Review Date: December 6, 2010
Developer: Big Fish Games Studios
Publisher: Big Fish Games
Platform: PC & Mac
Genre: Hidden Object
The Mystery Case Files series has been around a long time, almost since the beginning of the hidden object game genre. And the 13th Skull, the seventh entry in the MCF series, shows just why the franchise has had such long lasting appeal. Though it plays out as a pretty straightforward HOG, superb production values, a lengthy adventure, and great writing elevate this game above the pack.
13 Isn't A Lucky Number
The game starts out simply enough, with a missing person. A young family from Ohio has moved into an old mansion in Louisiana and the father has mysteriously disappeared. But there's a lot more to it then a simple kidnapping. The old mansion isn't just any old mansion, it's the former home of a murderous pirate. And many people in town think that it's still haunted to this day. 13th Skull piles on the mysteries, with everything from ghosts to voodoo to hidden treasure. Every character seems to be hiding something and, though the ending is a bit on the predictable side, there's plenty of mystery. The Louisiana setting helps quite a bit, infusing the game with a southern twang.
The big change with the latest MCF is the introduction of real live actors. The game uses full motion video to put real actors into the virtual worlds you'll be exploring. While this may bring back awful memories of terrible CD-ROM FMV games for veteran gamers, it actually works quite well. The actors don't look out of place in the game and, aside from some questionable accents, the acting is pretty good. Not Oscar level material, but it suits the game quite well.
A Familiar Feel
Aside from the FMV actors though, this is the same MCF that fans have grown to know and love. That means it's a fairly straightforward hidden object game filled with lots of dialog, objects to find, and puzzles to solve. The HOG scenes are basic, giving you a list of things to find and a rechargeable hint system to help you find them. Most of the time you'll get to keep one of the objects found, which will be used later for puzzle solving. There's also plenty of scavenger hunt style objectives that have you wandering around different areas looking for specific items. These range from gathering gumbo ingredients to finding a child's lost crayons.
Despite the fact that you play as a detective, every single character will ask you to perform errands for them. You'll act as a cook, a gardener, and even a delivery boy. Sometimes this is as simple as collecting a few items -- as in the aforementioned gumbo ingredient hunt -- while others involve a simple mini-game style puzzle. The mansion and its surrounding area are also filled with all sorts of contraptions left by the dearly departed pirate. Generally the puzzles aren't too hard, and the game gives you three layers of hints and a skip function to ensure you never get stuck. There is one annoying timed puzzle, however, and the final sequence of the game is quite tedious. But other than these two examples the puzzles are enjoyable and challenging without being too frustrating.
The Bottom Line
13th Skull doesn't do much new, but what it does it does very well. It looks great, has a chilling atmosphere, and an engrossing story. And while the one new aspect of the game, the FMV acting, at first seems like it shouldn't work, it actually does quite well. It's also a lengthy adventure that is much longer than the majority of HOGs, with a solid six or more hours of gameplay. Mystery Case Files fans won't be disappointed with 13th Skull, nor will HOG fans in general.