Where oh where do I start with a game like Finn and Jake’s Epic Quest? OK, first off, why I own the game. I personally love the Adventure Time universe; I love that for a children’s show it has so many dark themes that it could just as easily have been made for adults. Characters work together so well, and everyone who ever watches the show is bound to have their favourite.
I was gifted the game as it was on my Steam Wishlist back in 2014, but with life being so busy (and the Steam library increasing dramatically all the time) it hasn’t been on my list of things I must play. Fast forward to today, and I decided, you know what, the game’s only meant to take 6-7 hours to beat, may as well hammer it out in one night.
Having completed the game, all I can say is: I wish there was a way to turn back time and get those 7 hours of my life back.
I genuinely feel that Finn and Jake’s Epic Quest was made as a cash grab based on the Adventure Time name. Not only does the game feel like it was made by some interns in their spare time, but the game from start to finish add’s nothing to the Adventure Time world, and if anything, tarnishes it’s brand identity.
Finn and Jake’s Epic Quest is a top down isometric dungeon crawler where you take control of Jake or Finn, as you proceed to look for 8 mystery artefacts so you can save your lost friend, BMO, all whilst grabbing as much booty as they possible can.
Each dungeon is a relatively plain floating island, with the only noteworthy unique environment variable being the enemies themselves, which are taken straight from the show and copy/pasted hundreds of times. These enemies are simple, and have no AI to speak of, simply walking towards you and attacking until you die or they do, whichever comes first. Whilst these two set backs wouldn’t necessarily be bad by themselves, they contribute to a hugely boring game, one which has no unique qualities to speak of.
The only thing that could be considered entertaining is the spells you’ll find throughout the world as you traverse. These spells can be purchased or found, and allow Jake and Finn to have a myriad of different abilities, from summoning princess unicorn, to even wearing Jake as armour. These abilities are cool, but due to their lacklustre effects could be considered merely side mechanics, things that aren’t really integral to the story or gameplay, but are good to see/use occasionally regardless.
Then there’s the story, which is so lacklustre you could be forgiven for thinking the game doesn’t even have one. Apart from a simple 10 second cutscene after killing each boss, nothing else happens, with the dungeons themselves merely being time sinks in which you can endlessly kill enemies and find loot. the story could be summed up to: BMO’s missing and has been taken hostage; It’s up to Jake and Finn to find 8 artefacts and give them to the baddies holding BMO. That’s it; no interactions between characters, no extra stories to make this feel unique, nothing.
Animations are janky as all hell, and the combat has nothing to actually get you hooked. Run up to an enemy, mash x, and you’re done. The sound effects from Jake and Finn are authentic, coming from the real voice actors themselves, but since it’s all flavour text for each thing you interact with (a spell for example) you’ll soon get sick to death of hearing the same things being said over and over again.
Oh and the bugs that are still present after the game’s been out for over 2 years are insane! There were multiple occasions where I would have to exit back to the title screen and start a dungeon again just because my character would get locked in an animation that would never play out.
If I haven’t made it clear over the last few paragraphs, I did not enjoy my time with Finn and Jake’s Epic Quest. The game is literally made to be a time sink, requiring little thought and little attention, you should only play the game should you have the mind of a 5 year old. Avoid Finn and Jake’s Epic Quest like the plague; there’s nothing good to be had from playing it.
1/5