Let's Talk At Length About Mortimer Beckett and the Book of Gold

(Full disclosure, this post contains mild spoilers for discussion's sake.)

So I am a big fan of the Delicious series and the many spin-offs that have launched from its universe, now formally known as GameHouse Original Stories.  Yes, they sometimes seem like they're hyper-marketed at that Hallmark Channel crowd, but they are the cream of the crop of modern casual games, I promise.  That said, not every game that comes out of GameHouse Studios is a masterpiece.  But just because it's a masterpiece doesn't mean there isn't good to be found or fun to be had.

Enter Mortimer Beckett and the Book of Gold, released in 2017.  For those unaware, Mortimer Beckett was not originally a GameHouse IP, instead starring in his own series of hidden object games developed by Paprikari from 2007 to 2012.  I played the first in the series, Secrets of Spooky Manor, and dabbled with others, but I am by no means an aficionado on Mortimer Beckett lore.  Actually, I'm not big into the hidden object genre period.  I can tell you, though, that this game feels very different to the traditional Mortimer Beckett series.  Paprikari still worked as the developer for Book of Gold, but the overall style and flavor is extremely influenced by GameHouse.

I can only assume GameHouse acquired permission to use Mortimer's character around the same time they acquired Sally from GamesCafe's Sally's Salon series.  These were two fairly well-known faces in casual gaming for many years, and for those characters to suddenly be picked up by a new company and breathed new life was a strange move to witness.

Not to say it was a bad one.  I was and am a dedicated Sally fan and Sally's Salon - Beauty Secrets blew my expectations out of the water.  I'm considering making a separate blog post dedicated to Beauty Secrets because I have a lot to discuss.

Book of Gold on the other hand...well, that's why we're here.

Before I even played the game, the first things I noticed were the consistently negative ratings it received across distributing websites.  Now all things considered, I wasn't expecting perfection, but these scores were abysmally low.  I thought, "it can't be as bad as that, right?"

And after playing through the whole thing in one night, I will proudly go on record to say that this game does not deserve these low ratings.

Buuut it's not perfect, either.

So let's talk.

First, the elephant in the room - the gameplay itself.  As previously stated, Mortimer Beckett is a hidden object series.  GameHouse is best known for time management games that occasionally have hidden object mini games sprinkled through the levels.  Mini games and main gameplay mechanics are two very different things, mind you.

That said, I think the translation of the gameplay went very well - better than I was expecting, at least.  You're given a scene in which you must find pieces of different objects that will help you in your current situation.  Then, once those pieces are put together, you can use those objects in the scene to complete small puzzles.  Even with my limited hidden object experience, I can tell that this style of finding pieces of things is quite unique.  In fact, this was my biggest complaint back in Secrets of Spooky Manor: the pieces that some objects broke into seemed arbitrary and unnatural, making it harder to find what I was looking for.  In Book of Gold, the objects are broken up where they naturally have different "sections" (for example, if you're looking for a screwdriver, it would be in two separate pieces: the handle and the bit) and gameplay is smoother as a result.

There are also three different kinds of challenge levels throughout the game in which you have to complete certain tasks within a time limit.  These provide a nice sprinkle of adrenaline rush as the main levels have no time limit and you're welcome to stare at and contemplate them as long as you wish.  So all in all, the gameplay is pretty solid.

Let's discuss the plot.  Mortimer Beckett moves to Snuggford after inheriting a museum from his Uncle Jerome (a staple character of the series until now, I understand).  In his last letter, Uncle Jerome mentions something called the Book of Gold which apparently possesses mystical qualities, and warns Mortimer to keep it safe.

Even as someone with very little preexisting attachment to this character, I found Mortimer very charming and enjoyable, in that "I don't really know what I'm doing but I'm going to make the best of it anyway, and probably embarrass myself in the process" kind of way.  It was also refreshing simply to play as a guy, as GameHouse Original Stories pretty much exclusively feature women protagonists.

Speaking of which, while this is happening, Kate O'Malley (Delicious Emily's sister-in-law) is having something of a life crisis and desperately looking for some kind of adventure to get her out of her "boring" hometown.

This is good for two reasons.  One: Kate is a character seen very little of in the Delicious series.  Other than she's Patrick's sister and she used to work as a perfume salesgirl, we didn't know much about her until Book of Gold.  The writers really gave her some agency this time around, where previously she felt kind of cardboard.  And two: Snuggford is often viewed as a very idyllic small town with emphasis on supporting local businesses and fostering community with others.  It's oddly refreshing to see a protagonist character have a negative view of this place.

