Millionaire Manor is a pretty bland hidden object game with little to no adventure plot involved. It's just a series of hidden object 'puzzles' with the only connection being a spinner that selects the mode that the hidden object screen will be presented in (e.g. list, silhouette, puzzle piece, etc.).

I didn't find much of a challenge, none of the hidden objects require any kind of manipulation to reveal, and the hardest thing about it was finding the objects in lower quality images (poor lighting, distance perspective, etc.) The most imaginative thing about the game was the constant timed "Bonus Round" interrupting the main hidden object screen with another hidden object screen.

Each puzzle seems to serve no purpose other than to complete itself. There's no sense of reward or accomplishment, as you get in the more entertaining adventure story HOGs when you unlock the item that you just happen to need to progress in the story. I guess if spotting and clicking random stuff thrown in haphazardly on top of blah pictures is the part of HOGs you enjoy most and you hate the story part where you have to figure out the puzzles, this is the one for you.

If this game at least had Steam achievements, then it might be worth the effort to slog through the boring gameplay in order to grab some easy achievements. As it is, there are so many HOGs available on Steam that would be more deserving of your time, even if you picked this one up on sale.

This Hidden Object game is that your on a gameshow to save your grandpa so you must complete puzzles to do it. The variety of puzzles are interesting from silhouettes, to riddles, keeping things fresh. A solid 10/10 idea! Good voice acting which drives the story makes the game feel alive.

The game detects your resolution loading the game in that resolution which can result in stretched or fuzzy low quality textures.
How to Fix:
Right click the steam entry and choose properties/click local files then browse local files.
Right click the exe "THOS3" with the star icon and choose properties.
Go to compatibility Tab and put a check in the box for "disable display scaling on high DPI settings".

Rating: 10/10 Value: $7.99

I bought this Game during a Sale after discovering how good HOG`s can be through the Artifex Mundi Games.
Sadly this one is not even close to them. The Story is nonsensical and lackluster. That alone
I wouldn`t mind so much but the Gameplay, while theoretically varied with lots of gamemodes
is absolutely random. You spin a wheel that randomly gives you a Gamemode. This means
that you will most likely play the same modes again and again and never get to see some of the
others.

Still I could forgive the Game this if it didn`t fail at the most important part, the Hidden Objects.
While they should be more or less hard to find, I have encountered several Objects that were simply
impossible to find without Hints due to bad contrast and lighting. Even WITH the Hint I couldn`t see
1 or 2 of them while staring right at them. Only blindly clicking on the area were they revealed.

TL:DR
If you are a Hardcore HOG Gamer and want to complete your collection, buy it during a sale.
Everyone else stay far, far away from it.

TL;DR version at the bottom.

This is really not that terrible of a HO game, but there are a few things that you need to know before you give it a try.

Firstly, this is an old-school HO game, without a map/travel or inventory management puzzles. Like many of the older games, it's just finding objects in a scene packed with dozens upon dozens of items. If you are looking for something like the new Artifex Mundi games which are more intricate and have more features, you probably won't be thrilled with this.

That said, there is a wide variety in the types of HO scenes in this game. Essentially, you spin a wheel for each scene to see what variation you'll be playing, with a "skip chip" that can be used to block off a certain type that you don't like. While they are all "find the object" variations, there is enough variety to keep it interesting (combining objects, traditional list, timed, silhouette, plus some pretty different ones that you don't see often).

I've seen some complaints about pixel hunting and low-res graphics, but to be honest, I had no difficulty with it. There was no pixel hunting for me, and all of the objects were defined well enough for me to easily discern what they were. The scenes can be difficult, especially depending on the mode, but I don't feel like the graphic quality is the problem. That's not saying that it's a gorgeous game, it definitely comes off as old with dated graphics, but not to the point where it hinders the gameplay.

