Once again Awem Studios manages to take simple concepts, in this case point-and-click along with seek-and-find, and turn it into a completely compelling game.
This time, the game introduces us to Audrey, whose husband Patrick has disappeared. Right off the bat we are treated to a somewhat more adult plot theme, more so than most of these point and click adventure where you are searching for gold coins or the like.
Anyway, back to Audrey.
Frantic, Audrey begins to look for him in all their familiar places. While searching, she finds mysterious letters from someone who claims to know where Patrick is.
The game is fairly simple after that. As Audrey, you go to various locations and find hidden objects listed in a box at the bottom of the screen. There are additional objects you can buy by accumulating points. The objects either help you find other objects or give you bonus points when you find them.
In addition to that, each location has three stamps that are worth bonus points, and when you find fifty of them you can unlock the unlimited play option. As you play, you find more mysterious letters and the secret to who is behind them unfolds.
This is not a fancy concept. Despite that, the game is compelling. You want to help Audrey find Patrick. You want to find the hidden objects. You want to solve the side puzzles.
Part of the reason the game is so compelling is the graphics are beautiful, albeit static. The other thing is the hauntingly beautiful score. I found myself completely engrossed, which is not common for me with a point and click mystery game.
For instance, both Agatha Christie titles for the Wii were repetitive and boring. Not so Letters from Nowhere. This title is completely engaging and another win for Awem Studios.
This game is affordable, fun and compelling. My only real qualm is that it ends in a cliffhanger, which had me shouting expletives at my laptop for a bit, especially since the second game in this series is not available yet as of this review.
Also note that if you’re playing on a laptop, Letters from Nowhere is a huge battery hog. That said, if you’re a fan of the genre or think you might be, run, don’t walk to download it now.
Editor’s Note: Game reviewed on a Mac with a copy of the game downloaded from www.awem.com.