kateblue222's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.5
- Helpful Votes:3,417
- Reviews Submitted:179
- First Review:May 6, 2014
- Most Recent Review:July 28, 2024
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Adventure into the unknown to save a city from evil!
Overall rating
5
/
5
39 of 46 found this review helpful
Important Hint. Try right clicking!
PostedJuly 20, 2015
kateblue222
fromSecond star to the right and straight on 'til morning
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Word
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
The demo seemed short, and I am not buying until I get a sale, so I am mostly writing to alert players about something that was bugging me, but I figured it out.
At first, I did not like what seemed to be non-responsive objects. Usually in these games, when you try to use an object and it is not the right one, one and/or two things happen. Either the object floats back to the inventory area, or you get a message (and yes, I know, sometimes the messages seem aggravating or condescending) that you have done the wrong thing. This game does neither. And it seems that you have to carefully replace the item back in the inventory area or it is stuck to your cursor. I was going to gripe about it as detracting from the playability of the game.
But then, I thought of something. I went back in to the game (I’m glad I had left five minutes on the clock) and tried right clicking when I had an inventory item in my hand. Voila! It floated back down to the inventory area. Great system, but maybe they should have told me that in the tutorial? I was playing with the full tutorial on, and I don’t remember them saying that.
My opinion of the game during the demo:
I really like some of the music and really dislike some of the rest. The graphics are clear and the world is pretty, but not very detailed once you go through the portal, in particular. It’s like maybe another artist drew it. That’s not necessarily bad, though.
I am unsure about the story. It makes sense, but things don’t necessarily seem to be happening in the right order or at the right pace, or something. For example, at the beginning, I kept feeling as if I needed to LEAVE the bedroom and follow mom. She had seemed quite insistent that I needed to do something important, so why am I dawdling in the bedroom and messing with the fireplace? But it was obvious I had to do something there. Then, dad ( guess it was dad) left using the portal, but after that, apparently it turns out the portal malfunctioned. (I sure hope dad's ok!) At this point, I decided not to even try to make sense of the story, and it went better after that. Somewhat challenging actions are required, but they are not too hard to figure out.
The puzzles are great. One I ended up having to go to the guide for. That shows you, though, that it was an interesting puzzle. If I wasn’t, I would have just skipped it. The HOS are different, also. Some require you to use inventory items to solve them. Fun. Much better than the average HOS.
The demo was so short and the game played pretty seamlessly. Therefore, although I got the map, I never needed it or looked at it. So I cannot give you any details about it.
I will get the CE for this game because there is a bonus and also the ability to replay mini games and HOS. There don’t seem to be collectibles or morphing objects or achievements, but that’s OK with me because I don’t care about those things, anyway. The game is entertaining, and there are enough useful features for me to buy the CE.
Give it a try.
I 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
4
/
5
4 of 7 found this review helpful
Features warrant buying the CE, despite some aggravating gameplay.
PostedJuly 18, 2015
kateblue222
fromSecond star to the right and straight on 'til morning
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Word
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
I have played the demo and I like it. And I will buy it. But there were things about it that lowered its rating for me. This is based upon playing the demo. I got through the first chapter and had 4 minutes left over. There are six chapters, so the game seems to be a pretty good length.
One tip, even if you don’t read the rest because of spoilers: You can put the magnifier down if you right click. (The instructions do not say this.) You’ll know when you get there.
CAUTION, SPOILERS:
The art and graphics were ok, not beautiful, but they fit and added to the ambience. Ditto the music—just ok. I liked some of it, and it gave a dramatic medieval feel that fit, but it was a bit overblown for me, very orchestral with a women’s chorus. And the main theme that I did like, I could not figure out which of the tracks in the Extras material it was. I am not sure it is even there.
What I liked about the sound was when there was no music. The outdoor nighttime sounds were great . . . until the son started to shoot the gun constantly. Then I had to turn the sound off. He finally stopped and I was glad, but then he asked me for more bullets! Argh!
There was a book where you found pictures of objects. Easy but really fun.
What I call the “procedural puzzles” were good, those things you have to solve to keep on going in the game. But I am undecided about the mini games. Here’s two examples:
1. The whole idea of finding clues to help people pass on by solving their questions about what happened to them was good. (I found one of these during the time I was playing.) But I could not find the fifth clue. I had to click all over the guy several times before I got lucky and clicked on the correct place. I could not see the shiny blue green indicator that was there for the other four clues. It must have been really small.
