Phantasmat: Mournful Loch

Edit: even though my review is positive, it takes a truly incredible HOPA game to break past the 3 star rating for me. I enjoy the genre but I tend to not see it as impactful as others, due to its mass production and "casual" target audience. Also given the extensive library of games, I don't want to crowd my review log with HOPA titles.

Again, I have found another game in the Phantasmat series that I enjoyed enough to bother adding it to the Grouvee database. Mournful Loch is the 8th game in the series, and unlike any other entry, it takes place in a an abandoned castle in Scotland. The atmosphere is rich and I think this entry really breathed fresh life into the series that started to feel a bit stale.

While I think Behind the Mask is still my favorite Phantasmat game (I am a sucker for a Resident Evil type mansion and twisted serial killers), this one just feels very unique and polished. The environmental artwork is very tasteful and the exploration has the perfect amount of backtracking. It also has the right amount of hidden object minigames, as do most entries in the series besides the first game.

If you are a fan of horror point and click games in general, I think this is definitely one of the better HOPA games I have played. Not as good as Behind the Mask (or other HOPA games like True Fear, Maze 1, Fright, Pilgrim's Hook). But still one of my favorites in the Phantasmat series.