For those wanting to get into “hidden object” games and looking for a game that is fun, not too difficult and not to easy will want to pick up “Treasures of Mystery Island 3 Pack” as it contains the trilogy for under $10. For the first game in the series (The Treasures of Mystery Island: The First Adventure), I had a lot of fun playing this hidden object game (which includes over a dozen puzzles) and I am looking forward to playing the next two games included in the 3-pack.Â
VIDEO GAME TITLE: The Treasures of Mystery Island: The First Adventure (as part of the Treasures of Mystery Island 3 Pack)
YEAR OF INITIAL RELEASE: 2006 (the 3-pack was released in 2011)
VIDEO GAME GENRE: Hidden Objects
COMPANY: Alawar Entertainment
PUBLISHER: Viva Entertainment
MEDIA: 1 PC CD-Rom
RATINGS: E for Everyone
RELEASE DATE: August 4, 2011
VIDEO GAME HIGHLIGHTS:
- Complete Over 20 Thrilling Episodes.
- More Than A Dozen Mini-Games.
- Earn Tons Of Trophies.
- Escape From Mystery Island.
Russian-based company Alawar Entertainment is known for creating PC games since 1999. With publishers in over a dozen countries, many people worldwide are familiar with their video games. Especially their hidden object video games.
A series well-known to hidden object fans is “The Treasure of Mystery Island” and in 2011, Viva Media released the trilogy which includes “The First Adventure”, “The Gates of Fate” and “The Ghost Ship”.
As a believer that hidden object games are excellent “brain games” and games that are accessible for those willing to take on a challenge, having heard of “The Treasures of Mystery Island” for so many years, I decided to pick up the game at a local Target store (this trilogy can be found for under $8 at Amazon or Target) as it is a pretty good value for three hidden objects games.
The following review is for the “The Treasures of Mystery Island: The First Adventure”.
“The First Adventure” begins with Alex piloting a cargo plane through the Atlantic Ocean. Hoping to get home to his beautiful girlfriend, Lisa, the two speak on the phone and talk about a special talisman that Lisa had given him for good luck. After their phone call, Alex is caught in a major storm and the talisman begins to glow. Next thing you know, Alex’s plane crashes in the ocean and Alex washes up on an unknown island.
Fortunately, the island is inhabited and is taken care of by one of the leaders of the village. Alex needs a phone but unfortunately, the island has been is such disarray (and unorganized) that no one, including the inhabitants of the island can find anything. So, leave it to Alex to find some of these objects scattered throughout the village and find the parts necessary to find his phone and hopefully leave the island.
But as Alex continues to help the inhabitants find various objects and solve various puzzles, the more Alex gets to know the island, he discovers some unusual things. For one, there is a story in the island about a pirate who is 400-years-old. Apparently, the pirate had stolen the villages treasures including a talisman, which the tribe leader at the time had warn the pirate not to take. The pirate didn’t listen and the pirate was cursed to stay in the island, immortal but having to live in the island forever. Meanwhile, his fellow pirates were killed in a shipwreck.
And as Alex continues to learn about the secrets of the mysterious island, he discovers something that will eventually change his life forever.
INSTALLATION:
Since this is an older game, I installed it on a Windows XP laptop and did a full installation. Installation was fairly quick but I did notice that I did select to have the game install an icon on my desktop (so I can access it), instead it put an icon for the Viva Media website. No problem (as I have had this happen several times before), I was able to find the executable file under Program Files->Viva Media->Treasures of Mystery Island.
GAMEPLAY
“The Treasures of Mystery Island: The First Adventure” is a lighthearted mystery game and as for the level of challenge for this first game, with level 1 being the easiest, 3 being average and 5 being difficult, I rate this game as a 3 in terms of challenge. This hidden object game is not timed and also, you are given a hint that recharges overtime. The recharge level is about average, not too fast and not too slow.
How the game works is that you are given three areas in the island and a search on each island is connected with the other. So, for example, you need to find a part for a vase. The parts of each object are fragmented and they are mixed around the whole scene.
Depending on how good one is in terms of looking for objects, most of the time I was finding them quickly until I was left with one or two parts that I couldn’t find. Each time you assemble a full object after finding all of its’ fragment pieces, you return it to one of the three highlighted areas on the map and when you hover your mouse over an object, it will flash, telling you where the completed objects go.
For those who try to click on too many things (that are incorrect), all at once, you will see these balls of light that indicate that you done some thing wrong and you will be unable to find objects until those bubbles clear up (usually takes about a few seconds). But I didn’t repeat it over and over to check if one gets penalized.
