Looking to save a kingdom? The Surprising Adventures of Munchausen allows you to do just that. You are summoned by the princess to save her from an unwanted marriage. Her father’s kingdom was wealthy and full of light until an evil villain destroyed the “heart” of the kingdom; a magic stone that brought prosperity and light to it. A stranger comes to the King offering a chest full of gold for the Princess’ hand in marriage.
The Princess desperately writes to Munchausen to save her from this unwanted marriage. He says that he can put the stone back together and the king agrees to postpone the wedding to give him time.
Munchausen must complete a series of puzzles that range from feeding and shoeing his horse for the ride to the castle, collecting items in a hidden object game, moving objects to clear a path in a room, and tricking some guards to gain entry to the castle area among others. The pieces of the stone can be found in the scenes, earned for solving puzzles, and given as rewards.
This is a very unique game. There are a variety of puzzles to figure out. These range from hidden objects hidding out in the open and behind other objects. In order to get to some of these items, you will have to “assemble” what you need. One example is collecting the parts of a knife so you can cut off some tree fungus. You will find yourself bouncing between multiple areas to complete what you need to do.
The picture list on the side of the screen will show you if the items are in multiple scenes. The picture when you put your curser over the screen will say “3 parts here, 2 parts another scene”. There is also a game of association. You are given several pictures and you must find what relates to it in the picture. Some of these were easy, others had me scratching my head and using the hint button.
Once you complete each level, you will have a mechanism puzzle. The puzzle is different than all the other ones. You must use some of the objects you have collected from the prior level. You must use these items to launch Munchausen into the castle. It took several tries to get the timing right. Luckily there is no limit on how many times you can try this puzzle until you get it right.
Another puzzle is you must help a towns person cook a duck without moving from his chair. You must adjust the clock to chime; wake up the person who shoots the duck flying over the chimney; a dish is placed on a conveyer belt which is powered by a rabbit; the dish must be placed properly to catch the duck that is cooked as it falls into the chimney.
The Surprising Adventures of Munchausen has two playing modes; Casual and Expert. In casual mode, the game skips and hints recharge faster and objects will sparkle when you get near them. In Expert Mode, the game skips and hints recharge faster and objects will not sparkle when you are near them. This allows players of all ages to enjoy the game.
You can also adjust the music, SFX effects, and custom tutorials. Important prompts will always be shown. Each instruction you receive is recorded in a journal that you can access from any playing screen. You can also look at the help section in the same journal.
The Surprising Adventures of Munchausen brings a little of everything that puzzles lovers will enjoy. The multiple types of puzzles will keep anyone entertained and the two modes make it so that players of all ages will enjoy it.
This variety of puzzle types keep you entertained and does not feel monotonous. The Surprising Adventures of Munchausen is a crowning achievement by Joybits. Well worth owning for any fan of hidden object games.
DaniP
Platform: PC
System specs:
OS: Windows XP/Vista/Win7
Ram: 1024 MB
DirectX: 9.0
HDD: 373 MB
Developer: Joybits
Publisher: Playrix
ESRB: N/A
Price: $13.95 (Playable demo available)
The Surprising Adventures of Munchausen’s Official Website
| Review Score | |
|---|---|
| Graphics |  |
| Colorful and eye catching; beautiful backgrounds. | |
| Sound | |
| Characters fit their voices well and help you in the scene when you click on them. | |
| Gameplay | |
| Easy and intuitive to play. The two modes make it so that all ages can play. Hints are available to help you when you get stuck. | |
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Playrix's The Surprising Adventures of Munchausen is a game that all puzzle lovers must have. The variety of puzzles keeps it from feeling monotonous. This is another gem in Playrix's puzzle line-up! | |
