by JustTheFacts Fri Feb 07, 2014 9:43 am
First Class HOG*****
BASED ON COMPLETED GAME
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Like its heroine, and no doubt many of its fans, this game is “of mature years”. Its look and style of gameplay is considered dated now, but it still has exceptional production values, and good old fashioned class.
SIGHTS & SOUNDS
The graphics are quite extraordinary for their time. They are still clear and bright and highly visible even on my large widescreen. It does not of course have a wide screen option, but plays with the dreaded black bars on the side. The drawing hints at cartoony, and there are no great cut scenes or videos. Some of the hidden objects are a little small. If you can live with that, it’s quite a pleasant game visually.
The voiceovers are extremely well done. It is obvious they are professionals. The music is from the show, which I don’t happen to like, but is all about faithfully recreating the adventures of Jessica Fletcher. This is not the sort of game where you can expect to get fully immersed, but the atmosphere is indeed very “Maine” to me (to the extent I can know such a thing) .
WHAT’S HAPPENING?
The game gives you 5 individual cases to solve. Finishing one unlocks the next. In each, we are in Cabot Cove, Maine, and become embroiled in mysteries that occur in the area. In the first, Jessica stumbles across the body of an acquaintance after coming into town to buy lobsters. Mort the Police Chief allows her to assist in the case.
GAMEPLAY
This is a strictly Hidden Object Game. There is no adventure component whatsoever and only a few easy but interesting puzzles. The HOP scenes are the typically outdated full-room shots and cluttered, they are not overwhelming junk piles. There is a (long) word list of items to find in a panel to the left of the screen, but with a difference.
There are no vowels in the words. This unique feature really makes this game for me. In the HOP scene are the typewriter keys for the vowels. You must find them in order to see the words completely. While you’re there, you can also pick up a typewriter ribbon and refill your hint meter immediately (unlike most games of this era, you have unlimited hints). Included in the list of items will be ones in blue which require extra actions, and others in inverted commas (“ ”), that describe an action you must complete using other items on the list.
Each scene contains pieces of evidence that advance the story and at least one puzzle. These tend to be relatively simple logic puzzles, and piece together the torn notes kind of puzzles. There is a notebook that keeps track of the story, but not the clues, and a map that is your means of transport. You can play either timed or relaxed mode.
Each scene also involves a lot of talking. In fact, there is at least as much time spent listening to the police chief and Jessica questioning people and discussing evidence as there is gameplay. But it is very much the kind of game where you are being told a story, and the gameplay is simply a way of advancing the tale.
COMBINED IMPACT
This is a high quality HOG, but you must be into the story and/or the show to really appreciate it.
I recommend this game!
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