Point and click adventure games have made a comeback in recent years, and with it a lot of new and old fans purchasing said games to work their way through a story driven narrative that tells the story of many a popular protagonist. Step forward Artifex Mundi who have turned the genre into something unique, with several series of games that include hidden object mini-games scattered throughout your journey. A fresh twist on console games, and does it work? Does Nightmare from the Deep 3 end the series in style? Or does it drift off into the open ocean to be forgotten? Read on.
For those who have somehow not heard, Nightmare from the Deep 3: Davy Jones is the third and final instalment of one of Artifex Mundi’s popular series that follows the female protagonist, Sara Black and her daughter Cory as they begin to host an event that discusses the tale of Davy Jones when a storm hits and causes a power shortage. Once you’ve progressed through the first puzzle, Davy Jones himself turns up, disappointed that he wasn’t even invited to an event about him. Once you are whisked away, the final adventure begins. Rather than the game being a first person or third person adventure, the game’s locations are broken down into static screens whereby you search for objects hidden away that once collected can be used elsewhere. Usually on another screen. Each location is not only awash with vibrant colours, but also highly detailed and extremely pleasing on the eye. It’s also worth noting that animation on NPC’s is far more impressive than previous iterations, with more frames per second and detail added, which is instantly noticed when you happen upon a canine friend.
Each character you meet, and they are mostly undead skeletons, are fully voiced, and at times sound like cheesy stereotypical pirate impersonations, but it gives the game a charm all of its own. Yar! You will need to interact with each one you find, and along with solving puzzles, they provide you with new items to help you solve future puzzles. If the hidden object scenarios don’t interest you, then you can always choose to complete a Mahjong game in its place. Both give the same end result, so the choice is entirely down to you. In all honesty, I’ve only played a handful of Artifex Mundi games previous to this, namely Of Glass and Ink and Enigmatis and the previous Nightmare from the Deep Games. But having invested time in these titles, I have to say that they maintain a high standard in terms of quality and I’ve never encountered a single bug during this time. A refreshing change given how many games are released with bugs these days. A talented developer without a doubt, and one that’s full of ideas when you look through their catalogue of over a dozen games currently available on Xbox One alone. Here’s hoping they continue and go from strength to strength releasing more titles for years to come.
The only niggle I can call the game out for, is when I was playing the hidden object games. Occasionally, the object I was looking to select wouldn’t register for several attempts before being picked up. The circular cursor seems as though it has to be in a specific position to register. I’d much rather have an arrow head cursor to select individual objects. Overall, Nightmare from the Deep 3 wraps up the story sufficiently, and lays the ghost to rest for Davy Jones and yourself. It’s as always, a fun adventure, full to the brim with lush and colourful environments crafted by some highly talented individuals and plenty of well hidden objects to find, such as sea horses and puzzle pieces. That’s not to mention the well designed hidden object games. For the achievement hunters among you, once again you have a pretty straightforward completion although you must play through on the hardest difficulty setting. A great reason to play it twice. There’s also bonus content to unlock for more adventures. What more could you ask for? Go grab it today, whether you’re new to the games or a long time fan, Artifex Mundi will provide enough value for money once again. Overall Score 9/10 Developer: Artifex Mundi Publisher: Artifex Mundi Release Date: 2nd February 2018 Price: £11.99 File Size: 2.22GB Xbox One copy provided for review purpose. Available on Xbox One, Google Play, Android, Steam and more.