Spirits of Mystery: The Fifth Kingdom – Review

Every 20 years, the heirs of all four kingdoms are gathered to crown their next ruler and to maintain peace among them. Isa saw this as an opportunity to create war and chaos as he prepares his dirty tricks to crown himself as the new ruler. Can you stop your nemesis from accomplishing his evil plans?

ERS Game Studios used to be one of our favorite major HOPA developers, until recently, when all their games turned out incredibly similar and creativity was lacking. In our opinion, Spirits of Mystery: The Fifth Kingdom is ERS’ best project in quite a while, for several different reasons. Firstly, while the storyline in The Fifth Kingdom is definitely not groundbreaking by any means, it does an effective job tying the game to the previous installments through subtle references and returning characters – this makes The Fifth Kingdom surprisingly enjoyable.

Arguably, the direction of Spirits of Mystery: The Fifth Kingdom is quite predictable; the tasks and the actions are all straight off the HOPA guidebook. Still, there is no denying that the game is crafted with care. All the game mechanics work together smoothly, the hidden object scenes are fascinatingly smart, and the puzzles are satisfyingly complex. Furthermore, the game comes with the Moon Mirror, which can be used to find and capture the crescent moon symbols – not an original twist, but probably better than nothing.

It is also worth mentioning that the visuals in this game are among ERS-G’s best. The artwork is beautifully drawn and gorgeously colored, the cutscenes are fantastic, and unlike in many of the developer’s previous works, the majority of the scenes are quite creatively designed. Besides, the soundtracks and the voice overs are also decent, which enhance the experience of the game even further.

Spirits of Mystery: The Fifth Kingdom is pretty much mind-blowing when it comes to the Collectors Edition’s bonus section. This includes a strategy guide, wallpapers, concept art, movies, avatars, screensavers, replayable mini games, an Endless MG, replayable hidden object scenes, soundtracks, test, achievements, three sets of collectibles, a bonus chapter, and an extra chapter. What more could you ask for?