Featured: Android Game Review – Mysteryville 2

Game Name: Mysteryville 2 by Nevosoft

Description: The heroine from the first game, Laura Winner, returns to Mysteryville this time for some needed relaxation after her exploits in the (excellent) first game - with a visit to her friend Bill. However, this is Mysteryville and as such, Bill has gone missing only days before an art auction, organised by the town’s new Priest, is to be held. Could this auction and Bill’s disappearance – both strange for the small town of Mysteryville – be connected? It’s up to Laura to find out once again. Laura will have to once again, put her detective hat on and get down to hunting for clues in order to stop yet another tragedy from occuring. You can watch the trailer below.

How It Works: Mysteryville 2, like the first game before it, is essentially a classic clue-finding game. These games will take you from place-to-place to interact with a good variety of characters before having to fulfil tasks that will lead you to finding your all important clues. The game’s mechanic, whilst relatively simple, remains excellent gameplay, the game will have you finding alsorts of items from glasses to house keys, you’ll be very busy indeed. All you need to do is, once you’ve found one of the items from the list on the left, is touch it on the screen and it’ll disappear – clearing the path for you to find other items and eventually the main clue. The game has a timer up top that counts down to zero as you complete each stage, giving you an added challenge as you scour the stage for all the items. You can also post to Twitter and Facebook after you complete each stage meaning, your friends can track how you’re getting on and vice-versa – something that seems to be a big hit with Mobile gamers.

One feature that stood out to me as particularly good is the penalty you’ll be given if you randomly tap around the screen you’ll be given a 20 second time penalty, something that I feel is one of those little additions that makes a lot of difference. It’s something that will stop players ruining their own experience by rushing through stages.

Opinion: I hadn’t really played many games like this before, I’m more of a console gamer myself, so I try to stay away from onscreen controls and the like. This, however was a great change of pace for me, it’s casual yet engaging at the same time, I was able to sit down with a cup of coffee and go through a couple of stages comfortably on the couch, something that console games and ports for Android really don’t offer. My Girlfriend is an absolute mystery lover, she’s watched all the CSI’s and the Criminal Mind types of shows you can name, as such she was my perfect guinea pig, she’s played a few detective games that are on the Play Store and the first thing she said about Mysteryville 2 was that it looked unique and engaging. I think it’s the variety of interesting characters and scenes that keeps the game fresh.
Tips:-

• Take a good look at the scene before you dive in, memorising item locations helps a lot and makes the game flow nicely.
• Try not to tap randomly in one area – you’ll be given the penalty mentioned earlier – you’re only cheating yourself out of a challenge.
• Keep a close eye on the list of upcoming items on the left, focussing on one might slow you down.
• Don’t play all the levels at once, it plays out more like a mystery novel if you take your time – a good one at that!

Ratings:-

• Speed (3/5) – The game has a gentle pace and is great for a casual play whilst relaxing, fans of Riptide GP and faster games might find it a be slow though.
• Features (4/5) – Mysteryville 2 has a variety of challenges focussed around the object finding genre, ranging from a frantic find all to the odd anagram, there’s a nice gamut of things to do.
• Theme (4/5) – As much fun as a good mystery novel is, parts of the game can seem a bit farfetched, over all it plays out well with some welcome twists.
• Overall (4/5) – There’s a lot to love in Mysteryville 2 – much like there was in the first game - from crisp detailed graphics more like art than backdrops, unique characters and easy, accessible gameplay for all it’s well worth the asking price.

Pros:-

• The graphics really are something to look at, they scale well to tablets and generally look great on whatever you play it on making the whole experience a breeze to look at.
• A strong variety of characters throughout it all keeps things fresh and interesting right from the get go.
• Accessible gameplay makes for a frustration free experience to enjoy at your own pace.

Cons:-

• Sometimes there is a lot of time left on the countdown making it seem a little too easy.
• Some of the dialogue from the characters can seem a tad farfetched but then again this is a mystery game.
• Some levels take longer than others which can drag a little.

Conclusion: I like a change from what I’m used to and Mysteryville 2 was certainly the change I needed, after playing fast paced games with finicky onscreen controls being able to use the touchscreen for exactly what it’s meant for was welcome. Like I’ve said, being able to play this game in comfort wherever and whenever was a big hit for me, meaning I could spend more time than I normally would on a game. It’s also good to play with someone else – my girlfriend and I ended up making a pretty good team spotting all the items and clues the other didn’t – something I hardly ever do side by side anymore.
It should be noted that it worked perfectly well on both my Nexus S and my Iconia Tab A100 both running ICS with no issues, making the A100 a perfect partner on the sofa these last few days.
You can find Mysteryville 2 in the Play Store