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:
Gather items, solve puzzles and make spine-chilling discoveries as you explore a deserted island in Twisted Lands: Shadow Town!
Overall rating
4
/
5
2 of 3 found this review helpful
Storyline doesn't spell it out for you...and I like that
PostedMarch 11, 2013
LunaNik
fromMassachusetts
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
TITLE—Twisted Lands: Shadow Town
VERSION—Standard Edition (full game)
DEVELOPER—Alawar
GENRE—Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure (supernatural)
STORYLINE—As you're showing your girlfriend Angel the latest in your illegally acquired treasure trove of underwater artifacts, you fall overboard. After a time, you make landfall on a deserted island where you find your boat…but Angel is nowhere to be found. There's a cruise ship here, and a town. Both hint of mass disappearances and strange happenings. Uncover the mystery of Shadow Town!
OVERVIEW—After reading the reviews, I was prepared to dislike this game, but was pleasantly surprised. Perhaps the modern generation isn't used to subtlety, because this game had it in spades. I enjoyed how enigmas were hinted at, but much was left to the imagination because, frankly, my imagination is much better at frightening me than mere graphics (cf-Alfred Hitchcock).
GAMEPLAY—Mainly a mix of adventure and HO scenes; there aren't many puzzles or mini-games. You'll find a LOT of items, but the inventory is very responsive. HOs do repeat, but items within them do not.
INTERFACE—Journal: Yes, and you'll need it as it stores clues as well as tracking your progress. Map: None, and that's this game only real downfall, as there is a LOT of backtracking. Hints: Cool "shattered glass" effect locates items in HOs and guides you outside of them. Specials: None. Strategy Guide: N/A.
TECHNICAL—No issues.
GRAPHICS—Despite the foggy nature of the island, and the painterly style of the graphics, I found the HO scenes crisp and the items easily identifiable. And my eyesight is not great. In certain scenes, the fog does obscure details, but it's intentional.
CUTSCENES—Done in stillframe series style.
MUSIC—Dramatic and orchestral, but not at all intrusive.
SOUND—Ambient and game sounds appropriate and not annoying.
VOICEOVER—None.
SUMMARY—While Shadow Town does not have the bells and whistles of other games, I felt it worth my money and time because the storyline was compelling. It left just enough to the imagination to lure me through the game and to whet my appetite for the sequel without being a disappointing ending. In fact, the twist surprised me and, while it did leave some questions unanswered, it was clear that those questions were being left open deliberately for a sequel. I recommend this game and I'm looking forward to playing Insomniac.
I recommend this game!
Azada’s saga continues when its precious elements are stolen!
Overall rating
1
/
5
340 of 467 found this review helpful
ERS! What did you do?! Go to your room!
PostedMarch 7, 2013
LunaNik
fromMassachusetts
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
TITLE—Azada: Elementa (a.k.a. Azada: Requiescat in Pace)
VERSION—Collector's Edition (demo)
DEVELOPER—ERS
GENRE—Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure (fantasy)
STORYLINE—Once upon a time, there was a magical library. And in this library there was a mystical book called Azada. But it was riddled with evil that could only be overcome by one strong of mind and pure of spirit…and good at puzzles. Then a well-meaning but blundering force called ERS came along and Azada was irrevocably changed for the worse.
Suddenly, the evil began new tactic. Instead of the mind-boggling enigmas which had chained Azada in the past, there were wretched junkpiles of cast-off objects. Worse, a bizarre, twittering beastie of some type pestered our hero incessantly with unwanted advice and demands for new clothes.
OVERVIEW—Dear ERS,
This is an intervention. We've watched you go downhill and we can't stand idly by and let it go on any longer. Sweetie, you've become the Nickelback of game developers: formulaic, prosaic, predictable. It has to stop. Can't you see what you're doing to yourself? To us? *tears* Please, honey, for all of us...
