Mystery Case Files: Ravenhearst

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Mystery Case Files: Ravenhearst

Developer(s)	Big Fish Studios
Publisher(s)	Big Fish Games
Engine	Director
Platform(s)	Windows, Mac OS X
Release date	December 15, 2006
Genre(s)	Puzzle
Mode(s)	Single player
Rating(s)	ESRB: Everyone (E)
System requirements	Windows 98, Windows 2000/ME/XP/Vista, or Mac OS X 10.2 or better
Input methods	Mouse

Mystery Case Files: Ravenhearst is an adventure-puzzle casual game developed by Big Fish Studios, and distributed by Big Fish Games. It is the third installment in the Mystery Case Files series (MCF: Huntsville, MCF: Prime Suspects, MCF:Ravenhearst, MCF:Madame Fate).

1 Story
- 1.1 Plot
2 Gameplay
3 Reception
4 References
5 External links
- 5.1 Reviews and interviews

[edit] Story

Rumors surrounding the Ravenhearst manor in Blackpool have been whispered for almost a century. The Queen of England has enlisted your help to solve the mystery behind the ghostly apparitions in and around Ravenhearst manor. You are provided with the recently acquired diary belonging to Emma Ravenhearst which holds the key to unraveling the history of this unsettling place, yet all the pages are missing. You must venture into Ravenhearst, find the missing pages, and solve the mystery.

[edit] Plot

As the player collects the pages of the diary, the story reveals itself: Emma Ravenhearst, a young teacher from Iowa, arrives in England to continue teaching. After she arrives, she meets a charming young man named Charles Dalimar, who courts her. While initially responsive, Emma hesitates when Charles expresses his wish to marry her. Charles, however, remains insistent and goes as far as to construct a large manor and offer it to Emma. She finds this unsettling and tries to end the relationship, but news comes from Iowa that her father has fallen ill. Emma feels she must return, but falls feverish and sick, leaving herself to be taken care of by Charles.

Now under the care of Charles, a series of ill-fated events begins to unfold. Emma grows fearful as a worker falls to his death from a ladder while working on the mansion and Charles takes to reading books about black magic and necromancy. As Emma falls deeper into sickness, Charles hires a maid named Rose to take care of her. Emma soon experiences feverish nightmares, seeing herself in a wedding gown - a wedding gown that Rose later finds in the attic, along with a furnished children's room and a package of unopened letters sent to England by Emma's parents. Rose also spots Charles preparing Emma's dinner and adding something to it that Emma assumes to be poison. Rose fears for her life, and plans to escape with Emma. This concludes the second to the last diary entry.

The last entry to the diary is dated "Today", and is written by the ghost of Emma, who haunts the manor. It urges the player to find seven skeleton keys hidden throughout the manor, and visit the cellar to open the cellar door with them. When the player accomplishes this, an upright casket is found, which, when opened, reveals the remains of Emma, dressed in the wedding gown. It is heavily implied that Charles has murdered Emma in fear of abandonment. The skeleton dissolves as Emma's spirit is freed from the manor.

[edit] Gameplay

Like the MCF titles that came before, MCF: Ravenhearst relies heavily on the hidden object puzzle. However, players will also run into strange and wonderful locks, reminiscent of Rube Goldberg contraptions. These locks bar you from entering subsequent rooms wherein you will find clues that will lead to the missing diary pages.

[edit] Reception

According to independent tracking site game-sales-charts.com, following its release on December 5th, 2006, MCF: Ravenhearst held the #1 sales spot on nearly all casual game distribution sites including its home distribution channel, Big Fish Games, where it has remained in their top 20 since.^[1]

MCF: Ravenhearst was "the third-best-selling PC title in the United States for the week ending in the annual Black Friday shopping splurge" selling 100,000 copies in six weeks.^[2]