Dark Tales: Edgar Allan Poe's Metzengerstein Collector's Edition

Most horror stories tend to include some kind of supernatural spirit or monster, because the real world is far too scary and gruesome to be a good model for casual video games. Hence, hidden object games usually feature ghosts and vengeful spirits as the main villains, but these spirits never seem to commit any kind of truly horrible deeds, besides kidnapping the occasional individual.

Dark Tales: Edgar Allan Poe's Metzengerstein is part of the horror HOPA series inspired by Allan Poe’s poems and ideas, in which you have to solve puzzles and unravel a mystery regarding a ghost. In case you are not familiar with this series, then you need to know that almost everything exactly the same as in every other hidden object adventure game, especially when it comes to gameplay.

The story starts with the main character taking a trip to Hungary, where the Metzengerstein royal family needs your help. As it happens, the sole heir is being tormented by some kind of fog spirit, and you are the only one who can help. Equipped with all sorts of devices and tricks, you set out to find out more about the ghost and maybe find a way to get rid of it once and for all.

Although it feels like you are finding clues and useful objects on your own, the truth is that the game is very linear and strict, which means that the only things you can see or pick up are those the game wants you to see and pick up. It’s a tad sad to think about it this way, but that doesn’t mean you cannot have fun with the game and still find some joy in the mystery at hand.

As usually the graphics are very pleasant and detailed, especially when it comes to the environments and the background artwork. Granted, nothing really moves around and you are stuck in a fixed camera view for every scene, but at least there’s plenty to look at. Even the cutscenes are pretty nice, and the same can be told about the voice acting and the sound effects.

Dark Tales: Edgar Allan Poe's Metzengerstein won’t change the way you feel about hidden object adventure games, but it might provide you with a few hours of fun. Hence, if you enjoy a mystery, this might be able to keep you engaged for a while.

NOTE: This is a downloader for the game. Once run, the application will automatically download and install the game on your computer.

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