This is an intervention. We've watched you go downhill and we can't stand idly by and let it go on any longer. Sweetie, you've become the Nickelback of game developers: formulaic, prosaic, predictable. It has to stop. Can't you see what you're doing to yourself? To us? *tears* Please, honey, for all of us...
GAMEPLAY—It's hard to comment on gameplay, as I was interrupted a bazillion times during the demo by the hand-holding tutorial (which I kept insisting I wanted to skip, but was ignored), the irritating flying squirrel (who seemed to serve no purpose other than to annoy), and pop-ups telling me I'd found another "special" animal (they can't be all that special when they're all over the place).
INTERFACE—Journal: Yep. Map: Yes, and it's a jump map that asks you if you're sure you want to go to that location. Um…I'm not reformatting my hard drive here; just playing a game. Hints: Yep. Specials: OMG…too many. Strategy Guide: Didn't even look at it. Other: That annoying and useless furry beastie? Yeah. You can collect coins and dress it up. And change its body parts. So, if you're a 7-year-old girl, you might like that part.
TECHNICAL—There were an awful lot of poor translations in the HOs. When I finally found "angel," it was a fairy. Because angels aren't generally nude. "Whirligig" turned out to be a spinning top. "Lily" was a fleur-de-lis. And those were all in the first HO scene.
GRAPHICS—It's an ERS game, so you already know what the graphics look like.
CUTSCENES—Rather well done, actually, since they were clearly rendered by a different artist than the in-game graphics.
MUSIC—It's an ERS game, so you already know what the music sounds like. Yep. That same music.
SOUND—It's an ERS… Look, do I have to keep saying this?
VOICEOVER—Meh, meh, meh, Melodrama.
SUMMARY—There was probably an actual game in here somewhere. Possibly. I'm not certain. If you paid me, I might allow it to take up room on my hard drive. For a week or so. Depends on how much you paid me, mind you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need the services of a grief counselor. Azada is no more.
I don't recommend this game.
After their hiking trip takes a tragic turn, a group of friends are forced to travel between realms to undo an old wrong and save the Cypress Witch.
Overall rating
4
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Short, but sweet adventure game
PostedMarch 4, 2013
LunaNik
fromMassachusetts
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
TITLE—Spirit Walkers: Curse of the Cypress Witch
VERSION—Standard Edition (full game)
DEVELOPER—Orchid Games (makers of Royal Trouble)
GENRE—Adventure
STORYLINE—Maylynn reluctantly joins her friends on a hiking trip, vowing to catch up on her writing while the others explore. A series of supernatural events leads to one being seriously hurt. When they take refuge beneath the bows of an enormous cypress tree, the spirit of a woman imprisoned within promises to heal Maylynn's friend in return for her help undoing the curse that binds her.
OVERVIEW—This is a straight-up adventure game and, as such, requires searching each scene for useful items and logical thinking regarding how and where to use them. There are very few HO scenes, and they are silhouettes of similar items (beads from a broken bracelet, for example).
GAMEPLAY—Point and click first-person adventure with inventory. You're not lead around by the hand in this one; you really have to think about what to do next.
INTERFACE—Journal: None, but having one would be superfluous. Map: None, but you won't need one. Hints: Hint takes about a minute to charge. Puzzle skip takes about three minutes. Specials: You will travel between the earthly dimension and the spirit realm, but I won't tell you how; that would spoil things.
TECHNICAL—No issues.
GRAPHICS—Beautifully colorful. Bright and crisp in the earthly dimension, and slightly bluish and hazy in the spirit realm.
CUTSCENES—Done in comic book panel style.
MUSIC—Quite lovely and relaxing.
SOUND—Ambient sounds were wonderfully atmospheric. Game sounds were appropriate.
VOICEOVER—None in the cutscenes, but there was some narration that was well done.
SUMMARY—I found this game to be a nice change from the creepy spirit games of late, being that it was about a spirit, but not horrific in any way. Also, it was a nice break from HOGs. I did find it a bit short, and replay value is limited (although if you mothball this one for six months, I'll bet you'd enjoy it all over again). This one is perfect for a DD or free game credit.
