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:
Natural Threat: Ominous Shores
Use your powers of observation to save your friends from the genetic aberrations that populate a forgotten island in Natural Threat: Ominous Shores!
Overall rating
3
/
5
46 of 66 found this review helpful
For entomologists and HO fans only
PostedFebruary 25, 2012
Rescue_helo
fromLondon (UK) - French Alps
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Large File, Strategy, Brain Teaser, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Art of Murder: Deadly Secrets
(18)Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
If you like insects, or have the soul of a bug killer, and if the too frequent eternal HO Scenes filled to the brim with useless thingies or 24 insects or 25 leaves or 25 flowers do not bore you to tears, then you will probably enjoy the game.
Other than that, nothing special, nothing new, nothing really exciting. Yes, the whole atmosphere is creepy, well sort of -what do you expect when you have to deal with loads of crawling creepies plus gargoyles without forgetting THE skeleton, yes the same bored looking one that hangs around in 99% of HOGS/Adventures ? - and that's about the only pole of interest with the graphics, which I must admit are very good.
The puzzles seem dead easy and unoriginal though I didn't encounter many in the demo, only one in fact, tasks are the usual stuff: get a chisel, a sledgehammer, an axe - I can't remember if THE crowbar is tucked up somewhere...... and everything you need do is easy as pie anyway and, again, not at all different from what you have been doing in dozens of other games: oil hinges, dig up a patch of earth; plug in an electrical cord....
I wish some dev came up with new ideas, unusual items to find and tasks full of imagination. You won't find that in this one, I'm afraid.
I'll recommend this game because it is not that bad, but it's a no buy for me
Other than that, nothing special, nothing new, nothing really exciting. Yes, the whole atmosphere is creepy, well sort of -what do you expect when you have to deal with loads of crawling creepies plus gargoyles without forgetting THE skeleton, yes the same bored looking one that hangs around in 99% of HOGS/Adventures ? - and that's about the only pole of interest with the graphics, which I must admit are very good.
The puzzles seem dead easy and unoriginal though I didn't encounter many in the demo, only one in fact, tasks are the usual stuff: get a chisel, a sledgehammer, an axe - I can't remember if THE crowbar is tucked up somewhere...... and everything you need do is easy as pie anyway and, again, not at all different from what you have been doing in dozens of other games: oil hinges, dig up a patch of earth; plug in an electrical cord....
I wish some dev came up with new ideas, unusual items to find and tasks full of imagination. You won't find that in this one, I'm afraid.
I'll recommend this game because it is not that bad, but it's a no buy for me
I recommend this game!
Surface: Mystery of Another World
After your son, Bobby, mysteriously disappears, it's up to you to find him in Surface: The Mystery of Another World!
Overall rating
4
/
5
46 of 72 found this review helpful
Good but not really impressive
PostedFebruary 24, 2012
Rescue_helo
fromLondon (UK) - French Alps
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Large File, Strategy, Brain Teaser, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Art of Murder: Secret Files
(18)Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I must say I was pleasantly surprised by the top-notch quality of the intro movie, the professional acting and voice-overs, and I expected the rest of the game would be at the same level.
I was soon to lose my illusions. The game falls back immediately into the pure tradition of HOGs mixed with some amount of adventure and doesn't offer anything new or outsanding except for some clever minigames. I also thought there would be a lot of interactivity. Hard luck, it's not an interactive movie.
I also expected the visuals to be extraordinary. They're not. They are good but nothing more.
As usual the HO Scenes are cluttered with useless items but, on Casual Mode, you have plenty of hints and you can misclick as much as you like.
Tasks are similar to those we find in other games; you can't avoid the odd screwdriver, the bucket, the ladder and other items of like genre the use of which is obvious for those who are used to casual games.
I wasn't impressed by what I saw of the storyline; it, too, is classical, meant to be spooky but is actually weird. It's impossible to tell whether it unfolds well and makes sense until you have completed the whole game.
Surface is good enough to be recommended.
Note: Review based on the demo of the CE. The SG is well conceived, complete, and lets you sneak peek into all its chapters [4 + the bonus]. In addition you earn achievements, have extra minigames in the CE and can modulate the overall difficulty.
I was soon to lose my illusions. The game falls back immediately into the pure tradition of HOGs mixed with some amount of adventure and doesn't offer anything new or outsanding except for some clever minigames. I also thought there would be a lot of interactivity. Hard luck, it's not an interactive movie.
I also expected the visuals to be extraordinary. They're not. They are good but nothing more.
