I don't know about you, but I'm planning on spending Christmas snuggled up on the sofa with a 15-tone duvet, watching Poirot's family mystery set. A duvet alone won't be enough, and like a modern-day Giles Corey, I'll scream, “More weight!” at the nearest sibling until they crush me with extra blankets. Only one arm will be free from the stricture of the blanket. This is for operating the remote control, getting chocolates and petting the dog. After all, nothing feels as cozy as hiding out before a grisly murder in a country house.
That's why The Seance at Blake Manor is as fitting a recommendation today as it was when it came out on Halloween.
The action takes place in 1897. You play private detective Declan Ward, who is trying to solve the disappearance of Evelyn Dean, who was last seen at the Blake estate. As more than 20 guests and staff fill the estate's rooms, it's your job to unravel their varied backgrounds and motives to discover what happened to Ms. Dean and who is responsible. It creates a compelling picture without the added intrigue that brought all these characters to a stately home in a remote part of western Ireland…
In two days, the owner of the estate, Jonathan Blake, intends to hold a seance and build a bridge to the dead. If you do not solve the mystery of Miss Dean's disappearance before the session begins, everyone on the estate will die.
If you're not ready to shout “More weight” and reach for a chocolate bar, then we're cut from a different cloth.
Keep in mind, this ultimatum is not an abstract restriction. During the investigation, every action – from examining a strangely distorted portrait to questioning the whereabouts of a guest on the night of Ms. Dean's disappearance – will take up minutes of your time. If you do not solve the mystery before the session begins, all your investigations will be in vain.
Time permeates every aspect of Blake Manor. On the hour, every hour from the time of your arrival until the start of the session on the third day, guests and staff will move around the estate according to a predetermined schedule. You can ask the caretaker about his suspicious relationship with one of the guests, but if it is still before noon, he will be unloading goods in the basement and is not available for questioning. By interviewing guests (and searching their rooms), you can learn everyone's schedule and structure your investigation accordingly.
During the best moments of The Seance at Blake Manor, I had a notebook full of leads to follow, suspects to interrogate, and puzzles to solve. The minutes dragged on, and the mystery only deepened. The investigation was reminiscent of the interior of an Agatha Christie novel steeped in folklore: every guest and employee was a suspect, shrouded in shadow. And the cast is a remarkable collection of druids, tarot readers, mediums and skeptics, drawn to The Grand Seance for unique reasons and ready for you to figure them out and ask questions.
Unfortunately, the final hours of The Seance at Blake Manor don't support the mid-game momentum. Once you've developed your leads and are trying to tie up the threads of your investigation, it becomes frustrating to discover that the people you need to talk to are isolated in rooms you can't reach. But this disappointment is only a small part of the whole thing and should not distract you from the game.
So, if you find yourself looking for a good mystery this Christmas, something to bring a ghostly chill to the holiday, try finding out what happened to Miss Dean. Just make sure you have plenty of chocolates and blankets at the ready.
