Confront an ancient evil and uncover your true! After a startling revelation changes your world forever, you must embark on an epic journey to save mankind.
I did not recommend the CE version of this game. As a Standard Edition game, though, it is VERY GOOD.
The INTRO is toned down a bit on what we’re used to now, but well done, dramatic and well acted. The VOICEOVERS throughout are indeed all WELL DONE, and never mind the accents.
This game is a step OUT of the ORDINARY for most of us. Set in a HINDU – LIKE culture, its legends and locations are new to us. The STORY starts with us discovering we are a CHILD OF PROPHECY, and that we have a destiny to fulfill.
The grandfather we have only just discovered is MURDERED in front of our eyes before he can give us more than a word of advice and a MAGICAL TALISMAN, which he says will protect us. (Is it just me, or did the murderer bear more than a passing resemblance to SEAN CONNERY?)
There is COLOUR and LIGHT in the GRAPHICS, although they are not exceptional. They are of a style I personally don’t like (kind of 'copy and paste'), but I found I soon got over that, as my interest in the game picked up.
The GAMEPLAY is as expected. HOS are of the INTERACTIVE LIST type. The PUZZLES are less frequent, but are EASY so far. There is a card game played early on that is a RIDDLE game. Getting about is helped by a INTERACTIVE JUMP MAP that gives you tasks, a DIRECTIONAL HINT and a JOURNAL.
This would be just another game were it not for the very DIFFERENT FEEL the change of setting gives us, but that really does make the game far more INTERESTING.
And while I don’t think it will have much to appeal to the EXPERTS, I enjoyed both the demos, and will be adding this to my collection.
.I don’t consider this to be one of the best ERS games, and the series is not my favourite either, but this is still an ENJOYABLE & ENTERTAINING game.
VISUALLY, it is still APPEALING. Even though the AGE of the GRAPHICS makes them a bit FUZZY on my LARGE MONITOR, they look great, and the hand drawn effect creates a magical atmosphere. Being a HO GAME almost exclusively, the art is CLEAR & DETAILED.
HOs are INTERACTIVE LISTS, PUZZLES are LESS FREQUENT & FAIRLY EASY and, these days, they are quite WELL KNOWN. However, there is NO HINT at all outside HOS, and the JOURNAL keeps minimal information only. There is also NO MAP. So some challenge is provided.
There are COLLECTIBLE SOUL CRYSTALS scattered throughout the game.
The STORY is NOTHING SPECIAL, the mayor has called you in to investigate strange disappearances, including that of his nephew Michael. It doesn’t take us long to find out that that nasty dwarf SG, is behind the problems. However, things are not always what they seem, and exactly what he is up to takes a long time to come to light.
I did enjoy this game, although it is not a STAND OUT.
My only real criticism is the one I seem always to be making about ERS games. The MUSIC is REPETITIOUS, and the VOICEOVER for the child is very GRATING.
There are better games out there, but this is still a great SUNDAY AFTERNOON game.
Discover the city of Apothecarium, where inhabitants are caught in a perilous struggle against a powerful alchemist who is taking the lives of innocent!
This one is a very complicated little game and you’ll need your wits about you to get anywhere with it. It is not going to be to everyone’s taste, but it definitely has appeal. And there is no other game out there like it. (To my knowledge)
The STORY revolves around a plague-ridden medieval Europe suffering the ravages of an UNKNOWN DISEASE. There are rumours of a town where SURVIVING SCIENTISTS have gathered to FIND A CURE.
You set off for this place, but are stopped by a STRANGE PERSON in a very ODD HELMET, and end up overturning the carriage outside the gates.
The GRAPHICS are REASONABLE, PLEASANT & CLEAR, though sometimes a bit too DARK. The MUSIC is VERY EXCITING & SUSPENSEFUL and therefore becomes a BOTHER even for me.
It is the GAMEPLAY that will tie you up in knots. There is SO MUCH to KEEP IN MIND!
It is PRIMARILY a HO GAME, with HOS being of the INTERACTIVE LIST variety. BUT they are so much MORE! Some of the ITEMS are MORPHING OBJECTS! Sometimes the HO scene is the general LOCATION, other times it is an IDENTIFIED AREA (bubble sparkles) within the location.
