Downton Abbey: Mysteries of the Manor Review
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Downton Abbey: Mysteries of the Manor Review

Our Review by Jennifer Allen on September 21st, 2015
Rating: starstarblankstarblankstarblankstar :: TEDIOUS WASTE
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Downton Abbey: Mysteries of the Manor is a poor example of the hidden object genre.

Developer: Activision
Price: FREE
Version Reviewed: 1.1.5
App Reviewed on: iPhone 5

Graphics / Sound Rating: starstarstarblankstarblankstar
Gameplay Rating: starblankstarblankstarblankstarblankstar
Playtime Rating: starstarblankstarblankstarblankstar
Replay Value Rating: starhalfstarblankstarblankstarblankstar

Overall Rating: starstarblankstarblankstarblankstar

Downton Abbey: Mysteries of the Manor is not a good game. It might be a good TV show, but this hidden object game is distinctly lazy - and that’s coming from someone who enjoys the genre. If you’re a huge fan of the show you might find a little enjoyment stemming from seeing your favorite characters, but you’re going to have to be pretty tolerant. Most of the time you’ll probably just be bored.

A loose storyline guides you around the various rooms of the Abbey, but you’ll soon forget what’s going on. You start out with a couple of rooms at your disposal, unlocking new ones through replaying the same scenes a LOT. It’s a familiar concept that’s been used by many free to play hidden object games, but rarely is it done in a particularly interesting manner. That’s no different here with you spending far too much time seeing the same scenery time after time.

What certainly doesn’t help is how boring the items are that you need to seek out. They end up being things like dust pans or rocking horses, over and over again. There’s little variety here. The landscapes are similarly dull too, being somewhat grey looking and lacking the lavishness that you’d expect from such a pleasant looking show.

You’ll often run out of energy on your searches, leaving you to wait it out for the meter to recharge before going back to chip away at potential success. This meter runs out too quickly, meaning you don’t get to play much before you’re stuck waiting for something to do. Maybe it’d be ok if your anticipation was high but odds are that you’ll just stop caring all that much, eventually moving onto something (anything) better than this. The brief moments of satisfaction as you progress a teensy bit towards the next scene really aren’t enough. Stick with the show.

iPhone Screenshots

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Downton Abbey: Mysteries of the Manor screenshot 1 Downton Abbey: Mysteries of the Manor screenshot 2 Downton Abbey: Mysteries of the Manor screenshot 3 Downton Abbey: Mysteries of the Manor screenshot 4

iPad Screenshots

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Downton Abbey: Mysteries of the Manor screenshot 5 Downton Abbey: Mysteries of the Manor screenshot 6 Downton Abbey: Mysteries of the Manor screenshot 7 Downton Abbey: Mysteries of the Manor screenshot 8
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