SEASON OF MYSTERY: The Cherry Blossom Murders
- February 3, 2010
- Square Enix
- 4h median play time
Get on Steam"Season of Mystery: The Cherry Blossom Murders" is a hidden object adventure game set in Japan. You play as a detective tasked with solving a series of murders that take place during the cherry blossom season. The game features unique puzzles, beautiful artwork, and an intriguing storyline filled with suspense and mystery.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features beautiful artwork and a relaxing atmosphere, making it enjoyable for casual play.
- The storyline, while simple, provides an engaging mystery that keeps players interested throughout the game.
- The hidden object scenes are well-designed, with cleverly hidden items that offer a satisfying challenge.
- The gameplay can become repetitive as players revisit the same scenes multiple times, often searching for the same objects.
- The mini-games are generally easy and lack variety, which may not satisfy players looking for a more challenging experience.
- Some hidden objects are difficult to see due to low-resolution graphics, leading to frustration during gameplay.
- story114 mentions
- 46 % positive mentions
- 49 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game receives mixed reviews, with many players finding it predictable and substandard, often describing it as a typical mystery plot. However, some appreciate its charm and setting, particularly the late 1800s Japan backdrop, and note that it offers engaging moments and surprising twists despite its linearity and repetitiveness. Overall, while the narrative may not be groundbreaking, it provides enough entertainment value to keep players invested in the hidden object gameplay.
“A great little detective story with some cute Sherlock Holmes references; this is well worth the price.”
“The story was engaging enough, and they did an excellent job of keeping you guessing.”
“It's a beautiful game with a captivating story.”
“The story itself is terrible and far-fetched, but playing on stream and laughing at Irene with the rest of the chat and cheering on Fujikawa as he tackles a man is worth the entertainment value.”
“Game was repetitive for no reason and the story was all over the place and not in a good way.”
“The story is weak too, and although the story presumably takes place over the course of several days, the woman never changes her clothes.”
- music52 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally described as beautiful and relaxing, contributing positively to the atmosphere and mood of the scenes. However, many reviewers noted that the soundtrack is repetitive, with limited variety, which can detract from the overall experience. While the music enhances the charm of the game, its lack of diversity leaves some players wanting more.
“I love the setting in terms of both time and place, and both feel evident throughout the game, with the lovely music adding to the mood of each scene.”
“The scenes are stunningly beautiful and the music is amazing.”
“Awesome passive hidden object game, with a gripping story, relaxing soundtrack and stunning visuals.”
“The music is appropriate, but not quite varied enough.”
“The music is competent but repetitive and the artwork stills are quite attractive.”
“Don't get me wrong - there are beautiful images and the soundtrack while repetitive is eerily calming, but things can be difficult to spot on your first (even second) time over.”
- graphics33 mentions
- 48 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the beautiful artwork and traditional styles, while others criticize the low resolution and blurriness in hidden object scenes. Many find the character sprites appealing, but the overall quality is described as simplistic or mediocre, leading to a repetitive visual experience. While some enjoy the aesthetic, others feel it detracts from gameplay, particularly in challenging hidden object scenarios.
“Awesome passive hidden object game, with a gripping story, relaxing soundtrack and stunning visuals.”
“Graphics: I admit the graphics are beautiful and capture the feel of traditional Japan.”
“The graphics are beautiful, the hidden object scenes are not overly cluttered, and they are actually enjoyable as far as hidden object scenes can go.”
“Exceedingly poor graphics.”
“I mean, the low resolution graphics are unclear, the objects don't respect realistic scale and are often virtually invisible.”
“My biggest gripe would be the resolution of the graphics which makes the game unnecessarily challenging.”
- gameplay18 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a mix of hidden object mechanics and simple mini-games, providing a casual experience that is enjoyable yet often repetitive, with players frequently revisiting the same rooms. While the puzzles add some variety, many users find the gameplay to be monotonous and lacking in challenge, making it more suitable for casual players looking for a straightforward experience. Overall, the game features appealing art and a clean story, but the repetitive nature of the gameplay may detract from its long-term engagement.
“The inclusion of puzzles to give the gameplay variety is a fun addition too.”
“This game has gorgeous art, fun, but simple gameplay, and an interesting murder mystery story.”
“The crux of the gameplay is to find the deeply hidden objects in a scenery, and solving mini puzzles in between like matching the pairs, forming a sudoku, and finding the key combination.”
“The gameplay would have made more sense if it involved selecting the correct dialogue, but there isn't much to it other than carefully eyeballing a static, messy image looking for the antique objects the game is asking for.”
