Not a Bad Entry from the Amaranthine Voyage Series
PostedNovember 18, 2016
listenerstone
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Time Management
Fun Factor
4/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
5/ 5
Level of Challenge
4/ 5
Storyline
4/ 5
This one wasn't my favorite, but it was pretty decent. There's a good storyline and some fun game play. And a few of the features that have made these games really good are present here as well.
First off, the Amaranthine Games feature a jump map, so traveling from one location to another and back again is easy as pie. Second, for anyone interested in completing all the achievements, this game allows you to go back and find collection items you may have missed or forgot to locate. There are also souvenirs to seek out after completing the game, plus a bonus chapter if you opt for the collector's edition. And you may choose the level of difficulty best suited for you.
The story is interesting enough to follow and well voiced enough to not become annoying. You can skip over the dialogue if that's not your thing.
The HO scenes are really pretty decent, though nothing is ridiculously hard to find. The mini-games are really very basic and may look very familiar to anyone who plays this type of game. Undoubtedly, you will have seen some variation of most of these games before. Some players may find the mini-games far too easy, but they were still enjoyable.
Overall, I found this worth playing. Some may find it too easy, but if you want a break from the horror/scary HO games or are playing the Amaranthine series all the way through, then give this one a shot. You just might like it.
While I enjoy the Nightfall series as a whole, this is definitely the weak link in the bunch. Most of the issues with this game come from the fact that it is incredibly hard to find all the objects in fullscreen. While there were a few pieces lost along the edges in Nightfall Mysteries: Asylum Conspiracy, there are so many in this game that at some point I began to play completely in a small window. However, being out of fullscreen made the hidden objects that much smaller and harder to find.
Some of the visual quality also seemed a little off. I understand HO scenes shouldn't just be filled with easy to find objects, but some of these were SO difficult to find simply because colors blended into each other. There were red on red, black on black objects, and while I generally try to never use hints, I found myself so frustrated that I no longer cared and just wanted to use a hint to complete the screen and move on.
There were theater masks to find scattered throughout the board, but again, this was another part of the game I did not really like. The masks don't disappear when you click on them; the only way to really tell that you've gathered the mask is the little ringing noise that accompanies your click. This is less than optimum when you have to play with the volume down. To be fair, the mask doesn't appear the next time you enter that scene, but it would have been much more helpful if they disappeared as all other hidden objects did.
There is a map and a guide which can come in handy, but the map is not a jump map, so you will have to return to each previous scene by clicking.
The last glaringly obvious problem for me with this game was the music. It was awful. I'm a giant fan of movie music and scores, and that even extends to some game music as well. But this one was truly difficult to listen to on certain boards.
The one improvement over Asylum Conspiracy is the games that are not HO. There are definitely a few more challenging games in this one. Still, none are overwhelmingly tough, but they did make game play a little less HO only.
The storyline is still interesting, but it's also a little odd. It's enough like Asylum Conspiracy to be a sequel, but there are definitely elements that don't line up exactly. I don't want to say too much and spoil anything, but there are parts of the stories that don't gel. A little research shows both of these games being released in the same year, but it seems a bit hard to tell which came first. If you do play both, you can still follow along with the storyline pretty easily.
I still recommend this game as it's a part of the series that I know gets better in the next chapter. But I don't have quite the enthusiasm for this one as I do for Asylum Conspiracy or the other games that followed.
I'm a fan of all of the Nightfall Mysteries games and this is the one that kicks the entire storyline off. I'm also a big fan of spooky hidden object or adventure games and this fits that bill as well.
I will say that this game is mostly HO scenes with a few other puzzles thrown in. So if that isn't your thing, you may not enjoy this game as much as some others that incorporate different types of puzzles. And some of the HO scenes are a little hard to see along the sides in fullscreen; there were a few times I had to kick the game out of that mode just to see the edges of the scene. But it can be worth it if you like to complete all the achievements available in the game.
There is a notebook available that offers clues, tasks, audio tapes (that you collect throughout the game), a map, a walkthrough, and achievements. The map is decent, but it is not a jump map, so you will have to manually return to all your previous sites. The walkthrough isn't too bad and can come in handy if you find yourself in a pinch.
There is only one game mode, so you cannot make the game harder if that is something that interests you. And while the games and HO scenes are fun, none are overly challenging or difficult. Again, some players may like a bit more of a challenge, so it will depend on your own personal preference.
The storyline is enjoyable and the voice acting is quite good, but the entire atmosphere is creepy/spooky, so it may be way too much for some younger players. There is a sequel as well, so the plot does continue on in the next game.
Overall, I really enjoy this game. And seeing as it's been out for years, I have indeed played it more than once, making the replay value quite good for me. If you like this sort of spooky hidden object game, this is definitely one that I would recommend.
So going through my games, I thought I'd review some of my old favorites. And even though this game has been available for years, it remains at the top of my list. It's one of those I constantly fall back on when I need something to help me relax and have fun.
This is a very basic time management game where you must dress the models and make sure to send them to the runway before time runs out. Making "model chains" and "style chains" gives you added points, and there are three signature outfits on each level that will give you an extra 1000 points a piece. There is just enough of a challenge to make the game interesting, but it never reaches that point where it becomes so difficult that it is annoying.
There is a very minor storyline that you can follow, but if that isn't your thing, it's very easy to skip over those scenes and get right into the board. They never really interfere with the game play.
The game seems very family friendly; yes, the models do show up in their underwear, but they are very cartoon-like and nothing seems inappropriate for most players. I think a lot of girls would really enjoy this game. That being said, even as an adult, I have had a lot of fun playing it.
There are a few things that are a little irksome. Some of the boards become really difficult because the one-piece outfit required for the signature outfit doesn't show up when you need it. Even refreshing the board with the provided power-ups can sometimes leave you without the right outfit. However, that rarely happens with mix and match pieces, so sometimes the only option is to play a board over if the right one-piece does not show up. Also, the entire level where you match colors or patterns can become a little tedious and the short amount of time given can get real old, real fast. The major enjoyment I get out of this game far outweighs the few issues though.
I don't know if this review will help anyone given how long JoJo's Fashion Show has been out, but if you're new to the site or are just looking for an older game to spend a game credit or a free game on, I would highly recommend this game. It might just give you a few hours of fun and escape which is generally something I look for in my games.