Phantasmat: Mournful Loch Collector's Edition

There’s no denying that adventure games have an easy time transporting the players to a different world, especially if the story is decent and the level design features enough dreamy landscapes. Whether you visit different planets or a place here on Earth, escaping reality is one of the main reasons people play video games, not to mention the fact that you can witness impossible scenarios and play a role in them.

Phantasmat: Mournful Loch is a hidden object adventure that pits you against all sorts of evil spirits, while also challenging you to solve puzzles and deal with a variety of tricky situations. The goal is to investigate the Logan family and its estate, but things get out of hand before the investigation even begins. Naturally, don’t expect groundbreaking gameplay mechanics, but the puzzles are nice enough to keep you engaged.

The story also features a variety of supernatural creatures and spirits, so it’s important to find ways to deal with them before they have their way with the main character. Granted, the mystery can be figured out rather quickly, so there’s no excitement to keep you on the edge of your seat, especially if you are familiar with the genre and its usual cliches.

As far as the puzzles are concerned, they do feel a bit different sometimes, mainly because the mechanics put your creativity to the test. However, the formula is the same as in most HOPAs out there, so it’s difficult to get excited about the gameplay in general. Even so, the situations you are faced with can be engaging enough to forget about this and just enjoy the experience.

Speaking of which, the graphics are worthy of a mention as well, because every scene is gorgeous and incredibly detailed, in spite of the fact that everything is static and flat. The objects you interact with are very nicely integrated into the environment as well, as are the characters. Even the cutscenes are decent for a change, even if they can be a tad too minimal sometimes.

Phantasmat: Mournful Loch features all the right elements to become your new favorite adventure game, especially in terms of story and puzzles. The mystery keeps you engaged throughout the story, in spite of its simplicity.

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