Enigmatis: The Ghosts of Maple Creek is one of Artifex Mundi's first hidden object games, and despite its age, is one of my absolute favorites. The popular HOG developer re-mastered and re-released the original version of the title to fit widescreens, and despite a bit of dated gameplay, at least by HOG standards, holds up really well.

Our story begins with a detective waking after a terrible storm has devastated Maple Creek. With a bout of limited amnesia that prevents her from remembering anything about the case she'd been working on, and only bits and pieces of clues that have been scattered to the wind, she must now piece together why she is there, what happened to the town, and how to save the residents from a diabolical manipulation that has spanned generations.

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=423967244
Although the plot isn't completely original and is filled with plenty of clichés, it's not your standard "mother looking for missing daughter" or "bride searching for kidnapped fiancée" tale that we get way too often in these games. I love the fact that the main character is removed from the story outside of the events that happen as a result of her investigation. I also enjoyed the darker aspects - the ritual sacrifices, obsession and revenge, all given that HOG gloss, of course, but it's more engrossing storytelling than most other hidden object adventures.

Originally released in 2011, Ghosts was ahead of its time. As part of the adventure-lite gameplay, you gather evidence and clues that must be linked together in order to make deductions on the case and further the storyline. This game mechanic does a excellent job of placing you in the shoes of a detective, and in some ways is far more effective at conveying the role than many other less casual mystery games. Utilizing your skills in deduction like an old fashioned private eye adds a bit of character in a genre that is altogether too static.

That said, there are a LOT of hidden object scenes in the game. I would often go through spans where I was literally playing one scene after another. This may prove unenjoyable for those who prefer a little more adventure in their HOGs. The scenes themselves can be pretty difficult too; a few of the items were rather deceptively, and frustratingly, hidden. Oftentimes I would need to take a break from staring at the screen to refresh my eyes and take another look with a new perspective later on. As for the puzzles, most of them I had seen before, none of which were too difficult or time-consuming. A few even had slight changes that were quite refreshing (a slide puzzle that didn't make me want to break my keyboard, who'd have thought?). If I had to choose, a few more puzzles instead of hidden object scenes would have been nice, but the uneven ratio of HOSs to puzzles did not diminish my enjoyment of the game at all.

Another aspect some may find bothersome is the lack of a map with quick travel. There is a lot of backtracking involved in the game and it may prove tiring for players who are used to using the map to move around more quickly; even I found the amount of backtracking to be a tad much, and I'm generally fine with it in most games.

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=431873222
Artwork and presentation is where the game really shines. Everything from the heavily damaged hotel to the countryside cottages and forest trails are beautifully painted and detailed. My favorite areas are definitely the forest trails with the warm fall colors of the autumn trees contrasting against the hazy blue night sky, giving off a lonely and secluded feel to the atmosphere that is a bit eerie yet peaceful at the same time. This is all accompanied by a beautifully haunting piano-based soundtrack that's been one of my very favorites ever since I first played the game four years ago. I simply cannot get enough of it. And while the cut-scenes have animations that are somewhat rudimentary, they lend a bit of cinematic flare to the storytelling. Even the voice acting is rather good, and I've found AM's voice actors to be quite grating in the past. There's only one voice that I felt was really out of place, but I think that might have been a stylistic choice.

A side note, I strongly recommend playing the bonus chapter. Even though you won't miss out on anything important to the main plot if you don't, there's some interesting history behind Maple Creek and the game's villain that helps flesh out the overall story.

Despite some dated elements (an overabundance of hidden object scenes, no map travel), Enigmatis: The Ghosts of Maple Creek is a classic of the genre that deserves a spot in every HOG enthusiast's library. Unless you absolutely cannot stand playing through more than a handful of hidden object scenes, make sure you grab this one. On sale or not, it's worth every penny.

Bottom Line: A classic of the hidden object genre that needs to be in every HOGGamer's library.

To most gamers, Hidden Object Adventure Games are usually associated with words like “cheap” and “casual”. Not something a “real” gamer would waste their time on. Unfortunately, those people would be missing out on some of the most beautiful, thought provoking, and narratively engaging games the industry has to offer. Developer Artifex Mundi have established themselves as the most recognized creators in this genre, with each successive title adding some new game mechanic or cleverly designed puzzle never seen before. The template from which they have continually built their success arguably began with the critically acclaimed Enigmatis: The Ghosts of Maple Creek.

