cathybobcat's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:2.5
- Helpful Votes:2,025
- Reviews Submitted:149
- First Review:May 18, 2018
- Most Recent Review:May 25, 2025
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Can you stop a deadly magic from destroying the land?
Overall rating
2
/
5
15 of 17 found this review helpful
ANOTHER PUZZLE HEAVY GAME
PostedJune 7, 2019
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
With a replay of 27 mini games and only 18 HOS, this is yet another PUZZLE HEAVY GAME...not a hidden object game. AND there are many, many more than just 27 mini games. They are pretty much one right after another. The majority of time is spent doing puzzles, not on the story, which is always a secondary aspect for me, as there are only so many plots to a story that can be used. There is no effort or creativity in what little HOS there are with items so visible or large, I can complete them in seconds. Emphasis is on mini games and the collecting of endless inventory holding you hostage to scenes, as well as the usual back and forth. It's SOS and with such an imbalance of gameplay, this is not enjoyable whatsoever. It's another one for the uninstall icon in Game Manager.
After being contacted by a secret organization of elite mystery solvers, you're sent out in the field to prove your skills. This job interview may be your last!
Overall rating
5
/
5
10 of 10 found this review helpful
SE IS THE WAY TO GO
PostedMarch 29, 2019
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I bought this in the CE and liked it enough to play it twice, but was very disappointed in the lack of Extras. You collect dossier pages of the characters....forgot how many because I was unable to access all the pages in the book in the Extras, as well as the notes you collect. It would only show the last note and dossier collected, so when I played it a second time, I was sure to read the dossier pages. The notes come up in the scenes as you collect them and you are able to read those and it wasn't necessary to access them in the Extras, but I still think I should have been able to do so. You collect coins to buy 12 items for a Relic room which was entertaining, but nothing to warrant a CE price. The biggest disappointment of all, is NO REPLAY of hos or puzzles. I thought the hos were very artistically done and wanted to have the luxury of being able to do them again as well as some of the puzzles. I felt very cheated that this was not included in the CE package and do not think it is CE worthy whatsoever.
The bonus chapter is short and a prequel. I didn't enjoy it except for a couple of the hos. It takes place in the Egyptian desert...not very impressive. There were some very annoying puzzles, one in which if you made a mistake you had to start all over. It was ridiculous and although I trudged through it the first time I played the game, I skipped it the second time around.
Aside from being a bit short, I think it is an excellent SE and was very enjoyable. The graphics are exquisite, clear and defined, and very colorful. For the most part, it is a player friendly game that was relaxing and is one reason I really do like it. I paid attention to some detail in this and noticed that the pitcher you collect in order to obtain water from the fountain to make a circular pillar mold was a Fenton melon pitcher vase. It was absolutely beautiful. I loved it.
There are numerous puzzles, but the majority of them were enjoyable. There was one that was a real pain and eye straining and that was the one where you construct a picture and every single panel you touch moves everything else. It was terrible and so difficult to even make out. It was one of the few I skipped.
There is some going back and forth, but not in excess. Jump map is very artistically done. A great deal of work went into it.
You can play Match 3 if you do not care to do a hos and you can also skip puzzles, of course. Hint is very helpful and directional.
There is not an excess of the collecting of inventory, but there are times when it will take a long time to collect a needed item in a particular scene, so I did utilize the map when I would forget and think, "Now where does this go?"
The scenes were so well done in this and some of them were stunning. There is a scene near the end of the game, "The Floating Island" that is awesome. What creativity and artistry. I am positive I will play this game again in the future.
A series of museum robberies leads to a shocking discovery!
Overall rating
2
/
5
10 of 22 found this review helpful
GRIM INDEED.... PLEASE, NO MORE MINI HOS!!!!!!!
PostedMarch 29, 2019
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
The graphics are poor....grainy, drab, and inferior to the other games. The gameplay tasks which you have done hundreds of times before are just plain monotonous. How about the zipper pull and oiler? Was that supposed to be a joke, or was it serious? Story is boring....collectibles are nothing interesting. The collectibles are jigsaw pieces to assemble a few screen savers and then you have some morphs and the figurines that you have collected so many times before. I didn't see any indicators to alert you to finding any except for the pop out tab. There is a replay of hos and puzzles.
The scenery is big time dirty, that it made me feel like taking a shower. And upon encountering one too many mini hos, I quit before the demo was up. NO MORE MINI HOS!!! They are annoying and a waste of time. It was bad enough trying to see in the much too dark regular size hos. Not much effort put into this and I can't believe it is Elephant. Best part was uninstalling it.
What lies within the depths of the pitch-black mirror?
Overall rating
1
/
5
5 of 7 found this review helpful
OUTRAGEOUS
PostedMarch 25, 2019
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
There are nothing but puzzles in this, one right after another. There is absolutely no balance in gameplay whatsoever because all of your time is taken up either doing puzzles or skipping them. BYE.
