Shadowplay: Harrowstead Mystery > iPad, iPhone, Android, Mac & PC Game

Overall rating

5 / 5

38 of 50 found this review helpful

DISCOVER WHAT HAPPENED IN HARROWSTEAD

PostedJuly 7, 2019

biscuitsmama

fromDo I get to save the world again?

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Skill Level:Expert

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

5 / 5

Shadowplay Harrowstead Mystery is a terrific game that kept me engaged from the very first scene. If you love games with a creep factor, then Harrowstead Mystery if a game you will surely enjoy. At least once in the game I felt like I was going to jump out of my chair when something unexpected occurred. Surprisingly, I enjoyed this game even though I am generally not a fan of scary or horror ...Show more

Shadowplay Harrowstead Mystery is a terrific game that kept me engaged from the very first scene. If you love games with a creep factor, then Harrowstead Mystery if a game you will surely enjoy. At least once in the game I felt like I was going to jump out of my chair when something unexpected occurred. Surprisingly, I enjoyed this game even though I am generally not a fan of scary or horror games.

In the game you play as Thea, part of a team that is researching and writing a book about the old mining town of Harrowstead that disappeared years ago. It seems that a case of writer’s block has slowed down the project but that is about to change after you receive an urgent call from Riley. With no time to spare you rush to Riley’s location only to find that he has disappeared.

Harrowstead Mystery is a creative game with some well-designed scenes, although many of them seemed familiar and were most likely “harvested” from some of the other Shadowplay games. The graphics were good and the voiceovers left a lot to be desired. At times I found Thea’s voice grating and more than a bit annoying as she seemed to constantly vocalize the obvious. Although there is a custom mode in the game the developer has basically set the lower time limit so we can’t truly customize our skip and hint times.

I thoroughly enjoyed the HOS and the Puzzles in the game. Some of the HOS were very creative and in a couple of instances I didn’t even realize that I was playing a HO scene until the lightbulb flashed in my brain. Those scenes caught me by surprise and had me using the hint button more than once because I found them vague and I wasn’t sure what to do. Although I found those “open” scenes creative, once I figured them out, they were not my favorites in the game.

Overall, this is an enjoyable game that I did purchase because I needed to find the answers to the Harrowstead Mystery and more importantly save my friends and myself from an unthinkable alternative. For me this Shadowplay is a keeper and one that I will play again, but please try the demo to see if it is a game you will like as well. Happy gaming! Show less

I recommend this game!

+26points

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Overall rating

5 / 5

7 of 7 found this review helpful

JUNE 10TH, 2022

PostedJune 10, 2022

Volauvent

fromHigh Desert, CA

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This "Key Contributor" plays, rates, and reviews a lot of games. We think you'll trust their thoughts and opinions about games.
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Skill Level:Expert

Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Puzzle

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

5 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

THE SHADOWPLAY SERIES BY MAD HEAD IS EXCELLENT; over the years, I've played each episode as it was released. I've listed them in order below.

Each episode is a standalone mystery, not too hard but not very easy, either. There are collectibles and morphing objects in the Collector's Editions, but the Standard Editions are a blast without those extras.

As with all Mad Head games, graphics, ...Show more

THE SHADOWPLAY SERIES BY MAD HEAD IS EXCELLENT; over the years, I've played each episode as it was released. I've listed them in order below.

Each episode is a standalone mystery, not too hard but not very easy, either. There are collectibles and morphing objects in the Collector's Editions, but the Standard Editions are a blast without those extras.

As with all Mad Head games, graphics, storyline, voice-overs are great.

SERIES IN ORDER (am currently re-playing the earliest episode on up-to-date Win10, no problems at all)

Shadowplay: Darkness Incarnate
Shadowplay: Whispers of the Past
Shadowplay: Forsaken Island
Shadowplay: Harrowstead Mystery Show less

I recommend this game!

