Hey gamers! Yes, it's me already. I had a weekend to myself - all homework finished - so I decided to try a little game called The Surprising Adventures of Munchausen. What a mouthful!
This game is a ton of fun! The story involves an evil villain who has destroyed the magic stone and therefore has removed all the riches and happiness from the kingdom. The villain then offers the King a lot of gold for his daughter’s hand in marriage. The Princess, knowing this is a fate worse than death, calls upon her admirer, Munchausen, to rescue her and the kingdom. Can he do it? With your help he can!
This is not your ordinary hidden object game. First, the hidden objects are everywhere. There is no "list" of items to find them, but actual pictures, and you have to find bits and pieces of them. Maybe a brush here and the brush handle elsewhere, and so on and so forth. Many of the scenes can be scrolled left and right, which was an interesting twist as some objects could not be "seen" until you scrolled all the way one direction or the other.
Secondly, there are several puzzle games where you must match objects on the right of the screen with similar objects in a larger picture. You might need to match a chess piece with a chessboard, a monkey with a banana, or a horse with a seahorse. These are not as simple as they sound.
Thirdly, there are only a few standard mini games/puzzles, such as sliders or untying a knot in the right order - these weren't too difficult, but I threw in some video solutions just in case.
Fourthly, there is an element called "Mechanism Puzzles" at the end of each chapter. You are given a scene, and you must use your inventory items and items within the scene itself combined to reach a solution. In one, you have to help Munchausen reach the castle by very comical means. In another, you have to figure how to kill, cook, and serve a bird without ever leaving your seat. These and the puzzles were a fun addition to a typical adventure/hidden object game.
The graphics are done in cartoon style and were really, really good. They were clever and cute, whimsical and fantastical. Just my style. I noticed various animations through the scenes, so it wasn't just "still" scenes. It has a slight 3D effect the way it was drawn and stylized.
The voiceovers were top notch, which is what this game is, top notch! The ambiance was good, woodland sounds, clip clop of horses, water in the fountain, etc., but there was one chapter that had an annoying cuckoo bird that never shut up and I nearly went cuckoo myself!
There are a lot of comical elements to the game, and I laughed and chuckled all the way through it. It's not a particularly long game, but it's well worth the time you do play it, and it leaves you wanting more. The ending hints at a possible sequel, but we'll see. I certainly hope there is, because I haven't enjoyed a hidden object game this much in a while. Do I recommend this game, of course I do!