Also, it would have helped to know that you could put the magnifier down if you right click. Plus, when we found all 5 clues, maybe we, the game player, playing as the detective, should have guessed what happened to the guy instead of the game just telling us.
2. I could not solve the mini game with the ball bearing that fell down/through four colored balls if you moved the same-colored indicators to the right spot, even after looking at the strategy guide and putting the indicators where it said. There were no instructions, either. You could only skip or keep trying.
The worst problem, though, was the story. (More spoilers follow.) I am not really a story person, but the flaws were enough to be distracting. The first really short film, very brown and not looking like the others, still makes no sense and seems unconnected after the demo. In the second film, the father says something about how he is afraid, and what will happen to his son after he is gone, so he writes a letter to a detective for help, but then he immediately poisons himself. What? The detective responds to the father’s letter, (and how did it get mailed, anyway?), which asked the detective to protect the son. But instead, the son starts talking about lighting the towers to protect the town. So who is protecting whom? Also, the whole lighting-the-towers thing was confusing to me because I didn’t find the book with the explanation until after.
Another confusing point is after you help a soul to pass on. It’s a great idea to show background information as a reward, but the game says it is “your” history. But you are the detective! Not the son! It appears to be the son’s history.
The map is hard to decipher.
CE features: I have no opinion about achievements and collectables because I mostly ignore them. There is an ability to play mini-games and HOS over, which I believe is necessary to a CE, so yay! And there’s a bonus game. The message in the menu when you click on "play" says there are “levels” "extras" and “secrets” after you finish the main game. Can’t wait!
To sum up: I'm not sure why people thought the gameplay was seamless. I disagree. But the game is fun enough, though not immersive because of the things I have talked about. There is a skip button. If I have to use it I will. So I will buy the CE on a good sale. Maybe even today. Try it, and I think you will agree it is worth it
A masked vigilante has the town of Coldstone in a death grip!
Overall rating
5
/
5
47 of 57 found this review helpful
Definite buy . . . but which? CE or SE?
PostedJuly 18, 2015
kateblue222
fromSecond star to the right and straight on 'til morning
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Word
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I wrote a review when the CE came out, and I bought the CE. I partially reproduce that review here and note differences. This review is based upon playing the CE for maybe 3 hours and then playing the demo of the SE for a few minutes.
If I am looking at reviews when the CE has been out for a while and there’s an SE newly released, I want to know whether to buy the SE or the CE. Here, I think the CE is worth it. Negative is, I didn’t think the achievements and collectables were very interesting, and their banners stuck out into the far left of the screen, showing all the time. But other CE features—the ability to play games over again, the music, and a bonus chapter--were enough to sell me on the CE.
The CE kept me up way past my bedtime. A detective is tracking down a vigilante who is terrorizing a town for past injustices. People on a “blacklist” are dying. The detective must catch vigilante before the mayor of the town, who hired him and who is on the list, is killed.
There’s a really interesting cat.
The art is beautiful and the colors are nice. Even the little tokens that you pick up are cute. The black and white movies disbursed throughout added to the ambience. The music fits the story well (I particularly like “Track 1,” which is the first one you hear when you start the game). This might be one reason to buy the CE, if you like to play music later.
The HOS’s were good and the mini-games were very, very good. Play is seamless and natural. You can figure out what to do without having to hit the hint button all the time, but it is not easy, either.
SPOILER IN THIS PARAGRAPH, but it explains the way I figured out how to do something. The whole concept for collecting thoughts was unique and interesting, but the act of actually catching them was kind of boring because I did have a bit of trouble finding them (they are invisible and floating in the air). At first I kept sliding the thought catcher thingy up and down and back and forth, covering the whole screen in a methodical fashion. I caught a couple that way. But I don’t think that’s the best way. What I ended up doing for the rest was, I put the thought catcher thingy in the middle of the screen and slid the mouse straight up and down slowly. This caught the thoughts as they cruised through the middle of the screen.
There were riddles. How fun!
