Last fall, I had the pleasure of traveling to Casual Connect USA and interviewing Polish game developer Artifex Mundi. They announced three upcoming games to us during the event: Nightmares from the Deep: The Siren’s Call, Deadlings, and Enigmatis: The Mists of Ravenwood. Siren’s Call came out in November, followed by Deadlings in February, leaving only Mists of Ravenwood unreleased.
At last Enigmatis: Mists of Ravenwood has launched on Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 and RT – before Android and iOS! The sequel to Enigmatis: The Ghosts of Maple Creek, Mists is a mystery and horror-based Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure game (HOPA). And like all Artifex Mundi games, it’s available at a special discounted launch price for a limited time only.
Follow that bird
In the Ghosts of Maple Creek, players controlled a woman who awoke in the empty streets of a town with no memory of how she got there. She eventually recalls her identity as a detective sent to investigate the disappearance of a teenage girl. The culprit - a demonic preacher – manages to elude her as the story ends.
The preacher is back in Mists of Ravenwood. Our detective heroine once again sets out to hunt him down, following a trail of disappearances to the rural area called Ravenwood. There she encounters a gigantic black bird (who is probably not made of wood) and a frightened young girl whose parents were seemingly stolen by the beast. And thus another dark mystery begins…
Search for clues
As a HOPA game, players will move from scene to scene looking for clues and items that will aid them in their investigation. Each of the 55 hand-painted scenes is full of gorgeous detail and vivid colors. They even feature lots of animations like ambient wildlife that keep them from feeling too static.
As you investigate the mysterious Ravenwood Park, you’ll encounter numerous puzzles and 25 minigames. Some of the items our heroine finds get marked as evidence and added to the evidence table. Discover enough clues and you’ll be able to draw conclusions that advance the story. You’ll also earn up to 35 non-Xbox Achievements for your actions.
As our heroine progresses through this tale of mystery, she’ll encounter 19 hidden object scenes. These scenes are more complex and involved than in many HOPA titles. You’ll have to interact with objects multiple times, combining and fiddling with them as you find new tools scattered throughout the scene. The addition of mild puzzle elements give these scenes a unique flavor.
An expansive adventure
Mists of Ravenwood contains all of the bonus content found in the Collector’s Edition game on PC. The star element is a bonus adventure, something Artifex Mundi likes to throw into their games. Other bonuses include an Encyclopedia that tracks the game’s lore,
Enigmatis: The Mists of Ravenwood is an another engaging adventure game from Artifex Mundi. The production values are right up there with the Nightmares from the Deep series, which is to say fairly high for the genre. The developer has done a good job in making this sequel accessible to new players, too. There are ties to the first game but you can still jump right in without feeling lost.
Enigmatis is free to download, but you can only go so far before you’re asked to purchase the full game. Think of it as a demo. The full unlock costs $2.99 right now on Windows Phone and $4.99 on Windows 8. Get it now before the price goes up in a few weeks.
- Enigmatis: The Mists of Ravenwood – Windows Phone 8 – 312 MB – $2.99 (sale price) – Store Link
- Enigmatis: The Mists of Ravenwood – Windows 8 and RT – 692 MB – $4.99 (sale price) – Store Link (opens in new tab)
