Miriel's Enchanted Mystery HD Review

Where the world of time management gaming is concerned, there are generally two types of games. Those that let players work hard at the onset in order to sit back and relax during later levels, and those that force players to strategize their every move for the best results. There is no right or wrong way to design these titles as players will simply have to pick their poison. I, personally, enjoy a game that requires more thinking as the levels progress, not less. It’s for that reason that I liked Miriel's Enchanted Mystery HD.
This game is the sequel to Miriel the Magical Merchant that saw release only a few months back. As such, the focus and design remains, largely, the same. Players have a campaign set before them as they learn the mysteries of an odd egg. It’s quaint and easy to digest, but it also serves as a nice sliver of motivation for continuing with the title. It’s only a sliver because the rest of the game is so good and worthy of attention.

Gameplay triumphs here. It’s all about strategy and flow. Customers come to your shop and request items that are either instantly ready or need preparation. As the game moves forward, you’ll see more requests that require multiple actions in order to deliver the products. You’ll stack tasks by tapping locations in order to serve customers quickly and effectively. Perform multiple actions in a row and you’ll earn even more gold. Use the gold to unlock more products and upgrade your shop and Miriel’s multi-tasking abilities. It seems that when the action is the most frantic, stacking commands by tapping objects gets a little wonky. Blame this on the amount of work being done, or blame it on a flaw in the design. It's hard to tell which is the case. At its core, this game is simple, but the level of addiction within makes this title a complete standout.

If this game were deserving of a slight, one would probably be able to knock it for not changing enough. But, to that end, what’s the point? The original was exceptional, and the sequel only employs subtle tweaks in order to warrant a release. That’s hardly a complaint considering how good each iteration is. The time management additions, the story-based mini games and the exceptionally rich artistic approach make Miriel’s Enchanted Mystery HD a complete package.

If you played the original, you’ll love its sequel. Plus, you unlock real recipes again. Win.