Source: Itch.io Page
Maggie’s Grinning Soul is a point and click mystery game
created is a collaborative effort by 8 students from the CNAM-ENJMIN and Paris
3 Sorbonne Nouvelle. You play as Yolanda, a psychic detective who is tasked
with investigating the unexplained death of a teenage girl named Maggie. You go
to Maggie’s room in search of clues, and an object that will have a strong enough
connection to commune with Maggie through a Ouija Board.
Once you find the correct object, you can talk with Maggie
using yes and no questions. After you find the first object and establish a connection, you investigate other objects in the room to unlock more questions to ask. Be careful of the questions you ask, though. You
may upset her spirit, and if you do that, it’s game over. The questioning works
like a game of hangman, so you have a fair number of chances to make a mistake.
I made a fair share, I assure you. If you die, you start over from the
beginning of Maggie’s room. However, it doesn't seem that the order of the objects or questions change so it becomes more of a trial and error process.
Source: Screen Capture from Game
I enjoyed the art style of the game, and I really liked
Maggie’s room. It looks like what I would expect a teenager’s room to look like—for
the most part. The art is detailed, and the color scheme is somewhat muted,
which I also liked. The only character you really see drawn is your detective superior
that gave you the job, so I kind of wish there had been more, perhaps the
spirit or even Yolanda herself.
The sound effects are nice, and the music is intense and
powerful. The game is fully voice acted which was a nice touch as well, and the
VAs did a good job. The very beginning of the game starts like an episode of
Law and Order, and made me laugh even. “The is one of their stories….” I almost
expected the Law and Order sound effect to play.
The controls are nice, I didn’t have any trouble, although
it did take me some time to figure out what I needed to do since I didn’t read
the tutorial. I also didn’t realize that there was more to the room than the
first screen, since you have to move your mouse all the way to the edge of the
screen for the cursor to become the pointing hand of movement, and the hand
seems so tiny that I didn’t see it at first.
I do not want to spoil the ending, but I was pleasantly
surprised. It wasn’t what I expected. After the credits, you can hear your
superior calling you about another case, which hopefully means there will be a
sequel! If that is the case, I certainly look forward to it.
Source: Screen Capture from Game
Considering that 8 students made this game, it is well
polished and a good quality of game. The story is solid, the art is nice, the
voice acting is well done, and I didn’t run into any weird bugs or glitches
when I played through. Overall a very solid and well made little game. You can
try the game for yourself by downloading it from Itch.io *here*. The game is
free so why not?
Be sure to leave your comments of encouragement, or helpful
criticism, to help the developers grow and improve their skills and content.
Happy Gaming, Friends!
Bell
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