Quagmire89's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:5
- Helpful Votes:60
- Reviews Submitted:8
- First Review:February 22, 2012
- Most Recent Review:April 5, 2019
- Featured reviews0
Quagmire89's Review History
Solve a series of devious puzzles to escape Arcana manor and uncover the dark secrets of the mysterious magician once lived there.
Overall rating
5
/
5
28 of 28 found this review helpful
A PUZZLE LOVER'S PARADISE
PostedApril 5, 2019
Quagmire89
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
The Cabinets of Doctor Arcana is retro-style puzzle adventure that offers a gauntlet of challenges. The game begins on a stormy Halloween night, outside the gothic gates of Arcana Manor, the mansion home of Doctor Arcana, a famous magician who mysteriously vanished several years ago. After solving a few preliminary puzzles to get past the front gates and mansion doors, you find yourself locked inside Arcana Manor where you meet your ghostly host, the mysterious Doctor Arcana. The masked magician challenges you to stay the night in his creepy mansion in an attempt to discover his secrets and find 13 skeleton keys that will unlock a hidden treasure. If you are brave enough to accept his challenge, you will be sealed inside the mansion with no means of escape until you resolve the mystery.
The Cabinets of Doctor Arcana offers some twists on the standard HOPA game. The main thing that’s different is that there are no hidden object screens to search, instead the game is loaded with puzzles, roughly 60 in all. There are a nice variety of puzzles that range from tile-slides and mazes to logic puzzles and decoding symbols. One Egyptain-style puzzle that requires you to guide a golden beetle to push 16 balls into a central hole is a nerve-wracking challenge. Thirteen of the mansion’s rooms hold Doctor Arcana’s puzzle cabinets. Each of these rooms is sealed by a puzzle door. These doors display traditional tile puzzles that increase in difficulty from square tiles to hexagonal grids as the game progresses. While these puzzles require you to discover and assemble magical symbols, the door cryptex puzzles require the names of mythical magicians that are hidden throughout the mansion. They start easy enough, but eventually they must be decoded to be solved. Finding the codes will require you to return to a puzzle plaque the Library to unlock three different scrolls containing mystical alphabets.
The Library also holds a map that shows you where keys have been found in addition to transporting you to unlocked rooms. The map can only be accessed from the Library, but the mansion is fairly easy to maneuver once you get acquainted with the layout. The haunting background music builds tension very nicely and adds to the creepy feeling of things lurking in the shadows.There are only a few cinematic scenes as Doctor Arcana appears at key points throughout the game, but his ghostly voice taunts you at every puzzle.Your journal automatically keeps track of all important discoveries, providing clues by allowing you to reference notes and images. There is also a complete walkthrough in the Extras menu called "The Cheater’s Compendium.” This strategy guide, written from the scolding perspective of Doctor Arcana, adds a nice touch of humor to the game. Finally, If you do survive Arcana’s challenge, you will receive a diploma at the end of the game giving you an honorary title based on your score.
The graphics are beautifully detailed and have a very gothic feel. Paintings of vampires, ghosts, witches and other strange creatures adorn the mansion and you can view all the artwork you collect in the extras gallery. There was a warning on the site that says the game contains adult material, but there wasn’t anything in this game that could remotely be deemed explicit, so I’m not sure what that was about. After playing this game and MCF, The Countess, I’m noticing a nice trend toward more puzzle-based games. If you prefer hidden object games, this may not be the game for you, but if you’re a fan of puzzles, I highly recommend exploring The Cabinets of Doctor Arcana.
I recommend this game!
What lies within the depths of the pitch-black mirror?
Overall rating
5
/
5
4 of 5 found this review helpful
A plethora of puzzles
PostedMarch 23, 2019
Quagmire89
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
The Countess is a terrific addition to the Mystery Case Files legacy. This time, while investigating the disappearance of your friend Lady Eleanor Codington, you visit her abandoned mansion to discover that it is plagued by an evil entity known as The Black Countess. To resolve the mystery of the Codington curse, you will need to delve deep into the family's history and resolve numerous puzzling challenges. There are plenty of dark twists along the way as the sinister story unfolds.