Due to fan interest, this 2011 title recently saw its release on the Steam service, in the wake of its sequel, The Mists of Ravenwood. As the first in the Enigmatis series, the game does not share many of the new convenient mechanics or additional features as its sequel and other current titles. For instance, The Ghosts of Maple Creek only offers 2 difficulty modes, there are no special in-game achievements to uncover, and hidden object puzzles don’t provide a substitute mini-game you can play in case you just can’t seem to find that one elusive object (usually tucked away behind some obscure “thing” you don’t recognize). One particular cypher puzzle requires you to activate a number sequence found on a clue you pieced together. If you don’t have a particularly good memory, you have to keep going back to your evidence screen. Later games rectified this by automatically placing the code next to you on the puzzle board.


As a Murder Mystery, you travel to different locations uncovering clues to help you solve the case. However, in this game you quite literally have to travel through Maple Creek from one location to another, because the ability to instantly relocate via your map was not added until later games. This might seem frustrating at first, until you notice how various locations you revisit activate additional hidden puzzles. This kind of design tries to emulate the chaotic process a real crime-solver goes through, even if the narrative seems linear.

The story of Maple Creek itself could be viewed like an episode of "Murder She Wrote", with you playing the part of a very young Angela Lansbury, with some supernatural elements thrown in (because that’s always cool). Even today, Enigmatis still displays some of the most striking environmental artwork of any HOPA game. The visages of a storm ridden town are punctuated by incredibly subtle foliage, lightning and wind animations. Given its age, character animations are (forgivingly) amateurish with their marionette-like facial emotes and terrible lip-flaps. Additionally, the cinematic cut-scenes were not re-rendered at higher resolution for full-screen monitors, and subsequently show heavy pixelation, most likely due to upscaling. Despite this, you remain engrossed with the story and intent on revealing the town’s secrets.


By its own merits, Enigmatis: The Ghosts of Maple Creek is a great game for someone looking to try their hand at Hidden Object Adventures and for those who enjoyed The Mists of Ravenwood. Even long time players of Artifex Mundi games should take a stroll through Maple Creek, and see where it all began.

Enigmatis 1: The Ghosts of Maple Creek (IHOG)
June, 2013 review

There are separate sliders for music and sound, and the game is fully voiced. There are options for custom cursor, full screen and aspect ratio. Choice of Regular or Expert mode, which can be changed at any time via the Menu. Besides the usual differences, Expert mode has a misclick penalty, "less direct hints" from the player character, and no sparkles (except those that indicate a hidden object scene)!

We have a journal, but it only records the basics. From here you can access an objectives list and the MAP (which does NOT include a jump-to option.) If you're playing on expert mode, active areas will not show up on the map.

Using a HINT during the adventure portion of the game will give you a directional arrow, and will not discharge the hint.

The hidden object scenes are horribly cluttered. Nothing tiny or overly dark, but VERY crowded. The only good thing I can say about these scenes is that there are a few items that are craftily hidden, instead of depending on the sheer volume of items to obscure things you're trying to find. There is light interaction on a few of the scenes, but only a few. We visit each scene two to three times, but on the plus side, there is quite a bit of time before we have to replay those scenes.

As we collect clues, they are sorted via our Evidence Board. Arranging things on our Evidence Wall is a mini-game, itself, and where we make deductions about our case. It's best to sort as you go, lest you get overwhelmed!

After all is said and done, we come to a solid conclusion and a "To be continued..." The story picks back up in the second game - my favorite of the series - Mists of Ravenwood.

This is a very good, LONG game, with 44 locations (not including the scenes where we zoom-in or the HOS). The story is interesting, the gameplay is good, and the graphics are well-done. I especially appreciate the differences in expert mode and the lack of hand-holding!

Recommended to IHOG fans!

One of the very early puzzles has a bug that makes it impossible to proceed without deleting your saved game and starting from the beginning and hoping to get lucky enough that it works the second time. Alternatively, just using the Skip button. Both are bad options, especially since this has been a known bug for years, based on the comments in the forums.

