LunaNik's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:2.8
- Helpful Votes:12,435
- Reviews Submitted:670
- First Review:November 2, 2012
- Most Recent Review:August 19, 2020
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Can you stop a mysterious monster terrorizing a new amusement park?
Overall rating
1
/
5
22 of 27 found this review helpful
If you like playing Virtual Mr. Fixit...
PostedMay 18, 2020
LunaNik
fromIt's long past time to revitalize the HOPA genre with fresh storylines, innovative gameplay, and immersive production. I no longer believe any of the current devs are up to the challenge.
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle, Strategy, Word
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
...you'll love this game. I didn't, and here are the problems I had with it.
• I'm not sure what function Lisa served. She seemed utterly ineffectual at just about everything, constantly getting herself into jams.
• I don't know how the park managed to stay open even before the paranormal took over. Literally everything is either broken or missing parts.
• Some gremlin kept hiding, burying, breaking, and jamming every necessary tool and part. Two things were stuck to the point that both required some version of tweezers. A shaped key was broken into two parts; one was buried and the other was hidden inside the toy crane machine. This kind of stuff is ridiculous and contrived.
• The animation of the monsters was so laughable that it destroyed their ability to frighten, an ability most didn't have to begin with.
• Easy HOs and puzzles. Although the puzzle in Hiram's office didn't work; it refused my solution, which was clearly correct. Suggest paying actual beta testers rather than "let's get customers to beta test for free." The purpose of beta testing isn't to garner reviews; it's to debug and improve.
• Shallow and predictable storyline. Frankly, I'm more than tired of these Scooby Doo plots and feel that devs should return to actual storytelling.
Conclusion: There's nothing new, original, or creative here. For these reasons...
I don't recommend this game.
Investigating your sister's inexplicable vanishing you discover a plot that threatens more than one world!
Overall rating
2
/
5
14 of 20 found this review helpful
2½ stars...not as good as the first episode.
PostedMay 10, 2020
LunaNik
fromWhat happened to Spring?! Bring it back!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle, Strategy, Word
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I had high hopes for this game, since I rated the first episode four stars. However, this sequel was not as enchanting.
The storyline could have been better explained in game, and would have been more engaging had it not been complicated by adding an unnecessary younger sister. The interactions with her were annoying, as was her voice, which was much too childish for a teenager. I'm not a fan of saving people from their own stupidity, either in games or in life.
Gameplay was not intuitive, and there were too many esoteric devices to be repaired/assembled, including multiple parts with unfamiliar, non-descriptive names. The black bar text and diagrams were unhelpful. I don't mind using a hint or two when I'm truly baffled, but so many tasks were presented with little or no explanation that the game wasn't fun to play.
I'm definitely not a fan of helpers, and this game has multiple helpers. We begin with a "moonling" that can both start and extinguish fires. Resorting to a magical creature repeatedly when a book of matches would do just as well seems contrived and silly.
The mini-games are all familiar: untangle the ropes, find matching pairs, trace the given shapes, place mirrors to reflect the lasers to their matching crystals. Nothing challenging. HO scenes were fairly standard and simple.
The graphics are beautifully drawn with a bright, but not neon palette, but the animation left a lot to be desired. Characters moved in stop motion style. Other than the narrator, whose voice will be familiar to you, the voiceovers were awful and melodramatic.
I recommend trying the demo first, especially if you liked the first episode and are expecting this sequel to play like its predecessor. It's not for me, and for the reasons stated above...
I don't recommend this game.
Return to Rosemount to stop the Ice Queen in this updated classic!
Overall rating
2
/
5
38 of 42 found this review helpful
"Remaster" is just an upgrade, and upgrades should be free.
PostedMay 8, 2020
LunaNik
fromPlaying older games because the newer ones are awful.
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle, Strategy, Word
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
I'm not sure why Friendly Fox chose to resurrect one of the worst episodes in the Living Legends series. Frozen Beauty, released the following year, was a much better game all around.
