun and endearing little point & click that stands out for its narrative qualities. Unfortunately it is also very streamlined and easy, at least for anyone who has played the first game in the series and expects a bit of a sleuthing challenge. [h1]Some history...[/h1] Detective Grimoire's first appearance was several years back in a free browser game that you should go and play [url=http://armorgames.com/play/200/detective-grimoire]right now[/url] if you haven't already. As a browser game it was unique, interesting, well made (for a free game) and its best selling point was that you were actually required to do some detective work: The game expected you to collect clues, solve puzzles, interrogate people with a fun little lie detecting mechanic, and actually stop, think and make some deductions on your own before you could accuse someone of the crime. It was perfectly possible to make mistakes if you didn't think things through and that was exactly what made the game really interesting. [h1]...and some crushed expectations.[/h1] This is sadly not the case with its crowdfunded follow-up. You are asked to sit back and enjoy an easy ride, in which yes, you are interacting with the world and the story in interesting ways, but, no, you are not asked to do any real thinking of your own. And then when you have collected all the strands and are hyped about thinking through the mystery, the game will step in and hold your hand while it reveals its secrets. To me (with my previous high expectations) it felt dumbed down, and that was a disappointment. [h1]The Good: Writing, Art, Animation, Soundtrack[/h1] That said, this is a really really good, if short, point & click. It is less the answer to the mystery at its core that makes it interesting and more the charming, intriguing characters whose motivations and backstories you're watching untangle. I have a special soft spot for well written dialogue and Detective Grimoire delivers that in spades, accompanied by fantastic voice acting that makes the characters come alive. Bonus points for a dialogue system that expects you to pay attention when interviewing suspects, allowing you to become even more immersed in the game world. In fact not only the characters but the whole "Boggy's Bog" you are walking around in feels alive, thanks to some adorable art and an atmospheric soundtrack. I thoroughly enjoyed the lovingly hand-painted backdrops and all the neat animation details. [h1]The Mediocre: Gameplay, Puzzles[/h1] My own expectations aside, the gameplay is not bad per se. The fact that it is so streamlined may make the game feel too easy (for me), but one could claim that it also helps in allowing you to become engrossed in the game's story. Still, the puzzles are simplistic and many gameplay elements feel like a missed opportunity. For example, having a suspect screen where you can look through various facts that you have uncovered and tag them as suspicious or not suspicious but then never being allowed to use this mechanic in any meaningful way felt like a real let down. On the other hand, combining your clues into logical claims in order to open up new interrogation opportunities is a much better utilised mechanic, and thus becomes one of the most entertaining gameplay elements. All in all, there are many original ideas here, most of which were sadly not allowed to shine. So come to it expecting to interact with an interesting little mystery, but not to be a real agent of change in this world. [h1]The endorsement[/h1] So there you have it. I was disappointed by this game, and yet I thoroughly enjoyed it. There is no denying its charm. It is a polished and very entertaining experience but it is also less than 3 hours long with no replayability, so gauge your preferred price tag accordingly. I experienced no technical problems, those elsewhere cited bugs seem to have been patched out. And for any achievement hunters amongst you, it is a really easy game to 100%. It gets a full thumbs up from me, it's a good little game despite its flaws and I have not regretted my purchase. But whatever you do, definitely do yourself a favour and go play it's free predecessor.