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Adventure Game Scene of the Day - Friday, 18 September
Casual Friday
The place – Japan. The year—1606. In Mythic Wonders: The Child of Prophecy you assume the role of Sumiko, a servant woman in the Tsu Castle. After a knock on the door, you find that a baby in a basket has been abandoned on your doorstep. You take him in and name him Nobu.
Five years pass, and you return after work one day to find your house ransacked and Nobu gone. Undeterred by the scope of the task, you follow the trail left by his kidnappers. On your journey you will find out more about Nobu’s family. You will also encounter a magical mentor, a giant catfish, and a shapeshifting fox as you make your way through villages, shops, gardens, a graveyard and a fortress full of beings that help or hinder your quest.
Though searching fora kidnapped family member is extremely common in casual Hidden Object games, the Japanese setting is unusual. Child of Prophecy is full of elegantly detailed environments displaying Japanese architecture and art. And not just the surroundings, but also the items you use and the mini-games are tied into the culture of Japan. The music is soothing and occasionally has a traditional Asian quality, but not always. The cultural ambiance is so strong in the game that the Western music took me by surprise. Voiceovers are satisfactory. Sumiko sounds rather aristocratic to be a mere servant woman – but perhaps working at the Castle requires genteel manners.
Some of the mini-games are extremely easy, but others pose a significant challenge – I was stumped for quite a while by the Zen garden, the Kabuki masks, and the abacus dice puzzle. You collect scrolls on your journey that tell the backstory via paper cutout-like scenes, which require you to find out-of-place fragments and apply them correctly within the scene as you listen to the story. These I enjoyed a lot. A helpful “Notes” journal also keeps track of the story in case you want to review what’s happened so far.
The HOS are varied. They include list-based HO screens or shape-based screens, many of which are highly interactive and puzzle-like. Morphing objects also make an appearance. I’m not a big morphing fan, but here at least they change quickly so you aren’t staring at the screen for long minutes waiting for any kind of movement.
I played the SE version of Child of Prophecy, so I’m not sure how the Bonus Chapter affects the game. The SE ending was a trifle abrupt, but satisfying.
In case you’re wondering, I’m standing in today for Tim (rtrooney) who is experiencing computer issues.
Nice graphics. They remind me of a location in the second House of 1000 Doors game.
Most computer problems are finally under control. There is one major one that needs attending to, but it fortunately doesn’t affect performance.
There was another oriental casual a few of us played. I’ll have to look up the name. I recall it was HO free, but that was replaced with some very frustrating inventory searches.
For whom the games toll,
they toll for thee.
Another unusual casual that I must find and play! I love these unexpected themes and locations.
Thanks Becky. 
I liked the game quite a bit but couldn’t finish it because the Mac version has a bug. There’s a close-up view of a character on the dock that isn’t enabled, so an important interaction with him isn’t possible and eventually further progress is blocked. Big Fish customer support wasn’t very helpful and just offered me a free game instead.
“Rainy days should be spent at home with a cup of tea and a good book.” -Bill Watterson
Maybe, and I do mean maybe, it might be worth it to get an inexpensive Windows laptop, as I was recently forced to purchase, for those rare instances when the Mac-centric software just doesn’t cut it. My salvation, while the desktop was being rebuilt, was an ASUS. It cost $239.99 at Best Buy. I’m sure it can be found for less. But I neither had the time, nor the internet access to do much research. I was a bit desperate.
Amazing how things have changed. When I was in college slide rules were the calculator of choice. In grad school, calculators were allowed. But PCs were still many, many years away. This year I bought my grandson’s books and financed his “mandatory” laptop at Indiana University.
I’m lost without a working computer. My grandson has no idea what life was like before them.
For whom the games toll,
they toll for thee.
Tim—it’s good to hear that the computer situation is improving.
Dara100—I’m glad they piqued your interest. If you do end up playing either game, I’ll be curious as to what you think.
LadyK—sorry to hear about the glitch. Extremely frustrating! 
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