rainworm's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:4.5
- Helpful Votes:5,106
- Reviews Submitted:133
- First Review:October 4, 2012
- Most Recent Review:October 20, 2018
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Can you break free from your nightmares in time?
Overall rating
5
/
5
52 of 72 found this review helpful
NO SWEET DREAMS FOR MR REYNOLDS
PostedSeptember 9, 2017
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Nightmare Shadows goes under your skin. You may enter a maze, leading you to places of your childhood. But no sweat memories, on the contrary the fearful moments of your childhood e.g. at your grandparents’ home, at your school – all this will have to be lived through again. Only you can fight the nightmare with your good memories, you still have stowed somewhere in your subconscious.
Story (in short): You are Mr Reynolds and you haven’t slept well lately. So your doctor gave you some sleeping pills. Thankful for a hopefully good night ahead of you, you take two of them and fall asleep. Though it is no dreamless sleep or a nice dream, feeling wide awake you find yourself in strange surroundings. Standing on a cliff, you see your house melt away, in some distance a gate in a wall. There is no way back, so forward to the gate. It will lead you in a maze, which presents dark statues and gargoyles and you discover pieces of your childhood. There is your old bicycle, a teddy bear… Further in the maze a portal opens and you enter a first station of your childhood: your grandparents’ place. Later you will enter your old school and always you will have to face your fears of then again.
In parts scary and suspenseful, this is a psychological thriller. As in dreams, your surroundings are sometimes distorted, schoolmates appear as shadows, still distressing you. Going through these earlier steps of your life, you need to find the good memories. With these, you’ll be able to wake up again.
Gameplay is smooth, pace good and creative HOS let you find necessary items. Puzzles have an easy/hard option, a new feature! Very suitable and challenging is one of the first puzzles in the game: the maze leading to your grandparents’ home.
A suspenseful and challenging game, an instant buy for me.
Story (in short): You are Mr Reynolds and you haven’t slept well lately. So your doctor gave you some sleeping pills. Thankful for a hopefully good night ahead of you, you take two of them and fall asleep. Though it is no dreamless sleep or a nice dream, feeling wide awake you find yourself in strange surroundings. Standing on a cliff, you see your house melt away, in some distance a gate in a wall. There is no way back, so forward to the gate. It will lead you in a maze, which presents dark statues and gargoyles and you discover pieces of your childhood. There is your old bicycle, a teddy bear… Further in the maze a portal opens and you enter a first station of your childhood: your grandparents’ place. Later you will enter your old school and always you will have to face your fears of then again.
In parts scary and suspenseful, this is a psychological thriller. As in dreams, your surroundings are sometimes distorted, schoolmates appear as shadows, still distressing you. Going through these earlier steps of your life, you need to find the good memories. With these, you’ll be able to wake up again.
Gameplay is smooth, pace good and creative HOS let you find necessary items. Puzzles have an easy/hard option, a new feature! Very suitable and challenging is one of the first puzzles in the game: the maze leading to your grandparents’ home.
A suspenseful and challenging game, an instant buy for me.
I recommend this game!
Mysterious portraits are causing their subjects to transform into monsters!
Overall rating
5
/
5
41 of 65 found this review helpful
The brush of a painter can be a dangerous weapon
PostedSeptember 7, 2017
rainworm
fromFrankfurt, Germany
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
We see an artist, making the last strides to a portrait, deforming the woman’s face to a grimace. ‘It worked!’ he exclaims. .
Newlywed Sibyl and Nigel Vane are at home unpacking presents, one of them, a portrait of Sibyl. When she takes it up, the picture starts glowing, a greenish light envelopes her and her face deforms partly, looks like a wolf. Shocked, she faints. Nigel seems speechless but at that moment Dr. Benjamin arrives. He is a belated guest to their wedding and he can help Sibyl regain consciousness.. He knows of a similar case. Another woman suffered a similar attack, she now lives apart from public in a cabin in the woods. They agree on bringing Sibyl to her, till they find a cure for that monstrous illness. It seems, cause of the transforming effect would be Basil, one of Nigel’s two best friends from earlier years, who seeks revenge. His father lost his fortune and he blames the fathers of Nigel and Henry for his personal tragedy.
