Rescue_helo's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.2
- Helpful Votes:10,878
- Reviews Submitted:226
- First Review:December 8, 2011
- Most Recent Review:June 25, 2019
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Vampire Mansion: A Linda Hyde Mystery
A secret world of vampires slowly reveals itself as Linda’s search for the books intensifies and she discovers that she has taken on much more than she bargained for.
Overall rating
2
/
5
21 of 25 found this review helpful
Skip this one, it's a total waste
PostedJanuary 12, 2012
Rescue_helo
fromLondon (UK) - French Alps
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Brain Teaser, Adventure, Large File, Puzzle, Strategy
Current Favorite:
Nancy Drew: The Haunting of Castle Malloy
(21)Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Delving again in BFG's treasure trove in search for the pearl of a game I came across this one. Not my lucky day !
There is an awful lot of dialogs, all scripted, many veeeeery long, so much of it all I ended up skipping them as I played the demo. Not a loss really as I didn't find the storyline particularly interesting, and it develops far too slowly anyway. The music is extremely annoying and weird. Most graphics are blurry, the HO Scenes in particular as if they were enlargements of low res snapshots. Some HOs are not too too difficult to find, others are.
One HO Scene is fiendish: you have to find 43 tiny pieces of stained glass followed by the reconstitution of a broken stained glass window, as a minigame, using... you guessed right.... the 43 bits in question. Small problem: you need to rotate these pieces by double clicking, but it didn't work
And so ended my 1 hour trial.
I was hoping the other minigames would give this game a sparkle of excitement. No way. I only saw two which were repeated over and over throughout the demo.
As for the heroine, it would have been better not to show one than drawing her with that permanent stupid expression on her face.
A game in which everything looks amateurish, which is apparently glitchy, and which doesn't contain anything that, for me, would justify a purchase even on the Daily Deal
There is an awful lot of dialogs, all scripted, many veeeeery long, so much of it all I ended up skipping them as I played the demo. Not a loss really as I didn't find the storyline particularly interesting, and it develops far too slowly anyway. The music is extremely annoying and weird. Most graphics are blurry, the HO Scenes in particular as if they were enlargements of low res snapshots. Some HOs are not too too difficult to find, others are.
One HO Scene is fiendish: you have to find 43 tiny pieces of stained glass followed by the reconstitution of a broken stained glass window, as a minigame, using... you guessed right.... the 43 bits in question. Small problem: you need to rotate these pieces by double clicking, but it didn't work
And so ended my 1 hour trial.
I was hoping the other minigames would give this game a sparkle of excitement. No way. I only saw two which were repeated over and over throughout the demo.
As for the heroine, it would have been better not to show one than drawing her with that permanent stupid expression on her face.
A game in which everything looks amateurish, which is apparently glitchy, and which doesn't contain anything that, for me, would justify a purchase even on the Daily Deal
I don't recommend this game.
Nightmare on the Pacific
The Brooks family boarded the Neptune hoping for a relaxing family vacation, but what they got was an incredible adventure!
Overall rating
3
/
5
9 of 10 found this review helpful
A nightmare that won't give you nightmares
PostedJanuary 12, 2012
Rescue_helo
fromLondon (UK) - French Alps
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Large File, Strategy, Brain Teaser, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Nancy Drew: The Haunting of Castle Malloy
(21)Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
The title seemed like a good omen, not because I delight in catastrophes, but because the basic idea was original and the promise of an exciting adventure.
But this promise wasn't kept; the lack of credibility of many tasks and actions was a cause of deep disappointment.
Here is a game that sets an awful situation in a very realistic and convincing way but half the tasks are either irrelevant, futile or utterly unrealistic. Three examples without giving too much away [there's a walkthrough, anyway]:
- irrelevant: the HO Scenes. The game would have been 10 times better if there weren't any, if everything had been conceived as a pure adventure in the style of The Last Express or Paradise. Because they act as interruptions, these scenes destroy the atmosphere of urgency which should have been kept intact and brought from a low level up to a climax. Looking for a crab, an elephant or a paper plane in those circumstances is out of place.
- futile: imagine yourself on a sinking liner; would you really be concerned with searching for a stuffed panda, a book or a toy car just because they are your kid's belongings ? I wouldn't.
- unrealistic: like using tweezers to reach for your suitcase keys which happen to be inside a vent, or walking along the edge of the upper deck to go to the helipad. All that in water up to your chin while you're inside, on a ship in distress that's pitching bow to stern, starboard to portside on a roaring sea. Not to mention a visit to the engine room while the upper decks are under water... uuuhh ??? Chances are that, in a real situation, you'd never find the flippin' keys and you'd be thrown overboard by a huge wave.
