Quite frankly I had hoped that the Witches’ Legacy series had finally met its end after the last game and I was quite surprised to see yet another one come along. Even though I was becoming quite bored with the series, I absolutely love this dev and always look forward to their games. We now have a new saga in the series and it is sort of a prequel I guess since I am having some difficulty coming to an understanding of the story. There is a tie in of sorts that I am sure will develop as the storyline evolves.
Awakening Darkness begins when you (Jack) arrive home for dinner with your mom and sister Nikki. What you stumble onto when you open the door is almost beyond belief as you see a witch who has possessed your sister and turned your mom into an old woman. Will you be able to save the day and restore the balance before you too succumb to the witch’s curse and turn to dust?
The graphics are quite good and very colorful. One of the things I enjoy most in games from this dev is that there is such attention to detail and one never knows what will respond when items are clicked. IMHO, I have almost as much fun clicking around the screen to see what happens as I do playing. It must take a huge amount of work to make all of the little items in a game respond and I certainly appreciate the effort the dev puts into their games.
I love the interactive map that is provided in games from this dev. The map not only helps us transport quickly from place to place but it also shows where we have collectibles and morphing objects to find – a very helpful feature.
The HOPS and puzzles are just about what we would expect to find with some being multi-level and very interactive. The puzzles are easy except I always hate the “Simon Says” type where we need to repeat the sequence. I always struggle with those and once I hit my tolerance level I need to use the skip button.
As is usual for this game dev we have collectible puzzle pieces and morphing objects hidden in each scene. Sometimes the morphing objects and collectibles are difficult to spot but I don’t give up until I find them. The rest of the CE content is the standard stuff that we expect to find in CEs. That being said, I think the collectibles and morphing objects make the CE very worthwhile.
Do I like the game? As it turns out, the answer is a resounding yes. I certainly appreciate the new storyline that is different than the overly-done story of Lynne and Edward. I appreciate all of the fun little details in the game along with the excellent graphics and sound package. All in all it is an entertaining game and one that I am enjoying as I delve into the tale of Morgana, Cassandra and the new family they have caught in their snare and battle of the witches. Even though this game is perfect for me, please try the demo to see if it is one you will like.
In this latest game in the Surface series, Return to Another World, you revisit the previous game and once again play the game as Jill. After moving away from home you receive an urgent call from your mother telling you that your hometown of Lightfalls is in terrible danger. What is there to do but head for the little Beetle and rush home to see if you can help. Once you arrive you realize that mom wasn’t joking and some type of energy wave that emanates from the water is destroying the town. Not only is some supernatural force on a rampage, there is no one to be found except a boy roaming the streets. As you begin to piece the clues together a sad and terrifying story begins to emerge. Could the machinations of one misunderstood boy have created the disaster that has hit your home town? You will need to play this newest Surface game to find the answers you seek.
The game offers four modes of gameplay: Casual, Advanced, Hardcore, and Custom. In the custom mode you can set the hint and skip buttons to recharge in a range of 15 to 90 seconds. Although the graphics are okay they are sometimes not as crisp and often have a mistiness.
Tools for the game include an interactive map that is available at the beginning of the game, and my favorite of all tools – a diary. Call me a traditionalist when it comes to games but I love to follow the storyline as it evolves and is placed in the diary for review. It often proves quite helpful to look back in the diary to see clues that I might have missed, or to refresh my memory.
As is generally the case in games from this dev, no sooner than we reach our destination we will find a suitcase, car door or car trunk to open in order to access our first HOP scene. In this case we open the Beetle’s trunk to find what we need. The items are shown in silhouette but they are clearly depicted and easy to find with no interaction required. For some reason I thoroughly enjoyed the HOPS in this game more than usual. Not only were the HOPS very good but so were some of the puzzles. Not all of the puzzles were difficult but there is a super puzzle early in the game.
