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:
The city is being taken over by dark forces!
Overall rating
2
/
5
17 of 25 found this review helpful
So Easy, So Hard, and a Overly Predictable Story!
PostedNovember 22, 2017
Granny_Gruff
fromSo few morphing flowers, so many sparkles, so simple a story!
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
Stop me if you've heard this before: King, two sons, one good and one bad, and the bad one is banished for plotting to get the throne by killing his brother. As magic is involved, you know the bad one will be back with a couple of bad spells!
Good stuff: Pretty artwork, morphing flowers, collectible sparkles, HOPs, and mini-games.
Bad stuff: The only mystery here is how many silly things you will need to do to save the kingdom, the king, and whoever else gets in the evil prince's way.
Some scenes seem to put the game out of consideration for children, while some puzzles and the story seem to beg for younger players.
A lot of what you do to advance in the game is really simple, until you come to a overly difficult puzzle. Five minutes into the demo, I was thinking of a purchase for the grandkids. By the end of the demo, I had dumped that idea.
Please play the demo for yourself. You may want just this game for your collection - or not!
Good stuff: Pretty artwork, morphing flowers, collectible sparkles, HOPs, and mini-games.
Bad stuff: The only mystery here is how many silly things you will need to do to save the kingdom, the king, and whoever else gets in the evil prince's way.
Some scenes seem to put the game out of consideration for children, while some puzzles and the story seem to beg for younger players.
A lot of what you do to advance in the game is really simple, until you come to a overly difficult puzzle. Five minutes into the demo, I was thinking of a purchase for the grandkids. By the end of the demo, I had dumped that idea.
Please play the demo for yourself. You may want just this game for your collection - or not!
I don't recommend this game.
Can you stop the Revenant before it's too late?
Overall rating
4
/
5
24 of 35 found this review helpful
By the end of the Demo, I was on Alvin's side!
PostedNovember 22, 2017
Granny_Gruff
fromSo I get to kick ten piles of leaves. How odd!
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
3
/
5
You, as Master Detective, are called back from your vacation to travel to America to help solve a supernatural mystery.
You fly in so fast, you beat the local police to the body!
After that, you are left to snoop around an almost deserted village, meeting the few residents still there, and trying to find out why the Revenant - a ghost who returns to seek revenge - has returned.
Good stuff: You'll find the usual game elements with some clever puzzles and good characterizations. There are piles of leaves to kick - no really, all you do is kick them, pieces of a letter to find, and morphing objects along with some other CE bling.
Bad stuff: Not all the puzzle directions were clear, especially a couple of the multilayered ones. And the basic setup seemed off - You fly in before people already in the area can get to the body, you leave the person who discovered the body to wander off, and you "dig" up the Revenant so he can go hunting for his next victim. Aren't you clever!
While I understand the concept of placing the scene in the U.S. - the protagonist is a leather jacketed economically challenged biker - why not a poor worker's son from Brighton?
I'm afraid I was so distracted by the basics that I could not take the game seriously and couldn't give it five stars on that account.
Most of it is very nicely done and I liked most of the multilayered puzzles and HOPs.
Please play the Demo for yourself.
You fly in so fast, you beat the local police to the body!
After that, you are left to snoop around an almost deserted village, meeting the few residents still there, and trying to find out why the Revenant - a ghost who returns to seek revenge - has returned.
Good stuff: You'll find the usual game elements with some clever puzzles and good characterizations. There are piles of leaves to kick - no really, all you do is kick them, pieces of a letter to find, and morphing objects along with some other CE bling.
Bad stuff: Not all the puzzle directions were clear, especially a couple of the multilayered ones. And the basic setup seemed off - You fly in before people already in the area can get to the body, you leave the person who discovered the body to wander off, and you "dig" up the Revenant so he can go hunting for his next victim. Aren't you clever!
While I understand the concept of placing the scene in the U.S. - the protagonist is a leather jacketed economically challenged biker - why not a poor worker's son from Brighton?
