Midnight Mysteries: The Edgar Allan Poe Conspiracy

Developer: Mumbo Jumbo
Released: Sept 2009
Hours Played: 5.1
Similar To: 9 Clues 2: The Ward / Clockwork Tales / House of Snark / Mystery Case Files 
Rating: 4/5 Parsnips

GAMEPLAY
With all hidden object games composed of similar content, developers of this genre need to find ways to set their game apart. MM:TEAPC is your typical find-the-objects-within-a-picture situation. Mostly, you're charged with finding about 16 items - and then another few involving the use of interactive objects in your tool-box. At other times you'll have to find as many as 30 or 40. There is zero time pressure and finding objects is generally a breeze thanks to a hint system, with a 20-second cooldown, that can always help you locate that elusive object. Hints come in the form of a raven which, when clicked, swoops in to identify the whereabouts of the offending object. 

 

BALANCE & PACE

As opposed to the MCF games, while not quite Fisher Price, this is easier to do. The only punishment in place is the replacement of the raven with a cat when rapidly clicking on the screen or when you have used the last hint; meaning you simply have to wait around 15 seconds for the raven to return before calling upon his help again. A variety of mini-puzzles crop up from time to time but, good though they are, you never know when these will appear which adds to the disorientation and feeling of inconsistency. Context is supplied in the form of a story involving crime, murder and mystery but I personally want to find objects and solve puzzles not get tangled up with an unnecessary story. As mentioned, each area can be breezed through fairly swiftly and the game can be completed in two or three sittings.

PRESENTATION & DESIGN
With intense concentration required, the ambient soundtrack is unobtrusive with minimal tinkering of piano notes cut through occasionally by the cackling raven as he returns from his 20 second exile. Found objects are heralded by high electronic harp-like notes with an animation of the item being placed in your bag. The artwork is rendered in low-resolution which means sometimes you can't really make out what certain objects are. In one area I had to find handkerchiefs and items of clothing and found myself clicking randomly on blurry bits which often happened to be what I was looking for. Your start screen is awash with symbols associated with crime and mystery right down to the misty woods, a human skull and menacing raven. You can set-up multiple profiles if you wish and on pressing Play you dive straight into wherever you left off.

PROGRESS SYSTEM
There are no other set menus and this makes it difficult and confusing when getting a feel for how the game is structured. You're made to find objects within a picture and continue by being sent to different locations. On completing 100% of a round of object finding you get a choice of where to go next by clicking a choice of 3 or 4 locations that are presented by mini pictures within a watch. Continuity comes in the form of a story so there are not really levels to tick-off or areas to complete as such. You are simply told the facts of the case with illustrations to visualise the action and then thrown into a location that is connected with where the story is taking place. Personally, I would liked to have had some sort of separate screen to show what levels had been completed or what areas or portion of the game were needed to be done.
 

CONCLUSION

With no time-pressure, MM:TEAPC is casual through and through. Objects are easy to find and hints are unlimited meaning there is no pressure not to click for a hint. With Azada and Mystery Case Files: Huntsville for example, you know there will be a negative consequence for using a hint (the former eats up time and in the latter they run out) but the only punishment you receive for using your last hint in MM:TEAPC  is a twenty second wait. Granted, some interactive tasks involving the tool-box require help but often it's too tempting to use out of sheer laziness. All this leads me to conclude that MM:TEAPC is fine when called upon to keep your eight-year old happy for a while but for a real challenge it's best to go for the MCF games. There are other games available in the Midnight Mysteries series; avoid The Salem Witch Trials - it's a dud.