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:
Find evidence to solve mysterious crimes and expose insidious criminals across 100 hidden object scenes with multilevel gameplay!
Overall rating
2
/
5
16 of 19 found this review helpful
Throwback to the First HOP Games
PostedJanuary 17, 2018
Granny_Gruff
fromHOPs everywhere and not a good story among them.
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
If you like to do HOP after HOP, this is the game you've been waiting for. You go through successive timed scenes to find small groups of objects, including one that has to be put together. Each scene has a brief character's intro that you read on-screen.
After about eight of these, I bailed.
The HOPs were not particularly enjoyable, the timer was annoying, and the star system obtuse.
This is one game that you must demo to see if you can tolerate the time travel back to the beginning of the genre.
Most of us would prefer more development in both story and game play.
After about eight of these, I bailed.
The HOPs were not particularly enjoyable, the timer was annoying, and the star system obtuse.
This is one game that you must demo to see if you can tolerate the time travel back to the beginning of the genre.
Most of us would prefer more development in both story and game play.
I don't recommend this game.
The contract must be fulfilled, but your girlfriend will pay the price!
Overall rating
2
/
5
10 of 13 found this review helpful
Theo May Deserve to Go to H..., But Why Take Elaine?
PostedJanuary 17, 2018
Granny_Gruff
fromDancing forever may not be that bad, if your partner doesn't have two left feet.
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
Unlike the first two Cadenza series' games, this one is a lost tale looking for something to glue its bits and pieces together to make a cohesive story.
Theo has helped you arrange the perfect proposal setting and you are hurrying to join Theo and his sister, Elaine, at the restaurant where you intend to propose to Elaine. (Every young man in love wants his girlfriend's brother at his proposal, right?)
You arrive in time to witness the kidnapping of both Theo and Elaine by an elaborately masked stranger. You search the restaurant, Theo's car, and his nearby apartment and manage to follow clues to a remote location that leads you to clues that point to the solving of an earlier mystery that you know even less about, and then to the bizarre location where Elaine, newly masked, invites you to dance. End of demo.
Good stuff: The artwork is nice. The game has multi-layered HOPs, puzzles, collectible couple silhouettes, and CE bling.
Bad stuff: Aside from the really inadequate story, the characters are wooden and alternately cliche and overly dramatic. The usual "lock everything and hide the keys" is even more absurd than in the last two games of the Cadenza series.
The Cryptex is an odd addition to the game with no purpose other than to "unlock" musical instruments - which it does once - or break them - which it does once.
This game looks to be a throw-away for the series and Mad Hat - they needed to come up with an entry and threw all the miss-matched bits hanging around the office at this poor little thing.
The demo was short, but that's not surprising when several reviewers have mentioned the lack of length in the finished game.
Two of the Cadenza games, "Music, Betrayal, and Death" and "The Kiss of Death" were great. The other two were as disappointing as this one, once again illustrating the recent rash of sorry additions to established series!
Please try the demo before you decide to add this poor little thing to your collection.
Theo has helped you arrange the perfect proposal setting and you are hurrying to join Theo and his sister, Elaine, at the restaurant where you intend to propose to Elaine. (Every young man in love wants his girlfriend's brother at his proposal, right?)
You arrive in time to witness the kidnapping of both Theo and Elaine by an elaborately masked stranger. You search the restaurant, Theo's car, and his nearby apartment and manage to follow clues to a remote location that leads you to clues that point to the solving of an earlier mystery that you know even less about, and then to the bizarre location where Elaine, newly masked, invites you to dance. End of demo.
Good stuff: The artwork is nice. The game has multi-layered HOPs, puzzles, collectible couple silhouettes, and CE bling.
Bad stuff: Aside from the really inadequate story, the characters are wooden and alternately cliche and overly dramatic. The usual "lock everything and hide the keys" is even more absurd than in the last two games of the Cadenza series.
The Cryptex is an odd addition to the game with no purpose other than to "unlock" musical instruments - which it does once - or break them - which it does once.
This game looks to be a throw-away for the series and Mad Hat - they needed to come up with an entry and threw all the miss-matched bits hanging around the office at this poor little thing.
The demo was short, but that's not surprising when several reviewers have mentioned the lack of length in the finished game.
Two of the Cadenza games, "Music, Betrayal, and Death" and "The Kiss of Death" were great. The other two were as disappointing as this one, once again illustrating the recent rash of sorry additions to established series!
