The Mysterious Cities of Gold was probably among the cartoons I was watching when I was a kid. I don't remember well the story in itself but the main song yeah.

So, I'm glad to have that game in my library. Esteban, Zia and Tao learn about a possible City of Gold in China and go there. But once there, between pirates, bandits and several puzzles, how will they manage?

The story is told also with cinematics that gives you the feeling that you're watching an episode of the series, though I must say that some sequences didn't really make sense at all.

The gameplay makes you take control of the three characters, with their own special tricks: Esteban can activate special pillars as the chosen one, Zia can get through small cracks and Tao can read every inscription you'll find so that you can solve the puzzle without forgetting that the parrot, Pichu, that is hanging with Tao, can steal keys.

The game is mainly about that: finding dragon stones, use them either to solve a riddle needing 4 people for plates that are activated when there is a weight on them or to open doors, sneak out areas with enemies (and trying not to get captured), etc.. It's true that for an adult, the game may be seen very very repetitive and very easy to manage (though some puzzles are kinda hard) but the game is pleasant, mainly because of challenges (time, captures, scrolls to collect and even a treasure chest with pictures to unlock).

Anyway, you can retry a level as you want and with achievements to unlock, you'll have to negociate some levels very very well to earn them. It's not always easy to do a speedrun by collecting all scrolls and avoiding captures when enemies's patterns are letting you only a small frame of time to act.

While the game is set in China, you can see a diversity of background: jungle, monastery, Forbidden City, even a City of Gold and caves too. The soundtrack is sticking also to the series.

The three little downsides I've experienced aren't really breaking but as I keep my finger pressing on the left click button to lead character, I often see them go where I don't want and be captured. Also, during a level, I was captured as Tao and suddenly, I had a close-up. I switched characters and everything was back to normal. Also, I was used to restart at one point and then suddenly, the game threw me back to an earlier phase, meaning that I had to restart it as I was aiming for a perfect level for achievement.

I find the 15 bucks price tag a little too high for the game, but if anything, if in discount or in a bundle, you can go ahead for many childhood memories!

Full review: http://www.cublikefoot.com/review/the-mysterious-cities-of-gold-secret-paths-cub-game-review/

I’ll start off by saying, I’ve never seen the original anime that this game is based on. I actually did not know of its existence until I stumbled onto this interesting game. I might actually want to watch the 80′s anime, the game made it seem quite interesting. Because of this, I’ll be unaffected by the “nostalgia factor” that many people had when they saw this game. Anyways, I’ve seen a lot of people purchasing this purely out of nostalgia, and learned about the show because of it; now, onto the review!

I was slightly disappointing by how the game played out. The game essentially combines puzzle elements with some scavenger hunting mechanics. That’s the entire game in a nutshell. The basic concept of the game is not that hard to understand. You’ll find yourself switching between the three main characters, Esteban, Tau, and Zia. Each character has their own special ability used for certain puzzle mechanics found scattered throughout the levels of the game. Each of these skills will have to be used in a certain pattern in order to complete a level. This ultimately results in the player wandering around looking for an object that pertains to a character’s ability, like a crack in a wall, which Zia can slip through.

The levels can easily be traversed with a free-roaming camera, marking each character with an icon and allowing you to figure out the solution to a puzzle from an easier perspective. The problem with this style of gameplay is that switching between the characters feels like a chore. You have to operate all three characters separately, each being used for their ability. Throughout the game, you pick up these “parchments”, which act as collectibles scattered throughout a level. Collecting them all gives you a gold medal at the end of the level for finding them all. The problem with this is that some of the parchments are color-coded, allowing only certain characters to pick them up. This can be a nuisance when you have one character standing on these parchments, unable to pick them up, and the actual character needed to pick them up on the opposite side of the level, awaiting their orders from the player.

The puzzles can be a bit shallow sometimes. There was one instance where a series of pressure plates were laid out in front of me, and three of them had to be activated to open the next door. Above these plates was a plaque that only Tao could read. Reading it tells you what plates to stand on, usually in the form of a riddle, which is nice, but some of them were a little too easy for my tastes. Along with the parchments that can be collected, there is a treasure chest hidden in each level. Finding the chest unlocks an illustration, just another bonus collectible to find.

