Granny_Gruff's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:2.6
- Helpful Votes:22,850
- Reviews Submitted:883
- First Review:December 23, 2011
- Most Recent Review:November 23, 2022
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Can you rescue your brother from an ancient and deadly fate?
Overall rating
5
/
5
35 of 40 found this review helpful
Third Times the Charm!
PostedSeptember 30, 2019
Granny_Gruff
fromNot a broken zipper or coin for screw driver to be seen so far!
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Marble Popper, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Jane and Victor have arrived for their Archeology lecture, but quickly find that there is more involved than a simple speech. Victor is kidnapped and Jane barely escapes with the help of another featured speaker, who sacrifices his freedom for her getaway. Jane is soon hot on the trail of the Bad Guys and deep in the jungle. She'll soon be up against the Bad Guys and a Hooded Stranger as she struggles to save her brother.
Good stuff: There are a lot of mini-games/puzzles, HOPs, great artwork, and an interesting mystery. Collectibles include both morphing items and signs in the CE bling. I did especially appreciate the artwork which managed to be well colored without tipping any single color into overload. Who knew!
Bad stuff: There are a lot of puzzles and a lot of pieces to put together for each lock/problem. Most of them are interesting and different - one door opens with four different mini-games, all different. You do have to translate bits of several different languages from a translator you carry with you. One set of drawings is well spaced and clear, another couple are crowded and jumbled together. After the first few translations, this part of the game loses its charm!
Bottom line: The third game in the Wanderlust series is heads and shoulders above most of what we've seen this year. With an engaging story, not too many logic hiccups, and good game play, Mad Head may have hit their stride.
I enjoyed the two previous Wanderlust games for their quirky humor and stories. I think this one may be even better!
I enjoyed the two previous Wanderlust games for their quirky humor and stories. I think this one may be even better!
Please try the demo for yourself.
I recommend this game!
Can you save the townspeople from a maniacal specter in time?
Overall rating
3
/
5
45 of 72 found this review helpful
The Best Part of the Demo Was the Dissolve!
PostedSeptember 26, 2019
Granny_Gruff
fromI wonder what Grandma fed her stuffed cat?
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Marble Popper, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
You play as Rick Rogers, paranormal investigator, called by Karen to come to Ashen Valley and investigate what seems to her to be numerous ghosts from the time the town was stalked by a serial killer, the Hook Man. When you finally get into town, Karen’s grandmother wants you to leave, but you persuade her to cooperate. Eventually you “save” Karen from the Hook Man after she hides in a derelict car trunk out by an old bridge, but this is only the tip of the iceberg that is this case. Good luck, Rick!
Good stuff: The story line was vague enough to have some potential. There were collectible dolls, eyes, and morphing objects as well as assorted CE bling. The characters were interesting and the VOs well done.
Bad stuff: In fact the story line was so vague that you may be left with a "take it or leave it" attitude as I was. There was nothing that seemed compelling enough to make me care what happens to the characters.
What was there was sometimes very confusing. You fix a "mouse trap" in the garden of Karen's grandmother's house. - Only it is more of a cute garden decoration as it consists of a mechanized mouse going after a piece of plastic/metal cheese. And when you come back to it with a bowl, you will dig up some rope - with a marsupial buried in the hole with the rope! Huh?
You climb a rope to the second floor of the police department and snoop around - after reminding yourself to be quiet so as not to attract the attention of the sheriff downstairs. You then proceed to break a door handle off the evidence room, knock things off of shelves, and climb in and out of that window repeatedly. When the sheriff finally throws you out the front door, the scene behind him is the second floor room you've been climbing in and out of the second floor window to get to - only it has moved down to the first floor. Huh?
You need to get a tile from a racoon you find in a closed refrigerator. You put sleeping pills in a can of food and drug the racoon to get the tile. But wouldn't he have been so excited to get out of the closed refrigerator he would have taken off running?
Add to those and other confusing moments the mini-games that were not working as someone hoped - either due to bad instructions or failure to perform as needed - and I was disappointed.
What was there was sometimes very confusing. You fix a "mouse trap" in the garden of Karen's grandmother's house. - Only it is more of a cute garden decoration as it consists of a mechanized mouse going after a piece of plastic/metal cheese. And when you come back to it with a bowl, you will dig up some rope - with a marsupial buried in the hole with the rope! Huh?
You climb a rope to the second floor of the police department and snoop around - after reminding yourself to be quiet so as not to attract the attention of the sheriff downstairs. You then proceed to break a door handle off the evidence room, knock things off of shelves, and climb in and out of that window repeatedly. When the sheriff finally throws you out the front door, the scene behind him is the second floor room you've been climbing in and out of the second floor window to get to - only it has moved down to the first floor. Huh?
You need to get a tile from a racoon you find in a closed refrigerator. You put sleeping pills in a can of food and drug the racoon to get the tile. But wouldn't he have been so excited to get out of the closed refrigerator he would have taken off running?
Add to those and other confusing moments the mini-games that were not working as someone hoped - either due to bad instructions or failure to perform as needed - and I was disappointed.
Bottom line: This new Paranormal Files game is definitely better than the last one; it's just not really compelling me to buy it.
Please try the demo for yourself.
Can you reveal the story behind the watch, defeat the witch and save your sister in time?
Overall rating
3
/
5
9 of 17 found this review helpful
Cuter Than A Basket of Kittens, Sweeter Than a Jar of Honey
PostedSeptember 23, 2019
Granny_Gruff
fromYou'll love feeding the baby rabbits with the magic carrots!
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Marble Popper, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
You and your sister find a watch in the woods and then Sister disappears. For unexplained reasons, you take the pieces of the watch found in her empty bed and return them to where you both found the watch in the woods. You fall down a hole and find yourself in a Magic Wood with an alligator/crocodile helper. If you can find all the pieces of the watch, you will rescue Sister and save the animals, but, beware, there is a witch already in the woods.
Good stuff: This is a really cute game, geared for kindergarten/first graders. (At least that is the verdict of my grandchildren, all of whom have been looking over my shoulder as I play for years.) As none of them felt young enough, I waded in and played the demo myself. And, boy is this game cute. All of the puzzles/mini-games/HOPs are simple and bright with pictures of fruits, veggies, animals and simple instructions. The most difficult task was quickly accomplished and you moved on. From catching fireflies to light a tree hole to growing magic carrots for the rabbit babies, no small child will be stumped.
Bad stuff: The witch seems a bit scary to me, but, then again, my grandchildren were fine with her. All the adult players will be out hunting for small relatives and friends to play through for them.
Bottom line: If you want a game that is easier than rolling off a log, you've found it!
Give the demo a try and then introduce a beginner to the cuteness.
Give the demo a try and then introduce a beginner to the cuteness.
A journey into the mirror world unleashes a powerful villain!
Overall rating
2
/
5
20 of 34 found this review helpful
How Stupid Is Alice?
PostedSeptember 22, 2019
Granny_Gruff
fromI object to moving the cat off the sofa by giving him a live mouse to chase! But I object to intoxicating small animals too!
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Marble Popper, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Alice, our heroine from the earlier Darkness and Flame games, is back in a dream/nightmare world and trying to rescue her mother - or not. Most of the demo centers around Alice waking to a world where she lives with her mother and has not had all her earlier adventures. It's all downhill from here.
Good stuff: All the usual game elements are here, with a puzzle heavy/HOP light assortment topped by CE bling with a variety of collectibles. The artwork is well done, as are the puzzles and HOPs.
Bad stuff: Alice has come through three previous games , surviving by her wits, magic phoenix, and her brains. So as soon as she woke up and did not question being locked in her own room, I knew we were in trouble. When she has to re-shoe the horse and cut the bridle down from the kitchen doorway, alarm bells went off. The last straw was that trip back to her deserted home after mom was kidnapped. She went back to catch a mouse. Help!
Seriously, there had to be an alternative course of action.
Seriously, there had to be an alternative course of action.
Bottom line: As a set up for Alice's next chapter, the story line leaves much to be desired. Logic fails aside, I resent her being portrayed as this mindlessly accepting of her "dream" life.
May be the next "chapter" will be better.
May be the next "chapter" will be better.
Please try the Demo for yourself. You may find redeeming value somewhere.
Can you stop a dangerous curse from destroying the realm?
Overall rating
3
/
5
40 of 56 found this review helpful
Not Up To Snuff
PostedSeptember 20, 2019
Granny_Gruff
fromWe all expect more than average and we aren't getting it here!
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Marble Popper, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
If you remember DP: The Red Riding Hood Sisters, you will most likely be disappointed in this new addition to the Dark Parables series.
Two apprentice art students, Benno and Siegfried, sneak into a deserted castle and find a portrait that suddenly comes to life. Only Benno makes it out of the castle. Siegfried is missing. You, Detective, will investigate as there are more disappearances after the first one, of both people and animals.
Good stuff: Everything you expect is here along with an assortment of CE bling.
Bad stuff: The story is hazy, the artwork is muddied and slightly out of focus, and everything is locked up even more than in your worst nightmares! (You find a chest in a corridor. You find the key to unlock it. You find the amulet to unlock a box inside of the chest and then have to find another to open a tailor's wallet to retrieve a pair of scissors. This insanity is repeated a lot.)
There seemed to be potential in the story. It just never came to fruition.
Bottom line: We've been here and we've done this way too often. I'm inclined to let the darkness take over this time just to see if it makes a difference!
I may revisit the whole thing when the SE comes out, only because the kids have liked the DP games I have already.
Please try the Demo for yourself.
Two apprentice art students, Benno and Siegfried, sneak into a deserted castle and find a portrait that suddenly comes to life. Only Benno makes it out of the castle. Siegfried is missing. You, Detective, will investigate as there are more disappearances after the first one, of both people and animals.
Good stuff: Everything you expect is here along with an assortment of CE bling.
Bad stuff: The story is hazy, the artwork is muddied and slightly out of focus, and everything is locked up even more than in your worst nightmares! (You find a chest in a corridor. You find the key to unlock it. You find the amulet to unlock a box inside of the chest and then have to find another to open a tailor's wallet to retrieve a pair of scissors. This insanity is repeated a lot.)
There seemed to be potential in the story. It just never came to fruition.
Bottom line: We've been here and we've done this way too often. I'm inclined to let the darkness take over this time just to see if it makes a difference!
I may revisit the whole thing when the SE comes out, only because the kids have liked the DP games I have already.
Please try the Demo for yourself.
Adera
Jane Sinclaire faces her greatest challenge in the mysterious city of Adera. Solve puzzles, collect artifacts and unlock its secrets!
Overall rating
4
/
5
9 of 14 found this review helpful
Do You Know Where You Are?
PostedSeptember 18, 2019
Granny_Gruff
fromI'm still wondering when someone will explain the sea creatures inside the helicopter that did not leak when we were under the ocean.
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Marble Popper, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Jane is sent to find her grandfather, long believed to be dead. A cryptic message has surfaced and Jane flies to an obscure desert location with her friend, Hawk, hoping to find Grandpa.
Good stuff: You can examine the first location by panning up, down, and all around. You will be able to explore every nook and cranny. There are puzzles, HOPs. and mountains of collectibles. There is a diary that will summarize a scene for you and give you a little help.
Good stuff: You can examine the first location by panning up, down, and all around. You will be able to explore every nook and cranny. There are puzzles, HOPs. and mountains of collectibles. There is a diary that will summarize a scene for you and give you a little help.
Bad stuff: There are no levels of play. There is no skip button for those puzzles until an unknown amount of time has passed - I never saw one as I gave every puzzle a shot and solved it before the skip button ever appeared. (And I'm no genius!) There is no map, so there is a great deal of running back and forth.
The Demo only took me 30 minutes, leaving me to wonder how long the actual game may last and why they allowed 90 minutes for the Demo when 60 would have been generous.
The Demo only took me 30 minutes, leaving me to wonder how long the actual game may last and why they allowed 90 minutes for the Demo when 60 would have been generous.
Bottom line: You need to at least try the demo. The ability to look all around you is impressive when you get to a panoramic scene. The number of collectibles will extend the game play time. And I liked exploring each scene in detail.
I willing to take the plunge with a special deal or coupon and I'll look forward to the next game from this developer.
If you haven't all ready tried this game, I'd strongly recommend the Demo.
If you haven't all ready tried this game, I'd strongly recommend the Demo.
I recommend this game!
A rock band reunion takes a deadly detour into a nightmare!
Overall rating
2
/
5
25 of 40 found this review helpful
OOPS!
PostedSeptember 16, 2019
Granny_Gruff
fromThey got an extra star for some decent color work!
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Marble Popper, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
I feel like apologizing here. Mostly because I played the Beta Trial and liked it. And I said encouraging things in the survey.
Somehow the translation to being released turned an enjoyable experience into a short sojourn into confusion.
Somehow the translation to being released turned an enjoyable experience into a short sojourn into confusion.
You are a reporter in the present jetting to your assignment to follow the classic rock band, Velvet Whisper, as they embark on their reunion tour.
At the opening press conference someone asks why they are reuniting after twenty years. So they disbanded in 1999, right? But a short time later there is mention of 35 years ago.... so now we're talking 1984, right? Except that the car I hop into in the "Downbeat" is a 1950's model, but there are CDs from the 1960's, the band dresses like the 1970's, and I'm so confused!
At that point, I figured I'd just try to focus on the game play. So I'm in the Downbeat. I need to head for the hotel. It is the large building on the hill, only the hotel's sign is in front of a building across the street from the band stage at the bottom of the hill.
At the opening press conference someone asks why they are reuniting after twenty years. So they disbanded in 1999, right? But a short time later there is mention of 35 years ago.... so now we're talking 1984, right? Except that the car I hop into in the "Downbeat" is a 1950's model, but there are CDs from the 1960's, the band dresses like the 1970's, and I'm so confused!
At that point, I figured I'd just try to focus on the game play. So I'm in the Downbeat. I need to head for the hotel. It is the large building on the hill, only the hotel's sign is in front of a building across the street from the band stage at the bottom of the hill.
Maybe I'll just play through the demo.
Of course then I need to decide if I want to purchase the game. But one reviewer told the tale, literally.
I'm left with an average game with artwork that rambles, OK games and HOPs, some wickedly hidden collectibles, and CE bling, along with a too short game for which I know the ending.
Never mind.
Please check out the demo for yourself.
I don't recommend this game.
Can you defeat an evil fairy queen to avenge your father?
Overall rating
2
/
5
32 of 50 found this review helpful
Did Anyone Vet This Story?
PostedSeptember 7, 2019
Granny_Gruff
fromI'm watching a black and white movie to rest my eyes!
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Marble Popper, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
This game reminds me of a badly done school essay, written on the bus, and handed in during first period!
Your mother, the queen of the Levrosse Kingdom, tells you that your father, King Harold, has been poisoned by evil fairy Queen Celeste from the Hallowed Kingdom. To cure him, you must take Queen Celeste's wings and bring them back to dear old Mom. Unfortunately one of Queen Celeste's spies reports your quest to her. This will not be an easy task!
Good stuff: the game has HOPs, puzzles, collectibles, artwork and a story. Most of those elements work against it instead of to its benefit! There will also be the switching between characters as in previous Dark Romance games, but since they are adversaries, it does not seem to work as well this time around.
Bad stuff: Aside from the obvious knockoff of the "Malificent" story, there is enough over-coloring and bad story details to spoil any game play enjoyment possible. Extra ink blurs every scene. When scenes clear a bit, the overwhelming color just hurts your eyes.
As for story details, how about fairy Queen Celeste being locked in her own home? Does she use magic to open the door? Nope.
She finds a leaf to slide under the door and a pin to poke the key out onto the leaf!
She heads out to the garden and must find the key after putting out a fire started by the enemy. Magic, now?
Nope.
Let's repair the fire hose and hook it up.
As for story details, how about fairy Queen Celeste being locked in her own home? Does she use magic to open the door? Nope.
She finds a leaf to slide under the door and a pin to poke the key out onto the leaf!
She heads out to the garden and must find the key after putting out a fire started by the enemy. Magic, now?
Nope.
Let's repair the fire hose and hook it up.
Of course there are many more bad details, but you don't need to take my word.
Please play the demo and judge for yourself.
Please play the demo and judge for yourself.
I don't recommend this game.
A crime film becomes reality when the leading role is murdered!
Overall rating
2
/
5
32 of 58 found this review helpful
Good Ol' Boy Sheriff Leads Cast of Cliche-filled Game
PostedSeptember 1, 2019
Granny_Gruff
fromLearn to lock up your emergency equipment and you, too, can be a game designer!
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Marble Popper, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Mary and Aaron are back for their third journey into crime solving. This time they are remembering visiting cousin Kevin, a quiet man who still lives in a town populated by people who think he committed a murder twenty years ago. Mary and Aaron have barely set foot in town before the local sheriff has hauled Kevin to jail for a new murder - the lead actress in the movie being made to prove Kevin's innocence in the first crime.
Good stuff: It's all here folks! Mini-games, HOPs, clean balanced artwork, a story, characters, collectibles, and CE bling fill another cookie cutter game. You will play alternately as each of the main characters, Mary and Aaron.
Bad stuff: The story makes little sense. Why is everyone so sure Kevin is a killer? And why would he stay in a town that is this suspicious of him? For twenty years???
The sheriff is a composite of every bad "Southern" movie sheriff you've ever seen. He has a fine distain for accuracy and legal procedure and an overwhelming sense of his own importance. The sheriff's office looks like an update of the Mayberry jail from the old Andy Griffith Show - except that our sheriff only has one cell. The town is small enough to boast of a small square, a single grocery, a hair salon, and a diner, but large enough to have a crowd of reporters harassing the sheriff within minutes of Kevin's arrest and only hours after the latest murder. There is a bus station and a "drive in" that seats about thirty patrons, yet the sheriff left the local tradespeople to put up cameras when there was trouble with teenage vandals.
The sheriff is a composite of every bad "Southern" movie sheriff you've ever seen. He has a fine distain for accuracy and legal procedure and an overwhelming sense of his own importance. The sheriff's office looks like an update of the Mayberry jail from the old Andy Griffith Show - except that our sheriff only has one cell. The town is small enough to boast of a small square, a single grocery, a hair salon, and a diner, but large enough to have a crowd of reporters harassing the sheriff within minutes of Kevin's arrest and only hours after the latest murder. There is a bus station and a "drive in" that seats about thirty patrons, yet the sheriff left the local tradespeople to put up cameras when there was trouble with teenage vandals.
Cliché spoiler alert: Keep your eyes peeled for the locked auto trunk with the locked fire extinguisher inside it. And when someone tries to burn you alive, you won’t find the second key anywhere nearby!
Bottom line: Kevin is on his own. I want out of this hick town!
Please check out the demo for yourself.
A surprise visitor brings news of a grievous future!
Overall rating
2
/
5
16 of 27 found this review helpful
She's Back!
PostedAugust 30, 2019
Granny_Gruff
fromI'm still seeing red.
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Marble Popper, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Anna Gray, along with Daddy's skull, is once again on the trail of another Gray family disaster. This time, a young girl, claiming to be Anna's daughter from the future, warns that the entire family is being killed off by a mysterious illness. Alice wants her mother to travel forward and find the killer, before Alice joins everyone else in the cemetery.
Good news: There is nothing new here, except the story - sort of. Once again the family is threatened, Anna is time traveling, and Daddy Richard's skull and spirit are along for the ride. There is the usual assortment of CE bling, over colored artwork, and the vast assortment of pieces and keys to find.
Bad news: See Good news above! The only addition will be the use of red and gray for the over coloring of each scene instead of the blues and purples that have been prevalent in the past.
Bottom line: After the previous sixteen entries in this series, you will not be surprised by any of the absurd places items are hidden and the myriad bits and pieces you must find to open even the most innocent of containers/drawers/cabinets/cases/caches. You may be confused as multiple family names are thrown around and relationships become muddied.
The cookie cutter nature of the game discouraged me from the beginning. You may be more forgiving. Please try the demo before you purchase!
I don't recommend this game.