Your brother's invention has made contact with aliens. Help him defeat an intergalactic invasion before the Earth is destroyed.
Overall rating
2
/
5
4 of 4 found this review helpful
EXCESSIVE PUZZLES
PostedMarch 25, 2019
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This would have been an ok game, except there are WAY TOO MANY PUZZLES. It just doesn't stop. I like to enjoy some gameplay. I got tired of spending most of my time with them all and quit.
Get ready for the most exciting Un-Hidden Object games you will ever play!
Overall rating
1
/
5
18 of 19 found this review helpful
I AM NOT SMILING.....THIS IS THE WORST OF THEM ALL
PostedMarch 24, 2019
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
Good luck trying to figure this mess out. Maybe I am missing something, but there are no instructions I could find, nor options like the other Clutter games. Everything is a hit and a miss....mostly a miss. I was clicking my way around and even got thrown out of the game...hit the wrong X, I guess.
For the most part, all I could bring up was smiley faces.....smiley faces here...smiley faces there...smiley faces everywhere. It was nauseating and becomes one big blurring eye strain. I practically became cross eyed. It was torture.
Where is the variety? Where are the instructions and options? Is this supposed to be serious? Is this the same Joe? It sure doesn't seem like it because I have the majority of these and this doesn't hold a candle to any of them. It is aggravating and very confusing....and not an enjoyment whatsoever. I gave up before the demo was over to regain my sanity.
It's the find of a century, but will you live to tell about it?
Overall rating
1
/
5
5 of 5 found this review helpful
HOW ANNOYING
PostedMarch 24, 2019
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This is nothing but one puzzle after another. No balance in gameplay whatsoever. Cartoon graphics. Could have been a decent game, but I don't want to be confronted with 2 thousand puzzles in a game. If I wanted to do a puzzle game, then that is what I would buy. What a waste.
After being contacted by a secret organization of elite mystery solvers, you're sent out in the field to prove your skills. This job interview may be your last!
Overall rating
4
/
5
ENJOYABLE BUT NOT CE WORTHY
PostedMarch 20, 2019
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Completed game. Graphics are excellent and game is player friendly which is relaxing. The main game was rather short and the bonus which is a prequel is not necessary to the game at all. I liked the main game much better than the bonus and had I known, I would have just bought the SE.
The biggest disappointment in this entire CE package that I feel very cheated and let down about is the fact that there is NO REPLAY of any Hos and puzzles. There are quite a number of each, although puzzles once again outnumber the hos...no surprise there. Replay should be a standard for CE's and it's cheap that this has been neglected to be included.
The other factor very much lacking are the collectibles which are coins that you use to buy 12 items for a relic room...not a real big deal. The only other collectibles are notes and dossier pages that I can only read once in the Extras in an Information book that is in a drawer and that is as soon as one is collected as the book only shows the last page collected. This is what happened for me and may not for others. I could not turn pages in the book to view all of those collected pages. I am on my second time playing this and I am going into Extras as soon as I collect one because I was shocked and dismayed when I completed the game the first time at not being able to access all of the notes and dossiers I collected and I wanted to read them. I even played a demo of this today and the same thing happened. I can only see the last collectible note and dossier. You also cannot read those pages when you collect them in the scenes. They are briefly seen and then disappear into the Extras as a pop up alerts you to go visit there.
The collectibles are indicated in the SG, but I noticed that this info is held back in a demo version. The SG only shows the chapter you are on while in the demo. In the full CE game version you can view it all.
The gameplay flows well and there is not too much going back and forth. There is a jump map that is very well done and helpful. Had it not been for the lack of extras and the other factors mentioned, it would have been a much better experience. I think the SE is a better buy and nothing will be missed from not having a short bonus chapter that had no collectibles and takes place in the desert.
Return the Guardians to slumber to keep evil from the universe!
Overall rating
3
/
5
11 of 22 found this review helpful
INCREDIBLY SHORT GAME....INCLUDING THE BC
PostedDecember 31, 2018
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
There is no way I can give this 5 stars because of its incredibly short length. I realize that presently there are many who wait for sales to purchase CE's and it may just be an issue of getting what you pay for. This is one of those games. I have to say that I was honestly shocked at the end, saying, "Is that it"? If it wasn't for all the numerous puzzles, there would be absolutely nothing to this time wise.
The graphics are outstanding....exceptional with detail in most scenes. They are colorful without following the same color scheme throughout. They are an eye delight. There are a variety of things to do without it being overwhelming with hyperactivity. It was very enjoyable and uniquely different. It is also player friendly.
The collectibles didn't overly impress me. There are 36 bats to collect that only look like ears sticking out from behind something. If we are going to collect bats, how about the whole bat instead of just a portion of one playing hide and seek? I didn't care for it.
