rosekaufmann's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:4.2
- Helpful Votes:18,036
- Reviews Submitted:831
- First Review:April 2, 2012
- Most Recent Review:July 27, 2014
- Featured reviews0
Status:
The town of Green Hill has really gone to the birds!
Overall rating
5
/
5
45 of 47 found this review helpful
"THE BIRDS" HAVE NOTHING ON THIS
PostedMarch 3, 2014
rosekaufmann
fromLos Angeles
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" is one of my favorite movies, but it has nothing on this game. The ravens cause all kinds of havoc in Green Hills. People are missing; the sheriff's station is locked. No one seems to be around except for a character cloaked in feathers, of course. There seem to be several mysteries to solve - the little girl who disappeared from the car as you watch, someone is in the house with your niece whom you hear scream but can't get access to her house, your niece's boyfriend has disappeared, the train has crashed - there's no ending in sight.
The interactive HOS are terrific and the graphics and use of color are very good. The town is abandoned but not so drab as to make everything blend into everything. Interactive map with outstanding activities shown. 3 modes of play (I play casual). The developers did a fantastic job of keeping your interest throughout. Lots of adventure. Puzzles are varied and interesting. Although there is back and forth, you're not going through a lot of screens to use items you find - and you do have the interactive map if in a real hurry.
SUMMARY: Very good production values; beautifully conceived and intriguing intertwining stories; carefully crafted environments. Mainly adventure with a well-balanced amount of puzzles and HOS. Well worth a try.
I recommend this game!
An eccentric artist's creations have sprung to life, and they're terrorizing a small town.
Overall rating
5
/
5
4 of 4 found this review helpful
VERY INTRIGUING STORY
PostedMarch 2, 2014
rosekaufmann
fromLos Angeles
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
You travel by balloon to your niece's wedding, only to be attacked by a flying serpent. You land outside the town, which appears to be lacking in inhabitants going about their business. When you enter town, a mysterious painter appears, and his paintings come alive. You have to figure out who he is, what his objectives are and how to foil any nefarious intentions he has. And what happened to your niece - you find her carriage has been abandoned without a trace of her. How intriguing!
Objectives are listed and your map provides for fast travel and lists your objectives in each location. Silhouette searches, with a few find a number of a particular object. Your search rewards are used in fairly close proximity to where you find them. Music is relaxing. Graphics are not artistically fantastic but are quite good. Puzzles are tied to the story and are easy to figure out given a little thought.
SUMMARY: The developers spun an intriguing story. The painter is a nice touch because he appears suddenly and you have to figure out the context. You can only guess he is an integral part of the story. I prefer the SE to the CE.
In the CE, there is a mini-game of birds after you've collected th 30 birds hidden in the scenes. There are also 22 achievements and a replay of the mini-games. I think it is half of a CE - I expect more - perhaps the bonus game is long enough.
I recommend this game!
An eccentric artist's creations have sprung to life, and they're terrorizing a small town.
Overall rating
5
/
5
36 of 38 found this review helpful
VERY INTRIGUING STORY
PostedMarch 2, 2014
rosekaufmann
fromLos Angeles
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
You travel by balloon to your niece's wedding, only to be attacked by a flying serpent. You land outside the town, which appears to be lacking in inhabitants going about their business. When you enter town, a mysterious painter appears, and his paintings come alive. You have to figure out who he is, what his objectives are and how to foil any nefarious intentions he has. And what happened to your niece - you find her carriage has been abandoned without a trace of her. How intriguing!
Objectives are listed and your map provides for fast travel and lists your objectives in each location. Silhouette searches, with a few find a number of a particular object. Your search rewards are used in fairly close proximity to where you find them. Music is relaxing. Graphics are not artistically fantastic but are quite good. Puzzles are tied to the story and are easy to figure out given a little thought.
SUMMARY: The developers spun an intriguing story. The painter is a nice touch because he appears suddenly and you have to figure out the context. You can only guess he is an integral part of the story.
I recommend this game!
Excursions of Evil
Audrey makes her living writing about her extreme adventures. But will she be able to retell this tale?
Overall rating
2
/
5
2 of 4 found this review helpful
NO HAND HOLDING HERE (NO HELP EITHER)
PostedJanuary 29, 2014
rosekaufmann
fromLos Angeles
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
SUMMARY: This game will not make it to my buy list. It had promise but there are no instructions for the many puzzles, which don't necessarily work the way in which you are accustomed, and the hint for them is awful. The puzzles in the room are eventually skippable, but you get puzzles on your cell which require you to reach thresholds to continue. Ended up not being fun to play.
REVIEW: The storyline promised to be a really good game. However, there are no instructions for anything. You just sort of come across things to do. Voice overs are really good. There are numerous games you have to play on your cell phone, and they are really hard - because you have no instructions. Even though some of them resemble other games you may have played, they don't seem to work the same way.