I recommend this game!
The Stroke of Midnight
A romance author has stumbled upon a Victorian-era love triangle, and must reunite the long lost lovers in the afterlife!
Overall rating
4
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Unrequited love! Me and this game, I mean...
PostedMarch 3, 2013
LunaNik
fromMassachusetts
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I fell in love with so many aspects of this game: the gliding movement from scene to scene, the panoramic viewpoint, the in-scene HO lists, the fact that it was more puzzle-oriented, the haunting yet unobtrusive music, not having a 40-item inventory of obscure objects.
Unfortunately, I didn't fall in love with the game mechanics. The harpsichord puzzle did me in. It took fully a dozen tries to get the tuning fork to stay where it belonged, and I never managed to get the tuning knob to go where it obviously needed to be.
Which leaves me exceptionally disappointed! I always loved these Myst-like games and was heartbroken when gaming trended away from them. These games actually made you think; they weren't instant gratification. Sometimes it would takes you days and days to finally complete them, and you'd have pages of notes covered with clues, unfamiliar characters, drawings, and maps.
I hope these devs don't become discouraged with the industry and continue to work on improving this and developing new games in this genre, because this one was stunning. A bit of improvement in the game mechanics (and perhaps the length) and they'd have a winner.
Nightmares from the Deep: The Cursed Heart
Dive into an epic journey as a museum owner in pursuit of an undead pirate who has kidnapped your daughter in Nightmares from the Deep: The Cursed Heart!
Overall rating
2
/
5
6 of 13 found this review helpful
Great dev disappoints with poor gameplay
PostedFebruary 27, 2013
LunaNik
fromMassachusetts
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
TITLE—Nightmares from the Deep: The Cursed Heart
VERSION—Standard Edition (demo)
DEVELOPER—Artifex Mundi
GENRE—Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure (supernatural adventure)
STORYLINE—As curator of the Caribbean Museum, you've recently acquired the remains and relics of the notorious Captain Remington, scourge of the seas. You rather stupidly reunite him with his demonic amulet, only to have him reanimate as an undead pirate and kidnap your annoyingly helpless yet bossy daughter in order to resurrect his mistress. So, off you go to save her while she screams, "Help, Mom!" and struggles uselessly. I'm thinking you shelter her way too much.
OVERVIEW—I really dislike giving a low rating to a game with such lush graphics and animation, but it seems that Artifex Mundi spent most of its time on that and very little on storyline and gameplay. And I just yesterday gave a five-star rating to their game Abyss: The Wraiths of Eden, a rating I rarely give. While this game is a visual feast, it is the Sahara for the experienced gamer, I'm afraid.
GAMEPLAY—Standard adventure intermingled with lots of HOs and a few incredibly easy puzzles. Lots of backtracking. The HOs are partially interactive (use a machete to crack a coconut, move one item to find another, etc.).
INTERFACE—Journal: Keeps notes and lists objectives. Map: Shows your location and areas where you have actions available, but it's not a jump map…and it should be. Hints: You won't need any. Specials: None in the SE. Strategy Guide: Not applicable.
TECHNICAL—No issues.
GRAPHICS—Stunningly rendered 3D backgrounds and objects. Good use of color and texture. Eye candy.
CUTSCENES—Breathtakingly cinematic when they don't include characters. Characters are 3D posers with fairly lifelike movement, and lip synching which isn't lifelike.
MUSIC—Music style and performance added to the storyline and mood of the game, as it usually does in Artifex Mundi's games. They always do a great job with the audio.
SOUND—Ambient and game sounds very appropriate to the game theme.
