Mystery of the Opera Plays Its Opening Theme on the Mac!

Mystery of the Opera

My review of the iPad version of Mystery of the Opera noted that it employs the common ‘woman in peril and romantic interest left to solve mystery’ trope; rather than bogging the game down, it makes for an excellent launching off point! Now the game is available for the Mac, and it remains a fun and compelling experience.

Type of app: Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure

Platform/where to buy: Mac; available in the Mac App Store. Also available for iPad, iPhone, Android and Kindle Fire.

Developer: Vartis Games / G5 Entertainment

Description:

? 60 magnificent scenes to search
? 16 brain-teasing mini-games to play
? 23 challenging achievements to earn
? Seven unforgettable characters to meet
? Gripping storyline and theatrical aura

Mystery of the Opera

Major features:

Some people measure games by what new things they bring, or the challenges, or the eye-candy. They think that unless a game is innovative, it is somehow a lesser experience. And while that might have been true through the 90s and into the early part of the last decade, by this point we are well past those worries. I really appreciate a game that executes everything perfectly – which is how I would describe Mystery at the Opera.

Mystery of the Opera  focuses heavily on story, and is a story about what happens when love turns into obsession, and the desire to posses something no matter who you destroy in the process. The narrative is revealed in the notes you find lying around, and the flashbacks that are presented when ghostly images appear.

The environments are extremely well designed, both in terms of logical layout and art design. After playing so many of these games, this sort of design really jumps off the screen. The use of an opera house is at once moody and evocative, and the game gives a sense of scope – although that means you will spend a fair amount of time traversing the structure!

Mystery at the Opera will likely take your 4 – 6 hours to complete, making it longer than most genre games. There is a great variety in puzzles, hidden object scenes, cut-scenes, find-the-item and other things you would expect, all executed perfectly, making this a highly enjoyable experience that is easy to recommend.

Mystery of the Opera

Ease of use/Overall performance:

As I noted, Mystery at the Opera uses all of the standard hidden object game elements, executed in exactly the way you would expect. As a result, the emphasis is on story, mystery and solving things rather than figuring out HOW to play the game.

Technical elements were also perfect – I didn’t have a single issue of an element not responding when clicked or a mini-game not performing as expected. This makes everything flow perfectly, and I found it enhanced the overall experience.

The Mac port of Mystery of the Opera was executed perfectly – mouse accuracy was seamless, as was the performance and stability.

The graphics were simply amazing – I had already played on the Retina screen of the iPad Air, but I thoroughly enjoyed the details, nuances and depth of animation.

Mystery of the Opera

Would use again/recommend?: Definitely! I absolutely loved this game – the story is intriguing, the mystery worth solving, and the balance of puzzles, hidden objects, combined-item tasks, and brain-teasers will have you challenged and occasionally frustrated, but never lost!

Suggested changes/wish list for updates: Nothing

Source: Publisher provided review code

Price: Mystery of the Opera is a Free download with in-app purchase of $6.99 – on sale for $4.99 through May 2nd, 2014!

Here is the trailer:

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. If you are shopping on Amazon anyway, buying from our links gives Gear Diary a small commission.

About the Author

Michael Anderson
I have loved technology for as long as I can remember - and have been a computer gamer since the PDP-10! Mobile Technology has played a major role in my life - I have used an electronic companion since the HP95LX more than 20 years ago, and have been a 'Laptop First' person since my Compaq LTE Lite 3/20 and Powerbook 170 back in 1991! As an avid gamer and gadget-junkie I was constantly asked for my opinions on new technology, which led to writing small blurbs ... and eventually becoming a reviewer many years ago. My family is my biggest priority in life, and they alternate between loving and tolerating my gaming and gadget hobbies ... but ultimately benefits from the addition of technology to our lives!