Shadow Wolf Mysteries: Tracks of Terror Collector's Edition

I see hidden object games as a love-hate relationship. In a lot of cases, I can appreciate the artwork that comes with each game, and even though after a while it starts to look alike. To me, the main attractions are the puzzles, not to be confused with spotting the clues. Putting things in perspective, I have to ask myself, what do people see in hidden object games when there are so many titles that feel like you’re playing the same thing over and over again.

Point and click games are great. They’re diversified; the story unravels with sense ( in most cases), and you still get the clue/ puzzle solving features you have in a hidden object releases. I get what games like Shadow Wolf Mysteries: Tracks of Terror offer and it’s fair that you can’t expect too much from them, but there are those moments when you simply cringe.

One of them is perfectly illustrated in Shadow Wolf Mysteries: Tracks of Terror, when you have to set some towers on fire. Before you can do that you have to unlock a glass cabinet that contains an end of the fuse that lights them up. To access it you have to solve a puzzle after previously spending time to find two missing pieces from it. All said and done, you complete the puzzle, open the container and light the fuse using a torch. In a world where logic exists, the protagonist of the story could have just lit the external part of the fuse by slightly sticking the torch outside an open window. All that work felt useless.

I’d be tempted to say that the game fails miserably at keeping logic alive but then again, it is a fantasy story. No one can argue with ‘maybe it was a magic fuse that could be lit only at that one end’.

Shadow Wolf Mysteries: Tracks of Terror features good-looking stationary graphics. When it comes to the animations, it’s surely not going to impress. However, in contrast to all of the above, all the negative stuff, the story in Shadow Wolf Mysteries is not a bad one, not at all. Sure, it’s a bit predictable, and the writing is cheesy at times but overall, it’s decent. It sparks interest.

With the plot getting a hold of you, the rest of the game falls nicely in order, taking you to a wide range of environments.

To end, Shadow Wolf Mysteries: Tracks of Terror sends both positive and negative vibes. It all depends on preference; it’s all subjective. If you’re looking to spend a few hours in front of the computer, playing the role of a detective in a world of fantasy, it’s a decent choice.