VOICEOVER—I'm sorry to say that the voiceovers were just awful. The museum curator came across as an irritatingly overprotective mother who reacted with shock every time she saw her daughter, but never reacted at all to talking undead pirates. Her daughter seemed a naive, sheltered, spoiled brat. Captain Remington was a dead ringer for Captain Barbosa from the Pirates of the Caribbean series. And his "crew" spoke a mishmash of low class British accents. The only awesomeness was the decaying guardian of the doubloon chest.
SUMMARY—While I appreciate that Artifex Mundi is stepping up the graphics and animation, they need to remember they're writing games, not movies. Had they spent more time on the storyline, which was weak, and on gameplay, which was beginner-level at best, this game could have been a five-star game. As it stands, I can't recommend it unless you're home sick and feel like a really easy game that's full of eye candy and you happen upon it as a Daily Deal. And I can't give it more than two stars, and it only gets those because of the graphics, animation, and music.
I don't recommend this game.
Find your missing fiancé in the deepest parts of the ocean. Discover the forgotten underwater city hiding many spine-chilling secrets.
Overall rating
5
/
5
7 of 10 found this review helpful
Story, graphics, music, gameplay...all excellent!
PostedFebruary 27, 2013
LunaNik
fromMassachusetts
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
TITLE—Abyss: The Wraiths of Eden
VERSION—Standard Edition (full game)
DEVELOPER—Artifex Mundi
GENRE—Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure (supernatural adventure)
STORYLINE—Your fiancé Robert has gone missing on a dive in the depths of the ocean. The Coast Guard has given up hope, but you refuse to. Despite hazardous weather, you venture out on a search and rescue mission, discovering a mysterious underwater city with hints of a glorious past, a violent downfall, and a bone-chilling and supernatural series of events about to unfold. Uncover the evil enigma hiding in the depths of Eden, and rescue Robert before it's too late!
GAMEPLAY—Standard point 'n' click travel, pick up items, and explore areas of interest. There are plenty of HOs and all contain interactive elements. Play is linear in nature, being that the game is quite story-driven. This one is quite well-written, in my opinion, because you're never at a loss regarding what task to accomplish next. HOs do repeat, but you're never bored because the items do not repeat.
INTERFACE—Journal: Keeps your notes and lists your current objectives. Map: Shows where you are and where actions are available, but is not a jump map. However, while there is some backtracking, the game area isn't so large as to make it onerous. Hints: I didn't use any. Inventory: Not lockable. Other: Objectives appear on screen as they become available. Black bar info consists mostly of main character's reactions to events.
TECHNICAL—No issues.
GRAPHICS—Beautifully-rendered 3D backgrounds, characters, and objects lend realism to this adventure story despite its elements of the supernatural. Colors and textures are gorgeous and lush. One thing I've never noticed in another game: in the HOs, some of the items you collect are actually animated.
CUTSCENES—Excellent 3D animation using posers for the characters. Nicely natural body movement and decent lip synching. The style of animation makes for some startling moments.
MUSIC—Really added to the immersion as it was unobtrusive and soft enough to lull you into a false sense of security. Then…WHAM!…something creepy would happen and scare the life out of you.
SOUND—Game sounds were eerie and out of the ordinary…well thought out. Atmospheric sounds were appropriate to each scene, and often added to the claustrophobic feeling of this all-underwater game.
VOICEOVER—Quite well done…the actress evoked a concerned and brave woman, startled by certain events but not freaked out, determined to rescue her fiancé regardless of what hardships and fears she had to face to do so.
SUMMARY—Artifex Mundi is fast becoming a developer to reckon with. The combination of a riveting storyline, compelling music, brilliant graphics, and engaging gameplay is irresistible. You won't be disappointed at the ending either. Not only is the plot nicely tied off, but also there's a nice hint toward a sequel. I'd love to see a prequel as well…the story of how Eden developed.
I recommend this game!
Save a loving couple from the clutches of a powerful alchemist in Break the Curse: The Crimson Gems!
Overall rating
4
/
5
5 of 5 found this review helpful
Enchanting puzzle adventure! Not a HO in sight...
