Sponsored Links
Mystery of Unicorn Castle: The Beastmaster is a hidden object mystery game developed by Meridian ‘93. In it, you take the role of a detective trying to find the whereabouts of a missing child, but things take a turn for the worse… rather abruptly.
Expect to face not regular criminals, but creatures of the occult in this dark Hidden Object styled mystery game.
Gameplay wise, you follow the classic hidden object and puzzle solving formula found in many popular mystery PC games. You gather items found all throughout the screens, sometimes combining them with one another, and then use them to unlock access to other screens or simply to get even more items that help uncover the game's mystery.
At times you might need to solve an additional puzzle in order to continue your investigation, and these puzzles are all very varied and interesting. If you get stuck on a particular puzzle, you can wait a bit and a skip button will fill up for you. However, you may find that solving these puzzles, although challenging, can provide rewarding clues to help crack the mystery.
Sometimes, to find a particularly hidden clue, an area will glow indicating a hidden object scene - a staple gameplay mechanic in many mystery video games where you have a list of items to find by clicking on screen. Sometimes you might need to take additional actions in order to discover the item, or maybe you will need to combine items to make it altogether.
To aid you in your mystery solving journey, the game comes with a plethora of shortcuts commonly seen in mystery video games. First of all, the game’s map is massive, so to properly navigate locations related to the mystery you can just click on your map, and then where you would want to go. Additionally, the map will show you which areas have unsolved clues left to uncover. This allows you to get to them right away, saving you lots of time in cracking the case!
There is also a hint system that can prove to be a real life savior if you are stuck on a puzzle or clue. What sets this system apart from similar systems in other mystery video games, is that there are ways to refill it faster by discovering hidden items in the game world. If all of this sounds too casual for you, the game’s “hard” mode is what you’re after for a more challenging mystery solving experience. You won't even be able to change the difficulty if you start a game in this mode, so be careful!
The story, while dark fantasy in nature, has a fairly un-fantastical protagonist. You are a detective that is clearly out of your depth, as you head on your motorcycle towards the last known location of a missing child.
As you ride, you are ambushed by a rat-like creature the size of a big dog, and next thing you know you wake up in a graveyard. Lucky for you, you did not suffer any major injuries. From here on out, the supernatural occurrences skyrocket in frequency, as you have to deal with even more giant rats, man-eating plants and even bargain with ghosts! There is not a dull moment in each room of the Unicorn Castle.
The art style of this game is truly fantastic, going for a dark fantasy aesthetic and beautifully realizing it. Do not be fooled by the word “unicorn” in the title since this is not a wholesome, fairy tale story.
Instead, the color palette is dark and damp, even classically bright colors are brought down to a gray scale; it sets the mood just right. And the animations are fantastic. While the game is mostly 2D, it accentuates moments of high tension with animated cutscenes and three dimensional models.
It is not just the narrative that will keep you on your toes, it is the creatures that lurk within it as well. It should be mentioned that the 2D art is fantastic as well, and like most Hidden Object style games, it is incredibly detailed.
Mystery of Unicorn Castle is a joyride in the visual, story and gameplay departments. There is a little bit for everyone here in terms of difficulty, and in terms of story this one is a captivating one that will hook you from beginning to the bitter end.
If you enjoy these free games, you will love this list of our 10 Best Hidden Object Detective Games!
