[b]howdy, jacob![/b] is the only kind of hidden object game I'm willing to play: the one that has fmv. this time it's mostly with puppets, which still matches most of the acting in the other ones. and as usual, [b]cuteness and humor are just misdirections, the story is pretty dark[/b], set in a dystopian future with previous jacobs (hosts of a propaganda tv) killed and stuff. you're chandler, the showrunner, in search of the next person to reprise the legendary role.
[b]10 levels[/b] introduced by skippable cutscenes (obviously don't, they're the best part), then you just need to find things listed on the side. the list can be hidden as it can cover stuff and every item has a short description when found, adding to the lore. there are hints, even an option for unlimited amount, no timer or penalty for clicking like a maniac. level select is available, but clicking it from a level doesn't save progress, nor does it offer a confirmation prompt, so be careful.
some levels need to be moved around, as they don't fit the screen, there's one with reverse hidden object rules and [b]3 bonus scenes to unlock[/b] by clicking on random items appearing briefly. mouse wheel works as zoom in/out, which I found out accidentally right before the end.
excellent presentation across the board, [b]settings are poor[/b] but available while playing. separate toggles for sound and music, no volume sliders. there's [b]a buggy toggle for captions[/b], turning it on only showed them in the menu, not during cutscenes, had to turn them on again during level 1. there are some typos and longer sentences don't fit the screen properly. [b]no windowed mode[/b] either, alt+enter only makes a non-resizable window and [b]no ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ exit button[/b], have to press esc in the main menu.
it's [b]about an hour long[/b], probably even less, the price used to be $10, recently got reduced to $5, but [b]as good as most of it is, it still needs a bit of polish, so the 60% off I paid is more reasonable[/b].
