Path of Sin: Greed
Developed by Cordelia Games
Published by Artifex Mundi
Released for Xbox One (8/23/2019)
Also on Linux/Mac/PC/PS4/Switch
Path of Sin: Greed will mark my first experience delving into the Artifex Mundi series of games. I've been intrigued by their releases for a while and picked this one up on sale a while back. This is far from the first release from the publisher, but we've got to start somewhere and this just happens to be their first title I got my hands on. Hidden object games are a niche genre and it's nice to see publisher Artifex Mundi not only giving the genre some love, but also porting these games over to a wide range of platforms so more people can play them. Without further ado, let's delve into Path of Sin: Greed and see if it's worth your time...
Right off the bat, the first thing that struck me with Path of Sin was the excellent artwork. The illustrations are incredibly vibrant and the attention to detail really shines through in high-definition. While there is a limited amount of animation, there is enough so that the environments and people don't feel like static images. The sound design, like the animation, is used sparsely but does a good job bringing the illustrations to life. The music isn't anything you're going to want to bump in the car, but it does a good job adding to the suspense at times and at other times conveys a mystery mood. Overall, the developers have done an excellent job on the overall presentation.
The story in Path of Sin involves you and your new partner heading off to a secluded island in order to investigate a suicide case. The wealthy residents have asked that the case be handled quick and quiet, but once the investigation gets underway it quickly becomes apparent that foul play is involved. I'll spare you from any further spoilers should you choose to play the game, but you've got all the necessary ingredients for a good mystery: greed, murder and betrayal.
Path of Sin: Greed features gameplay that mixes point & click puzzles with hidden object sequences sprinkled throughout. It's an interesting mix and does a nice job providing a variety of play styles throughout the game. There's lots of exploration, snooping to find items and puzzle-solving as you search the mansion in an attempt to gather enough evidence to solve the murder mystery. A good chunk of the puzzles consist of figuring out which items to combine or where to use an item, which will usually open up something to reveal another item, rinse and repeat.
In order to keep this from getting too repetitive, you have several other styles of puzzles mixed throughout. These mini-game style puzzles are logic-based and can be skipped on the lower difficulty if you find them too hard. The hidden object puzzles will pop-up from time to time, giving you a list of items and tasking you to find them in the crowded image before you. As you progress the story, there will be points where you'll need to interrogate the suspects and witnesses. These are simply lists of questions you'll click through, but they do a nice job of moving the story along. Once you've collected enough evidence, you'll be able to answer key questions regarding the case to progress further.
Path of Sin offers 2 difficulties: casual and expert. Casual is a more laid-back experience, offering the players hints and the option to skip the puzzle mini-games, while on expert mode the hints recharge slower and there are no longer indications on the map as to where you should go next. There are also 2 cases to solve: greed and the one that got away. Greed is the main case and the one that got away can only be accessed after completing greed. The one that got away is considered a bonus chapter, therefore there are no achievements associated with playing it. It's also considerably shorter in length when compared to the main case, but it's still a fun little bonus and ties up a loose end from the main story.
Path of Sin: Greed is an easy title to recommend for anybody who loves mystery, hidden object or point & click games, though if you don't fall into any of those categories you'll likely find yourself bored with this one. While Path of Sin will only last you somewhere between 3-5 hours, in that period of time it provides a nice balance between exploration, puzzle solving, object finding and sleuthing that makes it a nice diversion to kill a few hours.
Final Verdict: Path of Sin: Greed features a blend of a point & click adventure, logic puzzles and hidden object screens all held together by a story of mystery as you work to solve a murder. If you're a fan of any of the mentioned genres I'd recommend giving this one a go!
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