Customer Reviews

Midnight Mysteries: The Edgar Allan Poe Conspiracy

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

2009 is the bicentennial of the birth of Edgar Allan Poe in 1809 but it is his untimely and mysterious death in 1849 that has intrigued people ever since. The usually fastidious writer was found dressed in shabby clothes that did not fit, wandering in a delirium along the streets of Baltimore. He was taken to a hospital where he died four days later. What killed Edgar Allan Poe? Not what but who! This game says it was murder!

In "Midnight Mysteries: The Edgar Allan Poe Conspiracy", the player becomes a famed mystery writer who is an expert in solving cold cases. At the beginning of the game the player is haunted by the eerie and distraught and shackled ghost of Edgar Allan Poe who begs him to avenge his murder so that his soul can be set free. To discover the truth behind Poe's untimely death at age 40, and with the aid of a supernatural pocket watch, the player goes on a hidden-object adventure, seeking clues among macabre graveyards and becoming incorporated and integrated bodily right into Poe's most famous works, including The Mystery of Marie Roget and The Gold Bug. There's a conspiracy here, centered around and hidden within the stories.

So, you as detective -writer embark on this journey to crack the 160 year-old case. You'll find various objects, collect clues and talk with witnesses, to try and deduce who Poe's killer is. You must collect hundreds of objects, frequently combining them to perform a function and to reveal another hidden object. The hint mechanism is a marvelous black crow. He'll flap over the scene and find an object for you if you get stuck, but click too often on the wrong thing and a nasty one-eyed black hissy cat will appear.

The scenes are beautifully animated, with tree branches waving, water rippling, spitting raindrops, sullen autumn leaves blowing in a sullen sky- all wonderfully atmospheric. The art work is absolutely of the highest order and the music and sound effects are suitably macabre to make sure you have an immersive experience. The mini-games are interesting and not hard, being mostly intuitive.

With its highly original story line and the exceptional graphics, "Midnight Mysteries" is a class act. The game is quite easy, older kids can readily handle it; however, it will not bore adults. Recommended for all ages. Don't miss this beauty! (But I wish it were longer).

I enjoy E A Poe stories so this game caught my interest. It was entertaining all the way through. The premise of helping Poe "move on" by solving his murder leads you to seek-and-find in places that are part of some of his written stories and those characters as well as in graveyards and places involved with his death. Fun spookies happen along the way but not bad for this grandma or the grandkids. The graphics are light enough that seeking and finding is not hard for the old eyes. It's a small thing, but I was entertained by it, that the "skeletal hand" that is your pointer is animate; if you place it in an area to move to next frame "the fingers do the walking" and if you need to look at something closer an eye ball appears next to the hand and looks around; also for all actions needed such as solve a puzzle the hand changes color as well. There is a way to collect extra hints in each place you investigate, which is good. But you must be careful with ramdom clicking around or a raven takes your hints and a mean kitty takes its place and no hints are available until it leaves and the raven brings your hints back. Mini puzzles/problem solving aspects are not timed and can be skipped if needed. There's a jounal that keeps you up on your case and hints you to your next assignment. It was a fun casual game I'd recommend.

This game is basically broken into 5 major parts. In the first you're mucking around in the cemetery around Poe's grave. I like this because you got to do grave rubbings, which I used to enjoy in real life before I found out that you can degrade the headstone by doing them.

The second and third part involve the Poe story "The Mystery of Marie Roget". Poe wrote this story based on a real murder mystery that took place in New York, though he based the story in France. You play through the story version first in France, and then play through the real events in New York. The reason being that Poe might have known more than he was saying about the murder when he wrote the short story.

The fourth part involves the story The Gold Bug, a story about William Legrande. Legrande has knowledge of a hidden treasure, but because he has been bitten by a golden bug, those around him think he is nuts. You get to help him find the treasure and also pick up some ideas that help you to deduce what happened to Poe on the night he died.

Which brings you to part 5, where you solve the mystery of Edgar Allan Poe's death. Though in real life it appears he died mostly from alcoholism, in the game there is a fanciful conspiracy theory which invoives some real facts of Poe's life.

As other reviewers have said, this is a game for those who really love hidden object scenes; they are plentiful. I found the puzzles easy. Having said that, there are a few puzzles that are interesting including one where you have to figure out how to ferry groups across a river following specific criteria. I also liked one where you had to make color chains, and as you completed each chain a grim reaper figure comes closer to his victim.

