Dark Tales 5: Edgar Allan Poe's The Masque of the Red Death

Dark Tales 5: Edgar Allan Poe's The Masque of the Red Death
by ERS Game Studios - April, 2013

Series links: Dark Tales 1: Edgar Allan Poe's Murders in the Rue Morgue, Dark Tales 2: Edgar Allan Poe's The Black Cat, Dark Tales 3: Edgar Allan Poe's The Premature Burial, Dark Tales 4: Edgar Allan Poe's The Gold Bug, Dark Tales 5: Edgar Allan Poe's The Masque of the Red Death, Dark Tales 6: Edgar Allan Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher, Dark Tales 7: Edgar Allan Poe's The Mystery of Marie Roget, Dark Tales 8: Edgar Allan Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart, Dark Tales 8: Edgar Allan Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart, Dark Tales 9: Edgar Allan Poe's Metzengerstein, Dark Tales 10: Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven, Dark Tales 11: Edgar Allan Poe's Lenore

Available at:
Big Fish as Collector's Edition / Standard Edition
GameHouse as Platinum Edition
iWin as Collector's Edition / Standard Edition
Steam as Collector's Edition



Justice is in your hands in Dark Tales: Edgar Allan Poe’s The Masque of the Red Death! A mysterious figure in a red mask has been stalking the streets of a small French town, murdering city officials. The mayor calls you in to help track him down and stop him. But when you arrive, you discover that the townspeople all seem to be cheering for the Red Masque. So who is the real criminal? It’s up to you to decide in this thrilling Hidden Object Adventure game!

The Collector’s Edition includes:

• A bonus mystery where you uncover the origins of the Red Masque!
  
• Beautiful wallpapers, screensavers, and concept art
  
• Downloadable music tracks
  
• An integrated Strategy Guide
  

Click images to enlarge

Be Still My Heart, We Have An Office!  
    

BONUS CONTENT REVIEW + AFTER THOUGHTS ON MAIN GAME
 
BASED ON COMPLETED GAME

Yes, it’s true, the kind and charming detective M. DUPIN (and the team at ERS) has, in this our fifth case together, granted us an OFFICE.  And the official title of BEST FRIEND (study your office walls).

And what would an office be without TROPHIES, AWARDS, AND FRAMED CERTIFICATES. Yup. We have ACHIEVEMENTS! And a KITTEN! The kitten is truly awesome, don’t forget to play with him. And keep an eye out for his COLLECTIBLE TOYS (only a few) throughout the game.

These are the FIRST TREATS for the COLLECTORS EDITION. There is also of course (big breath):

12 WALLPAPERS, 15 CONCEPT ART SHOTS, 4 MUSICTRACKS, 4 SCREENSAVERS, 9 MOVIES, 30 BEHIND THE SCENES SHOTS, 14 REPLAYABLE HOs, 20 REPLAYABLE MINI-GAMES!

Plus, the in-game STRATEGY GUIDE & BONUS CHAPTER.

The BONUS CHAPTER

This took me roughly 1 HOUR 15 MIN, but I SKIPPED a puzzle or two. It is NOT NEEDED for the MAIN STORY, it is an epilogue offering a peculiar TWIST IN THE TALE. Personally, I found this chapter’s STORY & ENDING CONFUSING. I probably should have paid more attention to names and faces in the main game.

It covers NEW AREAS, PUZZLES & HOS almost exclusively, but some of the characters are the same. There are EXTRA KITTEN ITEMS to COLLECT & ACHIEVEMENTS for this chapter alone, but to SEE THEM & THE OFFICE you must START again on the MAIN GAME.

If you find yourself just a little bit IN LOVE with DUPIN then the CE BONUS CHAPTER is ESSENTIAL.

For me, the STORY automatically makes this a MUST HAVE. It appears that it’s going to be more thought provoking than most. Not only are politics an integral part of the investigation, YOU have to DECIDE who is GUILTY at the end of the game.

AND THE GAME ITSELF?
 
I am a sucker for kittens, so I had to buy the CE of this game, with all its cute extras, but always, it’s the game that counts.

And this game IN ANY VERSION, is top notch. The most recent of the Dark Tales series, it has all the characteristics that make this my all-time favourite series.

Even more BEAUTIFUL GRAPHICS than usual, a nice CHANGE in both the MUSIC and the VOICEOVERS, M. DUPIN as urbane and charming as ever... though not as talkative, perhaps the circumstances of this case depressed him.

And the CASE is DIFFERENT from our usual investigations. We are called in by the MAYOR to deal with the rash of murders of council officials perpetrated by a mysterious villain known as the RED MASQUE.

What we find is a town on the point of OPEN REBELLION, falling apart around  our ears. Starving people waylay us in the street, buildings disintegrate before our eyes. Everyone is living in terror of someone. It will take more than just identifying the villain to bring about JUSTICE.

And this new angle is reflected in the GAMEPLAY. Before the game is finished we must collect ‘justice orbs’ which summarise different crimes, then weigh them up in our lady of justice’s scales. Only then can we decide who to arrest. In other words, we CHOOSE THE ENDING.

We have several types of HO SCENE to work with. There is the conventional INTERACTIVE LIST, some MULTIPLES, at least one PROGRESSIVE SILHOUETTE (find one to use on the next and so on til you get your inventory item), and some INTERACTIVE SILHOUETTES. In this last, more than half the items require a further step, and being only silhouettes, you are given no indication to tell which needs interaction.

I found the PUZZLES QUITE EASY, but that may be me finally getting the hang of some of the standard ones. Though these were mostly ORIGINAL, they were based on similar logical processes.

To me, the game seemed LONGER than the others in this series. There was an added COMPLEXITY to the ADVENTURE ASPECT in this one that had me scratching my head several times as to how to move forward. There were also MORE LOCATIONS.

I wholeheartedly recommend this game!

Hi Everyone - I've been thinking about a Dark Tales game for a while (how can I not when you're all swooning over M Dupin?! )  This game is this week's Catch of the Week at BF, and I wondered if I want the SE for $2.99 or if the CE is awesome enough that I should hold out for it.  Thoughts?  After Justie's review I know I certainly want the game in some form!

Thanks for the input

I'd probably go for the Catch of the week pippi. But...

Most CE's from ERS just aren't worth paying an extra $11. Reading my own review, and a quick look at the extras section does remind me that the extras were fun in this one though. As long as you like kittens and Dupin of course!

I was disappointed with our first up close and personal showing of Dupin. Not as pretty as he is in others - a new artist from this game on, I believe. But the game is not all about Dupin - well, not entirely. 

The choosing the ending I remember was clever but ultimately not what it could have been.

On later reflection, now, it is probably not as exciting beautiful innovative etc. as we have gotten to taking for granted, but it was one of the first attempts of ERS to justify their CEs with something really worth it, and I still think it's one of the best of their efforts in that regard. Which still doesn't make this game and its extras on a par with an Eipix game's extras, but it was fun enough.

Which has not in any way helping you is it? lol. I find it hard to imagine any CE worth full price when the SE is so cheap. Maybe wait for a CE sale for it?

I think you've convinced me to be perfectly happy with the CotW sale.  After all, I have my real life kitties to keep me occupied!  Thanks, Justie, for your sage advice!  I think I shall save my credits for some of the other CEs I didn't pick up last week.

Justie, you're reviewing again!