Please try the demo before you decide to add this poor little thing to your collection.
I don't recommend this game.
A vacation becomes a nightmare as you’re forced into an impossible game.
Overall rating
2
/
5
12 of 16 found this review helpful
MIA Story & Over-saturated Coloring Blur Game Happiness!
PostedJanuary 8, 2018
Granny_Gruff
fromLook another game about a game that everyone wants to leave behind! Why aren't we getting the message?
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
1
/
5
The opening cut scene is of a child, Kevin, apparently sick in bed and he awakens frightened. His father comforts him by throwing dice and taking him into a game. They disappear in a highly colored cloud. Next scene, you and your friend Christine, are on vacation and discover a strange glowing behind a rock. You both decide to investigate. You find a highly ornate game box. Christine opens it and is sucked inside. You follow.
Good stuff: there will be lots of puzzles with a choice of hard or easy, some HOPs with a Match 3 alternative, collectibles, and CE bling.
Bad stuff: The artwork is highly saturated and fuzzes out between scenes and close ups. Why can't they fix that?
The opening characters are odd - the normal father is sitting beside the bed inside a glowing blue-green circle, but the close-up on the child in the bed seems to show a well-worn wooden puppet face although it does move "normally." All the characters seem somewhat stilted and, other than wanting to catch up to Christine, you are pretty much on your own.
The elf leader in the first world tells you a man invented the game and the 3 worlds in it. You will shortly see "Charles" who is up to no good. Is he the maker of the game? He definitely wants to make sure you follow the rules. Too bad only he knows what they are!
There are the usual trite and familiar puzzles along with standard logic lapses. You will "carry" a grind stone around to the first world so you can sharpen a saw - not a recommended use of a grind stone, not to mention how heavy the stone is. There will be the usual bee smoker, the resin to glue something together, the various tools - found, used once, and vanishing, only to be replaced with something similar in a few minutes! That would all be disappointing enough, but the topper is the copycat story from earlier games form other series.
There's more drivel, but you get to hunt it up yourself. As this is the seventh game in an established series, it would have been nice if someone had worked at making this game instead of pasting it together as it flew out the door.
Please try the demo and notice that even the stellar reviews are not best pleased.
Try it for yourself before you buy!
Good stuff: there will be lots of puzzles with a choice of hard or easy, some HOPs with a Match 3 alternative, collectibles, and CE bling.
Bad stuff: The artwork is highly saturated and fuzzes out between scenes and close ups. Why can't they fix that?
The opening characters are odd - the normal father is sitting beside the bed inside a glowing blue-green circle, but the close-up on the child in the bed seems to show a well-worn wooden puppet face although it does move "normally." All the characters seem somewhat stilted and, other than wanting to catch up to Christine, you are pretty much on your own.
The elf leader in the first world tells you a man invented the game and the 3 worlds in it. You will shortly see "Charles" who is up to no good. Is he the maker of the game? He definitely wants to make sure you follow the rules. Too bad only he knows what they are!
There are the usual trite and familiar puzzles along with standard logic lapses. You will "carry" a grind stone around to the first world so you can sharpen a saw - not a recommended use of a grind stone, not to mention how heavy the stone is. There will be the usual bee smoker, the resin to glue something together, the various tools - found, used once, and vanishing, only to be replaced with something similar in a few minutes! That would all be disappointing enough, but the topper is the copycat story from earlier games form other series.
There's more drivel, but you get to hunt it up yourself. As this is the seventh game in an established series, it would have been nice if someone had worked at making this game instead of pasting it together as it flew out the door.
Please try the demo and notice that even the stellar reviews are not best pleased.
Try it for yourself before you buy!
I don't recommend this game.
Can you stop an old evil from wreaking its vengeance?
Overall rating
3
/
5
16 of 27 found this review helpful
Past the Glaring Time Warp Problems Is a Story of Sorts
PostedJanuary 8, 2018
Granny_Gruff
fromSo a medium detective does not mean that you are in the middle of the achievement list?
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
You play as Claire Arlington, special consultant to the police. Your Detective friend has appeared at your door to ask for help in a case he suspects is murder. The "suspect" is a man dead for 250 years, Malefie. Burned at the stake for practicing witchcraft and other crimes, he vowed to return to kill the descendants of his accusers. Now a young woman is dead and Detective Pike thinks Malefie is the killer. (Can't you just imagine the trial?)
Good stuff: There are collectible signs, lots of puzzles and HOPs, and CE bling.