The only jarring note in my whole playing experience (I’m still not to the end of the CE) was in the mayor’s introduction. OK, I can see why people on a blacklist may be important people, a who’s who of a town. The people in charge are those in the position to perpetrate injustices that a vigilante would want to avenge. But to say that the mayor lives in “the nobility district?” Silly. Besides, since when is a mayor “nobility?”
But since that’s the only thing I could find wrong with the game, I agree with other reviewers that it is one of the best games of the year. You gotta try it. I am very pleased with my CE purchase. Definitely get one or the other.
I recommend this game!
Step into a dream machine and piece together the events of a mysterious tragedy!
Overall rating
1
/
5
4 of 4 found this review helpful
Bad, bad click penalty! Why???
PostedJuly 16, 2015
kateblue222
fromSecond star to the right and straight on 'til morning
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Word
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
I can’t give you a synopsis of the story because the faces of the characters in the initial movie were so goofy-looking I skipped it. But basically, a woman has arrived at her home, where things are apparently not as they should be . . .
The game seemed fun and pretty at first, though very simplistic. The art looks like a lot of the current art, The main music during my wandering in the rooms was so unformed I found it annoying, and also, it seemed to be looped in an odd place, though it was hard to tell because the music was so unformed.
The play seems old-fashioned. That’s not necessarily a negative to me though. It is straightforward game play, and moved along nicely at first.
The problem is, there are only two settings. The easier one is casual, but it is not casual enough.
I got to a room where there was a puzzle in some sort of junction box. It seemed rather difficult. I could have solved it eventually, but I wanted to continue with the demo. Well, guess what? There was no skip button.
So I just left it and went to check out the hidden object puzzle that I had noted during my wanderings. It was pretty too, but no way was I playing that thing. There was a BAD click penalty even on casual. Five clicks, even five slow clicks, and there you sit, waiting for cursor control to return.
I thought we were beyond that!
If you are a true HOS fan, then maybe. I can’t express an opinion on the HOS puzzles since I didn’t even complete the first one. I hate not recommending such a pretty game, but, sorry, I can’t.
I don't recommend this game.
It's the end of the world... at least in Oakville.
Overall rating
5
/
5
21 of 24 found this review helpful
Too good to quit and go to sleep.
PostedJuly 13, 2015
kateblue222
fromSecond star to the right and straight on 'til morning
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Word
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Well, I’m not ready to stop playing but the demo ran out.
I never lose track of time during these demos, but I did this time. I was right in the middle of putting together this really cool plus item, which required the solving of puzzles, (how cool!!) and not only did I run out of demo, but it seems to be 1:18 in the morning! So this will be real quick.
The graphics are good, if a bit dark, but that is just the ambience. I like that the developers made things blue-green instead of gray. I get depressed looking a gray games. So you get the ambience without the grayness. I also love the lack of things on the screen, like inventory and all the menu buttons and stuff. Much more of it disappears when you move your cursor away than in most games. I love this because one of my favorite things is walking around and looking at the pretty pictures.
The music is not so much music as mood-sounds, and very appropriate. I often turn music off, but not this time. The “music" was an integral part of the experience. Great job.
I am not really sure what’s going on with the story, it is some sort of a creepy "what’s going on, where/who are these people” type of thing . . . but it doesn’t matter that I don’t know, I’m fascinated by the world.
The mini games are fine but pretty simple. The hidden object games are great though, a strange thing for me to say because I like mini games better usually. It’s because they are so progressive and unique they are almost more like mini games. And for those HO purists, there are word-only hidden object scenes that pop up in small boxes occasionally. Also very different. Plus, all of the things that you have to do to progress through the world are fun to figure out, too.
Now WHY did they have the game put the “Tom” poster together automatically? That was a waste because they could have given us a nice jigsaw-like puzzle instead of just having it assemble itself when you click on it. But hey, that is the ONLY thing that was wrong during the time I played.
Also, go read Sunnyglow’s review. She’s played more than I have, has all the details, and says it only gets better after the demo.
Now the problem is, I want to keep playing but I need sleep. Good night.
I recommend this game!
Can you help the City of Artists find their lost inspiration?
Overall rating
1
/
5
14 of 20 found this review helpful
Fun and beautiful, but then I got stuck!
PostedJuly 13, 2015
kateblue222
fromSecond star to the right and straight on 'til morning
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Word
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This review is based upon me playing the demo until I got stuck. I originally reviewed the CE without saying too much about it, talking mostly about why I didn’t buy it. I promised a more complete review when the SE came out. So here it is. There’s some game description below, but I try not to give away anything critical to the story or solving it.
