Would you like some indisputable proof of how incredibly square I am? When Tracy first assigned me to write the Midnight Mysteries: Witches of Abraham review, I immediately thought it referred to the Abraham in the Bible. That was the first "Abraham" that popped into my mind. Then I thought, "That makes no sense at all. Why would someone create a game involving witches and Abraham? King Saul, I could understand, but Abraham?"
I needed my 10-year-old to clue me in. "Mom, it’s probably Abraham Lincoln." Then she reminded me of that recent cringeworthy piece of celluloid crap called "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter." (No offense, Rufus Sewell. I still think you are as handsome as when I first saw you in “Cold Comfort Farm.”)
Now that the pre-teen had my head in the right place, I did a little research on the game. This newest offering from Hot Lava in the Midnight Mysteries series boasts a protagonist who is also a best-selling author. The author’s literary success comes from stories told by visiting ghosts. (What, the ghosts can’t get their own agent? In these Twilight-happy days, I would think publishers would be clamoring to offer contracts to any of the undead.) For this adventure, Abraham Lincoln comes calling, asking the author to go back in time and find the treasure of the Knights of the Golden Circle, a secret Confederate order, before Lincoln's enemies do.
I’m no more than 10 minutes into the game when my daughter pipes up, “Mom, how come we keep seeing the ghost of Lincoln? If you’ve gone back in time to the 1860s, wouldn’t he be real then?” Nothing like having the youngest player point out the logic gaps. She will be a worthy review-writing successor to her mom.
The mini games I played in Midnight Mysteries: Witches of Abraham fell into the "easy to middling" category, which is fine with me. The hidden object areas are fun and graphically pleasing. I especially liked the option of clicking on an item in the HOA list and seeing it in silhouette in a lantern on the bottom right corner of the screen. Nice touch and very helpful. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen something in the list and thought what do they mean by that or had a term that could be construed a few different ways. Have you ever needed to find a “compass” and thought they meant the Boy Scout kind and not the sixth grade math kind?
Peppered throughout the game is trivia about famous people and places from the American Civil War, something I found a tad disconcerting, as if the game couldn’t decide if it wanted to be a game or a history lesson. I much prefer when historic tidbits are actually woven into the game.
The graphics in general are quite good, though Abe’s soulless gaping white eyes put me off a bit, and the audio can be a little annoying. The storyline had me thinking the developers watched the National Treasure movie franchise one too many times. The Knights of the Golden Circle seemed like a confederate version of the Knights Templar/Freemasons device from those Nick Cage extravaganzas.
If you don’t mind some confusing moments, enjoy history, and can overlook a few logic gaps along the way, Midnight Mysteries: Witches of Abraham may be just the ticket for a cold, autumn evening.