If you want you can CHOOSE to play a MATCH 3 game instead of the HOs, but it is a tricky game, and I found I spent less time finding the objects than erasing them.
There is roughly an equal number of HOS to PUZZLES, although halfway through the trial I still have not encountered a PUZZLE yet.
The HOS are TIMED, and depending on your time, you receive GOLD COINS. There are also TALISMANS scattered throughout the LOCATIONS, to be collected and used to get gold coins.
These COINS can be used in the STORE to BUY POWER UPS, for example, FASTER SKIP. Once you have played them PUZZLES, HOS & CHESTS are unlocked, and you can replay them to improve your time and EARN MORE COINS.
CHESTS can be opened by a SIMPLE PUZZLE, and contain a SURPRISE. You can save these until you want to use them, without knowing what’s inside. For instance, I clicked on mine in an HOS, and an item was identified and removed from the list.
There are also ACHIEVEMENTS, which can be found in the TROPHY ROOM, accessed through the NOTES (or main menu). The INTERACTIVE JUMP MAP & TASK LIST can also be found there.
All up, I’d have to say that this game has a lot going for it, in terms of UNUSUAL & VARIED GAMEPLAY, but I found all the EXTRAS a bit much. I DID think putting morphing objects in the HO LISTS a really EXCITING idea.
You've arrived in the peaceful resort town of Aurora Peak to investigate some mysterious local crystals. But the devious plot you uncover there could endanger the entire world!
I could live in Aurora Peak and be a very happy girl. This LOCATION is LUSH, VERDANT, and teeming with (admittedly MUTATED) LIFE. The atmosphere is of a PERPETUALLY MOVING & BEAUTIFUL jungle of COLOUR, yet there is SOMETHING THREATENING about this GARDEN OF EDEN right from the START.
This game’s INTRO is the first DEPARTURE from the NORM. Instead of the usual car crash, we arrive in a DOWNED HELICOPTER. Nice change. The tale is DIFFERENT, too. While it is true, we will have to RESCUE OUR BROTHER, it is more of a side story.
Our REAL OBJECTIVE, as a GEOLOGIST, is to discover the nature of the STRANGE CRYSTALS that are AFFECTING the local ANIMAL & PLANT LIFE.
The GRAPHICS that create this special environment are SPECTACULAR HAND DRAWN art, different from the sort of art we are used to, and involving a great deal of ANIMATION.
The MUSIC is DIVINE, likewise not the usual, and I could listen to it forever. There are also VOICEOVERS, again very well done.
GAMEPLAY is more PREDICTABLE, but definitely NOT BORING. The HOS come in 3 TYPES – INTERACTIVE LIST (find the named items, sometimes requiring extra steps, INCLUDING SIMPLE PUZZLES), MISPLACED ITEMS (return the pictured items to their proper spots in the scene) & PROGRESSIVE SILHOUETTES (get this to do that to get the other). The items are VERY CLEAR and easily seen, but sometimes tricky to find.
There are a lot more PUZZLES than HOS, so far fairly SIMPLE, and very beautifully integrated into the game. I came across at least one ORIGINAL.
The ADVENTURE gameplay is STRAIGHTFORWARD, following logical though sometimes imaginative lines. There is an INTERACTIVE JUMP MAP, which shows both GAMEPLAY & STORY OBJECTIVES. Directional HINT is NOT AS QUICK to refill as most, SKIP is quick enough.
There is a JOURNAL, with a DISCOVERIES section, where once INFO has been uncovered can be accessed directly rather than leafing through. SG shows 7 CHAPTERS for the main game.
All of this says EXCELLENT FUN GAME, but it gets even better. This game is loaded with CE BELLS & WHISTLES.
We have MORPHING OBJECTS (called SOUVENIRS, 20) which are NOT EASY to find in all that movement and colour.
There are ACHIEVEMENTS (20, viewed in the CABINET in our SOUVENIR ROOM).