I'm afraid I was so distracted by the basics that I could not take the game seriously and couldn't give it five stars on that account.
Most of it is very nicely done and I liked most of the multilayered puzzles and HOPs.
Please play the Demo for yourself.
I recommend this game!
After your friend is abducted, can you escape the cemetery?
Overall rating
3
/
5
7 of 9 found this review helpful
When is a CE not CE Worthy?
PostedNovember 22, 2017
Granny_Gruff
fromThis is a twisted idea of a "collectible."
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Marble Popper, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
In the newest Redemption Cemetery entry, Karen, star reporter, takes you out to a guarded cemetery. She has discovered a great story, if she can only investigate the cemetery further. Once you distract the armed guard, Karen manages to sneak in, get an alarming photo, and disappear into a locked crypt.
You will have to save not only Karen, but yourself as you will both eventually have one foot in the grave.
Good stuff: All the usual game elements you expect from RC games, good characterizations, good artwork, and a little CE bling.
Bad stuff: About that CE bling - in this game the collectibles are a weight you get put on a scale. You make a choice between two actions, sometimes life and death, more often minor mischief. You will get either chaos or order points to tip the scale, presumably affecting the game's outcome.
Add to that the constant dialogue choices and the addition of a raven helper, and the glow fades from the shiny new game!
You will need to try this demo for yourself.
I will wait for the SE, as there is little CE evident in this CE version.
You will have to save not only Karen, but yourself as you will both eventually have one foot in the grave.
Good stuff: All the usual game elements you expect from RC games, good characterizations, good artwork, and a little CE bling.
Bad stuff: About that CE bling - in this game the collectibles are a weight you get put on a scale. You make a choice between two actions, sometimes life and death, more often minor mischief. You will get either chaos or order points to tip the scale, presumably affecting the game's outcome.
Add to that the constant dialogue choices and the addition of a raven helper, and the glow fades from the shiny new game!
You will need to try this demo for yourself.
I will wait for the SE, as there is little CE evident in this CE version.
Can you find out what's targeting young men in Paris?
Overall rating
3
/
5
8 of 8 found this review helpful
Being Middle of the Pack Should Not Be the Goal!
PostedNovember 22, 2017
Granny_Gruff
fromWhatever happened to: "Good, better, best, never let it rest?"
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
Adalinda dances in the traveling circus that is visiting town. Julien, the son of a local woman, Marie, is enamored and plans to steal his Mother's jewelry and run away with Adalinda. Unfortunately Julien has been found blinded and paralyzed in an alley. His mother has asked you to investigate. Good Luck, Detective! Adalinda has a protector in the circus, the strong man, who may be involved in helping the curse along. In addition, Julien is not the only victim!
Good stuff: All the expected game elements are present.
Bad Stuff: The usual bad logic rears its ugly head from the get go. Have some fun finding the obvious "duh" moments.
Otherwise this is another OK game, better than two of the earlier Chimeras games and worse than two of them.
Be sure to try the Demo before you buy!
Good stuff: All the expected game elements are present.
Bad Stuff: The usual bad logic rears its ugly head from the get go. Have some fun finding the obvious "duh" moments.
Otherwise this is another OK game, better than two of the earlier Chimeras games and worse than two of them.
Be sure to try the Demo before you buy!
A dangerous spirit has returned from the past!
Overall rating
2
/
5
34 of 42 found this review helpful
How Does One Come Back Centuries After Their Death?
PostedNovember 12, 2017
Granny_Gruff
fromPoor Mystery Tales! None of Your Creators Like You!
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
Dr. Moro was burned at the stake about 300 years ago. He was a plague doctor who turned to black magic when all of his family died during a massive outbreak of the Black Death. He must have had lots of time on his hands before his execution, as he was able to set up his return.
