by Faith Marlow

Created on: January 14, 2009   Last Updated: January 16, 2009

Rating: 5/5

Masters of Mystery: Crime of Fashion by Big Blue Bubble Arcade is a hidden item search game in the setting of a crime scene investigation. Investigating the murder of an upcoming fashion designer, you play the part of Detective Carrie Chase who has been assigned to her first case in her new precinct. Hampered by an unappreciative boss, cluttered crime scenes and less than helpful suspects, Detective Chase has to shift through the madness to find the clues and forensic evidence she needs to solve the crime. Masters of Mystery is a cross between Where's Waldo and Gil Grissom from CSI. This game is at its core another hidden item search game but it does offer some interesting features. The availability of forensic investigative tools such as UV lights to find blood splatter and dusting for fingerprints adds another layer of gameplay in searching for hidden clues. The story unfolds through conversations between Detective Chase and the suspects and her Superior. The occasional visits to the crime lab offer a couple other mini-games but you quickly begin to revisit the same maps and sometimes need to find several of the same objects.

The graphics of Masters of Mystery: Crime of Fashion offers highly details backgrounds in which to conceal the clues, although painfully static. The screens are completely void of life or motion but do offer interesting puzzles within- puzzles such as looking through a purse or cabinet drawer within the original image. The only frustrating aspect of the game's visuals was when you find a clue and click on it, the screen flashes as though you have taken a picture. Although this is a novel idea, it can be a bit hard on the eyes. The audio is effective but unremarkable and sadly there was no voice over work added, which would have done wonders to establish Chase and the other major players in the story as more fulfilled characters. As it is, the characters are little more than drawn portraits. The visuals and audio for Masters of Mystery are better than some and are more than sufficient but are nothing revolutionary or trendsetting.

Master of Mystery: Crime of Fashion is a intriguing hidden item search game and offers an interesting storyline that would feel right at home as a made for TV movie on Lifetime. However it does little to further the genre and doesn't offer any innovations to inspire gamers or challenge its competitors beyond the intermingling of Forensic Science elements. That is not to say this is a bad game, it isn't. In fact it is a good game but not great. I hope to see more from Big Blue Bubble Arcade and hope they respond to some of the advancements I had mentioned. This is a good game but it could have been great.

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