Get your flashlights and magnifying glasses ready, because it’s gumshoe time! This time we have Jenny LeClue, a narrative choose your own adventure game where you play as a girl solving the mystery of a murder. It’s like Nancy Drew, but in my opinion, way funnier, cuter, and just all around better. Mografi, a three person core team of developers, is working on this one and it is set to come out sometime this year. You’ll want to add this one to your wishlist.
Jenny LeClue Story
The game is actually a story in itself, all written by the author of a popular girl detective book series within the world. You are Jenny, a smart inquisitive detective. She loves to use her detective skills to find the truth. But it’s rather boring in her town of Arthurton. Just nothing seems to go on there, so her investigations are a little lackluster. Other than that, Jenny’s life seems idyllic, set in a pretty little town with a good family. When her mother is accused of murder, things quickly go south. Being the precocious kid she is, she uses those bright detective skills to investigate the accusations against her family. She is pushed into the dark underbelly of her town. And she finds out that her world is completely turned around as the dark forces of the town try to prevent her from reaching the truth.
Gameplay
It plays out sort of like a point and click adventure. You can control Jenny with WADS keys, but you use your mouse to point and click to investigate possible clues around you. One fun attribute of the game is that the author of the Jenny LeClue book series Arthur K. Finklestein, narrates. Occasionally as you go around, the prompts are snippets of exposition from the author which sometimes act as a guide. Your choices affect his narration and it can affect your play of the game as well. As you uncover clues, you are able to solve more and more puzzles leading you on to the next part of the game.
There is also an expansive world to discover with a bunch of characters. You actually get the chance to interrogate some characters with an interesting play dynamic. You are able to look around as you ask questions and detect suspicious behavior.
Jenny LeClue’s Artstyle
The world of Jenny LeClue has a very cute, paper craft cartoon style. I love the way it looks honestly. A rich and vibrant color palette sets the tone along with wonderfully detailed characters. Things are modern with a slight vintage feel in the clothing characters wear and the items you interact with. The whole set of the game looks handmade and is a delight to look at.
When Can I Play It
We don’t know the official release date as of yet, but it should be sometime this year. For now, you can actually preorder through Humble Bundle. It will be available for Windows, Mac, and Linux on Steam, where you can add it to your wishlist now. It will also release on PS4, iOS, and Android. So, keep a look out for those platforms soon. If you are itching to play now, you can get a free teaser to play right now. I highly suggest giving it a try.
For more in development indie games to keep on your radar, make sure you subscribe to the Indie Pearls weekly newsletter or follow us on Facebook or Twitter!