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:
A rock band reunion takes a deadly detour into a nightmare!
Overall rating
2
/
5
20 of 35 found this review helpful
COULD WIN AN AWARD FOR WORST GAME OF THE DECADE
PostedSeptember 15, 2019
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
It has been some time since there has been an issue of Cadenza. I was excited and hopeful for a dynamic game. What a surprise I had....and not a favorable one. I would never ever have known this was Cadenza. It is nowhere near the quality of the others or even typical of their unique style. It is such a poor and apparent rushed production with inferior graphics, extremely poor HOS....and characters that are dorks from a loser cartoon. It is also a very short game, with a short and superficial bonus. The best part of this was the ride in the front seat of the bus, car, and motorcycle......a ride going nowhere. That is what this amounted to.....a waste. I needed an antiemetic.
Can you defeat an evil fairy queen to avenge your father?
Overall rating
2
/
5
10 of 14 found this review helpful
BORING.....NO BUY HERE
PostedSeptember 13, 2019
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
I have all of the others in this series....some SE and others CE. This was the most boring demo of them that I have ever played. If they don't capture me in the demo, it's over.
The graphics left a lot to be desired. They could have been more clear and not so cartoonish. After a while everything started looking the same and the gameplay was very boring with the usual back and forth, collecting monotonous inventory. The women looked and sounded miserable.
The Extras are the collecting of 15 jewelry pieces, 70 Amulets to be used in a garden of flowers, which is very attractive. You cannot use them until you buy the game, however. There are also 15 Bestiary pages that are just pictures, nothing more. There are indicators for the collectibles in the lower left that will glow when you need to find one. It's a good thing because everything is so camouflaged because of the color scheme. There is a replay of 17 HOS and 17 Puzzles. You also have the regular CE fluff if you care for that.
I didn't care for the HOS, particularly the story type ( I almost exited the game right there). The animal HOS was so dark, it was a strain to see, so I opted to do the Match 3 instead. There needs to be a skip for HOS. The HOS can be completed in hardly no time, whereas the puzzles can end up taking more time than the gameplay itself. It becomes one big distraction. I would also like to mention that the screen shots in the guide are so small. It would be considerate to make them larger. There certainly is room enough on the pages.
The puzzles were becoming too frequent for my taste (outnumbering the HOS as usual) and I utilized the skip for them. I wasn't enjoying the demo, so why bother with time consuming puzzles? I began using the hint also because I just lost interest. There is a very good transportable map which is useful.
This was disappointing. I was hoping for something much better than what was delivered here.....maybe next time.
Go on the trip of a lifetime and immerse yourself in the thriving French culture!
Overall rating
3
/
5
33 of 34 found this review helpful
NOT AS GOOD AS TRAVEL TO ITALY, BUT AN OK GAME
PostedSeptember 9, 2019
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
There are 15 locations that you play. You earn a star each time you play a scene and it unlocks another scene when you have earned enough stars, or you can use the stars you have earned to open up other locations which I did just to have a look at different scenes. I also used the stars to unlock the word linker puzzles. They start off easy and then become harder. You also earn stars for doing the puzzles which consist of Jigsaws, Jelly Bears that are Match 3, Flower Mahjong, and the word linker Food and Drink words.
There is a timed and untimed mode you can choose. Hints take too long to fill...maybe 30 seconds. I had to use a few hints because some of the items were hard to make out, particularly when you are playing the silhouettes and word scrambles. Although there doesn't appear to be that many items in a scene, some are in your face easy and others very difficult because they blend in with the scenery. There is a magnifier right by the hint which is helpful, but even with that, at times I had a hard time finding things, which was a strain pain. When you replay a scene, sometimes the items are the same and sometimes they are different, so you do have a variety as well as the variety of game play of those scenes such as the silhouettes and word scrambles, and straight lists. In the word scrambles, the capital letter is what the word begins with. Some of those drive me crazy and I just began clicking away.
You can scroll through the scenes to see what they look like by clicking on the arrows on the sides and you can see the puzzles at the end of the 15 scenes. The scenes and puzzles indicate the number of stars you need to open them if you don't want to wait until they open upon your playing initial scenes over and over. Once you use your stars to open a scene, it does remain open for you. It is a plus feature as well as being able to use your stars to open up any of those scenes you might like to try if you have the stars. The stars are very easy to earn and your numbers of stars are shown in the middle of the upper screen. You also have the option of playing any of the scenes and puzzles of your choice when they are opened.
I like Travel to Italy better, but think this is worth a pcc or sale because of the variety of play and options you have. I already used a pcc and am not disappointed.
The past returns inside the Zenith Museum of Oddities!