The HOS are nice enough - some are more crowded than others, but objects are well defined. Puzzles you come across in the rooms (as those opposed to those on your cell phone) don't come with instructions - example: the hint will say to solve the puzzle, then push the start button. But you look and look and it ends up there is only one puzzle to solve (a picture) that activates the puzzle and gives you a prize. Takes a long time for the skip button. And I hate that you have to use a hint for the meager awful instruction (you can usually figure out you have to solve the puzzle to move on, so you don't need a hint to tell you that), and the hint then needs to recharge.
I don't recommend this game.
Time is running out for a worried bride! Locate her groom in a town plagued by mysterious drownings.
Overall rating
5
/
5
84 of 93 found this review helpful
BEAUTIFULLY SPECTRALLY DONE
PostedJanuary 26, 2014
rosekaufmann
fromLos Angeles
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
GRAPHICS are gorgeously picturesque of the times. The detail is incredible. HOS are very nicely done - a little crowded, but not excessively, and the objects are spread out and large enough that you're not pixel hunting. PUZZLES are widely varied and somewhat easy so that even novices won't get discouraged solving them.
MYSTERY involving disappearing men with a 200-year calendar. Now, who would need such a calendar and why are they walking into the lake? Lots of adventure with HOS and puzzles in the right proportion. ANIMATION is spectacular and used in the right places. Collect spectral fluid when it appears, so you know there's a paranormal aspect here.
Game has a lot to offer. JOURNAL has your clues and objectives. HINT system is very precise, giving thorough instructions on what to do in casual mode if you want it - usually on where you need to go next. MAP is very large and shows where there are activities to do. Lovely game and the demo went by so fast that I know it's a must buy
An invitation from your long lost mother leads you to a mysterious facility deep below the Atlantic Ocean.
Overall rating
5
/
5
65 of 66 found this review helpful
MOST INTERESTING STORYLINE
PostedJanuary 25, 2014
rosekaufmann
fromLos Angeles
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
SUMMARY: Very different. If you want a straight-forward easy-to-follow story, this isn't it. This game plays a lot like a strange dream: you know the one, all kinds of things are happening, but you don't know how or why or when they will connect - you only know that they will. Easy but fun puzzles and HOS. I would choose the SE (see last para).
STORY: This game has the most interesting storyline I've come across lately. At first, it seemed the usual story - a child given to an orphanage shortly after search, wants to know her history, yada yada. But once she gets her invitation to a dream facility underwater, there are so many twists, turns and discoveries in what appears to be a land of make-believe (i.e., the typical dream), that you can't wait to turn the next corner to see what happens.
GAMEPLAY: So many enjoyable cutscenes, a smattering of easy but fun puzzles, lots of scenes (you get a map) and lots to do, typical list-based HOS (but uncrowded and easy-to-find objects), find the shown object HOS (which are then placed into the scene to complete an object (such as a robot or projector) so it works. Objectives are given periodically. Since magic is supposedly meeting science, the twists and turns and areas to explore are mindshattering and take the same turns as your dreams do. Keeps your mind on its toes.
OTHER STUFF: 3 modes plus a customizable mode to an extent. (There are a few more sophisticated customizations out there, but this is still nice.) Nice unobtrusive music. Graphics are clear and the many types of locations are dramatically different but beautiful. Even though the scenes are so distinctive, they flow together seamlessly. No too much in voice overs, but what there are seems natural.
CE v. SE: Besides the bonus chapter in the CE, it seems the only collectible is 16 roses. The other CE items seem to be the standard fare - wallpapers, character profiles, et al. I don't think the CE has enough these days to warrant a CE price, so the SE seems to be the way to go.
I recommend this game!
An invitation from your long lost mother leads you to a mysterious facility deep below the Atlantic Ocean.
Overall rating
5
/
5
9 of 10 found this review helpful
MOST INTERESTING STORYLINE AND GAMEPLAY
PostedJanuary 25, 2014
rosekaufmann
fromLos Angeles
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
SUMMARY: Very different. If you want a straight-forward easy-to-follow story, this isn't it. This game plays a lot like a strange dream: you know the one, all kinds of things are happening, but you don't know how or why or when they will connect - you only know that they will. Easy but fun puzzles and HOS.
STORY: This game has the most interesting storyline I've come across lately. At first, it seemed the usual story - a child given to an orphanage shortly after search, wants to know her history, yada yada. But once she gets her invitation to a dream facility underwater, there are so many twists, turns and discoveries in what appears to be a land of make-believe (i.e., the typical dream), that you can't wait to turn the next corner to see what happens.