IMHO, the Surface series is another of those that should be retired and flushed down the drain. The further I got into the game the more I realized that it just wasn’t thrilling or even interesting. I quickly became bored because there was nothing new and it was the same old thing over, and over, and over again. When a series becomes stale and the devs are running out of ideas to keep it entertaining, it definitely is time to let it go! Although I did purchase the CE, I highly recommend you try the demo on this one because you will either love it or hate it.
The mountain town of Glockenverk is in the grip of a dramatic and deadly cold spell. Set out with your trusty feline friend, Mr. Jenkins, to crack the case!
Well detective, grab your purrball, Mr. Jenkins and head off to investigate another Ominous Object. This time you have been called by Heinrich the Clockmaker to a town called Glockenverk (really – LOL). When you arrive you meet Kate – after she steals your watch – and that is when you skate head on into your investigation. It looks like Heinrich has run out of sand in the big clock and very odd things are happening in town. People and animals are turning to ice and even some prehistoric beasts are arriving to complete the mystery. Can you help Kate set things right and get the clock ticking again in Glockenverk?
I am not sure where to begin but firstly, the color palette turned me rather blue. I am so tired of the pink, purple, and blue tones used in these types of games but if I can get over the queasiness created by the color palette at least the graphics are sharp and crystal clear. The voiceovers are not bad but then again, they are not excellent.
Your tools include an interactive map AND Mr. Jenkins. Not only do we have an animal helper but now we have to feed him fish to get him to perform his fetch and carry duties. Sorry devs, but this was almost too much for my early morning tummy to handle. I had high hopes that the days of animal helpers might be over but some devs just don’t seem to want to relinquish their purrballs easily. Not only do we have Mr. Jenkins to help us out, we also have a watch that must be charged before use by playing a mini-puzzle even though it is one that I happen to like.
The HOPS are excellent and make up for the disastrous color palette. Even though we might visit the HOPS more than once (something that doesn’t bother me) they are different each time. If for some reason you find the HOPS difficult, you can play an alternate match-3 game. The puzzles are usual and not too difficult. That being said, I play almost every HOPA game released and my experience has been that the puzzles are generally more challenging as a game progresses so I am not too concerned when they appear easy in the beginning.
There are collectible snowflakes and achievements to be earned but the remaining CE content is not remarkable. The extras include something called Game Dots but since I can’t see what that is until I complete the bonus game, I have no idea what it might be. We do have all the other standard extras including the Bonus Chapter and the Strategy Guide.
Because I don’t care for having to feed Mr. Jenkins fish or the color palette, one would think I didn’t like the game but that is not true. I actually enjoy the game and the gameplay so with a small deduction for the graphics, the game is a low 5-star game. Even with all the blue and purple, I am ready for something a bit more colorful than crumbling bricks and dreary graphics. I am a big fan of fantasy games so Ominous Objects Trial of Time will be a great game to play on a dreary, cold and rainy day. Even though I like the game, please try the demo to see if Trial of Time is a game you will enjoy.
This certainly isn’t the same Goldilocks story that I remember but I rather like the Dark Parables spin on the much loved tale. As usual you are a detective that investigates unusual occurrences and even when on vacation it seems that your help is required. A young boy tells a tale of being attacked by strange mechanical beasts but did that really happen? The thing is he has shown up with an artifact that might have been the reason for the attack. As you begin your investigation you too are attacked so there just might be something to the boy’s story after all. As you extract yourself from a dangerous situation and begin your investigation you find that there seems to be some sort of feud between the Barsians and the Olesians. The situation becomes even more tangled as you encounter your old friend Jack from the Sky Kingdom. As you step into Goldilocks and the Fallen Star, be aware that things are not always as they seem.
