Mystery Trackers: Black Isle Collector's Edition

[b]Mystery Trackers 3: Black Isle[/b] (IHOG) [i]This is a standalone game[/i] Abandon logic, ye who enter here. Early on I learned that this would be a game filled with "game logic", threw up my hands and just embraced the madness. Usually I like clicking on the environment to see what our character's observations are, but apparently, in this game we're clairvoyant. Clicking on an item will get you something like, "I'll need to find the missing puzzle pieces before I can open the false bottom." The black bar hints are present even in Hardcore Mode. So why am I recommending this game? Read on stalwart gamer, read on! Options include four sliders for sounds, a Gamma slider, Full-screen (auto-widescreen) and Custom Cursor. Choice of three difficulties, which can be changed at any time. [b]Story[/b]: A reporter has been abducted whilst filming on a supposedly-abandoned island. It's up to you to find her and discover why she was taken and by whom. There is a surprising depth to the story, so it's one of the things I really enjoyed about the game. We have NO [b]Journal[/b], so any clues that you find will remain where you find them. The story is easy enough to track, with semi-frequent cutscenes and notes (the aforementioned clues) that we discover during our journey. For fans of the series, this is the installment where we first meet our adorable helper, Elf. [b]Gameplay[/b]: Be on the lookout for [b]OWLS[/b] as you play. There are 50 of them hidden across the main game, and they can be found anywhere, including zoom-ins and on HOS. The [b]MAP [/b]is interactive, and has an insta-transport option... Good thing, too, as there is a LOT of to-ing and fro-ing in this one! If you use a [b]HINT [/b]during the adventure portion of the game, you will be told EXACTLY what you should be doing next, including the outcome of that action. Things like, "You could use x-item to do x-thing in the lobby, and then you should find x-item hidden there." (There's that clairvoyance again!) The [b]Hidden Object Scenes[/b] have a technique that I've never seen used before. Having a separate tabs for your to-find list and your inventory is nothing new, but using an item from your inventory that you found [u][i]somewhere else[/i][/u] is entirely new to me. Items listed in purple need some kind of interaction (or an inventory item) before you can find/collect them. There were a couple of really long [b]Mini-games[/b], but they were really interesting, so I wanted to finish them. For the most part, the puzzles were fun to do. There's a great balance between adventuring and hidden objects. HOS do not repeat, so if you're collecting owls, be sure to check scenes over carefully before finding that last item! [b]Sights and Sounds[/b]: One of the first things I noticed about the game is that they use live actors. The acting is surprisingly good, though I would have liked to see their images integrated into the artwork a little better. The graphics are ovreall non-remarkable, and the HOS are your standard junkpiles. The music was fitting, and the storm sound effects set the tone nicely. I would've liked to turn off the sound for the achievements, though as that SFX was really annoying! [b]CE Content[/b]: [list] [*]50 Collectible Owls [*]Integrated Strategy Guide [*]Bonus Chapter [*]20 In-game Achievements [*]8 Wallpapers [*]4 Music Tracks [*]8 Concept Art [*]Bonus Videos [/list] The Bonus Videos are pretty fun to watch. They show some short outtakes, original casting, original/test intros for the game and... Something else which made me giggle - I won't spoil it for you. ;D [b]Bonus Chapter[/b]: The way the main game ends leaves you with closure, but also a promise of something to happen in the future. That "something" can be found in the bonus chapter, which starts "years" later on the same island. Something's gone wrong and your help has been urgently requested. The logic is even more skewed in the bonus than it was in the main game, but I can say that it was still fun, and that I liked the change to the environment/graphics. [b]Verdict[/b]: Despite its many flaws, Black Isle is an entertaining game with some fun gameplay and interesting puzzles. They managed to surprise me with direction the story took, which I definitely liked, and I really enjoyed the twist they added to the hidden object scenes. Recommended to IHOG fans and to those who want to see just how crazy game logic can be. Really, that's part of the fun! ;D

[b][u]Game Information[/u][/b] "Mystery Trackers: Black Isle" Collector's Edition is a Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure game. The game was developed by Elephant Games and published by Big Fish Games Studio. "Black Isle" is the third episode of "Mystery Trackers." Previous episodes: "The Void" and "Raincliff." Since this is a collector's edition game, it comes with extra features that are not available in its counterpart; the standard edition. [b][u]The Game Review[/u][/b] Game Visuals I want to mention that the visual for the game is nicely done. The visuals can be adjusted in the game's option menu. Please do note that this is an old game, it might not play well on wide screen monitors in full screen mode; due to the game's format. Game Audio I want to mention that audio for the game is well done. Even though the audio is somewhat simplistic and repetitive. The audio can be adjusted in the game's option menu as well. Gameplay There are no game difficulty modes to choose from. There is no interactive map in the game. The player has to remember where to go in the game. There is no padlock feature that is available to lock the inventory panel in place. The inventory panel is stationary. The hidden object scenes consist of the following: Traditional word lists. Some of these hidden object scenes may require little or no interaction. The puzzles are fairly easy to solve without having the need to skip any of them. There is an animal helper in the game: a dog named Elf. However, the helper appears late in the game. The helper can complete certain tasks that the players themselves cannot complete themselves. There is a collectible in the game: Owl. They are scattered throughout the game for the player to find. There are twelve different achievements that can be unlocked from playing the game. All the achievements do come with some requirements that need to be completed in order for them to be unlocked. These are in-game achievements only. Since this is a collector's edition game, there is a bonus chapter, but it can be accessed only after the main story is completed. Miscellaneous There are extra features in the game: Bonus Chapter; Game Strategy Guide; Screen Saver; Soundtracks; Concept Art and Wallpapers. Most of these extra features can be accessed only after the entire game is completed. Final thoughts: I have found the game enjoyable to a certain extent. The replay value for the game is low. I would recommend this game, but not at the game's full price value.

run-of-the-mill 5-hour big fish hidden object adventure, developed by elephant games. entries in the [i]mystery trackers[/i] series are standalone and I don't like hogs to begin with, so I only play the ones with cheesy fmv. not many of them altogether, not even every game in this series, and sadly not all of them are on steam, but if you like one, you'll like the rest. this has the usual trimmings too: various difficulties, basic settings, hidden object scenes, map with fast travel, hints, puzzle skip, strategy guide, collectibles, cut content restored, soundtrack, concept art, even some unused footage and a blooper reel. the game saves constantly and when you quit, what's missing is an inventory lock button to make it stay on-screen all the time.

decent adventure, lots of hidden objects, HOG and puzzles

Definitely better-than-average game for the genre, if you keep in mind it's old. I have nothing to say about story, voiceover, that sort of thing because I don't care that much about it. The mini-puzzles were all inventive (although some were quite simple as is expected). It was not just the same puzzles you see in games over and over, which is the case with a lot of the newer games. Lots of stuff to find. There wasn't too much backtracking for my tastes, but it wasn't a nearly linear progression as in some games (which I also don't like). It had the right amount of back and forth. It was not too short like most of the newer games. The map was largely useless to me. You could use it to travel, but it wasn't very useful to use as a "hint". I don't recall if you could change the difficulty level.

nice and long but the map doesn't work had to use the hint a lot

no thx

Fun game, cool art style

game cuan

EXCELLENT