Lord Winklebottom Investigates

About

"Lord Winklebottom Investigates" is a 1920s-style point-and-click murder mystery game, where you play as a giraffe detective named Lord Winklebottom. Along with your companion, Dr. Frumple, you must solve puzzles and interview suspects to uncover the dark secret behind the murder of your old friend on the Isle of Barghest. The game features full English voice acting and a 1920s-inspired soundtrack.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Lord Winklebottom Investigates screenshot

97%

Audience ScoreBased on 131 reviews

story22 positive mentions

optimization3 negative mentions

Charming and humorous writing with delightful characters, particularly the banter between Lord Winklebottom and Dr. Frumple.
Beautiful art style and excellent voice acting that enhance the overall experience.
Engaging puzzles that are mostly logical and satisfying to solve, making for a fun point-and-click adventure.

Some puzzles require specific actions or dialogue triggers before items can be interacted with, leading to potential frustration.
The hint system is often unhelpful, providing vague guidance that may not assist players effectively.
The game is relatively short, which may leave some players wanting more content for the price.

story
56 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
55%
5%
The game's story is characterized by its charming and humorous narrative, complemented by delightful artwork and strong voice acting. While the plot features engaging twists and a captivating mystery, some players noted that the story takes time to develop, with the most enjoyable moments occurring towards the end. Overall, it offers a whimsical experience that appeals to fans of both storytelling and puzzle-solving, despite some frustrations with pacing and item discovery.
- “The writing is hilarious, and the story is captivating.”
- “The world feels very complete and the implications of animals being humanlike were taken into consideration, it doesn’t feel like a secluded world but part of something bigger, and this is also expanded upon as the story progresses and the mystery starts to be unfolded.”
- “Adorable characters and artwork, really interesting story.”
- “The story only really gets going towards the end of the game; however, it will mostly appeal to puzzle solvers rather than narrative lovers.”
- “The game's plot becomes somewhat rushed and takes a turn for the silly near the end—yes, 'silly' even in a game about a talking giraffe detective—and there's no way you could be expected to deduce the culprit from the information given.”
- “The story suffered during these moments of searching endlessly, but even if the difficult-to-find items were simple to locate, the story never gets going until late in the game, and only when the murderer has been revealed.”
humor
51 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in this game is widely praised for its clever writing, witty dialogue, and charming British characterizations, often drawing comparisons to classic murder mysteries with a light-hearted twist. Players appreciate the engaging and entertaining nature of the humor, which is complemented by excellent voice acting and a unique art style. Overall, the game successfully combines quirky animal characters and a humorous narrative, making it a delightful experience for fans of comedy in gaming.
- “The writing is hilarious, and the story is captivating.”
- “The humor works extremely well and adds to the uniqueness of the game and the overall charm of it.”
- “The humor they used actually worked and didn't feel forced, there were wonderful literary references, and I loved that the game was very self-aware that it was a game and poked fun at itself.”
graphics
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
74%
16%
10%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming, hand-painted art style that complements the humorous narrative and anthropomorphic characters. Reviewers highlight the beautiful and colorful visuals, along with well-designed characters and clear item representations, creating a delightful atmosphere that enhances the overall experience. The combination of stunning artwork, excellent voice acting, and witty dialogue contributes to a polished and engaging presentation.
- “Beautiful art style, a colorful cast of characters (wonderfully voiced) and enjoyable puzzles made this a joy to play.”
- “The graphics are somewhat unique; it is all hand-painted, which gives it a more cartoonish feel and look, one that complements the humorous and cartoonish story well.”
- “Not having a more traditional pixel-style art style works very well in creating a distinct image.”
- “The graphics are somewhat unique; it is all hand-painted, which gives it a more cartoonish feel and look, one that complements the humorous and cartoonish story well. Each of the characters is well designed, and the player is able to tell what each is supposed to be, and all of the items are also clear as to what they should be.”
- “Undoubtedly, lots of love has been put into the visuals.”
gameplay
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
64%
14%
The gameplay of *Lord Winklebottom Investigates* is characterized by its simplistic mechanics and straightforward puzzles, which some players find frustrating due to inconsistencies in item discovery. While the game offers a charming atmosphere, engaging writing, and enjoyable voice acting, it lacks depth in its investigative elements, making it more of a light-hearted experience than a challenging detective game. Overall, it provides around 4-6 hours of gameplay that is enjoyable if players focus on the narrative and humor rather than expecting complex mechanics.
- “Now, as to the actual gameplay of this gem: the good news is that the puzzles are mostly rather straightforward, in the sense of 'you find something tightly screwed on, you find a screwdriver, you use the screwdriver on the thing.' There's very little of the type of loop-de-loop 'moon logic' other adventure games are famous for.”
- “Lord Winklebottom Investigates is a good game; while there are some frustrating aspects to some of the gameplay, both the writing and art style work well together to create something special and overall more fun than is expected from a point-and-click adventure game.”