Bad stuff: For reasons that I can't imagine, every time you speak to Det. Pike, his chest is heaving. I'm confused as to whether this indicates a severe asthmatic or if he's been running a lot. Either way, it is very distracting.
I didn't notice any music, but the continuous thunder was not attractive!
You'll also have to try and ignore the mixture of styles and backgrounds that span decades. Apparently the Devs did not have access to a library to look up any one time period. Theoretically you are in 1905 - since Malefie was burned at the stake 250 years ago in 1655. (Ignore the mix of vehicle styles, buildings, dress, and backgrounds.) And even though he has been coming back every ten years to kill the descendants of his accusers, he hasn't run out of victims. (They all had huge families!) As multiple victims from the same group of families turn up dead every ten years, after 250 years, you'd think the culprit would be obvious. Instead the police have to work this out anew each ten years and by that time the ghost is quietly waiting for the next go around!
There are the usual odd hidden things and actions - the bell clapper from the police lab door is hidden in a locked box under the latest victim's sofa. Our character uses a cloth she finds outside to clean a very dirty magnifying glass with alcohol, and then turns around to use that same dirty cloth to gather a sample of blood for forensic testing! The police expert, Dr. Niers, leaves her to do her own tests, trolling through his office and searching through his locked boxes and cabinets as he stands nearby working. He could have sat down, but our heroine used the only chair to climb up to a cabinet - repeatedly!
Somewhere in all this silliness I was left lamenting the story that might have been. If they had picked a time period and wrapped this package a bit tighter, I would have opened it with gladness.
As it stands, I can only urge you to play the demo and see if all the discouraging bits in the story drive you crazy as they did me.
Good stuff: There are collectible signs, lots of puzzles and HOPs, and CE bling.
Bad stuff: For reasons that I can't imagine, every time you speak to Det. Pike, his chest is heaving. I'm confused as to whether this indicates a severe asthmatic or if he's been running a lot. Either way, it is very distracting.
I didn't notice any music, but the continuous thunder was not attractive!
You'll also have to try and ignore the mixture of styles and backgrounds that span decades. Apparently the Devs did not have access to a library to look up any one time period. Theoretically you are in 1905 - since Malefie was burned at the stake 250 years ago in 1655. (Ignore the mix of vehicle styles, buildings, dress, and backgrounds.) And even though he has been coming back every ten years to kill the descendants of his accusers, he hasn't run out of victims. (They all had huge families!) As multiple victims from the same group of families turn up dead every ten years, after 250 years, you'd think the culprit would be obvious. Instead the police have to work this out anew each ten years and by that time the ghost is quietly waiting for the next go around!
There are the usual odd hidden things and actions - the bell clapper from the police lab door is hidden in a locked box under the latest victim's sofa. Our character uses a cloth she finds outside to clean a very dirty magnifying glass with alcohol, and then turns around to use that same dirty cloth to gather a sample of blood for forensic testing! The police expert, Dr. Niers, leaves her to do her own tests, trolling through his office and searching through his locked boxes and cabinets as he stands nearby working. He could have sat down, but our heroine used the only chair to climb up to a cabinet - repeatedly!
Somewhere in all this silliness I was left lamenting the story that might have been. If they had picked a time period and wrapped this package a bit tighter, I would have opened it with gladness.
As it stands, I can only urge you to play the demo and see if all the discouraging bits in the story drive you crazy as they did me.
Accompany Diana as she chases the thief of an ancient artifact into another world in this hidden object adventure!
Overall rating
2
/
5
27 of 35 found this review helpful
In This Case, Imitation Is Not a Form of Flattery!
PostedJanuary 4, 2018
Granny_Gruff
fromRepitition is not my bag either!
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
See if this sounds familiar: Diana is working at the museum. An artifact is gone. Diana must retrieve it. She goes through a portal into the distant past to recover the artifact and fight evil.
Now, you tell me. Is that the synopsis for this game or the first game in The Legacy series?
Did you answer both?
Good for you! You win the chance to do it all over again if you play this demo.
The Devs must have been so pleased with the reception the first game received that they trotted out much the same game with some new scenery.
You get to see the same good points in lovely artwork and the same bad points like the blurry scenes.
I think it would have been even more exciting to start with a whole new story and create from there.
Please play this demo for yourself. I personally want a new story in a new game in a new year.
Now, you tell me. Is that the synopsis for this game or the first game in The Legacy series?
Did you answer both?