Now, many hundreds of years later, you have been called by your friend, Olivia, to come to the museum where she is setting up a new exhibit. She feels something is wrong and wants your advice. You arrive in time to talk to the custodian after he is thrown from a balcony and just before he turns to stone! You whip out your special glasses and see into the past to help you unravel what is going on. Apparently, this time it is the evil Doctor Moro from the middle ages. When he was burned at the stake he had threatened to return as the flames crept up.
He’s baaack!
And you get to stop him, if you can.
Good stuff: The usual game elements are here, along with those special glasses that not only show you scenes from the past, but also allow you to reach into those scenes and retrieve items you need. The HOPs have a Match 3 alternative. Most of the mini-games/puzzles have a choice of easy or hard. There are collectible diary pages that will tell you the story of Dr. Moro.
Bad stuff: As we’ve seen with previous Mystery Tales games, the artwork is highly colored, except when you use those special glasses, when everything is hazy blue. The music comes and goes at its own whim. Moro wears a perpetual scowl, but everyone else seems to be without emotion. Olivia’s initial phone call was singularly lifeless and, even when she was confronting Moro’s ghost, she was very preternaturally calm. The closest you’ll come to emotion is Larry, hiding in the storage room with the safe. He rustles up a bit of urgency when he tells you Moro has found you both!
I’d tell you about all the logic flaws that abound in this game, but, as it has so much we’ve seen in so many other games and little else to recommend it, I leave you to find them yourself – it’s the only fun you’ll get here! One hint: Keep an eye out for the little bags of real gunpowder left out in an exhibit!
Please try the demo before you buy.
Now, many hundreds of years later, you have been called by your friend, Olivia, to come to the museum where she is setting up a new exhibit. She feels something is wrong and wants your advice. You arrive in time to talk to the custodian after he is thrown from a balcony and just before he turns to stone! You whip out your special glasses and see into the past to help you unravel what is going on. Apparently, this time it is the evil Doctor Moro from the middle ages. When he was burned at the stake he had threatened to return as the flames crept up.
He’s baaack!
And you get to stop him, if you can.
Good stuff: The usual game elements are here, along with those special glasses that not only show you scenes from the past, but also allow you to reach into those scenes and retrieve items you need. The HOPs have a Match 3 alternative. Most of the mini-games/puzzles have a choice of easy or hard. There are collectible diary pages that will tell you the story of Dr. Moro.
Bad stuff: As we’ve seen with previous Mystery Tales games, the artwork is highly colored, except when you use those special glasses, when everything is hazy blue. The music comes and goes at its own whim. Moro wears a perpetual scowl, but everyone else seems to be without emotion. Olivia’s initial phone call was singularly lifeless and, even when she was confronting Moro’s ghost, she was very preternaturally calm. The closest you’ll come to emotion is Larry, hiding in the storage room with the safe. He rustles up a bit of urgency when he tells you Moro has found you both!
I’d tell you about all the logic flaws that abound in this game, but, as it has so much we’ve seen in so many other games and little else to recommend it, I leave you to find them yourself – it’s the only fun you’ll get here! One hint: Keep an eye out for the little bags of real gunpowder left out in an exhibit!
Please try the demo before you buy.
I don't recommend this game.
Can you save your sister on the Day of the Dead?
Overall rating
2
/
5
29 of 44 found this review helpful
La Muerte No Es El Final Del Dolor
PostedNovember 12, 2017
Granny_Gruff
from"Mi hermana tiene un crayón amarillo." (Humphrey Bogart tried it in French in "Sabrina")
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
2
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
I've been studying Spanish and I felt the headline to a game about a Mexican Myth should be expressed in the language. It translates to: "Death is not an end to the Pain."
So your sister sends you a postcard welcoming you home in time for the Day of the Dead Festival after you have lost your job. You arrive to find you are expected to work your stay off by making decorations for the fiesta such as a marigold wreath and a decoratively painted sugar skull. Having completed your tasks, you hop in a fisherman's boat and are almost capsized in the lake on the way to the island where the festival will occur. Luckily you plug the hole, help bail, and arrive at the island in time to see demons descend on the populace.
