Fatal Evidence: The Cursed Island – Review

The renowned Judge McGregor has recently been murdered right on the streets. As his mentee, your sister is invited to the reading of his will at the Judge’s remote island home. You accompanied your sister to the McGregor mansion just in time to hear the shocking message that the murderer is one of the guests at the mansion! Can you solve the case before more people get hurt in this new whodunit mystery from Domini Games?

Fatal Evidence: The Cursed Island starts off by introducing what seems like a standard murder mystery in the style of Agatha Christie. While the story development might be similar to that of the recent Haunted Manor games as well as other HOPA titles in the past, I personally enjoy the old-school concept and the story-driven gameplay. Fatal Evidence is also packed with believable characters, exciting twists, and a good chunk of engaging backstory that make the game thrilling from start to finish. However, the old-school premise is slightly watered down due to the addition of a Lie-Detecting Watch with the supernatural ability to detect and expose a suspect’s lies.

Still, one mismatched gadget is not enough to ruin the whole game, especially considering how well-crafted Fatal Evidence: The Cursed Island is. The storyline is perfectly interwoven with the gameplay, adding context to each and every interaction. In Domini Games’ signature style, each location is also decorated with non-task-related interactive elements, showcasing the developer’s attention to detail. On the subject of the hidden object scenes and the puzzles, they are entertaining, creative, and quite challenging – what more could I ask for?

Fatal Evidence: The Cursed Island replicates the visual style from other games by Domini, presenting the visuals with impeccable details and fluorescent colors. If you did not enjoy the graphics in previous works by this developer, then it is unlikely that you will find Fatal Evidence visually pleasing. That being said, I feel like the often glaring, saturated colors are slightly toned down in this new game, making the visuals easier on the eyes. As for the audio, the suspenseful music is basically flawless, even though the voice-overs are somewhat hit-or-miss.

As a Collector’s Edition, Fatal Evidence: The Cursed Island comes with a 50-minute bonus chapter, which introduces a brand new mystery. The bonus section also includes a strategy guide, wallpapers, concept art, soundtracks, cutscenes, replayable hidden object scenes, replayable mini games, achievements, multiple sets of collectibles, and morphing objects.

Fatal Evidence: The Cursed Island is an imperfect whodunit mystery, but signals a promising start of a new franchise.