Mystery Game Central - Murder Mystery Games and Party Kits

Mr Reach in The Mouth Of Mystery is an advergame from Johnson & Johnson Canada. The game stars Mr. Reach, a character with a flip-top head (from Reach toothbrush commercials of the 1980s and early 90s, apparently, though I don’t remember them), who must travel around the world to find his missing friend, Jerry the Narrator.

Mr. Reach stumbles upon a long-lost story of forbidden love that time has forgotten. As he travels, he unlocks a series of clues and the story of a Parisian noble-woman in love with a pirate and her father’s attempts to thwart their marriage begins to unfold. But who are these ancient lovers, and what do they have to do with Jerry’s mysterious disappearance?

Mr. Reach’s travels take him from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Quebec City and Nova Scotia, then across the ocean to Paris and Venice, and finally to the Caribbean island of Aruba. As the mystery unravels, Mr. Reach must rely on his collection of Reach products to polish tarnished clues, reach out-of-the-way items, and unlock hidden enclaves.

You can register at the site to enter some sort of contest (though this seems to be open only to Canadians) or play as a guest.

The game itself is a fun point-and-click affair with nice graphics and sound. Though the game is short, and the puzzles are simple, the story is reasonable absorbing, and it’s worth playing through just to see how it turns out.

I still don’t know what this has to do with a toothbrush, though …

Play the game at http://www.reachmystery.ca/.

Big Fish Games, publisher of the Mystery Case Files series of casual games, is auctioning off an appearance in the next episode of their best-selling game franchise.

The winner of this auction will be allowed to submit a personal picture of themselves, as well as three pictures of their friends, for inclusion in the next game. The pictures will be used within the game itself as the hidden objects players are required to find in order to successfully complete the game. The pictures will be integral to the gameplay of the biggest casual game series in history – immortalized forever in a game played by millions of people around the world!

All proceeds from the auction will be donated to Child’s Play, a game industry charity dedicated to improving the lives of children by supplying toys and games to a network of over 40 hospitals worldwide.

View the eBay auction (ends on March 8th, 2007)

The games in the Mystery Case Files series include Mystery Case Files: Huntsville, Mystery Case Files: Prime Suspects, and Mystery Case Files: Ravenhearst.