The Agency of Anomalies: Mystic Hospital Collector's Edition

[h1]Short version: 75%[/h1] Agency of Anomalies 1 is the kind of hidden object game that either captivates you with its eerie paranormal atmosphere or you quickly file it under the “okay, but nothing special” category. [h1]Long version:[/h1] Agency of Anomalies: Mystic Hospital has a weak first impression with its uninspired puzzles or reliance on pixel-sized items during the hidden object scenes. Still, the longer you play it, the more it grows on you. The game is set in a large hospital, where we have to find five former patients, five terrible experiments gone horribly awry, so we can dispatch them. Since progression is similar to a survival horror, the setting and even the copious amount of backtracking help to create an immersive atmosphere, one where we almost expect to find our character in mortal danger (even though this is still just a HOG, so you can never get stuck). To enhance the parallel, the puzzles often feel like something ripped from old survival horror games, only with a more casual gaming approach in design. The bonus chapter is the only contradiction, because despite the huge density of hidden object scenes, it is painfully bland, repetitive, boring, and lacks almost any semblance of story.

A rather challenging casual point-and-click adventure with many good hidden-object scenes. The story doesn't make much sense, but is told well, with appropriate graphics, sound, music, and occasional voice acting. All in all I strongly recommend it to fans of the genre. Note that though the game features achievements, they are not linked to Steam. This game is the first in a series of four games: [I]Mystic Hospital[/I], [I]Cinderstone Orphenage[/I], [I]The Last Performance[/I], and [I]Mind Invasion[/I]. The fourth game is not currently on Steam.

[b][u]Game Information[/u][/b] "The Agency of Anomalies: Mystic Hospital" Collector's Edition is a Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure game. The game was developed by Orneon and published by Big Fish Games Studio. "Mystic Hospital" is the first episode of "The Agency of Anomalies." Since this is a collector's edition game, it comes with extra features that are not available in its counterpart; the standard edition. [b][u]The Game Review[/u][/b] Game Visuals I want to mention that the visuals in the game are nicely done. The visuals can be adjusted in the game's option menu. Game Audio I want to mention that audio for the game is well done. Even though the audio is somewhat simplistic and repetitive. The audio can be adjusted in the game's option menu as well. Gameplay There are two different difficulty game modes to choose from: Regular and Advanced. The notebook keeps track of progression in the game. Such as story events and clues. There is an interactive map in the game. It allows the player to fast travel between each location quickly without having the need to constantly backtrack. It also indicates that there are a variety of tasks that can be completed at various locations within the game. The interactive map is automatically given at the start of the game. There is padlock no feature that is available to lock the inventory panel in place to make it stationary. The inventory panel comes automatically stationary. There are some interactive items in-game. Some of the interactive items may require extra components before they can be interacted with. All interactive items are marked with a symbol in one of the corners. The hidden object scenes consist of the following: Traditional word lists and Reversed objects. Some of these hidden object scenes may require little or no interactions. The puzzles are fairly easy to solve without having the need to skip any of them. There is a collectible in the game: Postcards. They are scattered throughout the game for the player to find. Since this is a collector's edition game, there is a bonus chapter, but it can be accessed only after the main story is completed. There are twelve different achievements that can be unlocked from playing the game. Each of these achievements does come with some requirements that need to be completed before they can be unlocked. These achievements are in-game only. Miscellaneous The extra contents: Bonus Chapter Soundtracks; Game's Strategy Guide; Wallpapers and Concept Art. Some of these extra features can be accessed only after the entire game is completed. Final thoughts: I have found the game enjoyable to a certain extent. The replay value for the game is low. I would recommend this game, but not at the game's full price value.

If you can look past the dated and low resolution graphics and clunky interface, this is actually an enjoyable puzzle game. The story is decent, the structure is good, and there are lots of HOGs, especially in the bonus chapter.

Reluctant thumbs-up, but only because it is too short. All of these HOGs are way too short for the prices (about the same price as a movie). It was a good HOG. It's quite old, so set your resolution to 1024. There is no map, but that didn't bother me. The music was far less annoying than usual. The story was good enough for HOG (maybe better than many). The few mini-puzzles were not your standard ones.

As a paranormal detective, living in the 1920' (and I suppose, in Germany, during the Weimar period), you're contacted by a scientist revealing his involvment in a secret project about making enhanced soldiers. He's the sole survivor of an explosion but the artefact he saved reactivated. He asks you to investigate the destroyed hospital to find answers... I really loved the plot. It's efficient: you must investigate what is happening now and you discover also how the people the scientists experimented on became the paranormal entities haunting the area. I liked the idea to face these men and "free" them of their sufferings. However, I can't really tell the same for the bonus adventure, as suddenly, you discover a brotherhood behind the scenes. I would have preferred to have hints of them in the main adventure. The gameplay is the base for that kind of games AND mainly for the beginning of the 2010': hidden objects scenes with a fixed list and with items to place at the right location and minigames, without forgetting objects requiring a specific action to find them. It means that you'll stumble upon a lot of hidden objects scenes. This game also proposes more or less 20 objects to find (sometimes more, sometimes less), so it may explain that after a while, I was tired to play them. It is worse in the bonus adventure, I was under the impression to finish a scene only to find another one in the next location. The minigames are also a little harder than what we can find in hidden objects. So, that game, it's not for someone discovering the genre, it's for the gamers that are regularly playing it. While you don't have achievements on Steam, you have in-game achievements for each profile, among them, one requiring you to be the leader in the high score table, in reality, the one who finished faster the game. It's pretty rare now to see that kind of feature in a casual game: it disappeared from the early days as the genre leaned towards the adventure aspect. The graphics are "grim". I mean, don't expect colorful scenes but less flamboyant colors, to strengthen the heavy atmosphere. I loved how the cutscenes were drawn. I really enjoyed these.... The soundtrack is also good, but if you read previous evaluations from me, it's pretty rare when I'm whining about the music. I could add another negative point: you can't use powers you're retrieving. It didn't bother me at first but I've played Cinderstone Orphanage and The Last Performance, and I must say that it would have opened more possibilities for the game if that feature was included. I loved Mystic Hospital, despite some flaws. The game is clearly a challenge, has a good plot, good ambiance, good sountrack... However, I recommend the game to fanatics of the genre, not to beginners or casual players (or if you prefer, if you play from time to time that kind of games);

when you do not know what is around the corner when looking for clues.

A classic HOG with a great story!

Nice game