Those Hardy Boys, the popular teenage sleuths from your grand-parents youth, are back for more crime solving and this time have been invited to ride the Royal Express on its trek to St. Petersburg in search of the lost Romanov treasure. Beginning in Paris, Frank and Joe stop in the cultural centers of Europe as they unravel their first mystery to grace the DS.
While the exploits of Frank and Joe may not be common lore to the current generation of gamers, for baby boomers and their parents' generation, juvenile detectives Frank and Joe Hardy were the High School Musical of their day. So while the Hardy Boys have a long list of stories ripe for being ripped and placed into videogames, the fact that the target audience (mobile gamers) have no clue who the Hardy Boys are means this game will likely be overlooked by most of the people who might enjoy it most. Then again, maybe it'll introduce some new readers to the book series? Doubt it, but let's get on to the game play.
Treasure on the Tracks is Frank and Joe Hardy's first outing on the DS, and it's a solid debit as a casual adventure title for novice adeventure enthusiasts. The story is linear and puzzles are straightforward. Combine these with a solid hint system, and it means no gamer will get stuck trying to figure out any mystery for too long. The graphics are polished, centering on a well rendered train and full of detailed graphics and information illustrating historic and scenic locations throughout Europe.
Many of the puzzles are straightforward mini-games that allow the Hardy Boys to further their adventure. These range from searching the contents of paintings to defusing bombs by manipulating the bomb's electronics. While the puzzles will seem routine for experienced adventure gamers, they are spot-on in difficulty for younger gamers or those just introducing themselves to gaming. Players examine objects or move by pressing on icons such as arrows that appear on the various screens. Given the limited number of options, to keep things slightly challenging, those icons don't appear until tapped. So, every time I encountered a new scene I found myself covering the screen with the stylus like I was trying to shade in an entire "post-it" note with a pencil.
My main complaint concerning The Hardy Boys: Treasure on the Tracks is that the controls were "mushy." For example, while disarming the bomb at my first train stop, I knew exactly how to solve the puzzle, but found that I had to restart the puzzle twice because the cord I was pointing at didn't move, while another, that I wasn't touching, did. Similarly, while searching through cabins on the train, intentionally tapping objects didn't search them as was intended. Instead, I found myself wildly tapping the entire screen in a frenzied effort to actually search the entire room.
The Hardy Boys: Treasure on the Tracks is a solid entry into the adventure-mystery genre and will surely offer value to anyone looking to pass a few hours with a title that offers some challenges, but never really forces the player to think too hard. With a nice price, safe and fun story, it's worth checking out. Have your tickets ready for Treasure on the Tracks.
| Graphics | Audio | Gameplay | Replay | Genre | Final |
