Hidden object games are kind of like people - they're only interesting if you know their story. That's why it's no surprise that game developers have turned to the classics for plots to plunder. Picking through the pixels on your screen for obscure items simply feels more rewarding when you can imagine that it's all in the service of some grand drama - and the king of all revenge tales, The Count of Monte Cristo, is nothing if not a grand drama.
The Count of Monte Cristo kicks off with a series of illustrated scenes retelling the story of how Edmond Dantes was betrayed, framed and exiled, and then throws you into your first hidden object screen to begin your journey to revenge. In addition to over 20 locations (re-used for the different stages) and about a thousand objects to find, the developers throw in some mandatory mini-puzzles between levels, such as a map jigsaw puzzle when escaping the Island of Monte Cristo, as well as match-3, Sudoku and other game types - a total of 15 in all. I enjoyed these puzzles tremendously for their change of pace, but the initial map puzzle did seem a bit on the hard side.
Rest assured, however, the core of the game is all about the hidden objects. Each location is stacked thick with irrelevant objects to search through, and it takes some hard looking to find the more obscure objects. I certainly couldn't make it without the hint system, as some objects were really cunningly blended into the background. Again, the designers have aimed for a higher difficulty level than some other hidden object games.
Speaking of the hint system that I couldn't do without, this particular game makes you keep going back to the Island of Monte Cristo location to search a darkened treasure screen for "diamonds" (actually colored gems) that can earn you additional hints. It's nice to have this source of replenishing hints, especially when you find yourself wondering yet again which "box" you're supposed to find, in a room filled with wooden chests and jewelry boxes.
I would have appreciated it if some of the clues were a little less obscure, and perhaps better named. Some people have also complained about grammar and language errors, in both the clue list and some of the story text. However, once the story gets out of the way, it's only the clues and the hidden objects that will occupy you for the length of the game - and it's certainly one that you'll be playing for a while.
Review by
Poh Tun Kai
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