Objection ! It's only a game ! Granted. But why not make it perfectly realistic instead ? The basic idea is good, and the graphics as well as the gameplay show the developers are skilled enough to turn a HOG into a true adventure.
I would have preferred it to be so, with moments full of suspense and true danger in which the heroine can die [like in certain Nancy Drew investigations - but you get a second chance !].
Had this game been 100% nightmarish and realistic I would have given it 5 stars.
Still recommended because the game is good in some respects and can be enjoyed if you are not too demanding.
But this promise wasn't kept; the lack of credibility of many tasks and actions was a cause of deep disappointment.
Here is a game that sets an awful situation in a very realistic and convincing way but half the tasks are either irrelevant, futile or utterly unrealistic. Three examples without giving too much away [there's a walkthrough, anyway]:
- irrelevant: the HO Scenes. The game would have been 10 times better if there weren't any, if everything had been conceived as a pure adventure in the style of The Last Express or Paradise. Because they act as interruptions, these scenes destroy the atmosphere of urgency which should have been kept intact and brought from a low level up to a climax. Looking for a crab, an elephant or a paper plane in those circumstances is out of place.
- futile: imagine yourself on a sinking liner; would you really be concerned with searching for a stuffed panda, a book or a toy car just because they are your kid's belongings ? I wouldn't.
- unrealistic: like using tweezers to reach for your suitcase keys which happen to be inside a vent, or walking along the edge of the upper deck to go to the helipad. All that in water up to your chin while you're inside, on a ship in distress that's pitching bow to stern, starboard to portside on a roaring sea. Not to mention a visit to the engine room while the upper decks are under water... uuuhh ??? Chances are that, in a real situation, you'd never find the flippin' keys and you'd be thrown overboard by a huge wave.
Objection ! It's only a game ! Granted. But why not make it perfectly realistic instead ? The basic idea is good, and the graphics as well as the gameplay show the developers are skilled enough to turn a HOG into a true adventure.
I would have preferred it to be so, with moments full of suspense and true danger in which the heroine can die [like in certain Nancy Drew investigations - but you get a second chance !].
Had this game been 100% nightmarish and realistic I would have given it 5 stars.
Still recommended because the game is good in some respects and can be enjoyed if you are not too demanding.
I recommend this game!
Maestro: Notes of Life Collector's Edition
A missing girl has been lured away by evil music! Stop the young prodigy and save everyone from the evil Maestro!
Overall rating
4
/
5
52 of 72 found this review helpful
A few hours of entertainment guaranteed
PostedJanuary 12, 2012
Rescue_helo
fromLondon (UK) - French Alps
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Brain Teaser, Adventure, Large File, Puzzle, Strategy
Current Favorite:
Nancy Drew: The Haunting of Castle Malloy
(21)Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
If you liked the first installement and if you don't mind a profusion of skulls and skeletons, you are bound to enjoy this Maestro #2.
The developers [who have already released a number of very nice games] made a true effort to offer us a good movies as intro and cutscenes with convincing voice-overs. I liked the animations which are very realistic but the music is not a work of art that will pass onto posterity.
Else, the contents of the game are fairly similar to those you can find in their other games.
The HO Scenes are not too cluttered, manageable and interactive, the puzzles interesting and not insanely difficult, the adventure quite manageable without too much backtracking.
Of course you have tasks to perform, none being difficult or highly far-fetched, and several are the standard kind, such as fixing a ladder.
You have 3 Play Modes; on Casual, hints refill fairly fast, though not as fast as could be expected. They are very useful in the HO Scenes as well as to indicate what to do next or let you know there is nothing special to do in a particular area.
Gameplay is nice. The hand-drawn graphics very well crafted and artistically colored.
I didn't find the atmosphere was very creepy, just mildly gloomy, but some players might be disturbed by certain scenes as well as seeing two kids confronted with something that's on the evil side.
The SG gives access to the first 3 chapters, but if Maestro #2 is like its predecessor, there should be something like 10 chapters for the main game plus 1 for the CE.
I didn't see a wide screen option [but maybe I missed it].
The adventure storyline should keep you interested and the game shouldn't be too short.
Note: review based on the demo
The developers [who have already released a number of very nice games] made a true effort to offer us a good movies as intro and cutscenes with convincing voice-overs. I liked the animations which are very realistic but the music is not a work of art that will pass onto posterity.
Else, the contents of the game are fairly similar to those you can find in their other games.
The HO Scenes are not too cluttered, manageable and interactive, the puzzles interesting and not insanely difficult, the adventure quite manageable without too much backtracking.
