Cause of Death isn't a pure reading experience, though. As the story unfolds, players will take turns alternating between Mal and Natara as they hunt a mask-obsessed serial killer murdering girls in California's Bay Area. Every few minutes, players will be asked to make a choice between two options; things like "Kick High" and "Kick Low" when fending off an attacker, or "It's about a gas leak" versus "I'm investigating the Maskmaker" when interviewing an elderly woman.
The choices are obvious at first, but as the story progresses, sussing the correct answers becomes trickier—sometimes it's pure guesswork. There is merit to nailing the choices, though. There were multiple outcomes for most scenes, and it is possible to completely fail areas or have characters die due to incorrect thinking. The content may be light in tone but it's not weightless, and virtual detectives who can't crack the case can look forward to one of several less-than-pleasant conclusions….
There's definitely a lot to like about Cause of Death for players like me who can get into text adventures, but be warned that it's got a few really annoying quirks. Although Maskmaker is free, it has constantly-rotating banner ads at the top of the screen that can't be dismissed. Other ads will pop up at regular intervals and obscure the entire screen until clicked away. This in-my-face advertising drove me insane, and I would have gladly paid. Bizarrely, that was not an option.
These ads have been removed in the series' second installment, thankfully. The other thing that irked me was that it's not possible to quit and restart a section until it's complete. I could sometimes tell right away that I wasn't doing well, and I wanted to stop and try again. Unfortunately, the game forces players to see the current section through before giving that option.
It's rarely more than five or ten minutes to the conclusion of any given scene, but it was still an aggravating inconvenience. It is to the game's credit that these two app-specific design crimes didn't drive me away. Although Cause of Death: Volume 1 — The Maskmaker isn't the sort of thing that I'd want to play all the time or for long stretches, it suits the iPhone to a "T" and pleasantly fills little gaps in my day where other, more involved games wouldn't fit.
It's sort of like a snack, really—a little morsel of romance-flavored cotton candy to tide me over when I don't have time for some triple-A steak and potatoes. Rating: 7. Disclosures: This game was obtained via free download and reviewed on the iPhone.
Approximately 2 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode, and the game was completed. There are no multiplayer modes. Although there's no explicit sexual content, there's suggestions of the subject. Some language is slightly salty, and violence does play a role in the story—it is about a serial killer, after all. Players mature enough to be engaged by the reading-based gameplay should be fine. History Talk 0.
In contrast to the volumes following, Volume 1 only has six chapters. Chapters Chp. Title Description Date 1 Washed Up Mal is introduced as a detective, who has been released from suspension to join the Maskmaker Force to find the murderer. He is teamed up with Natara and together, they go to their first link to the murder.
December 16, 3 Bad Medicine With no sufficient lead to go on, another killing has occurred. Can Mal and Natara locate the criminal before another innocent is killed? December 16, 4 Buried Secrets Everyone is out searching for Dr. Rose and thinks he is the real Maskmaker, but is that true? December 16, 5 Unmasked Mal and Natara have finally captured their first suspect, Dr. Rose, but is he really the suspect, or merely a cover-up?
Can Mal and Natara save her and arrest the criminal without killing themselves? Categories Volume Volume 1: The Maskmaker. Universal Conquest Wiki.
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