''Pearl’s Peril'' is a
hidden object
Puzzle video games make up a broad genre of video games that emphasize puzzle solving. The types of puzzles can test problem-solving skills, including logic, pattern recognition, Sequence, sequence solving, Spatial ability, spatial recognition, ...
game developed by Berlin-based
Wooga. It was launched on 5 March 2013 on the
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
social media platform and on 5 September on
iPad
The iPad is a brand of iOS and iPadOS-based tablet computers that are developed by Apple Inc. The iPad was conceived before the related iPhone but the iPhone was developed and released first. Speculation about the development, operating s ...
. Pearl’s Peril is Wooga’s sixth game, and was the company’s fastest growing game at the time. Wooga also released a soundtrack to the game.
Gameplay
Pearl’s Peril is a
hidden object
Puzzle video games make up a broad genre of video games that emphasize puzzle solving. The types of puzzles can test problem-solving skills, including logic, pattern recognition, Sequence, sequence solving, Spatial ability, spatial recognition, ...
(sometimes known as
hidden picture) game. Players are given a list of items to find within a static scene. They then receive points for each item found, and score multipliers for completing the task quickly. Players can also use a hint feature to highlight items that they find difficult to see. In between many of the levels, puzzle levels require players to find and assemble specific items linked closely to the story.
Pearl’s Peril also has an
isometric
The term ''isometric'' comes from the Greek for "having equal measurement".
isometric may mean:
* Cubic crystal system, also called isometric crystal system
* Isometre, a rhythmic technique in music.
* "Isometric (Intro)", a song by Madeon from ...
building
metagame, in which players must construct buildings on an island. Some items offer rewards, such as ‘prestige’, which is used to unlock further chapters in the game. Players must also expand their island by exploring, which requires three in-game currencies, namely coins, cash and compasses.
The story was created by
Steven-Elliot Altman
Steven-Elliot Altman is an American author, graphic novelist, video game writer-director, producer, screenwriter and the current chief executive officer of a software company called Social Impulse that services the videogame industry.
Novels
*' ...
, the former games director at
Acclaim Games, and later continued by veteran game writer Will Hiles (
NCsoft), and Johanna Fischer. New chapters of the story are written every week.
Narrative
Pearl’s Peril is set in the 1930s, and opens with the titular adventurer, Pearl Wallace, receiving news of her father Samuel's suicide.
Shocked, she goes back to Artemis Island, her childhood home and home of all the Wallace clan, with her friend Iris Hillman by her side; Pearl cannot believe her father committed suicide. Her suspicions turn out to be true when her grandfather Edwin Wallace, who was believed to have died several years ago, shows up during Samuel's funeral feast proclaiming one of the attendants killed Samuel and he is going to find out who did it. Pearl joins in her grandfather's efforts and soon finds out that a mysterious society named the Chaos Veil was behind Samuel's death, and that the family friend and groundskeeper of Artemis, Léon, is involved with the Chaos Veil. Pearl swears to avenge her father's death and bring the killer to justice. Pearl starts a path full of adventures, deceit... and peril.
Monetization
Pearl’s Peril is a
free-to-play game, using the
freemium
Freemium, a portmanteau of the words "free" and "premium," is a pricing strategy by which a basic product or service is provided free of charge, but money (a premium) is charged for additional features, services, or virtual (online) or physical (o ...
model of monetization. Players can use real-life money to buy in-game coins and cash. These can then be used to buy extra energy, which is required to play the scenes, and decorations, which are required to unlock new scenes.
Popularity
One month after release, Pearl’s Peril became one of the fastest growing
Facebook Games, as measured by
daily active users. It reached 1 million
DAU within 24 days.
Wooga has released a sequel called
June's Journey.
Reception
Reviews for Pearl’s Peril are generally mixed,
with many reviewers praising its high production values, and disapproving of its
freemium
Freemium, a portmanteau of the words "free" and "premium," is a pricing strategy by which a basic product or service is provided free of charge, but money (a premium) is charged for additional features, services, or virtual (online) or physical (o ...
monetization structure.
As of March 2014, Apptweak lists the game as having an average user rating of 63%.
The game is rated 4.5/5 on the iTunes app store.
References
{{Portal, Video games
Facebook games
IOS games
Puzzle video games
Hidden object games
2013 video games
Android (operating system) games
Video games developed in Germany