Of course you have tasks to perform, none being difficult or highly far-fetched, and several are the standard kind, such as fixing a ladder.
You have 3 Play Modes; on Casual, hints refill fairly fast, though not as fast as could be expected. They are very useful in the HO Scenes as well as to indicate what to do next or let you know there is nothing special to do in a particular area.
Gameplay is nice. The hand-drawn graphics very well crafted and artistically colored.
I didn't find the atmosphere was very creepy, just mildly gloomy, but some players might be disturbed by certain scenes as well as seeing two kids confronted with something that's on the evil side.
The SG gives access to the first 3 chapters, but if Maestro #2 is like its predecessor, there should be something like 10 chapters for the main game plus 1 for the CE.
I didn't see a wide screen option [but maybe I missed it].
The adventure storyline should keep you interested and the game shouldn't be too short.
Note: review based on the demo
I recommend this game!
Voodoo Whisperer: Curse of a Legend
The entire town has been put into a deep, dark sleep by a mysterious evil force. Now young Lillian must find allies and uncover the dark secrets of voodoo in order to save her master and free her friends before it is too late.
Overall rating
4
/
5
28 of 33 found this review helpful
New Orleans Hit again by Evil Curse !
PostedJanuary 10, 2012
Rescue_helo
fromLondon (UK) - French Alps
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Brain Teaser, Adventure, Large File, Puzzle, Strategy
Current Favorite:
Nancy Drew: The Haunting of Castle Malloy
(21)Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Delving once more in BFG's treasure trove, I bumped into this game which I hadn't noticed before.
I spent a very pleasant hour playing the demo and particularly appreciated the HO Scenes because they are neat, very easy and can be quickly completed. I admit it, I am not a HOG fan, but I don't mind such scenes when theyr'e not junk piles and the HOs are not microscopic.
Furthermore the number of HO Scenes is not exaggerated thus leaving plenty of room for the adventure. Like in other games, you encounter the traditional type of useful items: ladder, plank, scissors, etc.. But you also have to find other kinds, more specific to the story, as several tasks involve making magical mixtures to remove the curse. Four abilities also enable you to cast spells.
All HOs fit in the 19th C context: no cell phone, no high-tech wristwatch to seach for, but and old bicycle, an antique jewel box as two examples.
Of course it is an eerie adventure, with curses, magic and ghosts. Nothing frightening though, but the spookyish atmosphere is well rendered.
I liked the visuals, they're gorgeous. The soundtrack is great with a music that wouldn't disparage a war movie, fits in quite well, and the voice-overs are quite good.
Not many puzzles, but plenty of things to do, a variety of tasks, clear objectives and many beautiful locations to explore, which entails a fair amount of navigation, but as you don't need to travel too far remembering where things are is no problem. Besides, the game tells you when an area is clear. Always a plus.
Minigames/puzzles are fairly standard on the whole, easy, with a some originality here and there, and can be skipped.
The Hint System doesn't refill fast and sometimes will even hightlight something useless or point to a location where there's nothing to do. But the adventure is easy enough for you to find your way and figure out what to do next without using hints.
The game apparently ends with a huge cliffhanger. I suppose the developers intend to release a sequel. But even if they don't, this Voodoo Whisperer is interesting enough to provide a few hours of enjoyment, especially if you like magic.
I spent a very pleasant hour playing the demo and particularly appreciated the HO Scenes because they are neat, very easy and can be quickly completed. I admit it, I am not a HOG fan, but I don't mind such scenes when theyr'e not junk piles and the HOs are not microscopic.
Furthermore the number of HO Scenes is not exaggerated thus leaving plenty of room for the adventure. Like in other games, you encounter the traditional type of useful items: ladder, plank, scissors, etc.. But you also have to find other kinds, more specific to the story, as several tasks involve making magical mixtures to remove the curse. Four abilities also enable you to cast spells.
All HOs fit in the 19th C context: no cell phone, no high-tech wristwatch to seach for, but and old bicycle, an antique jewel box as two examples.
Of course it is an eerie adventure, with curses, magic and ghosts. Nothing frightening though, but the spookyish atmosphere is well rendered.
I liked the visuals, they're gorgeous. The soundtrack is great with a music that wouldn't disparage a war movie, fits in quite well, and the voice-overs are quite good.
Not many puzzles, but plenty of things to do, a variety of tasks, clear objectives and many beautiful locations to explore, which entails a fair amount of navigation, but as you don't need to travel too far remembering where things are is no problem. Besides, the game tells you when an area is clear. Always a plus.