Good stuff: There are HOPs, mini-games/puzzles, colorful artwork, collectible scorpions, and assorted CE bling.
Bad stuff: My usual gripe about the logic: Your sister sent a postcard, not a letter. She greeted you already dressed for the festival. As soon as you decorate a wreath with marigolds, she leaves you to work out the sugar skull and takes a boat to the island. You walk inside and have to repair the amulet out of your suitcase. She had given it to you before you left home. You need to use it to open a diary that has been at the house all the while you were gone. Naturally a replacement piece is waiting on a shelf for you. The good news is the recipe for the sugar skull is in that book. If you hadn't come home with the amulet, the festival would have been a bust!
By the time I had greased something with hand cream, used a diorama wheel for a heavy cart, and blown a door open with the insides of a large firework wrapped in paper, I was ready to run from the slowly moving story that had actually not told me what was going on!
There was a puzzle diorama that told a story about an Aztec Princess and her Prince. They are both now dead and, in theory, reunite for the one night of this festival. But that does not help with the current crisis.
The demon soul fishers are taking the locals.
There seems no connection between the Aztecs, the opening animation of a figure that wants to eliminate death, and the rapidly dwindling population trying to celebrate the Day of the Dead.
Since there seemed no reason to continue, I was quite relieved when the Demo ended so quickly and I could move on.
If I have to choose between Eipix's more usual dark artwork and a good story, versus bright artwork and an MIA story, I would pick the dark. At least a coherent story might put some sense into this muddle.
Please try the demo for yourself.
So your sister sends you a postcard welcoming you home in time for the Day of the Dead Festival after you have lost your job. You arrive to find you are expected to work your stay off by making decorations for the fiesta such as a marigold wreath and a decoratively painted sugar skull. Having completed your tasks, you hop in a fisherman's boat and are almost capsized in the lake on the way to the island where the festival will occur. Luckily you plug the hole, help bail, and arrive at the island in time to see demons descend on the populace.
Good stuff: There are HOPs, mini-games/puzzles, colorful artwork, collectible scorpions, and assorted CE bling.
Bad stuff: My usual gripe about the logic: Your sister sent a postcard, not a letter. She greeted you already dressed for the festival. As soon as you decorate a wreath with marigolds, she leaves you to work out the sugar skull and takes a boat to the island. You walk inside and have to repair the amulet out of your suitcase. She had given it to you before you left home. You need to use it to open a diary that has been at the house all the while you were gone. Naturally a replacement piece is waiting on a shelf for you. The good news is the recipe for the sugar skull is in that book. If you hadn't come home with the amulet, the festival would have been a bust!
By the time I had greased something with hand cream, used a diorama wheel for a heavy cart, and blown a door open with the insides of a large firework wrapped in paper, I was ready to run from the slowly moving story that had actually not told me what was going on!
There was a puzzle diorama that told a story about an Aztec Princess and her Prince. They are both now dead and, in theory, reunite for the one night of this festival. But that does not help with the current crisis.
The demon soul fishers are taking the locals.
There seems no connection between the Aztecs, the opening animation of a figure that wants to eliminate death, and the rapidly dwindling population trying to celebrate the Day of the Dead.
Since there seemed no reason to continue, I was quite relieved when the Demo ended so quickly and I could move on.
If I have to choose between Eipix's more usual dark artwork and a good story, versus bright artwork and an MIA story, I would pick the dark. At least a coherent story might put some sense into this muddle.
Please try the demo for yourself.
I don't recommend this game.
Travel through a surreal and disturbing dreamland where everything depends on your actions. You can't die but you can suffer greatly...
Overall rating
4
/
5
41 of 44 found this review helpful
I Don't Want It But I Like It!
PostedNovember 11, 2017
Granny_Gruff
fromTurns out I'm not as smart as I wish I was!
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
5
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
How many times have you read favorable reviews and immediately bought a game? And then been irate that it wasn't your cup of tea?
