Blue Toad Murder Files: A Touch Of Mystery Review

Previously a PS3 and PC release, puzzle game Blue Toad Murder Files: A Touch Of Mystery makes its way to iOS. It's a fun title, too, capturing everything that worked so well for the previous releases, albeit with the loss of multiplayer functionality.

Players control a detective from the Blue Toad Agency, as they plan to visit the quiet English village of Little Riddle for a well-earned break. Of course, things don't go according to plan and the player is immediately thrust into a huge murder investigation.

Gameplay is divided up into sections, with an animated cutscene setting the story before players take part in a series of puzzles. The cutscenes are just as important as the puzzles, given that at the end of a sequence, players are tested on their observational and memory skills. It's a fairly laid back story, the kind that lends itself well to family gamers, with no gore or guts to be seen. The most offensive word used in the game is a rather aggressive butcher bellowing 'Scum!!!' at every possible opportunity.

The puzzles themselves are a pretty straight-forward bunch. Some might cause a bit of head scratching and analytical thought, but these err on the easier side rather than the fiendishly complicated. Similarly, it's not too tricky to figure out the culprit at the end of each episode (of which there are three with the game's remaining three to come at a later point). It brings with it a sense of satisfaction rather than frustration, which is ideal for a gaming session amongst the family. Unfortunately, players can't compete with each other, like in other versions, but a joint effort while gathered around the iPad screen is nearly as much fun. AirPlay support further helps the enjoyment. It's also worth acknowledging that one would never guess that the game is a conversion. It plays like a game that was always intended for iOS with touch controls smooth and working near perfectly.

Whodunnit mysteries are a genre much forgotten about, but Blue Toad Murder Files: A Touch Of Mystery reminds players of exactly why they can be so much fun. Once the murderer has been correctly deduced, replayability is reduced to seeking out all the achievements, but the ride in getting there makes it easily worth the asking price.