These bats go into a room that is so cluttered with them, you can almost lose your equilibrium. At the end of the game you are awarded playing an extra HOP puzzle which I breezed right through...no big deal. It was different and creative, but "fast" like the game and BC. If you don't collect all the bats, you are allowed to go back into a scene to collect it by clicking on the empty bat space in what I call their Clutter room in the Extras.
You also collect 3 different color coins that are only in zoom zones. I lost count of how many. An indicator in the lower left glows when there is one to be found. These coins can be used to buy only 10 animals that have their own room in the Extras. There are indicators for the collectibles as well as a tab on the left side that you can access and that pops out when a collectible is found and their numbers.
There are also morphs to find in the HOS. I forgot how many because even though there is a replay of HOS and Puzzles, I did not access it. I know I missed some because I didn't know if I was in a HOS or not at times and wasn't looking out for them.
You have an owl for a helper....I can't stand helpers, either. This one is rather a mystery because all it does is fly up to a high place and flap its lovely wings. I didn't get it. It was unobtrusive, however, and therefore didn't bother me one way or another. It was pretty to look at and that was it.
There are different and innovating HOS in this, but I didn't think there were enough of them. The Puzzles were too many and outnumbered the HOS, as usual. There were times I was in a HOS and had to look down to see if there was a "Hint" present or a "Skip" because I honestly didn't know if I was playing a puzzle or HOS. I prefer traditional HOS, and these were ok, but when you have so many puzzles and then the HOS are more like puzzles than HOS, it is too much of an imbalance of play. It's almost as if we are being cheated out of real HOS. There is an obsession with making everything into puzzles.
There is an alternative Match 3 if you don't want to do the HOS, but because of their creativity and being like puzzles themselves, it wasn't really necessary to implement this feature, as most will probably want to do the HOS/Puzzle. It was however, generous of them to incorporate it.
There is a transport map that is very creative. It has a zoom feature, not really too much of a close up, but helpful. There are also scrolling arrows in this map. Now if they could just have a zoom feature for the SG's that would be big enough to see, it would be a luxury.
The BC is VERY short....has some puzzles and HOS....if not for that, it would have been a 10 minute deal. I am a slow player and like to take my time and would say it took me a little more than 30 minutes.
This is really an exceptionally well done game and much effort was exerted into it regarding all aspects of it, except for the length and collectibles. I did enjoy it, but in all honesty just couldn't bring myself to give it 5 stars, which I really wanted to do, but it was just too short and did not leave me with a feeling of satiety whatsoever.
Survive a fictional horror turned real-life nightmare in a creepy hotel!
Overall rating
4
/
5
7 of 10 found this review helpful
HAS ATMOSPHERE....AND FOR THE MOST PART PLAYER FRIENDY
PostedDecember 28, 2018
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This is not very characteristic of previous HH games, but that's ok because it is good to have something different and uncomplicated. We still have James to accompany us on our journey and what is not to like about that? He is like an old friend and is a welcomed feature in the games.
The main issue I have is the graphics which are hazy and cloudy rendering it a strain to see at times, particularly in some of the HOS which were too dark in places. It would be much more enjoyable to be able to see clearly instead of being in a fog. I realize it is to create atmosphere, but that can be accomplished by definition instead of obscurity. There is a gamma to adjust the brightness, but it didn't clarify scenes any better. I found it to be distorting when set too high, so just left it in the middle.
Another issue is the tiny screen shots in the SG. Could someone PLEASE make them larger? There is surely room enough for them on the pages.
The game has an eerie atmosphere and is not complicated to play. There is a great deal of going back and forth, combining items and the assembling of items. There is a very useful transport map. After having to find logs to construct a ladder, I was very grateful not to have to look all over for nails. I am not fond of having to find multiple items in multiple places just to assemble something. I also had tons of inventory to keep track of which was rather inconvenient scrolling back and forth to remember what I had collected.
The Extras are not overly impressive. There are 14 Character figurines that are quite large taking up too much space from being crammed in their places in the Bonus section. It's like they jump out at you and are distorted. There are 20 picture pieces that didn't look like picture pieces to me at all. Sometimes they just looked like a slab or mosaic. There are also 30 morphing objects that were large enough to see. The collectibles are indicated in the SG, but the shots are very small to see. For indicators, all you have is a tab sticking out on the right hand side that you can access and it also pops out when you have found one and the numbers of them. It would be more convenient to have the glowing icons for these along with the tab which should not be sticking out so far taking up a portion of your screen. It is distracting and unnecessary.
There is a replay of 15 HOS and 12 Puzzles. There are more puzzles in the game than this, however, some of which I found very annoying and too time consuming. The HOS were decent and other than not being able to see clearly, I did enjoy them. Some effort went into them as well as their atmospheric artistry.
For the most part, this is player friendly and relaxing to play. It is well balanced with an enticing atmosphere and likeable characters. There is always room for improvement, but I think it is a job well done with consideration for those who enjoy a non stressful game that is not exhausting to play.