Mystery of the Ancients: The Sealed and Forgotten – Review

Just when you thought you can leave all the supernatural drama behind, a new case occurred in town. A body was found murdered inside a locked room in an empty mansion. From the look of the crime scene, this is no ordinary murder done by human. Can you solve this strange murder case in Mystery of the Ancients: The Sealed and Forgotten?

As much as we love the Mystery of the Ancients series, we never feel like this is a plot-driven series. In most Mystery of the Ancients games so far, the storylines have always been somewhat sub-par and predictable. This problem remains with The Sealed and Forgotten, we surely have seen “a murder done by demons” countless times before. It also does not help that our detective partner, Donovan, is utterly useless and appears confused and perplexed at all times.

Nonetheless, Mystery of the Ancients: The Sealed and Forgotten is entertaining through and through. The game mechanics are well-oiled and even though the gameplay is not groundbreaking, it is not too straightforward either. The hidden object scenes are smartly designed, nicely multi-layered, and extremely enjoyable. The puzzles could have been more complex, but they are solid as they are right now.

Earlier we mentioned that the Mystery of the Ancients series is not known for its original plot, so why is it so successful? For us, we love the series for its dark fantasy theme, demonic atmosphere and cult-like vibe. These qualities are portrayed by the amazing visuals, with some of the best uses of lighting and shades we have seen in a HOPA game. Further, the game also benefits from having haunting background music to set an eerie mood.

Mystery of the Ancients: The Sealed and Forgotten has a pretty decent length for a Hidden Object Adventure. The main game took us roughly four hours to complete, and the bonus chapter lasted a little longer than 70 minutes. The Collector’s Edition comes with all the extras you could imagine; a strategy guide, wallpapers, concept art, soundtracks, replayable mini-games, videos, achievements, collectibles, and morphing objects.