First, this game is beautiful. I really like to look at the pictures. But you should turn the music off before you start. For one thing, I was not particularly fond of the music. But that’s not why you should turn it off before you start. No, the problem is that the music is so much louder than the character’s voice in the first scene. You really cannot hear him (Owen) very well, and once you are in the scene, you can’t turn the music off without leaving the scene. And then you can’t get back to the scene unless you start over with a different name.
I never did get the point of the “boudoir” room. Apparently, you just get to make it look pretty.
I don’t understand why the Calliope character is being so mean and scary. Doesn’t she realize you are trying to help her? Not believable.
I did not mind the “Barbie doll” helper. Her little costumes are like free hints of what to do next. And she waves at you to tell you it’s time to use her. Yes, it’s stupid, but it IS helpful to the gameplay, so why all the complaints?
The mini games are ok. The first was so easy that it wasn’t really a puzzle at all. It was a maze, but there is only one way out. So there was no challenge. Also, the instructions for the mini games are not always very helpful. Like the puzzle with the red and blue buttons. First, I couldn’t even figure out how to work it. Then, once I did, I was stumped. Finally, I thought of a way to beat it, (and I was kinda proud of myself for figuring it out!), but no thanks to the instructions!
The HOs are different and most are really fun. For example, find and select the two things that are alike. (They are not identical, but they are alike.) Or looking at a kiosk and preparing some food and coffee with items you find. But the last one I played was impossible. It was progressive, where you needed to find objects in a particular order to use them. The scene, though pretty, was so cluttered, and the needed objects so small, it was impossible to work through. Also, because it was progressive, I could not do my usual “click on everything real fast and eventually find everything” technique. So I was reduced to waiting around for the hint to recharge.
Right after that, I got stuck. There is a bell that you get from the progressive HO with the too-small-to-find items. You hang it up and then you are supposed to be use some object to make it ring because there is no clapper. But there is nothing to use in the room, you are carrying nothing that can help, and then the hint just keeps taking you right back to the bell. So I had to quit.
I have to give the game a low score for suddenly becoming unplayable. The first few rooms of the game were fun, and then there was a room with the progressive HO puzzle and the bell. It was as if someone at the developer’s said, “ah, this is two easy, let’s toughen it up a bit.” Or perhaps two different people wrote the different parts. But, though it still looked beautiful, it felt like a totally different game.
Getting stuck with a repetitive unhelpful hint makes me not be able to recommend this game to others. But despite getting stuck, and with my bad rating, I will probably buy the SE someday when there is a deal, or with a free coupon. But only after there is a strategy guide out. Also, I wouldn’t buy the CE unless I need a game on a two=for=one sale because there is no ability to play the mini-games over, something I think every game should have.
You will probably have fun with this game, at least until you have to figure out how to ring the bell, so give it a try.
I don't recommend this game.
A meteorite devastates a town, yanking Emily from her normal life.
Overall rating
1
/
5
3 of 7 found this review helpful
CE or SE, you decide which!
PostedJuly 11, 2015
kateblue222
fromSecond star to the right and straight on 'til morning
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Word
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I have no idea how I should rate this game.
The graphics are gorgeous, which means I WILL buy either the CE or the SE, so the problem for me is, which? This means I am going to write this review about which one to buy. I am often looking for that information when I read reviews, so I figure you are, too.
I really liked the music, which is unusual for me. But do I like it so much that I want to spend twice the price so I can listen to it on my iPod? Music is therefore probably not the deciding factor here.
One of the CE features that tend to make me buy the CE is the ability to play the games over again. This game does not have the replayable feature. Why not, developers?
There are achievements and collectables, but I have little interest in them. There is also a bonus chapter, which I will definitely want to play if the game is good.
So the question is, will I want to play the bonus chapter badly enough to buy the CE version? I guess that is going to depend upon how good the gameplay is. So I need to look at what happens. (Some spoilers of first two scenes and the third scene--which is just exposition--follow).