You play two roles in this game, as usual for the series. The story is a bit weird, a painter, being able to transform humans into animals, though it has its fascination. We have interesting puzzles with the well-known easy/hard option, more HO scenes, varied in type with the option to play Match-3. Artwork is great, but the game is more slow in pace and we have much dialogue.
Newlywed Sibyl and Nigel Vane are at home unpacking presents, one of them, a portrait of Sibyl. When she takes it up, the picture starts glowing, a greenish light envelopes her and her face deforms partly, looks like a wolf. Shocked, she faints. Nigel seems speechless but at that moment Dr. Benjamin arrives. He is a belated guest to their wedding and he can help Sibyl regain consciousness.. He knows of a similar case. Another woman suffered a similar attack, she now lives apart from public in a cabin in the woods. They agree on bringing Sibyl to her, till they find a cure for that monstrous illness. It seems, cause of the transforming effect would be Basil, one of Nigel’s two best friends from earlier years, who seeks revenge. His father lost his fortune and he blames the fathers of Nigel and Henry for his personal tragedy.
You play two roles in this game, as usual for the series. The story is a bit weird, a painter, being able to transform humans into animals, though it has its fascination. We have interesting puzzles with the well-known easy/hard option, more HO scenes, varied in type with the option to play Match-3. Artwork is great, but the game is more slow in pace and we have much dialogue.
I recommend this game!
Can you save your friends from the sins of their past?
Overall rating
4
/
5
23 of 40 found this review helpful
The Magic Lamp has turned into a Magic Cube
PostedSeptember 2, 2017
rainworm
fromFrankfurt, Germany
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
The game is set in Agora, where an archeological excavation shall uncover an old city, founded by alchemists. One of them, so legend says, has created the cube of sins, in order to ban all sins from humanity. As this was forbidden, he was punished and imprisoned in the cube.
First scene is in a hotel, where an art collector presents the cube. On activating it, a genie comes out and takes two women, members of the excavation team, and vanishes through the door. The cube will be the tool in our fight against his sand magic, when we go after him and his prisoners. At the excavation site, we find the professor, who can tell us more about the cube and the legend around it. We have to enter the temple there, to use the cube in releasing the women. But our attempt fails: the genie has altered the magic and now all are his prisoners. All, except we, are held in cells. As the cube was created to hold all human sins, all are taken for their sin. To come free, we have to find the sin or secret memory of every single person. We will go through portals, to find the sin of each of the prisoners.
Though the beginning is rather turbulent and more confusing than entertaining, at the excavation site the game gains pace and more structure. We have varying HOS, mini-games and puzzles. The puzzles in the first part (hotel, square in front of the hotel) are quite easy. Here we use the cube for the first time with a mini-game: we have to find symbols. There is no skip for that. At the excavation site we have multi-layered mini-games, quite creative. Entering the temple interior is combined with trap mini-games. After the demo the game will follow the lives of the prisoners via portals. So this follows a well known pattern of many games: several stories with the imprisoned as protagonists.
All in all: the game starts not inviting but my interest grew at the excavation site. Gameplay is quite smooth and as we have laid aside the cube, we may perhaps go on without a gadget.
First scene is in a hotel, where an art collector presents the cube. On activating it, a genie comes out and takes two women, members of the excavation team, and vanishes through the door. The cube will be the tool in our fight against his sand magic, when we go after him and his prisoners. At the excavation site, we find the professor, who can tell us more about the cube and the legend around it. We have to enter the temple there, to use the cube in releasing the women. But our attempt fails: the genie has altered the magic and now all are his prisoners. All, except we, are held in cells. As the cube was created to hold all human sins, all are taken for their sin. To come free, we have to find the sin or secret memory of every single person. We will go through portals, to find the sin of each of the prisoners.
Though the beginning is rather turbulent and more confusing than entertaining, at the excavation site the game gains pace and more structure. We have varying HOS, mini-games and puzzles. The puzzles in the first part (hotel, square in front of the hotel) are quite easy. Here we use the cube for the first time with a mini-game: we have to find symbols. There is no skip for that. At the excavation site we have multi-layered mini-games, quite creative. Entering the temple interior is combined with trap mini-games. After the demo the game will follow the lives of the prisoners via portals. So this follows a well known pattern of many games: several stories with the imprisoned as protagonists.
