Common Sense Media Review
By Marc Saltzman
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Amusing but flawed short brawler for fans of the TV series.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
Adventure Time: Finn and Jake Investigations
What's It About?
ADVENTURE TIME: FINN AND JAKE INVESTIGATIONS is a single-player 3-D adventure game based on the popular animated show on the Cartoon Network. Players control Finn, who is accompanied by his adoptive canine brother, Jake, as they engage in two kinds of gameplay: adventuring and fighting. With the former, you'll talk with characters, pick up items in your inventory, and find ways to solve puzzles to advance through the story in the Land of Ooo (and some are tied to Jake's shape-shifting abilities, of course). But peppered throughout these levels are opportunities to engage in real-time combat against those who want to stop in their way. There are five playable chapter in all, but there is also downloadable content (DLC) available, which adds Jake's friend Marceline the Vampire Queen to the mix.
Is It Any Good?
If you don't have high expectations and are a huge fan of the TV show, then you might consider picking up this game -- but wait a few months when the price drops to a more reasonable amount. After all, there are only six or seven hours of play here, so you might resent dropping up to $50 on the title. While sleuthing through five cases, each one playing out as a separate story (but perhaps all being related), you'll get to move about familiar Adventure Time locations in 3-D. You'll also interact with beloved (and bizarre) characters from the show, including Ice King, Peppermint Butler, Lumpy Space Princess, and more. All voice-overs are provided by the original show cast, which adds to its authenticity.
Once you get past the Adventure Time license, though, there isn't a lot of meat here. It's not a bad game -- puzzle solving and combat in one is a good idea and works well for the most part -- but it does fare better as an adventure game than a brawler. Good thing the button-mashing fighting only makes up about 25 percent of the overall game. If you can, try out the game first at the store or at a friend's place. Alternatively, rent it for the weekend -- because that's all it'll take to finish Adventure Time: Finn and Jake Investigations.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about consumerism. Is this game merely a shameless marketing ploy to exploit the Adventure Time brand and make fans dig deep into their pockets? Or do fans of the show genuinely want to extend the experience into an interactive adventure?
Families can talk about violence. Is this violence harmless, fantasy-like combat, or is any amount of violence in a game like this too much?
Game Details
- Platforms : Nintendo 3DS , Nintendo Wii U , PlayStation 3 , PlayStation 4 , Xbox 360 , Xbox One
- Pricing structure : Paid
- Available online? : Not available online
- Publisher : Little Orbit
- Release date : November 8, 2015
- Genre : Action/Adventure
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Adventures , Animals , Friendship
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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