Review: Mishap - Who You Gonna Call? Ghostbusters!
by Staff Writer
September 3, 2010
Overview
You get to be a ghostbuster in Mishap: An Accidental Haunting which is a hidden object port from the same named PC title. You have to find certain objects to build contraptions, solve riddles, and more in an attempt to clear the house of ghosts. Mini-games are also included so it's more than simply finding hidden objects on your iPad and iPhone/iPod Touch with two different versions for each.
Features
There are multiple ghosts to catch with each one constituting a different chapter. You start in one main room, and that branches into three more, and you need to find all the objects in all four rooms in total to get to the mini-game to finally get rid of the ghost. There are smaller ghosts to find with a special magnifying glass, and certain items build contraptions, provide notes, and add to the riddle.
The Good
There are more and more hidden object games infiltrating the App Store, but most seem to just blend together. The style of Mishap sets it apart with a great storyline that continually progresses, and is consistent with the overall theme. The somewhat goofy ghosts provide plenty of humor to keep you scouring various rooms in the house to find out what's next.
Everything is defined extremely well throughout the game highlighted by the ornate pictures you’re searching. There are tons of different rooms with four per chapter, and each one has a great art style as well as unique haunted animations. There is a very nice soundtrack included which is really nice to listen to as your search various rooms.
The objects are all hidden in plain sight, but there are some definite tough ones to find which marks a good hidden object game. Finding items is all well and good, but the variability this game offers helps it stand apart. In every room you grab your special ghost magnifying glass, and tilt it in an attempt to uncover ghosts, and you need to find them three times to get rid of them.
As you find certain objects you collect pieces of a riddle adding an additional thing to find in one of the rooms. Some items add more to background story of each main ghost, and some build your contraption to begin the mini-game. To finally get rid of a ghost you will need to beat somewhat complex mini-games which aren't the toughest to pass, but very tough to score gold on.
The game is absolutely outstanding on the iPad, and seems to be made for the device with little loss from the PC version. The iPhone version on the other hand requires constant zooming, and really no hidden object game works on the iPhone like it does on the iPad.
The Bad
You have to tap very precisely on the item your searching for which is a little bothersome. There could be more challenge in the game especially since the only negative for multiple wrong taps is just the ghost popping up on screen. The price can seem like a problem on the surface, but when you think it's the same as the PC version, but with a nice touch interface you will disregard that.
The Verdict
Mishap is one of the best hidden objects games in the App Store by providing exquisite scenes to search, and a deluxe story. The variability in the objectives to give you more than just finding hidden objects is also a great feature. The game is a little high priced compared to other iPad hidden object games, but the time spent with this title will make it worth it.
Mishap for iPad is worth it for $6.99, and is absolutely great on the 9.7" device. The iPhone version of Mishap is worth considering for $4.99, but like all iPhone hidden object games, it is limited by the screen size.