Minigames/puzzles are fairly standard on the whole, easy, with a some originality here and there, and can be skipped.
The Hint System doesn't refill fast and sometimes will even hightlight something useless or point to a location where there's nothing to do. But the adventure is easy enough for you to find your way and figure out what to do next without using hints.
The game apparently ends with a huge cliffhanger. I suppose the developers intend to release a sequel. But even if they don't, this Voodoo Whisperer is interesting enough to provide a few hours of enjoyment, especially if you like magic.
I recommend this game!
Mystical Island
Reunite Rick and Caitlin in Mystical Island, an incredible Hidden Object game! Get rick off of a tropical island and get him home!
Overall rating
2
/
5
36 of 49 found this review helpful
A basic HOG of little value
PostedJanuary 10, 2012
Rescue_helo
fromLondon (UK) - French Alps
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Brain Teaser, Adventure, Large File, Puzzle, Strategy
Current Favorite:
Nancy Drew: The Haunting of Castle Malloy
(21)Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
To put it in a nutshell I quit the demo after 36 minutes, when the 5th minigame tasked me with finding 24 differences.
The first 4 puzzles are old clasics without any new twist: #1 gear puzzle, #2 wire puzzle, #3 I can't even remember, #4 defuse a bomb, eg: cut the wires in a specific order. No difficulty here and they can be skipped.
The rest is nothing but a succession of HO Scenes in which objects came in lists, save one which had drawings instead.
Hints recharge fast, but there is only 1 Mode of play. All HO scenes are easily and quickly done with.
Linearity is optimum and the game babysits you permanently, telling you which task you are to perform and when. Nothing interesting or challenging there: repair a clock, repair an antenna, repair a radio, cut roots blocking a cockpit door, extinguish a fire.... In fact most of these tasks are the actual puzzles and minigames mentioned above.
The inventory can only contains 3 items at a time; those I had were a screwdriver, pliers, the antenna and an axe.
No way you can visit the very few locations at will since you are lead by the hand all the time.
No voice-over, a soundtrack that's not too bad but is awfully repetitive, static and scripted intro and cutscenes, and a story which brings nothing to the game; it would actually make no difference if there wasn't one.
As for the graphics....they are well below average, not ugly but dull.
Nothing exciting either in the locations the number of which is reduced to the minimum; all are perfectly static, too. Navigation is non-existent.
I suggest playing the demo before deciding to buy this game, but I am sorry to say I cannot possibly recommend it.
The first 4 puzzles are old clasics without any new twist: #1 gear puzzle, #2 wire puzzle, #3 I can't even remember, #4 defuse a bomb, eg: cut the wires in a specific order. No difficulty here and they can be skipped.
The rest is nothing but a succession of HO Scenes in which objects came in lists, save one which had drawings instead.
Hints recharge fast, but there is only 1 Mode of play. All HO scenes are easily and quickly done with.
Linearity is optimum and the game babysits you permanently, telling you which task you are to perform and when. Nothing interesting or challenging there: repair a clock, repair an antenna, repair a radio, cut roots blocking a cockpit door, extinguish a fire.... In fact most of these tasks are the actual puzzles and minigames mentioned above.
The inventory can only contains 3 items at a time; those I had were a screwdriver, pliers, the antenna and an axe.
No way you can visit the very few locations at will since you are lead by the hand all the time.
No voice-over, a soundtrack that's not too bad but is awfully repetitive, static and scripted intro and cutscenes, and a story which brings nothing to the game; it would actually make no difference if there wasn't one.
As for the graphics....they are well below average, not ugly but dull.
Nothing exciting either in the locations the number of which is reduced to the minimum; all are perfectly static, too. Navigation is non-existent.
I suggest playing the demo before deciding to buy this game, but I am sorry to say I cannot possibly recommend it.
I don't recommend this game.
Wispa Forest
Help a Wispa, Lyia, save her magical world from a wave of corruption that is decimating the land in this fun Hidden Object game!
Overall rating
1
/
5
39 of 46 found this review helpful
A HOG and nothing but a HOG which is best avoided
PostedJanuary 9, 2012
Rescue_helo
fromLondon (UK) - French Alps
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Brain Teaser, Adventure, Large File, Puzzle, Strategy
Current Favorite:
Nancy Drew: The Haunting of Castle Malloy
(21)Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Judging by the artwork and the fairy tale story, I thought at first Wispa would be ideal for children, especially the younger ones as an introduction to casual games.
Alas, alas, alas, Wispa Forest is much too difficult for them to start with, and it is made exclusively of HO Scenes and nothing else.
