Memories that are murky and indistinguishable. Clues to the past that leave questions in your mind. Get your attention? Good. Then, download Trail of Shadows: Origin. It’s an app that combines a deep storyline with mystery and adventure.
You are the main character, found in the place that is not your own. Where you are, you have no idea. The only thing you do know is that you need to get out and figure out how you even got there. As you walk through the rooms and look at the different artifacts sprinkled throughout, you will begin to bring clarity to what seems like a merging of memories and dreams, or possibly nightmares.
The app lets the player unfold a story that runs deep in the players mind. You don’t already know who you are or what has happened to you, but as you play more, you become the character that is defined by the story, and the story begins to build up around you.
For literary lovers and mystery solvers alike, this game brings a fresh new venue for gaming, altogether.
Once you download the app, you will first see the main screen, with a background that is just as nebulous as the story itself. On the main screen, you have the opportunity to select Options which, at this time, allows you to set the music level and sound effects level. There is also the option to start a New Game, and below it, the option to Continue a game you were in the middle of. The Full Version of Origin will cost you $1.00, which is well worth the price.
Now, on to the game. Select New Game and start your adventure.
You will start out in a place that you don’t really know, but feel like you’ve been to before. It may seem like a dream that has come to reality, or it could be a place from your memories. You won’t be able to figure it out until you walk through few rooms, look at a few photos, read a few notes, and piece the mystery together.
Part mystery, part saga and part adventure, Origin will keep you on your toes, not in a physically adventurous way, but in a brain-scratching wonderment, leaving you with questions yearning to be answered, because you need them to get out and find out who you are.
The only thing I would change about the app is the lack of instructions. It would be great if it told you what kind of things to expect, how to navigate from room to room, get back to where you came from, and know what you need to do with clues that are put before you. Most of it I had to figure out through trial and error, which sometimes frustrated me and forced me to shut down.
Other than that, this game was unlike any other I’ve played before. It maintained a mysterious aura throughout, which lent skillfully to the overall effect of the app. Many other mystery and adventure games are filled with graphics and moving objects, but Trail of Shadows: Origin stayed true to natural self.