Price: Free Score: 8/10 Category: Games
Marcus and the Mystery of the Haunted Mansion, developed by the SCRAP Corporation, is an iPhone game where the game time passes at the same rate as time in the real world.
You, along with Marcus and the members of his Castle Hill Boy’s Detective Club, must solve puzzles and learn the secrets that are hidden in your seemingly nice town. You also need to read the “Tweets” of the townsfolk to understand the true nature of the story and get a handle on the motivations of each character in the town.
There’s a mansion on the edge of town, and rumor has it that there is a ghost there. Moreover, one of the local children has seen something scary in the science room at the local school. Something strange is going on in this town, and you have just one week before Summer Vacation ends in which to solve the mysteries of the town.
The concept is interesting, but there are some issues with the execution. Having to scroll through hours and hours of tweets is a bit tiresome, and sort of takes away from the tense atmosphere that the mystery should be creating. Having to click on information in tweets to “memorize” it for later “recall” seems like an additional step that just dumbs down the game for smart players.
And while having the game play out in real time is a cool idea, there just doesn’t seem to be enough going on to draw players in and get them excited about the mystery. With so many different locations in the town, there is the potential for multiple story quests to go on at once, but Marcus and the Mystery of the Haunted Mansion feels pretty linear.
The character designs are cute, as as the environments. The cutesy look of Marcus and the Mystery of the Haunted Mansion dampens some of the suspense, but makes the game a fun choice for younger players who only want to be a little thrilled.
Marcus and the Mystery of the Haunted Mansion is one of those games that you will either love or hate. For my part, I think it’s cute, if a bit limited. However, if you are into games where the story is king, then unraveling the mystery in this game may truly satisfy you.
Marcus and the Mystery of the Haunted Mansion is compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation), iPod touch (5th generation) and iPad. Requires iOS 4.3 or later.