The Beagle Has Questions: Snoopy & The Great Mystery Club Reviewed

XPN Network
1 day ago
4 min read

If you’ve ever wanted to solve mysteries with Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and the gang, Snoopy & The Great Mystery Club delivers exactly that and wrapped in a warm, pastel-coloured bow.

Snoopy & The Great Mystery Club on Xbox is a gentle, nostalgia-laced adventure that invites players into the whimsical world of Charles M. Schulz’s Peanuts gang, reimagined through the lens of light detective work and cosy exploration. Developed by Cradle Games and published by GameMill Entertainment, the game positions Snoopy as the lead investigator in a series of neighbourhood mysteries, each designed to be approachable for younger audiences and comforting for long time fans.

From the moment you boot it up, the game leans hard into its source material’s charm, familiar character designs, and a soundtrack that evokes lazy Sunday mornings and comic strip serenity. It’s not trying to be a blockbuster or a brain-bending puzzle game; instead, it’s a warm invitation to spend time with beloved characters in a low-stress, storybook setting.

At its core, the game is a light puzzle adventure where you play as Snoopy, the ever-curious beagle, who takes on the role of a detective solving small mysteries around the neighbourhood. Each mystery is presented as a self-contained case, typically involving a missing item, a misunderstood event, or a quirky problem that needs gentle unravelling.

These cases are structured episodically, almost like short chapters in a children’s book, and they’re designed to be completed in under 30 minutes each making the game ideal for short play sessions or younger players with limited attention spans.

The gameplay loop is straightforward: you explore a small, semi-open environment (like Charlie Brown’s backyard, the school playground, or the local park), interact with familiar Peanuts characters, gather clues, and piece together what happened. Clues are often found by talking to NPCs, inspecting objects, or completing simple fetch quests. For example, you might need to find a missing baseball glove by asking around, checking under benches, and eventually discovering it was borrowed by another character. There’s no inventory management, no branching dialogue trees, and no fail states, the game gently nudges you toward the solution, ensuring that progress is always achievable.

As Snoopy, you’re the leader of the Great Mystery Club. Before each case, you can select a squad of up to three Peanuts characters to accompany you. These include familiar faces like Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Peppermint Patty, and Woodstock. Each character brings a unique trait or ability that can help uncover clues, access hidden areas, or interact with NPCs in special ways.

One of the more charming aspects of the gameplay is how each character contributes to the mystery-solving process. Lucy might offer sarcastic commentary, Linus might provide philosophical insight, and Woodstock might chirp clues that only Snoopy can interpret. These interactions are scripted but endearing, and they help reinforce the personalities of the Peanuts gang. However, the lack of voice acting means these moments rely entirely on text and animation, which can feel a bit static over time.

As you progress through the game, you unlock new areas and mysteries, but the gameplay mechanics remain largely unchanged. There’s no levelling system, no new abilities, and no evolving puzzle complexity. This design choice keeps the experience consistent and accessible, but it also means that older players or puzzle veterans may find the game lacking in depth.

While the core gameplay centres around exploration and clue gathering, the developers included several mini-games to break up the pacing and inject some playful energy into the experience. These aren’t deep or mechanically complex, but they do offer a welcome change of rhythm and a chance to see Snoopy in some of his classic imaginative roles.

One of the standout diversions is the Peanuts soapbox racing mini-game, which lets players race through neighbourhood tracks in handcrafted carts. These races are simple, with basic controls and minimal physics, but they’re full of charm. You can choose different Peanuts characters as racers, each with slightly different handling or speed stats, and the tracks are themed around familiar locations like the schoolyard or the forest trail. It’s not Mario Kart, but it’s a fun nod to the Peanuts gang’s DIY spirit.

Another highlight is the Red Baron mini-game, where Snoopy imagines himself as a WWI flying ace. These segments are more arcade-like, with side-scrolling flight mechanics and light shooting elements. You’ll dodge obstacles, collect floating items, and occasionally engage in mock dogfights. It’s a nostalgic callback to Snoopy’s most famous fantasy persona.

The game also includes a light customization system, allowing you to dress Snoopy in different outfits (detective trench coat, astronaut suit, etc.), which adds a playful touch but doesn’t affect gameplay. These cosmetic options are unlocked through exploration and completing side objectives/mini games, giving completionists a little extra incentive to poke around each environment.

Pros

Adorable presentation and faithful Peanuts vibes
Accessible gameplay for kids and casual players
Wholesome tone with no violence or stress

Cons

Repetitive puzzle structure with little variation
Lack of challenge may bore older players
Limited voice acting and sound design reduce immersion

Ultimately, Snoopy & The Great Mystery Club is a game that knows exactly what it wants to be—and doesn’t try to be anything more. It’s a gentle, low-stakes mystery adventure wrapped in Peanuts nostalgia, perfect for young gamers or adults seeking a dose of childhood comfort. It won’t challenge your deductive reasoning or surprise you with plot twists, but it will make you smile as Snoopy dons his detective hat and waddles off to solve another case. For fans of the franchise, it’s a sweet little diversion. For everyone else, it’s a pleasant but forgettable stroll through familiar territory. If you’re looking for depth or innovation, you might want to look elsewhere. But if you just want to hang out with Snoopy and the gang for a few hours, this mystery club is open and waiting.

XPN Rating: 3.5 out of 5 (SILVER)