My previous experience of detective games had been poor to say the least. The only games of this genre I had tried out were scenarios such as ‘you’re stuck in car, get out in under 5 minutes’, and it left you with no clue where to start. So when I saw Mysteryville 2 HD, the sequel to Mysteryville and exclusively for the iPad, I was keen to do some investigating of my own. With a complete storyline and a variety of challenges, it seemed worth a try. However the moment I started playing it, it was way more than that – it was awesome!
Layout
The first very nice touch about this game is from the moment you open it. Instead of starting from the menu, it throws you right into the first game screen and into the action, which gets you hooked right away. You’re of course free to exit any time your want, but I played through the first two levels right off the bat and it was great.
In terms of the main menu itself, there’s nothing super special, but the social media integration is nice, with the options of Twitter and Facebook through which you can share your achievements on the game. There is also the option to view your achievements as well as changing the player.
As far as the game screen goes, there are several different types in this game. You have the chapters screen, which allows you to pick which chapter you want to start from and where you want to go in Mysteryville, which is a really nice touch. All you do is tap on the house or restaurant you want to explore and you can. Obviously, you unlock more of these as you progress through the chapters.
The actual gameplay screen itself is probably the only slight problem with this game. Because they throw you into the game immediately when you open it for the first time, it can be quite hard to figure out what exactly you’re supposed to be looking for and what you have to do. A nice touch would have been to have a mini tutorial at the start, having said that, common sense should see you through it.
Gameplay
This game features a considerable number of dialogue scenes (which you can skip if you want) before you actually get to the task you have to carry out. Even though some lines are really cheesy and it’s more in a comic style format, it’s still pretty good, just to get a general idea of the story.
You’ll have different puzzles to solve, depending on whether it’s finding all the items, spot the difference or an actual puzzle where, for example, you have to rearrange a drawing on a piece of paper so that it lines up. This is especially addictive and quite hard to figure out.
While the first couple of chapters are relatively simple, they do get harder as you go on, especially with the puzzles and finding the hidden objects, so you really have to think fast especially as there a time limit that might often catch you out.
Verdict
I love this game. It’s a huge change from my previous experiences of detective games, and it gets really gripping after a while, so much so you won’t want to put your iPad down. The games are fun and the variation between puzzle, spot the difference and find all the objects is great.
If you want a challenge and fancy yourself as a private investigator, I would definitely recommend trying this game, as it will give you a good run for your money. The way it throws you right into the action when you first open the game is also great, as it gets you started right away.
It would be full marks were it not for the lack of instructions and tutorials. Nevertheless, if you have a bit of common sense, you should get through it just fine.
This one has definitely got its place on my iPad’s Wall of Fame!
Price: $4.99 (App Store Link)
Rating: 4.5/5
Pros:
- Fun, interactive and slightly addictive gameplay.
- Variety of challenges mean you’ll never get bored.
- Great dialogue/graphics help set the scene and get you in on the story.
Cons:
- Tutorials/detailed instructions would improve clarity of game.