The sceneries are hand-drawn but their style is neither convivial nor suggestive of a dream-like land. They are more like a kid's doodle than the work of professionals and lack details as well as sophistication. Same remark regarding the colors, the combination of which is not really a happy one although they're relatively bright; the choice of palette turns monotonously around always the same pastel hues without any truly crisp contrast.
The difficulty resides in the hidden objects; not only are many of them poorly silhouetted but they blend so well into the background that it's virtually impossible to locate them.
You earn mana points each time you find an object, which you can spend on three types of hints to spot the unspottable.
The overall impresion I got was that it had been thrown together in a hurry. The result is dull, unimaginative, unchallenging, unexciting.
Aside the fact that the characters are very cute, this game has nothing to offer to our progeny -or anyone for that matter- save a great deal of intense eye-straining and infinite boredom.
Alas, alas, alas, Wispa Forest is much too difficult for them to start with, and it is made exclusively of HO Scenes and nothing else.
The sceneries are hand-drawn but their style is neither convivial nor suggestive of a dream-like land. They are more like a kid's doodle than the work of professionals and lack details as well as sophistication. Same remark regarding the colors, the combination of which is not really a happy one although they're relatively bright; the choice of palette turns monotonously around always the same pastel hues without any truly crisp contrast.
The difficulty resides in the hidden objects; not only are many of them poorly silhouetted but they blend so well into the background that it's virtually impossible to locate them.
You earn mana points each time you find an object, which you can spend on three types of hints to spot the unspottable.
The overall impresion I got was that it had been thrown together in a hurry. The result is dull, unimaginative, unchallenging, unexciting.
Aside the fact that the characters are very cute, this game has nothing to offer to our progeny -or anyone for that matter- save a great deal of intense eye-straining and infinite boredom.
I don't recommend this game.
Youda Legend: The Golden Bird of Paradise
After Amsterdam, you venture to a tropical paradise. It all seems peaceful, but again it will be nothing like you expect!
Overall rating
3
/
5
24 of 26 found this review helpful
A HOG in the Pacific
PostedJanuary 9, 2012
Rescue_helo
fromLondon (UK) - French Alps
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Brain Teaser, Adventure, Large File, Puzzle, Strategy
Current Favorite:
Nancy Drew: The Haunting of Castle Malloy
(21)Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
After trying Curse of the Amsterdam Diamond I was curious to see whether the sequel would appeal to me a little more.
This time our hero goes on vacation on a lovely atoll in the Pacific. The music is just as stunning as in the first installment.
A few improvements have been made.
There is still only 1 Mode, but:
- the number of HO Scenes has been reduced
- sparkling areas now indicate specific areas
- there is a bit of interactivity in the HO Scenes
- inventory items are now available for use like in many other games
- puzzles and minigames can be skipped
- hints are a little more eager to recharge [and you can speed them up by finding gems, like before]
- the artwork is better, with a brighter and more colorful decor
- there is more action than before, thus turning the game a little more into an adventure
Puzzles and minigames are interesting, offering a fair level of challenge and, for some, quite a bit of originality.
With its 5 chapters this game has a decent playtime.
However, several of the previous imperfections or annoyances remain:
- in each HOS the cursor goes wild after 3 misclicks
- some HO Scenes are a gigantic pile up of junk, and although the huge objects have disappeared, the dwarves and the invisible thingies remain
- hints do not always point accurately onto the searched object; the large blue circle sometimes fails to surround the object in question, and indicates the area just next to it; you need to spot the object in question off the center of the circle.
- several HO Scenes take much to long to complete for these two reasons
- linearity is still optimum
- the intro is unsophisticated
- no voice-over
The 1 hour demo didn't take me farther than the start of the third minigame, because of a lot of time wasted in the first three HO Scenes, the first due to the hint not pointing where it should have, the second and the third for the same reason and also because they are overpopulated.
If you love HOGs so much as to overlook all the flaws, you will certainly enjoy this Bird of Paradise.
It does not offer enough adventure for me and even though I would have like to solve all the puzzles, purchasing this Youda #2 is, as far as I am concerned, just as unlikely as the Moon falling on Earth.
This time our hero goes on vacation on a lovely atoll in the Pacific. The music is just as stunning as in the first installment.
A few improvements have been made.
There is still only 1 Mode, but:
- the number of HO Scenes has been reduced
- sparkling areas now indicate specific areas
- there is a bit of interactivity in the HO Scenes
- inventory items are now available for use like in many other games
- puzzles and minigames can be skipped
- hints are a little more eager to recharge [and you can speed them up by finding gems, like before]
- the artwork is better, with a brighter and more colorful decor
- there is more action than before, thus turning the game a little more into an adventure
Puzzles and minigames are interesting, offering a fair level of challenge and, for some, quite a bit of originality.
