Christmas At Donner PASS!! (My Spoiler-Free Review)

spygirl

Greetings, this is my review of Miss Clue : Christmas At Donner Pass!

If you are new to Miss Clue you may or may not know the Miss Clue Company said this one is on a new engine and you can definitely tell when you play it, its different from the previous games.  That being said, I do think it has retained all the feeling of the previous games and I love all the new additions of moving grass, clouds, longer cutscenes and more motion. Now to continue to the review! 

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The 6th installment of the Miss Clue: Jane Austen Mystery series, Christmas at Donner Pass. Set in I believe the 1930s at a California Mansion, Jane expecting to spend a quiet Christmas with friends and skiing unexpectedly finds a mystery relating to mysterious painter and a long lost Family.

I was really looking forward to this game and though I didn't know what my expectations were, I was very excited. Miss Clue did a wonderful job on this game and it's better than I could have imagined!  I've played all of the Miss Clue games, most of them many times, and Christmas At Donner Pass will be one of my top favorites.

Whether you are reading this before to see if this game is right for you, or if you are playing it and are just curious what others think, I will try not to include anything that could possibly spoil any of the surprises that are in store.

*-STORYLINE-*

The MissClue mystery writers did a fabulous job of giving us an intriguing plot.  While it may appear simplistic at the start, I found that as I went on, it became more complex. You can see that they put a lot of thought and effort into the storyline. You don't have a clear goal right from the start, it is a mystery after all, but as it goes on pieces start to fall in place and it makes it easy to keep on track of what you are trying to do all throughout the game.

*-CHARACTERS-*

I found the characters to be quite likeable for the most part and all had distinct personalities. This variety was fun and important in keeping me engaged with the people and the mystery. The conversations are interesting and informational, although outside of talking I wish there was more to find so I could have gotten to know them all just a bit more.  There is some pretty funny dialog in this game. I snickered a fair bit when playing this one.

*-GRAPHICS AND LOCATION-*

The graphics are beautiful, though I'm sure this depends on the settings, I found I was strolling through the house just admiring and enjoying the detail.  There is just the right amount of light to set the stage for it to be spooky, though not so dark you feel you are missing anything. The scenes outdoors really capture that chilly before true winter feel while playing, and you seldom feel you're just playing a game!  The game designers did an amazing job.

*-MUSIC-*

The musical was truly perfect. It really allowed you to feel as though you are in this cold landscape.  For the most part, it was upbeat, some slightly more subtle tunes and some with Christmas elements here an there, but in the end, it all evoked the right feelings of the areas. It was not weird or creepy though, which I think is a key element that keeps the game from becoming dark and depressing. The music set the stage for a mysterious and lively game.

*-MODE CHANGES AND NAVIGATION-*

There are many fun opportunities for exploring in this game in some very creative new ways. You can explore mostly in the normal modes of point-and-click but you're not locked in.  If there is somewhere you want to get just a bit closer, or go somewhere a little off the beaten path you can switch into 3 and do that.  There is also the option to play with a window or without to have a more modern vs classic feel. 

I really think the game designers must have put a lot of thought into the different ways each person would want to play the mystery and it shows.

*-PUZZLES AND GAMES-*

There were less puzzles and games, which are always a highlight for me, but I didn't feel it was a drawback from the overall game play and in many ways it was fun having them be on the simpler side. A Few of them were normal expected challenges and others brand new. I found them to be very creative, fun, and challenging and well intergrated.  While I love puzzles, it really ruins a game if you are constatly being blocked by random puzzles with no meaning or reason behind them.  

There are some places you can certainly get stuck and having a way to get passed it in an easier manner would be a great addition to future games.

*-SCARE FACTOR-*

In my opinion, this is most spine-tingling of any of the Miss Clue games so far, there are some very tense moments and ones which will certainly make you jump.  However, while it may be scary and a little creepy at times, I did not see it being evil or gross.

For those who enjoy getting scared, I believe you will be thrilled at these moments. And for people who scare easily, this shouldn't keep you from playing the game, however, you may want to keep in mind there are those moments in it.

*-PLAY TIME-*

I love long lasting games and CDP did not disappoint.  I took my time playing it and didn't try to overlook anything or bypass anything and I think I spent about 15 hours on it over the course of three days. You could certainly play it faster and if I hadn't spent time exploring so much and playing the Christmas game again just for the fun of it, it would have been less. I think you definitely get a lot of play value with this game.

*-FINAL PART-*
*-RECOMMENDATIONS-*

If you are a fan of mystery games or Miss Clue games as I am, I can tell you without any hesitation that I highly recommend this game! I honestly think you will have a fun and entertaining time while playing it. I got so involved in the story and all aspects of it that I was sad when it was over and wished there was even more!  I loved that there are now 6 Miss Clues and I hope there will be many more!

It is a Christmas games but a good overall mystery and I think I will be playing it again long before December 25th! 

*-Note for New Miss Clue fans-*

If you haven't played any previous Miss Clue games before, I'm not sure I would recommend this one to someone as the introductory Game of the series as its a little overwhelming and some puzzles are a bit more complicated.  There are some others which would probably make better "First" games.