We also have the usual EXTRAS:
BONUS CHAPTER, SG, WALLPAPERS, EXCELLENT GALLERY of CONCEPT ART, MUSIC, REPLAYABLE MINI-GAMES (6 HOS & 15 PUZZLES)
This GAME shows real PROMISE and has EVERYTHING I look for in a game. I have every intention of totally immersing myself in this beautiful game.
Living in Australia, it’s kinda hard for me to imagine a landscape like the icy cold winter that sets the scene in this game. And I’ve got a feeling the reality couldn’t match the beauty here.
Even still, it is clear that WINTER can be HARSH, and this is a game set in FROST & ICE more than SNOW FLAKES.
In a STORY not dissimilar to one recently released about Cinderella, this game tells the tale of an envious queen determined to keep her youth and beauty no matter the cost to others.
SNOW WHITE is just the first of her victims, and your SISTER will be the latest unless you SAVE her. She has foolishly accepted the INVITATION to prove herself worthy as the future SUCCESSOR to the QUEEN’S THRONE.
A DELIGHT to look at, this game’s ARTWORK is top notch, but the first thing I noticed was the SOUNDTRACK. Perfectly suitable MUSIC was accompanied by AMBIENT sounds of the wind that sounded like it would cut right through you.
The CHANGE of SCENERY when an area was ‘THAWED OUT’ was very well done.
The GAMEPLAY is a well-balanced assortment of HO SCENES (INTERACTIVE LIST, PROGRESSIVE SILHOUETTES (find this, to do that, to get this) & MULTIPLES), and PUZZLES of VARYING DIFFICULTY & ORIGINALITY, all encompassed in a fun ADVENTURE.
The ADVENTURE side was RELATIVELY EASY, with INTERACTIVE JUMP MAP & DIRECTIONAL HINT, QUICK SKIP. The JOURNAL kept necessary info, and allowed you to REPLAY CUT SCENES.
My FAVOURITE thing in this game was the SQUIRREL. Yes, she was CUTE, but I still like cute even with the excess these days. The CE game offered more opportunities to interact with her than the SE version does, but it’s great that she is not cut out of the game completely – as I’d expected she would be.
The STORY ends CONCLUSIVELY with this version, so I don’t think the CE is necessary for that. And since my delightful squirrel pal hasn’t been cut, it is only all those ACHIEVEMENTS and an unnecessary but reasonable BONUS CHAPTER that might tempt you to buy the CE game.
I don’t expect the EXPERTS will like this one at all, in fact, I ADVISE them DON’T BOTHER downloading. Not only is this game VERY EASY in EVERY ASPECT of GAMEPLAY, it also has only ONE PLAY MODE, and there are SPARKLES EVERYWHERE. Literally NO HOT SPOT can be missed.
Now for the rest of us...
This is CLEARLY LOW BUDGET. There is next to NO INTRO, NO VOICEOVERS, BASIC GRAPHICS, SAME for MUSIC, NO AMBIENT SOUND.
But, I LIKE it.
The GRAPHICS are PHOTO-REALISTIC and EXTREMELY WELL DONE. The HO SCENES are CLEAR as a bell, NOT AT ALL CROWDED, every object easily seen. There is no ANIMATION or INTERACTION, it is just a simple LIST. There is one other HOS not of this style where you must find all the dolls hidden in the scene. There are a LOT of HOS (I counted 7 in 30 minutes of play), but none are repeated.
There are almost AN EQUAL number of SIMPLE PUZZLES ( 5 in 30 minutes). These are STRAIGHT FORWARD and WELL KNOWN. But I did skip one. SKIP is reasonably fast.
HINT is VERY FAST, and gives actual hints (much as I don’t care for dolls, I should inspect the cabinet, eg.) or sometimes it is DIRECTIONAL. NO MAP, there is a JOURNAL which keeps the STORY up to date. Nothing by way of serious head scratching is needed to play the ADVENTURE side of the game, we are spoon fed on that as well, and inventory items become available just when they’re needed.
