Mystery Manor on Facebook

Strange things are happening at Mystery Manor. The staff is terrified. Objects move of their own accord. Some conspiracy is plainly afoot. But who really is surprised? After all, the place is called Mystery Manor. Was anyone surprised when Lou Gehrig got Lou Gehrig ’s disease (his parents were deranged naming him after a disease)?

But enough about baseball’s great tragedy. Mystery Manor is a decent example of hidden object games, if not one of the prime cuts off the genre’s shanks. The game begins by introducing the player to the strange happenings at the mansion and sending you out to find clues. The first thing you’ll want to know about the game is play it on full screen, otherwise you’ll be forced to search each level with a magnifying glass which makes things a little more difficult (this may only be a matter of preference so feel free to experiment with both views). The living room is the first stop; there you will be shown the basic objectives of the game.

If you’re acquainted with hidden object games already this will be familiar enough as most of these games follow a basic foundational principle of gameplay, which is a good thing (too much deviation really destroys the point). Those who are not so familiar with the genre don’t worry, these games are easy to pick up and, for the most part, a decent challenge and decent fun. This HOG can be described best as average. It is nothing fancy, but fans of the field will surly find enough redeeming factors and challenges to make this game worth the time and effort to play. However, it does seem to lack some of the mystic and appeal of the hidden object best. The levels of Mystery Manor are pretty basic, there aren’t hordes of objects to find, at least in the early levels, but only 4 or 5 each turn. You’ll also be required to play the same levels over and over again with little variation before being able to progress to new rooms.

The game does get better as you progress. The little complaints over the design and gameplay shouldn’t be a deterrent. This game is fun, challenging and has a certain originality that, if nothing else, makes it stand out in the congested world of hidden object games and mystery games. It is a challenge, and like most games of facebook origin it has certain recognizable characteristics that add an additional challenge. Beginning a level requires energy, coins must be collected and rooms unlocked. The latter can be accomplished a number of ways. The best way to experience this game is simply to play it and see if it appeals to your tastes as a gamer. As a casual game it works and is a great way to unwind and relax with a simple, fun game.

Hidden Chronicles on Facebook

Hidden Chronicles takes the classic elements of hidden object games and adds an original story with upgrades, puzzles, competition among friends, and building management. It is one of a kind in this overcrowded genre. Few hidden object games have this many features to keep the player occupied and challenged.

The basic gameplay is the usual unwavering objective of searching a still image for a list of objects hidden among the clutter. This is the backbone (as well as the pelvis and spleen) of the hidden object genre and tampering too much with this design usually is to the detriment of the game. Luckily the studio that brought out Hidden Chronicles knew what it was doing; the innovation here isn’t from mucking about with the classic features of seek-and-find that make this genre such an addictive object detection adventure but with an entirely new set of features that take place in between levels. The hidden object levels are pretty much what any fan of this niche of games would expect. There are some added features to the usual list of objects to find like solving mini puzzles, but mostly this is the usual no surprises foundation of keeping a keen eye on the screen to find a pair of boots or a dagger among such a clutter most of these rooms should make it onto an episode of Hoarders

Hidden Chronicles has plenty to offer to the hidden objects fan, but for those that are looking for a little more this game is a great example to take notice of. There is the added bonus of building and developing the grounds of the mansion. Unlock features like topiaries, benches, light posts, gazebos, flowers and much, much more to brighten and beautify the mansion now under the player’s eager management. The more points you receive by finding objects more quickly and earning more trophies the more there will be to set and build on the estate. It will take time to unlock all of the grounds (the majority of it will be out of reach until later in the game) but this only adds an incentive to keep playing that is hard to shrug off.

The plot driving the game forward is also a fairly good one. The player is what is called a ‘Guardian,’ that is one who can see the history within objects. This adds a nice explanation behind why you’re searching for all these useless objects (like a goldfish bowl or a manhole). Every object has a story and the more you find the closer you’ll get to unlocking the mystery behind your uncle’s apparent murder. Put your brain on the charger, you’ll need every ounce of neuron power to tackle the puzzles and challenges in this game.

Blackwood & Bell Mysteries - Become a World Class Detective!

The goal in Blackwood & Bell Mysteries is very similar to that of Gardens of Time (makes sense seeing as how they were created by the same game studio: Playdom). For those of you who haven’t played Blackwood & Bell Mysteries before:
You travel to solve mysteries and crime and preserve evidence in your Evidence Yard. You are greeted by James Blackwood and informed that he is a partner of Blackwood & Bell, consulting detectives. Catherine Bell joins you and tells you that "your" new case just made the front page! This dialogue becomes much more dramatic when the paper reveals that an opera singer, Helga Von Hertz, has gone missing and a stagehand has been murdered! Oh no! They will need your help to investigate! The next mission is to preserve items in your yard. This gives you a higher reputation and a higher reputation unlocks your next quest. The next quest is to visit the scene of the murder at the Royal Opera House. Every scene has a special highlighted clue that will help you solve the case.

In this quest I have discovered a tiara that must have belonged to Helga Von Hertz herself. This is very much a mystery sort of plot with hypotheses and deducing answers from ponderous statements… And very dramatic. They suggest you play each level multiple times to uncover more clues and to earn more stars. As I revisited the first scene, London Alley, I notice there was a shady man posted against a wall. Talk about creepy. I suggest you try to always get 2 stars at least on each level. The game will sometimes ask you to earn more on certain levels. However, watch your energy levels. I don’t like to go below 10. When you start getting low add things to your garden, it will help you get more reputation AND energy. Next I am invited to visit a neighbor, George, in his yard and challenge him to find out who is a better sleuth (whatever that means). This earns you silver to buy things for your yard and XP that unlocks new items to display in the yard.