Good for you! You win the chance to do it all over again if you play this demo.
The Devs must have been so pleased with the reception the first game received that they trotted out much the same game with some new scenery.
You get to see the same good points in lovely artwork and the same bad points like the blurry scenes.
I think it would have been even more exciting to start with a whole new story and create from there.
Please play this demo for yourself. I personally want a new story in a new game in a new year.
I don't recommend this game.
Ready to solve a gripping mystery? Tackle ingenious riddles in this hidden object puzzle adventure!
Overall rating
2
/
5
39 of 46 found this review helpful
Maybe I was Playing A Different Game?
PostedJanuary 3, 2018
Granny_Gruff
fromApparently CUTE is not my bag!
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
Mortimer, a cute cartoon character, has inherited his uncle's decrepit museum. He came to Snuggford to see what he had acquired. Meanwhile a local miss had decided the town was utterly boring and she was leaving. Simultaneously a shady sheik was coming to search for a Golden Book that Mortimer's uncle had in his museum.
And a game ensues.
Good stuff: The cartoons are cute. The map pops up as you finish each level, so you can click on the next one. There are cute little mice to find. There is a hint and a skip, both in the same button. There is one level of game play. the puzzles are also basic. There are "bonus" levels on the map which, if finished before the clock runs out, earn you diamonds to buy items with. There is no SG because there is no need for one. Each level is a single bit of the story. You could not possibly get lost, but just in case, Mortimer will make observations and they will repeat each time you go over that part of the screen.
Bad stuff: There is absolutely nothing here that shouts CE to me and much that screams children's game. The animation is more than basic, the dialogue is all read on screen, and the game keeps telling you to click to continue to the next speech bubble.
Mortimer has been around since 2007, and little has changed.
Please play the Demo. If you are a Mortimer fan, you may enjoy this. If you are an adult, move on.
And a game ensues.
Good stuff: The cartoons are cute. The map pops up as you finish each level, so you can click on the next one. There are cute little mice to find. There is a hint and a skip, both in the same button. There is one level of game play. the puzzles are also basic. There are "bonus" levels on the map which, if finished before the clock runs out, earn you diamonds to buy items with. There is no SG because there is no need for one. Each level is a single bit of the story. You could not possibly get lost, but just in case, Mortimer will make observations and they will repeat each time you go over that part of the screen.
Bad stuff: There is absolutely nothing here that shouts CE to me and much that screams children's game. The animation is more than basic, the dialogue is all read on screen, and the game keeps telling you to click to continue to the next speech bubble.
Mortimer has been around since 2007, and little has changed.
Please play the Demo. If you are a Mortimer fan, you may enjoy this. If you are an adult, move on.
I don't recommend this game.
Dr. Goodwin's miracle cure is once again under threat in this haunting hidden object adventure!
Overall rating
2
/
5
19 of 24 found this review helpful
Not the Way to Start Off 2018!
PostedJanuary 3, 2018
Granny_Gruff
fromLuckily we have twelve more months of games to find a good one for 2018!
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
Sara has called Amy Turner to ask for her help once again. Amy helped Sara investigate when her father, a noted scientist, was killed just before he unveiled his universal cure for diseases. He had spent years trying to find a cure for his son's illness and, just as success was almost in his grasp, he died.
Amy helped Sara to investigate in the earlier case, as told in the first Greed game. The government was supposed to be restoring the lab to further the good doctor's research, but now the newspapers were announcing the demolition of the labs, apparently due to ghosts at the site. Sara won't let her father's research be lost so quickly. You both enter the restricted area to see what is really going on. (There is a second Greed game, but there seems to be little or no connection with the first and the third games in the series.)
Good stuff: The computer generated graphics are crisp and the VO's sound well acted. There are the average game elements and a conspiracy story line. The game has five levels including a custom level. We find a special gun to use on the glowing green residue left behind by the ghosts as they move from area to area. You have to find a new chamber for it after each use.
Bad stuff: A lot was forgiven by gamers as they played the first two games, mostly because they had collectibles and a decent story. But those games came out in 2013 and 2015.
Computer games have moved forward while the Devs of this game have stayed in 2013.
Added to the frozen in time game play are the odd bits that I might overlook for collectibles and a couple of better puzzles and HOPs: I pick up three batteries from the ivy on a wall and they fit into the TWO battery area of a spotlight.
Inside the grounds is a worker laying on the ground. We watch as he is attacked by a ghost. Good thing he was already laying down on the job or he might have even worse injuries!
