Crime Secrets: Crimson Lily

As a casual fan of Artifex Mundi and their well-known style, I couldn't stand this game at all. First off, a HO misspelling that completely changes a scene: "Bowl" should be "Bow." You'll know when you get there. The rest of the typos probably won't stump you at least. * The graphics are fine: They are in the typical AM style, inoffensive, and I would now suspect AI generated, but back then were just generic. Very little flash or polish, but at least things look like they fit the time period (which appears to be the 80's) and are pretty visible without being distractingly out of place. * Voice acting is pretty bad. Sometimes they even misread their lines, but mostly they suffer through bad writing and earn a paycheck. * Puzzles have some variety but no challenge. Occasionally they throw in classics, since none of their original ideas are much good, but * Story is abysmal and absurd, the plot and the writing are just cringe all around. It could easily be ripped from an early Nancy Drew book, only making sense to kids who have no idea how anything works in real life. Particularly with concussions and soaked rags being used to knock the player out; the 1940s want their tropes back. I know these games are aimed at bored housewives, but come on, no one can be that willing to suspend disbelief. * This game is much worse than usual about invoking that old trope, "if you hadn't thrown away that tool in the last scene, you wouldn't be desperate searching for another in this one!" There were at least a dozen times when I had already had something that would've worked great, but the game discarded it for me. Despite that it also kept some around for many scenes! Artificial stupidity is bad design. Although the main character is written so stupid that it might not be artificial. I would have enjoyed this game more if it had simply cut every conversation and cutscene completely, and been nothing but a confusing jumble of puzzle scenes. It still would have made more sense. Not even sure I'm glad I got it on sale, since I was enticed into experiencing a pretty terrible game this way.

Anyone who knows Artifex Mundi knows what kind of games they churn out: Hidden-object games with a crime theme and a female protagonist. This is just one of many, and, I'd say it's in the easier end of the spectrum. - The plot is, well, it's here, but if you play games solely for the plot you are going to be disappointed - although there is a nice bit of foreshadowing and twists here and there, there's not nearly enough time to make anyone seem like anything more than props. Although they do somehow manage to tie everything up in the end. - Acting is wooden, but no worse than your average teenage drama. - Graphics are Artifex Mundi. All their games look the same. Although I must give props to some of the backgrounds, especially in nature, that look *really* good in high-resolution, gives off the same vibes as the cover art for "In the Nightside Eclipse". - Music is surprisingly good in places. Some of this ambient almost resembles stuff like Nox Arcana. Most of the time it is average, but every so often it *really* hits the spot - Gameplay: As far as hidden-object games go, this is pretty easy most of the time. It uses a "Reconstruct the crimescene" mechanic a couple of times and it is all extremely easy to get through. Although some of the puzzles get a little obtuse due to poor explanation of what you are supposed to do. I ended up skipping a single puzzle out of frustration, and it was literally the very last one in the game. - Achievement-hunting: Almost every achievement unlocks naturally. A few are related to optional collectibles that are actually extremely well hidden, so there *is* a bit of a challenge for people looking for that. I'm assuming this game was marketed to adolescent girls, but it also works great as a hangover game and for anyone who just want to pass time with something that doesn't require too much brainpower. I'm recommending it, not because it is a masterpiece, but because it is exactly what it says on the tin: Murder-mystery hidden-object game, can be completed in a few hours.

This was annoying. However, the game works, has a map, and I enjoyed most of the minigames. The killer's motivations were poor (not that they weren't understandable, mind, just that the killer seemed to be already willing to kill and only used their motive as an excuse), the deaths were arbitrary and weirdly elaborate, and the protagonist has all the wits and detective skills of a soft-boiled egg. Also, why the lack of urgency when you KNOW A MURDER IS CURRENTLY TAKING PLACE? Are you afraid that you will catch the murderer? Or do you just hate the victim you've barely met? What possible reason do you have to be this dumb? Whatever the answer, this protagonist is terrible at her job. There was also a LOT of backtracking (thank goodness for the map!), several paths that make no sense from an architectural standpoint, and most of the hidden object puzzles changed either the shape or color of the objects you were looking for, instead of actually hiding them. All in all, not terrible, but it was annoying.

I like hidden object games and I've played many of them. This is better than most! The visual style is consistent enough and the objects mostly stay inside the theme of the story. Only in one instance, in my opinion, they use objects that don't fit the theme: the chemical lab objects. Some characters look too much like each other, they should look more distinct. It's not too hard or too easy. It's a good game.

Интересное развитие событий. Головоломки средние, всегда можно пропустить.

Я продолжаю покупать игры от студии Artifex Mundi по скидкам, которые действуют до 25 августа 2025 года. Недавно я столкнулся с проблемой в одной из головоломок, где нужно было найти лампу в подвале, где были спрятаны лампочки. Из-за бага игра перестала работать, но после переустановки все работает. Часть хорошая но анимации и видеоролики так же квесты немного раздражают и однотипны.

Crime Secrets is a decent Hidden Object Mystery starring an old time favorite, the detective who finds a murder while on vacation. The story heads down from a mountain resort to a nearby town that, despite the otherwise grounded and gritty setting, is under threat from mad science. Good animations, plot and story could be better.