Game Review: Enigmatis 3: The Shadow of Karkhala (Xbox One)

The final entry in Artifex Mundi’s Enigmatis trilogy proves to be the finest game of the series so far and one of the best hidden object/point and click games the company has released to date.

That’s a hell of a compliment considering the long list of games they’ve released on the Xbox One so far. We’ve reviewed almost all them and you read those below.

Clockwork Tales: Of Ink & Glass
Nightmares From the Deep: The Cursed Heart
Enigmatis: Ghosts of Maple Creek
Nightmares From The Deep: The Siren’s Call
Dark Arcana: The Carnival
Enigmatis 2: The Mists of Ravenwood
Lost Grimoires: Stolen Kingdom
Grim Legends 2: Song of the Dark Swan
Eventide: Slavic Fable
Eventide 2: Sorcerer’s Mirror
Abyss: The Wraiths of Eden
Lost Grimoires 2: Shard of Mystery
Nightmares from the Deep 3: Davy Jones

Enigmatis 3: The Shadow of Karkhala finishes off the story that begun in Ghost of Maple Creek. The protagonist detective is on the trail of the demonic preacher who has escaped to a remote monastery in the mountains. There he plans to unleash an ancient evil to give him ultimate power.

It’s another thrilling story, one that reaches its conclusion in satisfying style.

The visuals and sounds are extremely well-done. The hand-drawn artwork is complex with gorgeous colours while the game boasts excellent voice acting and some well-done cut-scenes.

Regular players will find little variation in the gameplay but that would be an issue only if it wasn’t great to play. Mixing point and click elements with puzzles and hidden object scenes, The Shadow of Karkhala has plenty for both the new and old.

A range of interesting tasks makes this game one of the more brain-taxing of the series. There are a couple of times where you’ll really have to think about just how you progress while the puzzles are varied. The evidence board is also back to accompany you in the game and the process of piecing together the mystery as fascinating as always.

If the Shadow of Karkhala is lacking anywhere it’s with its hidden object scenes. There isn’t many compared to previous games which is no bad thing. However, the ones here are uninspired.

The game has about 4-6 hours of content depending on your skill level but an additional prequel chapter called Blood on the Snow adds some longevity.