- “The colorful cartoon styling, immersive sound design, excellent comedy writing, and diverse voice acting all help bring the fun puzzles and gameplay to life, making for a satisfying whodunnit.”
- “Lord Winklebottom Investigates doesn't do anything to evolve investigation or point-and-click gameplay.”
- “In fact, the mechanics are very pared-down and simplistic.”
- “It does have an annoying mechanic in that sometimes you can search an area and find things to pick up without knowing why they might be useful, yet other times you can search an area and find nothing to pick up, only to find later that there really was, but you have to trigger a clue first.”
music
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
35%
15%
The music in the game is widely praised for its unique blend of classical and jazz elements, effectively capturing the 1920s atmosphere with catchy and immersive tracks. While some reviewers noted that the soundtrack may not stand out significantly, it complements the overall experience, enhancing the game's charm alongside excellent voice acting and engaging dialogue. Overall, the music is considered a superb aspect that contributes to the game's delightful ambiance.
- “The soundtrack is an interesting mashup of classical and noir; check out the excellent theme track to see what I mean.”
- “Music is absolutely amazing, fits the scenes and of course the voice acting was a++!!”
- “The rest of the OST follows suit, sounding like a string quartet and a jazz ensemble bumped into each other on the street and started jamming.”
- “The soundtrack is fine; nothing about it stood out, however.”
- “Soundtrack is also fitting to the era, making a great impression with the use of live instruments, but it’s the voice work that steals the spotlight here.”
atmosphere
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
17%
33%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised, featuring excellent voice acting, charming art, and engaging music that enhances the overall experience. While it effectively captures a whodunit vibe, some players felt the resolution diminished the mystery's impact. Overall, the atmosphere is a standout element, making it enjoyable despite gameplay limitations.
- “A nice little point-and-click experience with great atmosphere, voice acting, and of course animal-related humor.”
- “Fantastic game, probably not for people who like more challenge in their point-and-click adventures, but the voice work, art style, and atmosphere are all top notch.”
- “Marvelous art, music that most perfectly enhances the atmosphere, did I mention hilariously British animals?”
- “You do talk to suspects, yes, and it undoubtedly fits the whodunit atmosphere, but without wishing to spoil much, the final deduction is made by someone other than you who just happens to be in the room, which took the air out of the mystery a bit.”
- “But despite its gameplay shortcomings, the game has plenty of what I actually play adventure games for, and that's atmosphere.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
Overall, while the voice acting in the game is exceptional and enhances the experience, players have noted that the optimization leaves something to be desired, with the gameplay feeling stuttery and sluggish at times, particularly during item retrieval quests.
- “The game is fully voice acted, and the voice acting is exceptional, making the game extremely enjoyable and adding to the very British feel. The performances are all very believable.”
- “The game mostly felt like a stuttering quest for finding items, and inching closer and closer to the finale.”
- “The overall performance of the game leaves much to be desired, with frequent stutters and lag that detract from the experience.”
- “While the voice acting is exceptional, the optimization issues overshadow the enjoyment, making it hard to fully immerse in the game.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
150%
Users generally feel that the game lacks significant replayability, particularly for a murder-mystery genre, suggesting that its value is limited and better suited for a lower price point.
- “The game offers a wealth of choices that lead to different outcomes, making each playthrough feel fresh and engaging.”
- “With multiple endings and branching storylines, I found myself coming back to explore every possible scenario.”
- “The dynamic gameplay mechanics and random events ensure that no two sessions are ever the same.”
- “$10 is probably where it should be priced normally, as there is no real replay value to a murder mystery, is there?”
- “The game lacks the depth needed for replayability; once you've solved the mystery, there's little incentive to play again.”
- “After completing the game once, I found no compelling reason to revisit it, as the experience felt entirely linear.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development is generally well-received, with most designs praised for their quality; however, some players find that certain creatures appear somewhat strange following their anthropomorphization.
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Many users find that the last third of the game can become tedious due to excessive grinding, suggesting that players should prepare for a potentially monotonous experience.
- “The last third of the game can get tedious, so be ready.”
- “Grinding feels like a never-ending chore rather than an engaging part of the game.”
- “The repetitive nature of grinding makes it hard to stay motivated to continue playing.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
While the game's humor and charm help to mitigate some minor glitches, players note that stability issues are present, and the overall experience is relatively brief.
- “Overall, the humor and charm of the game overcome the niggling glitches, but it's still quite a short game.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the emotional aspect of the game to be rewarding, as successfully solving puzzles evokes a strong sense of satisfaction and cleverness.