The Jim and Frank Mysteries
SCORE: 78
Do you like to break a mental sweat? If so, consider this game Richard Simmons. The Jim & Frank Mysteries: The Blood River Files has more brain crunching puzzles than you can shake the proverbial stick at.
On the surface, The Jim & Frank Mysteries looks very much like an adventure game. The background art is fantastic and makes you want to explore the world presented in the game. Most scenes are brightly colored and there are a lot of beautiful nature scenes throughout the game. Each scene is full of little details that make the environments warm and inviting, save for a few of the darker points in the game. The characters in the game are drawn a bit rough and the animations aren’t done as meticulously as the backdrops, but they all work together to get the point across. As for the puzzles, and there a lots of them, they are also drawn with care and attention to detail. At times some of the imagery can be a little intense for younger players as certain areas feature images of werewolves, bats, and the like. Overall, as far as the graphical presentation goes, the good definitely outweighs the bad. On a side note, Jim and Frank look strikingly similar to two prominent characters who attend the well-known fictional school of Hogwarts…
The background music is very subtle in this game but it fits perfectly. You will spend most of your time in the game wracking your brain for solutions to the puzzles, so having any kind of distracting music would be frustrating. Fortunately the game designers considered this and made the background audio soothing. I was also surprised at the voice acting used in this game. Most of the major plot points in the game are completely voice acted which takes this game up a notch. On the down side, there is some brief dialog here and there that may be offensive to players. It’s fairly minor stuff, but unnecessary none the less.
I’ve yet to see another iPod game with so much content. There are well over 60 unique puzzles throughout the game, which by the way boasts over 20 hours of gameplay. In addition to that, players can unlock achievements, replay past puzzles at any time, find “snaps” along to way to piece together an old photograph, unlock cue cards, and collect Eureka dollars. I for one had the most fun finding the Eureka dollars. Each scene has two Eureka’s hidden somewhere in the background. You simply tap these to collect them for use later on to buy hints. It’s kind of like Where’s Waldo without the crazy striped outfit. This game has enough content to keep players busy for a good long time. And for less than the cost of a six piece chicken nugget, it’s a great addition to your iPod’s value menu.
Up until now you might be thinking that it sounds like this game can’t go wrong. Sadly, it does go wrong. Initially the game gives you the impression that it is an adventure game of sorts. There is ample dialog and the plot is laid out nicely. Your grandfather has prepared a quest for you (Jim) and your friend (Frank). You are to follow the clues to unravel the mystery. This is where the puzzles begin…and never end. Don’t get me wrong, I’m also a fan of puzzle games so this didn’t turn me off of the game immediately. The controls were simple and the early puzzles were enjoyable to play. Many puzzles find clever ways to utilize the iPod’s unique abilities. However, the game presents the player with puzzles far too frequently. It was almost as if the game couldn’t decide if it wanted to be an adventure game or a puzzle game. You may finish one puzzle, have two or three lines of dialog, and then find yourself directly into the next puzzle. Some of these puzzles have no apparent relation to the conversation that is taking place much less the overall storyline. This removes the player from the experience somewhat. If the frequency of puzzles wasn’t enough to scare you off, the difficulty and randomness of the puzzles might be. It’s not really that the puzzles are terribly difficult, but that many of them are not explained coherently so that the player has a clear idea of what he is to accomplish. Even using your Eureka dollars to purchase hints only muddies the waters. I spent a lot of time reading and re-reading the directions and hints to many of the puzzles and still had no clear understanding as to what I was to do. As an added insult, the game offers to literally sell you (for real money) more Eureka dollars if you don’t have enough to buy a hint or skip the puzzle. Is this some new form of extortion targeted at the puzzly challenged?
As for family friendliness, this game falls a bit short. While the
game looks like something that’s safe for the family, there are plenty
of things hidden below the surface. The main characters, as well as
several others in the game, have somewhat questionable morals. Jim and
Frank frequently tell little white lies to get past an obstacle. At one
point they even lie to the groundskeeper about needing to get into the
cemetery to “pray for lost souls”. Marriage is shown in a poor light as
certain characters refer to their wives in a negative manner. The town
drunk makes an appearance or two which brings into play alcohol
references. While none of these things are blatantly offensive, there
are simply more of them than most parents would want their child exposed
to, particularly in a puzzle game. One positive note is that Jim and his
grandfather have a close relationship and they bond as a result of this
adventure. I would like to see some sequels to this game if the reigns
were pulled back on the puzzles a bit and if a lot fewer tangents were
brought into the story line. This game has a lot of potential but it’s
hard to see it under all of the puzzles.
-Roger
Graphics: 86%
Sound: 78%
Replay/Extras: 91%
Gameplay: 67%
Family Friendly Factor: 66%
System: iPhone/iPod Touch
Publisher: Chillingo
Rating: '4+' for 4+
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