+7points

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Overall rating

4 / 5

7 of 8 found this review helpful

STOP THE MONSTER

PostedJuly 10, 2019

deddu

fromCalifornia USA

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Skill Level:Expert

Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Match 3, Puzzle

Current Favorite:

Storm Tale

(32)

Fun Factor

4 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

4 / 5

Storyline

4 / 5

You are asked by a friend to help save the town and when you arrive, of course, everything starts to go wrong. The hidden objects are used almost immediately in the game and the mini-puzzles are good. You have a crazy lantern (which use kind of becomes boring), but other than that I think there is a lot about the game that is fun.

I recommend this game!

+6points

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Overall rating

4 / 5

4 of 4 found this review helpful

Finally a game with a challenge

PostedJune 7, 2020

campingramps

fromGarner, NC

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Skill Level:Expert

Favorite Genre(s):Arcade & Action, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Strategy

Fun Factor

4 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

4 / 5

Level of Challenge

4 / 5

Storyline

3 / 5

Madhead games are usually pretty good and this one fits the bill. The story is a little weak but getting there is fun. Not so many traditional HO's but plenty other games that challenge you.
Graphics are nice and not dark, actually has color.
I played the complete demo and didn't get bored or frustrated. I may add this to my collection.
I recommend this one.

I recommend this game!

+4points

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Overall rating

4 / 5

2 of 2 found this review helpful

a good HO game

PostedFebruary 3, 2021

denniann2

fromharrisonburg, virginia

Key Contributor
This "Key Contributor" plays, rates, and reviews a lot of games. We think you'll trust their thoughts and opinions about games.
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Skill Level:Intermediate

Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Match 3

Fun Factor

4 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

4 / 5

Level of Challenge

4 / 5

Storyline

4 / 5

you have been summoned back to a place you had been before where you had solved a mystery. now it is happening all over again, somewhere else. you and 2 colleagues are there. by the time you get there you one friend has already been threatened and once you get there you find your one friend is taken before your eyes by "something". it is an evil presence. your 2 friends are involved and the one ...Show more

you have been summoned back to a place you had been before where you had solved a mystery. now it is happening all over again, somewhere else. you and 2 colleagues are there. by the time you get there you one friend has already been threatened and once you get there you find your one friend is taken before your eyes by "something". it is an evil presence. your 2 friends are involved and the one that has not been taken is helping you until he can't. this is one nasty presence. it isd set up for another one. i played on custom and there is a good hint system. Show less

I recommend this game!

+2points

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Overall rating

3 / 5

25 of 29 found this review helpful

Mad Head Strikes out . . . sort of.

PostedJuly 7, 2019

Pilot1

fromTaos, NM

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Skill Level:Expert

Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object

Current Favorite:

Path of Sin: Greed Collector's Edition

(38)

Fun Factor

3 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

3 / 5

Level of Challenge

2 / 5

Storyline

2 / 5

This game is neither as good as the five star rating one reviewer gave it, nor as bad as the two star rating posted by another.

It is certainly not as good as either of the Adam Wolfe games, nor Maze – subject 360 or Maze – The Broken Tower, and it is just as certainly not up the standard set by Mad Head Games in other products. On the other hand, it is not as bad as some other games offered by ...Show more

This game is neither as good as the five star rating one reviewer gave it, nor as bad as the two star rating posted by another.

It is certainly not as good as either of the Adam Wolfe games, nor Maze – subject 360 or Maze – The Broken Tower, and it is just as certainly not up the standard set by Mad Head Games in other products. On the other hand, it is not as bad as some other games offered by this producer and others.

Yes, it is another showcase for an evil entity, and the ‘brave’ team that must hunt and destroy it and, yes, it has predictable objects that you must find to activate other just as predictable items.

Too, for a so-called hidden object game it has more mini-games than HO sequences, at least in the first ten minutes or so of game play.

The graphics are okay, while having a little too much cartoon-like quality to suit my taste. The voice-over narrative, as another reviewer commented, does contain a lot of already obvious information.

Altogether, there is far too much of the already familiar to make this a must buy for me, or even for it to get a place on my alternate buy list.

Still, I won’t say don’t even bother to download this game, as I have with more than a few other games many times before.

Perhaps, if you’re relatively new to this type of game, you may like it. While I can't, in all honesty, recommend this game, give the demo a try, who knows, it may amuse you. Show less

I don't recommend this game.