With its 5 chapters this game has a decent playtime.
However, several of the previous imperfections or annoyances remain:
- in each HOS the cursor goes wild after 3 misclicks
- some HO Scenes are a gigantic pile up of junk, and although the huge objects have disappeared, the dwarves and the invisible thingies remain
- hints do not always point accurately onto the searched object; the large blue circle sometimes fails to surround the object in question, and indicates the area just next to it; you need to spot the object in question off the center of the circle.
- several HO Scenes take much to long to complete for these two reasons
- linearity is still optimum
- the intro is unsophisticated
- no voice-over
The 1 hour demo didn't take me farther than the start of the third minigame, because of a lot of time wasted in the first three HO Scenes, the first due to the hint not pointing where it should have, the second and the third for the same reason and also because they are overpopulated.
If you love HOGs so much as to overlook all the flaws, you will certainly enjoy this Bird of Paradise.
It does not offer enough adventure for me and even though I would have like to solve all the puzzles, purchasing this Youda #2 is, as far as I am concerned, just as unlikely as the Moon falling on Earth.
I recommend this game!
Youda Legend: The Curse of the Amsterdam Diamond
The dark influence of an old curse still taunts the city of Amsterdam! Explore this beautiful city on this mysterious guided tour.
Overall rating
3
/
5
27 of 28 found this review helpful
HO Scenes, Puzzles and Tourism
PostedJanuary 9, 2012
Rescue_helo
fromLondon (UK) - French Alps
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Brain Teaser, Adventure, Large File, Puzzle, Strategy
Current Favorite:
Nancy Drew: The Haunting of Castle Malloy
(21)Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
The music is beautiful. Each cutscene starts with a snapshot of Amsterdam by night, a different area each time. The artwork is okay, the story seems fair and linearity is optimum.
But...you need keen eyes to tackle this one !
The first HO Scene is misleading: the objects you see right from the start are huge, so you think "Oh,well, that's an easy one !". You're wrong. Next to the giants there are many dwarves and quite a few that are nearly invisible. So you click and click again until, at the fourth click exactly the cursor stops cooperating.This applies to every other HOS.
In each scene, finding the diamonds recharges the sluggish Hint System faster [easy to spot, they glitter] and increases your score.
So, the game is a long sequence of HO Scenes alternating with puzzles and minigames. No action whatsoever, no useful item. This Youda is an adventure that is not really an adventure. When one of these items is given, the game uses it for you, but they often are the pre-settings to a puzzle.
Puzzles and minigames thus pop up almost after each HOS, meaning there are plenty of them. None can be skipped but, for each one, a clue is available in the form of drawings.
Those I saw in the 1 hour demo are quite interesting, not all that easy, but there are too many HO Scenes for me, else I would have been tempted to purchase the game.
If you love HOGs, don't mind having no Skip and Reset options, if you accept to be stuck with a puzzle without being able to exit, and be content with basic graphics, then you'll enjoy this game.
But...you need keen eyes to tackle this one !
The first HO Scene is misleading: the objects you see right from the start are huge, so you think "Oh,well, that's an easy one !". You're wrong. Next to the giants there are many dwarves and quite a few that are nearly invisible. So you click and click again until, at the fourth click exactly the cursor stops cooperating.This applies to every other HOS.
In each scene, finding the diamonds recharges the sluggish Hint System faster [easy to spot, they glitter] and increases your score.
So, the game is a long sequence of HO Scenes alternating with puzzles and minigames. No action whatsoever, no useful item. This Youda is an adventure that is not really an adventure. When one of these items is given, the game uses it for you, but they often are the pre-settings to a puzzle.
Puzzles and minigames thus pop up almost after each HOS, meaning there are plenty of them. None can be skipped but, for each one, a clue is available in the form of drawings.
Those I saw in the 1 hour demo are quite interesting, not all that easy, but there are too many HO Scenes for me, else I would have been tempted to purchase the game.
If you love HOGs, don't mind having no Skip and Reset options, if you accept to be stuck with a puzzle without being able to exit, and be content with basic graphics, then you'll enjoy this game.
I recommend this game!
Nancy Drew: The Haunting of Castle Malloy
Mystery is afoot at Castle Malloy! Unveil a ghostly legend and find the vanished groom in this chilling adventure game!
Overall rating
5
/
5
53 of 59 found this review helpful
Very immersive, truly gripping, highly challenging.