I find out next that Helga was last seen on stage and must scour the stage for clues. On the stage you find a poison bottle said to contain chloroform explaining why Helga did not scream when she was abducted. How cruel! Next thing to do is find the source of the chloroform at some of the chemist’s shops nearby. I have run low on energy because they keep making me visit the same place to find a clue for a second time. In the meantime I have to buy things for my yard to open a new quest and gain more energy. The graphics on this game are good, everything is dark and dreary and that adds greatly to the whole mysterious ambiance. Even at my Evidence Yard. I like the landscape around my yard too. It has a mansion behind it and a cobblestone outline around the yard with a road outside of that surrounding my yard.

If you like the whole idea of solving mysteries in hidden object games then you should definitely look at playing some more detective games and mystery games.

Gardens of Time - Appealing and Addictive

Gardens of Time on facebook is a hidden objects game where you will travel to beautiful exotic locales with extravagant landscapes and meet characters with strong personalities and amazing skills in their various niches.



Alistair Wells greets you and explains that you must journey back through time to find historical artifacts that are out of their time period. Your first stop is in Giza, Egypt. You find a sun hat, a shark fin, a turquoise necklace, and a couple other simple things. How these are historical artifacts is beyond me.



You get a certain amount of money when you find each one and a bonus after you have found them all. You then have the option to share your bounty with your friends. Your next task is to preserve the artifacts while Alistair reaches out to other timekeepers. This happens at the garden you have containing the time machine. The more artifacts you preserve in your garden, the higher the reputation you have in society. The higher reputation you have in society the more missions you get and the more places you are able to visit.



Next, you are able to visit the esteemed Time Manor. Each place you travel is rated with a possible 4 stars. You must again time travel to reach your destination. At the Time Manor you are greeted by a new character named Eleanor Lansing Purlieu whom apologizes for the condition of both herself and the manor. A short dialogue between Alistair and Eleanor suggests that there is an antagonist responsible. You are a recruit brought in to help set things right. Then you are given a list double the size of the last one, trying to locate Big Ben, a lotus, a coin, a cart, a lamb and more. Again, things I believe are not considered historical artifacts nor do they belong in the wrong time period.

The plot thickens as Alistair points out Eleanor’s shady character and reveals that she seems to be withholding information. Immediately after, another mission is available in Giza Riverfront to explore time glitches in order to earn more stars. The game tells you that you must return multiple times to earn a better score in this scene and thus earn two more stars, but it also offers you to skip the challenge for 5 bars of gold. Alistair greets you once you complete the mission to congratulate you and suggest that you visit past missions and play them again to gain more stars. You can also replay for 10 lightning bolts which is your energy. Each time you play a certain mission you lose 10.

Suddenly, there’s more trouble in Ancient Egypt! It requires 5 gold to get there. I decided to play the second mission for more stars and ran out of energy. It takes time to gain more energy or you can buy more with gold. I spent the rest of my gold on energy so I am not able to take any missions until I somehow get more gold.



In the meantime I have been invited to visit Lulu’s garden. In the beginning I would not settle for less than at least 2 stars on each mission. In this game there are a lot of things to do, you can add to your garden to earn a higher reputation, the higher the reputation you get the more missions you receive, and you play missions to get more gold and energy. If you cannot wait another longer for the gold and energy then try some hidden object games online where you will not have to wait for the story to unfold.

Hidden Haunts - Spooky and Fun!

Hidden Haunts is a hidden object game on Facebook where you will take the role of the black-haired big headed junior detective. A once serene and cute little town named Lost Haven has fallen victim to a horrible curse and the people who once lived there are now ghosts with their souls left behind needing closure.



There are a total of 13 cases that you will have to help crack with your puzzle solving skills and a keen eye for finding objects hidden in photographic displays. Not only will you be locating objects in the various scenes from sitting room to the Seance room but you will also rebuild the town to its forgotten glory by restoring walkways and plantings flowers and hedges to bring back the color in the Country Garden of the Greystone Manor.



In each location like Greystone Manor you will have 5 rooms to search including a sixth room as the Featured Room that you can unlock with blue jewels which are used to entice you the player to buy with some facebook credits but it is not required to still enjoy the game. In each room you will need to find a mysterious key that leads to unlocking the door that leads to the next room you need to search. Once you have arrived in a room follow Cassie's story and you will usually have to located 11 objects within that room. The more quickly you find them the more bonus points you will get although the game is not timed there is a speed bonus. You will have to replay levels for a certain amount lightning bolts(some sort of game currency) to try to maximize your Mastery Medals. You will have to play the same level over and over to keep on raising your medals. No matter how fast you are able to find the objects the Mastery Medals seem to work on their own kind of meter.

Every time you log back into the game you will get your screen plastered with the Paranormal Post: Which I find a little annoying but it is the games way of trying to get you to purchase the Featured Room of the house or place that you are currently trying to complete levels in.

If you decide Hidden Haunts scenes are a little too realistic you should tryout some hidden object games that stick to the artistic appeal they usually have, but give Hidden Haunts a chance it can be fun if you want to kill some time although I do not like the whole repeatedly having to search the same room.. the story takes too long to progress that way.