Please believe me when I say that this game, Bad Dream: Coma, will not be for a lot of players. It is a minimalist foray into a dream world where nothing is as you expect it, items are almost impossible to find, and nothing will be given to you, but earning things is very hard as things change behind you.
And I wish I was as smart as I suspect I'd have to be to really get into this game.
You start at the end of a badly damaged bridge and you need to get into the city to further your dream/nightmare. Everything you do has consequences and nothing is without its reward or punishment, even if you can't see them immediately.
I felt ridiculously pleased with myself when I actually made it across the bridge and into the hospital. There were no hints, nor instructions; no helps along the way.
But: I also know that I am not really smart enough to take up the brilliant challenge that is this adventure. I had to restart three times to get as far as I got.
This is the one game above all others where you MUST try the Demo before you buy. There is no other way to know if you are equal to the Bad Dream: Coma or not!
So I strongly recommend the DEMO, but admit I am not worthy to play the whole game, as it is too much work for my poor brain.
Please try the Demo out for yourself.
Please believe me when I say that this game, Bad Dream: Coma, will not be for a lot of players. It is a minimalist foray into a dream world where nothing is as you expect it, items are almost impossible to find, and nothing will be given to you, but earning things is very hard as things change behind you.
And I wish I was as smart as I suspect I'd have to be to really get into this game.
You start at the end of a badly damaged bridge and you need to get into the city to further your dream/nightmare. Everything you do has consequences and nothing is without its reward or punishment, even if you can't see them immediately.
I felt ridiculously pleased with myself when I actually made it across the bridge and into the hospital. There were no hints, nor instructions; no helps along the way.
But: I also know that I am not really smart enough to take up the brilliant challenge that is this adventure. I had to restart three times to get as far as I got.
This is the one game above all others where you MUST try the Demo before you buy. There is no other way to know if you are equal to the Bad Dream: Coma or not!
So I strongly recommend the DEMO, but admit I am not worthy to play the whole game, as it is too much work for my poor brain.
Please try the Demo out for yourself.
Can you save yourself and your daughter in time?
Overall rating
3
/
5
51 of 67 found this review helpful
For Want of Logic, the Whole Thing May Colapse
PostedNovember 10, 2017
Granny_Gruff
fromSurface flowers are sometimes translucent.
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
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Jennifer and her little daughter are moving. Jennifer is driving a rented van with a trailer on the back. Maya is in the van's cab with her mother when they are passed by woodland animals running passed them. Moments later they run into a tree when a bird flies into the windshield causing Jennifer to lose control of the van.
Jennifer discovers that her daughter has disappeared after the crash. Luckily, when she is able to get out of the van, there is a policewoman there with her patrol car. The van is just outside the chained and locked gates of Gray Falls.
Jennifer will need to find Maya.
Good stuff: The HOPs are a step up from the run-of-the-mill ones we usually see. The mini-games are OK when the instructions are clear. The VOs and music are also well done as is the artwork. There are the usual collectible flowers from earlier Surface games as well as collectible statues added to the CE bling.
Bad stuff: I'm beating a dead horse here, but sooner or later, I hope someone gets my message. The trailer behind the van is carrying Maya's toy box. After the crash Jennifer has to use a jack to raise the door on the trailer. When she does she finds that the toy box is missing some animal pieces to open the top.
Jennifer eventually finds one of the missing animal pieces inside a locked and shuttered store front in town. And players know this How?
Later pieces for a lock to the backroom inside the same store are found in a vending machine and a newspaper box. The guy that presumably put them there is a corpse behind the door the pieces open.
As for Maya, how would a small child get through the locked and chained security fence around the town?
Since we've had more than a few games this year that showed the results of uncontrolled experimentation on adults and children, I'm surprised we are back doing much the same story again.
I'm not convinced we needed another Save My Child story line and I do wish there was some coherence in it.
Please try the demo for yourself.