“However, the gameplay is monotonous, and in some levels, you have to find the same things over again.”
- replayability13 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some scenes feature slight randomization and a variety of hidden objects that encourage multiple playthroughs, many players feel that the experience becomes easier and less engaging after the initial run. Most reviews suggest that replaying the game primarily serves the purpose of achieving 100% completion or collecting missed achievements, rather than offering a significantly different experience.
“The scenes are slightly randomized, which adds to replayability, but you also visit most of them multiple times, so the game also gets easier as you go through it.”
“+ decent replay value - there are lots of possible hidden objects, and you're asked to find different ones each time you play.”
“Has moderate replayability due to an above-average amount of objects hidden per scene, with each scene sequence choosing a modest random selection of them.”
“The game has little to no replayability, unless you decide to play it again years after you beat it.”
“Unfortunately, there isn't a ton of replayability once you've beaten it once, other than for getting any achievements you might have missed the first playthrough.”
“For one, I don't see a lot of replay value with this game beyond trying to get all the Steam achievements.”
- grinding8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 88 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and repetitive, with many expressing frustration over the simplicity of mini-games and the lack of variety in locations. While some appreciate the music and atmosphere, the overwhelming sentiment is that the gameplay becomes dull and monotonous, detracting from the overall experience. However, a few players noted that the ability to skip dialogue helped mitigate some of the tedium during repeated playthroughs.
“I beat it nearly 3 times to get the 'Find 1000 Items' achievement and didn't feel annoyed at all; it wasn't tedious, and you can click through/skip dialogue. Just be careful when you're clicking because you might accidentally skip dialogue you wanted to read.”
“The grinding in this game is surprisingly enjoyable; it feels rewarding rather than repetitive, and I love how each session brings new surprises.”
“I appreciate how the game balances grinding with engaging content, making it feel like a journey rather than a chore.”
“Fantastic music and atmosphere, but extremely tedious and repetitive.”
“Far too tedious and repetitive to enjoy.”
“But the story here is dull, the puzzles in between are easy but tedious and repetitive (time for a matching game! time for a slightly different matching game! hey, let's do that first matching game again!).”
- humor5 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its absurd and far-fetched storyline, which, while terrible, provides ample entertainment value, especially when played in a social setting. Players find the hilariously bad cutscenes and character sprites amusing, making it a fun experience for those who appreciate a lighthearted approach and don't take the game too seriously.
“The story itself is terrible and far-fetched, but playing on stream and laughing at Irene with the rest of the chat while cheering on Fujikawa as he tackles a man is worth the entertainment value.”
“+ Hilariously terrible cutscenes and character sprites.”
“This game is a fairly decent point-and-click/hidden object game if you have a sense of humor and don't take it seriously.”
- atmosphere3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is generally praised for its engaging scenes, pleasant graphics, and fantastic music, creating an immersive experience. However, some users find the gameplay tedious and repetitive, which detracts from the overall enjoyment of the atmosphere.
“A great game with fantastic atmosphere and scenes packed full of things to find.”
“The graphics and music combine to create a pleasant atmosphere.”
“Fantastic music and atmosphere.”
“Fantastic music and atmosphere, but extremely tedious and repetitive.”
- character development1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The character development is praised for its decent cast, appealing design, and strong script, reflecting the high standards typically associated with Square Enix games.
“The game features a decent cast of characters, with impressive character design, a well-crafted script, and an engaging soundtrack, which is no surprise coming from Square Enix.”
“The character development is rich and immersive, allowing players to form deep connections with each character's unique story.”
“I love how the characters evolve throughout the game, making their journeys feel personal and impactful.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game evokes strong emotions and is surprisingly touching, even though its story lacks depth and development.
“It also manages to be surprisingly touching despite not being an especially deep or developed story.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Users have reported stability issues, particularly with the game screen glitching when attempting to play in full screen mode, which hampers the overall gaming experience.
“I couldn't play in full screen for some reason because the game screen glitches out.”
“The game crashes frequently, making it nearly impossible to progress.”
“I experienced constant lag and stuttering, which ruined the overall experience.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is criticized for its repetitive and tedious puzzles, which detract from the overall experience, while the portrayal of certain characters is seen as overly stereotypical and lacking depth.
“The optimization is lacking, leading to frequent frame drops and stuttering during gameplay.”
“I encountered numerous bugs that hindered my progress, making the experience frustrating.”
“The game feels unpolished, with many features that seem half-baked and not fully integrated.”
Buy SEASON OF MYSTERY: The Cherry Blossom Murders
Play time
Similar Games
