laurakay76's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.6
- Helpful Votes:723
- Reviews Submitted:154
- First Review:November 16, 2011
- Most Recent Review:February 13, 2024
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Arthurian legends are just stories, but sometimes fiction hides the truth.
Overall rating
4
/
5
8 of 10 found this review helpful
This delighted me on a personal level
PostedJune 18, 2021
laurakay76
fromLehigh Valley, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Being of Welsh descent, I've always been partial to its legends. I even just wrote an article about the last (technically only) native Princess of Wales. So there was no way I was going to not buy this game!
Loved the storyline. The devs took the legend of King Arthur and did something new and unique with it, which is impressive after so many centuries. I also liked how they wove it into real history by making Edward I an antagonist; "Longshanks" really was a thorn in the side of the native Welsh, so putting him in this version of the story made perfect sense. I was slightly less enchanted with the story in the bonus chapter, but it was still interesting and worth playing.
My only real complaint is that the final puzzle of the bonus chapter literally did not work. Despite following the instructions exactly, the puzzle did not respond to my actions and I ended up having to skip it, which I found frustrating because it was not a difficult puzzle if it had only worked. Otherwise it was a very enjoyable game with beautiful visuals and a story that spoke to my heart!
I recommend this game!
Can you solve a sinister mystery in time to save your nuptials?
Overall rating
4
/
5
34 of 41 found this review helpful
I called this one!
PostedJune 10, 2021
laurakay76
fromLehigh Valley, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I made a prediction, several weeks ago, that the 20th Haunted Hotel would be the last one and that it would feature James and Jessica's wedding. I was right! Sometimes it's not fun to be right, and I'm sad to see this series come to an end, but it was a good run.
This is a fine ending to the series. There are some call backs to previous installments, most notably HH: The Evil Inside. James's cousin Rachel comes back to participate in his wedding, but she's not the only familiar face he encounters from that game.
The storyline is interesting - only James can take advantage of a rare event that will allow him to release a bunch of trapped spirits into the afterlife. Unfortunately, that event happens to coincide with his own wedding, which gives a whole new meaning to the concept of 'til death do us part'! The puzzles are very good. The animation is superb as usual and the voice acting is as enjoyable as ever.
My only real nitpick: the voice acting credits list Agent Brown (James's pal from the Detectives United) and I was disappointed not to see him in the actual game. Otherwise, great job Elephant Games, and thanks for a fun series!
I recommend this game!
Can you stop a ghost bride and save the city?
Overall rating
3
/
5
Good puzzles
PostedJune 8, 2021
laurakay76
fromLehigh Valley, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
This is pretty middling fare, on the whole. Not the best I've played from this developer, but not the worst.
Good: It did have some good puzzles. I got a kick out of the temporary switch to an old style choose-your-own-adventure text format. I was also amused to see that I recognized a number of elements which appear in other games - I know I've seen the bar and the second crypt in installments of Dark Tales. The underground maze was a nice touch.
Bad: Some of the puzzles were really frustrating, particularly the one in the second crypt involving the three different-colored magnifying glasses. It simply refused to cooperate or acknowledge the final symbol, even though I could see it perfectly clearly on the screen. Most of all, though, I really didn't care for the storyline, which didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. The ending was particularly unsatisfying.
Not a bad game, but not one that I would play again.
The Seven Chambers
Piece together past lives through an intriguing narrative while solving challenging and cleverly crafted puzzles!
Overall rating
3
/
5
Somewhat disappointing to be honest
PostedJune 3, 2021
laurakay76
fromLehigh Valley, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I expected to really enjoy this, based on many of the reviews, and there was a lot about it that I did like very much. The graphics are beautiful, the voice acting is lovely, the mythology of the story is intriguing, and some of the puzzles are well done. But I had the game freeze on me at a certain point, forcing me to close it and reload and repeat a puzzle (thankfully not a hard one). Other puzzles simply would not proceed and I was forced to skip them because they stopped functioning; the game was still running, but the puzzle wouldn't do anything except let me skip. Some of the objects to be found were quite tiny and easily overlooked. And the ending, though beautifully rendered, was... unsatisfying. In particular, I found the moral annoying; the lesson was about having the freedom to make your own choices, and yet I as the player never got to make a single choice. It wasn't a bad game, but I was left wanting more.
Complete incredible jigsaw puzzles made from beautiful hand-painted works of art and piece together this incredible narrative!
Overall rating
4
/
5
22 of 23 found this review helpful
This will take me forever to play and I'm okay with that.
PostedApril 5, 2021
laurakay76
fromLehigh Valley, PA
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I've never played a jigsaw game from BFG, but when I saw this being offered as the newest game, I was curious. I definitely wanted to buy it once my hour's trial ran out - the music is pretty, the puzzling is relaxing and pleasant. My only complaint is that once I purchased and installed the full game, I lost ALL of the progress I had made during my trial and had to start from the beginning, which was really disappointing. So be aware going in that if you do the full trial and then buy, you will not be able to pick up where you left off. Other than that, however, great game and I'm looking forward to many relaxing hours of puzzle time.
