cathybobcat's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:2.5
- Helpful Votes:2,025
- Reviews Submitted:145
- First Review:May 18, 2018
- Most Recent Review:January 5, 2025
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Work with new puppet allies to uncover the true puppet master!
Overall rating
3
/
5
9 of 17 found this review helpful
SHORT AND NOT CE WORTHY
PostedJuly 13, 2018
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Another short and lame game. I have all of these and think this was the worst of them all. There were parts I enjoyed and many I did not. First of all, the characters are very cartoonish, shallow, and not convincing. They came across in an extremely juvenile manner. The voices are the biggest turn off about them, especially Miriam's, whose was so whiny and phony. I got sick of listening to her....."please....please". It was like fingers on a blackboard and I muted her.
There are only so many story lines that can be used, so I didn't mind the story and dealing with the duos, even though I thought it was lacking and childish, as well. The dynamics of gameplay is what takes precedent over the story for me.
The graphics were atmospheric and typical of this series. You are not overwhelmed with the collecting of inventory for everything. You have the option of choosing your character. There is the clicking on of conversations, which is an annoyance to me because it is senseless and makes no difference in this game and is also time consuming. The going back and forth was not in excess. There weren't that many scenes, come to think of it, so maybe that is why they added all of the conversation and puzzles, so it would lengthen what should have been and could have been a longer and more quality game had they put more effort into this.
There were some full HOS that were quite good, but they were outnumbered greatly by all of the mundane mini games. There were a few mini hos that are nothing but a waste....finding a few items. Only a few items are in them to begin with, so they are right there in front of you. It cheapens a game.
Too much of the gameplay is taken up with the mini games, which I highly disliked having an overabundance of. You're either doing them or skipping them. It was too many, often one right after another, taking up so much time in what is a very short game. Even though many of them are quick and doable, it was still excessive. It takes away from the story as well as the play, creating an imbalance.
Extras indicate you can replay HOS and puzzles. As there were so many puzzles, they are not included in the replay or you would have over 30 of them for sure (I didn't keep count of them).
Your collectibles are very limited. There are piggy banks to find that deliver coins that you can use to buy mechanical toys for a cat. It is not so impressive. There are also some morphs which I care nothing about. Unless you can see them, you spend your time staring at a screen, which is not my idea of a good time. I neglected to even try to find them.
Probably the biggest disappointment of all is the incredibly short length of the Bonus...unbelievable. It is not CE worthy nor worth the price for it. It is a cheat. The BC was nothing but a few new scenes....nothing new or different to add to the story....had a few added hos (one was a stencil that was very interesting and creative)....and too many mini games taking up that short BC time....one where you are mixing a potion, which I hate....more time consuming. It took me about an hour or so to complete the BC.
I would say that when the SE is released, it would suffice just fine as the main story ends well without the unnecessary BC in this CE. There isn't anything adequate here to warrant this as a CE worthy game, particularly the lack of a proper length for the entire game.
Can you escape the nightmares before it's too late?
Overall rating
2
/
5
27 of 46 found this review helpful
"Terrible" Is Putting It Mildly.
PostedJuly 5, 2018
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
This might not have been so bad if it hadn't been so TERRIBLY BUSY in scenes going back and forth finding an excessive amount of inventory, doing this and that.....for what?! It is overly hyperactive. I began using the hint to progress, which is never a good sign. After a while of such monotony, I just gave up and was relieved to exit the game.
There are tiny mini hops (they are getting smaller and smaller) and story book hos. It is lacking and cheapens the game.....as well as other unnecessary tasks that hold you hostage to a scene. There are also "TERRIBLY" long loading scenes where you only have a black screen. Maybe that's one of the best parts of this game.
Puzzles outnumber HOS and there are puzzles that are irritating...having to fight someone and then playing arcade types that many may have problems with because of the required quick clicking. I don't like it and find it stressful....so end up using the SKIP. It is indicated you can replay both, but the number is locked....another detriment to buying. I like to know what I am getting in a CE.
You have to find morphing objects which takes up more time having to wait for them. It might be ok if you buy the game, but not when time is an element in a demo. You have puzzle pieces to find. I found it difficult to locate some. I saw some other collectibles which I think were Memorable collectibles, whatever they were because I just wanted to forget this and didn't really care because of the tedium of the other activities required. There are small indicators for the morphs and puzzle pieces in the lower left. You can find their locations in the back of the SG, which I was doing way too often.
The only positive thing I can say is that the graphics were decent and some scenes artistically done. It is a shame it had to be ruined with nonsense. What could have been a pleasure resulted in one big chore and disappointment. There isn't anything CE appealing here. It was not enjoyable at all.
Princess has disappeared, and her statues are under attack!
