The Mystery Case Files series has always been riveting for Search and Find players everywhere. In fact, MCF was probably the first to ever shoot the Search and Find genre out of the puzzle and into a class of its own. Check out this gaming overview of MCF series to see how far the game has gone.
Picture Searching and Case Solving
The Search and Find genre has always been appealing to casual gamers everywhere. It's amazing how trying to look for hidden objects in a mess of randomness can prove to be so much fun. The Mystery Case Files series developed by Big Fish Studios is certainly no exception. Ever since the release of the first game of the series, Mystery Case Files: Hunstville, countless casual gamers have stepped in to play the role of Master Detective to do some serious case solving and picture searching. After all, it was Hunstville that started the whole hidden object game craze.
The MCF series has spawned 5 different titles of the PC. These are MCF: Hunstville, MCF: Prime Suspects, MCF: Ravenhearst, MCF: Madame Fate and MCF: Return to Ravenhearst. Each new game (or episode) adds new in-game features, ranging from flashlights, to word puzzles and of course, new hidden objects. Besides the fun of spending hours looking for required objects, you'll come across some quirky characters in the MCF games; criminals, rock stars, and paranoid fortune tellers just to name a few.
To further see just how far the MCF series has come since its beginnings, it's better to look at each episode individually.
The Beginning of It All
Mystery Case Files: Hunstville was released Novermber 18, 2005. The game's premise was simple enough: assume the role of Master Detective and solve some crimes in the small town of Huntsville by solving a series of puzzles through picture searching. The player is given a list of hidden objects to locate per picture puzzle. While some objects are easy to locate, some are nigh impossible to find so keen sight is required. When the player finds all the objects, he progresses to the next area of play. As the game goes on, clues will be given to the Master Detective which can be used at the Crime Computer to help pinpoint the thief.
At the later stages of the game, evidence will link the crimes in Huntsville to an organization called S.T.A.I.N. (not a very prestigious name). Find more hidden objects, gather more clues and capture more criminals. There are over 15 crimes to solve, and over 20 locations to explore. Without even realizing it, you might have spent an entire afternoon on your PC.
MCF: Hunstville received critical reception. Breaking sales records for casual games, it put the spotlight on the Search and Find genre. Not surprisingly, it was just the beginning for the MCF series.
You Be The Detective
The second installment of the series takes the Master Detective out of the small town and into the big city. Your mission is now to investigate the disappearance of the Queen's 800 carat Hope Diamond. Definitely no petty crime. Again, picture searching paves the way to solving the crime. Each hidden item that the player has to locate will give clues to the whereabouts of the suspects at the time of the crime. Once the required objects have been found, it's time to head to the handy-dandy Crime Computer to play some mini-games which will clear the name of a suspect or tag him or her as the Prime Suspect!
Even though MCF: Prime Suspects still involves the same hidden object gameplay as the first game, there are added details that make the game for appealing. Items, such as the flashlight, are now present. Also, in-game characters are moe fleshed compared to the first game. Quirky characters such as Pierce Hart the crazy doctor and Foley Zipper the ex-paparrazi are examples of suspects you have to investigate on.
As or replayability, MCF: Prime Suspects features game randomization. Once you finish it, you can play it again and tackle a new set of Prime Suspects. You definitely won't need an excuse to keep searching for hidden objects all day.