Mystery Case Files: 13th Skull

Mystery Case Files: 13th Skull
Developer(s)	Big Fish Studios
Publisher(s)	Big Fish Games
Series	Mystery Case Files
Platform(s)	Windows, Mac OS X
Release date(s)	NA January 8, 2011 (Standard Edition) NA November 25, 2010 (Collector's Edition)
Genre(s)	Adventure, puzzle
Mode(s)	Single-player
Rating(s)	ESRB: Teen (T)
Media/distribution	Download
System requirements Standard Edition: Windows OS: Windows XP/Vista CPU: 2.0 GHz RAM: 1024 MB DirectX: 9.0 Hard Drive: 660 MB Mac OS X OS: 10.4 CPU: 1.2 GHz (Intel Only) RAM: 1024 MB Hard Drive: 641 MB Collector's Edition: Windows OS: Windows XP/Vista CPU: 2.0 GHz RAM: 1024 MB DirectX: 9.0 Hard Drive: 778 MB Mac OS X OS: 10.4 CPU: 1.2 GHz (Intel Only) RAM: 1024 MB Hard Drive: 750 MB

Mystery Case Files: 13th Skull is an adventure-puzzle casual game developed by Big Fish Studios and distributed by Big Fish Games. It is the seventh installment in the Mystery Case Files series. The game is available exclusively on the Big Fish Games website.

Plot

Shortly after moving into a mansion in Louisiana, tragedy befalls Sara Lawson and her daughter after her husband, Marcus Lawson, mysteriously disappears. Sara contacts you, the Detective, to search for her husband and discover the secret of the 13th Skull.

Before Marcus was kidnapped, he became obsessed with the curse and the treasure after finding a map of the estate. His daughter Magnolia believes her father was kidnapped by the ghost of a vengeful pirate named Captain Crown, seeking to protect his lost fortune and stop those who try finding it. With the locals all talking about the curse of the 13th Skull and their belief that Crown lived and buried his treasure in the mansion, Sara despairs of finding her husband.

Later in the game, the Detective discovers that this was just a plot to discover the hidden treasure by the Lawsons using your skills and their real name is Alice and Dennis Blanston who is not really kidnapped. After all the revelations about the Blanston, Dennis aims a gun to you while you solve puzzles from finding the skulls which are the key to unlock the Pirate's fortune. Finally, the pirate ships where the treasure is hidden floated out of the water then suddenly, the ghost of Captain Crown appears and washes the Blanstons away.

In the end, Captain Crown was destroyed when all skulls where positioned together with the crew's bodies. The Collector's Edition of the game will reveal hints for the next installment of the series.

Characters

This is the third Mystery Case Files series to feature a live-action cast after Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst and Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove. Unlike Dire Grove, where you watch videos of the missing students, and Return to Ravenhearst, where characters speak to you, in 13th Skull the characters are set in a painted scene where the players can talk to them and ask various questions about the case. These characters are:

• Alice Blanston a.k.a. Sara Lawson (Heather Poulsen) Magnolia's mother and Dennis' wife. She is a criminal along with Dennis.
• Dennis Blanston a.k.a. Marcus Joel Lawson and the Mysterious Stranger (Brandon Pette) Magnolia's father and Alice's husband. A criminal along with Alice.
• Magnolia Blanston a.k.a. Magnolia Lawson (Sophia Schloss) Alice's and Dennis' daughter.
• Mary Lee (Linda Jensen) The Blanston's/Lawson's manor cleaning lady and Lewis' wife.
• Lewis Lee (Bruce Weech) The Blanston's/Lawson's manor groundskeeper and Mary's husband.
• Travis "Cooter" Landry (Russell Hodgkinson) Blanston's/Lawson's neighbor and Charlotte's husband, he is the epitome of a redneck and will shoot at uninvited guests.
• Charlotte Landry (Devin Rodger) Blanston's/Lawson's neighbor and Cooter's wife, she has firm grip over Cooter and owns a doll collection.
• Momma Aimee (Karen Tucker) The Town's known voodoo priestess and Voodoo Absolute's owner.
• Vinton (Steven Shields) The Town's Librarian from Raceland he is vital in helping Master Detective with the newly arrived neighbors.
• The Bartender (Talena Bennett) Bartender of the 'Tater's Drink and Swaller' she is an expert of the surrounding swamps and knows the way.
• Ashwin Poncer a.k.a. Phineas Crown / Captain Crown (Michael Ramquist) An evil ghost pirate and Grace O'Malley's husband.
• Pippi (Phil Boldman) The Blanston's/Lawson's dog

