Masters of Mystery: Crime of Fashion HD (iOS) Review

You play a detective in Masters of Mystery: Crime of Fashion HD, a hidden object game. Search for a myriad of random objects, including dusting for fingerprints and using a black light to find blood stains, and solve the murder!

So, you like to watch all CSI: New York, CSI: Miami, and CSI: ABCDEFG?  Apparently, you excel at armchair-detective work while watching Nathan Fillion on Castle, and your favorite books involve the catch phrase, “Elementary, my dear Watson.”  What is a crime-solver like you to do next?

If you have an iPad and like searching for hidden objects then bust out your giant magnifying glass because we have a murder to solve!

In Masters of Mystery: Crime of Fashion HD, you’ll be using forensic tools, like a fingerprint duster and a black light, as well as and searching for hidden objects among a very cluttered scenario.  These detective tools help make a very familiar gameplay style feel a little more unique, especially to those who may play a lot of hidden object games, but it’s still accessible to those who just want to unwind by looking for hidden items.

There is no penalty for tapping items at random, should you find yourself lost — and the technique works surprisingly well on a brand new level.  However, if you tap the screen too many times within a few seconds, the protagonist will suggest she slow down and focus better on the task at hand.

If you’re stuck, there is a friendly help button in the lower right that will highlight one of the items from your list.  There is no limit to the number of times you can request help.  Every time you do so, you’ll have to wait for the button to “recharge” before you can push it again.

There are other mini-games like deciphering a ransom-note, comparing DNA under a microscope to determine the differences between the two very similar images.    There was also a finger print game where you’re tasked to find a specific finger print, amongst a bunch of finger prints, in a short amount of time.

Having played a lot of G5 Entertainment’s hidden object game, there were things I liked and didn’t like about Masters of Mystery: Crime of Fashion HD.

The things I liked mainly included the new tools, specifically the finger print duster to uncover prints and the black light to search for blood.  These two tool didn’t don’t necessarily innovate on existing functionality in this genre, but it did offer something different.  Dusting for finger prints involves rubbing the screen in a dusting style.  The black light works like a spot light.  Simply tap the area to inspect the area.  There is also a magnifying glass and a flashlight tool.  The magnifying tool simply enlarges the screen to help make smaller items easier to find.  The flashlight tool is helpful in dark areas, but its primary use is searching scenarios bathed in total darkness.

What I liked the least about Masters of Mystery: Crime of Fashion HD were the small and obscured items.  I understood that the magnifying glass was included because you’re unable to use the pinch gesture on the iPad to zoom in and out while searching for items, but some of the items were extremely small.

Masters of Mystery: Crime of Fashion HD is an enjoyable hidden object game, but outside of a few forensic-style tools, but  wasn’t very different from other games of the genre.

Masters of Mystery: Crime of Fashion HD is a free download through the Apple App Store, which plays like a demo.  It gives you enough time to evaluate the game, but then requires a purchase to continue playing.  The full game can be unlocked through in-app purchasing for $6.99.