Jennifer discovers that her daughter has disappeared after the crash. Luckily, when she is able to get out of the van, there is a policewoman there with her patrol car. The van is just outside the chained and locked gates of Gray Falls.
Jennifer will need to find Maya.
Good stuff: The HOPs are a step up from the run-of-the-mill ones we usually see. The mini-games are OK when the instructions are clear. The VOs and music are also well done as is the artwork. There are the usual collectible flowers from earlier Surface games as well as collectible statues added to the CE bling.
Bad stuff: I'm beating a dead horse here, but sooner or later, I hope someone gets my message. The trailer behind the van is carrying Maya's toy box. After the crash Jennifer has to use a jack to raise the door on the trailer. When she does she finds that the toy box is missing some animal pieces to open the top.
Jennifer eventually finds one of the missing animal pieces inside a locked and shuttered store front in town. And players know this How?
Later pieces for a lock to the backroom inside the same store are found in a vending machine and a newspaper box. The guy that presumably put them there is a corpse behind the door the pieces open.
As for Maya, how would a small child get through the locked and chained security fence around the town?
Since we've had more than a few games this year that showed the results of uncontrolled experimentation on adults and children, I'm surprised we are back doing much the same story again.
I'm not convinced we needed another Save My Child story line and I do wish there was some coherence in it.
Please try the demo for yourself.
I don't recommend this game.
They received an invitation to spend their honeymoon at the Creek Falls mountain resort. If only they had done their research…
Overall rating
1
/
5
26 of 31 found this review helpful
How Bad Can a Game Be? This Bad.
PostedNovember 9, 2017
Granny_Gruff
fromThis game is only 3 months old - it only seems years older!
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Marble Popper, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
Trust me when I say you will know you are in trouble from the opening seconds of the intro.
The two main characters are looking at an invitation to "Light Mouth." They then proceed to read it as "Creek Falls." You have officially entered the twilight zone of gaming and nothing will get better!
Faith and Tony are newly married when they get the invitation to Light Mouth/Creek Falls. Of course they set off immediately and arrive to a place with broken windows behind the reception desk in the main hall and random suitcases laying on the stairs to either side of the room as the electricity sputters and sparks.
There is a second of darkness; Faith disappears. Evan and Helen, two well dressed but rather dark characters, arrive to tell Tony that they have some stunts he must do to save Faith's life, which is in imminent danger.
Good stuff: Apparently there are hidden secret posters to collect, but you can't click around a scene to find them without making the scene dim out. Good luck on that one as most scenes have very dark corners, which is where I accidentally found one poster.
Bad stuff: The story is awful, the dialogue worse, the characters don't have any (character), the HOP sometimes need things from other locations, but the tutorial doesn't tell you this. You get to figure it out yourself. The HOPs are actually fragments that will hopefully come together to make something to help you along - I don't know why anyone would want to proceed, but we'll pretend you do.
The tutorial does claim that the curser will change to different shapes to guide you. This is true, but not always correct. It was an effect that came and went.
Most of the rooms you enter are dark and the map will be your lifeline. Why? Because the map will let you move to rooms you can't get to otherwise! And if you look at it carefully enough, you will find things to do that did not show up when you "looked" around the room when you first entered.
The Demo took me 30 minutes of the 90 minutes allowed. This does not make me a rocket scientist - just desperate to get out of the game, all the while wondering why the characters could use language that BFG won't let us use in a review, but that was not mentioned in the BFG description.
Once I had escaped, I realized that I could not urge you to try this Demo for yourself.
I am not that unkind.
Just power down your computer/laptop and step away.
The two main characters are looking at an invitation to "Light Mouth." They then proceed to read it as "Creek Falls." You have officially entered the twilight zone of gaming and nothing will get better!
Faith and Tony are newly married when they get the invitation to Light Mouth/Creek Falls. Of course they set off immediately and arrive to a place with broken windows behind the reception desk in the main hall and random suitcases laying on the stairs to either side of the room as the electricity sputters and sparks.
