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Midnight Mysteries: Salem Witch Trials
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Graphics & Sound:
The Midnight Mysteries series returns with another entry featuring a famous historical writer. Gamers familiar with the first installment, centered on solving the mystery of Edgar Allen Poe's death, will be in familiar territory. This time, the ghostly request for aid comes from Nathaniel Hawthorne, pitching you back to the late 17th Century in the midst of the Salem Witch Trials. The historicity of all this is dubious, but history buffs will be amused to find many references from the period, visually and otherwise. Hawthorne himself appears along with many other ghosts throughout the town, as a glowing mist shaped like a man. It seems you're the only flesh-and-blood occupant of Salem at this point, but the afterlife in this area seems crowded with spirits seeking assistance. The production values in the game are high, featuring pinch-to-zoom features that you expect on this platform. The objects rendered on-screen are detailed, and the scenes where you'll engage in finding hidden objects feel naturally cluttered rather than merely Photoshopped into messiness. There's no voice acting in the game, but a nice musical backdrop and some choice sound effects keep you immersed in the world of the Midnight Mysteries: Salem Witch Trials. When we say "no voice acting" that's not really true, because a few ghastly growls and yowls are scattered through the game. It's actually pretty creepy in these places where things jump out of the night in spots you least expect. Good, spoken dialogue would have pitched Salem Witch Trials way over the quality bar, but as it is, things are still pretty awesome. The best part of the whole production is the consistent attention to detail in everything from how objects are depicted to how scenes are layered to create cool lighting and effects like sliding fog or mist. There are always depths to each scene that reward the curious eye.
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Gameplay:
Midnight Mysteries: Salem Witch Trials is set against a really dark chapter of American history. So dark, in fact, that we're a bit surprised there hasn't been more uproar around the content. The facts of the case are revealed throughout the game, but not in a retelling of history. They're scattered as little tidbits for those in the know, such as the "W" that Hawthorne added to his name to distance himself from a distant relative named Hathorne, who played a role in real trials of so-called witches. Other items such as the Phi Beta Kappa reference, completely divorced from the storyline, are thrown in to appease those who will be attracted to the game because of Hawthorne. Because the overlap between students of 19th Century American literature and hidden-object games is larger than you might think... The deeper story that you'll explore in an effort to solve a murder is how the Salem Witch Trials served as pretense for depriving citizens of life, liberty, and property in small-town New England. Deplorable in reality and in this game, but the difference is that this time, you can change history.
The playing style of the main game is a mix of classic hidden-object puzzles and others borrowed from a variety of puzzle genres. We love the way MumboJumbo opened the gates wide for all kinds of cool puzzle games, and mixed liberally. One moment you'll be searching for hidden objects, only to find that your next puzzle is about logic and math. There's even a Sudoku game hiding in plain sight here! The logic games can be feisty, especially when you're required to combine items in your inventory. Solving puzzles unlocks new areas of the game, often revealing a purpose for something you've been toting around for some time. Two additional game modes allow you to pull out a hidden-object session at the drop of a hat, but you'll have to earn it by finding 50 special hidden clover shapes. Deviously hidden, these clovers are one of two objects you can find outside of any puzzle, that help you unlock more of the game. The other mode is unlocked once you complete the main story. You can purchase hints and other items such as a strategy guide from right within the game, through a Store feature. Midnight Mysteries shows us what a once simplistic genre can look like all grown up.
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Difficulty:
One of the better features in Midnight Mysteries: Salem Witch Trials, both from a design and a function standpoint, is your journal. This updates each time you reach a major turn in the narrative, including subtle hints on what you'll need to do next. There's no cost to access the journal, but it feels a bit like a spoiler-factory in the sense that it will literally tell you where to go next. The more direct approach when you get stuck is to call in a hint. These come in the form of a raven, and you can stock up on ravens by finding them hidden in the game. The hint system is pretty subtle, requiring that you have an item in your inventory before you call in the hint. You're told approximately how/where you can use the object, but it's not like you're given a supremely obvious sign. If you just aren't sure what object to use, you may burn a few hints before figuring things out. Luckily, the associated dialogue or message that comes up when you try to use an object often smooths out the difficulty. You'll get used to seeing, "You can't use this here," and then immediately notice when the message says, "You can't use this here... yet." The hardest puzzles are those based on logic, where you may end up going to get some help from a strategy guide. Having them available to purchase through the game is an interesting idea, which we'd like to see happen more often in other consoles. Now that we're seeing more downloadable media, why not?
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Game Mechanics:
As you might imagine from the diversity of Midnight Mysteries: Salem Witch Trials, the controls are also varied. You'll do plenty of tapping during the hidden-object puzzles, both against the descriptions of items and on special objects that demand interaction. These objects show up with a soft blue sparkle to them, and others have a similar light effect that tells you it's possible to interact with them in some way, to uncover clues about what to do next. Nothing obvious about most objects you collect indicates they need to be combined, but there are the obvious exceptions, like the ripped-in-half musical score. Puzzling through these combinations is what provides some of the greatest challenge in the game, at least compared to the screens where you have to find hidden objects. The hints for some of the objects are indirect and require brainpower, and the sensitivity is precise, in case you thought you could just jam your finger down in a few places and expect to meet with success. This game isn't about twitch reflexes, but it combines good, relaxed puzzles with more intellectually stimulating varieties.
The MumboJumbo label is represented quite well with Midnight Mysteries: Salem Witch Trials, and even though we encountered a few bugs, the product feels polished and ready for prime time. Befitting its literary themes, Salem Witch Trials walks you down a path that is rich with detail and historical characters. Not all the history makes perfect sense, but we love the fact that Midnight Mysteries takes authors so old that most of their work now sits in the public domain, and makes something fresh and contemporary out of them. If there are more adventures coming, may we suggest Jack London? We happen to be fans of these authors, but even someone completely ignorant of the literary history will be able to enjoy this well-composed game. Recommended. |
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-Fridtjof, GameVortex Communications AKA Matt Paddock |
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