+21points

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Overall rating

3 / 5

18 of 21 found this review helpful

DEFEAT THE SHADOW REALM MONSTER

PostedJuly 8, 2019

charlene_lane

fromWellington, New Zealand

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Skill Level:Expert

Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3

Current Favorite:

Dreadful Tales: The Space Between Collector's Edition

(100)

Fun Factor

3 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

4 / 5

Level of Challenge

2 / 5

Storyline

3 / 5

REVIEW FROM COMPLETED GAME AND BONUS

This game was okay, although it was a little on the short side. There is:

* Voiceovers (with dialogue);
* Dusk, Twilight, Night, Pitch Black and Custom modes;
* Interactive map;
* Journal.

The graphics are very good. There is plenty of colour, each scene is well defined and items you need to find are easy to spot. Sound is good and the music is mainly ...Show more

REVIEW FROM COMPLETED GAME AND BONUS

This game was okay, although it was a little on the short side. There is:

* Voiceovers (with dialogue);
* Dusk, Twilight, Night, Pitch Black and Custom modes;
* Interactive map;
* Journal.

The graphics are very good. There is plenty of colour, each scene is well defined and items you need to find are easy to spot. Sound is good and the music is mainly orchestral and creepy sounds.

The hidden object games are mainly straightforward, silhouette, finding pairs and symbols and flower pots. These are all very easy to do.

The mini-games are all incredibly easy and quick to do. I didn't spend more than a few minutes on each. I was quite disappointed because I wanted at least a few of them to get my brain into gear, which never happened.

So, do you get the CE or SE? In the CE you can find 33 collectibles and 50 morphs in the game and bonus (including HOPs). You can also redo the hidden object games again in the extras to get 3 stars and to get 100%.

All up the game and bonus from the CE (no extras in this game) took me about 4 hours to complete - so a very short game.

Overall, if you feel like an afternoon just chilling out, then this game is for you. Show less

+15points

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Overall rating

2 / 5

47 of 60 found this review helpful

A MERE SHADOW OF THE PLAY WE'VE COME TO EXPECT

PostedJuly 7, 2019

pennmom36

fromGo back to your roots-push the envelope a bit-what did the original games have that these don't-that's the key MH, look at the original graphics-gameplay-plots, stand up for what you know is right, not what they tell you to do wink, wink ☮

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Skill Level:Expert

Fun Factor

2 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

2 / 5

Level of Challenge

2 / 5

Storyline

2 / 5

Remember back in the day when Mad Head introduced their first game? Remember how amazing the graphics were, how fresh the storylines were? Remember Darkness Incarnate, and how modern, cutting~edge, and cool that game was? Remember the first a-MAZEing game that made you feel uncomfortable because you felt like you were actually trapped and didn't know how you got there? Remember how you knew BEYOND ...Show more

Remember back in the day when Mad Head introduced their first game? Remember how amazing the graphics were, how fresh the storylines were? Remember Darkness Incarnate, and how modern, cutting~edge, and cool that game was? Remember the first a-MAZEing game that made you feel uncomfortable because you felt like you were actually trapped and didn't know how you got there? Remember how you knew BEYOND a SHADOW of a doubt that you were PLAYing an MHG? Remember how their games soared your imagination to the MOON allowing our very SOULS to WANDER, LUSTing with great expectations that were always fulfilled? Back in the day, it seemed like a RITE of PASSAGE to play as detective ADAM WOLFE because playing a Mad Head Game was like walking into THE HEART OF THE STORM of NEVER-endingTALES. Back in the day, I couldn't wait for a new MH game, so what happened guys? What happened to the Mojo? Put your thinking caps back on guys, it's the DAWN OF a new era and I haven't given up HOPE, DON-na BRAVE new face, claw your way out of this DARK REALM slump, become CHASERS of FRIGHT or you'll be stuck in a MONSTER-ous LOOP waiting for the ending CADENZA. I know you can do it guys, after all, you're ROCKING PILOTs!

