Mystery of the Ancients: Lockwood Manor Collector's Edition

Big Fish Games presented new Hidden Object game Mystery of the Ancients: Lockwood Manor Collector’s Edition.

Probably we should start wit the fact that this game offers full or widescreen options with a choice for custom cursor. There are separate sliders for music/sound/environment, as well as two choices for gaming: Casual and Advanced. If you played in Advanced mode you wouldn’t find the game any easier than any other hidden object game. No luck in knowing how many chapters. Maybe it’s a good sign.

G raphics are just bad, grainy and dark, cursor is very unreliable, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t which gives the constant feeling that the game could crush any second. For once though we would like to see a game with bright, crisp graphics instead of these dreary dark and grainy one. Probably the developers used this to help set the scene and create the ambiance but must the graphics be so dark?

The story is ok. It is one of a friend disappearing. The main character turns up in a run-down mansion with a history of the owner family practicing the “dark arts”. It is soon learned from exploration and diary pages that she is being held captive by her boyfriend, who seems quite intent on using her in his next dark ritual and as more than just an on-looker. It’s kind of mediocre but ok, it even could have been done a lot better! Somehow the game gives the impression of being rather old, it certainly needs some technical fixing and it’s a pity that a game that could be a winner turned out to be very close to a looser.

The musical score is mesmerizing and even hypnotic, it’s very befitting the mood and atmosphere. The game play itself is very smooth with no delay between scenes. The cut scenes play seamlessly, without delay or jerkiness. The hidden object scenes are junkpile style without an over abundance of junk. Some of the objects are well hidden, and only a couple of them were small. The puzzles are on the easy side, but they are done with freshness and there are some unique ones in the mix.

Overall, however, it was a very well-made and enjoyable game that could be the great way to spend your time.

30, September 2011