It is a VERY short game. I clocked in at 2 hours from start to finish in one sitting. Finishing the game unlocks the ability to complete each scene with the different game modes, which adds a touch of replayability for people that enjoy the simplicity of HO scenes without the story. I would recommend getting it on sale due to its age and lack of frills (I picked it up for $0.99 and it was a buck well spent, in my opinion).

About the story... there isn't much of one, which is pretty common for these early games. If you go into it for the gameplay and not the plot, it's not that big of a deal. If you want a deeper story (or any story...), again you may want to bypass this.

TL;DR: only worth playing if you don't mind the old-fashioned HO games that are ENTIRELY object seek without frills, bells, whistles, or embellishments, but well worth it if you like the old-style HO games. Due to the short playtime, I suggest getting it on sale.

"Welcome to the Hidden Object Game Show" says the ever so glib, top hat and tuxedo wearing Master of Ceremony with the Clockwork Orange eyes and a maniacal laugh that puts the Joker to shame. Okay, gramps what have you managed to get yourself into besides a cage along with 5 other caged 'contestants'. For accuracy's sake two people are in one cage, making 5 cages total. Despite this bizarre and slightly unnerving introduction the only thing any of this has to do with gameplay is releasing the trapped and caged 'contestants'. (Making this game 5 levels in total.)

I read all the reviews after I played the game and the negative ones did nothing to dampened my enthusiam about recommending this game. This is what a TRUE HIDDEN OBJECT GAME IS. No bells, whistles, or storyline beyond the premise. No walkabout adventure/mystery. No point and click, puzzles, achievements, or anything else that is associated with today's HO games. This is a game for a connoisseur and an afficianadio of the Hidden Object genre.

Circa 2010 and the third of a series, this game is only about finding Hidden Objects. The only thing repetitive about this game is probably the music. So turn it off. This game uses a spin wheel to chose the type of hidden object play the gamer gets. It is randomized and there is an auto-spin option. There are 13 different types of hidden object find "puzzles": straight list, combine (which is equivalent to "extra step" finds), letter getter (find the alphabet which fill in the letters of find clues - almost like hangman), silhouette, focus (day version of night mode played with a fuzzy picture and a magnifying glass), riddle (i.e. orange and rabbits favorite food), elimination (eliminate several series of items from the scene before a riddle to the object needed to be found is given), triplets (find three of the same object), find 10 (find 10 of something), spot the difference, puzzle (match the puzzle piece to the puzzle piece in the scene) and countdown (30 seconds to find the object). Just the variety of different types of Hidden Object "puzzles" is staggering compared to today's games. Now add to this about 30 different scenes and the game is a very far cry from repetitive some claim this game is.

I never played the same thing twice, and not until near end did I even get the same scene (and then with a different puzzle type). A mention about the scenes, the objects in the scene are what one would expect to find in say a garage, a swimming pool or a bedroom. Albeit a very full garage, cluttered swimming pool, or extremely messy bedroom but overall the items are appropriate to the scene not just random junk.

The object of the game is to release the 6 trapped and caged 'contestants', who they themselves are a bit over the top. Their banter is pretty amusing, as well as their stereotype. There are six total game rounds that must be played to release each contestant. (In one case, 2.) However, each game can be extended with bonus rounds (up to 3). (I think this is random, or NOT getting bonus rounds may depend on whether or not the gamer lands the stop in a small gold area on the spinner.) Despite playing a bonus round on the same scene the puzzle type is different, and the objects move or are added depending of the puzzle type. During gameplay "bonus" scenes show up that the gamer can click on. (I only ever got two per puzzle.) These bonus scenes last 15 seconds during which time the gamer must collect as many broken token pieces as they can. These tokens give the gamer hints, 2x hints, skip (a puzzle type when placed on the spin wheel), and/or an unlock (unlock a new puzzle type) depending on how many pieces the gamer collects. After each game round a scoreboard is given showing accuracy, tokens, etc. (Accuracy may depend on misclicks, less misclicks the higher the accuracy??)

That is the game.

