MillionHeir is a poor man's Layton
by Chris Greenhough 
{ Sep 4th 2008 at 1:30PM }
The concerns we voiced about Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir after playing it at E3 have not been assuaged by the latest videos for the game. While we were hoping for a puzzle-based adventure in the vein of Level 5's brilliant Professor Layton and the Curious Village, MillionHeir won't be that title. By relying mainly on one type of puzzle -- the "Where's Waldo?" variety where the player has to find objects in an elaborately painted scene -- the game already looks like it will lack serious depth. We don't really hold it against developer Big Fish Games; this was obviously made with younger gamers in mind, and not for us. Shame.
The bright side of all this: now we want to play Layton again. Locate and go through the post break below for a MillionHeir developer walkthrough and more footage.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Macha88 @ Sep 4th 2008 7:41PM
How exactly can someone be "Extremely Missing"?
iammonodi @ Sep 5th 2008 6:46PM
I was about to post the same thing. Seriously what the heck.
I am not looking forward to it, sorry.
chibi_wings @ Sep 4th 2008 10:17PM
I played the demo from Nintendo Channel and it's not a bad game, especially because they are only asking for 20. I actually liked (and still do) the Where's Waldo and I Spy books, so I'm rather pleased about this game =)
Mark @ Sep 5th 2008 5:47AM
Actually, "Hidden Object" games have grown to be one of the biggest genres in the PC casual games market. There's a healthy market for them there. (and the casual target audience are mainly women btw, not kids) This is not just a one-off kids' game, it's part of a big franchise. A quick look outside of the console/handheld box would've told you that much.
Jason @ Sep 8th 2008 6:51PM
It's too bad that their really trying to compare apples and oranges. Layton is a great game that is actually designed to tell a story and solve a mystery. MCF games are locate the hidden objects in a cluttered picture. True there's usually some "mystery" plot, but it really has little to do with the gameplay at all.
MCF games can indeed be quite addicting. My mother brought one into our house when she visited and we were both glue to it for months. I love Layton and the Ace Attorney games, but MCF is not those games, nor is it trying to be them. However, it's still a really good game in its own right.
haounomiko @ Sep 28th 2008 8:31PM
MillionHeir is just nothing at all like Layton, nor is it trying to be the same thing; I guess the people who expected them to be similar didn't have a good handle yet on what MH was going to turn out to be like.
I have to say, though, that MH-- while addictive in that crossword-like way-- is not as rich and complex as Layton. MH doesn't feel like a full game to me, somehow-- it feels like a mini-game or a free download game might. Layton felt like a whole entire game, with a good solid framework and many meta-levels of engagement, as well as diversity in the challenges; MH did not.
Apples and oranges yes, but we're talking about a half-grown tart apple that's only suitable for cooking versus a ripe plump juicy orange.
PsiWren @ Nov 29th 2008 11:21PM
Hey! Don't knock the stuff! I love hidden object/seek n' find games.
Given that, I will say that I'm not really sure about their just simply 'porting it from the PC/internet to the DS rather than creating new and/or exclusive [for DS] ones. You're going to have people going "I've already played this game" or "Why should I pay $20 for it when I can get it on the internet for less".