The whole thing about having to get inside the house first before you can find out what is going on is contrived. I mean, my first impulse would be to walk away if the total stranger who basically abducted me didn’t at least explain why I had to get into the house. I don’t usually care that much about story, but this just doesn’t make sense. It seems as if there should have been time during the driving scene to tell us something, a sentence or two. Or when you got to the house they could have filled us in a little bit. Maybe the fact that you could get into the house would prove you had the power to actually fight the monster in the sky or something. But they didn't say so! I felt like Princess Leia would be popping up any minute to yell, “It’s a trap, Luke!”
I understand that this is a later installment of a celebrated game series. Maybe they all start like this.
One of the very first "procedural puzzles” (meaning a game you have to solve to proceed, not a mini game), was the vase at the bottom of the stairs. Not well designed. The game actually told you that the vase had to look like the picture. I guess it was not very obvious that the vase even did anything. But then, you couldn’t put the picture up next to the vase for comparison because it was in the journal, not in inventory. Which forced you to keep going back to the journal, then trying to remember the pattern while you returned to the vase. But THEN, I was not aggravated for very long because the solution was laughably simple.
Also, the mailbox opener object didn’t look like it was the same shape as the shape on the front of the mailbox. I’m glad I had the tutorial on to show me!
The first mini game was pretty easy, too. There was no possibility of another solutions or getting stuck. And you had to click on every box, you couldn’t just click and drag.
And who mounts a telephone upside down under a table, I ask you?
When you meet the other characters and they finally get you started on the quest, there is little record of what they said or who they said they were. You have to really pay attention to the introductions. I wasn’t paying enough attention to what they were saying to retain it all because I thought the information would be placed in the journal. But it wasn’t. It was an awful lot of talk, too.
I understand that this is a later installment of a celebrated game series. Maybe they all start like this. (Yes, I meant to say this twice.)
The gameplay seemed seamless until I ran afoul of a milk carton that seemingly did nothing. That’s when I quit because I got called to breakfast. 18 minutes left in the demo.
So here’s my conclusion. The game is aggravating in spots but beautiful and pretty fun. I will buy could be the CE if there is a two-for-one sale before the SE comes out. If not, I will definitely buy SE.
Because I will probably not buy the CE, I will rate the CE low. Still, you will probably like it well enough, try it!
I recommend this game!
You stop a crazy fan, but when he dies, who’s responsible?
Overall rating
5
/
5
5 of 6 found this review helpful
To CE or not to CE, that is the question.
PostedJuly 11, 2015
kateblue222
fromSecond star to the right and straight on 'til morning
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Word
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Well, upon the the occasion of the SE being released, I remember I owned this game and returned to it. What a great game.
Here's what I wrote for the SE. It works here, too.
I know it sounds kind of crazy, but I forgot how much fun I was having with this game. Life intervened, days passed, and I just played the next game down the road. Then, when I saw the SE was out, I couldn’t remember what I had done even though I already own the CE. But when I saw the first screen, I wondered how I had ever forgotten. I am excited to be returning to the snowy north.
The art is clear and sharp and strong and colorful. I am quite happy to wander around and look at all the pretty pictures, one of my favorite things about these games. This one satisfied. I didn’t like the music, though. I turned it all the way down. Everything seems so over-orchestrated these days.
The mini games (my favorite part) are good and the HOS are excellent. I am not necessarily a HOS fan, but these are interactive and very fun, more of a combination puzzle and HOS than a straight HOS.
There’s a really cool transition between the first and second chapter, as I recall. I will let you find out about it on your own.
I never looked at the strategy guide that is available in the CE. Seamless, understandable game play made it unneeded, a real plus.
Here's an annoyance. I read text much faster than the narration speaks. I always like it when the game will let me click through the narration screens because I don’t need to sit there and hear it. This game would not allow me to skip through screens of narration, though. Instead, I could only skip the whole conversation. I don’t want to do that, either. So that was annoying, but it was the only thing that was annoying.
I recommend this game, but I also think the CE has great features. I know that if I am reading game reviews after the SE comes out, one of the things I need to know is, should I buy the CE or the SE. Here, I think the CE is a good deal.
Not only does it allow you to play the mini puzzles and the HOS again, it allows you to play the Match 3 games that substitute for the HOS. It has a bonus chapter, a "making of” feature, and the usual music and art. There are also achievements and collectables, but I do not really notice them much, so I can’t tell you if they are any good. Still, it makes for a more value in a game. Much of the game is not unlocked for me since I am only halfway through. But I think it is going to be worth the CE price because I am having so much fun I want to play the bonus chapter and I want to play some of the puzzles again.
