Review:: Blue Toad Murder Files Episode 3

Relentless Software continues the six episode-long series of mysteries with it’s third installment, Blue Toad Murder Files: The Mystery of the Concealing Flame. I did enjoy the first two, but was rather turned off by the steep price. Relentless Software got smart here and made the third one free, so what’s not to love?

Well if you’ve never played or even heard of Blue Toad Murder Files, here’s the scoop. The Blue Toad Murder Files series takes place in the town of Little Riddle, where things just love to go horribly wrong. It’s then up to the player to solve the mystery through a series of mini games which usually consist of puzzles, brain teasers, and recalling data picked up throughout the episode to discern the culprit. Episode 3 follows the same exact format as expected. This time around it’s time to figure out who burned down Town Hall. There will be 4 suspects as usual, and players who have already played the first two should have no problem figuring out what to do. Other than it being a different scenario, there is really nothing different about this episode, leaving not much to say.

The new set of brain teasers are excellent, as usual. They all generally borderline challenging and frustrating, which seems like the ideal puzzle in my eyes. Do any of these puzzles really help discover whodunnit? Absolutely not, but they are the real meat of the series, and they excel as expected. The 4 questions that help recap every 20 minutes of gameplay or so also return, and if you actually care about figuring out the culprit before the answer is given to you, you’ll want to pay close attention to be able to answer these questions. Chances are if you can answer all of the questions correctly, it should be fairly obvious who committed the crime. The only problem I have so far is that this series of mysteries have become so formulaic that it’s beginning to become fairly mundane. Even with that being so, Blue Toad Murder Files earns credit for it’s clever puzzle design.

Presentation wise, this episode looks and feels exactly like the other two. Is that bad? Not at all. The puzzles and menus always controlled just fine. As for visuals, I always found the Blue Toad Murder Files series to have quite a charming art style that keep the experience fresh. Everything and everyone still look great.  If there’s one thing I enjoy about the series, it’s getting to know the new characters. The voice acting is more than acceptable at all times and facial animations (despite the game’s cartoony approach), look excellent. Other than that, again, it’s all pretty much the same, and it’s still infinitely better with more than one player.

I’ll admit, this has been one of the most concise reviews I’ve ever written. This is because other than it being a different scenario and different puzzles, there really isn’t anything different. If you’ve never played a Blue Toad Murder Files game, I strongly suggest you read my review of the first two here. You will get a much better idea of what the series is about. As for this being free, I think it was definitely a smart move. Although it’s only free for a month and to those who own the first two, it makes the high asking price a little more bearable. If you like the Blue Toad Murder Files series, it’s obvious to download this. It’s free. I still do like the series and have fun with it, but for those who don’t, this will not by any means change your mind. I really don’t think Relentless Software will find a way to keep the series fresh for the next three episodes, but here’s to hoping they do.

7.0/10

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