New York Mysteries: Secrets of the Mafia Collector's Edition

What can I say? I am familiar with Five-BN games via their "Lost Lands" and "Darkness and Flame" series (Fourth doesn't exist) and they always had something interesting going on. Whether it be a mystery that makes you think or the game play itself is fun... You are there for the Hidden Object experience of it all. Here is no different. This also seems to be the first game listed on their page and I was awake for the entirety of all. (When you play as many H.O.Gs as I did... You will start to sleepwalk through most of them.) I liked the pretty MC, (even though she sleeps and wakes in her makeup and nice hair lol) the story was okay, but I always like the extra Hidden Objects ya gotta find and they do get crafty with mini-games. The whole H.O. scenes are just "get this item" and "use it here". Which is fun too, considering the 99% of the "find the item on the list" I've been through... XD Again. This H.O.G. is fine. It'll take you longer than 5 hrs for all Achievements, but for just the heck of it? You'll get something out of it. (Probably).

New York Mysteries: Secrets of the Mafia is actually one of the hidden gems in the HOG genre. The presentation and aesthetics all build up a sense of urgency and dread that one would expect from 60's America. The hidden object puzzles are unlike the more familiar ones found in Artifex Mundi games, instead of finding objects by their name, you are given a silhouette through which you have to find said object. The objects themselves are meant to be used again in the scene, unlike traditional HOGs where you just find random unrelated objects and only 1 of them is added to your inventory at the end. I have played many HOGs and I much prefer the mechanics in this game. But where the game truly shines is definitely the voice actiing. Characters speak so naturally with their voices actually fits their personality. I recently finished Nightmares from the Deep 3 and the difference in quality of VOs is night and day. New York Mysteries defenitely beats all other HOGs released in the same period. Although, one irritating issue was that the lip sync on the characters is laughable blurry mess. The pre-rendered cutscenes are also of a much lower quality, espically noticable in underground tram s…

This New York game had a great story to it. The game was enjyable and rich in color. The talking is very well appreciated and easy to listen to. I do not and never cared for the shadowed silhouette hidden objects scenes. I would deninately recommend this game, well made and therefore well played.

I really like this game and am looking forward to playing more of these :)

An absolutely fabulous game — relaxing, engaging, and cleverly designed. Even though I’m not usually a fan of hidden object mechanics, here they’re done right — they actually serve the story instead of just filling space. The plot keeps you hooked until the very end, and the puzzles are varied and rewarding — the perfect cherry on top. A solid 8,5/10 for the genre, and I have to say… I truly love this developer!

5-BN games puts out the gold standard in point-and-click, hidden object visual novels. What sets 5-BN games apart is their breadth and depth. Most games will present you with a scene of 3-4 places, and completing those will move you on to the next part of the story with the next 3-4 picture scene. Here, you're largely given the full run of the story map and expected to be able to figure out where the object you've just picked up is used, as far back as the first couple of unlocked scenes. You will close out some locations as you work through the game, but you will largely be able to go back to them to view them, and scenes are not closed out in the order that you found them. I love having the full span of the map and having to actually think and work to figure out how to progress the story. They also have tools with multiple uses, which I appreciate as a nod to realism that these games frequently lack. The HOP scenes are beautifully illustrated. The puzzle mini-games are delightfully varied and plentiful. Some may take a few moments to get, but I believe the option to skip them can be turned on in the settings menu, so if you get stuck you there is a path forward! And the plot…