The Countess is one of the most entertaining games I’ve played in a while. The game has its share of hidden object screens, but it’s loaded with a wide variety of puzzles, including the Rube Goldberg “super puzzles” that the MCF games are famous for. The mini-games range in difficulty from fairly simple to challenging, but they are all very entertaining. The Collector’s Edition also offers morphing objects and collectable items in the form of 37 fractured mirror shards. The game is reminiscent of classic MCF games like The 13th Skull and Dire Grove. The graphics are crisp and detailed and really work well with the moody soundtrack to establish an eerie setting.
If you enjoy solving puzzles like I do, I guarantee you will love this game. I’m hoping this marks a new trend in HOPA games to include more puzzles.
I recommend this game!
Find your sister and escape from a terrifying haunted house!
Overall rating
5
/
5
2 of 4 found this review helpful
Great game!
PostedMay 28, 2014
Quagmire89
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This is an all-around great game. Beautiful, moody graphics and environments, a creepy and entertaining mystery, nice atmospheric music, lots of hidden object scenes and a good amount of fun but challenging puzzles. It also offers collectables, achievements and a mapping system that's easy to use. If you like haunted mysteries set in creepy old mansions, this is the game for you. Can't wait for the sequel!
I recommend this game!
What dark and powerful secrets are hidden within the A.R.C.A.N.E. agency's old research base? Kiera Vale returns to find out.
Overall rating
5
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Fantastic for puzzle lovers
PostedFebruary 24, 2013
Quagmire89
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
The Turning Thorn joins the ranks of its predecessor, The Witch's Prison, as being one of the best adventure games in recent years. With a captivating storyline, creepy environments and a wide variety of challenging puzzles, the game is thoroughly enjoyable to play. This is not a hidden object game, it's a dark adventure with a mystery that unfolds at a nice pace. Players collect logical inventory items to use along their way, but many paths are blocked by clever puzzles that must be solved to progress deeper into the shadowy realm of sinister ancient entities and top secret scientific experiments. The game has tons of great original puzzles that are guaranteed to challenge even the most experienced gamers. Awesome work. Can't wait for the next one.
I recommend this game!
Save your sister from Bluebeard’s Castle in this incredible Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure game!
Overall rating
5
/
5
A Challenging Adventure
PostedFebruary 22, 2012
Quagmire89
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This game was a very pleasant surprise. I really like games that have an even mixture of puzzles and hidden objects, and Bluebeard's Castle ranks highly in both categories. Moody graphics and music add to the enjoyment.
I recommend this game!
Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles
Charles Baskerville is the latest victim of a centuries-old curse! Help Holmes break the curse before the next murder occurs!
Overall rating
5
/
5
0 of 1 found this review helpful
A Challenging Mystery Adventure
PostedFebruary 22, 2012
Quagmire89
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
It was great to take on the role of Sherlock Holmes to try to solve a supernatural murder mystery. The game is filled with hidden objects and puzzles and requires you to travel back and forth through time to discover clues to cracking the case. Nice music and graphics add to the Gothic mood. Very entertaining.
Help Kiera Vale discover her ancestor’s history as she explores Blackwater Asylum in Nightmare Adventures: The Witch’s Prison!
Overall rating
5
/
5
22 of 41 found this review helpful
A Great Puzzle Adevture Game
PostedFebruary 22, 2012
Quagmire89
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
If you like puzzles, you will love this game. The Witch's Prison isn't a hidden object game, it's a supernatural adventure game with tons of innovative puzzles. The story is cleverly written and unfolds at a good pace. The scene graphics are nice and moody, bordering on downright creepy at times. The wide variety of original puzzles is what really makes this game rise above the standard search-and-find games. I wish there were more games like this. Great job!
I recommend this game!
End a centuries-old war between the Guardians and the Clan of the Nine in 9: The Dark Side!
Overall rating
5
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Great Puzzle Game
PostedFebruary 22, 2012
Quagmire89
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This was a very enjoyable game. I loved the fact that the puzzles outnumbered the hidden object screens by about 2 to 1. The majority of the puzzles were original and the difficulty level varied from fairly simple to very challenging, with only one frustrating puzzle (the double-sided dice roll). The story was interesting and the graphics were nice. The usage of inventory items made logical sense. I'm looking forward to another game in this series.
I recommend this game!