Mystery Tales 1: The Lost Hope

Mystery Tales: The Lost Hope
by Domini Games - January, 2014

Series links: Mystery Tales 1: The Lost Hope, Mystery Tales 2: The Twilight World, Mystery Tales 3: Alaskan Wild, Mystery Tales 4: Her Own Eyes, Mystery Tales 5: Eye of the Fire, Mystery Tales 6: The Hangman Returns, Mystery Tales 7: The House of Others

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




Several years ago you suffered a tragedy. Your sister Margaret died. Margaret lived with her husband, Emmett, in a small little village lost in the mountains. After her death, Emmett, overcome with grief, disappeared from the town.

And now many years later, you have received a mysterious letter in which he invites you meet with your dead sister. You are so intrigued by this unexpected letter that you head to the village of Reagan, where your sister had lived and where she was buried.

Learn whether you will meet your sister and discover what mortal dangers you will face in Mystery Tales: The Lost Hope.

The Collector's Edition includes:

• Learn the story of tragedy in the bonus chapter
  
• Achievements, zoo and interface shop
  
• Re-playable hidden object scenes and mini-games
  
• Soundtracks, wallpapers and concept art
  

For the Standard Edition

• Strategy Guide
  
• Walkthrough (Big Fish)
  

Click images to enlarge
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Interesting Twists
  

BASED ON DEMO

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Looks interesting from the start, even though it is not a wildly exciting beginning. The graphics of the cut scene are very nice, easy on the eyes and good quality, and the voiceover is excellent. The story is a familiar one, with an interesting twist. Although you are once again going back to a town of sorrowful memories to aid a friend, he also wants you to come so you can see your (dead) sister!!

SIGHTS & SOUNDS
The graphics are a tad busy at times, but you certainly can’t fault the detail in this game. The art is hand painted style, with plenty of colours, but running to browns, and sometimes a little dark. The HOP objects are easy to see. The voiceover of the narrator is excellent, I was very impressed. Then came a young girl, always it seems the hardest voice to get right, and she was excellent as well. Lip synch is not attempted, but the faces are keen and lively and focussed on you, so I felt it quite real.

WHAT’S HAPPENING?
Well, who would not answer an invitation to visit your dead sister! Certainly not intrepid adventurers like us. When you arrive at the village, however, there are some immediately disturbing signs. There are people dead and missing, your brother-in-law’s been blamed for the crimes, and everywhere seems deserted. There are strange things happening to the townspeople, which has something to do with a strange and evil green light. You didn’t think it would be easy, did you?

GAMEPLAY
Gameplay is quite refreshing. Both the puzzles and the HOPs I encountered were a notch above the usual level of difficulty, and some of the puzzles were very original (and more difficult) twists on games we know. The HOPs so far have been interactive lists, but you’ll notice how many of the items on the list are things that are out of place in the scene. A pot lid, for example. I believe we will return to these scenes at some point to replace them in the correct spots. I love this combination of HOP tasks. Or you can switch to an easy but enjoyable jigsaw alternative to the HOP, where placing 4 pieces removes 1 item.

I don’t think anybody will find the adventure side of things too difficult, but it is a bit tricky on occasions too. But the flow is logical and well-paced. There is an interactive jump map for directions if you need it, and a directional hint. There are 3 mode of difficulty plus a custom level. There is also a journal, which keeps track of the story, and a Dossier which gives details on the characters you meet.

CE BLING!
Another twist in the gallery. The wallpapers are in sepia and locked until you play that scene, at which point it turns to colour. Nice. There is also a fair bit of Concept Art, and Music. There are replayable HOPs and Puzzles. A Strategy Guide and a Bonus Chapter.

Additionally, there are Achievements (both types, story and performance, in a list) and Collectibles. The collectibles are 10 exotic animals, their statues can found in the locations. In your zoo, accessed from journal, you can use crystals you’ve collected to transform them to life. The other collectibles are the crystals, and coins which can be used to buy decorations for your Crucible, an alchemical gadget that acts on objects that are glowing green. There are also decorations for the Inventory Panel. Cool!

COMBINED IMPACT
Apart from the story being a little bit slow, I have no criticism of this game. While not overwhelmingly exciting, I think it is building to a pleasant stroll through a game that adds its own twists on familiar concepts.

I Recommend This Game!