Mystery Case Files: The Malgrave Incident

Posted June 10, 2012 by Speed - 0 comments

Mystery Case Files is a long standing series in the world of casual gaming. The main objective is to search for specific objects on your screen, which are hidden in a lot of clutter. With every succesful “catch” you get closer to solving the mystery you are supposed to solve as a detective. The mysteries in question range from rather comical kidnappings or disappearings to more creepy murders and secrets of the past.

Mystery Case Files already came to DS, and now there’s also a game for Wii: The Malgrave Incident. The core of searching hidden object is kept, but with added puzzles, meaning that it is now really a puzzle game instead of just a short casual game.

The Malgrave from the title is an old man who seemingly lives alone on his own island and calls in your help to save his ill wife. The only thing that can still save her, is the special “pink dust” that can only be found on the island, en that apparently has miraculous healing capabilities. The finding of hidden objects and solving of puzzles is what makes it possible to collect enough dust. Eventually you’ll of course also solve the mystery of the island and its owner. The mystery revolves around a great catastrophe that happened in the recent past and caused the island to be almost completely abandoned.

It might seem boring to just keep on looking for hidden objects, but Mystery Case Files manages to keep it interesting and variated. Also taking care of variation, are the puzzles that have to be solved to acces new areas. The various puzzles are very different, but not really that challenging and personally I would also have loved a greater ammuont of puzzles.

To help you get around and solve the various problems, the most important observations of the main character are written down in a diary. When exploring the island now and then, there are always a few tips to find here and there. On top of that exploring the island is also rewarded with some collectibles that give you an insight in the island’s past and the lives of the main characters.

One of the most obvious strong points of the game is the atmosphere it manages to create: you really feel like you’re walking on a ghost island. It looks like the inhabitants will be coming home any moment, but at the same time you can’t ignore the chaos of randomly diffused personal affairs and clothes.

Mystery Case Files: The Malgrave Incident has its charm: the story, the atmosphere and the puzzles turn it into a fun game, but it is not a memorable one. However, even though it’s not a top game, Mystery Case Files: The Malgrave Incident is a very sound game, without errors. And that has to count for something too.

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