Lord Winklebottom Investigates (2022)

When the last sips of tea are finished, Lord Winklebottom Investigates proves to be a more than enjoyable entry into the modern point-and-click adventure library. Taking key lessons — both good and bad — from the legends of the genre, Winklebottom's got all the pieces to endear itself to fans of the genre. If you've been burned by point and clicks in the past, there's nothing new that Winklebottom does to pull you in. But if a posh giraffe in a suit does something for you, you owe it to yourself to give it a try. We hope to see Lord Winklebottom back sooner rather than later and look forward to seeing what else this universe might provide in the years to come.

Paying homage to Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie murder mysteries through the lens of classic British humour, Lord Winklebottom Investigates will have you puzzling and pondering a curious and quirky case. It’s arrestingly charming, complete with a gorgeous hand drawn art style and excellent voice acting. The challenging leaps of logic required to complete the game mean this might not be suitable for point and click novices but fans of the Lucas Arts classics will have a blast here.

Ultimately, Lord Winklebottom Investigates was a charming, entertaining, and altogether wonderful game that I thoroughly enjoyed playing. The puzzles were fun, the writing fun, and the story was engaging, all of which contributed to a delightful experience. As a result, I am happy to award Lord Winklebottom Investigates the Thumb Culture Gold Award.

Overall, Lord Winklebottom Investigates is a delightful little adventure game. It may stick a little too close to gameplay genre tropes to comfort for some, but its cast of wonderful characters, strong humor, and traditional mystery story more than make up for those issues. A great choice for those who like the murder mysteries of yore.

A gentle, immensely silly romp through an Agatha Christie style whodunnit. Lord Winklebottom is a promising debut from a talented indie studio.