The STORY is a GHOST STORY, our friend has invited us to a FARM, but is not there when we arrive, our mobile doesn’t work, and when we finally break into the house, we are greeted by a GHOST, who seems friendly and helpful. The PROBLEM this farm has seems to be VENGEFUL SCARECROWS (although I’m not sure what was done to them to get them so riled up).
After a rash of FRIENDLY SCARECROWS of late, I’m interested to see what ANGRY ones get up to.
This is DEFINITELY a game that BEGINNERS could really ENJOY (or those with poor eyesight – the HOS really are very clear),and I think it’s not a bad one for a LAZY DAY’S game.
Personally, I am very glad after so many duds lately to be able to RECOMMEND a STAND-ALONE STANDARD EDITION unreservedly.
And it is a GENUINE sequel. It not only contains the UNIQUE FEATURES of DOLLHOUSE STORY including the DOLLHOUSE, the VOODOO DOLL sidekick, and our NEMESIS, the EVIL CLOWN, but it is a CONTINUATION of the STORY. Again, you must confront the evil clown, tracking him into a surreal town peopled by wooden dolls.
Best of all, that UNIQUELY CREEPY FEELING is here too, without it seeming like this is just a repetition of the previous game.
Finding the character dolls and placing them in the dollhouse allows you to piece together the disturbing truth in your battle to save your husband and daughter. It is the story of the dollhouse that is the essence of the series’ appeal I believe, so I’ll say no more about it, except that things are not always what they seem.
I really like the INTRO, even though the CUT SCENES are a little rough. It has just the right balance of INFO vs. MYSTERY. The game GRAPHICS are BEAUTIFULLY DRAWN & IMAGINATIVE, there’s lots of COLOUR and MOVEMENT. MUSIC is appropriate, and the VOICEOVERS are REALLY GOOD.
HO SCENES are CLEAR, COLOURFUL & well designed. The type is INTERACTIVE LIST & there is also at least one MULTIPLES OF, as well as almost-HOS like SPOT THE DIFFERENCE. There aren’t too many PUZZLES, but they are UNIQUE and INTERESTING and include PUZZLE BOARDS (according to the SCREEN SHOTS).
The ACTION is INVENTORY-DRIVEN, by which I mean, we are mostly finding an item, using it to get another, and so on to progress in the game. This component is a BIT TRICKY, but there is our helpful VOODOO friend who can clarify things (HINT), and we have an INTERACTIVE JUMP MAP that shows ACTIVE AREAS.
The BONUS CONTENT is the STANDARD GALLERY ITEMS, BONUS CHAPTER & STRATEGY GUIDE. An annoying thing about the demo is that we weren’t given even a glimpse of that material. Some may be a bit disappointed with the lack of ‘bling’, but this game packs such a punch I don’t think it’s necessary to add extras.
Those of you who have not played the original game will find it is not necessary for enjoying this game, but it is an EXCELLENT GAME, structured similarly, and I highly recommend it. It is one of my ALL-TIME FAVOURITES.
BASED ON COMPLETED GAME . Somehow, this game just doesn’t pull it off. And it’s a shame, because the developers have clearly put a lot of thought into it.
Howlville is a HO Adventure, there are plenty of MINI-PUZZLES, and quite a few MINI-GAMES, offering an interesting VARIETY, and some were REALLY CLEVER, but they are second to the HO SCENES.
The HO SCENES are LIST HOS, some interactive, some not. Some also include mini-puzzles. They are frequent, about 2 HOS to a LOCATION. They are WELL-DRAWN, CLEAR, REALISTIC & DETAILED. But they are not always easy. Many items are HIDDEN very WELL. They do not repeat.
The game is a “NO RETREAT” kind of ADVENTURE. Once you have finished with the 2 – 3 LOCATIONS in the immediate area, you cannot go back to them. This saves a lot of backtracking, creates a more linear game and makes a MAP UNNECESSARY, but I did not find it any easier for that. I used more HINTS than I managed to collect, which is VERY unusual for me. COLLECTIBLE LIGHT BULBS give you extra hints, which can be used outside of the HOS.