Gameplay

Players can talk to those characters and ask various questions about the case. Other forms of the game include a custom soundtrack of the deep South. According to Big Fish Games and GameZebo, the Game will offer 8-15 hours of gameplay.^[1]

Promotion

Shortly after the release of Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove, it was announced that a seventh game would be released in late 2010. Big Fish Games opened an official forum on October 18, 2010, for fans of the game series to speculate about the forthcoming seventh game.^[2] On November 12, 2010, Big Fish Games announced the title of the game as 13th Skull.^[3] The Mystery Case Files official website was also updated, along with a teaser trailer of the game.^[4]. On November 15, 2010, Big Fish Games announced a release party for the game and gave fans a chance to win tickets by answering riddles posted by Big Fish Games to find the location around Seattle and be the first to claim the tickets.^[5] On November 23, 2010, Big Fish Games released a sizzle reel of the game.^[6] The game was available to purchase in advance a day before the actual release for Big Fish Games Game Club members.

On January 8, 2011, a Standard Edition was released and had a sale for only $6.99 along with the Collectors Edition for only $14.99. Big Fish Games also gave away Coupon Code's for the Standard Edition.^[7]

Collector's Edition

This is the second Mystery Case Files series to have a Collector's Edition copy of the Game. As always it showcases Bonus Features that includes a built-in Smart Guide, high-quality wallpapers, "Behind the Scenes" concept art and a bonus gameplay that continues the Main Plot of the Game.^[8] A Standard Edition of the Game was released but does not have any of these features.

Reception

IGN reviewed 13th Skull "Good" with a 7.0 rating for its Presentation, Gameplay, Graphics, Sound and Lasting Appeal for an approximately of 6.5 to 7.5 per Category.^[9] In GameZebo, they reviewed the Game with a 4 1/2 Star rating based on 53 different Reviews.^[10]

Sequel

According to an interview by GameZebo, Adrian Woods said: "We’re thrilled that we have such outspoken fans and look forward to creating new experiences for you in the future. We’ve got some neat things coming. There are certain stories that need some resolution."^[11] On June 28, 2011 (a day right after the Mystery Case Files: The Malgrave Incident release), Big Fish Games producer Shawn Seavers gave a hint about the next installment of the series which he said: "There’s a great deal of fun to be had with some of our past story lines. We had some memorable characters, gorgeous scenery, and entertaining puzzles. At the same time, we’ve got some fun new game mechanics that might be better off with a new story line. We keep trying to “one up” our last game so we can’t wait for people to see what we’re working on!"^[12]

External links

• Mystery Case Files Official Site
• Mystery Case Files: 13th Skull on Big Fish Games
• Mystery Case Files Official Facebook Page

References

1. ^ http://www.gamezebo.com/download-games/mystery-case-files-13th-skull/preview/
2. ^ http://forums.bigfishgames.com/posts/list/122716.page
3. ^ http://www.bigfishgames.com/blog/announcing-mystery-case-files-13th-skull/
4. ^ http://www.mysterycasefiles/
5. ^ http://www.bigfishgames.com/blog/win-an-invitation-to-the-mystery-case-files-13th-skull-release-parrrrrty//
6. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7r30sCtlzK0/
7. ^ http://www.bigfishgames.com/download-games/10640/mystery-case-files-13th-skull/index.html
8. ^ http://www.bigfishgames.com/download-games/9753/mystery-case-files-13th-skull-collectors/index.html/
9. ^ http://pc.ign.com/articles/114/1140023p1.html/
10. ^ http://www.gamezebo.com/download-games/mystery-case-files-13th-skull/user-reviews/
11. ^ http://www.gamezebo.com/news/2010/12/08/behind-game-mystery-case-files-13th-skull/
12. ^ http://www.geekmom.com/2011/06/a-qa-with-the-developers-of-the-new-mystery-case-files-the-malgrave-incident-now-available-for-wii/