Overall rating
2
/
5
23 of 30 found this review helpful
A RUINED GAME BECAUSE OF AN OVERWHELMING AMOUNT OF PUZZLES
PostedAugust 24, 2019
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
This entire game, including a short and terrible bonus is nothing but an excess of puzzles. If you do puzzles and like them, the majority of time will be spent doing them. I didn't bother. The game was not balanced at all and was totally exhausting with all of the back and forth....trying to figure everything out... encountering multiple puzzles. It was like 50 pounds of stuff in a 2 pound bag. I thought it was also disjointed. The HOS were enjoyable, but some were puzzles in themselves. In fact, most of the game is ONE BIG PUZZLE and one I would never play again. It was a chore of work and no play.
Can you save your friend before your luck runs out?
Overall rating
2
/
5
8 of 16 found this review helpful
I FELT LIKE I WAS IN A CARTOON
PostedAugust 14, 2019
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
This is more for children, but as I played on, I wondered how it would even hold their interest. It didn't hold mine and I found the gameplay and story to be very boring and juvenile.
The graphics are beautiful and the Extras section was very impressive, particularly the Garden where you use the 69 collectible Celtic crosses you accumulate to furnish the area. The 15 collectible leprechauns were childish. The 15 morphing fairies are pretty. There are 3 indicators in the lower left for the collectibles that glow when there are ones to be found....nice.
There is a replay of 18 HOS and 18 Puzzles. What really got me about this game was the story type HOS and some mini's which I am thoroughly disgusted with. But guess what? There is an alternative Match 3 for those annoying HOS and I sure took advantage of it for these grinding stories of folks reading to me. I can't stand them. There are also HOS with the matching of plus pictures which I don't like either. Half the time I can't make out what the items are in those tiny boxes. There are HOS with items so few and large, it is ridiculous. It takes hardly any time to complete these. There are HOS where you have to rotate rings to find items and they are more like puzzles than HOS. There are also ones where you are finding symbols. Some of them were different and ok.
This is a slow moving, snails paced game and also not very long.....even the bonus is short. It was well done artistically and it was nice to be able to see for a change instead of dark scenes all the time. All in all, this did not have that spark of enthusiasm for me. For all that beautiful scenery, it lacked pazazz and resulted in disappointment.
Among its renowned landmarks and hidden gems waiting to be discovered, Paris holds something new for each of its visitors.
Overall rating
2
/
5
2 of 3 found this review helpful
NO SKIP FOR PUZZLES AND NO WAY TO REPLENISH HINTS
PostedAugust 12, 2019
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
As soon as I came across having to pack a suitcase a second time....and the second time was with a million items, I quit the game. There are no skips for puzzles and therefore....no buy for me. I don't feel like spending so much time with puzzles I care nothing about and that are annoying. The other puzzles were jigsaws that I came across that you had to rotate pieces. You also have to rotate pieces to fit into a dumb suitcase. It was aggravating and too time consuming.
The concept of the scrolling of the scenes was interesting and I was enjoying it, except for the no skip for puzzles. I saw no way to replenish hints and I accidently hit the hint button and lost one out of the nine you are given. You can zoom in and out with your mouse. There is also a slider device to zoom into a scene. The only way you can scroll the total scene is by using the ball in the middle and I found it annoying that you cannot use your mouse to scroll the scene. The items are large enough to see and there is a relaxed mode of Tourist in the beginning of the game that you can choose.
I have the Rome, Curse of the Necklace game which is the same concept of panning the scenes and I like it better except that items are so small and much harder to find than in this one. There is more of a challenge in that one, but the mechanics of gameplay are much more convenient than this one and you can skip puzzles. I would have liked to been able to try the Mystery of London version, but it did not work on my pc.
The Travelogue games are different and I did like the idea of the scrolling of scenes, but I have to have a skip for puzzles in order to buy a game. It ruins the game for me without it.
Can you bring peace to the kingdoms in time?
Overall rating
1
/
5
GET OUT THE DRAMAMINE.....MOTION SICKNESS DELUXE
PostedAugust 5, 2019
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
There was so much shaking and movement, I could not even finish the demo. I had to skip puzzles because of all the shaking. Earthquake tremors.....boat rocking......things flashing. I was literally getting sick to my stomach. Also, too many puzzles. Forget it.
Can you stop a criminal you can’t always see?
Overall rating
2
/
5
12 of 13 found this review helpful
ANOTHER SHORT GAME OVERWHELMED WITH PUZZES
PostedJuly 19, 2019
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
There isn't much here for Collectibles to make it CE worthy. You only have 15 notes....15 artifacts....and 51 coins to buy items to decorate a room. There are glowing indicators for these in the lower left.
