9 Clues: The Ward

There seems to never be a shortage of hidden object games and although most of them are basically the same with a slightly different story, once in a while one emerges that has you second guessing through the entire duration of the game. It’s the same with 9 Clues: The Ward, a game in which the murder of a doctor sets in motion a series of unforeseen events.

It all starts with a phone call at your PI office from a distressed man who seems to be in grave danger. As soon as you and your partner arrive at the source of the call, the caller is thrown out the window and dies.

Once you make your way into the victim’s office, you discover a crime scene that sets it apart from others and as you start to find clues, one in particular starts to take you into the supernatural. Along your investigation you will meet a series of characters that will make either more sense of the events or completely throw you off track.

The game has the same gameplay as the rest, you have to identify a series of objects inside a scene which you will later use to unravel the plot or solve a puzzle. Initially, the clues are rather scarce and the puzzles not that challenging but as you progress, they do vary and keep you interested in what comes up next.

From a visual point of view, 9 Clues: The Ward looks good, the graphics are in the artistic area and the in-game cutscenes are well done. The voice acting is a bit trivial here and there but nonetheless it fits in with the story and make it that much more appealing.

On a closing note, 9 Clues: The Ward is a good game in all aspects. It offers an intriguing story, rich scenes and a good bunch of creative puzzles.