PostedFebruary 25, 2013
LunaNik
fromMassachusetts
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
TITLE—Break the Curse: The Crimson Gems
VERSION—Standard Edition (full game)
DEVELOPER—GameInvest
GENRE—Puzzle Adventure (dark fantasy)
STORYLINE—Your reputation as an extraordinary investigator of the arcane and supernatural has preceded you! Lorenzo, ringmaster of the traveling Carnivale Zephyr, has hired you to discover the whereabouts of his star performers, Harold and Eliza, who've gone missing. He suspects Abigale Usherton, because she's been harassing Harold. Plus, the locals say she's a witch. So, off you go to Usherton Manor to save the day!
OVERVIEW—This is not a HOG, although there are places where you're asked to find 10 pieces of a painting within a small pop-up window. This is a pure puzzle adventure game. And there are lots and lots of puzzles of all types. The length of your game largely depends on how long it takes you to solve the puzzles…and how many you skip.
GAMEPLAY—Standard point 'n' click travel, collect items, and investigate areas of interest. This game doesn't lead you by the nose, so be prepared to fire some neurons and utilize some memory cells. You'll collect items for use here and there, solve a myriad of puzzles from simple to complex, but you won't be trolling through junkpiles.
INTERFACE—The black bar is at the bottom, just above your inventory, which takes a bit of getting used to. You have a journal and a hint meter, and there are two levels of difficulty. There's no map, but you don't really need one. Each puzzle comes with directions, accessed by mousing over the question mark icon. There were a couple of puzzles where the directions weren't entirely clear, but I did manage to figure out what needed to be done.
TECHNICAL—No issues.
GRAPHICS—Enchanting hand-painted backgrounds help to immerse you into the game's universe. The use of color is stunning. In the find objects scenes, there are a few that are difficult to see, but not enough to warrant subtracting from my rating. Suffice it to say that the contrast could have been a bit better. Slight warning: there is a rather gruesome depiction at one point. You might want to keep the young ones away from this game.
CUTSCENES—Jittery animation and no lip synching, but they are well-detailed.
MUSIC—Honestly, other than during the titles, I didn't notice it, and I did have it turned up.
SOUND—Appropriate and not annoying.
VOICEOVER—Fairly well done on the part of Abigale. Harold was a bit melodramatic, and Lorenzo's accent seemed a bizarre combination of Inigo Montoya and Arnold Schwarzeneggar. There are subtitles and you can click through.
SUMMARY—This is my first experience with this developer's products, so I don't know if they have other games, but I give this one a hearty "well done." It made a nice change from HOGs and FROGs and really stretched my brain by offering some difficult puzzles. I did find it a tad short, but I did skip a couple of the really challenging puzzles. Since there was a lot of substance to this game—instead of repetitive HOs and backtracking—I won't downgrade for length. I thought the graphics were beautifully done and I'm interesting to see more from this dev. I recommend this game if you like puzzles.
I recommend this game!
The Order’s most closely-guarded secret sleeps deep beneath the ancient Spanish streets. What lies within this mysterious box?
Overall rating
2
/
5
26 of 38 found this review helpful
Save the world...but take your time!
PostedFebruary 24, 2013
LunaNik
fromMassachusetts
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
TITLE—The Keepers: The Order's Last Secret
VERSION—Collector's Edition (demo)
DEVELOPER—Blam!
GENRE—Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure (mystical adventure)
STORYLINE—You're off to Seville to find out who murdered Pedro Alvarez and to help his sister Carmen, the last Keeper, keep the mysterious box Pedro discovered from the hands of evil.
OVERVIEW—For a good versus evil, world hanging in the balance, mystical order of self-dubbed saviors type of game, I felt the storyline moved rather slowly, at least during the demo. Other than Carmen's obvious paranoia and the impending eclipse, there was no sense of urgency…no credible threat. The HOs served to slow down the action even more, rather than furthering it. The overall rhythm of this game just seemed off.