All in all: the game starts not inviting but my interest grew at the excavation site. Gameplay is quite smooth and as we have laid aside the cube, we may perhaps go on without a gadget.
I recommend this game!
Can you save Netville from a dangerous artifact before it’s too late?
Overall rating
4
/
5
20 of 31 found this review helpful
What if wishes come true? A Last Will with consequences.
PostedAugust 31, 2017
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
The introduction shows a mansion, an elderly man, sitting in an armchair. He is dying and his last words are: ‘House – Heir’
Are these words his ‘The Last Will’? Alexandra, after her uncle now the keeper of antiques or better artifacts, is alarmed by him, that in the city of Netville a powerful artifact has been activated: during the 200 year a whole building and all people in and around it have vanished under a dome.
Arriving in Netville, the town is in an emergency state and evacuation measures are taken. With a tool, a mesmerizing lamp, Alexandra can divert a policeman’s attention and progress to the town square. Her keeper’s tool shows ‘paranormal activity, unidentified and dangerous’. Investigating the area, she finds clues: A picture with a man in it, his camera ‘producing’ effects – can the camera be the artifact? She can lay hands on a film, the pictures show several people and the address of a house. So this is her next destination: The house, formerly owned by Richard Moore, a famous photographer, who died on the estate 28 years ago.
Arriving at the estate, everything looks more or less abandoned. The gates are closed, a special key is needed. In the barn outside, Alexandra finds Ashton. He is Micheal’s brother and after freeing him, she learns, the brothers and Micheal’s girlfriend Lilly have rented the house and moved in some days ago. Since then, Michael’s behavior has become very strange. So it was him, who knocked Ashton down and left him in the barn. With a special key, the gates open and Alexandra meets Michael with an old camera. Telling him, the camera is a dangerous artifact, he laughs and takes a photo. Now she is under the artifact’s power, under a dome of fog. After dissolving the fog, the keeper’s tool can neutralize the effect.
Ashton and Alexandra have to enter the house by force, as Micheal has shut himself in. On opening the door, the house suddenly ages: the door paint shows cracks, the wreath fades… The interior and furnishings display the 90ies of the last century. Something must have happened. And Micheal is still in the house. The stairs to the upper floor are overgrown with strong branches. Only after applying a weed killer the stairs are free to use. But the house begins to attack now. A falling picture of the diseased owner ‘hangs itself’ at the wall again, next Alexandra and Ashton are caught by cables and tied up. They need to escape. Alexandra manages to climb out of the window but Ashton can’t follow fast enough. The broken window repairs itself, the house shuts up and he seems imprisoned. Alexandra finds a diary in a pergola near the house. The diary tells us the story of how Micheal, Ashton and Lilly came to rent the house, after the last page, in a stash: the key.
When she opens the house with the key, something changes: the house does not react hostile! Searching, Alexandra finds out more about the former owner: He was a famous photographer, who spent his last years alone in his beloved house. On the back of a picture, she reads about his greatest sorrow. He couldn’t stand the thought of dying and abandoning it. He was convinced, the house needed a heir. And then Alexandra finds Richard’s last will: the person, who finds this testament, shall be the new owner of this lovely house. Suddenly the keeper’s tool shows no danger, when used on the camera but it shows a new source of paranormal activity: the house.
The story for me is the best of the game, HO scenes are varying and mostly well placed into the game. Puzzles are quite easy, there is no option easy/hard. Pace quite good. What is really irritating are those phases between scenes, in which you just have "Loading..." - typical for this developer. But they should get rid of it!
Are these words his ‘The Last Will’? Alexandra, after her uncle now the keeper of antiques or better artifacts, is alarmed by him, that in the city of Netville a powerful artifact has been activated: during the 200 year a whole building and all people in and around it have vanished under a dome.
