Gamertell

Title: Mysterious World: The Secret of Oak Island
Price: $19.99
System(s): Windows PC
Release Date: July 15, 2009
Publisher (Developer): Cerebral Vortex Games (Cerebral Vortex Games)
ESRB Rating: N/A, I’m tempted to say all ages, but recommend it for ages 10 and up due to the difficulty level and storyline.
Pros: Interesting backstory. Quite a few locations to visit. Additional tools are used to play extra mini-games. Pretty story sequence images. Educational aspect with the inclusion of Lore Pages. Two modes of play.
Cons: The background music is so-so, it sounded somewhat tin-y to me and was an annoyance while I was trying to solve puzzles. Some small items are difficult to click. Hidden objects are often reused, and occasionally appear in the same place in the same location. Some mini-game puzzles, like deciphering with the Mysterious Device, are frustrating and annoying.
Overall Score: One thumb up, one sideways; 85/100; B; * * * 1/2 out of 5

Video games based on real life are somewhat uncommon. Players often see more fantastic tales “inspired” by real life stories, but those are usually adventures with little real-life material included. Cerebral Vortex’s Mysterious World: The Secret of Oak Island is slightly different. It’s set in Oak Island, Nova Scotia, Canada and is based on the rumors and urban legends that Oak Island is the hiding spot for a substantial amount of money.

Searching for treasure, and actually having the opportunity to find it!

While the real Oak Island is privately owned now, meaning people can’t just head on over and start scavenging, Mysterious World: The Secret of Oak Island gives PC owners the chance to research the area on their own and hopefully discover treasure. Plus, while the real Oak Island’s treasure may not actually exist, there is treasure in Mysterious World: The Secret of Oak Island.

First, a bit of background courtesy of the Oak Island Tourism Society and Oak Island Treasure. In 1795, what appeared to be a pirate money pit was discovered by Daniel McGinnis while he was at Oak Island on a fishing trip. When he and his friends dug into the pit, they would find flagstones, indicating something was buried deeper. Whatever was there was too deep for them to reach. Digging resumed around 1802 with proper equipment and dug deeper. They found a stone with cryptic symbols that allegedly stated, “Forty feet below two million pounds are buried,” but forces of nature kept the excavation from continuing. Subsequent efforts took place over the years, with new exploration beginning in 2008.

So, in Mysterious Worlds: The Secret of Oak Island players will be following pirate maps, artifacts and other clues, solving puzzles to try and find the pirate treasure. You’re in dire straights, as your grandmother has just died leaving behind many bills. While cleaning her house to find antiques to sell, you find a journal that reveals she was a treasure hunter, searching for the Oak Island pirate treasure of Captain Wyecroft. You take up her search as your own.

A good, educational game with a few minor troubles.

Mysterious World: The Secret of Oak Island is a pretty good game with interesting features. You can set the difficulty level right away. You can play the Challenging mode, where there’s a strict time limit, or the Leisurely mode, where you can take as much time as you’d like. I also liked the art style for the story scenes. It looked like beautiful watercolor or oil paintings. Plus there’s an educational aspect, because as you find certain objects you’ll unlock Lore pages to read.

There’s also interesting tools. For example, you have access to mysterious device, magnifying glass, nightvision scope, scuba gear and x-ray scope. These trigger mini-games puzzles. You have to find all the device parts before you can actually use them, which can be quite tricky. These parts can be incredibly difficult to find, since each of the devices are broken up into smaller parts and you’re not sure which piece will be in the puzzle you’re searching. Which means you’ll need to make use of the tricky compass assistant.

Speaking of the compass assistant, I initially disliked it. It resides in the bottom left corner and is used to provide hints. It’s meant to help find objects, but you’re never really taught how to use it. If you click it randomly on the top screen or bottom, you’ll lose it one use of it. I wasted three uses learning how to use the thing. To make matters worse, it’s shared among all the locations in a level/area, so if you use the help parts up in one area, you don’t have it for another.

Also, some of the additional puzzle mini-games can be quite frustrating. In particular, I disliked the ones where you had to decipher code. You’re offered no assistance in the matter (like a hint that A = three dots), and instead are left to flounder around. Luckily, once you find a correct letter you hear a chime and are unable to select that letter again.

An interesting method of livening up the Hidden Object genre

Overall, Mysterious World: The Secret of Oak Island is one of the better hidden object games I’ve played. The use of other kinds of puzzles between hidden object puzzles to help keep things fresh and give players a chance to rest their eyes is a nice touch, even though some of the puzzles can be quite frustrating. Plus, the fact that it is based on an actual location and mystery adds a sense of realism and intrigue that isn’t found in other casual games. It actually made me want to learn more about the real Oak Island mystery.

Personally, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Mysterious World: The Secret of Oak Island appear as an educational aid in schools. Perhaps in a history, social studies or geography class. The teacher could use it in a unit about Canada. If I were a student, I know I’d be interested in hearing about a place that could be the location of a hidden treasure. It’d be a good way to make learning fun.

Site [Mysterious World: The Secret of Oak Island] Site [Oak Island Tourism Society] Site [Oak Island Treasure]