Mystery Case Files: 13th Skull

Mystery Case Files: 13th Skull

Developer(s)	Big Fish Studios
Publisher(s)	Big Fish Games
Series	Mystery Case Files
Platform(s)	Windows, Mac OS X, iOS (removed)
Release date(s)	WW: January 8, 2011 (Standard Edition) WW: November 25, 2010 (Collector's Edition) iOS February 29, 2012
Genre(s)	Adventure, puzzle
Mode(s)	Single-player

Mystery Case Files: 13th Skull is an adventure-puzzle casual game developed by Big Fish Studios and distributed by Big Fish Games. It is the seventh installment in the Mystery Case Files series. The game is available exclusively on the Big Fish Games website.

Plot

Shortly after moving into a mansion in Louisiana, tragedy befalls Sara Lawson and her daughter after her husband, Marcus Lawson, mysteriously disappears. Sara contacts you, the Detective, to search for her husband and discover the secret of the 13th Skull.

Before Marcus was kidnapped, he became obsessed with the curse and the treasure after finding a map of the estate. His daughter Magnolia believes her father was kidnapped by the ghost of a vengeful pirate named Captain Phineas Crown, who wants to protect his lost fortune, and attempts to stop those who try to find it. With the locals all talking about the curse of the 13th Skull and their belief that Crown lived in the mansion, murdered his own crew, and buried his treasure there, Sara despairs of finding her husband.

Later in the game, the Detective discovers that the couple's real names are Alice and Dennis Blanston, and that they are wanted criminals. It is revealed that the husband was never really kidnapped and was really hiding in a shack within the swamps disguised as a fisherman. Rather, it was all a ploy to use the Detective's skills to discover Captain Crown's hidden treasure. Their daughter was also in it for the whole thing. After all the revelations about the Blanstons, Dennis aims a gun at the player while he or she solves puzzles to find the skulls that are key to unlocking the Pirate's fortune. Finally, the pirate ship where the treasure is hidden suddenly rises out of the swamp, and Dennis attempts to kill the player only for the ghost of Captain Crown to appear and wash the entire Blanston family away, presumably killing them.

In the end, the player destroys Captain Crown by placing all the skulls together with the crew's bodies and they attack their evil captian. The Collector's Edition of the game will reveal hints for the next installment of the series.

Characters

This is the third Mystery Case Files series to feature a live-action cast after Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst and Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove. Unlike Dire Grove, where the player watches videos of the missing students, and Return to Ravenhearst, where characters speak to the player, in 13th Skull the characters are set in a painted scene where the players can talk to them and ask various questions about the case. These characters are:

Alice Blanston a.k.a. Sara Lawson (Heather Poulsen) Magnolia's mother and Dennis' wife. She is a criminal along with Dennis and one of the antagonists alongside her husband.
Dennis Blanston a.k.a. Marcus Joel Lawson and the Mysterious Stranger (Brandon Pette) Magnolia's father and Alice's husband. A criminal along with Alice and one of the antagonists alongside his wife.
Magnolia Blanston a.k.a. Magnolia Lawson (Sophia Schloss) Alice's and Dennis' daughter and is also a criminal and one of the antagonists alongside her parents.
Mary Lee (Linda Jensen) The Blanston's/Lawson's manor cleaning lady and Lewis' wife.
Lewis Lee (Bruce Weech) The Blanston's/Lawson's manor groundskeeper and Mary's husband.
Travis "Cooter" Landry (Russell Hodgkinson) Blanston's/Lawson's neighbor and Charlotte's husband, he is the epitome of a redneck and will shoot at uninvited guests.
Charlotte Landry (Devin Rodger) Blanston's/Lawson's neighbor and Cooter's wife, she has firm grip over Cooter and owns a doll collection.
Momma Aimee (Karen Tucker) The Town's known voodoo priestess and Voodoo Absolute's owner.
Vinton (Steven Shields) The Town's Librarian from Raceland he is vital in helping Master Detective with the newly arrived neighbors.
The Bartender (Talena Bennett) Bartender of the 'Tater's Drink and Swaller' she is an expert of the surrounding swamps and knows the way. (According to phone numbers in the Swaller's office, her name could be Melba, Kookie, or Delphine.)
Ashwin Poncer a.k.a. Phineas Crown / Captain Crown (Michael Ramquist) An evil ghost pirate and the main antagonist of the game. He's Grace O'Malley's husband.
Pippi (Phil Boldman) The Blanston's/Lawson's pet dog.

Captain Crown's Crew

Jack Dancer, a notorious gambler.
John Ward, a filthy drunkard.
Enrique Brower, who never lost a duel.
William Knave, the double-crosser.
Roberto Confresi, the dandy one.
Rachaeli Ray, the crew cook. (Her name is likely a reference to Rachael Ray, a famous cook.)
Howell Davis, an astronomer.
Bryce Carver, the enfeebled one.
James Bowen, a wealthy veteran.
Lawrence Prince, the minstrel.
George Booth, the chronicler.
Edward Shortshanks, a dwarf.
Grace O'Malley, the nurse and the wife of Captain Crown.

Gameplay

Players can talk to those characters and ask various questions about the case. Other forms of the game include a custom soundtrack of the deep South. According to Big Fish Games and GameZebo, the Game will offer 8–15 hours of gameplay.^[1]

Promotion

Shortly after the release of Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove, it was announced that a seventh game would be released in late 2010. On November 12, 2010, Big Fish Games announced the title of the game as 13th Skull.^[2] The Mystery Case Files official website was also updated, along with a teaser trailer of the game.^[3] On November 15, 2010, Big Fish Games announced a release party for the game and gave fans a chance to win tickets by answering riddles posted by Big Fish Games to find the location around Seattle and be the first to claim the tickets.^[4] On November 23, 2010, Big Fish Games released a sizzle reel of the game.^[5] The game was available to purchase in advance a day before the actual release for Big Fish Games Game Club members.

On January 8, 2011, a Standard Edition was released for $6.99 along with the Collectors Edition for $14.99. Big Fish Games also gave away Coupon Code's for the Standard Edition.^[6]

Collector's Edition

This is the second Mystery Case Files series to have a Collector's Edition copy of the Game. It includes a built-in Smart Guide, wallpapers, "Behind the Scenes" concept art and a bonus gameplay that continues the main plot of the game.^[7]

Reception

IGN reviewed 13th Skull "Good" with a 7.0 rating for its Presentation, Gameplay, Graphics, Sound and Lasting Appeal for an approximately of 6.5 to 7.5 per Category.^[8]

External links

References

Mystery Case Files

Main series	Huntsville (2005) Prime Suspects (2006) Ravenhearst (2006) Madame Fate (2007) Return to Ravenhearst (2008) Dire Grove (2009) 13th Skull (2010) Escape from Ravenhearst (2011) Shadow Lake (2012) Fate's Carnival (2013) Dire Grove, Sacred Grove (2014) Key to Ravenhearst (2015) Ravenhearst Unlocked (2015)

Other platform games	Agent X (2008) MillionHeir (2008) The Malgrave Incident (2011) Spirits of Blackpool (2013)

Novel series	Stolen (2010) Vanished (2010) Submerged (2011) Unearthed (2011)

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