She's Back!
Cate West, everyones' favorite crime solving novelist, is back and ready for another exciting adventure. Last time she helped the police solve the mystery of the vanishing files. This time she's chasing down a murderer - who has a personal connection to our heroine. Kate must use her special powers to help the police find their suspect before it's too late!
Kate's powers allow her to see and know things that ordinary people would miss. And it's more than just clever insight or woman's intuition. Kate has visions. What those visions mean isn't always immediately clear, so that's where the detective work comes in!
Searching For Clues
Cate West: The Velvet Keys is a top notch hidden objects game full of haunting music, spooky imagery, and an all around creepy atmosphere. It should come as no surprise that your adventure kicks off in Arcadia Asylum, where your suspect recently escaped.
Your first task is to search the inmate's room for clues. Anybody who's played a hidden objects game will feel right at home here. On the left side of the screen you have a list of items you need to find. Simply scour the scene from top to bottom, clicking items as you spot them, until you've found them all. This is a visually dark game, making it a little trickier to find certain things. It's never pull-your-hair out frustrating, however, instead providing a very rewarding challenge.
The overall presentation of the game really pulls you in and makes searching for objects a treat. Even when it takes a little while, it's never a problem, because you never want to leave the world anyway.
Mixing It Up
While most of the stages are comprised of hidden objects gameplay, things do get mixed up quite a bit. Shortly after starting, you'll play a level where you must take the broken pieces from the bottom of the screen and repair them by matching them with their counterparts hidden throughout the scene. While it's fundamentally the same as searching for objects, it can be a lot easier or a lot more difficult, depending on the item.
You'll also come by "spot the difference" puzzles, which are always fun. You won't just be clicking on differences, however. You'll be taking the items you're given and placing them in their correct positions in whichever scene is missing them. This mode is a lot easier than the rest and provides a much needed break.
A Thrilling Adventure
Like the first game, Cate West: The Velvet Keys is fantastic. The gameplay may not be anything revolutionary, but it's a lot of fun, and it's the exciting and engaging storyline that makes this game so special anyhow. There aren't a lot of games that I like to actually see through to the end, but I couldn't pull myself away from Cate West if I tried - and believe me, I tried.
An entertaining story, great presentation, and classic hidden objects fun make this one of the best games of the year, hands down.
