BLOGGING TASK 2(a)

Task
Name one of your favourite games and analyse why did you have fun playing it.


Second post is for blogging task 2. It is about game too, but little different with my last post before.

                First, I want to talk about my favourite game. Actually, I have many favourite game, but one of my favourite game was attract me to share with you all about it. I think, maybe some of you have done with this game. The name of the game that i like most is Mystery of Mortlake Mansion. I know, i have done for my blogging task 1 right?. Hehehe...but, it is the game that i very very very love it. Thanks to my sister for introduce this game to me..

                  I'm sorry if I'm annoying.. it is long story, but i will not share about it, because maybe it is too boring to story about me.. Now, I will go straight to the point..

            I am very love this game because it is very exciting, interesting, fun, challenging, and so on.. Why i said like that? hahaha.. it is a combination hidden object and puzzle game that expertly balances game play repetition, variety and challenge to create an experience that is a joy to undertake from beginning to end.

         Game play places me in the role of either a male or female main character (my choice) who is summoned to Mortlake Mansion by an elderly gentleman named R, who was so obsessed with magic that he dedicated his entire life to tracking down and learning the secrets of his favorite magician. His search brought him to Mortlake Mansion, but the magic within the mansion was so great the R became trapped, thus needing my help to escape.

The story in Mystery of Mortlake Mansion is actually one of the best I’ve seen in a casual PC title. I’ve quickly find myself trapped within the mansion myself, as i discover more about R and his true motives, along with the famed magician who has cursed the entire mansion and all those who enter it (all in the hope of immortality).

It would be wrong to classify Mystery of Mortlake Mansion as just a hidden object title, as it is just as much a game of puzzle-solving and logic. While it’s true that each room of the expansive mansion contains a hidden object scene to explore, this is just a sliver of the gameplay. I've found objects on a list, and at the end of my search i’ll be rewarded with an item that will help i in my quest to escape the mansion.

The rest of the time, i'm travelled from room to room collecting items (the cursor changes when i hover over an object i can either investigate or interact with), solving a huge variety of puzzles, or simply picking up R’s diary entries, giving even more depth to the story.

In terms of puzzles, there are the general symbol matching games, tile-sliding puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, and even match-three puzzles, but there are also those puzzles that require logic and reasoning. For instance, in the dining room, i've asked to move all of the red chairs to one side of the table, and all of the green chairs to the other, but i can only do so by moving the chairs one space at a time, with only two empty spaces. It’s puzzles like these that not only keep the game from going stale, but add challenge to a genre that is more often lacking in that department than not.

As for my overall game play goal, i’ll be tasked with entering the figural Heart of the household, where i can destroy the curse trapping me within it. This is done by collecting crystals to open portals to the Shadow World, where magic is very much real, and items float and glow as if possessed. I’ll find glowing ingredients during my journey, with five ingredients being needed to create a single key, unlocking part of the gate blocking my access to the Heart of the home.

With seven keys to find in all, the game does take on a bit of a pattern (in that i’ll need to find the five ingredients to make a key and then repeat the process for the next key), but with so much gameplay variety, the title never becomes boring, as i move back and forth between the real world and the Shadow World at will, using either the portals that i create, or the map which offers quick travel (it also conveniently marks rooms that are either entirely finished, or still have tasks remaining, in case i get stuck).

Technically speaking, Mystery of Mortlake Mansion is a great looking game. The title has fantastic production values, with an almost cel-shaded graphical presentation that is quite pleasing to the eye, and a gloomy transition in the Shadow World, as the entire landscape takes on a blue/gray color palette. The game is full of animation and life, rather than just static images (although there are many items that do not move) and comes with complete voice-acting, as my character interacts with spirits and a talking raven that will both help and hinder your progress.

All told, Mystery of Mortlake Mansion isn’t a light experience, as it will last me into the 4-5 hour range, or more depending on my dependence (or lack thereof) on the unlimited hints and puzzle skips. I can make the game even more challenging by turning the difficulty to high, causing the hint button to refill more slowly.

If i'm looking for a hidden object or puzzle game experience that will serve me well from beginning to end, with a deep story and tons of polish, Mystery of Mortlake Mansion is the best game i ever play..You should play it to..:-)