While you progress through the game, there are some tough areas that require you to be proactive. Such as breaking a wall or chipping blocks off a horse statue. These areas had me stumped and I actually wasted an hour as I thought I was needing a part that I couldn’t find, when all I had to do was to knock out a wall, something that I didn’t know you can do. So, gameplay difficulty does get a little higher, but not too much.
As for the fragmented objects, fortunately none of it is invisible. Unlike some hidden objects where white objects are on white or are transparent, fortunately “The Treasures of Mystery Island: The First Adventure” is not like that.
And after you beat the three highlighted areas, you then have to help an island inhabitant find their things. This can be done very quickly. For example, help a chef find his objects and literally you can click on anything related to food and cooking and finish his section within a minute or more (depending how good you are with hidden object games).
But I do believe that the challenge for many people will be the actual mini-games. For example, one game that took awhile was three stone statues of three different colors but their four parts that make up the statue were mixed up with the other statues. So, with only two spots to set a part, you would need to figure out how to make all parts become the same color for each statue.   Another one that I got stuck on was that you have a weight and for an hour or so, I felt I was trying to figure out where the weight is supposed to be used and lo and behold, I found a wooden pole with a hook and found out the weight goes on there. There was no flashing light to indicate that it goes there but that took a while for me to figure out.
There are 20-episodes (20 levels not including the inhabitants) and more than a dozen mini-games. You do get trophies for accomplishments such as finding hidden objects within a certain period or completing a section within a certain time period. There are a good number of trophies one can earn.
If by any chance, you do get stuck and need help, I recommend visiting this forum on the Big Fish Games website.
GRAPHICS:
While the graphics are good for an older game, you’ll notice by the cover that the characters definitely went through an upgrade from the first game to the sequel. There is more emphasis on the graphics on the puzzles than the actual characters themselves but the renderings are good and as expected from an earlier game.
As for the hidden objects, they are easy to see while some stages will have a rim of a lid and those are typically a pain to find. But fortunately, you are not timed and there is a hint section in which you can use the talisman and with your mouse, scroll it over the area. It glows bright green when you are closer and the hidden object is found.
But the graphics for the puzzles and scenes do look good for this older game.
AUDIO:
Aside from the music which didn’t get on my nerves considering it was the same music being looped. But outside of the music, there are no vocals during the clips between Alex, Lisa and others. They are word bubbles that you read. So, audio was mainly the background music and no spoken dialogue.
REPLAY VALUE:
There is replay value if one wants to open all achievements. For example, one trophy is given if you play the game twice. Another trophy if you beat the game under three hours. Bare in mind though, after you beat the game, when you replay the game, it starts over but keeps your original time. So, for example, I beat the game in six hours and when starting the game again, it started at the six hour mark where I last left off.
I love hidden object games (as much as I enjoy adventure, RPG’s and RTS games) for the fact that these are games that are literally brain games. And not only do I enjoy it for the challenge, having a grandfather and a mother-in-law who have Alzheimer’s has made me become more conscious of constantly challenging your brain.
You read about studies of people who play puzzle games or word games and while I’m not sure if these studies are conclusive, those who do engage in these games often are not as susceptible to the disease. For me and my wife, we have always been active in games that challenge us but we have found hidden object games to be fun and challenging. But most importantly, casual to the point where you can save and come back to it. Unlike my other games where you have to find a save point, hidden object games are quite convenient.
And in the case of “The Treasures of Mystery Island: The First Adventure”, I had fun playing this game as I enjoyed the storyline (although the ending was rather lame after this build up of storyline, the adventure just ends. No credits, nothing major and that was probably my only disappointment).  But as this is an older game and knowing that there are two more games in the “Treasures of Mystery Island 3 Pack”, I look forward in seeing how the game improves not just in graphics but also gameplay and story in the next two games.
It’s important to note that the game that I purchased was in a jewel case and not a big case as pictured above. As for the game and if it is safe for children to play, It’s definitely easy and there were time my 9-year-old would hang out with me while I was playing and try to help me out. So, for this first game, I can say it is quite safe.
Overall, “The Treasures of Mystery Island: The First Adventure” may be too easy for the hardcore HOG fans but for those who want a game that is not so hard and not so easy, this is a great starting point for those who want to try out hidden object games or for those who are looking for hidden object games for under $10.
For this first game alone, I give it a:Â RATING: B