Dark Tales: Edgar Allan Poe's The Black Cat
Game Review

The thrilling Dark Tales: Edgar Allan Poe hidden object adventure game series returns with The Black Cat, a murder mystery based on Poe's psychological story of the same name. You play the part of an investigator alongside C. Auguste Dupin, the renowned detective from Poe's detective works such as Murders in the Rue Morgue. The two of you have been called by a worried husband whose wife has been missing for 2 weeks.

As you search the couple's mansion for clues, you discover that things are not what they seem. You see glimpses and apparitions of the missing woman, and always while in the presence of a mysterious black cat. Is it mere coincidence, or is there a sinister and otherworldly force at work here? Your exploration slowly brings you further into the mansion, and deeper into an investigation that has transformed from a missing person case into a murder mystery.

The gameplay in The Black Cat is of an interactive hidden object adventure style like the first Dark Tales game. You interact with the game primarily via an adventure screen where you can see your surroundings and have access to your journal and any useful items you pick up along the way. From this screen, you can interact with key objects and areas of interest. These will lead you to hidden object scenes, puzzles and minigames in your quest to find the missing missus.

At the start of the game, you get to choose between two modes of play. The relaxed mode will recharge your hint button faster and highlight objects and areas of interest in a sparkly halo. The more difficult mode won't have these sparkly guides, and the game becomes a real adventure puzzle as you try to figure out how to get past each obstacle and progress through the game.

Some of these objects or areas of interest will require you to have a particular item or tool in your inventory in order to interact with them. For example, you will need to use a razor in order to release a dog from being tied to a gate. And you will need to find a set of gears and a key in order to get an old clock working again. You will find these items throughout your journey. Once you find an item, you will have to backtrack to the scene in which that item is needed, and use it to solve the puzzle and progress further.

Some of the areas or items of interest will lead to a hidden object scene or a puzzle. The hidden object scenes are the standard fare in games of this genre. You will need to search the scene for a list of objects, some of which will turn out to be useful in solving other puzzles. The puzzles and minigames are quite unique and visually beautiful. You won't see boring puzzles such as jigsaws or memory games. Instead, the puzzles here are great logic puzzles that can be quite complex. They also tie in very well with the game in terms of theme and atmosphere.

The artistic style of the game suits the 19th century Parisian setting very well. The dark and gritty art captures the mood perfectly and draws you into the game and the mystery behind the black cat and the lady's disappearance. The dark style does not get in the way of the hidden object gameplay though, as the hidden objects are all rendered pretty well and are fairly easy to spot. This dark atmosphere is also topped off with a beautiful dark music soundtrack.

The Black Cat is a great detective murder mystery game, successfully drawing on the dark essence of Edgar Allan Poe's work. You will love this game if you liked the previous Murders in the Rue Morgue game or other detective thriller games such as those featuring Sherlock Holmes. You can get the basic version of the PC game, or the Collector's Edition which includes extras such as bonus gameplay, an integrated strategy guide and a stunning soundtrack. Or get the basic version or Collector's Edition of the Mac game.

Check out the other games in this series!

Related PC Games at Big Fish Games:

Edgar Allan Poe's The Black Cat Collector's Edition

Edgar Allan Poe's Murders in the Rue Morgue

The Lost Cases of 221B Baker St.

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