As usual the HO Scenes are cluttered with useless items but, on Casual Mode, you have plenty of hints and you can misclick as much as you like.
Tasks are similar to those we find in other games; you can't avoid the odd screwdriver, the bucket, the ladder and other items of like genre the use of which is obvious for those who are used to casual games.
I wasn't impressed by what I saw of the storyline; it, too, is classical, meant to be spooky but is actually weird. It's impossible to tell whether it unfolds well and makes sense until you have completed the whole game.
Surface is good enough to be recommended.
Note: Review based on the demo of the CE. The SG is well conceived, complete, and lets you sneak peek into all its chapters [4 + the bonus]. In addition you earn achievements, have extra minigames in the CE and can modulate the overall difficulty.
I recommend this game!
The Surprising Adventures of Munchausen
The Heart of the Kingdom has been destroyed and now it’s up to Munchausen to save the day in this fun Hidden Object game!
Overall rating
2
/
5
27 of 57 found this review helpful
Surprisingly Boring
PostedFebruary 19, 2012
Rescue_helo
fromLondon (UK) - French Alps
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Large File, Strategy, Brain Teaser, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Art of Murder: FBI Confidential
(13)Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Nothing in the demo really managed to fuel my interest and the pseudo-humoristic side of the story fell totally flat for me. As for the rest, well, it's.... as usual.
The HO Scenes are meaningless, and locating useless objects by means of associations is neither a novel idea nor particularly exciting.
Finding the useful items is hardly different from what you have in other games: boards, knife, plate, just name it, and the tasks are perfectly uninteresting, some being borderline to being ludicrous.
Puzzles are old classics and at the level of a 10 year old kid: a jigsaw puzzle, pipes, a slider..... and a mah-jong. It's a bit much to propose a mah-jong in what is supposed to be an adventure as there are many very good ones on the market. The minigames are no better either
The "greatness" of this game resides in the graphics and the voice-overs. But that's hardly sufficient to make a game enthralling and worth purchasing.
The HO Scenes are meaningless, and locating useless objects by means of associations is neither a novel idea nor particularly exciting.
Finding the useful items is hardly different from what you have in other games: boards, knife, plate, just name it, and the tasks are perfectly uninteresting, some being borderline to being ludicrous.
Puzzles are old classics and at the level of a 10 year old kid: a jigsaw puzzle, pipes, a slider..... and a mah-jong. It's a bit much to propose a mah-jong in what is supposed to be an adventure as there are many very good ones on the market. The minigames are no better either
The "greatness" of this game resides in the graphics and the voice-overs. But that's hardly sufficient to make a game enthralling and worth purchasing.
I don't recommend this game.
Otherworld: Spring of Shadows
Use a mystical locket to explore a magical world and save a young girl in Other world: Spring of Shadows!
Overall rating
4
/
5
159 of 173 found this review helpful
A fairly interesting fairy tale
PostedFebruary 18, 2012
Rescue_helo
fromLondon (UK) - French Alps
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Large File, Strategy, Brain Teaser, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Art of Murder: Cards of Destiny
(17)Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
After a standard intro you are taken into a fantasy world inhabited by dryads, to save a little girl abducted by a horrible creature with sharp teeth, horns and no eyes called "The Shade".
As I started the trial version I thought the game would go off the beaten tracks and offer us something totally different. It does in a fashion but not entirely.
The first scenes, remarkable by the way they have been crafted are bucolic, similar to paintings; the highly detailed artwork is indeed a work of art and must have taken hours and hours of hard work.
This idyllic atmosphere doesn't last long, soon turning towards gloom; the marvellous sceneries of the beginning become darkish, confused and up to a point a bit disturbing. That reminded me of Isabella but the other way round and with the slight difference that Isabella did not convey any impression of uneasiness difficult to define.
Focusing on the game itself, and the artwork set aside, I did find some interesting features.
The cutscenes are good, the voice-overs perfect, the goals unambiguously given in the journal, the useful items easy to find, the tasks simple and not too irrelevant in relation with the story, and traveling reasonnable due to the important linearity.
More or less in line with the context too, are the HO Scenes, which for once, do not force us to find the odd rubber duck or the set of false teeth. However some of them are a bit tedious like having to move vines left and right to find 22 spiders that blend in perfectly with a background abundant in leaves and the like. But a few are lovely and easy.
Misclicking too often causes the face of The Shade to invade the screen, something definitely not to my liking.
