Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle, Word
Fun Factor
5/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
5/ 5
Level of Challenge
5/ 5
Storyline
5/ 5
I love these "Puzzles By Joe" games. They're fairly simple compared to the "adventure" genre that is my favorite, but they're relaxing and I feel like they improve brain function. I'm not a cognitive specialist or anything, but these games get your brain to focus and identify objects, shapes, colors and patterns quickly and in a variety of different ways - intuitively I feel like this must add to brain elasticity the same way crossword or sudoku do. If you turn the timer off, these puzzles would be great for children, with the timer on, fun for adults. Highly recommended.
Thank goodness EIPIX got their act together and started releasing MCF games that reflect the great format and playability of the original games! "Moths To A Flame" is fun and engaging and continues the MCF overall storyline. Definitely recommended.
I love the MCF series, I've been playing these games since the first one was released years and years ago. I look forward to purchasing each new one in the series every Thanksgiving, I always buy the collector's editions and I don't even "try for free" first, because I've always felt confident that MCF is going to be a great game.
Some games in the MCF series have been better than others, but I've always found each of them to be pretty exceptional in comparison to other games in the same genre. I feel like MCF has always "pushed" the genre with each new release and each new game includes innovations in game play and puzzles.
I hate to say it, but I felt "The Revenant's Hunt" really fell short of the high quality of previous MCF games. There was nothing new, original or imaginative regarding the game play, puzzles or story line. The game was shockingly "plain" and formulaic. The game play itself was very easy and used the same old puzzles that all of these "adventure" games do. I finished the game in one sitting and when the game ended I literally said out loud "That's it?".
As I said, I've always been a huge fan and supporter of the MCF series and I hate giving this release a lukewarm review, but I feel that "The Revenant's Hunt" just really isn't up to the same cutting-edge, envelope-pushing quality of previous MCF games. Hopefully Eipics will put more effort into future MCF releases.
I'm only about 2 hours into this game, but REALLY enjoying it. Not your typical "adventure" game - very very unique. There are at least three completely different levels of play depending on how "bad" you decide to be. This game is meant to be BLEAK in the look, sound and feel of the game play. Some may not care for the minimalist art and music, but I felt it was a welcome change from the typical pinks, purples and swelling soundtracks that populate most adventure games these days. The spartan style of this game really "works" with its dark sense of humor (obviously not for children or those who might be offended). Also unlike other adventure games there is no "map" and no "hints". You MUST figure everything out for yourself (although I'm sure you can find a "walk through" video on YouTube if you get really stuck). "Bad Dream: Coma" is very innovative game that emphasizes problem solving, analytical thinking and a wicked dark sense of humor.
I've been playing MCF games for years, since the very first one came out, and they never cease to deliver. There are other longer, more detailed reviews here, so for game specifics, please check them out. I'll just say as far as adventure / puzzle games go, MCF is in the top five of game makers -- and "Key to Ravenhearst" is no exception.
I've been playing these adventure / puzzle games for years and I have to say this game takes it to a whole new level. It's creepy as all get out, creative and imaginative and also the looks amazing. As my review title suggests, there are puzzles inside of puzzles in this game and at different times you have to make a choice as to how to proceed. For example, you are presented with three "fears" and you choose your "greatest" one and then the game proceeds based on the "fear" that you chose. This game really sets the bar for others in this genre, Mystery Case Files is going to have to come up with something pretty spectac this year in order to meet the challenge.
I play a lot of hidden object / adventure games - Mystery Case Files being my favorite series in this genre, but I have to say this EIpix game is right up there with MCF. The game looks great and there's lots of interesting, fun puzzles ... some with a bit of a "twist" on the puzzles you're used to if you play a lot of these games. I also *really* appreciate the Eipix feature where you can turn off "helpful messages" ... I find that those messages (standard in a game like this) make the game far too easy and not as much fun. So overall I really enjoyed this game and look forward to more from Eipix.
The folks at Mystery Case Files come through yet again with a game that is super fun and challenging. The graphics look great and, as always, MCF introduces some innovative twists to the HOA/Puzzle genre.
My review is based on playing the demo. I will definitely be buying the full version of this game, in fact I knew I would within the first 5 min of game play.
I'm an avid player or HOA/Adventure/Puzzle games, I own dozens of them and have sampled dozens more from the BF website, and I have to say, this one is one of the best representations of the genre I have seen.
The graphics are fantastic, not the typical pink/purple/blue you see all the time. The story line is fun and compelling and the animations are surprising (in a good way).
There seems to be quite a few features that really appeal to me as someone who has played this genre of games so many times: 1) the player has an opportunity to "deduce" whether the characters are telling the truth or lying
2) you can customize the ease/difficulty of the options - now I now this is a fairly standard feature these days *but* in this game you can choose to turn on/off the "helpful suggestions" - which is not an option that is always available in other games. I like having the HOAs sparkle and other "easy" options, but I find it annoying when the game constantly tells you how to get past an obstacle or use something in your inventory (ie: "this hinge is rusty I must need some oil"). I would rather figure that stuff out for myself, so I love the fact that I can turn off that chatter here
3) the in-game puzzles are not all your standard fair
4) I'm not sure if it's because I just played the demo, but there doesn't seem to be any "trophies" or "morphing objects" in this game, which is just fine with me as I feel that those features are sort of played out and tired now
5) it feels like the authors of this game really "get it" as to what gamers are looking for in this genre
Free the frog princes from the clutches of an evil witch! Return them to their princess brides, and find out if the kiss of love can break the witch’s curse!
As en experienced game player I found Witch's Pranks to be a little basic, not a lot of extra bells and whistles, but maybe that's because this wasn't a collector's edition. I still gave the game high marks because it was really fun to play, and looks fantastic. The art/graphics are unusually "hip" (sorry couldn't come up with a better adjective) and overall there is a kind of tongue-in-cheek sense of humor to the game that made me chuckle. I'd definitely recommend this game to someone just getting into the genre, for more experienced players it's fun as well, but more like reading a good summer "beach book" than a heavier novel.