[Review] Mystery Legends: Sleepy Hollow (PC)

Okay, hands up: who has heard of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow?

I am going to sound extremely sheltered and naive here..Let me tell you my point of reference associated with Sleepy Hollow:

1. Ichabod’s, a popular bar on Richmond St in London, ON (RIP).

2. Sleepy Hollow Golf Course, located on Tenth Line in Whitchurch-Stouffville, ON.

3. Sleepy Hollow: the movie, starring ubiquitous actor, Johnny Depp, with Christina Ricci.

4. The write-up on Wikipedia…

5. A hidden object game called Mystery Legends: Sleepy Hollow, loosely based on the story of the ghost of a headless Hessian soldier who haunts the hamlet of Sleepy Hollow.

What can I say. My mom never wanted my sister and I to be exposed to anything scary or that could maybe be associated with ghosts or “spirits” growing up, so even though we read a lot, this famous legend passed me by. I didn’t get around to learning anything in-depth about Sleepy Hollow until about 10 years ago.

Knowing the story, I really didn’t have much of an expectation that the Sleepy Hollow game would be any good. It is one of the three afterthought games packaged on my Victorian Mysteries: Woman in White game CD, and figured it would probably be a throwaway. I was partially right: it wasn’t bad, but could have been better.

If one were to rely on Mystery Legends: Sleepy Hollow to accurately tell the original story of Sleepy Hollow, literature teachers everywhere would be sorely disappointed. Essentially, the game takes elements from the story, and lamely frames hidden object scenes around it. Each chapter of the game highlights one character from the story, such as Ichabod Crane, Katrina, and Brom Bones. The gamer needs to solve 4 hidden object scenes to “solve” the mystery of each character. The “solving” is saving the character from “losing their head” to the fate of the ghostly headless Hessian soldier. You search some nicely designed scenes and play some okay puzzles. My favourite part? As you are playing the game this soldier voice-overs, “Bloo-ddddd, you-rrr hea-ddddd…” like a creepy “R-r-r-roll up the rim” guy from Tim Hortons. Nice!

This game is for those that enjoy repetitiveness and familiarity with their bona fide hidden object games. There isn’t much to tell about Sleepy Hollow;  each chapter follows the same formula, repeats hidden object scenes and clues (Repeating clues: a huge no-no in my books) and has similar chapter endings. I would have liked to have seen more variety with the gameplay myself which is probably why I abandoned the game after Chapter 4.

My vote? Meh: It’s an okay game, if repetitive. You could do worse…

Mystery Legends: Sleepy Hollow
Developer: Play Pond
Released: 2011

14 comments

  1. ‘you could do worse’ – a nice way to put it! Ichabod’s, is that new-ish? When I was in London, it was all about GT’s, The Ceeps and Jim Bobs. Did I hear correctly that GT’s is done?!

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    1. What?? When were you in London?
      UWO alum 97

      Ichabods WAS on Richmond st near York (oops, need to edit that). Do you remember the New Yorker Theatre? It’s no longer, and GTs is gone. Google street view shows most of my old haunts are gone.
      Call the Office was my hangout, and still there. Saw a lot of Headstones there (York and Clarence). Jim Bob’s is still there.

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      1. Undergrad ’04, Faculty of Ed ’06!
        Richmond Street, great street – a shame some of those older places are gone, hopefully the replacements will be decent as well.

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    1. I think we were sensitive children too, so that might have played a part in what we were allowed to see. I remember being afraid in the witch in Snow White.

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      1. Yeah, but she was scary! I was scared of her, who wasn’t at that age? Man, I don’t think some of those old classic characters could ever be topped. Nothing scares me more than The Shining to this day. You can throw all the Saw movies you want at me, they only make me feel sick. The Shining was cool, and freaking scary.

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        1. Agreed!
          I can go back even further! Robert Mitchum. Love the actor. He was the creepiest guy in Hollywood at one point. Cape Fear and Night of the Hunter. Creepy as hell movies!

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            1. CF? It was the character – how he was hunting down Peck’s 12 year-old daughter. His interactions with women…the misogyny was palpable. Regardless, it is one of my favourites and cannot compare to the DeNiro version (which I thought was terrible!). I’ll have to do a write-up sometime!

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            5. Well, sometimes the best movies are the ones without CG! Using good ol’ lighting and character development! That’s why some old b/w movies rock!

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