GAMEPLAY: So many enjoyable cutscenes, a smattering of easy but fun puzzles, lots of scenes (you get a map) and lots to do, typical list-based HOS (but uncrowded and easy-to-find objects), find the shown object HOS (which are then placed into the scene to complete an object (such as a robot or projector) so it works. Objectives are given periodically. Since magic is supposedly meeting science, the twists and turns and areas to explore are mindshattering and take the same turns as your dreams do. Keeps your mind on its toes.
OTHER STUFF: 3 modes plus a customizable mode to an extent. (There are a few more sophisticated customizations out there, but this is still nice.) Nice unobtrusive music. Graphics are clear and the many types of locations are dramatically different but beautiful. Even though the scenes are so distinctive, they flow together seamlessly. No too much in voice overs, but what there are seems natural.
CE v. SE: Besides the bonus chapter in the CE, it seems the only collectible is 16 roses. The other CE items seem to be the standard fare - wallpapers, character profiles, et al. I don't think the CE has enough these days to warrant a CE price, so the SE seems to be the way to go.
I recommend this game!
Stop the bitter Spirit of Cold from killing your ancestors!
Overall rating
5
/
5
50 of 60 found this review helpful
GRABS YOU RIGHT AWAY AND DOESN'T WANE
PostedJanuary 24, 2014
rosekaufmann
fromLos Angeles
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Promises to be the best Redemption Cemetery yet. It immediately grabs your attention with the first cutscene and it gets better from there. Find out the history of the freeze as you go back in time to save your ancestors (so you can be born). Collect snowflakes along the way. Nice spread out and colorful HOS, followed by a "put-it-together" puzzle with winter and Christmas themes.
In your journey, you do have the help of your first ancestor who gave up the spirit world to be with his human love, starting your ancestry line. You also have the help of a feather which enlarges things (so that a simple scissors, for example, can become a garden shears and perform useful tasks).
The animation and special effects are superb and the voice overs are professional and portray the reality of the situations (no flat tones here). This is a well-detailed and thought out game that is an immediate must-buy.
I recommend this game!
You're called to a health spa in the Alps, where an evil professor has something terrible in mind for his unwitting patients.
Overall rating
5
/
5
59 of 70 found this review helpful
ANOTHER WINNER WITH A LITTLE SPICE
PostedJanuary 5, 2014
rosekaufmann
fromLos Angeles
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
If you've liked any of the other Agency of Anomalies, you'll like this one. A different type of creative story - people's minds are being changed and you get a gadget that lets you into their minds. The HOS and puzzles are in a good ratio. The HOS are great and I like that they've put just about every type of HOS into the game - good variety adds a little spice. They are not too busy and you can find the objects without too much eyestrain. The puzzles are mildly to intermediately challenging - and all are doable.
Artistry and graphics are outstanding and I love the little mind reader (another piece of spice) which lets you into the patient's "revised" mind and see things through his eyes - it's almost similar to those games where you change illumination and find new items and uses. Good animation. Fantastic production values and a good addition to your game platforms.
I recommend this game!
Secret Trails: Frozen Heart
Your surprise visit is ruined by a blizzard. Who caused it, and what does he want with your little sister?
Overall rating
4
/
5
44 of 46 found this review helpful
STILL ON THE FENCE
PostedJanuary 4, 2014
rosekaufmann
fromLos Angeles
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Others will write the story so won't repeat. Game has:
- Innovative and challenging puzzles
- List-based HOS - moderate amount
- Simple cheesy dialogue (seems to be what a child would write)
- With better dialogue, storyline could have been much deeper and pressing; it doesn't suck you in and leaves you wondering how it started
- Lovely use of color and texture
- Extremely helpful hint system giving clear specific direction in casual (no need for a SG)
- Seems to be missing a prologue to understand the story fully
- Crisp clear graphics
- Much running to one place for one object, then back to use it; repeat
- Imaginative use of magic pencil creating live creatures from drawing
- Innovative and challenging puzzles
- List-based HOS - moderate amount
- Simple cheesy dialogue (seems to be what a child would write)
- With better dialogue, storyline could have been much deeper and pressing; it doesn't suck you in and leaves you wondering how it started
- Lovely use of color and texture
- Extremely helpful hint system giving clear specific direction in casual (no need for a SG)
- Seems to be missing a prologue to understand the story fully
- Crisp clear graphics
- Much running to one place for one object, then back to use it; repeat
- Imaginative use of magic pencil creating live creatures from drawing
SUMMARY: Due to the simplistic dialogue (people don't talk that way except in "See Spot Run" books), the story isn't perceived by me to be truly developed into its potential (which it surely has). It has everything else. And I really like the idea of being able to paint/draw something on a shiny surface and having it come to life. But the lack of story development and dialogue are what put me on the fence of whether to buy.
I recommend this game!