Frog Detective 2 is a very, very silly game. That may sound like I'm dismissing it immediately, but if anything, this silliness is its core strength. I don't think I've ever played a game that from start to finish was able to maintain such a high level of absolute absurdity. I mean, this is a world where the most popular crime-solving hero is a lobster who is a cop, who coincidentally happens to be named Lobster Cop. It is quite possibly the silliest world of all.
Frog Detective 2: The Case Of The Invisible Wizard is incredibly short, but there's a good chance you'll enjoy every moment you spend solving mysteries with this deductive amphibian.
Who Wrecked The Wizard Parade?!
The story of Frog Detective 2 is as follows: You are a detective who is a frog, hence your name. Your supervisor, the helpfully named Supervisor, sends you to Warlock Woods where a parade to welcome a new resident in town has been ruined by some unknown vandal. Now, it's up to you, the second-best detective - behind the superior Lobster Cop - to find out who's behind this atrocity. Also, the person who just moved in is a wizard who is invisible, and everyone is an animal person with poor conceptions of money or how extortion works.
I am convinced that the writer of this game either has children, young nieces and nephews, or they go to various grade schools and ask the students for story ideas until they're removed from the premises by concerned teachers. The plot and dialogue are a perfect mix of hilarious, wholesome, and utterly insane that could only come from the mind of a child. There are entire conversations about extortion, wearing eye patches, swimming in hot tubs, and other bits of lunacy. Yet, even when people are being a jerk to Frog Detective, they inevitably apologize and then ask him for a favor which he has no problem doing for them. It's all unbelievably weird, yet charmingly heart-warming at the same time.
Man, Crime-Solving Is Easy!
The gameplay of Frog Detective 2 isn't very complicated. You have your notebook which you can adorn with a variety of stickers - I put a UFO and a smiling cactus on mine - and you go around taking eye witness accounts of the crime from the local citizens of Warlock Woods. After you speak with each resident, they'll lament that they're missing a certain item that would make their life easier. Susan needs a hook for her sign, Mary needs five money for a bus ticket, etc. You then go around finding these items, giving them to the townspeople, who will then give you money or other items so you can complete your objectives. This will all eventually lead you to the culprit who ruined the wizard's parade.
The area of Warlock Woods is tiny, so it's almost impossible to get confused about what you need to do. Frog Detective 2 is an extremely easy game, and you shouldn't have any issue finding all the items and figuring out this case. However, you also shouldn't be playing Frog Detective 2 looking for mindbending puzzles. This is purely a game for you to soak in the atmosphere and laugh at the bizarre events going on around you. This is less of an adventure and more of a chance to hang out with some real goofballs.
It's Hard To Read Faces When They Don't Move
If this was any other game I might have docked some points for how rudimentary Frog Detective 2's graphics are. It has a muted color palette complete with unblinking characters and shoddy houses that look like they were made by someone who just discovered how to use a 3D drawing program. It has the same appearance as a launch title for the first PlayStation or a poorly made educational game. But because of how zany everything is, this art style only adds to the charm. It feels like a wacky parody of how games are supposed to look, with awkward animation and unchanging, googly-eyed facial expressions. Despite being about as basic as possible, it's the perfect design for this kind of game.
I guess the only complaint I have about Frog Detective 2 is that it's all over way too soon. You can literally complete every fetch quest and determine who ruined the parade in under an hour. Heck, if you know what you're doing, you could probably speed run it in under half an hour. I do think the length works because it never outstays its welcome or drags on, and it left me wanting more. But if you're someone who wants a nice long adventure, you certainly won't get that here. Although, it is only five bucks, so it's not like you're getting screwed out of your money. That's about the cost of a halfway-decent sandwich, and that seems like the perfect amount to spend on solving some silly crimes.
Hey, Who's That In The Picture Below This Header?
It's a short stay in Warlock Woods, but I loved every minute of Frog Detective 2. It's rare to find a game that's not only funny, but also proud of how delightfully ridiculous it is. I knew I was in for something special when the graphical setting options were all lyrics from the chorus of "We Like To Party" by The Vengaboys. There are so many gags, awkward conversations, and moments that are just plain bonkers that you can't help but be charmed by the whole affair. I never played the first game, but I have a sneaking suspicion that I'm going to go back and check it out so I can see where the saga of Frog Detective began.
Frog Detective 2: The Case Of The Invisible Wizard may not be a mystery worthy of Hercule Poirot, but it's definitely worth an hour of your time.
A PC copy of Frog Detective 2: The Case Of The Invisible Wizard was provided to TheGamer for this review. Frog Detective 2: The Case Of The Invisible Wizard is available on PC.
Frog Detective 2