GAMEPLAY—Standard point 'n' click to move from location to location, examine areas of interest, and pick up items. There are, of course, a myriad of locked rooms, closets, wardrobes, and the like, for which you'll need to find keys, medallions, etc. The HOs are extremely dark with very little contrast in color and tone, making distinguishing the objects on the list from the background somewhat difficult. There are both achievements and morphing objects to find (35 in total).
INTERFACE—You have a journal which collects Pedro's notes as well as clues, and a jump map. I didn't use the hint system or the SG during the demo, so that gives you an idea of the relative difficulty of the game.
TECHNICAL—No issues.
GRAPHICS—While there was color used, the overwhelming impression was brown, as if each scene had been steeped in tea. The backgrounds were sharp, but the lack of contrast and tone detracted, in my opinion.
CUTSCENES—Sort of painterly cartoons.
MUSIC—Honestly, I didn't notice it.
SOUND—All I can say is that it didn't annoy me.
VOICEOVER—Fairly well done, although the English with stereotypical Spanish accent was a bit Inigo Montoya.
SUMMARY—I have a difficult time getting past the darkness and lack of contrast in the HOs, as well as the disconnect between the storyline and the game itself. Like I said, there was no sense of urgency created by the rhythm of the game, the music, or anything. Clearly, there should have been. If Carmen is the last Keeper, and she's guarding an artifact so precious that it must be kept from the hands of evil at all costs, lest the world be lost…this game certainly doesn't convey that. For those reasons, I can't recommend it.
I don't recommend this game.
Explore the magical world of Enchantia as you race to save the land from the evil Phoenix Queen.
Overall rating
5
/
5
23 of 29 found this review helpful
Baffled by negative reviews...this one's a winner
PostedFebruary 21, 2013
LunaNik
fromMassachusetts
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
TITLE—Enchantia: Wrath of the Phoenix Queen
VERSION—Collector's Edition (full game)
DEVELOPER—Blue Tea Games
GENRE—Fragmented Object Puzzle Adventure (fantasy)
STORYLINE—The Phoenix Queen feels that the various races of Enchantia have abused the land, and that it is her duty to cleanse them from the world so that life may begin anew. It is your task to stop her and save the races from extinction.
OVERVIEW—Having read the other reviews, I'm utterly baffled. Some people gave this game negative reviews because they don't like FROGs, which is like ordering lasagna with mushrooms then complaining because you don't like mushrooms! One person protested that they'd never heard of this fairy tale, as if originality should be penalized. Several mentioned "blurry" or "grainy" graphics; they were certainly crisp and clear on my MacBook.
GAMEPLAY—Standard Blue Tea point 'n' click adventure interspersed with FROs and puzzles. The storyline unfolds through a mixture of cutscenes and character dialog, some of which is a bit long, but there are subtitles so you can click to continue once you've read the text. There are many items to collect, both found along your way and through the FROs. You can also collect enchanted objects (the ones that morph).
INTERFACE—The map is actually a magical compass which transports you between the areas of Enchantia. Within each area, there is no map, but since each area is limited to a few "rooms," you don't need one. The hint meter shows you specific items in the FROs. I didn't use it in the adventure part, so I can't speak to how it works there.
TECHNICAL—No issues.
GRAPHICS—Extremely colorful, well-drawn, and incredibly detailed. Classic Blue Tea graphics. The FROs are quite ornate, and the pieces you need to find are well-integrated into the scene, making a nice challenge and giving you time to enjoy the scene itself. I think I used three hints throughout the entire game, all in the FROs.
CUTSCENES—There are two types: narrated storyline and character animation. The narrated storyline is done in a more monotone palette, as if you're viewing a manuscript. The character animation is quite lifelike, the animation itself smooth.
MUSIC—Orchestral and appropriate to the scene. There are some quite dramatic pieces and some haunting melodies, depending on which part of the game you're in. Very well done.