A savage storm wreaks havoc on the town of Maple Creek. Skies are dark, and Autumn leaves fall on untread streets. You are seemingly alone, hurt, and have no memory of what you are doing in your present location. But you sense it must have been something dire...

In my opinion, this is one of the darkest themed entries in Artifex Mundi's considerable collection. It is also one of their best. Firstly, hidden objects are beautifully placed and cleverly concealed within game. The mini puzzles are well done, taking a bit of a back seat in comparsion to the aforementioned. Secondly, the method of detection or investigative model that is presented to the player is believable and not overdone. Thirdly, the quality storytelling is truly spot on, and surprisingly deep. The layering of twists and turns do not feel forced. Fourthly, both audio and visuals (especially, the color palette capturing the Autumn/Fall season), deserve to be praised. Finally, I experienced a smooth playthrough, without hicups, glitches, or bugs.

A very satisfying game to be sure!

Amazing game and amazing art. This HOG isn't short or with a pointless story, to be honest it has a creepy atmosphere at first. The story starts with a detective who wakes up in the middle of the street, not remembering what got her to this place and why her hands were blood covered. She slowly will start remembering what brought her to Maple Creek as she was sent to investigate a missing person, which will lead her to discover a secret behind all the missing people in the past.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=849035078

The artwork in the game is really good as well as the soundtracks. The hidden objects and puzzles are the best in this game, the scenes are beautifully drawn.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=849035178

Pro:
+Interesting Story
+Beautiful graphics and color palette.
+Good soundtracks.
+Good voice acting.
+Hidden objects are challenging and some of them are not easy to find
+Pretty decent length game
+Steam achievements

Cons:
-Backtracking, no map interaction
-Didn't like where the map is, have to keep opening the journal to click on it.

I really recommend this game to anyone who likes HOG and mystery/detective stories, it worth every $$ you put in it.


Other reviews from the series:
Enigmatis 2: The Mists of Ravenwood Review
Enigmatis 3: The Shadow of Karkhala Review

𝐹𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑤𝑠 𝑐𝘩𝑒𝑐𝑘 𝑚𝑦 𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝑝𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝐹𝑒𝑒𝑛𝑎'𝑠 𝐶𝘩𝑜𝑖𝑐𝑒

Well, I started playing those hidden object adventures recently and got hooked.
That's my third one.

The timer is off, as I left it on a couple of nights. I'd estimate the gameplay at about 10 hours,
including the extra content (Which is a mini-adventure, and not a bad one).

All in all, i'd give it 9/10. The story is solid and interesting (Even if a bit expected), the hidden
object scenes are nice (I liked that you return to a scene later and continue removing some of
the things that were there previously), and the puzzles exist but somewhat basic (Which is one
of my main complaints).

I also thought there are more hidden object games and too few puzzles.
I played Abyss from same company before and it had a much better mix/ratio IMHO.

If you like hidden objects - Give it a try. Also for casual adventure gamers.

The first of the excellent Enigmatis mystery series is an enjoyable HOPA with lots of HO scenes and an engaging, if creepy, story. Ghosts of Maple Creek is missing some of the (now) common features, such as collectibles and using the map to travel between locations, but it makes up for it with more challenging HO scenes and an interesting mystery. It's predictable, but good for the genre. The first time I played, I was slightly disappointed that it wasn't as colourful and slick as the newer AM games, but I came to appreciate the details.

Pros:
- good story
- interactive, informative journal / notes
- more challenging HO scenes (although in a couple of places there is too much blending of background and object)
- lots of HO scenes
- atmospheric
- map can be set to indicate available actions
- Steam achievements and trading cards

Cons:
- map isn't interactive (can't jump between locations - but walking helps you to find HO scenes without help from the map)
- voice acting isn't great (fine for the protagonist, poor for Detective Hamilton; I found that "The Preacher"'s voice actor grew on me over the series)
- very few puzzles
- I found the "collect and use evidence" task somewhat frustrating
- low(ish) resolution and minor distortion due to move to a wide screen; not bad but not great either

Overall: I definitely recommend this game, especially as the first in the Enigmatis trilogy. Worth the price of admission, especially in the Enigmatis bundle. AM games were higher quality when AM was also the developer (not just the publisher).

