Mystery Case Files: The Harbinger Collector's Edition Reviews

A fun mystery game with lots of puzzles to solve throughout. Mystery Case Files never fails to satisfy my hidden object / puzzle / mystery game craving!

I really liked this part the tarot cards collis were a really cool feature and the story about aisling was very well made. I had a lot of fun playing this game EVEN though i wasnt too much into the open ending because its kind of a cheap way to make the player buy the next part. But all in one a really nice and good game. I can highly recommend it

I was very surprised and was honestly shocked at the ending because I didn't put 2 and 2 together. Loved the puzzles. Good tempo. Good HOG screens. Overall 9/10. Loved it!

I played less than 2 hours and had to put it down. I adore the Mystery Case Files series, I've been obsessively playing through them for the past two weeks, but this one was awful. The moment it started, something felt off. The story seemed jumbled, and it didn't give much of a backstory to really sell the plot at the start. It seems like the search and find sections were small, and no longer a large part of the game. The gameplay felt slow and awkward, and certain puzzles felt like they had no explanation or reason. This game is hard to play all the way through, I will not be finishing it.

Had some good moments, but overall wasn't worthwhile. Forgettable plot, same gameplay. Not reccomended, unless you happen to get it as part of a bundle.

Game breaking Bug: crashed in the final cut scene and cannot be reloaded just keeps crashing to desktop - so I'm not credited with finishing the game so cannot do the bonus chapter or finish achievements. I'd have to delete/start a new player and replay the entire thing and hope it doesn't crash again - which would bore me out of my mind since I've already figured all the puzzles out.

It is a good game, but I recently replayed Dire Grove and Fate's Carnival and in no way is it in their league. If you like the signature Big Fish mcf mega puzzles that open on to a huge strange contraption with few clues that you have to click and hover your way to figuring wtf?!? you will be disappointed in this offering. Lots of finding pieces that you have to remember what it goes to and the story is engaging but its no Madame Fate.

Game locks up at the end and you can't finish it. Keeps kicking you put and you try to restart, but keeps kicking you out. Not worth it if it doesn't allow you to finish.

I thought this was the worst game MCF has ever made. It was like a child's game. The story was like a child's story. What happened here? This will be my last MCF game that I ever buy at full price. Very disappointed. While the puzzles were easy, some of them had no instructions so I had no idea what the developer wanted. I hope this is worst MCF game, I don't ever want to pay for another game like this! Shame on you all for putting an MCF label on this game.

Once more you step into the shoes of the Master Detective in Mystery Case Files: The Harbinger. Considering the game was made by a new developer, Grandma Studios, will it prove a good addition to the series or another letdown? Story/Plot: This time the Master Detective is summoned to investigate what appears to be a simple murder in a small time. Considering how many dangers the detective faced in previous entries, this might be considered to be a waste of time. As you can guess, this is quickly proven to be false. Supernatural forces quickly makes itself known, escalating the case into something the Master Detective would be used to by now. Without giving to many spoilers away, you will see the ties between this case and other previous entries. This wouldn't be an issue, but at this point, the 3-4 games before this does the exact same thing, and I can't help but feel that 'look, just make something that can stand alone.' I also get leery about later games tying into previous ones. The reason? So many entries retconned details from the early games, it basically made some of them moot. These weren't minor details either. However, I'm pleased to say that this game doesn't really retcon anything major, but so much adapt it. This immediately makes it better than some of the more immediate entries before it. There is another thing about the game I think prospective buyers should be careful of. While the game is complete, you will see it is the start of yet another arc, so if you want a complete set then you might wait until the next entry is released on Steam. Finally, if you beat the main game, you will then get a bonus chapter. I was pleasantly surprised that I liked the bonus chapter. It doesn't give any major surprises, but it does give slightly more insight to events that happened in the main game. Visuals: As you might expect from a Hidden Object Game, the visuals are normally limited to static pictures/backgrounds that you explore. In this regard, the game is adequate. It doesn't do anything daring (like FOV sequences some earlier entries may do), but neither does it make to many mistakes. To be honest, the only complaint I could have is that it would've been nice to have a few more areas to explore. The world is quite small, so you will quickly get used to what is there. Gameplay: As with other games of this genre, this game consists of Hidden Object Screens, mini-games, and point-and-click adventure game elements. I am glad to say they at least try to change up the Hidden Object Games. Sometimes you have to match the picture of an item, while other screens require multiple steps to find an item such as finding a pair of scissors to cut open a ribbon to reveal an object hidden in a container. The mini-games go from logic puzzles that experience players will have seen before, to multi-stage puzzles. As a result, you actually don't see to many puzzles recycled within the game itself. As for the difficulty of the puzzles, I did find most of them easy but when you play many HOGs, it almost becomes second nature. Furthermore, the game also have extra collectibles to find in the game: tarot cards and puzzle pieces. These aren't essential, but collecting everything unlocks a very simple tarot deck/predictor or a puzzle to play with after your done. If I had a complaint in this quarter, it is in the point and click elements: namely the reliance unique locks and handles. In this universe, there must be whole factories churning out a million types of locks and handles. Now, you can always expect some as a staple of the genre, but it did seem excessive here. That said, I'm at least glad they didn't go the route of requiring you to find ten+ different cutting items/objects when you already used a knife, dagger, etc. Yeah, this is another pet peeve I can't help but notice when games do this to artificially pad out the length. Sound/Music The game has voice acting in it, and it can be a toss-up as to whether it is good or not in games like this. I'm pleased to say that while there isn't a large amount of dialogue, the voice artists actually knew what they were doing and didn't seem to be reading and mumbling from a script before them. The music is also fine. There was nothing that made me want to cover my ears, but neither is there anything I would go out of my way to listen to. Still, if you do like soundtracks, then the Steam version gives you access to music. Difficulty I found this game fairly easy, overall. Of course, a lot of that is from the fact I've played a lot of Hidden Object Games. You get the standard array of time refreshes, puzzle skips, hints, etc. However, you can adjust the time up or down to make it harder or easier as well as turning off hints, etc. Extras/Achievements As mentioned, completing the main game unlocks a bonus chapter. Additionally, there is an Extras area where you can listen to music, replay mini-games, etc. As for achievements, there are no Steam Achievements, but there are some within the game itself. Recommendation: So would I recommend this game? This series used to be one I loved, but it reached a certain point where it went downhill. However, despite my complaints, I did enjoy this game. So if you are looking to pass some time, then this is a decent diversion. Is it worth the asking price? In that regard, I would have to say no. Now, if you find it on a good sale down the road, I would say yes, but there just isn't enough here to justify the price when you can find other games in the same price range. One other thing I'd like to note: Normally, Big Fish Games will put their series in a bundle package which, if you buy at once, can also give a slight discount. Mystery Case Files is no exception...except this game isn't in the bundle. It is possible it will be added later, but I wouldn't hold out breath. After all, there are still 4 older Case File games (in the middle of the series) which haven't been put out on Steam yet...