The game includes four modes of gameplay: Casual, Hard, Insane and Custom. If you select the Custom mode the hints can be set to recharge anywhere from 10 to 120 seconds and the puzzle skips can be set to recharge in a range of 10 to 400 seconds. You have the option select what type tutorial you want, if any, as well as the option to turn off the of the HOP error click penalty if you don’t want to be penalized for random clicking in the HOPS. As usual the graphics are very good and the sound package compliments the game including the excellent voiceovers. The only thing I find disappointing with the change in devs of the Dark Parables games is that the FROGS now lack the richness and gorgeous color that was present in the original games.
Your tools include an interactive map that is found early in the game. At least during the demo I did not encounter any gimmicky tools so that at least is a good thing. I do have a feeling though that the artifact I found early in the game may have some future purpose but hopefully it isn’t an item that must be charged by playing a mini-game before each use. I personally find those sorts of things nothing more than frustrating time-fillers to pad out a game but this is simply my opinion and others might not agree.
The newer Dark Parables games include the traditional FROGS as well as HOPS. As I mentioned earlier the FROGS lack the luster of the previous games and seem dull by comparison. The HOPS are varied including the interactive story type where we must replace objects in the scene to open more of the story to ultimately receive our needed item. I actually didn’t care for the FROG scenes as the items were difficult to find mixed in with all the brown tones. Some items were hidden in dark shadows as well. Since the new team has taken over development of the series, I think it is time it disappears as it just isn’t the same. At least in the demo it seemed like there were a lot of mini-games and the ones encountered were fairly simple. One puzzle involved turning stones so that the runes on them were all visible, but turning one affected the adjacent runes as well. Personally, I dislike this type of puzzle and find them frustrating even though I eventually get the right combo. Another puzzle involved smelting bronze to create an artifact by following the instructions. The puzzles will become more difficult as the game progresses so I know there will be some to keep me on my toes. After the demo the puzzles did become better if not all that challenging but still better than insanely easy.
The CE version of the game contains collectibles – snowflakes as well as parable pieces. There are also those inevitable achievements to earn. The remaining extras include the Bonus Gameplay, Strategy Guide, Replay of HOPS and Puzzles, Wallpapers, Music, Movies, and Artwork. Generally this developer pack a lot into their CE releases so I am sure that looking for collectibles and morphing objects will keep me busy.
Overall, I love the way this team puts a game together and am rarely disappointed. I had my doubts at the beginning of Goldilocks as it seemed to get off to a very slow start but it eventually picked up and I was disappointed when the demo came to an end. Again my only disappointment was with the HOPS. The game was a decent game and had some great gameplay features and had I not been a big fan of the previous Dark Parables games, this would have been excellent in my eyes. It is still a great game but just not really a DP game As always, I recommend that you at least try the demo to see if this is a game you will like.
Seems it’s time for a Ward family reunion and what a “killer” event it promises to be. Just beware, don’t drink any tea that Aunt Abigail offers. Phantasmat Behind the Mask is an awesome game in a series that has been quite disappointing in recent years. But after playing the game’s beta release, I could hardly wait until the full game came my way. IMHO, Behind the Mask is everything a Phantasmat game should be and more.
As you arrive at the family mansion and take a look at the gloomy old, family estate, that should have been your first clue to run the other way, because it certainly doesn’t look like it is ready for what should be a festive occasion on a beautiful May evening. Once you make your way into the estate there should have been a sign that said “welcome to the family reunion from you know where.” It isn’t long before you realize that there is something very wrong with the members of the Ward family and you must protect yourself from their murderous intent.
The graphics are excellent and create the perfect setting for Behind the Mask. What a terrific job the developer did in capturing every detail in the decaying mansion to bring this game to life. I love the music, ambient sounds and the excellent voiceovers. Because I was so immersed in the storyline and the graphics, I almost believed that I was the one dealing with my departed relatives.