SOUND—Ambient sound really stood out for me. There were lots of atmospheric sounds that were reminiscent of Myst: low tones that played on your emotions. You almost don't realize they're there, but they have a huge effect. Game sounds were appropriate and not annoying.
VOICEOVER—Quite well done, I thought, without melodrama.
SUMMARY—Writing this review without revealing too much was difficult. When I look at reviews, I ignore the stars and actually read what each person says. Hence my "overview" comments. I feel that a lot of reviewers panned this game unfairly. I thought the storyline was original, which is a rarity these days with the plethora of puppetmasters, disappearing relatives, snow queens, and dissatisfied ghosts.
I happen to like FROGs, as I'm sick unto death of junkpile HOGs where you acquire a knife, use it once, then stupidly don't get to keep it for the rest of the game and have to keep looking for new knives (or other sharp objects). For once, I'd like to keep the bloody screwdriver/knife/hammer I worked so hard to find! Whereas the items you find in FROGs are unique and for a specific purpose.
Lastly, Blue Tea never releases throwaway games like so many other developers I could name. Clearly, a lot of time, work, and attention to detail went into every aspect of this game from the storyline to the artwork to the music to the programming. Compared to a lot of other games I've spent $13.99 on, Enchantia was a steal. I thoroughly enjoyed it and feel I got my money's worth. My only caveat would be the long dialog, but you can skip through it. I recommend this game and rate it 4 and 1/2 stars.
I recommend this game!
Eerie music fills the air in Vienna, where shadows terrorize people in the streets. Two musical prodigies have gone missing. Can you save them without striking a single false note?
Overall rating
3
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Average game, a bit dated, nothing new
PostedFebruary 21, 2013
LunaNik
fromMassachusetts
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
TITLE—Maestro: Music from the Void
VERSION—Collector's Edition (full game)
DEVELOPER—ERS
GENRE—Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure (dark fantasy)
STORYLINE—You return as the Detective to solve the mystery of the disappearance of two students from the Academy, as well as the premature aging of the citizens of Vienna and the reanimation of the dead.
GAMEPLAY—Find keys and missing pieces of this lock or that puzzle. Troll through bizarrely placed piles of junk to do so. Repeat ad nauseum. Nothing new to see here. In fact, this is another step backwards for ERS (as Spirits of Mystery: The Dark Minotaur CE was). Overall play time was short as well. I don't understand the rave reviews on this one.
INTERFACE—There's no map…and there's a lot of backtracking. Instead, there's a fairly unnecessary journal. The strategy guide is on point, but not really necessary as this is an easy game as long as you make sure to thoroughly explore each area.
TECHNICAL—Lots of really bad translation errors in this one. "Scrap" on the list turned out to be a crowbar. "Nautilus" ended up being an origami boat. "Shawl" was a handkerchief—twice—and a foulard.
GRAPHICS—Inconsistent. Some backgrounds, close-ups, and HOS were well rendered and clear; others were washed out and amorphous. It seemed as if whoever did the cutscenes stepped in and did some of the in-game graphics…to the detriment of the game.
CUTSCENES—Choppy, cartoonish animation.
MUSIC—For a game based so strongly on music, the soundtrack was repetitive and annoying.
SOUND—I didn't notice any ambient sound, and the lack tends to detract, I think. Game sounds were typical for the series.
VOICEOVER—The Prince of Void's voiceover was decently evil, but François sounded like a spoiled child.
SUMMARY—This one just didn't suck me in like the first two in the series. It almost seemed like a throwaway "we have to finish the trilogy" game. I was honestly glad when it was over, and think ERS had better consider some quality control. Clearly, they're capable of putting together some amazing games (Gothic Fiction: Dark Saga, Spirits of Mystery: Song of the Phoenix). But their last couple of releases have been lacking. I'd recommend this as a DD if you have the rest of the series. Otherwise, skip it.
I don't recommend this game.