Pros: Intriguing story. Immersive atmosphere. Cons: Lacks clear instructions. Sometimes clicks don’t take. Too short. Announced to be one of the most thrilling movies of 2010, the game version of Shutter Island is already here. Combine a thrilling story, dramatic characters, gloomy locations and throw in hidden object game mechanics, and you have Shutter Island, the game. It’s 1954. Miss Rachel Solando, a female prisoner, is missing. Is it really possible to escape the Ashecliffe Hospital for the Criminally Insane? Without a doubt, Rachel is somewhere in the area. Two federal marshals embark on the island full of the worst criminal offenders to find the convict. It looks like the place has many problems interfering with the investigation: Doctors hide important information, criminals rage, and the weather storms. What other secrets does the island hold? Is it an ordinary mission for the marshals? Shutter Island contains a variety of hidden object tasks where the key mission is searching every corner of the sinister island including doctors’ offices and sulky cells. Players get a list of items to find. Once located, some found items simply disappear from the screen while others enter inventory. The hidden items are usually scattered in different locations. And if the item’s name (or its shadow) is highlighted with yellow, go to the neighboring room to find it. Another hidden object task is searching for the items by their shadows. The shapes make it easy to guess the items you need to find. But, if you have doubts, move the cursor over the shadow to reveal the name of what you are looking for. Spot the differences levels, however, pose some difficulties. The locations you explore contain the same number of items. The problem is that the objects are in different places. Click identical items to make them disappear from the screen. Shutter Island game includes puzzling mini-games. They may be math problems, repairing the door’s mechanism and others. If you don’t like the puzzles, you can skip them. What makes Shutter Island stand from other games is that players never get stuck. With unlimited hints, a hint is always available after hint bar fills back up. Even with using the hints, you can run into problems. Sometimes the clicks don’t take. What's more irritating is that the developers don't provide clear instructions. Sometimes a player has to guess what to do through trial and error. Shutter Islandgame has good and bad going for it. On one hand, it has imperfections. On the other, players will be interested while playing it. If you like physiological thrillers and hidden object games, you'll enjoy Shutter Island. Gloomy locations, morose characters and terrifying music add to the gripping atmosphere especially when you hear patients' harrowing cries.
