Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
5/ 5
Level of Challenge
5/ 5
Storyline
5/ 5
This game has gone straight to the top of my wishlist. I was absolutely blown away by the level of detail in the graphics and the voice over - during the intro the ink actually follows the quill, and the vox artists are actually acting rather than just reading lines. There's humour and drama. It's almost like an interactive movie - and there is an intriguing storyline to follow too which really kept my interest.
I was surprised to note some anachronisms though - the setting appears to be similar to late Victorian England - quill pens, gas lanterns etc. - yet an early puzzle has you obtaining a canned drink from a period-setting vending machine!
The demo finishes before the full hour (if you play it quickly or skip puzzles), but it promises much more. I usually go for CE versions where they are available and I will with this one as I want the fullest experience of this most impressive game.
I should start by saying I'm not actually a huge fan of story-lines involving the fey, but I'm not going to count that as a negative in this review. It was actually done quite well. What I couldn't get past was the lack of engagement. I actually got bored. There wasn't much of a challenge to the mini-games I played - the answers were right there in front of you, no real thinking involved. I also couldn't really take to the voice over - it's unusual to hear a "British" accent in these games, but her's just didn't quite sound right - don't get me wrong I think it was probably genuine, but there were traces of the East End that kept appearing and disappearing like the fairy folk! I did quite like the idea of the hidden fairy collectables, but again this was slightly spoiled by the fact that the same two hidden fairies kept cropping up, taking away any possible challenge once I knew what to look for. Sorry, this one is not for me. It's not often I delete a demo before the hour is up.
I didn't expect to get hooked on this game, but I did. I can normally complete a HOG in less than five hours (a couple of my favourite CE games actually has this as an achievement!), but this one kept me thinking long enough to enjoy over several days. I bought the CE and it's definitely worth it - the extras were a separate evening's entertainment again. The story took a twist I wasn't expecting, but the whole thing comes together with various elements intertwining (personally there's a couple of plot holes, but they genuinely don't spoil the entertainment of the game at all)