The HOP scenes are some of the best I have seen in a long time. Some of them are the progressive scenes where you must obtain one item to find the next. Even if the HOPS are not progressive, many of them are multi-level and contain puzzles to solve as you locate certain items. If you don’t want to find items in the HOP there is an alternative match-3 game that you can play. As is the current trend most of the puzzles in the game are fairly standard and easy to solve, although they do become a bit more difficult as the game progresses. There is a mini super puzzle early on and I am hoping there will be at least one or two full super puzzles later in the game. There is wide variety in the puzzles that is sure to keep most of us happy as we play through the game.
The CE version has morphing objects, collectibles, achievements and all of the other goodies we expect to find from this developer. Of course the in-game strategy guide is one important feature of all CE games and very useful, particularly if you are new to playing HOPA games. Overall the game is a fairly decent CE value.
To say that I love this game is an understatement. I have been anxiously awaiting the release of Behind the Mask and now that it has arrived, it certainly lives up to my expectations. We have a more in-depth look at Abigail, Claude, Norman, Lisbeth, Patrick, and Thomas as we delve into the Ward family history and play through the game. The game seems longer than most and it is a bit challenging as it is not easy to find some items and figure out what to do with them. Of course the game was an instant buy for me and I didn’t bother to download the demo but it might not be for everyone. Please try the demo to see if Behind the Mask is a game you will enjoy.
What an awesome adventure game with a HO component that is not right in your face obvious. When I see a game like The Last Dream come along it just seems so different than the “canned” follow the same pattern games that we normally see here at BFG.
In The Last Dream you play a grieving widower who dreams nightly of his wife who died tragically in a car accident. As dream and reality become blurred we follow Elizabeth’s dream trail as she tries to reunite with her beloved. Because of the way the game is created, I am not sure what is waking reality or possibly the whole thing is a dream – what a great storyline and a unique point of view.
The game does offer four different modes of gameplay but there is no custom mode. There are very few options to select when setting up the game BUT because The Last Dream is so different, it really doesn’t matter. Although the graphics are good, they are not excellent and not always as crisp I like. The filmed scenes with live actors are the scenes where the difference is noticeable as the animated graphic art is terrific. I think the developers used this difference as a tool to show the bleakness of reality as compared to the clarity of our hero’s dream life.
There are no tools in the game except for a cat that we sort of rescue early on. No map but since the game is fairly linear in movement it doesn’t matter and I have had no problem navigating the game.
The HO scenes are interactive and they are FROGS meaning that we find bits and pieces of items to combine them into a usable item in order to progress through the scene. I found the scenes a bit of a challenge at times but still very enjoyable. The puzzles have more challenge than usual but can be completed without too much frustration if you carefully think about them. Not all puzzles are over-the-top difficult but they are not the standards that we see all of the time. I had only one puzzle that I skipped early on because it did give me fits and I couldn’t figure it out. When I replay the game, I think I will take more time to figure out the sequence of what needs to be done and when.
The Last Dream is a SE game here at BFG but I am aware that it is released as a CE elsewhere so what we have here is a game that has achievements and collectibles which it a great addition to what we normally receive in a SE game.
The Last Dream is definitely different AND a refreshing change. I love the storyline and can’t wait to see if love truly conquers all. If you are looking for a game that is different and has a bit more challenge, then I heartily recommend that you try The Last Dream: you might just find it surprising and just what you are looking for.
The Tell-Tale Heart begins with a gruesome scene as a young woman is murdered and strung up to a nearby tree. The renowned Detective Dupin has been called to the town of Gurtos to investigate the murder and has asked you to accompany him as he works to solve the case. IMHO, you should stay home and let Dupin go this one alone!
The game offer four modes of gameplay: Casual, Hard, Advanced, and Custom. If you select the Custom mode both the hint and puzzle skip times can be set in a range of 5 – 200 seconds. You can also uncheck various other settings to customize the gameplay. I love the graphics created by Bunny Team, and I doubt anyone else creates such realistic hand-drawn characters. Our gorgeous Detective Dupin almost seems dowdy and aged. What on earth have they done to the once dapper detective.
