Toca Mystery House is...The Witness for kids?

Last week, I finally remembered the name of a game series I enjoyed when I was around nine years old. It was called the ClueFinders, about a group of young teens who explored different environments solving mysteries. It was educational in the most traditional way, which is why my parents would have been easily convinced to purchase it from our local Currys or Comet store.

Toca Mystery House, although aimed at younger audiences, can be enjoyed by all ages and tames a desire more fundamental than education: our curiosity. The game jumps straight in after the title splash with zero explanation, where you're greeted with the option of entering one of a few different doors in a crumbling house, the shadows of insects and strange beings lurking in each corner of the hallway before scuttering away.

Each of these rooms contains its own unique delights. You're invited to poke and prod (okay, "tap") at different objects for potential clues about what this place is actually all about. At first, I was bemused by the apparent uneventfulness of it all, until I reached a room occupied by a large monster. I swiped to move deeper into the room and saw it was a lab where you're able to make different potions. Things become weird and wonderful feeding these tonics to the monster, who changes shapes, colours and sounds, sometimes continuously with certain mixtures.

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