I'm sure most of you know how I feel about cheesy Gadgets, but this particular gadget is the most worthless Gadge I've ever seen in a game! Once you discover the secret hiding place of Henry Bakeman's Lamp, you will use the gadget 6 times. BTW: they make no attempt to explain why it dispels dark magic, how Henry knew it would work on dark magic, where it came from, and most importantly, why it had to be hidden if it works on evil entities? To make matters worse, you have to play the most ridiculous mini-game in the history of HOPA gadget games. My grandson, who just turned 3-year-old this month, is perfectly capable of matching 2 different symbols, in fact, I asked him to find the two matching pairs of symbols and he nailed it in about 30 seconds, including the time it took me to explain what he was supposed to do. If a small child who can't yet read or write his name, can solve this game nearly instantaneously, why bother?

There are 14 Hidden Object Scenes and 1 Zoom Zone HOP (+4 CE BC) most are Interactive Listed Item Finds but there are also Multiples of each Object Finds, Keywords in Sentence Finds, Silhouetted Shapes, Matching Symbol Finds, Pictured Item Finds, Missing Related Animal Finds, and a colorful scene where you find several Flowers that match Picture Swatches. In the Collector's Edition version, each Hidden Object Scene has a Morphing Object, if you miss one of the HOP morphs you can pick them up in the CE replayable extras, as well.

There are 24 Mini-Games (+4 CE BC) including 6 worthless, pointless, repetitive Lamp Gadget games where you use a lens to find 2 matching symbol pairs. For the life of me, I can't understand why they even bothered to include a game where all you have to do is scan the lens across 4 circles? Most of the Mini-Games are rehashed from Mad Head's other series games, they aren't horrible, but they just aren't very challenging. Here are a few of my personal favorites:

1~Guide the frog to the exit by swapping directional arrow square tiles.
2~Press buttons to change the color of pie-shaped tiles to match the clues. ღღ
3~Push 4 keys into the central grid, columns & rows have specified number of moves.

The Collector's Edition Bonus Chapter takes place a month after the incident. You will play as Riley the investigator and Kevin the missing person. There are 4 Mini-Games, and 4 Hidden Object Scenes, 10 Spirals, 10 Scene Morphing Objects and 4 Hidden Object Morphs remaining in this somewhat short Bonus Chapter which takes place over 10 new scene locations.

The Collector's Edition version has 11 Wallpapers, 9 Concept Art pictures, 10 Music Soundtracks, 12 Cover Pictures, 32 Profile Pictures, 10 Achievements (5 achievements have 3 categories each) 17 Replayable Hidden Object Scenes, 33 Mad Head Spirals (23 Main Chapter~10 in CE Bonus Chapter) 50 Morphing Objects (33 Scene Location Morphs, 17 Hidden Object Scene Morphs) 5 Main Chapters +Bonus Chapter and a Built-in Strategy Guide.

SHADOWPLAY SERIES LIST
Title***Standard Edition Release Date***Average Rating

1-Darkness Incarnate (September 18-2016) 4.0
2-Whispers of the Past (August 25-2017) 3.1
3-The Forsaken Island (March 2-2018) 4.0
4-Harrowstead Mystery (July 7-2019) n/a

by: Mad Head Games Show less

I don't recommend this game.

+34points

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Overall rating

1 / 5

7 of 8 found this review helpful

What a disappointment

PostedAugust 24, 2019

tophatmcgee

fromKC, MO

Skill Level:Expert

Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle

Current Favorite:

Dark Parables: The Match Girl's Lost Paradise

(9)

Fun Factor

2 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

4 / 5

Level of Challenge

2 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

I had high hopes, but they were dashed. This is one of those disconnected games, where you want to be engaged with other characters and your surroundings, but you never really feel immersed. There isn't enough background to feel part of, you have the spots you interact with, and that is it. The characters give you their dialogue, but you never really feel a part of them. The story is weak. The ...Show more

I had high hopes, but they were dashed. This is one of those disconnected games, where you want to be engaged with other characters and your surroundings, but you never really feel immersed. There isn't enough background to feel part of, you have the spots you interact with, and that is it. The characters give you their dialogue, but you never really feel a part of them. The story is weak. The games and HOPs are amazingly simple and the game feels like it is about an hour, if that. I know that it has chapters, but it really just feels like one long, run on sentence. I cannot give this even half of a thumbs up. Show less

I don't recommend this game.

+6points

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