Riddle Me This

I’ve never really gotten into the first-person shooter games, but I love a good puzzle. I think the Myst series is one of the best out there, and I’m hoping they’ll put out a full collection pack coded for today’s operating systems. The patches that are available usually cut out some pieces of the game to expedite play.

Lately, I’ve gotten into the Mystery Case Files series from Big Fish Games. These are primarily hidden object games, where you have to find certain items concealed in a larger picture. I really admire the way these games have evolved.

When they started out, it was all cartoon-ish artwork, with static pictures and a limited storyline. The next in the series added some simple puzzles that had to be solved before the next segment was unlocked – puzzles like a slider series or a jigsaw type. The edition after that introduced background movement like falling leaves or clouds passing across the sky, as well as bringing in really elaborate door-lock puzzles. Similar to the Myst series, no explanation is given on how these puzzles work; you just have to figure them out through contextual clues. This one was also a little darker than the previous versions.

The next game added more elaborate “in-between” challenges, and further developed the storyline from the last edition. Except for more detailed artwork and a much better soundtrack, it really wasn’t too far off from the very first one. It still relied on the player choosing destinations from a bird’s-eye view map, and still treated each destination separately, meaning that once you finished that section, you left it behind.

I just played the preview for the latest chapter, and was completely blown away by the new aspects. They’ve added live-action characters, for one thing. When that’s done well, it’s always fun. You don’t get to pick different destinations from a map any longer; rather, you play through more organically – revisiting prior destinations as needed. There’s an inventory function now, and certain items you find in the “hidden object” parts are saved for unlocking clues at later parts in the game. There are two feedback systems to help you in gameplay: a journal that keeps track of important clues when you uncover them, and a letterbox screen that lets you try different objects against the puzzle, giving you helpful comments like “Did you really think that would work?” The interface has been expanded, too. Now you aren’t limited to just clicking on things, but you can zoom in on whatever grabs your attention, as well as move in different directions.

Do I sound like a fanboy yet? That’s okay. It’s a fun way to spend a few rainy hours, and the designers set it up so that you don’t get the same list of objects each time, so it stays challenging longer than it otherwise would.

I hope they keep pushing their limits. I’d enjoy seeing them come up with a completely immersive world, where the player has total freedom of movement, and each object in the game can act against any other object. Of course, Mrs. Cat is fervently praying for the opposite, because I’d never leave the house.