After everyone is free, the Master of Ceremony states the "gamer" cannot leave because there is more to do. The "more to do" is found in the extended play area on the main menu. In this extended play area, scenes are shown with stars beneath indicting which type of puzzle that has or has not been played.

One warning: Some the scenes have windows which are so bright the objects in them can not be seen. I thought this was probably my computer but apparently not. Others have mentioned/complained about this. I am quite sure if this game was ever remastered that this would no longer be a problem. My solution was to use hints or simply randomly click on the window to "see" if anything was there. Compared to some of the bugs I have encountered in newer games this was barely a shrug on the annoyance scale.

So yes, get this game, and though I received this as a gift, full price is well worth it.

Hidden Object Games (HOGs) are rapidly becoming my genre of choice it feels like. Either I'm getting old or I want to review as many casual products as possible before the next wave of 2D shooters gets released (Thanks Degica and Cave!). In any case, I'm here to talk about Millionaire Manor, and baby I have to say it: This HOG is a PIG.

In this adventure, you have to rescue your granddad (and a few other people) from a twisted game-show host. He has everyone caged and there is a shark-infested pool nearby. What could be the setup for deadly danger, just comes off as dumb. By their nature, HOGs are what you play when you want to relax. It's akin to spending a Sunday afternoon putting together a jigsaw puzzle. In Millionaire Manor, there are no time-limits or even the slightest possibility that you or the hostages will become sharkfood. It's like the bonus round in Wheel of Fortune, only instead of having a few seconds to figure out the answer, Pat Sajak hands you a crossword puzzle, and gives you all the time in the world.

But that's just nitpicking right? Okay, well then let's talk about the real flaws in this game. The image-quality is terrible! Each scene is set to a very low resolution, and looks disgusting when stretched to full-screen. Most of the time objects are easily found, simply because they stick out so much. The difficulty of finding objects is usually due to them barely resembling much of anything. I had a hell of a time finding frogs, since they looked like nothing more then discolored splotches.

Unlike other HOGs that offer a balance between looking for objects and solving puzzles, Millionaire Manor revolves entirely around the former. That's not to say there aren't any attempts at "variety". Take note of the quotation marks; variety can be a very bad thing. There are multiple game-modes, and the one you'll play is determined by spinning the wheel. Aside from the standard "list" mode (find objects on a list), you can also expect to find the silhouettes of objects, multiple objects, two objects that combine to solve a riddle, every object except the object you're supposed to find, and object to object the object object. My least favorite is the focus mode, where the entire scene is blurry aside from a small area.

What's the use of having ten different modes of play, when none of them are fun or challenging? It's little more than pointless padding; like replaying 1-1 of Super Mario Brothers a few times, only with extra goombas and some weird visual effects. To add further annoyance, occasional BONUS! indicators will pop-up while you're trying to find objects. When you click on these distracting messages, you'll have the chance to earn goodies, by finding hidden pieces. Aside from providing additional hints, these bonus rounds offer skip chips, so you can skip a mode you dislike in the next scene. However, these chips aren't worth the trouble. When you spin the wheel you can determine where to place the skip chip. HOWEVER, since scenes can be 1 to 3 rounds, you'll just as likely end up playing that "skipped" mode in the second or third. Thanks for nothing!

At least I had the bright idea to catch-up on my youtube-backlog while playing Millionaire Manor, otherwise I would have quit in less than 15 minutes.

I can not recommend this game to be honest. It's short. The alternative game modes can be annoying. You can not choose which type of mode you get, you have to spin a wheel so it's random.

Extended play (after "beating" the normal play) could have been redeeming since then you can do the game modes you've missed in the different hidden object scenes, but by then I was so bored, I de installed. I felt no sense of reward but completionists might like to do all modes on all scenes and fill the board with stars :)

Don't buy if not on super sale.

Edit: I forgot to mention the bonus thingies that randomly pop up with which you can earn extra hint tokens: they are timed with a nervous melody that made me rather jittery.