I was hoping for a more engaging storyline and more challenging gameplay, but this remastering, for the most part, merely added bells and whistles, like voiceovers and collectibles. That's not enough of an improvement to shell out 13.99USD for a game I already own and barely enjoyed the first time around. Had the story and gameplay also been remastered, I might consider a purchase.
It feels like the remastering trend is both a blatant money grab and a way to avoid actually putting time and effort into developing new and interesting games. And, frankly, if I already own this game, why should I pay for a remastered version? It's basically an upgrade, which should be free.
Note: Both Domini and GrandMa should have a look at the screenshots, paying special attention to the lack of neon colors. It was a breath of fresh air to not see virulently lime green fog, glowing turquoise water, and overly bright and orange light sources.
I don't recommend this game.
Can you clear an innocent man’s name in time?
Overall rating
1
/
5
4 of 5 found this review helpful
What was "missing" was gameplay. And storyline.
PostedMay 2, 2020
LunaNik
fromPlaying older games because the newer ones are awful.
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle, Strategy, Word
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
Villain: "I want to see if any of them are capable of rational thought."
Me: "You're going to be disappointed."
Me: "You're going to be disappointed."
The blurb claimed this game was gripping and riveting. In 34 minutes, I failed to be either gripped or riveted, and quit in disgust because...
• Inside the newspaper vending machine were a pendant and a mouse. When I finally got a newspaper, inside it were a makeup brush and a pushpin. This kind of garbage is contrived and not at all creative.
• The police abandon their station so I can snoop around and steal evidence. Have you ever been in a police station? Yeah, this is utter nonsense and, again, contrived.
• Makeup brush + powdered donut = fingerprint kit, apparently. Who knew?
• Guessing a five-digit passcode is not gameplay.
• Inside an electrical panel, I found a fan and a nut. Also, I discovered why the projector wasn't working; I found a saw and a mirror inside it. C'mon, Domini. This is moronic even for you.
• Omg, turn down the saturation already!!! The nuclear neon palette is bloody awful.
You couldn't pay me to play this game all the way through, even after a month of self-isolation. For these reasons...
I don't recommend this game.
Fix the errors in time in this Hidden Object game! Explore historical sites and find misplaced objects scattered through time.
Overall rating
4
/
5
4 of 4 found this review helpful
Challenging, fun, and educational.
PostedApril 25, 2020
LunaNik
fromPlaying older games because the newer ones are awful.
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle, Strategy, Word
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
TITLE — Flux Family Secrets: The Ripple Effect (standalone SE)
DEVELOPER — Skunk Studios
GENRE — FROGPA (historical, time travel)
REVIEW BASED ON completed game
DEVELOPER — Skunk Studios
GENRE — FROGPA (historical, time travel)
REVIEW BASED ON completed game
OVERVIEW — Apparently, I didn't review this game when I first bought it. However, I feel that later reviews show whether a game stands the test of time, and this game mostly does.
STORYLINE — We play as Jesse, an orphan who's been contacted by the Flux family, who believe she's a member of their family, a group of time travelers who keep the course of history intact. To that end, we travel to various time periods to restore them in order to make history happen the way it was supposed to. We'll visit Davinci, Einstein, the Wright Brothers, Confucius, and more.
GAMEPLAY — In each segment, we must restore three tangled lines of history, traveling back and forth among them to replace key items. Each of the three consists of a FROG, and the objects are, for the most part, really well-hidden. Once we find everything, we must send two historical items from each scene to Veronica Flux, a task she says is necessary to restore history.
GRAPHICS — As can be expected in 2020, the graphics from this 2011 game appear rather dated. The resolution is lower than we're used to, and there's very little in-scene and character animation. Still, the scenes are beautifully rendered and the fragments we must find are easily recognizable. Here and there, we must solve puzzles and mini-games that range from fairly simple to moderately challenging.
SOUND — The music is done well, but does become repetitive over the course of the game. Game sounds are excellent. There are no voiceovers.
