 |
| OVERALL RATING |
3.5 |
| Presentation |
 |
3.5 |
| Control |
 |
4.0 |
| Gameplay |
|
4.0 |
| Fun factor |
|
3.5 |
| User Rating |
 |
3.5 |
 |
Posted: May 13, 2008
Mystery Case Files: Agent X brings the popular hidden-object series to would-be sleuths on mobile. It’s a game that puts players in the role of a detective to solve mysteries by finding a variety of hidden objects placed within scenes.
The mini-mystery is made up of three or more scenes littered with objects that serve as clues. The player is given a list of 10 to find within a certain time, though there are many more present as well. When all 10 have been found, a score is tallied based upon how quickly they were uncovered, but also if the player made incorrect choices or used a Hint to find the object. These will detract from the score.
Once the mystery has been solved, a new episode becomes available to play with more new scenes. New episodes are added on a weekly basis for good replay value and adding further to that is that previously completed scenes can be played once again, but this time with different objects on the list. That’s because the 10 items chosen for the list are always random.
Besides the Story mode that offers continuous mysteries, Daily Puzzles are also available that can be downloaded and played stand alone for a leaderboard competition. These puzzles are just as entertaining as the others but allow players to compare their detective skills against others.
The game offers simple point-and-click mechanics for discovery of the items and these are controlled with use of the D-pad only. The scenes themselves scroll for greater use of space but the way in which they are rendered with all of the static objects is really what makes the game interesting. Shading, sizing, and positioning, these are all aspects that affect the difficulty of the puzzle and are used with utmost effectiveness.
As the PC version of the game has proven, it’s very easy to get hooked on these picture puzzles just like back in the day with Where’s Waldo? and the hidden 3D images, whatever they were called. Solving strange mysteries is a nice theme to wrap around the game play, but the fact that more content is downloadable both in Story and Daily puzzle modes, that really makes the game more captivating. At the very least, it delivers more bang for your buck.