In addition there are 60 collectibles to gather. They too are invisible. I found only one during the demo, quite by chance actually, and made no effort to get the others. This kind of task doesn't exactly correspond to my idea of fun.
The game has a total of 40 puzzles/minigames; those I played had various levels of difficulty, but I didn't really get enthusiastic about any of them as they are variants of tangrams, jigsaw puzzles and rotating circles. They can be skipped, and they reset automatically if you exit before completion.
3 Modes; on Casual hints re-up fast and guide you effectively in determining what to do next; plus a soft music that's quite relaxing, and many achievements to be rewarded with
The demo lets you play the first 2 Chapters but you need to be fast to complete them in that 1 hour. Which means a more than decent total playtime as you have 6 Chapters for the main game.
All in all, in spite of the 22 spiders, the mixture of loveliness and gloom and that awful Shade, I am convinced Otherworld is worth adding to one's collection.
As I started the trial version I thought the game would go off the beaten tracks and offer us something totally different. It does in a fashion but not entirely.
The first scenes, remarkable by the way they have been crafted are bucolic, similar to paintings; the highly detailed artwork is indeed a work of art and must have taken hours and hours of hard work.
This idyllic atmosphere doesn't last long, soon turning towards gloom; the marvellous sceneries of the beginning become darkish, confused and up to a point a bit disturbing. That reminded me of Isabella but the other way round and with the slight difference that Isabella did not convey any impression of uneasiness difficult to define.
Focusing on the game itself, and the artwork set aside, I did find some interesting features.
The cutscenes are good, the voice-overs perfect, the goals unambiguously given in the journal, the useful items easy to find, the tasks simple and not too irrelevant in relation with the story, and traveling reasonnable due to the important linearity.
More or less in line with the context too, are the HO Scenes, which for once, do not force us to find the odd rubber duck or the set of false teeth. However some of them are a bit tedious like having to move vines left and right to find 22 spiders that blend in perfectly with a background abundant in leaves and the like. But a few are lovely and easy.
Misclicking too often causes the face of The Shade to invade the screen, something definitely not to my liking.
In addition there are 60 collectibles to gather. They too are invisible. I found only one during the demo, quite by chance actually, and made no effort to get the others. This kind of task doesn't exactly correspond to my idea of fun.
The game has a total of 40 puzzles/minigames; those I played had various levels of difficulty, but I didn't really get enthusiastic about any of them as they are variants of tangrams, jigsaw puzzles and rotating circles. They can be skipped, and they reset automatically if you exit before completion.
3 Modes; on Casual hints re-up fast and guide you effectively in determining what to do next; plus a soft music that's quite relaxing, and many achievements to be rewarded with
The demo lets you play the first 2 Chapters but you need to be fast to complete them in that 1 hour. Which means a more than decent total playtime as you have 6 Chapters for the main game.
All in all, in spite of the 22 spiders, the mixture of loveliness and gloom and that awful Shade, I am convinced Otherworld is worth adding to one's collection.
I recommend this game!
White Haven Mysteries
Overall rating
3
/
5
72 of 90 found this review helpful
Decent, fairly interesting, but not out of this world
PostedFebruary 17, 2012
Rescue_helo
fromLondon (UK) - French Alps
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Large File, Strategy, Brain Teaser, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Art of Murder: Secret Files
(18)Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
The one hour demo took me past half of what I suppose is the first chapter.
What I saw and did I in that hour didn't really blow my socks off.
At the start, the game advises you to play in the dark, loud speakers on, and warns you that the "adventure" is frightening and might no be suitable for the fainthearted.
I didn't find it scary at all..... but I am not hypersensitive.
I also turned the speakers down; the permanent sound effects and the music track get very annoying after a little while.
The strong point of this game is the voice-overs; truly professional. very natural, in one word, perfectly realistic. The dialogues are well worded and what the mysterious man says, the way he says it, is highly convincing.
Intro and cutscenes are very well done.
Oh, yes, the plot: the heroine has been drugged [we don't know how or why] and wakes up in what looks like a haunted mansion, except that it is not haunted at all. The inside is, or so it seemed to me, that of an abandoned, derelict mental asylum. Our heroine's goal consists in finding the antidote, escaping, and in the process, I suppose, defeat the man and save a little girl. Not a novel idea but it gave me the impression it was well developed and fairly interesting.
Graphicwise, nothing exceptional. The artwork is good, somber as befits the atmosphere, colored with talent.
Part of the game is an adventure, though the tasks are simple, unoriginal, and do not require much mental effort. They all respond to some logic in some way.