You can replay 18 HOS and 15 Puzzles. There are tons more puzzles than just 15, so you take what they give you for a replay.
Way too much of this game is taken up with puzzles making this a longer game than it would be without so many. It diminishes game play, and totally imbalances it. If there weren't so many puzzles, there would hardly be any game play or story at all. After collecting all the inventory for the usual tasks and numerous puzzles, the game was more of a chore than enjoyment. I am so tired of being overwhelmed with time consuming puzzles that I just start skipping most of them. It made for more of a waste of a game than not.
Most of the HOS are more puzzle like than HOS, which I don't care for, particularly story type ones and the slider kind. It is tedious. It was like being met with more puzzles to do. There is an alternative Match 3 if you don't care to do the HOS.
I don't intend on replaying any of this, including the game which is short as well as a short bonus that was overloaded with puzzles, also. With the lack of collectibles and a short bonus, this is more worthy of a PCC than anything else.
The best part was the graphics and atmosphere. Other than that, this is just another disappointment of a new game that is imbalanced in gameplay.
Can you reveal the murderer’s identity before it’s too late?
Overall rating
2
/
5
14 of 15 found this review helpful
PUZZLE... AFTER PUZZLE... AFTER PUZZLE... AFTER PUZZLE
PostedJuly 6, 2019
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Most of the time was spent with puzzles.....one right after another. I no sooner get done with one or skipping one and then there is another. Then there was a spot the difference with no skip, although there was an alternative for Match 3 which I did...just another puzzle to me. Story was interesting and graphics were nice. I liked a couple of the HOS, but that was it. I DO NOT want to spend all of my game time with puzzles or skipping them. I want to enjoy more HOS and story. This is a puzzle game. BYE.
Put your game hat on and embark on an adventure trip to London!
Overall rating
5
/
5
112 of 130 found this review helpful
YOU ARE SURE TO GET YOUR MONEY'S WORTH OUT OF THIS ONE
PostedJune 29, 2019
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This was originally released in the SE version in February 2019. I have the SE and have just played this demo of the CE. The only difference I see in this CE version and the SE is...and this info is from the BF sale page because in the demo the info is locked...is 5 extra HOS Areas and 3 mini games, as well as 14 wall papers. The feature of finding 100 crowns to open an Unlimited play mode and finding 60, 8 balls to open a final puzzle upon completion of the game is the same for both SE and CE versions.
There are 20 Areas to explore in the main game. You can go back and forth by accessing the Map any time you want, but I like to complete an area before moving on to another because I can complete it faster. I remember where items are and if I go back and forth between areas, it will be harder to complete that area by the lack of remembrance of items. It is more challenging to move back and forth to different places, though.
On the Menu page is HELP in the lower left, which will give you instructions as to how to play this game and I found it very helpful because there are different variations to play in each scene with your collectibles to find.
In each of the 20 Area scenes, you will collect 5 Crowns and 3, 8 Balls, not all at once. There are indicators for these at the top and these crowns and balls are only available to find in the ABC mode which is your straight word list find. If you miss these, you can play the scene again until you get them. There are also 5 Fact items, one at a time, to find in a scene that WILL be highlighted in one of the 5 cards before you enter the ABC straight list. This means that you have to play that ABC mode 5 times to acquire these, and maybe more if you missed it like I have before, because I forgot to look. The Fact items are interesting, but were not relevant to London.
In each of the 20 Area scenes are different modes of HOS.... finding silhouettes, straight list finds, matching pairs, and missing letters where you guess what the items are. Upon completion of a HOS there is one puzzles to do, such as Match 3, Spot the Differences, jigsaws, symbol linkers, and swapping puzzle picture pieces to complete a scene. The jigsaws are rather clunky, but if you just click on the puzzle piece and without effort, guide it to a place, just drop it and it will fall into place without you forcing it. The puzzles can be skipped.
Now for a real treat.....You have a GIFT SHOP where you can buy 15 gifts with the money you earn that is exactly equal to your score points. This feature is in the SE version as well. On the HO scene page, you will see a small gift box in the lower left and you just click on it....then, be sure to click on Buy which brings up your total amount of money and the different gifts you can buy for your display case....Nice.
There are three modes of play. I like the easiest with untimed and unlimited hints, then you can take your time and relax. Music is repetitive and drove me to the mute. Also, before you play a scene, it will indicate what type hos you will be playing. There is no option for you to choose the type, you play what is indicated.
There is so much to offer in this game and so many hours of gameplay to enjoy. Because of the extra scenes available in the Bonus Extras, I will be upgrading to the CE.