Mysterium
- January 11, 2017
- Playsoft
- 2h median play time
Mysterium is a digital adaptation of the board game, where a ghost guides psychics to solve a murder mystery using visual clues. Play as the ghost providing clues or a psychic deciphering them, with options for single-player, pass and play, or online multiplayer for up to 7 players. The game features additional content, story mode, and worldwide leaderboards, with availability in multiple languages.
Reviews
- Great adaptation of the physical board game with beautiful art and engaging gameplay.
- Fun to play with friends, especially in a cooperative setting where everyone works together to solve the mystery.
- The story mode serves as a good tutorial for new players, making it easier to understand the game mechanics.
- Multiplayer functionality is often broken, with many players unable to connect or experiencing frequent disconnections.
- The AI is frustratingly poor, making solo play less enjoyable and often leading to confusion.
- The game has numerous bugs and issues, including problems launching on modern systems, which detracts from the overall experience.
- story70 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 77 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The story mode is designed as an engaging tutorial that introduces players to the game's mechanics while following a narrative about a group of psychics solving a murder. However, many users find the mode frustrating due to its brevity, poor AI performance, and the requirement to unlock certain content through gameplay, leading to mixed feelings about its overall execution. While some appreciate the intriguing storyline and cooperative elements, others wish for a longer and more challenging experience.
“It's a bit confusing at first if you jump right into it, but if you take the time to play the 'story mode', it's essentially an in-depth tutorial that eases you into each step of the game.”
“Honestly, it has a really intriguing storyline, and it's just complex enough to keep you engaged trying to figure out where the game is going.”
“I thought the story mode was interesting and did a good job of teaching the game at the same time.”
“The story mode adds insult to injury, and locking (admittedly just a few) cards behind such gameplay is just aggravating.”
“Where the game is really let down is that the story mode is incredibly brief, leaving you with little for your money except if you play online.”
“The really terrible AI makes me not want to play the story mode, and playing against it as practice, or for fun, is totally pointless, since the AI gives really stupid hints.”
- graphics36 mentions
- 72 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beautiful art style and intricate card designs, which enhance the overall atmosphere and gameplay experience. Many reviewers highlight the impressive visuals and music, noting that they contribute significantly to the game's appeal, especially for players who enjoy solving visual puzzles. However, there are concerns about potential technical issues that could detract from the overall experience if not addressed.
“The art style is my favorite part of this game, always beautiful to look at.”
“The artwork of the cards is amazing!”
“Great design sense, looks cool, artwork is great, and the music and atmosphere is top-drawer.”
“A simple concept, complex visuals.”
- gameplay28 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The gameplay is described as both addictive and complex, featuring a unique mechanic that allows players to switch roles, which keeps the experience engaging. While the game successfully adapts elements from its board game origins, some players feel that the lack of in-game chat and certain locked content detracts from the overall experience. Overall, it offers a fun, clue-like deduction experience, though it may feel repetitive without the human element of variance.
“Addictive gameplay loop, switching from psychic to ghost periodically helps keep things interesting.”
“Gameplay is both simple but extremely complex and in depth.”
“A great game where the player needs to put more thought into the gameplay than first meets the eye.”
“The story mode adds insult to injury, and locking (admittedly just a few) cards behind such gameplay is just aggravating.”
“You really miss out on the human element of variance and your gameplay becomes very rote.”
“There is one press and hold mechanic (for magnifying on person/place/weapon and clue cards) that feels like a mobile port remnant, but as the cards are large, if not larger than physical games' cards, I don't think it's that much of a bother.”
- music20 mentions
- 70 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its thematic quality and ability to enhance the atmosphere, creating an eerie vibe that complements the visuals. However, some users note a lack of variety in the background music and mention that additional content is locked behind DLCs. Overall, the combination of good music and art contributes to a positive gaming experience.
“A very good implementation of the physical board game with an intuitive UI and thematic music, plus an easy to navigate online multiplayer experience.”
“Great design sense, looks cool, artwork is great, and the music and atmosphere is top-drawer.”
“Interesting gameplay, great music and tone/theme.”
“Background music doesn't have variety and further content is locked behind DLCs.”
“Background music doesn't have variety and further content is locked behind DLCs.”
- stability16 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from numerous bugs and glitches, some of which can be game-breaking, leading to frustration among players. Despite being enjoyable, many users express disappointment over the lack of updates and fixes after two years, with a significant chance of encountering issues each time they play. While some glitches are merely visual, the overall stability remains a concern for the community.
“It's generally buggy and doesn't appear to be being updated or fixed.”
“I've had a lot of fun playing this game, but at this point, I've experienced too many game-breaking glitches to feel comfortable leaving a positive review.”
“On top of that, each time you recreate the game, it comes with a fairly high chance that one of a number of glitches will occur, making your session unjoinable or forcing you to relaunch.”
- atmosphere12 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its captivating blend of mystery and the paranormal, enhanced by impressive artwork and high-quality music. Reviewers highlight the spooky ambiance and strong design elements, contributing to an immersive experience that resonates well with fans of the original board game. Overall, the atmosphere is described as engaging and top-notch.
“Great design sense, looks cool, artwork is great, and the music and atmosphere is top-drawer.”
“Good artwork and atmosphere.”
“Nice graphics, nice music, a lot of atmosphere, fairly good reviews by the people who know the actual board game.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game features a blend of humor and gloom, with amusing and quirky characters set against a backdrop of abstract art. Players find the challenge of deciphering clues both engaging and often humorous, making it a delightful experience for a cozy evening.
“A neat, lovely game for a misty, rainy evening with funny and gloomy images and characters.”
“Figuring out clues from abstract art is challenging and oftentimes quite funny.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players consistently highlight the game's high replayability, particularly when played with friends, thanks to its engaging mechanics and strategic elements. The emphasis on mind games adds to the enjoyment and encourages multiple playthroughs.
“It's a great game with friends that's got tons of replayability.”
“Very awesome game with lots of mind games and replayability.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious due to vague card connections that make progress frustratingly difficult. Many users express that getting stuck on missions prolongs the experience unnecessarily, detracting from overall enjoyment.
“It's a point and click guessing game, and the cards you're trying to link are way too vague, making it impossible and tedious to play.”
“It makes it a bit tedious if, like me, you get stuck on one mission for a while.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The optimization for the PC version is criticized for being user-unfriendly, with issues such as a cumbersome drag-and-drop mechanism, lack of tool-tips, slow scrolling, and a layout that wastes screen space. Additionally, the subtle color coding for character identification and the absence of helpful icons further detract from the overall experience.
“Unfortunately for PC, it's not user-friendly: the drag and drop mechanism is clunky, there are no tool-tips, scrolling is sometimes very slow, the color code for identifying characters is too subtle, and there's a lot of wasted space due to a layout that isn't optimized for larger screens. Some small icons could help identify who does what, who received what, and who did what.”