Ophelia Payne

I was not familiar with the Detective Grimoire games until The Mermaid Mask and after playing this game I know I will be looking into every other game I can get my hands on. Developed and published by SFB Games, The Mermaid Mask is a point and click murder mystery game with exceptional story telling and memorable puzzles. 

As The Mermaid Mask begins, Grimoire and Sally are sitting in the abandoned Stonetop Inn in the port town of Silkwirm-on-Sea. Sinthia Seafoam, the new captain of the Mortuga submarine, has asked for their help with Magnus’ murder. His throat was slit while he was locked alone in his room. The only unusual thing at first glance is a cauldron with some odd scratches on it. While many stories and rumours are circulating about the deceased captain (I won’t spoil the juicy details), he was never alone and had accumulated a variety of misfits who joined his crew over time.

From the “Dream Doctor”, Zacharias Zephyr, to the diver Madam Tadpole (the self-proclaimed half-mermaid), to the odd salesman, Godrik Gripp (whose best friend is a stick?) and the orphaned young stagehand who fled her guardian, Symmetry Silkmoth, each is so interesting. There were also a variety of passengers he agreed to take on in recent times, including a writer, a film star, an explorer and a world traveller. The new captain was one of these passengers and is convinced any of the 7 could be the killer, unless it’s really her? I’ll never spoil the story for you.

The entire game takes place within the beautifully hand-painted Mortuga submarine, where Magnus Mortuga (the captain) has been killed, and it’s up to Detective Grimoire and his assistant Sally to solve the mystery.

Each of the 20 rooms in the submersible is unique and scattered with clues to investigate. With about 50 clues to be found in the game, it can seem a little overwhelming, particularly towards the end of the game when you’re looking for that last clue to trigger the movement of the story. Don’t worry though; there is a built-in hint system that I was not afraid to use a few times.  Sometimes it was just the little nudge I needed to send me on the right path. 

While you don’t have a traditional inventory, you will carry around the clues you’ve gathered. You will see if you are missing some pieces; be thorough. When you clock on a character, you will get a sort of visual novel where you can interact with them and ask all the questions to help you solve the case.

The game is dialogue-heavy, but not boring by any means. There is a lot of clever banter between characters delivered by the exceptional voice talent. Edwyn Tiong and Amber Lee Connors are fantastic as Grimoire and Sally, and each character has a unique voice and way of speaking that I couldn’t help being drawn into.  The character designs are also lovely, and I’m not sure if they remind me of something I’ve experienced before, or if they were just so intriguing that they simply spoke to me.

The fill-in-the-blanks to come up with theories had me scratching my head at times. In something reminiscent of Mad Libs at times, I found myself questioning my mental capacity in certain moments. If you choose the wrong clue, you’ll be directed back to look some more and try again. There are lots of Red Herrings too. Once you get everything in the right order, your characters will discuss their findings.

Once you complete the game, be sure to check out the art gallery featuring the concept art for the characters, complete with commentary from the artist.

While the art style is delightful, a game can be enhanced with the right soundtrack and the hauntingly beautiful original soundtrack performed by the Budapest Art Orchestra from composer Raphael Benjamin Meyer was a sublime choice.  It was a perfect way to set the tone but not overpower the dialogue. There were multiple songs on the soundtrack, I didn’t catch how many, but each character and mini game appeared to have their own music.

Onto the main gameplay mechanic of the game: the puzzles.  One thing I loved about The Mermaid Mask was that it wasn’t simply finding a clue and turning it in. You often had to draw conclusions based on your discoveries. A fill-in-the-blank puzzle was enough for me to realize I hadn’t paid enough attention at some points and was an eye-opener. Multiple 3D puzzles, including twisting and turning pieces to open hidden compartments, were mostly new to me. Whether it was twisting a pig’s expression to create a certain number, arranging a grid of skulls, cataloguing mushrooms, etc., I loved each and every one of them.  While some appear to be impossible at first glance, keep at it. If you fail, Grimoire and Sally will provide you with more details/clues.

The Mermaid Mask reminds me a lot of one of my favourite games, Pentiment, in that it’s more narrative than detective, and I think that’s what I loved about it.

The Mermaid Mask is the kind of game you want to play again for the first time as soon as you’ve finished it. Sharp and full of wit, with its delightful design and wonderful voice cast, it’s an easy recommendation from me.

Until next time…be good to yourself and be good to each other.

**Special Thanks to Panic Department for the review code**