I'm not sure why anyone would want to play a hidden object game without a goofy, awkward, nonsensical story to it, but those people can rejoice for they have Millionaire Manor. Freed from the oppressive shackles of plot and narrative, players can click through the many game modes offered in rapid succession. If you need a quick item-hunting fix it'll get the job done but honestly just scrounging items is not what I'm here for. Consider this a pretty tepid recommendation based solely on the strengths of the game modes and the impressive scenery-chewing of one major character.

I was being a little facetious, there IS a plot, it's just arranged so that all it does is bookend bouts of object hunting. The verbose title, Millionaire Manor: The Hidden Object Game, refers to an old game show that your character's grandfather used to enjoy. It's off the air, but you get a call from him saying he's going to be on it. Rather than calling the nursing home you chase him down and discover that he and a handful of other people have been captured by some jerkoff in a top hat who's doing his best Andrew-Divoff-in-Wishmaster impression. Seriously, this guy is great and a big highlight of an otherwise bone-dry game.

If you want to free these wayward souls, you'll have to play top-hat's games and I don't need to tell you they involve a lot of obfuscated items. The appeal of Millionaire Manor lies in its many game modes. You must complete 6 games to release each of the 5 prisoners, and for each game you spin a wheel of the 10 different modes available. There's the standard hidden object search with a list to complete, but you'll also encounter riffs like hunting silhouettes or sets of three, combining items to make new ones, finding letters or solving riddles to learn what objects you need, or even spot the difference rounds. You'll frequently have to do double rounds to score a victory, and occasionally triple rounds, but each of these is guaranteed to be a different mode.

During each round you can also trigger bonus scenes by clicking glowing text that appears. In these you have all of 12 seconds to find pieces of chips that earn you more hints, tokens to skip specific modes, and unlock new modes. These searches can be pretty tricky due to how well the chips blend in, and honestly the base game isn't much easier. Millionaire Manor is a little dated in looks, with lower-res, washed-out graphics that hide more than a few pixellated objects in the backgrounds. While I wouldn't call it hard by any stretch, you might have a tough time getting through it without burning hints.

You might also have a tough time chugging along to the end, even if you're digging the different game modes. Lacking any kind of exploration or adventure elements, Millionaire Manor feels much more hollow and disconnected than most games in the genre. There's no big conclusion at the end, just a victory screen. You do unlock the ability to play any of the modes on any scene once you win, and it does bother to track which ones you've beaten for the rare completionist that wants to 100% their hidden object game. Honestly between this and the different modes to try, I'd say this one is still worth a look. It's not the sharpest or prettiest HOG out there, but the variety of modes helps to make up for its other shortcomings.



Did you enjoy this review? I certainly hope so, and I certainly hope you'll check out more of them at https://goldplatedgames.com/ or on my curation page!

I love to play Hidden Object games together with my daughter, but this one is so boring that we stopped playing it.

The graphics is nice enough and from the atmosphere it looks good, but the game itself is totally repititive and boring.
There a re some good ideas making it different from the run of the mill HO game but the overall presentation is not enough to save it. And if you are looking for a story, well there is some, but it is pretty unrelated to what you are playing and serves only as an excuse.

An old hidden object game stuck in an even older time, Millionaire Manor offers a nice variety of game modes and a good overall length, but it really struggles to keep the player’s attention.

Millionaire Manor is the third instalment of The Hidden Object Show series, a rather strange breed of hidden object games that really showed how quantity can hurt quality.

Yet again, the player is participating in a television game show– this time with a dark twist– centred on finding hidden objects in several different game modes, ranging from the usual checklists to more exotic types, like riddles. This large variety offers a long play time…

…if you ever decide to actually go that far. Unlike the previous games it’s not required to play every game mode on every level to finish the story, 100% completion is purely optional. But some of the modes are so frustrating or boring that it is doubtful many people will ever want to reach this goal.

A HO game veteran probably won’t find anything appealing in it, since it uses the same mechanics as the first part released in 2008, but for newcomers it may be an excellent starter game with a decent price/length ratio.