Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst

Ports of old, iconic games have been all the rage lately. Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst is one of those games. It is a 2008 classic that has been ported to the 3ds. It’s a hidden object game that offers a little more than the average puzzler. The game now has adventure style elements as well as hidden objects to find. The game is an atmospheric tale that has you exploring a dark and creepy mansion. As you move from room to room, you can find hidden objects to reveal the diary pages of Emma Ravenhurst. You must solve the puzzles you unlock within a certain time limit to be able to continue on in the game.

Not Well Suited to the 3DS

While Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst is a great game, it isn’t well suited to the 3ds. The screen of the 3ds is tiny, which doesn’t lend itself well to finding tiny objects on a screen. The game helps you by adding sparkles to the screen to help you locate the items, but even so, it’s extremely difficult to locate items. On top of this, the music did not port well, and there is an audible ‘pop’ every time the music loops. These aren’t deal breakers for the game, but they’re not an auspicious start to the game.

On top of this, the 3ds has no cursor, which makes finding the objects a little bit more difficult. The developers tried to compensate for this a little bit by allowing you to briefly flash objects, but it’s not super helpful compared to a cursor.

Insults for Exploration

Another questionable aspect of the game is if you use an object in the wrong area trying to solve a puzzle. If you get it wrong, the game insults you. It might say something like, “What did you expect?” in a snarky tone, or question your intelligence. This hits a sour note because the game itself is about exploration. If you’re insulted for exploring, what’s the point in playing?

Still a Good Game

Despite these flaws, Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst is an enjoyable game to play. The series continues to do what few other puzzlers ever have—blend adventuring and hidden object together. While Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst is darker than other games in the series such as Mystery Case Files: Huntsville, it does have a good storyline.

Although the visuals are tiny, the graphics are fairly decent. The door puzzles are as infamous as ever, and manage to make you think in clever and slick ways.

Pros:

• Challenging puzzles to solve
• Engaging Storyline

Cons:

• Hard to find objects with a tiny screen
• Music pops repeatedly through the whole game