Arriving in Netville, the town is in an emergency state and evacuation measures are taken. With a tool, a mesmerizing lamp, Alexandra can divert a policeman’s attention and progress to the town square. Her keeper’s tool shows ‘paranormal activity, unidentified and dangerous’. Investigating the area, she finds clues: A picture with a man in it, his camera ‘producing’ effects – can the camera be the artifact? She can lay hands on a film, the pictures show several people and the address of a house. So this is her next destination: The house, formerly owned by Richard Moore, a famous photographer, who died on the estate 28 years ago.
Arriving at the estate, everything looks more or less abandoned. The gates are closed, a special key is needed. In the barn outside, Alexandra finds Ashton. He is Micheal’s brother and after freeing him, she learns, the brothers and Micheal’s girlfriend Lilly have rented the house and moved in some days ago. Since then, Michael’s behavior has become very strange. So it was him, who knocked Ashton down and left him in the barn. With a special key, the gates open and Alexandra meets Michael with an old camera. Telling him, the camera is a dangerous artifact, he laughs and takes a photo. Now she is under the artifact’s power, under a dome of fog. After dissolving the fog, the keeper’s tool can neutralize the effect.
Ashton and Alexandra have to enter the house by force, as Micheal has shut himself in. On opening the door, the house suddenly ages: the door paint shows cracks, the wreath fades… The interior and furnishings display the 90ies of the last century. Something must have happened. And Micheal is still in the house. The stairs to the upper floor are overgrown with strong branches. Only after applying a weed killer the stairs are free to use. But the house begins to attack now. A falling picture of the diseased owner ‘hangs itself’ at the wall again, next Alexandra and Ashton are caught by cables and tied up. They need to escape. Alexandra manages to climb out of the window but Ashton can’t follow fast enough. The broken window repairs itself, the house shuts up and he seems imprisoned. Alexandra finds a diary in a pergola near the house. The diary tells us the story of how Micheal, Ashton and Lilly came to rent the house, after the last page, in a stash: the key.
When she opens the house with the key, something changes: the house does not react hostile! Searching, Alexandra finds out more about the former owner: He was a famous photographer, who spent his last years alone in his beloved house. On the back of a picture, she reads about his greatest sorrow. He couldn’t stand the thought of dying and abandoning it. He was convinced, the house needed a heir. And then Alexandra finds Richard’s last will: the person, who finds this testament, shall be the new owner of this lovely house. Suddenly the keeper’s tool shows no danger, when used on the camera but it shows a new source of paranormal activity: the house.
The story for me is the best of the game, HO scenes are varying and mostly well placed into the game. Puzzles are quite easy, there is no option easy/hard. Pace quite good. What is really irritating are those phases between scenes, in which you just have "Loading..." - typical for this developer. But they should get rid of it!
I recommend this game!
Explore the streets of Paris as you track down the Strangler!
Overall rating
5
/
5
38 of 60 found this review helpful
Mysterious Crimes......
PostedAugust 26, 2017
rainworm
fromFrankfurt, Germany
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
We see a man in a street, walking towards a building, a bar or hotel. When he’s near the door, he looks at his hands - cryptic marks cover them, he is shocked, confused…. He looks up and some huge dark figure seems threatening him. Next, we see, he is attacked, strangled.
Donna Brave is on a train to Paris, looking forward to visit her uncle Andre. He sent her a letter with a warning, not to trust anybody, as strange things happened. With the letter comes a medallion, a heirloom from her father. At the station Donna is met by a man, who shall bring her to the Golden Circle Club to meet with uncle Andre. Taking her bag, on his outstretched hand suddenly cryptic marks appear. Frightened he orders Donna to leave and head for the club, as she would be no longer safe with him. The next moment some huge dark thing grows out of the shadows, attacks – we only see naked feet wander away, carrying the slump body of the man with him. Donna comes to, apparently been knocked out and is approached by an inspector, who has some questions on the events.
The questioning is cleverly packed in puzzles and a following HO scene at a kiosk in search for a newspaper gives clues: Uncle Henry is part of the Golden Circle, whose members seem to be in danger, several of them already dead.
