Joy. That’s the quickest way to describe Frog Detective: The Entire Mystery by Worm Club – consisting of Grace Buxner and Thomas Bowker. A one-word review would be perfect on X, though. Let’s flesh this out with some context, me ol’ mates.
If I were to give an example of what defines a wholesome, cosy, and uplifting game, this would feature high on the list. It encapsulates all that, plus comedic timing to a ‘T’. And the characters? How does one dinky collection make you fall in love with a frog that isn’t Kermit sporting an M60-mounted Ducati dipped in honey and skidding on velvet?
That was an… interesting example.
Frog Detective: The Entire Mystery PS5 Review: ‘Number 2’ Ha!
Frog Detective: The Entire Mystery ‘does what it says on the tin’. Boy, I despise that quote in Amazon reviews. Yes, you’re a frog, and yes, you’re a detective, and yes, again – there are three episodes. ‘Trilogy’. That, my friends, is called concise. The same applies to the titles of each adventure:
- The Haunted Island – Frog Detective investigates a haunted island.
- The Case of the Invisible Wizard – there’s an invisible wizard.
- Corruption at Cowboy County – there’s corruption. And cowboy wannabees.
Our titular amphibian is hired to investigate each case as the #2 best detective as Lobster Cop is busy. At the start of each episode, the Supervisor assigns a case, and the Frog Detective picks up their magnifying glass off the table and heads out for a first-person adventure. Coincidentally, each case runs seamlessly, but if you exit the game after an episode, the Supervisor makes a point about being interrupted the last time they spoke.
The anticipation for each case in Frog Detective: The Entire Mystery is marvellous, with the instantly catchy theme music by Dan Golding being a standout. I played the first chapter alone, then had my six-year-old play from the beginning, and within a few bars, we were both humming the tunes. The music is so damn upbeat that I wanted to blow up some balloons, eat some cake and wear one of my many (three) novelty onesies and chillax. Outrageous, huh? Could be worse: I could read a factually inaccurate book.
SOMETHING OR ANOTHER
Anyhoo, Frog Detective: The Entire Mystery is a detective game where crime does not exist. The gameplay is essentially mini fetch quests where you interview suspects, find out what their ‘needs’ are; an object of sorts, locate that, and as a reward, they’ll give you another item to trade with someone else. It’s on rails and, on paper, sounds tedious.
It’s so easy that anyone seeking a walkthrough would be mad. No, I’m not writing one. Each step is the same in every episode: interview, identify the item, swap it out, then it’s the final scene. The first case can be finished in under 30 minutes – even when exhausting and exploring every nook and cranny. Each new episode’s duration extends, new characters are introduced, and a new mechanic – such as a notebook or scooter to navigate the Wild West.
You might be screaming, “What’s the point?”. Objectively, I agree. It’s very linear and presents no challenge, but… never have I immediately fallen in love with the characters, the dialogue, the art, the music… Frog Detective: The Entire Mystery is the epitome of a feel-good game. Quote me on that; I stand by it.
Quick: Make Haste!
At the moment, I have a ridiculous amount of games to review, and in my best procrastination form, I’ve been binging Ghostwire: Tokyo after having it sit on my PS5 for months. Though enjoying it, I must have spent about 15-20 hours and not even halfway through the story. Besides other review titles and the life-sapping Starfield, I don’t have the time to play those kinds of games all the time. Frog Detective: The Entire Mystery is perfect. Not only is it achievable, it elevates my mood beyond belief.
I’ve never played this indie before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. As a review code was provided before release, the trophies weren’t accessible on the PlayStation at the time of writing, so without platinum popping up, I’m not sure how many more secrets there are to locate. That said, I’ve played through this three times now, and while it’s not challenging in the slightest, it’s a pure and utter joy to experience. On top of that, there’s a nice little bonus for Tony Hawk fans. Highly recommended!
