Frog Detective 2: The Case of the Invisible Wizard

Developer: Grace Bruxner, Thomas Bowker | Publisher: worm club, SUPERHOT PRESENTS | Release Date: 9 December 2019 | Genre: Adventure / Casual / Indie | Website: Official Website | Purchase: Steam

The first Frog Detective was a short, charming mystery that worked largely because it never took itself too seriously. Players wandered around a small island, interviewed a group of eccentric animals, collected a few items, and eventually solved a mystery that was far less sinister than everyone initially assumed. Frog Detective 2: The Case of the Invisible Wizard follows almost exactly the same formula, but with a new location, another ridiculous case, and enough small improvements to make it feel like a proper sequel rather than simply a repeat performance.

The case begins when the Frog Detective is sent to Warlock Woods, where the residents have been preparing a welcoming celebration for a mysterious Invisible Wizard. Unfortunately, someone has vandalised the decorations before the big parade could happen, leaving the town in need of an investigator. The Frog Detective is therefore called in to determine who ruined the party and, more importantly, why. What follows is a short, one-hour adventure that can be completed in a single sitting. 

As with the original, the mystery is really just an excuse to meet a collection of strange characters and listen to their increasingly silly problems. The inhabitants of Warlock Woods include everything from a zebra and cat to a lion, each with their own personality and reason for being involved in the investigation. Conversations are light-hearted and frequently absurd, but the writing rarely feels like it is trying too hard to be funny.

The humour remains the strongest part of the experience. Frog Detective himself is wonderfully earnest, treating every trivial request as though it were crucial evidence in a major criminal investigation. Characters speak with complete seriousness about ridiculous problems, and many of the jokes come from how mundane the actual situation is compared to the importance everyone attaches to it.

The sequel also continues the running gag involving Lobster Cop, the supposedly superior detective who seems to receive far more recognition than Frog Detective despite accomplishing very little. It is the kind of recurring joke that rewards anyone who played the first game without making newcomers feel excluded.

Gameplay takes place from a first-person perspective and is extremely straightforward. Warlock Woods is a compact area where all the important characters can be reached within seconds. Players walk around, talk to everyone, collect objects, and gradually trade those items between residents until all of their problems have been resolved.

This means the investigation is closer to a simple chain of fetch quests than a genuine detective game. One character needs an object that another resident can provide, but that person wants something else first. Following these exchanges gradually reveals new information and eventually provides enough evidence to determine what happened to the party.

There are no difficult deductions, branching interrogations, fail states, or elaborate puzzles. Players are rarely required to infer anything themselves because Frog Detective records the important information and the story steadily guides the investigation toward its conclusion.

This time Frog Detective is gifted a notebook from Lobster Cop to use during his investigation.  It contains information about each suspect along with Frog Detective’s thoughts on them, giving players an easy way to keep track of the colourful cast. It is not strictly necessary considering how small the area is, but the handwritten style and silly observations add plenty of personality.

The trusty magnifying glass also makes another appearance. Players can hold it up at almost any time to enlarge whatever is directly ahead, including the already oversized faces of the game’s characters. It has very little practical investigative value, but using it to stare at someone’s face from an unreasonable distance never really stops being amusing.

Compared to the first Frog Detective, the structure is immediately familiar. Both games involve arriving at a small location, meeting every resident, satisfying their requests, and solving a deliberately low-stakes mystery. The sequel does not significantly expand the mechanical complexity, so anyone hoping for deeper detective work may be disappointed. It’s simply a matter of talking to everyone, finding some items visible in plain sight, and giving everyone what they need. 

One of the reasons the simplicity works is that the game never overstays its welcome. Had these mechanics been stretched across five or six hours, constantly walking between characters to exchange items would quickly become tedious. At roughly an hour, the repetition barely has time to become noticeable before the mystery is wrapped up.

The downside is value. Even when thoroughly exploring the area, speaking to everyone, and earning all six Steam achievements, there simply is not much game here. Players who measure value primarily in hours may struggle with the asking price, while those who enjoy short comedic experiences are more likely to appreciate that the game ends before the joke wears thin.

There is also virtually no replay value. The mystery has one solution, the item exchanges remain the same, and conversations do not branch in meaningful ways. Once the culprit is known, a second playthrough is mostly useful for picking up a missed achievement or two. Thankfully, the game does offer a scene select option, which makes this easier to accomplish. 

Visually, Frog Detective 2 retains the deliberately simple low-poly style of its predecessor. Warlock Woods consists of chunky trees, colourful buildings, oversized objects, and animal characters with large round eyes. It is technically modest but extremely charming.

The character designs are particularly effective because they match the humour perfectly. Everyone looks slightly awkward, and the stiff animations only make conversations funnier. Facial expressions are simple, but the huge eyes and exaggerated proportions give the cast an instantly recognisable personality.

The environment is considerably more colourful than the name Warlock Woods might suggest. Instead of a dark or threatening forest, players explore a bright little community filled with decorations and cheerful scenery. This reinforces the fact that the mystery is never meant to be genuinely sinister.

Audio is another highlight. The soundtrack was composed by Dan Golding and consists of eight tracks, including themes for the town, the house, Lobster Cop, and the mystery itself. The music has a playful detective-show feel that complements the quirky tone without becoming distracting. Like the first game, this second installment of the series does not feature any voice acting for the cast of characters. 

Controls are straightforward. Keyboard and mouse handle movement and interaction, while the compact environment means there is very little chance of becoming lost. There are no complex inventories or interface systems to learn, making the game accessible even to players who rarely play adventure titles.

The investigation itself offers almost no challenge, though. Experienced adventure-game fans expecting something comparable to Sam & Max, Grim Fandango, or even traditional point-and-click adventures will find very little to puzzle over. The enjoyment comes from discovering what each resident has to say rather than figuring out how to progress.

This is also where the comparison with the first game becomes most relevant. The original had the novelty of introducing Frog Detective and his bizarre little world, while the sequel no longer has that surprise. Instead, it relies on stronger writing and a slightly more elaborate mystery to justify another visit.

Thankfully, it succeeds. Warlock Woods has enough memorable characters and absurd situations to make the hour enjoyable, and the ending provides a satisfying payoff without trying to transform the story into something more dramatic than it needs to be.

The six Steam achievements are easy to earn and give completionists a few additional things to watch for. None significantly alter the way the game is played, though, and reaching 100% should not extend the runtime by much.

Overall, Frog Detective 2: The Case of the Invisible Wizard is another extremely short but thoroughly charming comedy adventure. It does little to expand the actual detective mechanics of the first game, and the investigation is still primarily a sequence of conversations and item exchanges. However, the writing, adorable characters, colourful presentation, and excellent soundtrack make the experience enjoyable from beginning to end.

Anyone who disliked the simplicity or short runtime of the original is unlikely to change their mind here. Players who enjoyed Frog Detective’s peculiar sense of humour, on the other hand, will find a slightly more polished and confident version of the same formula.