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:
Help Aiden save the Magic Kingdom and his friend from a dark sorcerer that has enslaved a magical realm.
Overall rating
4
/
5
22 of 24 found this review helpful
An SE with great Beauty
PostedJuly 28, 2015
Granny_Gruff
fromLouisville, KY
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Match 3, Marble Popper
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
A little girl lies ill. As Allison's health worsens, only her good friend, a small boy, is ready to do whatever he can to save his friend. He will travel to seven new and different worlds to save her from the evil that threatens all the worlds.
The artwork is beautiful and intricate, each world unfolding as a new discovery with its own details and features. The music is reasonable, HOPs are repeated, mini-games varied, and the villain is as wicked as you could wish.
Is this a new and innovative game? No. A new story we've never heard with lots of challenges? No. Game of the year? Again, no.
But this is a good solid game with gorgeous artwork and really good length. As such, it is a nice SE surprise. Enjoy.
The artwork is beautiful and intricate, each world unfolding as a new discovery with its own details and features. The music is reasonable, HOPs are repeated, mini-games varied, and the villain is as wicked as you could wish.
Is this a new and innovative game? No. A new story we've never heard with lots of challenges? No. Game of the year? Again, no.
But this is a good solid game with gorgeous artwork and really good length. As such, it is a nice SE surprise. Enjoy.
I recommend this game!
Richard Stone finds traces of an unknown civilization when investigating disappearance of the chief engineer. The find will lead Richard to the most amazing adventure of his life.
Overall rating
3
/
5
8 of 10 found this review helpful
Nostalgia
PostedJuly 27, 2015
Granny_Gruff
fromLouisville, KY
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Match 3, Marble Popper
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I started to describe the story and stopped to erase what I had written.
Why?
Because this is a mishmash of bits and pieces that will eventually make up some type of tale - we hope.
The artwork is way better than the dated game-play deserves. The mini-games are fair, the rest of the game drags along. The music is OK, there are no VOs, and no story development. I looked for lots of stuff to use, but did not come across any HOPs.
After all the time I spent, I can only tell you it is an adventure of the old school - bad white dude, put upon natives, and you to investigate and make things right again.
Others have commented on the length, so once again, I urge you to try the Demo for yourself. Maybe you'll see more than I did.
Why?
Because this is a mishmash of bits and pieces that will eventually make up some type of tale - we hope.
The artwork is way better than the dated game-play deserves. The mini-games are fair, the rest of the game drags along. The music is OK, there are no VOs, and no story development. I looked for lots of stuff to use, but did not come across any HOPs.
After all the time I spent, I can only tell you it is an adventure of the old school - bad white dude, put upon natives, and you to investigate and make things right again.
Others have commented on the length, so once again, I urge you to try the Demo for yourself. Maybe you'll see more than I did.
I don't recommend this game.
Shadow Wolf Mysteries: Tracks of Terror Collector's Edition
Can werewolves be cured, or will one family’s curse continue?
Overall rating
2
/
5
8 of 9 found this review helpful
No Logic, No Style, No Sale
PostedJuly 26, 2015
Granny_Gruff
fromLouisville, KY
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Match 3, Marble Popper
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
I can swallow almost any storyline if it's done well enough, but I draw the line at the increasingly prevalent lack of logic in game-play.
As the hero I ride into town just before midnight when the wolves will attack - only they are already attacking, the gates are still open, the Count has disappeared, his son is not yet come of age to protect everyone, and I will waste an incredible amount of time lighting the ring of fire defense that is needed to protect us.
I could forgive the mismatched characters to voices, the muddy dark drawings, the lack-luster mini-games, but not the intricate gyrations needed to set up the only effective defense the town has. Most of the Demo time is spent in getting that ring of fire defense lighted to more or less keep the wolves from the door. (Seriously strange to imagine these activities having to be repeated every evening. Surely someone would have streamlined the torching of the fuse.)
I did get a fair amount of story content during the Demo, but it was a rehash of numerous other werewolf games. There was little in this game to involve my mind or skill.
Please try this BEFORE you buy. And then you probably won't!
As the hero I ride into town just before midnight when the wolves will attack - only they are already attacking, the gates are still open, the Count has disappeared, his son is not yet come of age to protect everyone, and I will waste an incredible amount of time lighting the ring of fire defense that is needed to protect us.
I could forgive the mismatched characters to voices, the muddy dark drawings, the lack-luster mini-games, but not the intricate gyrations needed to set up the only effective defense the town has. Most of the Demo time is spent in getting that ring of fire defense lighted to more or less keep the wolves from the door. (Seriously strange to imagine these activities having to be repeated every evening. Surely someone would have streamlined the torching of the fuse.)
