Clue on the SNES isn’t that great of a game. Like many board games made into video games, there wasn’t much added to it. It is just the game.
It is a fun game if you’re playing with a group of friends. If you’re playing with the computer, it can be a short game that isn’t fun. A game may last less than five minutes.
There is more to Clue than just the board and video games. There is a movie, books, and a musical. I have a ton of nostalgia for Clue and wanted to look at the game because of it.
TLDR: A Faithful Recreation of a Classic Board Game.
Narrative
The Game’s story is the same as the board game. Mr. Boddy, also called Dr. Black in some versions of the board game, is killed, and the six guests have to figure out who did it. Once the killer is found, the game is over.
This is one area that the video game could’ve improved on. While it is a guessing game, I think it could’ve been better if something interfered with the investigation. There also could’ve been a time limit to discovering who the killer was.
The story is straightforward. It sets up the game’s events and is easy to follow. There just isn’t much to it.
Gameplay
You roll dice to move a game piece around a board. Your goal is to make it into one of the nine rooms so you can start guessing who the killer is, where the murder took place, and what the murder weapon is. Once you or another player guesses correctly, the game is over. It is rather anti-climactic.
The murder took place in an old mansion. The players are gathered there for different reasons based on the version of the game that you’re playing. Here is a list of the characters in this game:
- Professor Plum – Purple Game Piece
- Cornel Mustard – Yellow Game Piece
- Mr. Greem – Green Game Piece
- Mrs. Scarlet – Red Game Piece
- Mrs Peacock – Pink Game Piece
- Mrs. White – White Game Piece
Depending on the game’s version, the characters’ names and titles will be different. The SNES game is based on the classic version, or at least the version released in North America.
There are nine rooms in the Mansion. Two secret passages let you move quickly from one side of the board to the other. Here are the rooms and the passages:
- Hall
- Library
- Study — Connected to the Kitchen via a secret passage
- Kitchen — Connected to the Study via a secret passage
- Billiard Room
- Lounge — Connected to the Conservatory via a secret passage
- Ball Room
- Dining Room
- Conservatory – Connected to the Lounge via a secret passage
On top of the characters and the rooms, you also need to know the weapons. One of these is going to be the murder weapon. Here is a list of them:
- Candlestick
- Knife
- Revolver
- Lead Pipe
- Rope
- Wrench
Cards also represent the rooms, weapons, and characters. These cards are dealt to each player. A character, weapon, and room card are put aside. These indicate who did it, where, and with what. These three cards are kept secret.
This creates an interesting situation as even the killer doesn’t know who did it. This works well with the board game and creates a hilarious ending in the video game.
The funniest part of this game is when the killer wins the game. They don’t win by getting away with the crime or fingering someone else. No, they identify themselves as the killer, get arrested, and then boast about it. It is hilarious and confusing all at the same time.
The gameplay devolves to the players guessing who, what, and where. This means the computer can win the game in a few minutes.
This is a turn-based game. You’re given a few options on your turn, some of which can only be done when you’re in a room.
- Roll Dice
- Review Cards
- Suggestion
- Interrogate
- Accusation
Suggestions are a way to guess who did it, with what, and where. This is the first step in finding out what happened. These provide clues to who did it and can be used to rule people out. The game gives a little cut scene to provide the player with that information.
When you interrogate someone, a longer set of cut scenes play out. You have a set number of interrogations per game. If you get something wrong in an interrogation, one of the players will say that they have evidence that contradicts your theory.
Accusations are how you can end the game. If you get everything right, a longer cut scene will play, resulting in the killer being arrested. Then the game is over. It just stops.
Overall, the gameplay is what you might expect from a board game. It is a faithful recreation of the board game with little to no changes made. It is fine for what it is, but I can’t help but think about things that might have made it better. I would’ve had a different experience if I had played it with a group of people.
Visuals
The game looks good. There isn’t much to say aside from this. It is just a board game, after all.
The cut scenes are good. They look nice and get the job done for the most part. The endings should’ve been much better. The way it is now, the game just stops. You don’t really know if you won. The text that explains that someone won is ambiguous at best. Then you see the words Game Over.
It is one of the stranger end screens. It isn’t hilariously bad or anything like that. The game stops, almost like it is sick of the game. Would it have been so hard to add in who won the game?
Overall, the graphics are okay. They get the job done and show how close you’re getting to beating the game. It is a nice-looking game.
7/10. I can’t rate this game much higher than this. It isn’t anything special, and it doesn’t do much beyond translating the board game into a video game. The graphics are nice, and the cutscenes are good, but it can end abruptly.
Pros
- Good Gameplay
- Nice Graphics
- Easy to play
- Can be played with six people
Cons
- Can be over quickly
- Only one game mode
Conclusion
Clue is one of those board games that needed something added to it to become a good video game. The developers were too faithful to the original game. I’m unsure what they could’ve added, but there should’ve been more than just the base game.
I’ve played a few of these video games based on classic board games. Some of them have been impressive, like Risk, but most of them have been little more than an extension of the board game. You could call them nothing more than a cash grab.
At some point, I’ll look at the other video games based on board games. I’m not expecting much from them, but you never know if one of them will surprise you.