D_A_Renoir's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3
- Helpful Votes:38
- Reviews Submitted:4
- First Review:January 9, 2012
- Most Recent Review:October 20, 2021
- Featured reviews0
D_A_Renoir's Review History
Grim Facade: Sinister Obsession Collector’s Edition
Can you uncover the truth before you become the next page in the killer’s diary?
Overall rating
3
/
5
Good for killing time. NOT good for plot. Don't waste your time if you've played the other Grim Facade games
PostedOctober 20, 2021
D_A_Renoir
fromSemarang, Indonesia
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
Had some time to kill so I decided to go through my old games. It was fine and enjoyable enough for a casual free afternoon. I'd forgotten older games didn't yet have the map function where you can check for available actions and/or jump to locations. It was a bit tedious having to walk around manually.
The puzzles and HO scenes are fine. The objects are more hidden than I'm used to, though. Maybe it's because the scenes are darker and grittier than the newer games I've been playing lately. Though, since there's no "no hints", "speed search", or "no mistakes" achievements for me to earn, I can just brute force through it (or abuse the hint button).
What I'm VERY not happy about is the story. The plotline is a mess, nothing is solidly explained in the end, and the game just throws you a plot twist that came straight out of nowhere in the main game. Even when you play the bonus game, it doesn't clarify just what exactly happened in the main plot. The murder culprit is hinted to be Bernardo's sons, but it was shown through fuzzy cutscenes that I'm not sure was meant to represent the truth or were meant to be red herrings.
And since the culprit is not clear, the motive for WHY the murders were committed also ended up being unclear too. So if you care about the mystery/plot, this Grim Facade title is not for you. Skip it, and play the other titles. Play this only if you just want a fun afternoon playing HOPA game with pretty graphics (ERS/Amax always makes games with pretty art).
I recommend this game!
Can you stop a madman from using puppets to take over the island?
Overall rating
3
/
5
5 of 5 found this review helpful
Enjoyable game
PostedMarch 7, 2019
D_A_Renoir
fromSavannah, GA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
It's a good Hidden Object adventure. Didn't particularly follow the Puppet Show series, but I've been loosely following this developer's other works. Great graphics as usual, the puzzles are fun, though it's nothing really new. I wished the walkthrough had included how to get the achievements though, because I missed the one called "relieve stress" and I have no idea where'how to clear that one. I'm assuming I was supposed to destroy something?
I recommend this game!
Overall rating
3
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Amazing, but historical incaccuracies distract from game experience
PostedSeptember 22, 2014
D_A_Renoir
fromSavannah, GA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Current Favorite:
Otherworld: Spring of Shadows Collector's Edition
(159)Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
The game has all the makings of a good HOG. It has STUNNING visuals. The scenes are painted really beautifully, and the animations in the cutscenes are so fluid I can't tell if it's digital paintings made to move with some kind of program or if it's a 3D animation rendered to look like digital paintings!
The gameplay is typical of most HOG, but it's the type that floats my boat. It's not too easy, and not too tedious either.
My biggest issue with this game is the historical inaccuracies. As someone who is quite familiar with Japanese history, all these inaccuracies immediately pulls me out of the game. I have to try so hard to not scream "But that's not right!!" every 5 minutes.
The game opens with text naming a very specific and REAL place in Japan (Tsu Castle) and a very specific year: 1606. If you mention real places, I expect you to be faithful to reality, but that's not the case with the game! If you're going to ignore reality, please do not mention names of real places.
The clothes are wrong. The mother's obi is wrong and her kimono should NOT have the different-coloured trims on the collar and sleeves. The son's kimono flaps are backwards. He is wearing it like a dead person or a ghost. The flaps are not interchangeable.
The hairstyle is wrong, because that style only came to fashion in the 1700s.
There are objects that do not belong, such as the painting of the courtesan in the storage and the yin-yang symbols. That courtesan is also dressed in the fashion of a 1700s courtesan, and it could not exist in 1606. Taoism may have some influence to Japanese culture, but the Yin-Yang symbol itself is not commonly used as decoration.
Also, one of the first items to get is a rope. However, the rope we're supposed to cut from the tree is a SACRED ROPE. You cannot cut off a scared rope just like that!! At the very least have the mother say something like, "I'm sorry god(s), but I need this rope to save my son" or something to that effect.
I love the game, I really do. All you'd need to do is remove the text in the intro that mentions Tsu Castle and just not mention where this game is happening at. I don't mind references to real people like the Koga ninja clan or real places like the Ise Jingu shrine. Just don't tell me that this is supposed to be "what I didn't know was secretly happening in history".
I recommend this game!
Mystery Legends: The Phantom of the Opera Collector's Edition
You’ve been invited to the long abandoned Paris Opera House. Find the phantom and discover the torment of this tragic hero!
Overall rating
3
/
5
32 of 37 found this review helpful
Fun, but the plot was meh
PostedJanuary 9, 2012
D_A_Renoir
fromBellevue, WA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Plot spoiler warning.
I loved the gameplay to bits. I like the artwork, I like the atmosphere, and the tasks are in the right level of difficulty.
You get to explore around the Opera House, find the objects you need, and appease the Phantom by bringing him black roses. The abandoned opera house is appropriately gloomy and eerie, but it still looks nice. The art is beautiful, and I like how the place does not look like something out of a horror movie. There were some games who do that, in an attempt to create a dark/scary atmosphere, but it only made the scenery unpleasant to look at. This game did not do that.
I find it inconvenient that you have to backtrack through places, but it's a minor complaint. I also love the fact that you can hear the Phantom saying things in the background as you explore.
The problem that I had was the plot. I like my adventure games to have a good plot and this game disappointed me in that aspect.
For example, why on earth does the Phantom need the black roses? What would he need them for? The first quest says that our mission is to find a way out, and at the end of the game, there was none! I played the regular edition first, and I thought the ending was a bad cliffhanger because the main character got kidnapped by the Phantom! Oh noes! Added with the note saying that I'll have to get the Collector's Edition to see what happens next, it made me upset. I still bought the CE anyway because I wanted to know what happens next.
The ending of the bonus chapter did not resolve ANYTHING. You are still trapped. Worse yet, now you're trapped in the Phantom's lair, not just the Opera House. The only indication that this ending may be not so bad after all is this weird psychic message from Christine saying... something about the Phantom's feeling or whatever. I'm still not happy. Especially the fact that the main character is Christine's daughter, who is the spitting image of her mother. That was why the Phantom trapped her in the first place, because he thinks she is Christine. It just makes it all the more like one of those weird fanfiction. I would have liked it better had the story's main character Christine herself. Or, heck it, someone completely unrelated to the original story.
The only reason I didn't hate it that much is because the gameplay was excellent. If I ignore the annoying plot, it's a fantastic game.
I recommend this game!