I recommend this game!
Experience an epic quest through the magic of Solitaire!
Overall rating
5
/
5
11 of 12 found this review helpful
Stunningly beautiful game
PostedApril 1, 2021
laurakay76
fromLehigh Valley, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This is one of the most beautiful games I have ever played! I never played the previous game, but I've played and enjoyed the endless version, so I figured I would like this and I was right. The story is pretty predictable, but the spectacular graphics and enchanting music more than make up for it. Solitaire fans who enjoy a fantasy setting will definitely want to give this one a look.
I recommend this game!
Can you stop a dangerous order from abusing time for their nefarious plans?
Overall rating
3
/
5
22 of 46 found this review helpful
I am so confused by the ending.
PostedMarch 25, 2021
laurakay76
fromLehigh Valley, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I really did enjoy the demo of this game, enough to buy it in order to find out how it ends. I admit to being a little sorry not to have Alice on hand, and as always I appreciate the brief nod to Detectives United. I still prefer that series over this one.
I would say that it held my interest for the first two-thirds of the story, but the final third just left me confused. Richard turned out to be much more of a horrible person than we ever even knew (which is saying something), and it was good to see him thwarted in some of his past evil deeds, but I'm at a loss to understand what exactly happened to him. We also still don't know how he got out of the skull, so I'm hoping for some clarification on that eventually.
Not many HOP scenes in this; it's more mini-games than anything, most of which were pretty decent. A couple of them severely annoyed me, particularly the puzzle in Peter and Martha's house which involved the stacked pieces creating a picture. In general I noticed a weird dichotomy in the puzzles - for me, they were either really easy or excessively challenging, no in between.
Not the best Grim Tales game I've ever played, but by no means the worst either, so fans of the series will probably want to check it out.
The Unexpected Quest is an adventure game with unique strategy and time management elements.
Overall rating
3
/
5
1 of 2 found this review helpful
Just couldn't get into it
PostedMarch 24, 2021
laurakay76
fromLehigh Valley, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
I tried the demo and it just wasn't for me. The graphics were cartoony and kind of oversaturated, which I could have overlooked if it were my only complaint. Like many of my fellow fishies, I didn't like the way the characters mumbled. The plot was poorly presented; I had no sense of who any of these characters were or how they ended up in their predicament. I have no idea how the game can claim it offers 5-10 hours of play time, since I finished the first two chapters in less than ten minutes. The third chapter opened with an explanation of how to move around the screen, but it took me a good two or three minutes to make that text box go away so I could actually see what was happening in the scene!
Honestly, I'm not sure what I expected going into this, but whatever it was I didn't get it. I just didn't enjoy myself and I gave up in chapter three.
I don't recommend this game.
Can you catch a magical culprit behind a string of strange robberies?
Overall rating
3
/
5
Not the most engaging game, but not bad.
PostedMarch 24, 2021
laurakay76
fromLehigh Valley, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I've never played any of the Dark City games, but I've actually been to Dublin so I thought this might be fun because it could let me revisit a city I loved. It was... a little hard to swallow, to be honest. I get that it's a mystery, so you expect to be solving puzzles, and some of them were really neat - I liked the cipher for the list of items in the detective's luggage, for instance. But at the same time, some of them were absurd. They weren't difficult, just tedious.
On the positive side, the music is enjoyable, the voice acting is excellent, and the animation is superb. I can't fault the look or sound of the game in any way, it's all extremely well done.
Overall, this isn't a bad game. Not one that I'm likely to play again, but not a bad game at all.
(P.S. The drawing in the shoemaker's shop which claims to be of a pub is actually of the chapel royal at Dublin Castle.)
A quest to recover a mysterious relic has surprising implications!
Overall rating
5
/
5
11 of 13 found this review helpful
I am not a Match 3 fan, but I love this game.
PostedFebruary 10, 2021
laurakay76
fromLehigh Valley, PA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
One of the members of a Big Fish group on Facebook raved about this game so much that I decided to try it. I normally avoid Match 3 games because I like my games to have a story, and most of them don't. This one DOES. It's basically a mashup of Match 3 and the old point-and-click adventure games from Sierra, and it really works for me. It's a super long game, so don't expect to play this in one sitting (which I usually do with my BF games). There are secrets to uncover, items to collect and use, characters to rescue, battles to win, and hidden paths to navigate through the foggy forest. I was about twenty minutes in when I knew this was going to be a must-buy for me. If you love adventuring games but don't normally go for Match 3, I urge you to try this because it completely blew my expectations out of the water.
I recommend this game!