There is an interactive map that is present at the beginning of the game and we do have a valise that we pack with some tools that are used early in the game. One of them is a special magnifying glass that is often used in HOP scenes and quickly became boring.
Since this is a HOPA game we do have HOPS and the first one is a matching story type where we must find pairs of the highlighted words in the story. The HOPS are subtly woven into the story and appear sometimes as mini scenes. The puzzles do not seem overly difficult although they are tricky and one gate puzzle takes a bit of time to fiddle with in order to successfully complete it.
I gave this game a glowing review when the CE version was released but it didn’t take long (and I mean that literally) before I was bored to tears and the game was over without the story ever coming together. Unfortunately, this game was not what I thought it would be and I regret that I even took the time to play the game. It is sad to see what has happened to the Dark Tales series. Perhaps the Bunny Team should trash this series and come up with some refreshing new ideas. Try the demo if you want but I certainly don’t recommend this game.
This is the third game in the Spirit of Revenge series and this one might just be the best. It is, IMHO, a terrific game. Once again, you play the game as Brenda Gale (an investigative parapsychologist) and this time you have recently returned home after some exciting cases in England. It seems that you have returned none too soon when you receive a desperate phone call from your sister letting you know that your niece Liza has disappeared with the other children while they were at camp. Once you begin your investigation you discover that a horrible fate awaits the children and that you must find them as quickly as possible.
There are four modes of gameplay including a custom mode where you can set your hint and skip options to recharge in a range of 15 to 270 seconds. Graphics are quite good and while the lip-synced voiceovers are generally good, the sheriff’s hokey accent is silly and downright annoying.
Your tools include an interactive map that you find early in the game and a Ghost Catcher that is a scanner of sorts. Fortunately it doesn’t need to be charged each time we need to use it so it isn’t a gimmick and does serve a purpose in the game.
The HOPS excellent and seem a bit different than what we normally see. Some of the HOPS are multi-tiered and almost seem like puzzles. Wow, there are lots of puzzles in this game – far more than there are HOPS. Some of the puzzles are tricky and during the demo there is a super puzzle that I loved. Even though there were some different puzzles, one of the first has appeared in a lot of games and that is one where we must safely navigate our way up a cliff or mountainside while avoiding the pitfalls.
The CE version includes a variety of collectibles and morphing objects. There is the in-game strategy guide and a bonus chapter. What I dislike about the CE, and I am sure others will agree, is that you cannot see what extras are included in the game until after you complete the main game. I guess it is sort of like a grab bag and you really purchase the CE without knowing whether you are getting full CE value. Of course there is the built in SG so that IS a perk.
Since I am a huge fan of puzzles in a game, Gem Fury is perfect for me and the way I like to play. There is a lot of adventure and discovery along with HOPS in the game so it is not one puzzle after another but there seem to be more than usual for HOPA games. I found the storyline good (although worn out) and I am beginning to tire of an unspecified evil that has reincarnated, been released, or never died that is seeking to take over the world or wreak revenge on others. Surely, it is time for developers to look outward towards the stars and maybe come up with some new game plans. Of course if you are not a HOPA addict, then you probably are not tired of the plethora of evil that has been unleashed in recent games. In spite of the well-worn storyline, I still loved the game because of all its bits and pieces that came together to create an excellent game. Please try the demo first to see if Spirit of Revenge Gem Fury is the game for you. phenomenal
Haunted Hotel The X is the eighth game in the series and a truly creepy mystery. Your sister, Samantha, has apparently gone missing after letting you know that she is on assignment writing a story about a local haunted hotel. Terrific brother that you are, you set off to investigate what has happened to sis. Once you arrive at the old hotel, you begin to realize that things are not what they seem and that Samantha has apparently become mired in a whole lot of ectoplasm.