The questioning is cleverly packed in puzzles and a following HO scene at a kiosk in search for a newspaper gives clues: Uncle Henry is part of the Golden Circle, whose members seem to be in danger, several of them already dead.
Donna’s next steps lead her to her uncle’s home. Near the house, set back in an archway, we catch a glimpse at a shadowy, tall and hunchbacked figure – the strangler?
On her way to her uncle’s home, the driver had attempted to kill her, so finally meeting uncle Andre, she asks for answers. He tells her, that somebody is trying to kill all members of the Golden Circle Club. The marks on the victims mean simply death. More information could be in a box and in a golden book. Together they search for those items, when suddenly the marks appear on his body. He flees the apartment, advising Donna to trust nobody and to keep the medallion always with her. It is a special piece, that can trigger memories.
With uncle Andre gone, Donna now heads for the club. There she gains entrance (after the one or other problem solved) but is not allowed into the back rooms, where two other members of the circle have gone. So she tries to enter from the back of the house. There she overhears a conversation between two of the circle and uncle Andre. Apparently he is not dead and looks healthy. In their conversation he utters, that he had reasons to let Donna come… Instead of answers, more questions?
She is again attacked by the taxi driver, this time finally rescued by the strangler, who kills the attacker and vanishes. But now she can investigate the back room and at least find out, that there must be a secret with the Golden Circle, something tying them together and at the same time threatening their lives. Before she can take the next step – the marks appear on her hands……..
On her way to her uncle’s home, the driver had attempted to kill her, so finally meeting uncle Andre, she asks for answers. He tells her, that somebody is trying to kill all members of the Golden Circle Club. The marks on the victims mean simply death. More information could be in a box and in a golden book. Together they search for those items, when suddenly the marks appear on his body. He flees the apartment, advising Donna to trust nobody and to keep the medallion always with her. It is a special piece, that can trigger memories.
With uncle Andre gone, Donna now heads for the club. There she gains entrance (after the one or other problem solved) but is not allowed into the back rooms, where two other members of the circle have gone. So she tries to enter from the back of the house. There she overhears a conversation between two of the circle and uncle Andre. Apparently he is not dead and looks healthy. In their conversation he utters, that he had reasons to let Donna come… Instead of answers, more questions?
She is again attacked by the taxi driver, this time finally rescued by the strangler, who kills the attacker and vanishes. But now she can investigate the back room and at least find out, that there must be a secret with the Golden Circle, something tying them together and at the same time threatening their lives. Before she can take the next step – the marks appear on her hands……..
Seems, we have a combination of crime and supernatural elements. The shadowy, hunchbacked figure reminds of Shadowplay but at the same time, he seems more like a malformed human being. Music as well as the scenery at the Golden Circle Club let me think of the first Cadenza game. But all in all these are reminiscences and the plot leads in other directions, than in those games. Here we have mysterious murders, need to find out, who wants the members of this secret circle dead, who wants Donna dead?
Puzzles and HO scenes vary and are nicely put into the plot. We begin quite slowly but the game gains pace quickly, when met with uncle Andre. With the medallion we have this returning puzzle of finding memory pieces.
I recommend this game!
Can you save a young heir from Saint Germain in time?
Overall rating
5
/
5
48 of 70 found this review helpful
Mysterious, dark and thrilling......
PostedAugust 24, 2017
rainworm
fromFrankfurt, Germany
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
It is been a long way since the first game of the series, when the dwarf was introduced in a haunting but not altogether dark plot. In the Cursed Gift we see the warning ‘disturbing scenes’ introducing the game, and indeed some mysterious and dangerous plot seems waiting for us. After the typical trailor-scene of the series, a man is shown, signing a contract with Saint-Germain, the dwarf. He is warned, as what he deals, is not a gift but a curse.
We are a detective and had been written to for help. The writer had sold his son’s power or talent to SG, hoping to achieve safety but is now threatened. He assumes, he, himself will be dead soon and it is on you, to save his son. Arriving at the place, where the mansion lies, a house, barricaded, decayed and seemingly deserted, we can literally feel a threatening atmosphere. Our first task is getting entrance. We have to find all necessary items to solve the door opening puzzle and finally arrive in the dark hall. An impressing, slightly shocking cutscene shows us the child. There will be various HO scenes and puzzles in our way to open doors and step by step learn more about the story of the Malloys, which seems to be a family curse.
