Facebook: Mystery Manor Review

Yet another hidden object game has come to Facebook. While I love hidden object games, as you know, I'm not sure Facebook is the best medium for them.

Yet another hidden object game has come to Facebook. While I love hidden object games, as you know, I'm not sure Facebook is the best medium for them. The newest one, Mystery Manor, has you trapped in a mansion, which reminds me a bit of the Clue board, and you have to find objects and complete quests. Objects can either be found by name or by silhouette. Each time you revisit a room, some of the items move around. The object is to escape the mansion, but of course that would mean actually ending the game, so I'm not sure anyone actually ever escapes the mansion. There are all kinds of extras. Besides just looking for objects, you can accept a quest which will send you to a certain room to find a certain object. You earn coins and reputation as you play. You can collect special items and once you have a full set, they can be turned in for more gold coins. What do you spend the coins on? Items to help you play the game, such as, hints or collectables. Some of these items cost diamonds, which as far as I can tell cost real money. You can also help out your FB friends (who are also playing the game) by clicking on them and searching their houses, and essentially trying to beat their time. Each day you play you get a loyalty charm, once you collect four parts of a charm, you can turn it in for a item that will help you in the game. The current one, for example, gives you more money when you search and a 10% increase on finding the item you seek - not the ones in the list, but special items that you can't actually see. I'm not sure why you can't see the "special" items, unless I am missing something somewhere in translation. Of course with all FB games, you have to level up to proceed. Did I mention, some rooms won't even unlock until you level up and/or find the key? You also have energy, needed to continue searching rooms. Once it runs out, you're done searching until it fills back up. And like most FB games, you can send gifts to your friends and even compliments, although I haven't figure out what they do. The game graphics aren't great. I wasn't impressed. I think there is far too much extra stuff going on to actually enjoy the game. There is very little in way of instruction as to what to do or even why you need to do it. You learn as you go and then you are still left slightly confused. Nearly everything cost diamonds, which like I said before, cost real money. The story is appealing, but the game play just isn't there. If you like hidden object games and Facebook, feel free to try it, but it's not a game I recommend.