Overall rating
3
/
5
6 of 6 found this review helpful
COMPLETED GAME
PostedJuly 3, 2018
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Did not like this when I played the CE demo, but decided to us a pcc on this SE. My opinion has not changed very much. There were way too many puzzles and what was worse is the constant going back and forth collecting and using inventory. It was excessive and exhausting taking away from the enjoyment of the gameplay.
The stone dog helper with the glowing green eyes, Sheriff, would have been ok, if he hadn't been chasing his tail so much. I found him very annoying and distracting as well as the jumpy pirate hint. It was driving me crazy. Players don't need to have this kind of distraction when trying to concentrate on a game.
The graphics were excellent and a few HOS were exceptionally artistic and beautiful...even in the story book type. There was a beautiful mosaic that I completed so fast because the items were so visible....a disappointment, as it was therapeutic to view. It was the same situation with a FROG (fragmented object). They put a great deal of effort into their attractiveness, but not the challenge. Other than that, there were mini hos with just a few items to find...nothing to them. The puzzles far outweighed the hos as usual. I would have definitely bought this in a CE had there been as many large HOS as there were puzzles just for the artwork and replay.
The length of the game was decent even though I skipped most of the puzzles. The story was ok, but sad at times. I couldn't wait to get it over with though, because of all the wasteful running around and puzzles. All in all, it isn't bad for a sale or pcc. It is not the best game, but far from being the worst.
Can you escape a madman on the Island of Fog?
Overall rating
3
/
5
26 of 40 found this review helpful
NOT CE WORTHY
PostedJune 30, 2018
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
There is NO replay of hos and puzzles and this should absolutely be included for a CE price. This also appears to be another very short game.
There isn't much going for this in the area of collectibles which are quite lacking. You have 36 collectible drawings that are like sketches to be found in scenes. There is no indicator for these, just a pop out tab that lets you know when you have found them and how many...another drawback to modern CE standards. You can, however, find their locations in the back of the SG. It is indicated you have to find these in order to open up a bonus content, whatever that is, I don't know because I am not going to be purchasing this as a CE.
It is great to see more hos being included, but they were not all that impressive. You have morphs in the hos, except when they are repeated and they have an indicator in the upper right hand corner of your screen to alert you as to when you find them. The hos are repeated, which I do not care for and although I did enjoy placing the items in the inventory bar to open up a list of items, it was a real letdown that you have to match pairs in some of the hos. It was not interesting and took no time to find those pairs at all. They could have certainly put more effort into this.
For me, there were too many puzzles, though they were spaced at times. I don't care to be spending demo time with them and for the most part don't care for them, anyway, so skip many of them.
The graphics were dark at times and gameplay was mediocre. Although I did complete what I thought to be a short demo, I found myself becoming bored with the game. You have some of the same tasks that you have seen many times before and the usual going back and forth, though I did not find that to be excessive. I really enjoyed blasting a lock open with a firecracker and lighting it with a smoldering pipe....now that was different and humorous...also ridiculous, as many tasks are.
Overall, I didn't dislike the game, but definitely do not think it is worth a CE price. More generosity should have been generated in this edition and because of the lack of Extras, I will wait for the SE.
Can you escape a madman’s grasp before it’s too late?
Overall rating
2
/
5
24 of 44 found this review helpful
Puzzle Heavy....and A Bore
PostedJune 23, 2018
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Only lasted 50 minutes and quit because of all the puzzles and boring gameplay. There are collectible brains which are fairly easy to find. There is an indicator for them in the lower right hand corner. There are morphs in each scene and in the hos. The indicator for the morphs in the game scenes are in the right corner...so you have to keep looking back and forth to make sure you have found them...an inconvenience. Your achievements are indicated by a Star icon in the lower right, also.
If you're not spending time looking for inventory and puzzle parts, you are confronted with puzzle after puzzle....some of which I did, and most I skipped because I don't care to be completing puzzles excessively...and the demo is full of them. It imbalances the game.
The graphics were poor....dark and hazy in certain scenes. It indicates you can replay 20 hos, but I didn't see any replay for the puzzles. I would not care to do either. The first hos had a glaring light that was very annoying and eye straining to find items, and nothing but finding 2 of certain items. It was also dark making it difficult to find items. I had to use hints to find some. The second one was worse, having to find monsters in the dark like you are using a flashlight. There is no alternative, otherwise I would have skipped both of them.
There are a couple of puzzles I came across that some may have a real problem with and those were where you have to keep clicking and clicking to fill up a meter. It is an arcade style and I hated them. I didn't see where you could skip them. There is also another where you are shooting ghosts aligning the circles to do it. You have to be fast and it is a real strain...and pain, too.