Young Malloy is protected by his ghostly ancestors, but Saint-Germain is a mighty opponent.
The story, together with varied HOS and quite interesting puzzles, let me remember the fascination of the very first game of the series, when we were introduced to the mysterious dwarf. A thrilling dark mystery, I certainly want to explore.
The story, together with varied HOS and quite interesting puzzles, let me remember the fascination of the very first game of the series, when we were introduced to the mysterious dwarf. A thrilling dark mystery, I certainly want to explore.
I recommend this game!
Can you stop history from repeating itself?
Overall rating
4
/
5
23 of 52 found this review helpful
Being special can be dangerous...
PostedAugust 19, 2017
rainworm
fromFrankfurt, Germany
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
It is the night of the blood moon. A night, in which people with a special mark on their hands are taken away by terrible creatures. They disappear and are never seen again.
But today is also the birthday of our princess and her faithful nanny gives her an amulet as present, which has been in her family for long. As part of an ancient relic it can resist dark magic.
… and it will be needed!
The temple doors crash open, a creature attacks the priest, who later tells more about the blood moon and the connected curse of disappearing people. Further we learn, ages ago there were 3 mages, threatening the realm, who were defeated by a warrior, who sacrificed himself to seal them behind a door and so ban the evil.
Upon entering the temple, a creature had captured a young woman and they disappeared behind this door, sealed with red glowing crystals. After charging the amulet on the altar, the amulet can melt the red crystals – with a special key, the door will open.
As in all games of the series we have a merchant, where useful things can be dealt, so here we get the missing figurine for the door and thereby enter the main plot: rescuing the young woman and all other captured souls.
Nicole is held in a cage, a creature is watching her. But she can tell us, these creatures are resurgents, who take people with marks on their body. She had a potion, able to destroy them, but lost it in the temple. So you go back and fetch it. The potion either freezes or destroys resurgents. But before freeing Nicole, you need to help Amy, who is held inside a house. After destroying the resurgent holding her capture, she sees a mark on your arm. Apparantly there are different marks, yours is that of a warrior. You have to make a decision: will you take only the girls and hide or rescue all captives? Of course you will answer correctly and so you and Amy change places, so that your way will lead you into the realm of the resurgents. The prisoners are transported with a conveyor belt. You can free yourself and reach the laboratory, where you stop the conveyor – after finding useful items and mastering several puzzles. In the last scene you meet the warrior, who held back the mages: he is overpowered by a dark mage, a huge otherworldly figure growing with fire out of the darkness.
It is a dark game as most of the later spirits of mystery games are. You may decide, whether you’ll free the prisoners or not. I haven’t tried the no variant. Don’t think there is an alternative. Puzzles are mostly easy but entertaining, HOS varied and suiting in the scenes of the game. Artwork is as usual – stunning. The story is the usual one as well: princess will save people in distress. Opponent this time seem to be dark mages. So far neither Isa nor Mortis have appeared.
But today is also the birthday of our princess and her faithful nanny gives her an amulet as present, which has been in her family for long. As part of an ancient relic it can resist dark magic.
… and it will be needed!
The temple doors crash open, a creature attacks the priest, who later tells more about the blood moon and the connected curse of disappearing people. Further we learn, ages ago there were 3 mages, threatening the realm, who were defeated by a warrior, who sacrificed himself to seal them behind a door and so ban the evil.
Upon entering the temple, a creature had captured a young woman and they disappeared behind this door, sealed with red glowing crystals. After charging the amulet on the altar, the amulet can melt the red crystals – with a special key, the door will open.
As in all games of the series we have a merchant, where useful things can be dealt, so here we get the missing figurine for the door and thereby enter the main plot: rescuing the young woman and all other captured souls.
