Victorian Mysteries: The Moonstone
Score: 70% ESRB: 4+ Publisher: Square Enix Developer: Freezetag Games Media: Download/1 Players: 1 Genre: Puzzle (Hidden Object)/ Family/ Puzzle
Graphics & Sound: As hidden-object games go, the first and most important question should be, "How does it look?" In the case of Victorian Mysteries: The Moonstone, there are solid visuals with some well-designed levels and a soundtrack you won't mind listening to. The only part of the picture that fails to deliver is the interstitial animation intended to move the story forward. It does feature decent voice acting, but feels amateur compared to the rest of the production. It's not edgy, just unpolished. We get why illustration is preferable when you're trying to convey an old-timey feeling, but the game deserves better. The art of a hidden-object title is critical, and Victorian Mysteries: The Moonstone does it right. Subtlety is the primary need, the ability to paint some object into the background in such a way that it just fades away. Lately we've seen some creative visual interpretation of clues, and Victorian Mysteries: The Moonstone sits in this camp. If the clue says "bird" you are just as likely to find the bird stenciled into the side of a teacup as you are to find an actual in-the-flesh bird somewhere in the scene. A mark of success is that common objects are often placed literally into the scene, but in such a way that you don't notice them. This is accomplished through some strategic color/size/lighting tricks that aren't easy to pull off with a 2D medium.
Gameplay: The evolution of the hidden-object game is toward more complexity, or at least more variety. The casual nature of a treasure hunt worked for all the first-generation titles, and there was a trend around getting prettier and prettier. Now that the casual genre has expanded so much, hidden-object games get mashed up with just about everything! Victorian Mysteries: The Moonstone is almost purely about scouring pretty pictures to match word clues to objects. Along the way, you'll solve the mystery of The Moonstone and play a selection of simple mini-game diversions. These fall into the category of sliding puzzles and match-3 games, for the most part. What's unique about the approach here is that some objects you find in a level are actually tools you will use to unlock the mini-games. These layers unfold gradually as you play. All the usual devices are present here, but the story that weaves its way through the game is what makes Victorian Mysteries: The Moonstone a cut above. In many cases, we've seen some sad attempts to create a story where there really is none, ending up with more of an idea or theme than an actual story. In this case, it's a mystery you're solving, so each level provides a new clue that may lead you toward one of the suspects. By the end of the game, you've collected enough evidence to finger your perp and make a winning choice. This whole narrative fabric actually holds together, making Victorian Mysteries: The Moonstone feel like the game version of some classic mystery tale from the likes of Agatha Christie. Christie comes to mind because of the historical period, but substitute the mystery author of your choice...
Difficulty: Victorian Mysteries: The Moonstone doesn't give up its secrets easily. Some levels are easier than others, but the overall trend is an average to high level of challenge. The first thing you'll notice is that younger players won't know some of the words and objects. What's a shuttlecock? What's a tract? It occurs to us that it wouldn't be a bad idea to introduce a dictionary as part of these games, to even things out for kids... In any case, there is a big hint button placed conspicuously on the left side of the screen, which is good for those times when you hit a wall. Even seasoned hidden-object gamers will hit that wall eventually, thanks to some cunningly placed objects. This is the other reason that Victorian Mysteries: The Moonstone provides plenty of challenge for gamers; there were some devious Photoshop hands on the wheel during the creation of some of these levels! We mentioned earlier that idea of objects fading into the background, and there are some others partially obscured in ways that will make even the most keen-eyed among you cry like a baby. Okay, maybe no weeping, but you'll hardly rush through the game, and that tends to create a feeling of getting one's money's worth, right?
Game Mechanics: The iPad couldn't be better made for this genre, and Victorian Mysteries: The Moonstone uses the touch-screen intelligently to allow for pinch-and-zoom mechanics and sliding motions during the mini-games. Zooming in on a scene is important when the objects are small or obscured against the background, but it doesn't hurt to zoom out again for a fresh perspective. We like the fact that tapping in a spot gives you some visual feedback, where you see a small point of light representing the area selected. In some cases, the edges of the object you're looking for are narrowly defined, so this design decision helps you narrow your search by showing where you actually tapped. There's a simplicity to Victorian Mysteries: The Moonstone that we appreciate. No complex menus to navigate or to-and-fro'ing as part of this game! Not having to learn a new interface or struggle with controls is part of what is so appealing for players in this genre, and Victorian Mysteries: The Moonstone delivers in spades. It's a great example of doing this style of game right, but there's nothing revolutionary here. A solid effort if you consider yourself a bit of a treasure hunter.
-Fridtjof, GameVortex Communications AKA Matt Paddock
Related Links: Victorian Mysteries: The Moonstone | Apple iTunes App Store
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