Mystery Case Files: Madame Fate is a casual adventure-puzzle game in which players have to find hidden objects and solve puzzles before midnight to keep Madame Fate, a carnival fortuneteller, safe. Madame Fate has foretold her own death and would like the player to investigate the unusual events that had been happening. The game takes the player to many different locations in the carnival, where hidden items may be found.
The game features mysterious changing objects that may be collected. These items are used to unlock a secret location. When the player finds hidden items from that location, the clock goes backwards, giving the player more time to solve puzzles and finish the game. In addition to the mysterious changing items, players can also look for hotspots that serve as portals to a different room of the same scene, where more puzzles are located. Some of the hidden items in the hotspot rooms require the player to perform another action, such as finding two broken pieces of a shell and putting these back together.
Players receive five hints for each round. To get an extra hint, players have to locate the mysterious changing items. Players can also get a bonus of one to two additional minutes if they can find three items quickly, one after the other. However, those who click on too many incorrect items in a scene get a penalty of 30 seconds off the clock.
Mystery Case Files: Madame Fate also has mini-games that can be played without affecting the game time.