A large part of it is left to HO Scenes. These are neat, not overly populated, and fairly easily managed, save one: imagine dozens of objects, not even half an each in size, all of the same color more or less, and crammed up on... a telephone !!
I was happy, for this one, to be on Casual Mode [there are only 2 Modes], with a Hint System recharging almost at warp speed. Besides, you can click as much as you want without penalty. Hints also show you what to do next.
But it's difficult to get stuck; the linearity prevents that, and the number of locations to explore is rather limited, at least in the first hour. That's probably why you have no map.
Simple, too, are the objectives; moreover they are clearly stated in the journal.
I was hoping for numerous fiendish puzzles. In vain. The first one was a piece of cake, the second, in fact a minigame [make a chicken soup... LOL], perfectly uninteresting, even silly. I didn't get to play a third one which, probably, comes up later on. Puzzles are skippable.
I didn't see a wide screen option. Gameplay is fluid.
All in all White Haven is not exactly a paradise for true adventure lovers and puzzle aficionados, just another decent game for those who are keen on HOGs and simplicity.
However, bearing a full and perfectly objective judgement is difficult in the avsence of further information; we don't know how successfully the storyline unfolds, what the rest of the game has in store, and whether it is long or short.
As is this game is okay, though I have seen better, so I can only give it 3 stars and I very much doubt I will ever purchase it.
What I saw and did I in that hour didn't really blow my socks off.
At the start, the game advises you to play in the dark, loud speakers on, and warns you that the "adventure" is frightening and might no be suitable for the fainthearted.
I didn't find it scary at all..... but I am not hypersensitive.
I also turned the speakers down; the permanent sound effects and the music track get very annoying after a little while.
The strong point of this game is the voice-overs; truly professional. very natural, in one word, perfectly realistic. The dialogues are well worded and what the mysterious man says, the way he says it, is highly convincing.
Intro and cutscenes are very well done.
Oh, yes, the plot: the heroine has been drugged [we don't know how or why] and wakes up in what looks like a haunted mansion, except that it is not haunted at all. The inside is, or so it seemed to me, that of an abandoned, derelict mental asylum. Our heroine's goal consists in finding the antidote, escaping, and in the process, I suppose, defeat the man and save a little girl. Not a novel idea but it gave me the impression it was well developed and fairly interesting.
Graphicwise, nothing exceptional. The artwork is good, somber as befits the atmosphere, colored with talent.
Part of the game is an adventure, though the tasks are simple, unoriginal, and do not require much mental effort. They all respond to some logic in some way.
A large part of it is left to HO Scenes. These are neat, not overly populated, and fairly easily managed, save one: imagine dozens of objects, not even half an each in size, all of the same color more or less, and crammed up on... a telephone !!
I was happy, for this one, to be on Casual Mode [there are only 2 Modes], with a Hint System recharging almost at warp speed. Besides, you can click as much as you want without penalty. Hints also show you what to do next.
But it's difficult to get stuck; the linearity prevents that, and the number of locations to explore is rather limited, at least in the first hour. That's probably why you have no map.
Simple, too, are the objectives; moreover they are clearly stated in the journal.
I was hoping for numerous fiendish puzzles. In vain. The first one was a piece of cake, the second, in fact a minigame [make a chicken soup... LOL], perfectly uninteresting, even silly. I didn't get to play a third one which, probably, comes up later on. Puzzles are skippable.
I didn't see a wide screen option. Gameplay is fluid.
All in all White Haven is not exactly a paradise for true adventure lovers and puzzle aficionados, just another decent game for those who are keen on HOGs and simplicity.
However, bearing a full and perfectly objective judgement is difficult in the avsence of further information; we don't know how successfully the storyline unfolds, what the rest of the game has in store, and whether it is long or short.
As is this game is okay, though I have seen better, so I can only give it 3 stars and I very much doubt I will ever purchase it.
I recommend this game!
Film Fatale: Lights, Camera, Madness!
Rita Ray, your mother and world famous film star, has disappeared! Find her before it’s too late in Film Fatale: Lights, Camera, Madness!
Overall rating
3
/
5
31 of 47 found this review helpful
Just another HOG like any other HOG
PostedFebruary 15, 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: Secret Files
(18)Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
At first I thought it was a pale copy of Nancy Drew: Lights Camera, Curses. It is up to a point as the action takes place in a movie studio, but with the difference that Nancy Drew was much much better, didn't have any HOS and was a pure adventure full of suspense.
