Customer Reviews

Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

The designers of this sequel to "Ravenhearst" have reached a new plateau of excellence in the Hidden Object genre. "Return to Ravenhearst" is gorgeous, fun, challenging and delightful. Perfect for everybody from older kids on up. Way up. I am 79.

You, as detective, return to the creepy old mansion, this time to free the souls of Rose Somerset and her twin daughters Gwendolyn and Charlotte from the clutches of the insane Charles Dalimar, murderer of Emma Ravenhearst. You had freed Emma's soul in the previous game, but she left behind her maid-housekeeper and the two little girls. Charles is kept alive by feeding off the souls of Rose and the children, even though they are dead. The souls cannot rest in peace because they are figuratively shackled to Dalimar. Their ghosts eerily appear, urging you on, as you journey through the game on your way to setting them free.

The environments are superb, filled with special effects, such a flickering candles, leaves that practically fall into your lap and sullen, spitting raindrops that will set you shivering right in your computer chair. There's a marvellous bouncing Victorian trolley car, and everywhere raucously cawing crows, for in this game everything is engineered for atmosphere. One scene is of a ghastly bathroom with a shrieking mannequin in the shower and flies crawling all over the garbage littered everywhere.

The mini-games are wonderful and you have to figure out how to open locks to various areas by solving a puzzle. They're clever, very imaginative and funny. If you absolutely can't figure any of them out, you can by pass them but they're too much fun to avoid unless you have to! There are many walkthroughs in Google if you get stuck.

The music is excellent, and although the sarcastic comments that appear when you click on the wrong thing or get in any kind of clicking frenzy might annoy some, I found them funny and often appropriate.

The Hidden Objects are diabolically well-camouflaged and even with your nose an inch from the screen, you're gonna have to work at finding them. A great evening's entertainment for the whole family if you can all get close enough, and somebody will frequently be yelling "There it is!" Don't know what a kazoo or a carabiner are? You will! You have to find all the objects or you can't move on, but there's a hint option. However, you have to wait a long time for the hint to rev up enough so you can use it.

Enjoy!

I play a lot of adventure games, where you have to solve puzzles to proceed.(Examples: "A Vampyre Story", Sherlock Homes series, Agatha Christie series, Nancy Drew series, Still Life series, Syberia, etc) I love the brainwork, and often guesswork, involved. I just recently "discovered" hidden object games and have played several as a break from having to think too hard!

"Return to Ravenhearst" is an incredibly fun combination of the two game types, with the added bonus that there is very little of the character conversations that can go on interminably in an adventure game.

I had a total blast playing this game. I've often told people of PC games I've played with pleasure, but this is a game that I really recommend.

I played on a PC XP with no problem. If you need a hint, the walkthrough on gamezebo com is good.

BFG have outdone themselves with this game. The graphics, music, puzzles-all combined to make this one of the best hidden object games I've ever played. I like all the MCF games. Madame Fate is my favorite. The Hidden Expedition: Amazon is a favorite also. Granted, these are not games that you just look for hidden objects. There are numerous puzzles throughout the game that you solve also. I am getting very bored with playing the usual HO games. I find that some of them are a waste of money. Now, I look for a demo of a particuliar game and play it before I purchase it.
Hopefully, that insures I won't be wasting my time and money. BFG studios have really succeeded in releasing some awesome games. MCF Return To Ravenhearst is one of them!!

I adored the first Ravenhearst game, as well as the Mystery Case Files Prime Suspect game, so I was very much looking forward to the Ravehearst sequel. I was surprised to find myself not looking for hidden objects much of the time, but instead trying to solve various puzzles using inventory items I had picked up. I suppose in some ways, this is kind of like taking the hidden object game to the next level, but on the other hand, all I really wanted to do was to find some hidden objects, not try to solve a bunch of brain teasers. Most of the puzzles were pretty straight-forward and easy to solve, but I found myself skipping many of them, because I wanted to search for hidden objects instead!

The storyline itself is fairly creepy and gruesome (when you really start to think about it) and the live actors were lame, lame, lame. I think animation would have served the purpose much better because every time a real person appeared, I couldn't get over the bad acting and the fake British accents.

Even though I found myself angry much of the time at the lack of hidden object searching, I did enjoy the game. I would warn future users, though, that you won't just be finding that clock or piece of asparagus hidden amongst other items; you're going to be spending a LOT of time solving an endless series of puzzles as well.