PostedJanuary 8, 2012
Rescue_helo
fromLondon (UK) - French Alps
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Brain Teaser, Adventure, Large File, Puzzle, Strategy
Current Favorite:
Art of Murder: Cards of Destiny
(17)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
This time, our young sleuth, Nancy, flies all the way to Ireland to attend a friend's wedding. But nothing ever goes as expected with her -else there would be no mystery to unravel.
As she approaches the castle, a ghostly figure pops up in front of her car and she ends up in a ditch. Walk, walk, walk....
Once at the castle she is told the groom is missing.
Needless to say that Nancy starts investigating without delay.
No, I will not reveal more, that would spoil your fun. Let me just add that the storyline is based on Celtic folklore and is pretty enthralling.
As in all her adventures, you can choose between 2 Modes: Junior Detective and Senior. The latter is a lot more challenging, though the former is never easy.
Nancy [you for the occasion] will interact often with the different characters; she needs to talk to them to gather clues.
Reading books and documents is also important for the same reason; they also provide a lot of interesting information on Celtic legends and the history of the Malloy family.
Exploring the different locales and collecting inventory items are two of her fundamental tasks. The decor is, as usual, extremely well conceived and crafted, quite impressive actually; the interior of the castle is wonderfully rendered giving the impression you are in a real one.
And all the tasks, even though quite a few are not obvious, are good fun.
Another strength of this investigation resides in the puzzles and minigames.
Some of these minigames are timed, but if you fail once, you can try again as often as necessary. In the end you're bound to win.
In everything she does, she needs to be creative and think out of the box. One reason why a Nancy Drew investigation is never a piece of cake.
Another reason is that no puzzle is easy. They also differ according to the level you choose; they are harder on Senior Level.
I enjoyed that 19th intallment from start to finish; I loved the eerie atmosphere, how the characters react to your questions, their answers, collecting clues one by one, reading, the series of creepy events that spice up the adventure, the tricky puzzles, the fun minigames, and the surprises.
Yes, in every one of Nancy's adventure there is at least one surprise showing how much imagination the developers have, how much work and originality they put in each time, and how well they master their art.
Castle Malloy is a challenging RPG which grows on you as you progress in the game.
I can only recommend it and encourage you to play it.
Note: The tutorial at the beginning should not be skipped if this is your first Nancy Drew.
As she approaches the castle, a ghostly figure pops up in front of her car and she ends up in a ditch. Walk, walk, walk....
Once at the castle she is told the groom is missing.
Needless to say that Nancy starts investigating without delay.
No, I will not reveal more, that would spoil your fun. Let me just add that the storyline is based on Celtic folklore and is pretty enthralling.
As in all her adventures, you can choose between 2 Modes: Junior Detective and Senior. The latter is a lot more challenging, though the former is never easy.
Nancy [you for the occasion] will interact often with the different characters; she needs to talk to them to gather clues.
Reading books and documents is also important for the same reason; they also provide a lot of interesting information on Celtic legends and the history of the Malloy family.
Exploring the different locales and collecting inventory items are two of her fundamental tasks. The decor is, as usual, extremely well conceived and crafted, quite impressive actually; the interior of the castle is wonderfully rendered giving the impression you are in a real one.
And all the tasks, even though quite a few are not obvious, are good fun.
Another strength of this investigation resides in the puzzles and minigames.
Some of these minigames are timed, but if you fail once, you can try again as often as necessary. In the end you're bound to win.
In everything she does, she needs to be creative and think out of the box. One reason why a Nancy Drew investigation is never a piece of cake.
Another reason is that no puzzle is easy. They also differ according to the level you choose; they are harder on Senior Level.
I enjoyed that 19th intallment from start to finish; I loved the eerie atmosphere, how the characters react to your questions, their answers, collecting clues one by one, reading, the series of creepy events that spice up the adventure, the tricky puzzles, the fun minigames, and the surprises.
Yes, in every one of Nancy's adventure there is at least one surprise showing how much imagination the developers have, how much work and originality they put in each time, and how well they master their art.
Castle Malloy is a challenging RPG which grows on you as you progress in the game.
I can only recommend it and encourage you to play it.
Note: The tutorial at the beginning should not be skipped if this is your first Nancy Drew.
I recommend this game!
Vampire Saga - Welcome To Hell Lock
Something unnatural is stalking you through an abandoned town! Escape by gathering useful items and solving clever puzzles!