I did get a fair amount of story content during the Demo, but it was a rehash of numerous other werewolf games. There was little in this game to involve my mind or skill.
Please try this BEFORE you buy. And then you probably won't!
I don't recommend this game.
A carnival is no laughing matter when a murderer strikes.
Overall rating
2
/
5
12 of 17 found this review helpful
I Weep......
PostedJuly 26, 2015
Granny_Gruff
fromLouisville, KY
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Match 3, Marble Popper
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
I weep whenever a favorite game not only falls in quality, but plummets right over the cliff, or in this case, the overlook.
You are the detective called in to investigate a murder at the location of a traveling carnival. You quickly find liars, another body, and a wanted man. All of that would be intriguing if only the prime suspect had not spoken the truth before he escaped. "You don't have any idea of what is going on here."
You don't have any storyline to follow nor any character to care about or want to help. You know little to nothing about the two victims or the members of the carnival troupe.
At that point, all the CE bling, HOPs with marble shooter alternative, mini-games with marginal instructions, or collectible justice scales will not make you want to play this game.
I loved the previous Dead Reckoning games and had high hopes for this one. Sigh...
You are the detective called in to investigate a murder at the location of a traveling carnival. You quickly find liars, another body, and a wanted man. All of that would be intriguing if only the prime suspect had not spoken the truth before he escaped. "You don't have any idea of what is going on here."
You don't have any storyline to follow nor any character to care about or want to help. You know little to nothing about the two victims or the members of the carnival troupe.
At that point, all the CE bling, HOPs with marble shooter alternative, mini-games with marginal instructions, or collectible justice scales will not make you want to play this game.
I loved the previous Dead Reckoning games and had high hopes for this one. Sigh...
I don't recommend this game.
Subliminal Realms: The Masterpiece Collector's Edition
Albert's worst nightmare becomes reality when a creature from his grim paintings kidnaps his family. What does she want?
Overall rating
3
/
5
51 of 73 found this review helpful
I Wish It Were All a Dream...
PostedJuly 11, 2015
Granny_Gruff
fromLouisville, KY
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Match 3, Marble Popper
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
You are Albert, a painter. You have a habit of leaving paintings unfinished. (Way to get them sold, Albert.) You awaken in the middle of the night after a nightmare. You rush down to your workshop to check a painting that was in that nightmare. You had dreamed that your wife and daughter were pulled into that landscape by your worst nightmare creature, Solitude. You have to see the canvas to reassure yourself.
All is not well. Your family is in the painting being carried toward the distant castle. Never fear! Another of your paintings speaks up, offering to help if you complete its coloring. You finish the picture, name the creature in it Smudge, and instantly acquire a cute helper.
And we're off.
Good stuff: Four levels of game-play, including custom; various types of HOPs, usual CE bling, including slides to collect; and some cute repartee on the part of Smudge.
Bad stuff: The player spends a good bit of time filling in those incomplete paintings, after spending time finding the correctly colored brushes. The ambient sounds are puzzling, as in the static sound heard all through the first HOP. The music is all over the place as is the storyline. So close, and yet, so far, but the murky storyline gives an excuse to the bad logic assuming it's all a dream - or psychotic break.
I hate to say this is a bad game, but it is not a good game.
I urge you to decide by trying the demo yourself. In the meantime, I can't recommend a game I won't be buying.
All is not well. Your family is in the painting being carried toward the distant castle. Never fear! Another of your paintings speaks up, offering to help if you complete its coloring. You finish the picture, name the creature in it Smudge, and instantly acquire a cute helper.
And we're off.
Good stuff: Four levels of game-play, including custom; various types of HOPs, usual CE bling, including slides to collect; and some cute repartee on the part of Smudge.
Bad stuff: The player spends a good bit of time filling in those incomplete paintings, after spending time finding the correctly colored brushes. The ambient sounds are puzzling, as in the static sound heard all through the first HOP. The music is all over the place as is the storyline. So close, and yet, so far, but the murky storyline gives an excuse to the bad logic assuming it's all a dream - or psychotic break.
I hate to say this is a bad game, but it is not a good game.
I urge you to decide by trying the demo yourself. In the meantime, I can't recommend a game I won't be buying.
I don't recommend this game.
It's the end of the world... at least in Oakville.
Overall rating
4
/
5
52 of 61 found this review helpful
The Next Phantasmat Has Arrived, But ...
PostedJuly 9, 2015
Granny_Gruff
fromLouisville, KY
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Match 3, Marble Popper
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
The original Phantasmat game was rightfully The Best Game of the Year. The second was right on it's heels. The third, not so much. This one, again, not so much.
You are late and speeding down the road when a rockfall causes you to crash and be trapped in a tunnel. You manage to unlock a gate and get out into what appears to be empty country, except for a road leading to grouping of statues and a bench surrounded by barricades and barbed wire, with houses in the distance. A small girl greets you with an obscure couplet.
