Tiger Eye: Curse of the Riddle Box
Game Review

Tiger Eye: Curse of the Riddle Box is an adventure puzzle game based on Tiger Eye, the first novel in Marjorie Liu's Dirk & Steele series. The story begins as metalsmith Dela Reese starts to have strange vivid dreams when she arrives in China for work. The dreams lead her to an old market area in Beijing, where she stumbles upon a strange woman who sells her a mysterious riddle box.

Buying the riddle box might have been a bad idea for Dela, as she realizes that she is being followed by a shady character (aren't they all?). After a brief confrontation in which she finds out that the shady guy has some kind of mental powers, Dela escapes back to her hotel room with the riddle box. As she comes out of the shower wrapped in just a towel, Dela fiddles with the box, and out pops a 7-foot tall ancient warrior. Then things start to get interesting...

The game is structured like an adventure game with various scenes where you need to find hidden objects, unlock containers and interact with items in order to advance in the story. However, the gameplay is not what draws you into the game. There are also a lot of cutscenes with animation and strong voice-acting in between these scenes.

The story and characterization is very strong throughout the game (both in the cutscenes as well as throughout the actual gameplay), which isn't surprising since the game is based on an actual novel. It feels like the characters are fleshed out very well, and there is a great deal of suspense and romance that beautifully add to the tension in the game. Playing the game makes you feel like you are reading a good novel rather than just mindlessly searching for hidden objects.

The gameplay in Tiger Eye is still very strong though. The hidden object scenes don't require you to search for a random shopping list of items. Instead, the puzzles here are story-driven. All the items that you have to find or interact with are there because of the story, and each action you take will reveal more of the story and subsequent items or puzzles that need solving. The hidden items are also blended very well with the background scenes, which in turn are beautifully drawn and represent the exotic locations perfectly.

The puzzles in Tiger Eye are also a pleasant surprise. The designers have managed to add puzzles that are very different from those found in typical hidden object games. Some of these puzzles can't be finished in just a minute or two, but actually require a lot of time to sit down and think through them. Examples include puzzles that involve word scrambles, pipe connections, symbology and code cyphers. These puzzles are definitely a level of difficulty up from those in other hidden object games, but do not worry if you get stumped. Each puzzle allows you to "purchase" a couple of hints, and if you still can't solve the puzzle with them, you can skip it and continue with the story.

Overall, the Tiger Eye: Curse of the Riddle Box PC game is a really good adventure puzzle game, most likely because its story was not rushed through by the developers, but was based on an actual novel. The story and atmosphere - especially in the cutscenes - are very engaging, and this game is one beautiful complete entertainment package. When you finish the game, you will undoubtedly be yearning for more. And you will definitely get more in the near future, as this game is just "Part 1" of the Tiger Eye story, which itself is the first book in a series that is currently up to book 9. Lots of Tiger Eye to look forward to! Get the Mac version here.

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