It’s also worth mentioning that I ran into a game-breaking bug twice. I had to press a button to open a door, and upon pressing the button, it showed the door opening, then immediately closing. I thought I had messed up somewhere, but upon exiting and restarting the game, the door stayed open and I could continue with the game. This happened to me in the first and third worlds. Both occurring near the end of the level, which was quite annoying, having to restart the level.

The game’s graphics were awesome. In-between levels, cutscenes would play with the style of the original anime and leaves me wondering if these cutscenes were actually in the anime themselves. I’m sure fans of the original show would appreciate that. The animation for the characters was smooth, but could be clunky at times, especially when walking across platforms that can be turned with a lever. Overall, the art style was very charming and I really liked it. Although not memorable, the music was great and fit the theme of the game well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnKX2H3kBA4

This was nostalgia induced buy for me.

However, game itself is very enjoyable. Riddles remind me of Lost Vikings style of game.
There are 5 chapters each with about 1h of play, depending how fast you are solving the challenges.
Levels are not too hard but not too dumb either.
Difficulty should be enough to make it a nice challenge for younger audience and good entertainment for those born in the 80 that remember original series.

Definately a great game for children, nice little puzzles with various environments, following the story of the second series of the programme. Xbox controller supported so it's very easy to play, although mouse and keyboard was quite easy too.

The graphics are lovely and bright, they have managed to capture the look of the series down the pixel.

Also helped teach my boy the basics of stealth gameplay, he'll be playing Dishonored in no time!

THIS IS A CHILDRENS GAME!!!! <12 years old most likely

PROS:
-Excellent kids game
-Good art
-Good cutscenes

NEUTRALS:
-Extremely simplistic puzzles (good for kids)

CONS:
-Tedious controls to switch between characters and push switches. Tons of waiting for graphics to catch up.
-Design reeks of mobile game


Normally, a mobile game with mindlessly easy puzzles would not be much of a recommend, but....the endearing art style, good children's quality (and variety of inclusive characters), combined with cutscenes, unpunishing gameplay, and easy puzzles make this a fantastic kids game.

I will definitely keep this one around for all those times somebody's kid is at my house with nothing to do.

Time Bought: Pre Ordered
Money Spent: $15
Worth The Price?: No
Position In Game At Time Of Review: the 2nd act in China

YES, the nostalgia kicks in once you see the 3 kids and it won't be long until you start humming the tune lol. BUT even though it may seem to totally represent the early 80s cartoon, this is in fact based upon the NEW MCoG that is currently showing on tv of their adventures in China! So DO NOT expect the same voice overs, show intro, and locations...even though a huge majority is still intact from the 80s cartoon show. Now that that's said, let's get to the actual game. It's a puzzler. Based on 3 kids alternating to solve puzzles. The puzzles are not difficult at all and doesn't take more of an elementary level of knowledge to solve. I would definitely recommend this for kids, but for grown ups I would only recommend it for people who remembered and loved the early 80s show.

From what I've seen, this is an interesting puzzler, but I think the experience of tracking down the show and watching it first would be better than a game of spoilers. I have to say I've been a fan of the original since it first aired in the 80's, so hearing the new voices was a bit jarring. For anyone just jumping into the series, lore is irrelevant, as is knowledge of the original series. It stands well on its own. Still, I can't see anyone that isn't already a fan picking this up. It's a boost of nostalgia, but I wouldn't recommend it as an introduction to the series.

I so want to love this game as it was my favourite show as a kid, the cut scenes are a fantastic update to the original show and the voices are close enough even if it starts too far into the story, but the controls and lack of full controller support is simply unforgivable. A simple mapping of menu buttons could have address this, instead it smacks of cheaply done mobile port with a high price tag. If you decide to use the controller, you'll have to get off the couch to reach for the keyboard and mouse at the end of each level. Trying to use the default mouse control is worse, as you won't be able to interact with most objects no matter how hard you try. The puzzles seem a bit simple and a little repetitive. All sadly makes for a frustrating, if briefly entertaining, experience.

Nostalgia obviously plays a huge role when it comes to such a classic license but this game is good enough to stand out on its own. The basic gameplay is engaging but with a gentle difficulty curve that makes it suitable for younger players. Experienced players can aim for all the optional goals to up the challenge. For the full review check out http://www.gameramble.com/the-mysterious-cities-of-gold-pc-game-review.html

If you enjoyed games like Lost Vikings and remember this cartoon/anime (either the original from the 80's or getting into the new series) you'll love this!