Thus similarly started the previous games with a crash as so many games have.
Good news: This time you are not knocked unconscious.
Bad news: This is Phantasmat: Dark, really Dark. Somehow there was a lighter element to the earlier games, but this time I just felt depressed and hopeless, perhaps because of the relentless dark rain and dim interiors.
You will find interactive and varied but hazy HOPs with a match-3 alternative, decent mini-games, a little character development with the story details, and artwork reminiscent of the first three games. As a CE, there are the usual bells and whistles associated with a CE. (You collect morphing objects.)
I loved the earlier Phantasmat games so I'll most likely get this one - it may not be as fresh as the first and second games, but it's heads and tails above a lot of what we've been seeing lately.
Please, be sure to try the demo for yourself.
You are late and speeding down the road when a rockfall causes you to crash and be trapped in a tunnel. You manage to unlock a gate and get out into what appears to be empty country, except for a road leading to grouping of statues and a bench surrounded by barricades and barbed wire, with houses in the distance. A small girl greets you with an obscure couplet.
Thus similarly started the previous games with a crash as so many games have.
Good news: This time you are not knocked unconscious.
Bad news: This is Phantasmat: Dark, really Dark. Somehow there was a lighter element to the earlier games, but this time I just felt depressed and hopeless, perhaps because of the relentless dark rain and dim interiors.
You will find interactive and varied but hazy HOPs with a match-3 alternative, decent mini-games, a little character development with the story details, and artwork reminiscent of the first three games. As a CE, there are the usual bells and whistles associated with a CE. (You collect morphing objects.)
I loved the earlier Phantasmat games so I'll most likely get this one - it may not be as fresh as the first and second games, but it's heads and tails above a lot of what we've been seeing lately.
Please, be sure to try the demo for yourself.
I recommend this game!
Prepare yourself for a perilous journey across the world in order to save your niece from imminent danger.
Overall rating
2
/
5
19 of 24 found this review helpful
Say What?
PostedJuly 5, 2015
Granny_Gruff
fromLouisville, KY
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Match 3, Marble Popper
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
Your niece has disappeared on an expedition into the Himalayan Mountains. The time appears to be in the early 1900's, as she left by sailing ship and you follow off by ship and carriage.
You go to find her. The ambassador and the local ruler tell you there is an impassable storm and it will be impossible to fly to the rescue, but that's the only way to get there. So, they suggest, why don't you go fix the only (single engine,single passenger) plane in the kingdom? Naturally as an elderly English(?) lady, you whip that puppy into shape in no time and take off into the storm. You are forced down by a dragon, rescue the soup ingredients you brought with, cook the soup on a gasoline fueled stove, feed the only survivor of your niece's expedition still in camp, and keep on trucking.
There are various types of HOPs, all easy; simple mini-games; some of the worse characterizations and animation I've ever seen; and a story that limps along on bad grammar and lousy plotting. The artwork is highly colored and seems strangely tilted and flat. The music is indescribable.
I stuck out the trial in some strange mistaken belief that things had to get better.
They did not.
I was looking for a new game to pair with one I've been wanting so I could take advantage of the sale this weekend. This was NOT it.
I encourage you to try this for yourself, if only for the amusement value.
You go to find her. The ambassador and the local ruler tell you there is an impassable storm and it will be impossible to fly to the rescue, but that's the only way to get there. So, they suggest, why don't you go fix the only (single engine,single passenger) plane in the kingdom? Naturally as an elderly English(?) lady, you whip that puppy into shape in no time and take off into the storm. You are forced down by a dragon, rescue the soup ingredients you brought with, cook the soup on a gasoline fueled stove, feed the only survivor of your niece's expedition still in camp, and keep on trucking.
There are various types of HOPs, all easy; simple mini-games; some of the worse characterizations and animation I've ever seen; and a story that limps along on bad grammar and lousy plotting. The artwork is highly colored and seems strangely tilted and flat. The music is indescribable.
I stuck out the trial in some strange mistaken belief that things had to get better.
They did not.
I was looking for a new game to pair with one I've been wanting so I could take advantage of the sale this weekend. This was NOT it.
I encourage you to try this for yourself, if only for the amusement value.
I don't recommend this game.
All the adults have vanished. Is this a child's dream, or nightmare?
Overall rating
4
/
5
7 of 10 found this review helpful
We Hope This Is Not Your Typical Birthday, Carol!
PostedJuly 5, 2015
Granny_Gruff
fromLouisville, KY
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Match 3, Marble Popper
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
As Carol, you awake from a nightmare on your sixteenth birthday to find your parents and all the other adults in town gone. The evidence suggests a sudden, possibly violent, departure.