The tasks were very boring....you have to put out a fire with a bucket of water that you have to find a rope for and then lower it into a well...patching a raft with tape and having to fill it up with an air pump that you, of course have to find parts for....and many more mundane tasks that you have done too many times before. All it does is detain you. Then you have many puzzle parts to find as well....not very much fun.
The most ridiculous thing of all is the Sanity Meter at the top of your screen that apparently monitors how well you can cope with the extraordinary events....Yeah ok. It's a test of your sanity all right....and tolerance of a very poorly constructed game.
Can you keep the past from destroying the present?
Overall rating
4
/
5
8 of 10 found this review helpful
Enjoyable...But Room For Improvement
PostedJune 22, 2018
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
For the most part, this was an enjoyable demo and nice to see an effort made to recapture the similarity of the original MCF. It is not as sophisticated as those previously made, but is a great improvement to the other games produced recently.
The Custom mode difficulty level is most confusing and because you CANNOT change the difficulty during the game, I chose ZEN, which has no timer, limitless hints, and skips for the puzzles. You can take as much time as you like in this setting. They could have done a better job on the explanation for Custom setting as it appeared to be anything but.
The collectibles are 36 morphing objects that are to be found in the HOS and there is an indicator beside the item list that glows until you locate them. There are also 11 Electric Capacitors that are only in the Super Puzzles and have the indicator with the picture of what they look like in the same place as the indicator for the morphs. Both of these collectibles can be found in the back of the SG.
There are 13 achievements...Art, Video, Diary, Music, and a replay of HOS and Puzzles. You also have the SG and BC. I did replay a HOS and it had the exact same items as in the game, so that is not an appeal to want to redo those to me.
There are puzzles at times within the HOS when an item is listed in red, and if you are playing ZEN mode, you can skip these. There are fragment parts to a key that are acquired as you complete the HOS. When that key is completed, you click on it which brings up a puzzle for you to do. You are only shown the description of the item puzzle one time...there is no being able to access a pop up of it again, so you have to resort to the SG unless you want to skip it....another issue that could have been improved. I also did not enjoy figuring out key cuts or key positions.
The SG is very useful, stays on the same page that you last used it. I did resort to it for some puzzles as well as morph. Sometimes it is annoying having to wait for an item to morph when there are other movements occurring in a scene...not one of my favorite things to do.
The cinematic video at the beginning of the game is great and perhaps one of the best parts of the game. The graphics were mediocre, cartoonish, and more effort could have been put into these.
The cut scenes between rooms was extremely repetitive and could have been done much better and more defined. It became tedious, fast....
2 of the 3 Super Puzzles I came across were enjoyable, but I had problems with the one that had the TV in it and had to skip that one...couldn't handle the calculator having to add the numbers up to 51....was more of a chore than pleasure.
After the Super Puzzles, you are presented with another puzzle....restoring a picture which was ok and more relaxing than anything...not much to it, but I'd rather have it that way than taking hours to figure something out all the time.
There is plenty to do in this game to occupy your time and interest even though it could be better than it is. From the download size, it doesn't appear to be very long, but I did enjoy the demo more than not and because of the SG, I will be purchasing this when there is a good sale available.
Return to the bottom of the sea for a new Hidden Object adventure to save Poseidon Park from the ploys of the crafty Mayor Peabody!
Overall rating
4
/
5
9 of 10 found this review helpful
A BUSY GAME
PostedJune 18, 2018
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Originally released April 27, 2018. You are sure to get your money's worth from this one.
First of all, there are instructions for this in the section marked HELP, which I recommend that you read. There is a Bonus section which is a very nice addition for this SE. In this Bonus, there are 19 wallpapers....13 songs, and the music is lovely. Under Goals are 5 Achievements and 53 Trophies. You also have a category of Stats that number 34...very lengthy. There is a Seek and Sprint category (I do not know what it is) and that opens up after you have visited every location.
You enter into a large carnival map which has a zoom eye at the top middle of the screen you can zoom in and out. Basically, this is a hidden object game that scenes open up as you go along. Some of the scenes were dark and it was difficult to find the items. They are revisited, but was ok because of the intricacies of some of them...particularly the carousel where it can be quite difficult to find items. In the hos you find gold coins hidden behind items you find so that you can decorate certain areas like in the other games of this type. There are interactions like finding fragmented parts and items that match pictures. You find gems, too, but I don't remember what they are for. There are quests that open up that you have the option of choosing. You are required to find an item and those items are located in the hos from what I read in the instructions. There is no timer and hints fill quickly....I think when you click the hint, you have to click on the item you want to find. I do not know if the hint is directional....didn't need that info, so far....and hope I don't.