Overall rating
4
/
5
13 of 15 found this review helpful
A good game to spend a few relaxing hours
PostedJanuary 8, 2012
Rescue_helo
fromLondon (UK) - French Alps
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Brain Teaser, Adventure, Large File, Puzzle, Strategy
Current Favorite:
Nancy Drew: Legend of the Crystal Skull
(15)Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
This vampire story is not similar to Dracula or Love Kills. In fact it's very different in that no vampire shows up except once in a cutscene and at the end. But that's what keeps the suspense going, together with shadows and ghostly figures emerging out of a corner or behind a lamp-post
The storyline holds the road all along although one cutscene is misleading and seems out of context. The last scene is contrary to the expectations the player may have nurtured during the whole game but constitutes a logical ending. Yet what follows thereafter is hardly credible.
After a simple intro, the hero finds himself in the middle of a windy night with his motorbike totally wrecked, no memory and a vampire's bite on his neck, on the outskirts of a deserted small town in which most buildings are crumbling down and streets are lit with candles.
From there he explores 35 different locations and performs a multitude of tasks, most of which are logical and natural in the circumstances, and quite relevant to the story.
That said, these tasks consist mainly in fixing things up and using tools. No magic lock, no dungeon type action, no potion, no spell, no fancy artifact.
In between tasks, many HO Scenes and very few puzzles or minigames.
All HO Scenes are purely traditional and not particularly difficult. On the easier of the 2 Modes Hints recharge real fast, something I always appreciate as I don't like to spend more than 2 minutes locating useless objects.
Moreover, the name of each hidden object turns from white to green when the cursor is on or near it. A plus [for me, at least] which allowed me to speed through every HOS.
Visiting each locale can be done in any order and requires a fair amount of backtracking. Two ways to navigate:
- either by using the arrows on screen, but that adds a lot to the total mileage; the hints show you where to go as well as what to do next;
- or by clicking on the photos so as to jump from one locale to another; here the hints are no help, you have to figure out your next destination by yourself.
The artwork is quite good, well drawn and colorful in the darkish tones, with enough details such as cobwebs, rats, vegetation growing hectically everywhere, derelict interiors, deep holes in the asphalt, to set a semi-spooky atmosphere.
No voice over, simple intro and custcenes in the form of stills, and a soft, undisturbing music.
I had liked Pandora's Box, a similar kind of adventure, I liked this sequel just as much, not because they deserve an Oscar, but rather because of the technical tasks.
They are both unpretentious, rather easy, relaxing, and offer a fair degree of challenge.
If you don't mind bouncing from one place to another and reparing TV sets, compressors, using a pneumatic drill or a fire truck, etc.., if you want a bit of suspense and originality, if you don't want to think too hard but just hard enough, then you willl probably like this game.
The storyline holds the road all along although one cutscene is misleading and seems out of context. The last scene is contrary to the expectations the player may have nurtured during the whole game but constitutes a logical ending. Yet what follows thereafter is hardly credible.
After a simple intro, the hero finds himself in the middle of a windy night with his motorbike totally wrecked, no memory and a vampire's bite on his neck, on the outskirts of a deserted small town in which most buildings are crumbling down and streets are lit with candles.
From there he explores 35 different locations and performs a multitude of tasks, most of which are logical and natural in the circumstances, and quite relevant to the story.
That said, these tasks consist mainly in fixing things up and using tools. No magic lock, no dungeon type action, no potion, no spell, no fancy artifact.
In between tasks, many HO Scenes and very few puzzles or minigames.
All HO Scenes are purely traditional and not particularly difficult. On the easier of the 2 Modes Hints recharge real fast, something I always appreciate as I don't like to spend more than 2 minutes locating useless objects.
Moreover, the name of each hidden object turns from white to green when the cursor is on or near it. A plus [for me, at least] which allowed me to speed through every HOS.
Visiting each locale can be done in any order and requires a fair amount of backtracking. Two ways to navigate:
- either by using the arrows on screen, but that adds a lot to the total mileage; the hints show you where to go as well as what to do next;
- or by clicking on the photos so as to jump from one locale to another; here the hints are no help, you have to figure out your next destination by yourself.
The artwork is quite good, well drawn and colorful in the darkish tones, with enough details such as cobwebs, rats, vegetation growing hectically everywhere, derelict interiors, deep holes in the asphalt, to set a semi-spooky atmosphere.
No voice over, simple intro and custcenes in the form of stills, and a soft, undisturbing music.
I had liked Pandora's Box, a similar kind of adventure, I liked this sequel just as much, not because they deserve an Oscar, but rather because of the technical tasks.
They are both unpretentious, rather easy, relaxing, and offer a fair degree of challenge.
If you don't mind bouncing from one place to another and reparing TV sets, compressors, using a pneumatic drill or a fire truck, etc.., if you want a bit of suspense and originality, if you don't want to think too hard but just hard enough, then you willl probably like this game.
I recommend this game!