You find a piece of equipment missing a tuning fork. You play twice through a nearby HOP that has a tuning fork without getting the tuning fork - you later "shoot" it out of the top of a pole on the roof using a slingshot and a paper wad.
There are more moments like that, but I'll let you have the "fun" of discovery.
Frankly, I wish they had tried a little harder in the two years since the last game to step up their development skills.
Amy helped Sara to investigate in the earlier case, as told in the first Greed game. The government was supposed to be restoring the lab to further the good doctor's research, but now the newspapers were announcing the demolition of the labs, apparently due to ghosts at the site. Sara won't let her father's research be lost so quickly. You both enter the restricted area to see what is really going on. (There is a second Greed game, but there seems to be little or no connection with the first and the third games in the series.)
Good stuff: The computer generated graphics are crisp and the VO's sound well acted. There are the average game elements and a conspiracy story line. The game has five levels including a custom level. We find a special gun to use on the glowing green residue left behind by the ghosts as they move from area to area. You have to find a new chamber for it after each use.
Bad stuff: A lot was forgiven by gamers as they played the first two games, mostly because they had collectibles and a decent story. But those games came out in 2013 and 2015.
Computer games have moved forward while the Devs of this game have stayed in 2013.
Added to the frozen in time game play are the odd bits that I might overlook for collectibles and a couple of better puzzles and HOPs: I pick up three batteries from the ivy on a wall and they fit into the TWO battery area of a spotlight.
Inside the grounds is a worker laying on the ground. We watch as he is attacked by a ghost. Good thing he was already laying down on the job or he might have even worse injuries!
You find a piece of equipment missing a tuning fork. You play twice through a nearby HOP that has a tuning fork without getting the tuning fork - you later "shoot" it out of the top of a pole on the roof using a slingshot and a paper wad.
There are more moments like that, but I'll let you have the "fun" of discovery.
Frankly, I wish they had tried a little harder in the two years since the last game to step up their development skills.
Take a look at the Demo and see if you are ready to step back in time.
I don't recommend this game.
Can you stop a dark vision from coming true?
Overall rating
2
/
5
11 of 16 found this review helpful
It's a Mystery Why Anyone Wants to "Take Down" Mordamo
PostedJanuary 1, 2018
Granny_Gruff
fromIf you save my life, I'll give you a discount on anything you buy from me with stolen coins!
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
In a small town, the local medium, Madame Esperance, claims she has been helping to protect the town from evil for years by helping the police. She sent for you to help solve her murder.
You arrive in time to see her murdered thru her window by someone wearing one of those beaked masks that keep showing up in games. After you work your way through her security system, you are in time to be caught with blood on your hands and tasered by the police. You quickly find yourself in jail.
Good News: Some fool will let you out for 24 hours to find evidence in your favor.
Bad news: The murderer has a head start on killing other townspeople!
Good news: the story is better than several of the previous entries in this series.
Bad news: It's still not that good! There seems to be some indecision on the part of the Devs to settle on a time period or a game style.
Worse news: They did agree to use some of the most deadpan VO's I've ever heard. And they have you running all over town stealing and waving a Spirit Catcher around when you see a cat!
The story is as big a muddle as the rest of the game and left me wanting to escape Mordamo as much as the detective should.
Please try the demo for yourself.
You arrive in time to see her murdered thru her window by someone wearing one of those beaked masks that keep showing up in games. After you work your way through her security system, you are in time to be caught with blood on your hands and tasered by the police. You quickly find yourself in jail.
Good News: Some fool will let you out for 24 hours to find evidence in your favor.
Bad news: The murderer has a head start on killing other townspeople!
Good news: the story is better than several of the previous entries in this series.
Bad news: It's still not that good! There seems to be some indecision on the part of the Devs to settle on a time period or a game style.
Worse news: They did agree to use some of the most deadpan VO's I've ever heard. And they have you running all over town stealing and waving a Spirit Catcher around when you see a cat!
The story is as big a muddle as the rest of the game and left me wanting to escape Mordamo as much as the detective should.
Please try the demo for yourself.
I don't recommend this game.
Can you and your friends escape what’s lurking in the mist?
Overall rating
2
/
5
17 of 21 found this review helpful
I'm Late to the Party, But I Still Want to Dance
PostedDecember 27, 2017
Granny_Gruff
fromRIP Phantasmat! (Ironic, isn't it?)