SUMMARY — All in all, I found this game enjoyable because it actually presented a challenge, and the storyline was engaging. There's a plot twist, which I won't describe, but it helps to lead to the sequel, The Rabbit Hole.
RECOMMENDATION — Definitely try the demo, since we all have different tastes. If you like challenging FROGs and puzzles in the framework of an interesting story and historical factoids, then you might like The Ripple Effect. For these reasons...
I recommend this game!
Can you traverse the Underworld and make it out alive?
Overall rating
1
/
5
62 of 84 found this review helpful
So much nope.
PostedApril 23, 2020
LunaNik
fromI'm going to need 2012-era BFG during this 2020 pandemic, because games like this aren't cutting it.
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle, Strategy, Word
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
I played about 10 minutes. In that time, the following deal-breakers occurred:
1. LOGIC FAIL - Heather calls you to say that her husband-to-be, Craig, fell into a coma during their rehearsal. So she just left him unconscious and on the ground for an entire day before finally calling an ambulance? Maybe he's better off with the ghost.
2. ANNOYING HELPER - Our quest is aided—and I use the term loosely—by a talking cat that constantly interjects meaningless comments for no apparent reason. Hard pass.
3. VISUAL CHAOS - The transitions from scene to scene consist of the screen blurring into a visual "whoosh", which I found migraine-inducing. And while the graphics were beautifully and realistically rendered, the palette clearly spent quite a bit of time in a nuclear waste facility. Every single thing on the entire screen is screaming for your attention at the same time, since all of it is brightly colored, glowing, sparkling, and otherwise screeching for attention. Turn down the saturation, Domini. Sheesh.
4. INSIPID GAMEPLAY - The first HO scene lacked even a modicum of challenge. Find a dozen gigantic, glowing, blue "ghost handprints". Every time you find three of them, the cat monologues backstory to you. Nope.
5. HAND HOLDING - The game insists you interact with things in a rigid order, and forces you to do so. If the game would make no sense without being so rigidly linear, then it's a poorly written game. And, even after more than a month of isolation, I'm not willing to waste my precious time on a poorly written game, sorry.
I don't recommend this game.
When Leitan Keyes, a famous inventor, finishes his latest invention a sudden visit from the future will shatter his world.
Overall rating
1
/
5
29 of 43 found this review helpful
Devs, your customers are adults. Are you?
PostedApril 20, 2020
LunaNik
fromPlay a pre-2012 game instead. Back then, devs were still bothering to create original, engaging stories and challenging gameplay.
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle, Strategy, Word
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
13 minutes. I lasted 13 minutes. In that time, my intelligence was repeatedly insulted, I was bored to tears, and my eyeballs were repeatedly bludgeoned with banners.
Copying a clue is not a puzzle. Neither is setting the table. Champagne bottles do not require corkscrews. Simon Says is a game for children. And a shard of glass does not make a usable knife.
I might have been able to overlook some of this had the storyline been engaging. But it moved so s-l-o-w-l-y and was constantly interrupted by banners, conversations, and other interruptions that it was impossible to become immersed.
Gamers are adults. At this point, I'm beginning to wonder whether developers are. They certainly seem to not know how life works, and they definitely pay NO attention to what their customers want.
Note: It was extremely difficult to write this review without resorting to profanity. I'm furious at the way devs have ruined the HOPA genre in their pursuit of a quick dollar.
I don't recommend this game.
Can you and your trusted companion escape with your lives?
Overall rating
4
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Nearly a perfect HOPA
PostedApril 15, 2020
LunaNik
fromSelf-isolating on the island of Myst.
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle, Strategy, Word
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
BASED ON COMPLETED GAME
I've always enjoyed this storyline, whether I encounter it in a game, a book, or a movie. The protagonist is forced to participate in a game created by the antagonist(s) for amusement's sake. This version improves upon the usual two-person conflict by adding a secondary antagonist who's also trapped in the game.
Gameplay had its ups and downs. I felt that exploration involved far too many regular and shaped keys, often in sets. That kind of back-and-forth gets old fast. OTOH, the mini-games were stellar, the best I've played in a long time. And the HO scenes didn't insult me by labeling which objects required more than one step.