I found the visuals interesting though messy since they depict a derelict studio and also very dark.
HO Scenes are the usual stuff and present no interest whatsoever save the fact you have to play them in order to get one useful object.
Goals are not that clear but the hint system helps a bit.
There are many locales to visit which means a lot of bouncing to and fro, though you get help from a map.
Tasks and puzzles are basic.
So is the storyline.
Good voice-overs though.
All in all a game that won't set the earth on fire and that I won't recommend unless you have nothing better to play
I found the visuals interesting though messy since they depict a derelict studio and also very dark.
HO Scenes are the usual stuff and present no interest whatsoever save the fact you have to play them in order to get one useful object.
Goals are not that clear but the hint system helps a bit.
There are many locales to visit which means a lot of bouncing to and fro, though you get help from a map.
Tasks and puzzles are basic.
So is the storyline.
Good voice-overs though.
All in all a game that won't set the earth on fire and that I won't recommend unless you have nothing better to play
I don't recommend this game.
Amulet of Time: Shadow of la Rochelle
When the ghost of the beautiful Diane de Poitiers appears in front of you, you are transported back in time in Amulet of Time: Shadow of la Rochelle!
Overall rating
3
/
5
33 of 49 found this review helpful
Average HOG with good graphics
PostedFebruary 14, 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: Secret Files
(18)Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
The two main points of interest of this game lie in the great visuals and the little bit of [very] general historical information on the times of Henry II of France, although none of it is 100% historically accurate.
As for the locales, they are nicely detailed and crafted, but they are all indoors -except at the very end - and rather dark for some. They are also very repetitive as you visit and revisit the same locations time and time again.
Many HO Scenes, not too difficut to handle, with a good hint system and the usual odd useless objects to find.
Puzzles come up now and then, in small number; nothing original here either: a tangram, unentangle threads, etc...
Tasks are well stated but awfully simple and the adventure side limited.
Other than that, you encounter the traditional ghosts, and skeletons in a torture chamber.
Not a bad game, in a nice wrapping, but that offers the same sort of stuff as dozens of other games, with a low level of challenge and few reasons to get enthralled by it.
Recommended to HO fans.
As for the locales, they are nicely detailed and crafted, but they are all indoors -except at the very end - and rather dark for some. They are also very repetitive as you visit and revisit the same locations time and time again.
Many HO Scenes, not too difficut to handle, with a good hint system and the usual odd useless objects to find.
Puzzles come up now and then, in small number; nothing original here either: a tangram, unentangle threads, etc...
Tasks are well stated but awfully simple and the adventure side limited.
Other than that, you encounter the traditional ghosts, and skeletons in a torture chamber.
Not a bad game, in a nice wrapping, but that offers the same sort of stuff as dozens of other games, with a low level of challenge and few reasons to get enthralled by it.
Recommended to HO fans.
I recommend this game!
Ghost Towns: The Cats Of Ulthar Collector's Edition
Upon arriving in a strange city, you find the citizens ready to burn Menes at the stake in Ghost Towns: The Cats of Ulthar!
Overall rating
3
/
5
57 of 78 found this review helpful
Not exactly enthralling
PostedFebruary 12, 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
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
The story is somewhat original, based on hordes of cats turning into bloodthirsty beasts, except that the only cat you see is the one that meows every 10 seconds and is in charge of the hints.
Most of the game revolves around two components:
- many HO Scenes, which are the usual mess
- a lot of backtracking
A few puzzles here and there, pretty simple and totally standard.
And a few basic and boring tasks that make up the adventure... always the same stuff: find a key, use a crowbar, an axe, etc...
The visuals are not great; the locations are satisfactorily drawn and colored though often blurry, but the intro and the custscenes are terrible.
The music is soft, you have 3 Modes of difficulty, and plenty of hints on Casual which help you find the hidden objects and direct you through the different locales.
The SG is not accessible, so no way to tell how long the game is and what it has in store.
On the basis of the demo, it is hardly worth more than 3 stars due to some of the graphics, the absence of challenge, the too many HO Scenes and the overall lack of originality.
Definitely not a game for my collection.
Most of the game revolves around two components:
- many HO Scenes, which are the usual mess
- a lot of backtracking
A few puzzles here and there, pretty simple and totally standard.
And a few basic and boring tasks that make up the adventure... always the same stuff: find a key, use a crowbar, an axe, etc...
The visuals are not great; the locations are satisfactorily drawn and colored though often blurry, but the intro and the custscenes are terrible.