Anyway, the two run into each other, shenanigans ensue, and an adventure does indeed begin.

Now if GameHouse is known for anything besides time management gameplay, it's their heterosexual romantic subplots.  And as much as I was hoping for a platonic partnership this time around, I have to say I ended up liking Kate and Mortimer more than I expected.  It is a bit tropey and shoved down your throat at times, but I think their personalities play off each other quite nicely - Mortimer the somewhat bumbling scholar and Kate the confident risk-taker.  In the end I was genuinely rooting for them.

The story itself as a whole is...fine.  Not amazing, not terrible, but fine.  It has good intentions but, as I said, falls into tropes and shenanigans rather than raising the stakes.  And when the stakes are raised, it fails to explain why and generally lacks urgency.

The best parts of the story in my opinion are the more character-driven scenes.  Stemming from Kate's desire for adventure, there is an underlying emotional theme about whether or not you're satisfied with your life and where you are in it.  I think this is handled better than the immediate plot, but could still use some tweaks.  Overall, the writing has the same wonkiness I would expect from any story that hasn't truly found its groove yet, but it does enough to keep you intrigued.

I absolutely cannot knock GameHouse for trying to do something new, especially in this cash cow of a universe they've built for themselves.  They've been using basically the same formula for the past ten years or so, and it makes sense that they would want to branch out into other things while still attracting their core audience.

Unfortunately, this game has some very apparent growing pains.

My biggest issue without a doubt is the art.  It's inconsistent, there's no other word for it.  Some sprites are completely 2D, others are completely rendered in 3D.  Sometimes it's 2.5D.  Sometimes it's 2D heads stitched onto 3D bodies.  Some characters look very disproportionate when standing next to others.  Not to mention a lot of reused assets from other games.  I can't show it for spoiler reasons, but there is a scene near the very end of the game where the character cutting-and-pasting is so painfully obvious and so sloppily done that I almost had to close my computer and take a lap around the house.

Also, this game has far less music than I expected.  Despite a swingin' noir-style theme song written by Adam Gubman, most cutscenes carry out with only generic background white noise for company.  And let me tell you, when a dramatic scene is going down and the only thing you can hear is the muffled voice of an airport intercom?  It feels wrong.  And also lends to that lack of urgency I mentioned earlier.

And as much as I hate to, we have to talk about the "exotic" themes.

For the most part, I would describe GameHouse as having "lukewarm sensitivity" to cultures that are not North American or European.  They have good intentions and for the most part their characters are pretty well rounded, but their research still leaves a little bit to be desired.  I think the Inuit tribe from Delicious - Emily's Hopes and Fears is the best example of what I'm talking about.

However, I would not put Book of Gold in that same sensitivity tier.  During the third chapter, Mortimer and Kate travel to South America (it's never specifically stated but since Machu Picchu is clearly visible in one of the scenes, it's pretty safe to say they're in Peru) and end up getting lost in the jungle.  Kate is more or less kidnapped by a group of natives, whose leader speaks what can only be described as "cave man English" and invites her to join his harem.  When she refuses, he threatens to kill her if she doesn't complete the puzzles set before her.  Then, when Kate manages to escape, the tribe leader leans over to one of his guards and says, "Those tourists are so gullible," indicating that it was all an act.  I still have no idea what to think about this entire section.

There's also a great deal of Arabian influence in the second half of the game, as the main villain claims to be a sheikh, but I would say that it's more there for visual interest than anything else.  The side characters you meet in this arc aren't particularly memorable, and aside from avoiding a sandstorm and racing camels at one point, the desert setting is just kind of...there.  It's not as bad as it could have been, but it certainly wasn't doing the game as a whole many favors, either.

To wrap this up with a bow, if you disliked this game simply because it was different and not the "signature GameHouse experience" you've come to expect, I feel sorry for you.  If you disliked this game because it doesn't feel as polished as it could have been and the graphics are a bit of a train wreck?  Yeah, I get you.  But I still found this game enjoyable despite its flaws.  And if you've been avoiding this game because the bad ratings scared you off, pull on your big girl panties and manage your expectations.

I really hope that GameHouse sees Book of Gold as a learning experience and not a failure, because I think there's some genuine potential here.  With some tweaks and polish (and clearer art direction), I would happily accept another game like this.