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
Three campers have pitched their tents in a lonely forest. There is not a lot of story, but they quickly lose one of their members, Mary, who just disappears. Mark runs after her down the trail and points to where a man is carrying Mary up some stairs across a chasm from where we are. Mark skims across the wire stretched over the chasm, but it breaks. Playing as the third camper, I have to go through the forest to catch up. We both end up at a mansion at the end of a lonely road and surrounded by a massive fence. Mark is already inside and I have to get passed the high fence too.
Good stuff: A couple of the puzzles were good, as was the morphing object HOP.
Bad Stuff: The excuse for the blurry artwork would be the fog, but only for outside! The characters are barely one dimensional with VOs that are either overly dramatic or horribly stilted. The story is so MIA that, once again, there seems to be more info in the BFG game page blurb than we will get from the Demo. The sound was mercifully turned off early on.
I saved this Demo in hopes that I would enjoy a new game from a series that started at the top of the heap. The two Phantasmat games earlier this year from Eipix, which took over the Phantasmat series, were disappointments. I had done the Beta test on this one and had high hopes that the suggested tweaks would result in a winner.
O, well, never mind.
Apparently Eipix does not care what they churn out, so long as they do so as quickly as possible. At some point I sincerely hope that someone with clout will compare the sales of these awful games they added to good series to the sales of the original series' developers. There should be enough of a difference to convince Eipix that hack work doesn't pay.
In the meantime, I will once again take a pass on an Eipix game for a once great series.
Good stuff: A couple of the puzzles were good, as was the morphing object HOP.
Bad Stuff: The excuse for the blurry artwork would be the fog, but only for outside! The characters are barely one dimensional with VOs that are either overly dramatic or horribly stilted. The story is so MIA that, once again, there seems to be more info in the BFG game page blurb than we will get from the Demo. The sound was mercifully turned off early on.
I saved this Demo in hopes that I would enjoy a new game from a series that started at the top of the heap. The two Phantasmat games earlier this year from Eipix, which took over the Phantasmat series, were disappointments. I had done the Beta test on this one and had high hopes that the suggested tweaks would result in a winner.
O, well, never mind.
Apparently Eipix does not care what they churn out, so long as they do so as quickly as possible. At some point I sincerely hope that someone with clout will compare the sales of these awful games they added to good series to the sales of the original series' developers. There should be enough of a difference to convince Eipix that hack work doesn't pay.
In the meantime, I will once again take a pass on an Eipix game for a once great series.
I don't recommend this game.
Can you restore balance to the world tree in time?
Overall rating
2
/
5
17 of 27 found this review helpful
This Game May Be Your Cup Of Tea, But Its Not For Me!
PostedDecember 18, 2017
Granny_Gruff
fromHow do Stags "groom" a tree?
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Marble Popper, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
In this new chapter of the Saga, four Stags groom the base of the Tree of Life. (That alone calls for some explanation, which we won't get!) An unknown villain has taken the Stags away from the Tree of Life. You and your group of heroes from the first game in the series will have to find the Stags across the nine worlds and return them to the base of the Tree.
You will play as whichever of the heroes was sent to the world you currently find yourself visiting.
Good stuff: Several of the HOPs were very like the opening of the first game in the series; so much so, I had to check the game title. The puzzles looked rustic, but familiar. The artwork was often dazzling in it's complexity and beauty.
Bad stuff: I am still confused by the running use of rune signs and stylized letters. If your use of Norse Mythology is from left field, does this give your imagination validity? The story moved glacially slowly, when it did move, which was seldom.
If we had some vague idea - beyond that someone is trying to destroy the Nine Worlds - we might care what is going on. Unfortunately, the stark idea that I have to save the world again is not particularly attractive.
I pass.
Please try the demo and make your own choice.
You will play as whichever of the heroes was sent to the world you currently find yourself visiting.
Good stuff: Several of the HOPs were very like the opening of the first game in the series; so much so, I had to check the game title. The puzzles looked rustic, but familiar. The artwork was often dazzling in it's complexity and beauty.
Bad stuff: I am still confused by the running use of rune signs and stylized letters. If your use of Norse Mythology is from left field, does this give your imagination validity? The story moved glacially slowly, when it did move, which was seldom.
If we had some vague idea - beyond that someone is trying to destroy the Nine Worlds - we might care what is going on. Unfortunately, the stark idea that I have to save the world again is not particularly attractive.
I pass.
Please try the demo and make your own choice.
I don't recommend this game.