Detective Grimoire, the Secret of the Swamp

Detective Grimoire’s first canonical adventure, yeah!

In contrary to its follow-up game, Tangle Tower, the Secret of the Swamp is basic and unrefined. It is not bad, it is still enjoyable for point and click amateurs, but it also lacks something to distinguish itself from the rest of point and click games. It doesn’t have the charm of Amanita Games like Machinarium, Botanicula or others. It is full of promise on what it could be, though, and seeing the result in Tangle Tower is amazing. The lack of a sidekick is also not helping: Detective Grimoire had nobody to talk to except the suspects, and the banter between a detective and a sidekick really goes a long way to making the stories enjoyable. Sally is one of the best decisions they made in Tangle Tower.

It is always pleasing and interesting to see developers and artists evolve throughout the years, and it’s the same with SFB Games. This is 2014, and Crow Country is 2024.

If you like point and click, you will like Secret of the Swamp. The foundations are all there and none are bad. It is a bit rough around the edges, though.