The music is soft, you have 3 Modes of difficulty, and plenty of hints on Casual which help you find the hidden objects and direct you through the different locales.
The SG is not accessible, so no way to tell how long the game is and what it has in store.
On the basis of the demo, it is hardly worth more than 3 stars due to some of the graphics, the absence of challenge, the too many HO Scenes and the overall lack of originality.
Definitely not a game for my collection.
I don't recommend this game.
Sea Legends: Phantasmal Light
After their yacht is sunk by an incredible storm, Jane and Mike are separated in Sea Legends: Phantasmal Light!
Overall rating
4
/
5
64 of 84 found this review helpful
Decent but not phantasmatically fantastic
PostedFebruary 11, 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: Secret Files
(18)Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
While on a cruise, our heroes, Jane and Mike, suddenly encounter a mysterious sign in the sky. We don't know what it is but it is bad news as it triggers a storm that causes the boat to capsize and wash the couple ashore. Mike gets abducted. To what purpose ? Up to Jane to unravel that mystery and save Mike.
Under a sky as dark and heavy as lead, on two inhospitable rocky islands, gloom, wrecks, skeletons and graves are from then on going to be Jane's daily bread.
There isn't much novelty in this blend of HO Scenes and adventure. Apart from some puzzles that are slightly different from the sempiternal classics, everything is pretty much standard.
Actions and exploration are fairly limited; there isn't a profusion of locales; finding the traditional useful items [crowbar, hammer, etc...] and using them neither present any difficulty nor require deep thinking, and the same HO Scene is often repeated twice.
All HO Scenes are interactive, messy and filled with useless items, half the hidden objects are difficult to spot without using the Hint System which doesn't re-up very fast and doesn't give any indication as to what to do next, although getting stuck is improbable since the world you're in is rather restricted. However it does let you know when there is nothing more to do for now in a particular area. Misclicking is accepted on the easier level.
The tasks are listed in the journal which also contains the story, the puzzles can be skipped, there is a choice between 2 Modes, no wide screen option apparently, a good intro with very decent voice-overs, equally good cutscenes and a fairly well rendered spooky atmosphere.
The artwork is fine though not extraordinary, dark as required by the circumstances and the decor.
Basing this review on the demo, I cannot tell whether the storyline holds the road all along, whether it is gripping or not and whether the conclusion is satisfactory.
1 hour took me well into Chapter 2 without rushing.The whole game might be short especially for fast players.
To conclude, nothing in this game impressed me or enthralled me; I had no intent to buy the CE and will skip the SE too. For me this is a 3.5 star game [but I'll round that up to 4] that can be used as a filler.
Under a sky as dark and heavy as lead, on two inhospitable rocky islands, gloom, wrecks, skeletons and graves are from then on going to be Jane's daily bread.
There isn't much novelty in this blend of HO Scenes and adventure. Apart from some puzzles that are slightly different from the sempiternal classics, everything is pretty much standard.
Actions and exploration are fairly limited; there isn't a profusion of locales; finding the traditional useful items [crowbar, hammer, etc...] and using them neither present any difficulty nor require deep thinking, and the same HO Scene is often repeated twice.
All HO Scenes are interactive, messy and filled with useless items, half the hidden objects are difficult to spot without using the Hint System which doesn't re-up very fast and doesn't give any indication as to what to do next, although getting stuck is improbable since the world you're in is rather restricted. However it does let you know when there is nothing more to do for now in a particular area. Misclicking is accepted on the easier level.
The tasks are listed in the journal which also contains the story, the puzzles can be skipped, there is a choice between 2 Modes, no wide screen option apparently, a good intro with very decent voice-overs, equally good cutscenes and a fairly well rendered spooky atmosphere.
The artwork is fine though not extraordinary, dark as required by the circumstances and the decor.
Basing this review on the demo, I cannot tell whether the storyline holds the road all along, whether it is gripping or not and whether the conclusion is satisfactory.
1 hour took me well into Chapter 2 without rushing.The whole game might be short especially for fast players.
To conclude, nothing in this game impressed me or enthralled me; I had no intent to buy the CE and will skip the SE too. For me this is a 3.5 star game [but I'll round that up to 4] that can be used as a filler.
I recommend this game!
Maestro: Notes of Life
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
80 of 101 found this review helpful
A few hours of entertainment guaranteed
PostedFebruary 10, 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: Secret Files
(18)Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
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 wll pass on to 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 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.
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 wll pass on to 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 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.
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!