Adventure Time: Finn and Jake Investigations (Nintendo 3DS) Review

Adventure Time: Finn and Jake Investigations is a hybrid title, mixing classic point and click mechanics with 3rd person fighting. When first starting, it is imperative the 3D be turned on. This isn't to say the game requires it; it's just much prettier with the 3D enabled. It genuinely looks flat without it, so flip the toggle and get started.

Right off the bat, the game seems to be aiming in the right direction. There's nothing revolutionary about the gameplay, so being able to skip the tutorials is appreciated. It would have been nice for the game to explain at least what each tutorial is about before you skip it, as skipping them currently requires a leap of faith. Still, it's a nice touch, and it lets the player get in quickly, even after some cumbersome opening cut scenes.

Almost immediately after getting your bearings, you're off on your first investigation. The investigation format is classic point and click: wandering from location to location, gathering similarly confusing clues and trying to combine them or use them singularly to advance the investigation. Honestly, it feels like the worst parts of those classic games, where you can feasibly get through entire missions just offering up clue after clue until one sticks. It rarely moves outside the realm of boring, though it's still satisfying to finally progress, even if it's for all the wrong reasons.

Combat is an exercise in patience and faith. Swinging your sword feels more akin to throwing a wet concrete sack over your shoulder, and is incredibly frustrating. Fortunately, Finn seems to have taken some lessons from the Caped Crusader, and can cross the fighting arena in one slick move. The enemies seem to have no real health system, instead seemingly dying when each one feels like giving up. Jake is the real star, as you can select certain attacks for him to do, kind of like spell casting in Dragon Age.

The audio is really going to appeal to those out there who like the show. If you're not familiar with the show, chances are you aren't going to fully understand the brand of humour employed. This isn't to say you should avoid it, because it may be right up your alley.

Replay value is almost nil. There are in-game achievements called awards, but almost all of them are story-related and will come naturally as you play. Really, the only replay value is a handful of collectibles, and even those won't hold much longer than an hour or so.