There is a second of darkness; Faith disappears. Evan and Helen, two well dressed but rather dark characters, arrive to tell Tony that they have some stunts he must do to save Faith's life, which is in imminent danger.
Good stuff: Apparently there are hidden secret posters to collect, but you can't click around a scene to find them without making the scene dim out. Good luck on that one as most scenes have very dark corners, which is where I accidentally found one poster.
Bad stuff: The story is awful, the dialogue worse, the characters don't have any (character), the HOP sometimes need things from other locations, but the tutorial doesn't tell you this. You get to figure it out yourself. The HOPs are actually fragments that will hopefully come together to make something to help you along - I don't know why anyone would want to proceed, but we'll pretend you do.
The tutorial does claim that the curser will change to different shapes to guide you. This is true, but not always correct. It was an effect that came and went.
Most of the rooms you enter are dark and the map will be your lifeline. Why? Because the map will let you move to rooms you can't get to otherwise! And if you look at it carefully enough, you will find things to do that did not show up when you "looked" around the room when you first entered.
The Demo took me 30 minutes of the 90 minutes allowed. This does not make me a rocket scientist - just desperate to get out of the game, all the while wondering why the characters could use language that BFG won't let us use in a review, but that was not mentioned in the BFG description.
Once I had escaped, I realized that I could not urge you to try this Demo for yourself.
I am not that unkind.
Just power down your computer/laptop and step away.
I don't recommend this game.
Can you catch a murderer that’s terrorizing a local university?
Overall rating
2
/
5
17 of 28 found this review helpful
Long Time Mystery Fan Meets Psychic Victim!
PostedNovember 6, 2017
Granny_Gruff
fromIt wasn't the hang gliding that was a problem, it was repairing the rig to start out at night.
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 play as famous mystery writer Miss Douglas, invited to elite Discipulus University to receive a Life Time Achievement Award in Literature for your books. You are picked up at the airport by a student, Oliver, who has you hangglide from a nearby ridge into the campus at night. Shortly thereafter you meet the acting head of the university, Bradley Dawson, who seems to want to convey something secret to you and leaves you clues, including a message in a fortune cookie written in invisible ink. Within minutes he is murdered.
Good stuff: All the usual game elements are here as well as collectibles and CE bling. The artwork is beautiful and crisp.
Bad stuff: Apparently Professor Bradley knew he would be murdered and set up the entire campus to help you out!
I do not jest.
Prof. Bradley hid a small chest for you to find amulets to open compartments on. In one compartment is an allen wrench to use on the old bike hanging in the campus cafe. You can use the rusty chain off the bike to fix the broken bridge between the administration building and the frat and sorority houses. Since the bridge did not break till after the Prof.'s death, he really must have been psychic!
At this point you may have deduced that I am less than impressed with the logic behind this mystery. Kudos to you.
This new entry in the DR series follows the pattern of the previous games - they are either 4-5 star wonders or 2 star flatliners.
Please try the demo for yourself. After years of reading Agatha Christie and other great writers, I was just sad after this attempt at a mystery. You may be less easy to please.
Good stuff: All the usual game elements are here as well as collectibles and CE bling. The artwork is beautiful and crisp.
Bad stuff: Apparently Professor Bradley knew he would be murdered and set up the entire campus to help you out!
I do not jest.
Prof. Bradley hid a small chest for you to find amulets to open compartments on. In one compartment is an allen wrench to use on the old bike hanging in the campus cafe. You can use the rusty chain off the bike to fix the broken bridge between the administration building and the frat and sorority houses. Since the bridge did not break till after the Prof.'s death, he really must have been psychic!
At this point you may have deduced that I am less than impressed with the logic behind this mystery. Kudos to you.
This new entry in the DR series follows the pattern of the previous games - they are either 4-5 star wonders or 2 star flatliners.
Please try the demo for yourself. After years of reading Agatha Christie and other great writers, I was just sad after this attempt at a mystery. You may be less easy to please.
I don't recommend this game.