Nicole is held in a cage, a creature is watching her. But she can tell us, these creatures are resurgents, who take people with marks on their body. She had a potion, able to destroy them, but lost it in the temple. So you go back and fetch it. The potion either freezes or destroys resurgents. But before freeing Nicole, you need to help Amy, who is held inside a house. After destroying the resurgent holding her capture, she sees a mark on your arm. Apparantly there are different marks, yours is that of a warrior. You have to make a decision: will you take only the girls and hide or rescue all captives? Of course you will answer correctly and so you and Amy change places, so that your way will lead you into the realm of the resurgents. The prisoners are transported with a conveyor belt. You can free yourself and reach the laboratory, where you stop the conveyor – after finding useful items and mastering several puzzles. In the last scene you meet the warrior, who held back the mages: he is overpowered by a dark mage, a huge otherworldly figure growing with fire out of the darkness.
It is a dark game as most of the later spirits of mystery games are. You may decide, whether you’ll free the prisoners or not. I haven’t tried the no variant. Don’t think there is an alternative. Puzzles are mostly easy but entertaining, HOS varied and suiting in the scenes of the game. Artwork is as usual – stunning. The story is the usual one as well: princess will save people in distress. Opponent this time seem to be dark mages. So far neither Isa nor Mortis have appeared.
I recommend this game!
Journey into your nephew’s mind to save him from a nightmare!
Overall rating
5
/
5
39 of 67 found this review helpful
Not a walk in the park....
PostedAugust 12, 2017
rainworm
fromFrankfurt, Germany
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
The third Maze will be a special one: You will enter a nightmare.
This is on the demo only:
This is on the demo only:
You are Christine, a psychologist, special field: dreams. Your brother Stephen has called you, since his son needs help. He is physically healthy but in a coma, some force seems holding him in this state, he cannot wake up. So, you must enter his nightmare. Stephen has developed a device in form of a helmet, that implants you into Timmy’s nightmare. Putting on the helmet, you dive into Timmy’s dreamscape. You can still communicate with your brother but mainly you are on your own now. First station: Timmy’s room as it appears in his nightmare: bizarre and somehow decayed. Timmy is not to be seen, you look for him: behind the door is a wall but in the cupboard something is moving. On opening the cupboarddoors a dark entity jumps out of a dark corridor and attacks - closing the doors and somehow locking them is the option left. But now you have had a glimpse on a monstrosity in Timmy’s nightmare. He is behind that doors and you need to get in. Monsters are afraid of light and finally you are able to blow it away with a rocket. Timmy won’t just leave his nightmare with you, he insists on doing his dare. Following him into the next room, he enters the TV, that opens for him like a window and asks you to follow. But no, you can’t, as a figure leans out and tells you to leave or get a free card.
Not only the dare holds Timmy back, there is your antagonist now, who you need to overwhelm to help your nephew.
We have collectables in every scene and morphing objects on the HOS. Clever and not too easy puzzles help you on your way…. As the maze this time is a nightmare, the environment is twisted and logic works in puzzles only.
Not only the dare holds Timmy back, there is your antagonist now, who you need to overwhelm to help your nephew.
We have collectables in every scene and morphing objects on the HOS. Clever and not too easy puzzles help you on your way…. As the maze this time is a nightmare, the environment is twisted and logic works in puzzles only.
I recommend this game!
Can you stop the infamous Crows League before they strike again?
Overall rating
5
/
5
42 of 70 found this review helpful
Mysterious adventure ....
PostedAugust 10, 2017
rainworm
fromFrankfurt, Germany
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Another case for you as assistant to the unforgettable Dupin. (Admirable, how he’s been able to keep his looks.) Your skills are needed in Goldstone: the mayor has written a letter, in which he asks for help in the recent disappearance of children. Even his son was abducted and he suspects, the mysterious Crows league could be behind this. Before you can meet him in person, you have to undergo a test in the town’s inn. The ghostly owner has you solve riddles and thereby you learn about Lenore. When she was an 8 year old child, the inn was raided, he and his wife were murdered and only she could hide and survive the incident. Now she is the fiancé of the mayor’s son.
The Crows league seems a sinister cult, sort of secret society, claiming to protect children. We will have to learn more about them, in order to free the children.
This is one of the best games in the Dark Tales series: fast paced, puzzle-intense and equipped with quite creative HO scenes. We have feathers to collect as well as morphing objects. Many cutscenes contribute to suspense in the game.