Some of the hos are finding matching pairs like in Clutter games. There is an arcade you can play to earn extra coins that I don't care for. I found them to be frustrating and tedious. I didn't see where it is necessary for them to be played as you earn an adequate amount of coins in the hos.
There was too much conversation that can be skipped...and I don't get the part with Theodore clearing things except that perhaps it opens up other areas to explore which makes sense. There is even an icon in the lower right where you can follow him if you want. Your trophies are there to view, also.
Upon beginning this game it can be confusing as well as overwhelming with all that is going on and things to do, but just takes some patience and getting coordinated. This is not as good as the first two in this series which I own and like much better, but for the price, and especially if you have a pcc, I think this game is worth it and has a lot to offer.
Can you discover the truth about the Queen’s disappearance and save the kingdom?
Overall rating
3
/
5
17 of 24 found this review helpful
World's Shortest CE
PostedJune 18, 2018
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Whatever were they thinking when this was developed ? They weren't... Although the graphics are very attractive and the gameplay on the easy and player friendly side for those who don't want to be challenged to death, it is the ridiculously short length that is the killer in this one...and a real cheat. It is unbelievable. There is no way that this is CE worthy....perhaps the SE with a pcc, but even that is going some as it will be even shorter than this edition is.
If there was an award for the shortest game ever, this one would win first prize. How they could ever think that this was going to be a seller just on the length of the game alone is beyond me....a real shame and disappointment.
Become the Red Queen and save Chessland!
Overall rating
2
/
5
26 of 48 found this review helpful
SOS
PostedJune 7, 2018
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
Haven't we had enough of Alice in Wonderland type games? And now we have a chess theme to add to it which is not an attraction whatsoever. I could only last 40 minutes in this demo which was too long to endure.
You have the same tasks to perform that you have done thousands of times....smoking bees...keys and broken keys to fix.....collecting coins to buy items you need to proceed....finding a nail puller...have to distract a raven by feeding him...clearing a cob web with a broom...putting out a fire with a bucket of water.. making a torch...on and on. The mini hos were a drag....story book.... another finding all the silver objects, taking you seconds to complete. How shallow can you get? I also found this to be disjointed and not making any sense.
And get ready for this.....ANOTHER Gadget....yes, it's true. Can you believe it? And there is even a magical bracelet....I don't even want to go there. That's when I quit.
This is by far the most lacking and worst game of this series. Absolutely nothing innovative here...inferior graphics, gameplay, and story.
Solve the disappearance of a rising theatre star and discover the secrets behind the curtains of the Parisian theatre.
Overall rating
4
/
5
30 of 37 found this review helpful
Now You See Her, Now You Don't
PostedJune 4, 2018
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This was originally released in August 2017 as a SE with Extras....replay of Hos and Puzzles, Achievements and Concept Art...(no SG or BC). It is by Moonrise Interactive (I believe to be Polish) and published by Artifex Mundi. Although this version does not include the Extras, I think it would suffice wonderfully and be quite enjoyable without them.
The setting is 19th Century Paris. You are a reporter investigating the kidnapping (yeah, another one of those) of a star named Beatrice LeBrun by the famous illusionist Charles Delacroix. You are accompanied and assisted by her younger brother, Arthur, who I was annoyed at not having a French accent. I ended up muting him.
There are 4 levels of play you can choose to be found under Settings...then Difficulty....otherwise, I think the setting is on Casual, which happened when I first did this upon its release. I didn't realize there were 4 options of play until I just did the demo here...duh. This does come across as an older game, so I thought there were only 3 options.
The graphics are excellent...the game play is another matter. There are tasks that can be confusing as to what to do, as well as some of the puzzles that needed better instructions. You have to figure it out for yourself what you need to do or find and where... or just Skip the puzzles, which I did for some of them. There are others I was just guessing at. There is a transportable map and the hint is very helpful, also.
I found it ridiculous in the theater that there was a fire burning and it remained contained for however long it takes you to find the hose as well as parts for it to be fixed. It was a wonder and quite miraculous that the place didn't burn down.
The puzzles far outweigh the hos, which is no surprise these days. Some of the hos were minis which I hate...very small items to find and not much to them whatsoever. The others were full screen and quite interactive...you need an item to be used on another as to progress...and some lists. Most of the puzzles were doable for me, but I did detest the one where you have to rotate triangular pieces to restore a picture....not my idea of a good time, so I skipped that one.
For the most part I do like the game and find the story interesting. It is slow moving and not hyperactive with too much going back and forth which is a plus. You also don't have tons of inventory to deal with. It would have been a luxury to have a walkthrough for this.
I will probably use a pcc on it, as I feel it would be well worth it....or even at a sale price. I am curious to see how the story turns out.