Dark Arcana The Carnival is a hidden object adventure game that feeds off some of our most terrifying childhood nightmares. It invokes images of garish fluorescents flickering in the dark amidst flashes of hideously grinning clown faces and shadows that twist and turn in your mind. All this horrific imagery amounts to one deliciously scary game that's just right for Halloween.

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My neighborhood right now is teeming with Halloween decorations already. Creepy spiders, waxy ghosts, and graveyards littered with tombstones spouting humorous epitaphs such as "Here Lies The Pillsbury Dough Boy. He will rise again" or "Got Worms."

This time of year has gotten me in the mood for something spooky so I decided to go hunting for a scary game even though horror games aren't usually my thing... that's more up Liz's alley. I was looking for something scary... but not too scary...but what I found was an amazing, well put together, and absolutely gorgeous game when I stumbled onto Dark Arcana The Carnival.  
 

The game begins with a scene straight out of a mother's nightmare. Susan Jones is at a Carnival with her daughter. It's a dark and dreary day with rolling black clouds poised to break at any moment as Susan and her daughter walk straight into the gaping clown mouth of the House of Fears.

Inside they are assaulted with cheap illusions and uninspiring ghostly images, all exactly what you'd expect from a local carnival attraction.
 

However, things quickly get real for the two, as they get ready to depart. Her daughter runs ahead to accept a balloon from one of the carne folk and before Susan can catch up to her... the doors slam shut, locking Susan inside and separating her from her child.

A sickly green glow alerts Susan to an imminent and unknown danger and all we can see is the horror sketched across her face before the scene cuts to an image of the balloon wafting forgotten into the dark sky, let go of by her weeping daughter who is still fruitlessly pounding on the doors outside.

Here's where we come in. You assume the role of the snarky, but professional detective assigned to the case to find the missing woman. Your investigation leads you deep into the heart of the carnival where you begin to unravel a disturbing tale of a desperate man who has made a pact with a being known only as the evil one that involves Susan and his long dead love Alice.

You soon discover, hidden in the bowels of the House of Fears, a doorway to a dark and dangerous mirror world. A world full of horrors, bloated corpses, and hellish creatures all bent on stopping you from discovering the truth and escaping its clutches. Now, you must travel between the two worlds to discover what foul pact has been struck between the carnival manager and the evil one before he is fully unleashed upon your world.
 

The storyline is layered with deep levels of tragedy that slowly reveal themselves through clues from tattered and faded notes and newspapers strewn throughout the game, drawing you deeper into the plot.

Dark Arcana the Carnival, in all its horrifying moments is an exceptionally beautiful game. The blackened pinks and purples of the real world clash artfully with the sickly greens and teals of the mirror world. The animated cut scenes are sharp and vivid, the characters lively and realistic, and the voice actors are inspired and believable.
 

The hidden object scenes lean toward the easier side, but the game allows you to mix things up with the option of playing a game of Monaco. This is a nice change from your classic match three or mahjong games usually offered as an alternative to picking through a scene for various random objects.

The puzzles and mini-games are varied and unique, offering a delightful array of challenges that are both fun and exciting to encounter.
 

The music makes an excellent contribution to the overall ambiance of the game, piping in your classic creepy carnival songs set to a slow and stately pace as if the music itself was drawing out the horror of the story.

Overall, Dark Arcana The Carnival is an amazing horror game that receives high marks for its deep storyline, gorgeous graphics, unique mini-games, and smooth gameplay.