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In depth review of MHM :D :D :D
Message in a Haunted Mansion
Hello! And welcome to my third review (ever) but my first on Message in a Haunted Mansion! I am so excited to go over this game, the second one I ever played & an all-time classic ND game. How appropriate that MHM was the third game by HeR made in 2000. 15 years old this year!! This game is definitely in my top 5 favorite games, I love playing it over & over.
Plot:
Nancy is heading to San Francisco to help Rose, a friend of her house keeper; Hannah. Unfortunately strange accidents start happening and are getting in the way of renovating the house. You as Nancy Drew must find out who or what is behind all these terrible mishaps before they succeed in shutting down the place for good!
When I first heard of the game I thought this plot sounded so cool. Ghosts AND a haunted mansion-perfect!! The game also explores the ancient Chinese history in San Francisco. I found that interesting too as I didn’t even know anything about it before. I’m a huge history nut so when that is incorporate into the games it’s even better.
Rating: 10/10
Characters:
Rose Green: Rose has purchased the house with almost all her life savings, and plans to open a B&B with the help of her friend, Abby. Since the accidents started, Rose is worried about being able to open on time. Could she be sabotaging the whole thing just to get her money back?
Abby Sideris: Abby co-owns the mansion with Rose as she contributed some of her own money to help buy what she hoped they could turn into a booming business. She also believes in the supernatural and that the mansion is truly haunted by a ghost. *If you play the game right you can sit in on one of Abbys séance’s! Is she trying to get out before the whole business goes belly up? Could she be behind these accidents?
Charlie Murphy: Charlie is a college student who recently moved to San Francisco to study history; he helps with repairs on the mansion in his spare time. He is always located in the basement & gets upset when you mention the accidents. Could he be hiding something?
Louis Chandler: Louis is a local antique dealer that Rose is letting use the library for research in exchange for advising her about authentic décor for the mansion. He says he has no idea what or who is causing the accidents. Does he know more than he’s letting on?
I genuinely liked all the characters. You don’t interact with them a ton like in TRT but they’re there if you need them. Rose seems truly concerned about the mansion but you don’t get a ton out of her after the first time you talk with her. Abby was probably my favorite & I liked how we got to snoop through her room. I liked Charlie but he did seem a little useless. Louis was cocky & standoffish; I enjoyed spying on him in the secret passage way though!
Rating: 8/10 (Just because we don’t get to talk to them often & you’re mainly on your own, I like a little more interaction)
Graphics/Scenery:
The graphics aren’t like we’re used to seeing them in the newer games of course but it’s not like SCK, there’s more movement but at time they’re still a little stiff. Then again, this is only the 3rd game. Sorry for those of you who like to explore, unfortunately you never leave the mansion & only have the following places to go: front hall/lobby, sitting area (where Rose is), the 2 rooms upstairs, the attic, the parlor, library and the basement. Don’t get me wrong there are plenty of places to go & rooms to explore but you never leave just like CUR.
Rating: 7/10
Puzzles/Activities:
Right off the bat Rose gives you a project (hey you are there to help with renovations!). It’s an inlay puzzle but honestly it’s pretty easy! You also have to take notes by hand (GASP). As this is one of the early games where Nancy doesn’t have a handy dandy task list! It’s actually old-school and fun, one of the aspects I love about the older games. There are many Chinese symbols smattered throughout the game so make sure to take note of every single one. There are times where I needed help (yes even on junior level) since I wasn’t sure exactly what the next step was but you always have your phone friends if you’re stuck.
Rating: 8/10
Music/Scare Factor:
Ok, I have to be honest I don’t remember the music since I played it months ago but I do remember it definitely gave me a feel of being in an older mansion. I remember when you go down into the front hall/lobby area you can hear the grandfather’s clock ticking & I thought that was a great addition! It terms of the game being scary I’d say on a scale of 1-10 I’d give it a 6.5. There’s a part where a shadow walks by the door that gave me goose bumps! If you’re walking through the halls near Abby's room you can hear someone say “I see you” & other ghostly sounds, it was GREAT but creepy all at the same time. You absolutely get the feeling of someone just around the corner & it really adds to the game.
Rating: Music: 10/10 Scare Factor: 6.5/10
Ending:
I’ve read that people knew the culprit half way through the game and looking back now I totally get why. Maybe I’m just clueless or have my head too much in the puzzles/what I have to do, but I was surprised until I saw who it was then I was like “oooh ok”. Ha-ha. GREAT fast paced ending. You have to know exactly what to do but it’s fairly easy to figure out & very in depth unlike some of the games where you figure out a puzzle & the game is over (yuck). I love the action that the ending has, probably the best ending including FIN.
Rating: 10/10
Overall:
LOVE. My 2nd favorite game out of the ones I’ve played so far. None have ever touched MHM & TRT but I hope to find a new favorite to play over and over. Its got just the right elements of everything to make this feel like a true mystery!! Since this an old one, I feel like most people have already played it but if you haven’t get it before they stop making it!
Rating: 8.5/10 (Honestly it's 10/10) lol
Thanks for reading my review, and as always enjoy playing!!!