Production was top notch with clear, realistic graphics sporting lovely textures; brilliant animation complete with shadows; music that accented the game theme nicely; and professional voiceovers.
This would have been a five-star game for me with fewer keys and shaped keys and more creative exploration. Additionally, the "continue" link during conversations didn't work at all, so it was either skip them or suffer through them. Still, I recommend it, but also recommend you try the demo first.
I recommend this game!
Let's get farming in this unique Hidden Object farming simulator hybrid! Harvest the perfect crop, sell it at the market and search the farm for treasures!
Overall rating
5
/
5
A different type of time management game...
PostedApril 14, 2020
LunaNik
fromSelf-isolation, of course. Stay home and stay healthy, fishies!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle, Strategy, Word
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Poor Floyd! His wife, Dahlia, is sick and his health insurance won't cover her treatment. Meanwhile, the bank has foisted a predatory loan on Floyd's farm and they're demanding payment. The only solution is for Floyd to win Farm of the Year, and it's our job to help him.
Our tasks include:
• planting, watering, and harvesting various crops
• feeding animals and collecting their output
• searching the farm for items to sell (HO scenes)
• renovating buildings that are dilapidated
• solving problems here and there (mini-games)
• fulfilling customers' specific needs (quests)
• planting, watering, and harvesting various crops
• feeding animals and collecting their output
• searching the farm for items to sell (HO scenes)
• renovating buildings that are dilapidated
• solving problems here and there (mini-games)
• fulfilling customers' specific needs (quests)
The interface is really user-friendly. Click/drag to move around the farm. Use the eye in the upper right corner of the screen to zoom out and see more of the farm. Tasks will pop up, as will icons for things that need to be done around the farm. And the bar at the bottom of the screen includes the farmer's market, blueprints for renovation tasks, and a shop to buy animals, crops, and other necessities.
A lot is thrown at the player at once, but the interface helps us keep track of everything. And the tutorial is done well, neither too sparse or too detailed.
The HO scenes are all straight lists, and each includes three gemstones for us to find which, if I remember correctly, go toward more hints. The mini-games run the gamut from minesweeper to crossed ropes to sudoku and more. Quite a varied little game as regards gameplay.
Since this game is eight years old now, I'll add that it worked perfectly with El Capitan, although it did make my iMac's fan run overtime. Overall, I recommend Farmington Tales if you prefer resource management to time management, like a lot of variety in gameplay, and appreciate story-driven games.
I recommend this game!
Can you live up to your family’s legacy in time?
Overall rating
1
/
5
25 of 33 found this review helpful
1½ stars...It's clear that what was in the Hearthbridge Cabinet was cleaning supplies.
PostedApril 9, 2020
LunaNik
fromClosing in on a month of self-isolation, and not a decent HOPA in sight.
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle, Strategy, Word
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
You're not even trying, Madhead!
The storyline is exceedingly shallow and, therefore, fails to engage. The villain is one-dimensional and so is the character we play, a young man who has inherited the guardianship of Taleworld from his grandmother. Looney Toons had better storylines than this.
The graphics appear, in many places, to be unfinished and flat, especially the Tall Man's minions, which literally look like badly animated paper dolls being moved about by an invisible child. The voice acting is laughably melodramatic and reminiscent of Scooby Doo villains.
Gameplay consists of cleaning everything you encounter. This is obscured by dirt. That is hidden behind cobwebs. This is hidden under a layer of soot. Oh, how original...dirt again, then rust. And we also must repair everything after finding the missing parts.
The HO scenes are simplistic and take about 30 seconds to finish. Mini-games are overwhelmingly matching pairs, and I left kindergarten behind 50 years ago, thanks.
Even with the dearth of HOPAs to play lately, you couldn't pay me to finish this game. Some enterprising dev really needs to reinvent this genre instead of continuing to slowly choke it to death.
I don't recommend this game.