The STORY is (again) trying to discover the whereabouts of your MISSING FATHER, and is a SCI-FI adventure. Daddy was a SCIENTIST working on something that got out of control so the whole place was quarantined. Your obsession with finding him put you in a MENTAL ASYLUM, and you have just now ESCAPED and made your way to the site of Dad’s disappearance.
As far as I’m concerned this is all GOOD STUFF, and should have maintained my interest without effort, but the game didn’t. It didn’t refer back to the story elements enough, so a lot of the time I was just playing for the sake of it, NOT INVOLVED and NOT FOLLOWING THE STORY. I also think VOICEOVERS would have helped, there was quite good MUSIC but little else.
The final problem in terms of involvement is that there are CHARACTERS & MONSTERS whose presence really isn’t explained. They would have been much more exciting if we had some idea where this was all going.
The STORY is CLARIFIED at the end of the game, but of course, that’s too late in the proceedings.
So, a game with MANY GOOD FEATURES, but lacking the FUN FACTOR. If you’re into HO ADVENTURES, and a not much of a fan of HARD PUZZLES, this is probably worth a try.
Such a treat to play a game in a SUN-DRENCHED ENVIRONMENT, particularly when that game is a GHOST STORY of sorts.
You are a REPORTER out on your first solo assignment, looking into the case of a ABANDONED ORPHANAGE with a FRIGHTENING HISTORY.
The kids began drawing a MYSTERIOUS FIGURE in RED, and only the school principal believed that the figure was real. Eventually, everyone was driven away, and the place now stands empty, its TRUE HISTORY untold.
I found this game not at all difficult to play. The HO SCENES were drawn with very good GRAPHICS, CLEAR, COLOURFUL & PLEASANT to look at. Some of them involved SOLVING A MINI-PUZZLE, but the objects were easily seen, and the INTERACTION required was fairly obvious for the most part. There were A LOT of HOS, so if you’re not into them, this game probably won’t be for you.
I also found the PUZZLES & MINI-GAMES fairly EASY, but they were ENJOYABLE to do. Likewise, no ROCKET SCIENCE needed for GETTING AROUND, most INVENTORY items had an OBVIOUS USE, which you came upon at about the same time as the item.
There was an INTERACTIVE JUMP MAP & a VERY HELPFUL HINT that showed you exactly where you needed to be.
I particularly liked the VOICEOVERS & AMBIENT SOUNDS, but didn’t think much of the MUSIC.
There is a long list of extras with the CE version (Collectibles, achievements etc.), but I am happy to have waited for the SE VERSION. This game seemed just a little too simple and straightforward for me to want to pay the extra money.
This is the third of the 1000 Doors series, and looking to my mind to be the best. It’s got ALIENS, TIME TRAVEL & FLAMING SERPENTS bigger than buildings, and that’s just the INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER.
We are brought into THE HOUSE by a stranger just in time to save our life, in a present that is TOTAL CHAOS and disaster. This time the house is RECOGNISABLY HOME, returning to the opening LOCATIONS from the first game. Our CHARACTERS from the first game are back as well.
As with the other games, we must enter 4 DOORS that act as PORTALS (in this case, TIME PORTALS) to different stories we must make right. Our first door takes us to the TIME of the CONQUISITADORS, and the destruction they brought with them. Later, we can look forward to the FUTURE.
Great GRAPHICS, very DRAMATIC & EXCITING CUT SCENES, plenty of NOISY DESTRUCTION. The tempo is VERY HIGH ENERGY and tense.
GAMEPLAY consists of HO SCENES, both INTERACTIVE LIST and MISPLACED ITEMS.OBJECTS can be clearly seen in the HOS, even when a LOCATION is dark.
I found the PUZZLES mostly not too difficult, although one in the demo was very tough. The ADVENTURE (getting around) component of the game will get you thinking but is NOT IMPOSSIBLE. The HINT takes you to the INTERACTIVE JUMP MAP.
Nice surprise, the SE of the game retains the BEYOND OBJECTS (morphing items) to collect. Remember, once you’ve finished the world behind one door, you’ll not get a second chance at those.
What I’ve seen tells me we are in for another 1000 Doors roller coaster ride, and I for one can't get enough of them!