Grim Facade: Mystery of Venice
Game Review

Grim Facade: Mystery of Venice is developed by ERS Game Studios, the same people who made other great hidden object adventure games such as Maestro: Music of Death and the PuppetShow series. They're back this time with a game set in early medieval Venice, when the city was at its height of commercial power. However, it was also a time when thousands died to the plague, and desperate times brought desperate measures.

You play the part of an investigator, and you are contacted by a Venetian noble whose wife and daughter went missing after they left a masquerade ball. Fearing for their safety, the noble has hired your services to track them down and hopefully bring them home safe and sound. However, you are confronted by a mysterious man wearing the mask of the Plague Doctor, and warned to stay out of the way of the 'Redemption'. It appears that a missing-persons investigation has turned into a more complicated case involving a secret society with dark roots.

This is a traditional hidden object adventure game where you explore a dark yet beautiful city, and solve intricate puzzles and hidden object scenes as you attempt to locate the two missing women. However, as you would expect from a game from ERS Game Studios, the art and story are excellent. The artists have successfully captured the dark somber beauty of a prosperous city caught in the midst of a devastating plague. The painterly style also fits the gothic feel of the time period perfectly.

The story in Grim Facade is also very satisfying. There is plenty of interesting historical backstory expanding the plot, and the game as a whole is also more engaging. In other hidden object games, you tend to explore deserted scenes and maybe interview a local or two. In Grim Facade, you are constantly dogged by a member of the 'Redemption' secret society, constantly threatening you and creating obstacles to block your path. It makes the game feel more alive and interactive.

The gameplay is pretty familiar: you collect items throughout your adventure and use them to overcome obstacles or solve puzzles. Some of these could be as simple as adding a missing piece to a statue to activate a secret door, while others could be more complicated and require you to solve a puzzle minigame. You will see all sorts of puzzles, some of which can be fairly challenging. They all have a fresh take on them too, with an appropriate gothic theme. There are also the hidden object scenes that you will find when you approach cluttered areas in the city. These are reasonably difficult to solve, with items that are blended very well into the background art.

There are a few parts of the game that are unique and stand out. Being set in Venice, you will see location-appropriate things such as the gondolas which you can use to travel through the city's canals. The game also pays homage to the city's history as a merchant capital of the Middle Ages by focusing on commerce. There are a few items in the game that can't just be picked up, but need to be bought from the local merchant. You will need to earn or find ducats during your adventure, and use them to buy the items you need from the merchant in order to progress in the game.

Grim Facade: Mystery of Venice is a thrilling adventure game where you find yourself getting embroiled in conspiracies and secret societies. It showcases Venetian history and style very well, and delivers a strong storyline. You will like the game if you liked other investigative games such as Maestro: Music of Death or medieval games such as the Drawn series.

You can get the basic version of the game, or you can get the Collector's Edition which includes exclusive extras such as bonus gameplay, a strategy guide and other media bonuses. Or get the basic version or Collector's Edition of the Mac game.

Related PC Games at Big Fish Games:

Grim Facade: Mystery of Venice Collector's Edition

Maestro: Music of Death

Drawn: Dark Flight

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