Detective Grimoire – Review
There’s been a murder! The only suspect is a mythical creature called Boggy. You play as Detective Grimoire, and it’s your job to explore Boggy’s Bog, investigate the murder, using point and click controls similar to Monkey Island, you have to look for clues, talk to suspects and play puzzles in order to catch the murderer.
This game is the perfect mix of lighthearted jokes and murder mystery and it keeps Detective Grimoire attention grabbing. The game keeps the tone light and funny, so even when you are looking over a dead body, you don’t find yourself put off. The style of the art adds to the ambience of the game, and gives the characters a sense of emotion. Each character has their own personality and traits.
Exploration in the game is made easy by a fast-travel map that lets you immediately return to any location you’ve already visited. Normally objects that are interactive are highlighted in some way, but not in this game, but I found that its pretty obvious which objects you can use. Within the game you can access a Case File where any clues or evidence you find will be added. There is no need to try and combine items, or try to use them on every space in the game, this game is very clean and its very clear when items will be used.
Suspect Interrogations make up another element of the game. There are seven characters hanging around Boggy’s Bog (not counting Boggy himself), and you need to question each of them to uncover the truth. These chats involve both simple questions about what they were doing at the time of the murder and more intense columbo-inspired “Challenge Topics” that pinpoint discrepancies in their statements. Challenge Topics often require you to be on your toes, answering questions, formulating thoughts, or drawing a version of the alleged events.
There are a number of other mini-games that pop up throughout Detective Grimoire such as, a torn picture which needs to be pieced back together, a mess of wires requires untangling, or the gears on a doorknob must be realigned. Though these are sometimes a welcome break to the point and click gameplay, they are normally quick to solve.
A good example of the simplicity of this game, is a part where you merely slide trash out of the way to reveal a clue. This simplicity extends throughout much of Detective Grimoire, creating a flux between the simplicity of the game and the sometime mature themes.
Although a lot of people may be put off by the simplicity, I will say this game is charming. Its fun to play, and always good to help out an indie developer.
Download Detective Grimoire below:
