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:
Save the town of Blackhill from an army of shadows!
Overall rating
2
/
5
69 of 75 found this review helpful
What They Have Done To Our Mystery Trackers?
PostedMay 20, 2018
Granny_Gruff
from:(
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
1
/
5
Black fog monsters appearing in town. Folks locked in their homes. Locals suspect it all has something to do with Prof. Xaio and his child prodigy niece in the mansion on the hill.
All usual Elephant game elements and expected features present.
Play the Demo.
Play the Demo.
Yes, it is short on story, details, and originality.
Yes, it is long on familiar elements from other Elephant games.
Yes, the monsters are black fog with glowing red eyes.... again.
Yes, the HOPs are sometimes ridiculously easy - one had most of the list objects lined up across the screen from left to right.
Yes, the puzzles/mini-games alternate between gobbledy-gook instructions and incredible simplicity.
Yes, the Devs went overboard when they finally figured out that most of us will tolerate Elf even if we are not animal helper fans, because, hey, it's Elf. (So now we can embarrass Elf with cutesy outfits.)
Yes, it is long on familiar elements from other Elephant games.
Yes, the monsters are black fog with glowing red eyes.... again.
Yes, the HOPs are sometimes ridiculously easy - one had most of the list objects lined up across the screen from left to right.
Yes, the puzzles/mini-games alternate between gobbledy-gook instructions and incredible simplicity.
Yes, the Devs went overboard when they finally figured out that most of us will tolerate Elf even if we are not animal helper fans, because, hey, it's Elf. (So now we can embarrass Elf with cutesy outfits.)
What are we left with? A game wannabe dressed in the traditional Elephant garb and players waiting to see something that harkens back to the early days of Elephant Games and the earlier MT games.
It is not here, folks.
How I wish it was - The Mystery Trackers is a favorite series for many of us. I bought my first MT game in 2012 and bought several older ones then too.
They were bright, engagin, and fun to play. Elf was one of the few animal helpers that people like and that wasn't overused.
They were bright, engagin, and fun to play. Elf was one of the few animal helpers that people like and that wasn't overused.
So please try the Demo. Make a mindful choice. How you vote with your gaming dollars will help determine the content of the next game.
I don't recommend this game.
Step into the shoes of Emily Patterson, follow the trail of the captor and thwart his evil plans.
Overall rating
2
/
5
28 of 37 found this review helpful
Devs Have Reached New Levels of Craziness!
PostedMay 16, 2018
Granny_Gruff
fromI do not dust. After seeing Emily's cobwebby apartment, I may start!
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
1
/
5
Emily Patterson is helping her father at a science expo in 1900 Paris, France. She has just arrived on her bike at the Pavilion with the prism her dad needs for his invention that will send electricity through the air. She helps set up the equipment with an assortment of locks, parts, and puzzles. When the device is turned on, a burst of energy blows through the roof. Ben Patterson sends his daughter outside to check if anyone noticed the glass roof shattering. Emily looks up to see a glowing ball plummet into the Pavilion and she faints. When she comes to, a policeman tells her that all the people in the Pavilion have disappeared, including her father.
Good stuff: Artwork is clear and well-drawn with good color. Normal game elements are present: HOPs, mini-games, and puzzles.
Bad stuff: Once again I find myself wondering what the Devs were thinking. After the disaster in the pavilion, one of the lightening amulets from the front of her father’s equipment is in another room of the Pavilion. Another one of the three lightening amulets is locked in Emily's cobweb covered apartment. The last one is inside a car at the Eiffel Tower.
Are they kidding?
To get inside her apartment after the disaster, Emily has to recover a magnetic key used on her Dad's device. Why would her Dad use her door key for his charger? And why is it stuck in place till Emily restores some of the machine?
Not laughing.
Once she gets the key and enters the apartment, she needs to look in the safe for her father's notes. To do that, she has to go back to the Pavilion, unscrew the infinity symbol off a pressure canister she found in another scientist's ruined work, and then insert it in the wall next to the safe, which is behind a dirty chalkboard that she must clean before it will slide from in front of the safe opening!
At this point I figure that someone really confused put this story/game together. Or perhaps they were trying to confuse us!
There is more, but I'll leave you to find it.
Somewhere in this mess of bits and pieces is a story and possibly an adventure, but after thirty minutes, when I finished the Demo, I only knew that I was missing not only logic and cohesion, but also any desire to play this game.
Somewhere in this mess of bits and pieces is a story and possibly an adventure, but after thirty minutes, when I finished the Demo, I only knew that I was missing not only logic and cohesion, but also any desire to play this game.
Please try the demo. Make a value decision based on your own experience. That's what Demo's are for.
And remember: Forewarned is forearmed!
I don't recommend this game.
Can you find your husband and escape an otherworldly foe?
Overall rating
3
/
5
9 of 17 found this review helpful
Been There, Saved Him, Shall I Do It Again?
PostedMay 16, 2018
Granny_Gruff
fromEveryone tells me to leave town. I stay and find myself in chains. How could I be surprised?
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
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Carlos, your husband has traveled to the little town of Hackamore Bluff looking for an artifact. When he calls to tell you he's found it, the call gets wonky and then dropped.
Worried when you can't call him back, you rush to find him.
But the peaceful looking town is not particularly welcoming and checking into the hotel leaves you more worried than before. No one remembers Carlos or admits to having seen him except the creepy librarian who rushes off after throwing you out of the library.
Worried when you can't call him back, you rush to find him.
But the peaceful looking town is not particularly welcoming and checking into the hotel leaves you more worried than before. No one remembers Carlos or admits to having seen him except the creepy librarian who rushes off after throwing you out of the library.
Good luck!
Good stuff: The game starts slowly, introducing you to the town, hotel, and library, along with a few of the unwelcoming locals. There will be lots of items to find, hold on to, and eventually use. There are collectible skulls and morphing objects along with some CE bling. All the usual game elements are present including a protective amulet that you'll reassemble.
Bad stuff: There is a claustrophobic feeling as most areas are very limited - you see part of the hotel lobby and the short flight of stairs up to your room door, then you are just in the room - bed, wardrobe, small stove. bedside table. Walking outside you are in a town square that doesn't look big enough to turn a SUV around in. The library is one side of it, but once inside, what you see does not match the outside and again is just a room and a balcony with another small room. As for game play, you will have to accomplish a couple of brain twisting feats. You will need to magnetize a poker by using a rag! Then after you light that stove in your sparse hotel room, you ditch the matches and hold on to a tazer to light candles in a cemetery crypt! The puzzles vary between super easy and hard with an easy one giving your protective amulet its power as needed. HOPs are dark and an occasional item is mislabeled - whisk broom as a brush, for instance.
Bottom line: Do you want to save Carlos? At the end of the Demo,I didn't.
Please play the Demo. You may see something I missed.
Please play the Demo. You may see something I missed.
Bring balance to different worlds endangered by chaos and help your partner, Seuss, find his lost love – Ariadna.
Overall rating
3
/
5
26 of 31 found this review helpful
We Did This in February
PostedMay 14, 2018
Granny_Gruff
fromIs it a HOP game if you are matching pairs of items and there are no lists?
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
1
/
5
Did you play the Demo For Hiddenverse: The Iron Tower in February?
If you did, you've virtually played this game.
Same items with a few new ones, all in piles. You match pairs and, sometimes, sets of three on most levels. You receive an extra hint for every ten jewels you find in the piles. Every fifth level is a bonus level that lets you pick one of three puzzles to work through - match picture cards, align stars into a constellation, work through a Match 3, or sift through another pile of pairs. At the beginning of each set of puzzles is a simple jigsaw with a picture pertaining to the "story." Occasionally there is a strip jigsaw to get another pertinent scene. In between times there are pictures with dialogue below them.
The story is minimal and is contained in the readable on-screen dialogue. You play as a new recruit learning to keep worlds in order when they touch/overlap. You will try to help your partner, Suess, a more experienced regulator, find his girlfriend, Ariadna.
I like to have have one or two different games in my collection as a respite from the usual HOP/Adventure games I play. But one or two is pretty much all that's needed.
Please give the Demo a try. See if you need a mini-vacation from whatever you usually play.
If you did, you've virtually played this game.
Same items with a few new ones, all in piles. You match pairs and, sometimes, sets of three on most levels. You receive an extra hint for every ten jewels you find in the piles. Every fifth level is a bonus level that lets you pick one of three puzzles to work through - match picture cards, align stars into a constellation, work through a Match 3, or sift through another pile of pairs. At the beginning of each set of puzzles is a simple jigsaw with a picture pertaining to the "story." Occasionally there is a strip jigsaw to get another pertinent scene. In between times there are pictures with dialogue below them.
The story is minimal and is contained in the readable on-screen dialogue. You play as a new recruit learning to keep worlds in order when they touch/overlap. You will try to help your partner, Suess, a more experienced regulator, find his girlfriend, Ariadna.
I like to have have one or two different games in my collection as a respite from the usual HOP/Adventure games I play. But one or two is pretty much all that's needed.
Please give the Demo a try. See if you need a mini-vacation from whatever you usually play.
Unlock the secrets of the moor to save your niece from the banshee!
Overall rating
1
/
5
37 of 56 found this review helpful
The List of Bad Elements Was Longer Than the Demo!
PostedMay 13, 2018
Granny_Gruff
fromEndless describes the sadness you will feel after the Demo.
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Marble Popper, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
What do you get when mixing faulty history, banshees, silly overused game elements, badly drawn characters, and the now ancient device of an opening crash?
This game.
From the moment after the buggy crash, as the "lady" lead character jumps out and fixes the wheel while the driver watches, you will know you are traveling a slippery slope. And it goes downhill all the way!
You play as the aunt of little Pamela and you are coming to celebrate her birthday. You arrive after the crash repairs and address her nanny as"Ms." You then proceed to color the frosting already on a cake with berries. Naturally this involves multiple puzzles to retrieve everyday items locked up like the crown jewels. Eventually you get to the mystery as your niece is taken at night by a Banshee to the nearby McConnell Island. You will spend the rest of the game trying to save her.
Good Luck!
This game is nigh indescribable. Almost every action is questionable, the story details are scrambled, characters are one dimensional, and the fear factor is nonexistent.
I beg of you: Try the Demo.
Quit in disgust.
Try any other game - even a bad one will look good in comparison!
Quit in disgust.
Try any other game - even a bad one will look good in comparison!
I don't recommend this game.
Delve into the Morante family’s past to stop a murderer!
Overall rating
3
/
5
32 of 37 found this review helpful
Fence Sitting is a Lost Occupation!
PostedMay 12, 2018
Granny_Gruff
fromThis entry in the Grim Facade series is such a mixed bag, that I am still stuck swinging on the fence.
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Marble Popper, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Raimondo Morante either fell down the stairs in the dark, or was pushed, possibly by his long dead first wife. His current wife, Dora, claims she is next to go and that it is all due to an old contract. Naturally a detective from Scotland Yard will travel out to a coastal Italian estate to investigate the murder of an Italian citizen, right?
Good news: The story is better than previous games in GF.
Bad news: There are a lot of "filler" moments as you run around looking for items that should have been there - How does someone lock their own bag and then have to hunt up a combination?
Good news: The characters are interesting and seem better conceived than usual.
Bad news: If only the story rose to their level. There is more obscurity involved than usual - as in nothing is explained.
Good news: The Demo takes a fairly long time to play through, even if you disregard the "fillers."
Bad news: You will go around stealing any money you find even if it is clearly belongs to others.
You really need to try the Demo and see if you want to add this GF game to your collection.
Please don't depend on my opinion as I am a dishonest detective playing hooky from my job for a free Italian vacation in opulent surroundings!
Please don't depend on my opinion as I am a dishonest detective playing hooky from my job for a free Italian vacation in opulent surroundings!
Play as both members of the Fletcher family to crack the case!
Overall rating
2
/
5
33 of 49 found this review helpful
The True Mystery Is Why They Let This Game Out of Development
PostedMay 6, 2018
Granny_Gruff
fromMaybe they could go back to basics: Motive, Opportunity, etc.
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
1
/
5
Mary and Aaron Fletcher are moving into their home in Hidden Pines. Before all the boxes are even opened, they are invited to a neighborhood party at the Mayor's home across the street. One of them leaves to be on time, while the other spouse stays to find their required contribution to the festivities: a bottle of champaign. (The player gets to choose which partner to play as in the beginning and you will switch to the other partner later.)
When the second spouse follows a few minutes after unlocking the champaign box, they are in time to see the first party goer leaving in a paddy wagon.
Apparently the Mayor's wife has died of poisoning and the newcomer is the only suspect.
Good news: There are all the usual game elements. The CE bling includes gift boxes to collect in most scenes.
Bad news: This is the first time I've had to unlock a box of cupcakes.
Good news: There is a mystery.
Bad news: It's not in the story.
I cannot fathom a police department in this day and age assuming that a newcomer, sent to a stranger's room with a tray of food, would automatically be the one to have poisoned that person. Presumably the poor sap carries poison to every party in case they get a chance to kill someone they've never met before.
I cannot buy into a murder mystery that is this badly constructed and will not buy the game either.
Please try the Demo. You need to judge for yourself.
When the second spouse follows a few minutes after unlocking the champaign box, they are in time to see the first party goer leaving in a paddy wagon.
Apparently the Mayor's wife has died of poisoning and the newcomer is the only suspect.
Good news: There are all the usual game elements. The CE bling includes gift boxes to collect in most scenes.
Bad news: This is the first time I've had to unlock a box of cupcakes.
Good news: There is a mystery.
Bad news: It's not in the story.
I cannot fathom a police department in this day and age assuming that a newcomer, sent to a stranger's room with a tray of food, would automatically be the one to have poisoned that person. Presumably the poor sap carries poison to every party in case they get a chance to kill someone they've never met before.
I cannot buy into a murder mystery that is this badly constructed and will not buy the game either.
Please try the Demo. You need to judge for yourself.
Can you save the city from a tattoo artist’s magical ink?
Overall rating
2
/
5
18 of 25 found this review helpful
Not Just Anyone Can be Kidnapped Out of a Bar Restroom!
PostedMay 6, 2018
Granny_Gruff
fromMaybe Chapter Two could have a good story, working puzzles with good instructions, and some artistry and creativity!
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
1
/
5
Chris Andersen meets an old friend, Rachel, in a bar near her new apartment. Things rapidly get flushed when Rachel is kidnapped out of the restroom of the bar. Chris finds himself in trouble as he goes to her aid and the Bad Guys think he knows too much. It's all downhill from there, in more ways than one.
Yes, there are all the expected game elements.
Yes, there is some confusion over the story. Is there magic or poison in that tatoo ink? (Do we care?)
Yes, the instructions for some of the games were badly written.
Yes, not all the games worked.
Yes, the scenes are dark, dirty, drab, and depressing.
Yes, there is some confusion over the story. Is there magic or poison in that tatoo ink? (Do we care?)
Yes, the instructions for some of the games were badly written.
Yes, not all the games worked.
Yes, the scenes are dark, dirty, drab, and depressing.
All would have been forgiven if I could have figured out what was going on. Rachel had a new tattoo, there was a news story on the bar TV about poisonous tattoo ink being used by some artists, and Chris is fond enough of Rachel to want to save her from whatever is happening.
But there is the problem.
We don't know what is happening and, as none of the characters were particularly interesting/attractive/endearing, I don't see any reason to put up with all the game's flaws.
But there is the problem.
We don't know what is happening and, as none of the characters were particularly interesting/attractive/endearing, I don't see any reason to put up with all the game's flaws.
I will once again strongly recommend that you try the Demo. Give the game your total attention for the short time it takes to get through the trial. You may find more than I did.
I don't recommend this game.
Can you save Dupin from a malevolent murderer in time?
Overall rating
2
/
5
8 of 12 found this review helpful
Warning: This Game Has Nothing To Do With THe E. A. P. story except the title!
PostedMay 5, 2018
Granny_Gruff
fromWhat Did Edgar Allen Poe Do to Make Them Do This to Another of His Stories?
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
1
/
5
In Dark Tales: The Pit and the Pendulum, you are traveling to meet Dupin at a magic show in a private home. Guests are there by invitation only and Dupin has your invitation. You are going to try to aid him as he strives to protect an old friend, Zula, one of the performers. She has received threats upon her life and has foreseen her own death. She has appealed to Dupin for help.
Good stuff: There are the usual assortment of HOPs and mini-games/puzzles along with a story that bears one of Edgar Allen Poe's most famous titles. It has nothing to do with his famous tale.
The artwork is good.
The artwork is good.
Bad stuff: Same complaints as on other of their games - missteps and logic fails abound. At a crowded party, the fire extinguisher is locked to the wall with two amulets/keys that must be found before you can take it.
You and Dupin enter a room where a prime suspect was locked in with the doorman, Matt. The "bad guy," Jacob, who is Zula's partner, jumps through a window into the garden. Dupin goes after him just before a security gate clangs down. You must find three masks to add to the one in place on the gate to raise it, but only after you solve still another puzzle. By the time you've run back and forth retrieving the other masks from safe, cabinet, and trunk, using a seeming unending supply of amulets, there seems little point in rushing after Dupin and Jacob. Fortunately they are still fighting in the garden. You catch up in time to have Jacob hurtle a poison gas canister at you. You see him drag Dupin off as you pass out. You regain consciousness to find that the secret passage they went through can be opened when you find four statuettes.
So you trek back and forth again. Unfortunately the mini-games/puzzles are quite easy and, with the light weight story, there just does not seem to be any incentive to purchase the game.
Please try the Demo.
I can't recommend what I will not be purchasing. This is one more in a series of sad cookie cutter games coming from this developer. I miss the early DT games and wish the Devs would just start a new series and stop abusing E.A.P.
You and Dupin enter a room where a prime suspect was locked in with the doorman, Matt. The "bad guy," Jacob, who is Zula's partner, jumps through a window into the garden. Dupin goes after him just before a security gate clangs down. You must find three masks to add to the one in place on the gate to raise it, but only after you solve still another puzzle. By the time you've run back and forth retrieving the other masks from safe, cabinet, and trunk, using a seeming unending supply of amulets, there seems little point in rushing after Dupin and Jacob. Fortunately they are still fighting in the garden. You catch up in time to have Jacob hurtle a poison gas canister at you. You see him drag Dupin off as you pass out. You regain consciousness to find that the secret passage they went through can be opened when you find four statuettes.
So you trek back and forth again. Unfortunately the mini-games/puzzles are quite easy and, with the light weight story, there just does not seem to be any incentive to purchase the game.
Please try the Demo.
I can't recommend what I will not be purchasing. This is one more in a series of sad cookie cutter games coming from this developer. I miss the early DT games and wish the Devs would just start a new series and stop abusing E.A.P.
I don't recommend this game.
Can you prove that the town’s creatures are innocent?
Overall rating
2
/
5
26 of 38 found this review helpful
As They Are Executing ANIMALS, Does No One Notice I'm Human?
PostedMay 4, 2018
Granny_Gruff
fromStuck in Derby City without a horse or a party hat and no desire to bet!
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
You are sent by the Chimera League to a small town where children have gone missing and the local humans have decided to blame the animals. As there does not seem to be any actual evidence that the animals are to blame, you know that something evil is going on here.
You are pulled into the drama almost immediately as your guide and leader of the Creature Council, Edora, is arrested before you've been in town long enough to get to her house.
You catch up with her at the local prison where she is being held for execution. You help her escape and stay in her cell. The locals lead you to the place of execution without noticing you do not have horns and hooves like Edora.
Good Luck, detective.
Good stuff: There are collectible puzzle pieces, morphing objects, and creature cards among the CE bling. There are the usual HOPs, mini-games, and puzzles, along with good artwork and another demons-out-to-take-over-the-world story.
Just in case you have seen one too many of that type of story, the Devs threw in a save-my-child line also.
Bad stuff: I finished the demo in less than half the time allotted, suggesting a short game. The game elements are fairly run of the mill and could have been lifted from any other HOP/puzzle/adventure game you've seen in the last few weeks. This, in itself, is not horrendous, but the series has wandered from its original premise and has taken on the lackluster rubber stamp execution of so many recent games.
I had been playing an older game and had been reminded of why I enjoyed these for so long - the scenes had to be explored, there was nothing illogical about the progress of the story, and the diary filled in gaps and gave clues to help the adventure along. In contrast, this new entry in the Chimeras series, has me finding the tumblers for a handbag from Edora's home in town and across the lake at the prison. (And who locks up any bag with four removable tumblers and a combination?) How does that make sense? Not to mention all the things that are broken, minor bits and pieces locked up, and the lack of effort to hide collectibles and HOP objects.
I recommend only that you try the demo for yourself. You'll have to decide if this misplaced story belongs in this series and is one you wish to play through.
You are pulled into the drama almost immediately as your guide and leader of the Creature Council, Edora, is arrested before you've been in town long enough to get to her house.
You catch up with her at the local prison where she is being held for execution. You help her escape and stay in her cell. The locals lead you to the place of execution without noticing you do not have horns and hooves like Edora.
Good Luck, detective.
Good stuff: There are collectible puzzle pieces, morphing objects, and creature cards among the CE bling. There are the usual HOPs, mini-games, and puzzles, along with good artwork and another demons-out-to-take-over-the-world story.
Just in case you have seen one too many of that type of story, the Devs threw in a save-my-child line also.
Bad stuff: I finished the demo in less than half the time allotted, suggesting a short game. The game elements are fairly run of the mill and could have been lifted from any other HOP/puzzle/adventure game you've seen in the last few weeks. This, in itself, is not horrendous, but the series has wandered from its original premise and has taken on the lackluster rubber stamp execution of so many recent games.
I had been playing an older game and had been reminded of why I enjoyed these for so long - the scenes had to be explored, there was nothing illogical about the progress of the story, and the diary filled in gaps and gave clues to help the adventure along. In contrast, this new entry in the Chimeras series, has me finding the tumblers for a handbag from Edora's home in town and across the lake at the prison. (And who locks up any bag with four removable tumblers and a combination?) How does that make sense? Not to mention all the things that are broken, minor bits and pieces locked up, and the lack of effort to hide collectibles and HOP objects.
I recommend only that you try the demo for yourself. You'll have to decide if this misplaced story belongs in this series and is one you wish to play through.
I don't recommend this game.