Would be great if I had a joke about birds and trees. Wooden tit.
Enigmatis 2: The Mists of Ravenwood Illusive Objects. 1 Park gate; 2 Forest Path (illusion) 3 Forest Path; 4 Park Entrance; 5 Museum Square; 6 Cliff; 7 Museum; 8 Logging Camp Entrance; 9. Enigmatis: The Mists of Ravenwood is a critically-acclaimed, beautifully crafted casual adventure game rich with horror, plot twists and shadowy intrigue. Follow the trail of a demonic preacher and unravel the secrets shrouded in the mists of Ravenwood Park!
It really is great seeing how the Switch’s wide range of functionalities applies to so many different genres.
Some types of games jump out with more immediacy than others, of course, and the point and click is toward the top of that list. The touch screen is perfect for them, and logically it’s in handheld mode that you get the most out of fantastical point and clicker Enigmatis 2: The Mists of Ravenwood.
Enigmatis 2 feels like a Philips CD-I type game, blending what is essentially static image backgrounds with short animated set-pieces as it works its way through its narrative. For the price point, this isn’t to its detriment, as fortunately the far-fetched plot is actually a lot of fun to play through. There’s about two to three hours of game to play through here, taking the format of hidden object gameplay sessions as well as more brain-heavy forms of puzzles which might have you figuring out riddles or selecting storyline-related objects in the correct order. On the whole, the puzzles are well done, and while they by no means are going to leave you eternally stumped, they have just enough in terms of the satisfaction payoff when you figure them out.
While you may be fond of the point and click genre, you’ll of course need to be able to bear the plot in order to get some enjoyment here. The plot loosely follows on from the first game in the series, but you can very easily pick this up with no prior knowledge. Road tripping families who pass through an apparently luscious looking woodland over time each decide to stop their cars to get out and explore their bright and airy rural surroundings. But things are not all as they seem. For each family which gets out to explore, things start to go wrong for them, and they soon find themselves in exactly the same location but with decidedly different and less pleasant surroundings.
So yes, it’s more of a folk tale than an effort at uber-realism. There’s a small, concentrated cast of characters who each have their own experiences with the appearance-shifting setting, and you’ll need to figure out a way to rescue those in need and repel those of greed. The world-building is strong in terms of the plot and the visuals, but unfortunately the voice acting is undeniably irritating and detracts from the immersion which the game produces very well elsewhere. It’s the difference between wanting to rescue all of the victims in the forest as soon as possible and desperately hoping that some sort of painful disaster will befall on them before you manage to get yourself over there.
It’s an annoying mishap, but the game’s only other problem is leaving you wanting more. The plot keeps a steady pace throughout, but the crescendo comes a tad too early from what I’d hoped for.
It’s odd though that Switch would get Enigmatis 2 as Nintendo fans’ first exposure to the series. The sandwiching games in the trilogy are both available on Steam, and you have to think that they are likely to make their way to the Switch eShop in the future. It might be worth holding on to see if a bundle of the three might appear on the scene down the line.
Enigmatis 2 The Mists Of Ravenwood Switch
Summary
Enigmatis 2 The Mists Of Ravenwood
Enigmatis 2 is a fun point and click with personality. Voice acting is a bit rubbish, and Switch needs the full trilogy. It’s a nice entry point, though.