Sable Maze: Twelve Fears is another excellent addition in the popular line of haunting Sable Maze hidden object games. Fans of the series will feel right at home as they work their way through scores of interesting mini-games and puzzles. However, the game fails remarkably at evoking the one emotion it’s named after: fear.
Storyline
Sable Maze – Twelve Fears begins with a father (played by you) and daughter enjoying an evening at a rather creepy-looking amusement park. Your daughter is a little too curious for her own good, and wanders into a frightening tent titled “Maze of Fears” against your best wishes. The doors lock behind her, and the race to get her back begins.
Beautiful cutscenes drive the game’s main storyline, while collected notes and newspaper clippings provide background information and foreshadowing. Twelve Fears does a good job of not overwhelming you with story elements, but adds just enough to keep you immersed in the plotline.
After making your way through the locked door, you find yourself trapped inside a terrifying labyrinth of illusions and eerie landscapes. It becomes clear that finding your daughter will be more difficult than you thought. You eventually learn the Maze of Fears is a diabolical creation made by a mad psychologist. Each level requires you to conquer one of twelve fears and attempt to save your daughter. All the while, the evil phycologist stifles your efforts for his own amusement—snatching her from within arm’s reach time and time again.
Graphics
The visuals in Sable Maze – Twelve Fears are about as good as it gets, and will surely satisfy those familiar with the series. The game’s artwork has an extra bit of polish that really helps to set the mood, and places it a nose above other hidden object games. The developers did a great job of keeping Twelve Fears’ visual appeal fresh as the story moves along. Whether you are searching through an abandoned boat for spare parts, or wondering along a tight precipice with fire bellowing below, the environments feel real and keep you visually stimulated through the entire experience.
All of the visuals fit together like glue. The animations and cutscenes are fluid and convincing—never taking you out of the experience. The game also does a miraculous job of mixing 3D and 2D elements together—something most hidden object games blunder horribly.
Gameplay
If you are a fan of hidden object games, there is nothing in Sable Maze – Twelve Fears that you haven’t seen before. You zoom in on specific areas of your environment, fiddle with the objects via a torrent of mouse clicks, and move items from one location to another. It’s a hard formula to innovate, and Twelve Fears doesn’t try push the envelope in any way.
Even on the higher difficulties, the game fails to provide a truly mind-bending challenge. That’s not to say Twelve Fears is a breeze. In fact, the game does a good job of keeping the gameplay non-linear, forcing you to retrace your steps and examine old environments in new ways. The game will make you think, just not enough to burn the midnight oil.
Sable Maze – Twelve Fears Collectors Edition does offer a nice range of mini-games that feel like a breath of fresh air. All of them introduce unique gameplay mechanics that create a sense of intrigue and excitement when you cross their paths. Overall, the mini-games are the strong point of Twelve Fears’ gameplay.
Music and Sound
As the name suggests, Sable Maze – Twelve Fears is a game about fear. It’s too bad the game does such a poor job of eliciting the emotion it’s named after. Any horror film producer will tell you that music and sound is the key to creating tension, suspense, and anxiety. Unfortunately, the sounds in Twelve Fears don’t conjure up much of anything that resembles an emotional response.
While the sound effects are well-produced and recorded, they are nothing you haven’t heard before. The game’s sounds don’t go beyond the typical squeaking wood floors, whooshing ghosts, and moving stone walls.
However, sound effects can only take a game so far. A quality soundtrack could have brought Twelve Fears over the edge. Sadly, the run-of-the-mill musical scores do little to create an immersive experience during edgy moments. Most of the scenarios designed to be tense and scary come off as mundane and uninspiring. You will feel many things while playing Sable Maze – Twelve Fears, fear is not one of them.
Conclusion
Sable Maze – Twelve Fears is another quality entry in a well-established franchise. Fans of the series will walk away satisfied, and newcomers will likely enjoy the game from beginning to end.
Although the game fails to be scary at all, it is of little consequence at the end of the day. Twelve Fears’ outstanding visuals and solid gameplay mechanics help to drive the story forward and keep the game interesting.
This is a worthy pick-up for any fan of hidden object games, and is likely to inspire further additions to the Stable Maze franchise.