Vermillion Watch: Fleshbound

Keeping up with a long-standing game series is always rewarding, because you get to watch the story unfold and the characters evolve along the way. On the other hand, it’s pretty difficult to keep a plotline going for very long, at least if the writers make it up on the go. Hence, most casual video game series just use the same theme and they do not feature returning characters.

Vermillion Watch: Fleshbound is a hidden object adventure game in which you get to tackle a mystery and solve a variety of puzzles in order to catch a thief. Most of the gameplay mechanics are the same as in the rest of the series, or in every other HOPA out there, but at least you get to deal with a new mystery and enjoy a few slightly different mini-games.

In short, the story revolves around the Vermillion Watch again, but this time the whole organization is in danger. Thus, one of the Watch’s members has been robbed by someone who left a calling card at the scene, and it is your duty to track this thief and bring him to justice. It shouldn’t be too hard to do so, given the fact that he makes a habit out of leaving clues behind.

Each scene contains a handful of objects you can pick up and use later on, as well as the occasional puzzle that allows you to move on to the next scene. Most of these puzzles require you to move things around in a certain pattern, but others are a bit more engaging than that. Granted, the formula is the same as in every other hidden object adventure game out there, so don’t expect originality in this regard.

Thankfully, the new environments are very intriguing and detailed, which makes the journey truly feel like an adventure. You visit a variety of interesting locations along the way, not to mention the fact that you can also interact with some characters along the way. It’s unfortunate that the cutscenes are very rudimentary, and that the voice acting is a bit lazy, but most of these flaws can be overlooked.

In the end, Vermillion Watch: Fleshbound might not take home any prizes for originality, but it can certainly keep you busy for a few hours. Moreover, the puzzles are challenging enough to make the experience feel rewarding.

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