Mystery Case Files: The Malgrave Incident is a point and click adventure game that hosts a variety of puzzle elements. Upon a little research I discovered that the Mystery Case Files franchise is much larger than I first imagined. It is only the second in the series to be published on Nintendo hardware (first appeared on the Nintendo DS), but there are actually eight other titles. So what is it about the Mystery Case Files series that makes it so endearing? As a mystery, the story in Malgrave Incident unfolds slowly, but remains interesting. Small details are continuously revealed as you put together events that occurred on Malgrave Island. You play a detective who is invited to the Island to help Winston Malgrave, a man who has discovered the Island’s secret and gave the residents a prosperous life. What was this secret that he discovered, and why does he need your help? Mr. Malgrave discovered a mystical dust that holds incredible powers never seen before, the kind of power to reverse aging. Now the residents of Malgrave Island have disappeared and it’s up to you to uncover the mysterious truth.
The Malgrave Incident holds two main gameplay mechanics with the first allowing you to explore 3D environments. This was something that I really enjoyed in the game. You can travel the environment by pointing and pressing A with the Wii Remote. Your cursor will change to let you know when you can travel forward, and when you can investigate select items. Another very important aspect of the 3D environment is the puzzles that you have to solve. There will be certain points when you need a particular item to proceed, or will force you to solve a small puzzle. Finding the correct items and solving these puzzles to proceed is actually fun and challenging. I’d compare these sections to Resident Evil puzzles. I say this because they are similar in the way you find the correct items to unlock a new area, or another puzzle element.
However, I wasn’t too fond of the second gameplay element. In addition to the cool 3D environments you will also have to complete item search sections. If you’ve ever played those “I Spy” games, you will recognize the objective right away. At certain points you will encounter 2D environments that give you a list of items to find. After finding all of the items you can continue the adventure. I thought that these sections take you out of the game a bit as they will likely take a little time to complete, unless you are really good at these types of puzzles. You can use the hint system to circle an area on the screen that holds one of the items you need to find, sadly, I used this quite a bit just to get back into the game. These item seeking sections have to be completed as you are rewarded with two important things that you need to continue the adventure. One being a bit of the mystical dust that you need to unlock certain portions of the game, and the other being one of a number of different items you will need to solve certain puzzles in the 3D environments. Overall, I wasn’t too fond of these sections.
Mystery Case Files: The Malgrave Incident holds some very nice 3D environments. The artists did a really nice job making Malgrave Island feel like a real place. It was fun to find and explore new areas because of their attention to detail. The 2D item search puzzles are also well designed artistically, but they lack the charm that the 3D environments hold. In the sound department there are both highs and lows. First off I’d like to say that the music and sounds chosen really do fit the world of Malgrave Island, but in saying that they are also a bit bland. You won’t exactly be humming any of the music in Malgrave Incident. I guess overall it’s just an average sounding game.
Gameplay (7/10)
Malgrave Incident has some fun exploration and puzzle solving elements, but also holds those boring item search sections. Regardless, Malgrave Incident is an easy game to control and only requires a Wii Remote to play.
Story (7/10)
I enjoyed the story for Malgrave Incident, particularly for slowly revealing the events of Malgrave Island. I think any mystery fan will enjoy the story quite a bit, others may find the pace a bit slow.
Design (7/10)
There are some nice artistic choices that make the Island feel like a brand new world. However, there is nothing incredibly unique about Malgrave Island.
Sound (7/10)
Malgrave Island has some nice music that fits well with the Mystery theme, but as with other aspects of the game isn’t as unique as it could be.
Value (7/10)
If you like a good mystery and enjoy point-and-click adventures then buying this game for its budget price of $29.99 makes this a good value. Throw in some multiplayer features and collectables and you could be playing for a few weeks. I can’t wholeheartedly recommend this to all gamers as I feel only adventure/mystery fans will enjoy this title.
Overall
Malgrave Incident is surprisingly a fun experience, especially the exploration and puzzle elements of the game. As said above, I feel that only fans of the adventure/mystery genre will enjoy the game. However, Nintendo is selling this title at a budget price of $29.99 which makes it a little easier on the wallet if you are interested in the game.
Final Score - 70%
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