Like a lot of Ravenhearst fans, I eagerly anticipated this game. I was disappointed. Sure, it's a hidden object game, but it is intensely frustrating. You can't move beyond certain areas of the game if you can't figure out the intricate puzzle(s) involved. If I hadn't found a guide on-line, I could never have finished the game. The graphics and sound are stunning, and finding the hidden objects is definitely challenging, but it has changed so much from the original game upon which it is based that I couldn't fully enjoy it.

I had so much fun playing this game! I liked the first Ravenhearst, but this one was much more interesting. The graphics and music were excellent and the story kept my interest to the very end. The hidden objects were challenging to find, but not impossible. It was not difficult to figure out what to do with the items in inventory and I got through most the mini games without having to skip them. I liked the idea that you are not racing against a clock for each scene or game. I spent all my spare time playing this game until I finished it. Loved it, I can't wait for the next one.

I loved this game! It builds on the story presented in the original Ravenhearst game, but it is important to note that the designers completely changed the game format for this one. It is much more of a real detective game where the need to figure out a variety of challenging puzzles overshadows the hidden object searches. If you are looking for a classic hidden object game like the original Ravenhearst, then this is NOT what you are looking for.

This game reminded me of the Myst mystery PC games. You need to do a lot of exploring, clicking on things, and backtracking. You'll need to figure out things like how to get into the front gate, how to get a key away from the cat, etc. Almost every door and passageway requires you to solve a challenging brain game. You'll also need to find hidden objects along the way. Every time you search for hidden objects in a location, there will be one object you find that will move to your toolbox and you'll need to use it somewhere along your journey.

While it keeps track of the amount of time you've played, there is no time limit for any activity. I liked that because I don't like to give up and with a time limit, you sometimes have to use hints to get done in time. With this, you can keep plugging away until you figure it out on your own. You do have the option of getting hints, but after each hint, you have to wait quite a while before you can get another one. You can also choose to skip a puzzle, but if you do, it will add 30 minutes to the running total of time you've played.

As I said, this builds on the story in the original Ravenhearst game. However, you don't need to play the original in order to enjoy this one. All you need to know is there was a weird guy named Charles who became obsessed with a woman named Emma Ravenhearst over 100 years ago. He built her a mansion and imprisoned her in it. Her spirit still roams around the mansion.

I do want to point out that the sounds, sites, and subject matter of the game are kind of creepy. It says it's for ages 10 and up. I think some sensitive kids, and maybe even some adults, may find it to be a little too scary or yucky. It's not gory or violent, but it still could disturb some people because it deals with spirits. It also has some insects in it. One hidden object scene which was uncomfortable even to me was an old filthy bathtub with a weird mannequin in it and lots of little ants scurrying around while you hunt for objects. The ants were so realistic that it made me feel like they were on me sometimes. I still loved the game and highly recommend it, but I felt I needed to point out the creepy factor in case that makes a difference to some people.

I really enjoyed the Return to Ravenhearst game, it was a lot different from other hidden object games that I have played (and I have played a lot). I didn't expect how creepy it was sometimes, but it was very well done and it did not have the blood and gore that is put in a lot of games to make them creepy. Some of the puzzles are very challenging, but if you like puzzles, this is a good game to play. One suggestion, try playing this game sometime with the lights dim, it definitely adds to the spooky effect. I liked the music and the great sound effects, and I liked that big Fish Games took the time to add an in depth storyline, too many games are just about clicking your way through the game, i like having a story as well. I would recommend this game to anyone, try it!

Return to Ravenhearst is one of the best Hidden Object Games that I have ever played. The graphics, the sound and the puzzles are all great.

I am very good at these types of games but I had to consult a walkthrough myself as some of these puzzles are just wicked! For those about to purchase the game, I would suggest you take notes as to where you are in the house as there is a bit of back and forth here.

If you are short on patience, this might not be the game for you but all in all, its well worth the price.

I know that if I wait a few months and then play the game again, it will almost be like the first time.

This game is one of the best I have played yet! It rates right up there with the Nancy Drew games. It is such an adventure from the very beginning. Hidden objects are a small part of the game. There is a purpose for finding the hidden objects. You will use some of the items to help solve puzzles in the game. The graphics are UNREAL. Great job with the story line. It's quite a lengthy game. You really get your money's worth with this one.