Hello! And welcome to my third review (ever) but my first on Message in a Haunted Mansion! I am so excited to go over this game, the second one I ever played & an all-time classic ND game. How appropriate that MHM was the third game by HeR made in 2000. 15 years old this year!! This game is definitely in my top 5 favorite games, I love playing it over & over.
Plot:
Nancy is heading to San Francisco to help Rose, a friend of her house keeper; Hannah. Unfortunately strange accidents start happening and are getting in the way of renovating the house. You as Nancy Drew must find out who or what is behind all these terrible mishaps before they succeed in shutting down the place for good!
When I first heard of the game I thought this plot sounded so cool. Ghosts AND a haunted mansion-perfect!! The game also explores the ancient Chinese history in San Francisco. I found that interesting too as I didn’t even know anything about it before. I’m a huge history nut so when that is incorporate into the games it’s even better.
Rating: 10/10
Characters:
Rose Green: Rose has purchased the house with almost all her life savings, and plans to open a B&B with the help of her friend, Abby. Since the accidents started, Rose is worried about being able to open on time. Could she be sabotaging the whole thing just to get her money back?
Abby Sideris: Abby co-owns the mansion with Rose as she contributed some of her own money to help buy what she hoped they could turn into a booming business. She also believes in the supernatural and that the mansion is truly haunted by a ghost. *If you play the game right you can sit in on one of Abbys séance’s! Is she trying to get out before the whole business goes belly up? Could she be behind these accidents?
Charlie Murphy: Charlie is a college student who recently moved to San Francisco to study history; he helps with repairs on the mansion in his spare time. He is always located in the basement & gets upset when you mention the accidents. Could he be hiding something?
Louis Chandler: Louis is a local antique dealer that Rose is letting use the library for research in exchange for advising her about authentic décor for the mansion. He says he has no idea what or who is causing the accidents. Does he know more than he’s letting on?
I genuinely liked all the characters. You don’t interact with them a ton like in TRT but they’re there if you need them. Rose seems truly concerned about the mansion but you don’t get a ton out of her after the first time you talk with her. Abby was probably my favorite & I liked how we got to snoop through her room. I liked Charlie but he did seem a little useless. Louis was cocky & standoffish; I enjoyed spying on him in the secret passage way though!
Rating: 8/10 (Just because we don’t get to talk to them often & you’re mainly on your own, I like a little more interaction)
Graphics/Scenery:
The graphics aren’t like we’re used to seeing them in the newer games of course but it’s not like SCK, there’s more movement but at time they’re still a little stiff. Then again, this is only the 3rd game. Sorry for those of you who like to explore, unfortunately you never leave the mansion & only have the following places to go: front hall/lobby, sitting area (where Rose is), the 2 rooms upstairs, the attic, the parlor, library and the basement. Don’t get me wrong there are plenty of places to go & rooms to explore but you never leave just like CUR.
Rating: 7/10
Puzzles/Activities:
Right off the bat Rose gives you a project (hey you are there to help with renovations!). It’s an inlay puzzle but honestly it’s pretty easy! You also have to take notes by hand (GASP). As this is one of the early games where Nancy doesn’t have a handy dandy task list! It’s actually old-school and fun, one of the aspects I love about the older games. There are many Chinese symbols smattered throughout the game so make sure to take note of every single one. There are times where I needed help (yes even on junior level) since I wasn’t sure exactly what the next step was but you always have your phone friends if you’re stuck.
Rating: 8/10
Music/Scare Factor:
Ok, I have to be honest I don’t remember the music since I played it months ago but I do remember it definitely gave me a feel of being in an older mansion. I remember when you go down into the front hall/lobby area you can hear the grandfather’s clock ticking & I thought that was a great addition! It terms of the game being scary I’d say on a scale of 1-10 I’d give it a 6.5. There’s a part where a shadow walks by the door that gave me goose bumps! If you’re walking through the halls near Abby's room you can hear someone say “I see you” & other ghostly sounds, it was GREAT but creepy all at the same time. You absolutely get the feeling of someone just around the corner & it really adds to the game.
Rating: Music: 10/10 Scare Factor: 6.5/10
Ending:
I’ve read that people knew the culprit half way through the game and looking back now I totally get why. Maybe I’m just clueless or have my head too much in the puzzles/what I have to do, but I was surprised until I saw who it was then I was like “oooh ok”. Ha-ha. GREAT fast paced ending. You have to know exactly what to do but it’s fairly easy to figure out & very in depth unlike some of the games where you figure out a puzzle & the game is over (yuck). I love the action that the ending has, probably the best ending including FIN.
Rating: 10/10
Overall:
LOVE. My 2nd favorite game out of the ones I’ve played so far. None have ever touched MHM & TRT but I hope to find a new favorite to play over and over. Its got just the right elements of everything to make this feel like a true mystery!! Since this an old one, I feel like most people have already played it but if you haven’t get it before they stop making it!
Rating: 8.5/10 (Honestly it's 10/10) lol
Thanks for reading my review, and as always enjoy playing!!!