To sum up. I say buy the CE, but certainly the SE would be fun, too.
I recommend this game!
You stop a crazy fan, but when he dies, who’s responsible?
Overall rating
5
/
5
17 of 23 found this review helpful
To CE or not to CE, that is the question.
PostedJuly 11, 2015
kateblue222
fromSecond star to the right and straight on 'til morning
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Word
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I know it sounds kind of crazy, but I forgot how much fun I was having with this game. Life intervened, days passed, and I just played the next game down the road. Then, when I saw the SE was out, I couldn’t remember what I had done even though I already own the CE. But when I saw the first screen, I wondered how I had ever forgotten. I am excited to be returning to the snowy north.
The art is clear and sharp and strong and colorful. I am quite happy to wander around and look at all the pretty pictures, one of my favorite things about these games. This one satisfied. I didn’t like the music, though. I turned it all the way down. Everything seems so over-orchestrated these days.
The mini games (my favorite part) are good and the HOS are excellent. I am not necessarily a HOS fan, but these are interactive and very fun, more of a combination puzzle and HOS than a straight HOS.
There’s a really cool transition between the first and second chapter, as I recall. I will let you find out about it on your own.
I never looked at the strategy guide that is available in the CE. Seamless, understandable game play made it unneeded, a real plus.
Here's an annoyance. I read text much faster than the narration speaks. I always like it when the game will let me click through the narration screens because I don’t need to sit there and hear it. This game would not allow me to skip through screens of narration, though. Instead, I could only skip the whole conversation. I don’t want to do that, either. So that was annoying, but it was the only thing that was annoying.
I recommend this game, but I also think the CE has great features. I know that if I am reading game reviews after the SE comes out, one of the things I need to know is, should I buy the CE or the SE. Here, I think the CE is a good deal.
Not only does it allow you to play the mini puzzles and the HOS again, it allows you to play the Match 3 games that substitute for the HOS. It has a bonus chapter, a "making of” feature, and the usual music and art. There are also achievements and collectables, but I do not really notice them much, so I can’t tell you if they are any good. Still, it makes for a more value in a game. Much of the game is not unlocked for me since I am only halfway through. But I think it is going to be worth the CE price because I am having so much fun I want to play the bonus chapter and I want to play some of the puzzles again.
To sum up. I say buy the CE, but certainly the SE would be fun, too.
I recommend this game!
Black Viper: Sophia's Fate
Cop by day, formidable thief by night: Sophia, aka Black Viper, is a young woman leading a double life.
Overall rating
5
/
5
17 of 22 found this review helpful
Interesting--better than the incredibly low overall rating it has!
PostedJuly 8, 2015
kateblue222
fromSecond star to the right and straight on 'til morning
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Word
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Based on the demo period.
The main problem I have with this game is the sexist behavior of the man whose wife’s disappearance is being investigated. Ugh! But I like the female protaganist/superhero, which is what is keeping me playing. She’s a cop by day, so I guess she can’t just punch him until she puts on her superhero disguise. Usually, for me, it’s the beauty of the scenes and the mini games that keep me going, but this time it is her. Why she's letting that guy talk to her the way he is beyond me.
But parents of little children who might play this game, beware. There’s nothing overt, but the guy is coming on to her in a really chauvinistic way the whole time until he FINALLY leaves. I haven't heard anything like it since the 60's.
Otherwise, the game is fun and sometimes beautiful. Though the hints leave something to be desired. Right now I am stuck on a beautiful blue screen that is a nice rendition of a mansion from outside at night. But I will figure it out.
I do wish that there were more mini-games. Although Big Fish’s writeup says “Enjoy 29 hidden object scenes and 26 mini-games," I feel that there are about two hidden object games for every mini game. This is not a good ratio because I like the mini games better.
Now that I have finished the demo, I realize I have no recollection of the music whatsoever. I must have turned it off early on.
Because of the low ratings, I am going to rate this as a 5. I know I often don't even read reviews of games rated this low, so I hope people try it. It’s really about a 4.5. I will be buying it with a free ticket or as a daily deal soon. Try it, just be aware that some features don’t really work the same way as other games, and be a little patient.
I recommend this game!