"Listen, my child, to this story of dreams,
And know that the beginning is more difficult than it seems.
When the ten daughters are reunited in order,
When the four-sided box loses it's border,
When the eye of the phoenix is in your hand,
When the bird of fire can see again,
When the moon sleeps and the sun plays,
The King of the sky will shine his rays.
And hidden beneath a river of colours,
Will lie a gate to golden wonders."
Nancy is helping Rose, a friend of the family, with some renovation work in an old Vicotrian mansion is San Francisco, that she is converting into a bed and breakfast. However, there are other uninvited guests - spirits who want the place all to themselves. Strange accidents are slowong down the renovation, and Nancy is trying to figure out who, or what, is trying to scare everyone away. Is it Charlie, the clumsy handyman? Abby, Rose's eccentric business partner? Or Lewis, the shifty lawyer?
The third game in the series features the rich history of San Francisco's chinese population. Throughout the game, you learn about the mansion's history. It orignially belonged to a very rich owner, whose fortune went missing after his death. The mansion eventually earned the title of Gum Bo Fu, meaning "Gold Treasure Mansion." Nancy's investigation quickly turns into a treasure hunt as she tracks down the treasure, along with finding the culprit in the end.
Released in 2001, this was the third game the HerInteractive put out, and in my opinion really where they found their stride. This formatting of the game stuck around and became the formula up until #33 (which we don't talk about). This game is where they really started gaining traction as a company. The puzzles were relatively easy, which wasn't abnormal at the time, and investigation is the main mechanism for gameplay. The length is better than its predecessors, and it didn't rely on unrelated "triggers" like the previous game. Message in a Haunted Mansion was nominated for several awards, and had favourable reviews, which lead critics to declare the franchise a success.
Cache is a camo'd lock-n-lock with room for some small tradables. Congratulations to Arkanada110 for their FTF in 1 day, 22 hours, and 32 minutes!