What a cute game! The Fool is truly an adventure game with a hidden object scene every now and then. The story is well-developed, the graphics are very good, and the music is top-notch but unobtrusive and sets the atmosphere for each scene nicely. The only voice was a narrator, but he was quite good. Most of the puzzles were not too hard even on the expert setting (which only gives you hints in the HOS's), except for one. The game provides many hours of play and took me three evenings, where I usually complete most HO games in one, so it's nice and long. No technical difficulties at all. Most scenes have some animation and movement, and the characters' lips move as you read their dialog. I would have loved it if they had given real voices to each character, but it's still a really well-crafted and enjoyable game.
The graphics are top notch. The music is suitably tense and very well done, but by the end of the game, a bit monotonous. It has nice puzzles and is truly an adventure game with HOS thrown in, so there's lots to do. It's a fairly long game--took me about 4-5 hours.
The only reason I didn't give it five stars is because of the extremely unsatisfying ending. Clearly, there's a sequel coming, but that's no excuse for depriving the player of any sense of accomplishment. The ending just bites.
I wanted to like this game and am always looking for games my little kids can watch or help with that aren't so scary, but I couldn't get interested in this at all. A lot of facts, HOS's, and a couple of mini-games. There was no adventure aspect or problem solving. It was too easy, and way too short. There is some good basic info about her life and disappearance, but nothing new.
I love the Victorian Steampunk illustrations and characters--what a nice change from ghosts and insane asylums! Yes, it's a FROG (FRagmented Object Game), and the parts are mostly easy to find, but there are a lot of adventure game elements and mini-puzzles, too. There's a nice story line and catchy, upbeat music that, although it can be a bit repetitive, made the game feel lighthearted and fun. I will be buying the second episode directly!
This is a classic film noir private eye story, done with graphic novel-style illustrations. The music helps set the scene but doesn't dominate. There are hidden object scenes and puzzles, but it has a lot of adventure elements, too, and a cohesive story. Most of the puzzles are not terribly difficult, but at least one took me many tries to get trhough (still was fun, though!). The story had a tidy and satisfying ending.
I just finished playing the second in the series, Deadly Diamond, and it was every bit as good as this one, and a stand-alone story, so you don't have to play them in order.
Both Nick Chase episodes have been top notch games. They are old classic private eye stories (think Humphrey Bogart film noir) with wonderful graphic novel style illustrations.
The music is appropriate to the scene, yet unobtrusive.
There is a nice balance between adventure elements (I'm an old adventure gamer), puzzles, and hidden object scenes. There is a definite story line, not just a series of puzzles or HOS. No spoken dialog, but the text is easy to read and well-written #no poor translations or typos that I noticed).
As with the first episode, this one is a story unto itself--that is, you don't need to play them in order to know what's going on, and there is a nice, tidy ending with no cliffhangers. I can't wait for the next one!
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Marble Popper, Large File, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
5/ 5
Level of Challenge
5/ 5
This is a beautifully crafted game. The Main Menu puppet, turning a hand crank, just blew me away. All the clockwork figures are strange and wonderful, and the sounds fit the scenes without being overwhelming. It installed and ran perfectly on my somewhat vintage PC. I just bought the first installment and can't wait to try it out.