Carol sets out to investigate the clues, including an apparent link to the recent disappearance of a teacher at the local orphanage. Is there a connection between the newly vanished adults, the missing teacher, and a very disturbing/disturbed orphan named Allie?
Strangely, Allie was in that nightmare you awoke from today.
You will have four game-play levels, HOPs, mini-games, a mystery to solve, and a camera for pictures of clues.
This game is a nice way to while away an afternoon. Give it a try.
Carol sets out to investigate the clues, including an apparent link to the recent disappearance of a teacher at the local orphanage. Is there a connection between the newly vanished adults, the missing teacher, and a very disturbing/disturbed orphan named Allie?
Strangely, Allie was in that nightmare you awoke from today.
You will have four game-play levels, HOPs, mini-games, a mystery to solve, and a camera for pictures of clues.
This game is a nice way to while away an afternoon. Give it a try.
I recommend this game!
Only the wearer of the ruby ring can claim the crown as king.
Overall rating
3
/
5
12 of 17 found this review helpful
No Enthusiasm for This One!
PostedJune 21, 2015
Granny_Gruff
fromLouisville, KY
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Match 3, Marble Popper
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Prince reaches his 18th birthday. The nurse, who spirited him away from the castle after a dark spirit attacked his parents when he was a baby, hands him a magic ruby ring and urges him to regain his rightful place. Admittedly she goes with him, but the way promises to be long and hard. He has only the ring to try to rid the kingdom of strange dark crystals that have popped up everywhere.
Good Stuff: The interactive and very informative map; four levels of game-play, including a somewhat limited custom level; a couple of good mini-games among the ordinary; varied HOPs; 60 collectible crowns found in pretty much every scene and popup window.
Bad Stuff: No character animation; no lip-sync and most of the VOs were lack luster; game-play is plodding; the artwork has that muddied unclear quality that makes you want to donate glasses to the artist. And once again, we save the kingdom, but at least we play as a hero this time.
Please try the game for your self. You may find it just your cup of crystals.
Good Stuff: The interactive and very informative map; four levels of game-play, including a somewhat limited custom level; a couple of good mini-games among the ordinary; varied HOPs; 60 collectible crowns found in pretty much every scene and popup window.
Bad Stuff: No character animation; no lip-sync and most of the VOs were lack luster; game-play is plodding; the artwork has that muddied unclear quality that makes you want to donate glasses to the artist. And once again, we save the kingdom, but at least we play as a hero this time.
Please try the game for your self. You may find it just your cup of crystals.
I don't recommend this game.
A masked vigilante has the town of Coldstone in a death grip!
Overall rating
2
/
5
31 of 42 found this review helpful
This Time No One Wins
PostedJune 18, 2015
Granny_Gruff
fromLouisville, KY
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Match 3, Marble Popper
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
You are called in by the Mayor of Coldstone to help stop a vigilant attacking prominent citizens for presumably unknown reasons. You have a clandestine meeting in a back alley with the mayor. He asks you to find his wife who has been taken by the Avenger. Along the way there will be bodies, murder, death and explosions, not necessarily in that order.
I did not like the violence in this game, the story anomalies, nor the confusion. At one point early in the game, you open a door to find a hanging body, which is confusing as there was a huge puddle of blood coming from under the door before you opened it. All of the local bridges are raised to stop the spread of scurvy - odd because scurvy is a dietary deficiency, not a communicable disease. One moment the Avenger is a puff of smoke, the next an all too real attacker, while the average citizens you meet are totally unconcerned about explosions, murder, and general mayhem happening just yards away.
So good stuff: Music complements the story, artwork beautiful, variety of HOPs, animation and voice-overs very well done.
Bad stuff: Overall graphic violence, story anomalies, general confusion.
Yes, there is CE bling and a custom game-play level amongst the four levels available. Somehow the total just does not equal the sum of its parts.
Please try the demo for yourself, as it may be your cup of tea.
I did not like the violence in this game, the story anomalies, nor the confusion. At one point early in the game, you open a door to find a hanging body, which is confusing as there was a huge puddle of blood coming from under the door before you opened it. All of the local bridges are raised to stop the spread of scurvy - odd because scurvy is a dietary deficiency, not a communicable disease. One moment the Avenger is a puff of smoke, the next an all too real attacker, while the average citizens you meet are totally unconcerned about explosions, murder, and general mayhem happening just yards away.
So good stuff: Music complements the story, artwork beautiful, variety of HOPs, animation and voice-overs very well done.
Bad stuff: Overall graphic violence, story anomalies, general confusion.
Yes, there is CE bling and a custom game-play level amongst the four levels available. Somehow the total just does not equal the sum of its parts.
Please try the demo for yourself, as it may be your cup of tea.
I don't recommend this game.