The Crows league seems a sinister cult, sort of secret society, claiming to protect children. We will have to learn more about them, in order to free the children.
This is one of the best games in the Dark Tales series: fast paced, puzzle-intense and equipped with quite creative HO scenes. We have feathers to collect as well as morphing objects. Many cutscenes contribute to suspense in the game.
I recommend this game!
Can you stop an ancient darkness before it’s too late?
Overall rating
5
/
5
10 of 15 found this review helpful
A thrilling experience!
PostedAugust 4, 2017
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
With this second installment of Shadowplay, we have an intriguing adventure, that challenges us in our real world as well as in a bizarre dimension, reminding me of the worlds of H.P. Lovecraft. In certain respect two-dimensional: first an adventure of a woman, freeing her daughter in the real world as well as in a strange ‘outer’ world. The Shadow from the first game is back, hidden in the ancient skull.
Creative HO scenes and varied puzzles are well embedded in this fast paced game. The cutscenes enhance the overall suspense of the story.
Creative HO scenes and varied puzzles are well embedded in this fast paced game. The cutscenes enhance the overall suspense of the story.
Reactions to the game are quite controversal. There are those, who love the return of the shadow monster, others complain just about that. Though otherwise creative/innovative, there is a cliché means (a lost zipper pull) used, that found negative response as well.
Here a short summary of the game:
The mystery begins with the excavation of the skull of darkness and progresses, when it is stolen from the musem. First just a green glowing of the empty eyes, then bursting in the hands of the thief in the museum and opening a portal into a dark dimension - thereby drawing Maya, the curators daughter into the other world. Alicia, the curator, sets off for the hunt after the skull. Impressing cut scenes show Maya, apparently imprisoned somewhere behind a curtain between this and another world. But the burglar has not stolen the artifact for her own but on behalf of a mysterious stranger. In our next station, a cinema, he takes it, shoots the burglar girl, then another shot grazes Alicia. To regain the skull, she has to help the girl. She finally gives Alicia the information on the stranger, it is Edgar, whose story we learn by storybook puzzles. All of it started with two men seeking for power, knowledge and rich, one of them Edgar, who’d been the nobler ot the two then, now seeking for revenge. After finding more clues and means at her next station, an abandoned shopping mall, she finally reaches a mansion, where the other man has settled. Edgar is already there and in the act of killing his former companion. Alicia can stop him releasing the skull’s evil powers, though too late for the other man. He‘s dying but can hand Alicia an additional part of her amulet. Using it, the skull bursts again and opens a portal into a strange landscape, abandoned and decayed. Here she will free her daughter and finally go after Edgar and win a last battle against him.
The mystery begins with the excavation of the skull of darkness and progresses, when it is stolen from the musem. First just a green glowing of the empty eyes, then bursting in the hands of the thief in the museum and opening a portal into a dark dimension - thereby drawing Maya, the curators daughter into the other world. Alicia, the curator, sets off for the hunt after the skull. Impressing cut scenes show Maya, apparently imprisoned somewhere behind a curtain between this and another world. But the burglar has not stolen the artifact for her own but on behalf of a mysterious stranger. In our next station, a cinema, he takes it, shoots the burglar girl, then another shot grazes Alicia. To regain the skull, she has to help the girl. She finally gives Alicia the information on the stranger, it is Edgar, whose story we learn by storybook puzzles. All of it started with two men seeking for power, knowledge and rich, one of them Edgar, who’d been the nobler ot the two then, now seeking for revenge. After finding more clues and means at her next station, an abandoned shopping mall, she finally reaches a mansion, where the other man has settled. Edgar is already there and in the act of killing his former companion. Alicia can stop him releasing the skull’s evil powers, though too late for the other man. He‘s dying but can hand Alicia an additional part of her amulet. Using it, the skull bursts again and opens a portal into a strange landscape, abandoned and decayed. Here she will free her daughter and finally go after Edgar and win a last battle against him.
The bonus game will be an extension of the main game, fun to play but not necessary to enjoy Shadowplay: Whispers of the Past.
I recommend this game!