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| Snoopy leads the Peanuts gang on an investigation in the visually beautiful neighbourhood of Snoopy & The Great Mystery Club. |
By Jon Scarr
I grew up with the Peanuts gang. A certain kind of magic exists in the world Charles M. Schulz created. It mixes childhood wonder with a quiet, jazzy sadness. When I first saw the trailer for Snoopy & The Great Mystery Club on the Nintendo Switch 2, I didn't see a corporate cash-in.
I saw a project that looks as though it came from fans who watched the same Saturday morning shows I did. Cradle Games and GameMill Entertainment produced this single-player adventure with a level of detail that caught me off guard.
Snoopy & The Great Mystery Club Details
Platform: Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Reviewed on: Nintendo Switch 2
Developer: Cradle Games
Publisher: GameMill Entertainment
Genre: Action-Puzzle / Adventure
Game Modes: Single-player
Detective Work for the Young and the Young at Heart
The setup is simple. You lead the newly formed "Great Mystery Club" alongside Woodstock. You set out to solve a series of neighbourhood puzzles that take inspiration from the classic animated specials. The story flows through four distinct chapters. I also played through a prologue that teaches the controls in a simple way. I didn't play as a bystander here; I acted as the one helping the gang navigate their small but important crises.
I was genuinely impressed by the care in the narrative. One of my favourite cases involved the "Legend of the Lake Ness Monster." This mystery shows the imaginative play that makes Peanuts so interesting. I got to recruit a massive cast of familiar faces to the club. This included Peppermint Patty, Linus, Sally, and even Pig-Pen. Seeing the group come together to solve a case like a missing library book or a stray kite was exactly what I wanted to see.
The voice acting helps the vibe. Every child in the cast sounds exactly as they should. Hearing Marcie call Peppermint Patty "Sir" or listening to Lucy’s bossy instructions brought a massive smile to my face. The dialogue is light and funny. It stays true to the "friendship and teamwork" message. It is a way to introduce a new generation to these characters. It also gives longtime fans like me plenty of reasons to stay glued to the screen.
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| The mystery-solving gameplay often involves Snoopy hunting for clues in familiar Peanuts locations like Charlie Brown's bedroom. |
Personas, Puzzles, and the "Courier Service" Problem
The core of the play in Snoopy & The Great Mystery Club revolves around Snoopy’s "Personas." By pressing the L-button, you can swap Snoopy into different outfits. Each outfit provides a tool for your investigation. The Detective persona is the primary tool. It allows you to use "Sight Mode" with the ZR button to find clues. You can also track footprints with the ZL button. Further into the game, I picked up the Pirate outfit for digging and the Gardener outfit for clearing paths. I also got to hop onto the doghouse as the Flying Ace to scrap with the Red Baron in the air.
I used 'Sight Mode' to hunt for clues and it really pays off when you take the time to poke around every corner of the park. Following a trail of footprints through the park to find a hidden item just works. Look, I need to level with you: this game is a 'cozy' adventure. Much of the play involves a "fetch-quest" sequence. I found myself running back and forth across the neighbourhood to deliver items for my friends. Lucy even quips at one point that the club acts as a "courier service." This gave me a good laugh because of how true it felt during my playthrough.
I noticed a few technical quirks that you should know about before jumping in. First, the mini-games: specifically the soapbox racing: rely heavily on motion controls. I looked for a way to switch these off in favour of standard analog stick steering. I only found a sensitivity slider in the options menu. If you aren't a fan of motion gaming, these segments might feel slow or heavy.
Secondly, keep an eye out for the "Yellow Bird" gate. You need to find eight of Woodstock’s friends to reach the final chapter. I recommend finding these birds as you go so you don't have to backtrack at the very end. Lastly, a very important tip: once I completed the final chapter of Snoopy & The Great Mystery Club, the game locked my save file. I am a completionist. If you want to find every Sunday comic collectible, make sure you do it before you trigger the final sequence.
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| I used the Gardener outfit to clear leaves in the pumpkin patch, which shows how Snoopy swaps personas to interact with the world. |
The Nintendo Switch 2 Power is Real
This is where the game truly stands apart on the new hardware. Snoopy & The Great Mystery Club targets a native 4K resolution when docked and a very clear 1080p in handheld mode. The art style pays homage to The Peanuts Movie. It gives the characters a tactile, 3D "clay" look that is beautiful. I spent a lot of time just walking through the neighborhood during the autumn chapter to see the lighting hit the orange leaves and the pumpkins.
The speed of the Nintendo Switch 2 really saves the day. It keeps all that back-and-forth from feeling like a chore because the load times are so fast. I moved between the school and the downtown area almost instantly. On older hardware, those transitions usually break my immersion. Here, the world feels like one connected space.
The audio is strong. The game features a jazz score that captures the spirit of the Vince Guaraldi classics. Even though the official "Linus and Lucy" theme isn't present, the new tracks are warm and jazzy. The sound design is top-tier. It includes the "wa-wa" sounds of the adults and the expressive barks of Snoopy himself. It creates a tone that is purely comforting to me.
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| The 3D art style makes the neighborhood and classic activities like baseball look better than ever on the new hardware. |
Snoopy & The Great Mystery Club Respects Its Roots
Snoopy & The Great Mystery Club cares more about the brand than it does about having complex gameplay. If you go into this looking for a deep, challenging RPG, you might find the price tag a bit high for a six-hour adventure. The lack of a "motion off" toggle for mini-games and the save-file lock-out are small issues in what is otherwise an easy ride.
But if you are looking for a stress-free way to spend a few afternoons in a world you love, this is an easy recommendation. The Nintendo Switch 2 version offers a level of visual detail that makes the neighbourhood feel like a living comic strip. It is a safe and genuinely funny game. Snoopy & The Great Mystery Club treats the Peanuts legacy with the respect it deserves. I walked away from this review feeling like a kid again. In 2026, that is a feeling that is worth every penny to me.
Snoopy & The Great Mystery Club Review Summary
Liked
- Beautiful 4K visuals pay perfect homage to the Peanuts Movie style
- Authentic voice acting captures the personality of every child in the gang
- Fast load times between neighbourhood zones
- Jazzy soundtrack perfectly fits the quiet, nostalgic tone
- Flying Ace dogfights are a fun break from the ground exploration
Didn't Like
- Fetch-quest sequence can feel like a "courier service" at times
- No option to turn off motion controls for soapbox racing
- Save file locks after the finale, blocking collectible cleanup
Overall Assessment of Snoopy & The Great Mystery Club
Gameplay: ⭐⭐⭐✨☆ (3.5 / 5)
Presentation: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4 / 5)
Performance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ (4.5 / 5)
Story / Narrative: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4 / 5)
Fun Factor: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4 / 5)
Overall Value: ⭐⭐⭐✨☆ (3.5 / 5)
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