I’ve
become a big fan of the “Hidden Object Games.” Lately
my game pal Laurie and I have been working our way through the Mystery
Case Files series. These games are mostly for the PC, but there have
been two titles released for mobile devices.
Mystery Case
Files: MillionHeir is for the Nintendo DS, and it generally
succeeds in bringing the popular HOG to the GameBoy.
The thin plot of the game
involves the player searching for the heir to a recently-vanished
mogul. Gameplay consists of meeting a parade of typically colorful
characters and engaging in a series of hidden object puzzles to move
the story forward.
You
might think that a HOG wouldn’t work well on the small screens
of the Nintendo DS, but the designers make it work pretty well. The
searching all takes place on the lower screen using the stylus. Since
you don’t have the benefit of a large PC screen to see the entire
area, you use the movable “camera” to scan the image.
In addition to simply moving
around the screen and hunting for objects with the naked eye, as the
game progresses you acquire extra tools to help you in your search.
There’s an infrared scanner, a flashlight and even a pair of
special goggles that help you spy objects that are in liquid.
There are bonus puzzles
at the end of each level, and these are generally of the jigsaw or
slider variety.
The graphics are fine,
but nothing to write home about.
In
fact, I’d rank the entire enterprise this way: It gets the job
done. It provides your HOG fix on a hand-held system. And while I
commend Big Fish for designing a puzzle adventure directly for the
DS (as opposed to simply porting a PC game to the smaller platform),
I have to say that the Mystery Case Files experience is somehow .
. . reduced on the small screens. Compared to the lush screens,
smooth animations and high-quality musical scores of the PC versions, MillionHeir feels more repetitive, and the
gameplay simply wears out its welcome more quickly. While I did enjoy
the experience, it wasn’t the breezy fun of playing a MCF game
on the PC.
I do hope Big Fish tries
again. As their popularity proves, the HOG is a solid formula. It
deserves a second try on the DS.
This
review is copyright Ray Ivey and Just Adventure and
may not be republished elsewhere without the express written consent
of the author. Republication of said review must also contain a link
back to Just Adventure.