[Ignore play time ~ I left it running for a day by mistake!]

Story: The player is a female detective commissioned to find a missing girl who disappeared in the fictitious hamlet of Maple Creek, VT (USA). The game starts with the detective having temporary short-term memory loss and as she retraces her steps in her investigation she recovers her memories of the previous events. Her investigation becomes a suspenseful murder mystery that borders on horror with supernatural elements.

Disclaimer: I really do not like horror of any kind and this for me borders on it. Seriously, I gasped out loud and quite literally nearly jumped out of my chair at the major jump scare and that alone set me on edge for the rest of the game. And I was extremely glad I was playing during the day.

Gameplay: Engaging and suspenseful as the detective retraces her already completed investigation (she does not remember yet) and tries to find the missing girl. Now if one takes into account that in a real investigation there is a lot of back and forth movement, retracing of steps, and re-visiting of locations then one should not get too annoyed the game does the same thing. As new evidence is revealed, locations are re-visited. Unfortunately this game lacks a fast travel map. As the investigation unfolds from a missing person case it becomes a mystery, a very dark and sinister one.

One of the most unique elements of the game is the "evidence wall". As clues/evidence are collected (and recollected) it is put on the "evidence wall" (which can be accessed at any time from the main play screen). Between the notebook and "evidence wall" the player gets the "feel" of a "real" investigation. As the investigation continues the player gets involved in a murder mystery. (Too many spoilers if I say more.) I highly recommend reading the notebook, too, so much information in such a little space.

Since this is a Hidden Object game all I have to say about the HO finds is: "jerks". There are three types of "jerk" find objects by my definition.
1) One is an find clue that can be many things. For example: Bow. Bow on a gift package, bow in the hair, more obcure bow tie, bow as in bow and arrow, or the bow of a boat. The Ravenhearst HO games by Big Fish Games (found on steam) are full of those.
2) The second "jerk" object is one so hard to find, so well hidden, it is nearly impossible to find. This game is full of those. Even though every hidden object scene is played three times each time with different objects (and fortunately the last group is not re-added) there is at least one object that makes me, at least, say, "jerks". (After over a 100 HO games I had to consult a guide to find some.) An example is the clue: crumbled paper. Generally that brings to mind a wadded up ball of paper, in one particular scene, it was a wrinkled up flat sheet of paper fit nicely against the light colored floor with the edges covered up. "Jerks"
3) The third type of "jerk" find object is also in this game. Though not as prevalent as the second type. The third "jerk" object is a deliberate mislead. For example calling a top hat a cylinder, or a horse saddle a seat. Yes, a top hat is a cylinder, as a saddle is a seat, but cylinder and seat is not what comes to mind first or even tenth. "Jerks"
However, once the player realizes "they" are doing that, one adjusts and moves on. At least I do.

One of the things I was amazed about was the actual length of the game. It is quite long. It plays as a quite logical progression of an investigation. Everything is ordered, and as new evidence is pieced together the player wants to revisit a location to look for more clues or evidence. I am fairly sure the game also does not reveal future evidence/clues/needed objects until the necessary prerequisites are meet, keeping the game fresh, and the player engaged.

Overall a great game to play, despite "them" being "jerks" in find objects arena. It is a long, involved, slightly convoluted missing person case turning into a murder mystery. OH YES cannot forget the "to be continued" tag at the end.

Just a note of trivia: Yes, Vermont does look like that (I live in Massachusetts) especially in the autumn and hoardes of people drive along designated scenic roads or hike through the mountains just to admire the turning and turned leaves. (It is even possible to drive through sleepy little towns like Maple Creek, some that even claim to be haunted.) Yes, those are real mountain names too in the Appalachain Mountians. The information given about the wildlife is even accurate. I was quite surprised by all that actually since many games call moths butterflies or vice versa.

Oh yes, one last thing - This is the same town Museum Director Sarah Black (Nightmares from the Deep) mentioned was such a wonderful place to visit (in the second game while looking at a photo). No wonder that woman attracts nautical ghosts. LOL

If you like Hidden Object Games (seek and find, puzzles, point and click), then games from Artifex Mundi are for you.