I also think fans of Poe will enjoy playing the levels invoiving the short stories. I didn't even know these two stories as I am the typical illiterate knowing only a couple of the more popular Poe stories and of course, the raven poem. The interactive gameplay brought these stories alive.

I enjoyed playing this hidden object game. It is mostly hidden object, yet there are puzzles and the need to use inventory items to reveal other hidden objects. The graphics are clear and the story is somewhat interesting, although can easily be bypassed without diminishing the gameplay. The hint system is great. You can click on the name of an object to see a sillouhette of it in a lantern or use a hint to see exactly where the object is hidden. Some of the parts of the game take place in France and then repeat again in New York along a parallel plot line. I found that a little tedious. It was an easy game, nothing too challenging, and my 8 year old enjoyed playing along with me. It took us about 5 hours to complete this game. It is just macabre enough to be creepy, but not really scary. The only reason I couldn't give it five stars is that I have recently played some much better games, including a new game by the same company: Midnight Mysteries, the Salem Witch Trial -- which was FANTASTIC. I would also recommend Mystery Case Files, Dire Grove.

This hidden object game was not my favorite. The game atmosphere, including graphics and music, was top-notch, but the story was weak. There is a mystery, but you are given the answers... there is nothing to figure out. The HOG part of the game was, for me, challenging without becoming too frustrating; however, it got VERY repetitive by the end of the game. I guess I need more puzzles and story interspersed, and this game didn't provide enough of that.

At the end of each scene, you have to use some inventory objects to uncover other hidden objects, but these searches aren't very challenging. If you run the mouse over the room, it changes color to let you know where the hidden objects are. The few puzzles in between hidden object scenes are also very easy; again, not much for the player to figure out.

If you're looking for a straight-up HOG with a great, creepy atmosphere, this game is for you (especially if you, like me, are a Poe fan.) I much prefer the variety and challenge of the game play provided by HOGs like Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove [Game Download] and Flux Family Secrets: The Ripple Effect [Game Download].

As an adult gamer, I look for something that is not heavily taxing on the brain cells, but something that is entertaining and interactive. You can play some, put it away and then come back to it. The graphics are great and the "interactive" is fun (yes, a little bit of thinking, but NOT frustrating!). This is not a "just find the hidden object" (HOG) game. I have played it 3 times and have now put it away for a future date. This was well worth the price I paid and more. I anxiously await more of the Midnight Mysteries (or something similar!). If you are looking for a game that makes you think and think, and one that will take you days and days, then this is not for you.

As I stated the game is not just another H.O.G, but it is very interactive as well. At first it may appear as a "Spooky, grave robbing tale", but as it unfolds, you are unfolding the mysteries in his novels. I don't personally own this game, but I have played it through. If you like murder, mysteries and just plain old " Whodunnit", this is the game for you.

If you like HOG games you should love this one. There are so many objects to find it seems that's all this game is about. You don't really have to follow what's going on as the game leads you through everything. The few puzzles included are too easy and the graphics aren't very good. I enjoy games with more adventure and puzzle solving than hidden objects. I do like Poe so I find some of the information given enjoyable but there are way too many HO's to find. I do like the hint system with the ravens but you really don't have to use it unless you get totally bored looking for objects like I did. The next game in the series, "Devil on the Mississippi" is much better with actually very few HO scenes.

I really like Edgar Allen Poe and his writings so I was hopeful when I saw this game. It was way too easy to play, too short and they practically made your choices for you in solving it. Items were not hidden at all and the graphics were quite sad. I played it, finished it and then said,,,is that all??? Very disappointed. It would be fine for a 9 year old, maybe.

I have to admit I'm a bit partial as I have always been fascinated with Edgar Allan Poe. Even so, the graphics are very nicely done as well as the effort to keep the game somewhat challenging, but not frustrating. Scenes set in various parts of the world are entertaining. The objects are fairly easy to find without being an insult to one's intelligence (there's always the option of available hints from the Raven or the shadows in the lantern). I also liked the bit of interaction with characters in solving the murders of both Marie and Poe. I think MumboJumbo has done a wonderful job producing a graphically beautiful, somewhat educational (regarding Poe) rendition here of pure leisure relaxation. It's hard not to enjoy this game (even if you're a "hard core" HOG person)!