More On: Mystery Case Files: Ravenhearst

Mystery Case Files—Ravenhearst is one of those “time killer” games that can be played in those moments between work or play, and often end up swallowing up many more hours than they should. Ravenhearst is the latest in the Mystery Case Files series, a nice bunch of hunt-and-find puzzles with some traditional find-the-piece picture puzzles thrown in for good measure. 

 

The game is simple—there’s a mystery to be solved, and that’s done by working your way through several hunt-and-find pictures. There are several very cluttered, static pictures containing hundreds of hidden objects. Players get a list of items to find in these various pictures, and once they’ve found the required number of items, they move on to the next level. In between levels, there’s a puzzle to piece together, and as a reward a bit more of the mystery is revealed. These puzzles can be timed, or they can be attempted in a nice leisurely pace. Occasionally, there is a logic puzzle that must be worked through in order to gain access to the hunt-and-find picture, just to keep things fresh. 

 

There’s really not much more to it than that, but Mystery Case Files really is quite engrossing. The puzzles aren’t too hard, and there are plenty of hints should one get stuck. However, there’s just a nice pace to make this a great game for unwinding or just killing time. The objects are often cleverly hidden, although the same pictures are used again and again between levels, so after a while it’s just a matter of remembering where a given item happens to be. There is some replayability, since the required items can change with each of the levels, and they can be randomized in future plays. The time limit keeps things moving along pretty well.

 

Ravenhearst is a neat little game that does its thing well. I don’t go out of my way to pick up these types of games, but I found myself enjoying the time I spent here. It’s definitely worth a look for those who enjoy these little diversions.

A fun little hunt-and-find game, great for killing a few hours.

Rating: 7.5 Above Average