As hidden-object games continue to gain in popularity, the market is getting flooded with a glut of games that, on the surface seem different from one another in that they all have different stories, different locations, and different characters.  But, when it comes down to the brass tacks of the matter, they are all very similar.  Go to a scene.  Locate a laundry list of hidden objects.  Sometimes the objects have a common theme, most of the time they are random objects that must be located to go on to the next scene.  The Treasures of Mystery Island, however, has found a rather unique way to discern itself from the dozens of hidden-object games already available, and it adds a welcome dimension to a genre flooded with mediocrity.

In The Treasures of Mystery Island, you play a courier, Alex, whose plane is struck by an electrical storm.  You are forced to land on a remote island inhabited by a tribal race of people.  The cargo which you were carrying, which included postal packages for dozens of people, is scattered around different locations on the island.  The locals are willing to help, but only if you help them in return.  This basically means cleaning up the cluttered messes in the various buildings on the island.  And this is where Mystery Island distiguishes itself from the crowd.  While cleaning up the various areas, you are looking for pieces of objects as opposed to the objects themselves.  You are presented with pictures of the objects for a particular scene at the bottom of ths screen, and as you find their pieces, the corresponding pieces of the object will disappear, making it easier to discern what you are looking for.  Once you have completed the objects, you must then use them in other scenes to complete puzzles, such as putting the grate back on an exhaust duct, or completing a set of tribal masks.  Many times these puzzles will launch into a mini game.  You might have to screw the screws of the grate in a particular order, or complete a puzzle of torn map pieces.

Once you have completed a series of puzzles, you then revisit some of the rooms to locate objects belonging to a particular postal customer.  You’ll be asked to find all of the objects that are a kid’s toys, or all of the objects belonging to a law enforcement officer.  Finishing these earns you a card with their picture.  You can also earn trophies for meeting certain criteria during your searches, such as finding ten consecutive objects without clicking on a non-object, or completing a minigame in under a minute.

The graphics for the game are a mixed bag.  The hidden object scenes are well done, almost to the point of being too well done, as may times objects blend in so well with their backgrounds they are nearly impossible to locate.  Luckily, an unlimited hint system will help quite a bit here.  The story graphics well done, for the most part.  The one disturbing quality is the fact that the heads of all the characters are freakishly disproportionate to their bodies.  It’s just really unsettling to look at.  Sound is okay, nothing to write home about, but nothing that had me scrambling to hit the mute button.  On the whole, the game is well done, and a lot of fun to play, once you get the hang of the gameplay.  The Treasures of Mystery Island sets a new standard for hidden-object gameplay that hopefully other developers will step up to in the future.

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(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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