The game offers four modes of gameplay: Casual, Advanced, Hardcore and Custom. If you select the custom mode you can click various settings on or off depending on how you like to play. Most important for me is the setting for hint and skip times. In this case the time range for both settings is between 15 and 90 seconds. Another option this developer includes in its games is the option to either continue or reset the game when starting to play after exiting a previous gameplay session. The graphics are excellent with some awesome special effects that enhance the ghostly creepiness of the storyline. The sound package is wonderful including the lip-synced voiceovers.
Your tools include a journal and an interactive transporter type map that are present at the beginning of the game. You have a video camera where you can view footage after you find a cassette. I don’t want to explain the significance of the camera because if you play the demo you will discover how to use it. As they say, discovery is half the fun.
The first HOP is a silhouette type, followed by the standard list type. I didn’t find any HOPS that were the strictly interactive type although some did require minor interaction to find items. The puzzles seem typical with the first one being a very simple dial puzzle and the next a slider type. I am sure the puzzles will increase in difficulty as the game moves forward.
The extras in the CE release of the game include collectibles, morphing objects, and achievements. The other extras include wallpapers, concept art, music, replay of mini-games and HOPS, the secret room, bonus gameplay, and the strategy guide.
Overall, I loved this game. Foremost, the game had a storyline that sucked me in and held my interest. The pace was excellent and the game didn’t seem to drag along without capturing my interest. I love a good ghost story and with Haunted Hotel the X we certainly have one. It looks like the devs have gone back to the roots of the first Haunted Hotel games and come up with a wonderful ghostly mystery. If the game has any shortcoming it is that the puzzles are just not as challenging as I would like. That being said, we all have different tastes in games and the puzzles might not be your thing. Even though I loved the game you might not agree. Please try the demo and see if Haunted Hotel The X is a game that you will enjoy.
You play the game as Jacques D’ Perrault and you find yourself in prison with no memory of who you are or why you are there. Just before you are scheduled to be executed, you are visited by a stranger who says he is going to help you escape and that is where your adventure begins. The year is 1789 and apparently you have kidnapped and seriously wounded the future countess D’Morten and that is why you are awaiting your execution so now you must reconstruct what happened and prove your innocence before the blade falls.
The game offers four modes of gameplay: Casual, Advanced, Expert, and Custom. I always select the custom mode when it is offered so that I can set up the hint and skip times for my preference. The graphics are excellent and some scenes are beautiful BUT there is also a bit too much use of purple and pink in some of those scenes. The game has excellent lip-synced voiceovers and with the inclusion of the music and special sound effects the game comes to life.
Many of the hidden object scenes are interactive and they are not always obvious. I sometimes didn’t realize when I was in a HO scene because they were woven seamlessly into the storyline. I very seldom have to resort to using the hint button to locate items in the HO scenes in a game but I found that I needed it more frequently in this game. I guess that means either the game is more difficult or the items are just invisible. Frankly, I think it is a combination of both as some items were very well hidden and were not in my face obvious. On the other hand, the puzzles were very easy, in fact extremely so. In the words of another excellent reviewer, his wonder dog Stanley could complete the puzzles with a tap of his paw. Yes, the puzzles are that easy but hopefully they will pick up in difficulty later in the game
The CE version includes collectibles and morphing objects along with the other standard additions normally found such as achievements to earn, the bonus game, strategy guide, wallpapers, music, videos, and additional HOPs and puzzles.
The game has an interesting but sometimes familiar storyline of a Count obsessed with power and the young lovers he attempts to destroy. As we delve further into the story we find a more sinister count with a history of many wives. The fact that the count kept ridding himself of wives is a similar theme to the story of Bluebeard but told with a bit of a demonic twist. Although the storyline is familiar, I like this game and it has enough challenge to keep my brain busy even with the easy puzzles. The game package is quite nice and with gorgeous graphics, the game was an instant purchase for me. Even though the game was one I became intrigued with after playing the demo, please try Immortal Love Letters from the Past to see if it is a game you will enjoy.