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"Missing Hearts - Crimson Cruise" is a Hidden Object title developed by Domini Games.  This game comes designated as being of the Collector's Edition classification.  However rather than the usual extra items you might normally expect with such a title, this offering limits you to a single bonus items.  You will need to find all the 140 Collectibles scattered throughout the game to gain access to the bonus feature.  Fail to do so and you will need to replay the game to gain the reward. 

This game casts you in the dual role of Ethan Cross, a security expert who may be not what he seems, and Claire Malone who has the skills of a reporter and is a vampire hunter to supplement your journalistic lifestyle.  In these roles you will need to carry out a variety of tasks to discover why passengers had been disappearing from some luxury cruise vessels.  Arriving separately to conduct their investigation, your two alter-egos meet up and decide to work together as they set out to discover the plans of any vampires on board the ship.

The liner, on which the game's action takes place, seems to contain hardly any crew member.  Fortunately the small number of travelling passengers hardly seem to notice the lack of assistance as they enjoyed the cruise.  Along with the lack of incidental characters, the game offers a slight reduction in the tools available for your use.  Access to a Journal, Map, Character and Inventory are provided plus a Hint feature but no Strategy Guide. 

Your investigators, who communicate via mobile phones, will need to spend long periods wandering along deserted corridors and examining empty space.  These spaces are often used as the place to present Hidden Object scenes and position mini game puzzles.  There is also no interaction with crew members or the passengers as you complete these tasks.

While the various mini game puzzles and Hidden Object game play are of a reasonable standard, the story contain these elements was rather disappointing and completely failed to draw me into its appeal.  Spread over three main chapters, the game's story line was a disappointment.  Its ending did suggest there might be a follow-up title but not one I will look forward to playing.

You can download "Missing Hearts - Crimson Cruise" from Gamehouse.com where it is priced at $19.99. The game is also available from Big Fish Games priced at £11.96. System specifications call for a 1.6 GHz processor with 1024MB of RAM and 996MB of hard disk space running Windows 7 and later.

Missing Hearts: Crimson Cruise Collector's Edition | Big Fish

Missing Hearts - Crimson Cruise Collector's Edition | GameHouse