JustTheFacts's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.9
- Helpful Votes:33,148
- Reviews Submitted:681
- First Review:December 7, 2011
- Most Recent Review:June 4, 2018
- Featured reviews0
Status:
When the entire audience disappears from a film screening at an old theater, you must go behind the scenes to find out who is running the mysterious Nightmare Cinema.
Overall rating
5
/
5
41 of 46 found this review helpful
Action Packed Blockbuster
PostedApril 24, 2013
JustTheFacts
fromRural Western Australia
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
GAME SUMMARY & BONUS CONTENT REVIEW
This game is jam packed with things to do. MORPHING OBJECTS, COLLECTIBLES, ACHIEVEMENTS, HOs (25) and PUZZLES (30).
There are POINTS to earn and a good old-fashioned game TIMER (3 hours 15 mins for main game, 1 hour bonus game). There is even a JIGSAW alternative if you get bogged down in a HOS.
At first I thought it would be overkill, but no, it was just fun. Let’s face it, we’re always looking everywhere for odd bits and pieces, now we get points for it!
The story’s fun too. Viewers at a rundown old cinema are entering, but never leaving. Now a workmate’s gone too and it’s time for you to find out what’s happening. We run into an old ‘friend’ in the course of our investigation, and that makes it all the more intriguing.
One nifty thing this game has I don’t remember seeing before. The item in a window (say, that you’ve just picked up) overflows the window, giving it an almost 3D effect. I really liked it.
The GRAPHICS are quite grainy, don’t know what the story is there, seems deliberate.
I liked being able to choose the volume of SOUND, environment, voice and music separately too.
No matter which way you look at it, this game is a world of fun.
BONUS CONTENT REVIEW*****
At one hour for the bonus chapter, this game is about par with other CEs I’ve played. I’d say it was alright. Nothing spectacular, but you continue looking for some collectibles and morphing objects.
The story was an appropriate epilogue, had new locations HOs and puzzles, and finished explosively. But it didn’t inspire. Maybe it was just me.
Either way, there's all those lovely incentives, but I’m wondering, how many of them are exclusive?
As well as those listed above, we also have STRATEGY GUIDE, WALLPAPERS, SCREENSAVERS, CONCEPT ART, MUSIC, and places for viewing COLLECTIONS & ACHIEVEMENTS.
I recommend this game!
A late-night subway ride takes a bizarre turn into a mystical cemetery. You have been summoned by a strange entity to free the cemetery’s lost souls. Will you succeed, or is this the end of the line?
Overall rating
5
/
5
56 of 65 found this review helpful
What Price Redemption?
PostedApril 22, 2013
JustTheFacts
fromRural Western Australia
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
GAME SUMMARY & BONUS CONTENT REVIEW
Cute puppy? In Red Cem? I thought they’d gone too far, but they pulled it off! It didn’t feel a bit awkward, the dog felt like a natural part of the story.
It’s the storyline we’ve come to love. You have been hauled out of your normal existence by the will of the Cemetery, and must find and save three lost souls before you – and your puppy! – are released.
Let’s just assume you’ve read how awesome the graphics are. Incredible improvements in ERS’ cut scenes too. Music and voiceovers are both more varied and it’s an improvement.
I’m sure you’ve seen the lists of collectibles, achievements and other fun stuff in the other reviews.
Yes, the game is easy. It’s also varied, imaginative, exciting and fast paced. I’m thinking if this is the new order, and I think it is, I’ll be taking power naps between chapters in future games!
Don’t you just love it?
BONUS CONTENT REVIEW *****
We have: WALLPAPERS, CONCEPT ART, VIDEOS, MUSIC, PUZZLES, HO GAMES, SCREEN SAVER, STRATEGY GUIDE. All of which are pretty excellent actually.
We can replay the games with the PUPPY outside the main game (I’ll beat that Tic Tac Toe cheater eventually).
And we have the BONUS CHAPTER.
If holding your dog hostage seems a pretty mean thing to do, wait til you get to this chapter! Redemption Cemetery was always fairly low key evil, the emphasis being on the saving of souls.
Welcome to the new gloves-off Redemption! More magical, fanciful and downright scary than any before, this quest tops all our other ‘salvations’.
The bonus game takes the length of a standard chapter to complete, in almost exclusively new locations, new puzzles, even new games to play with your pet.
It’s a great adventure and makes the CE version of this game a MUST HAVE!
I recommend this game!
Search for clues, solve puzzles, and unlock new areas as you visit spooky locations, master mini-games and locate Hidden Objects!
Overall rating
5
/
5
50 of 53 found this review helpful
Classic Horror HOPA
PostedApril 21, 2013
JustTheFacts
fromRural Western Australia
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
DEMO & COMPLETED MAIN GAME
It’s been quite a while since I played Dollhouse Story, and it’s a delightful surprise to rediscover it.
It’s a true horror game, and much of it is a little disturbing, but the story grabs you from the beginning and will still have you holding your breath to the very end.
While the game starts as many do with the husband mysteriously disappearing, before you even leave the house, it gets different.
You are confronted with a creepy voodoo doll who talks, and says he is here to help. Even when he perched up on the hint button, I had my doubts!
Once we get to the town of hubbie’s childhood, we get the second item that makes this game unique. It’s a dollhouse, which, when you place dolls in it, tells a little of the backstory. Very intriguing.
The final 30 mins of this game are an emotional rollercoaster and it is one of the best endings I’ve seen.
That’s all you’ll get from me about the story. But, clearly the game sets you up well for the bonus prequel.
The game plays very smoothly, you are kept constantly doing things. There are a lot of HOs in this one, more than there are puzzles, and you visit each twice, but you have so much to do outside the HOs, it doesn’t feel at all HO heavy.
Graphics are a little fuzzy (this game is over 2 years old), but you don’t notice for long, and it doesn’t interfere with your ability to find objects.
You also have 36 morphing objects to find, and these are mostly hidden well.
There are rumours of a sequel, and I am sure I will not be the only one happily awaiting it.
Bonus content, apart from the prequel, is the standard wallpapers and other art. Artistically, I think this game does really well, so if you’re into that side of things, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
I recommend this game!
Escape a cursed island of lost souls by helping three of the trapped spirits in Redemption Cemetery: Grave Testimony!
Overall rating
4
/
5
27 of 29 found this review helpful
5 Stars To The Standard Edition
PostedApril 20, 2013
JustTheFacts
fromRural Western Australia
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
GAME SUMMARY & BONUS CONTENT REVIEW
Redemption Cemetery With Adrenaline!
Having witnessed a gangland shooting, you are grabbed and knocked out. You come to and discover you are being buried alive in “Redemption Cemetery”. Escape is only possible by putting three lost souls to rest. We have a helpful raven to assist us, an ever-evolving figure in this series.
As you’d expect from ERS, you have the highest quality hand drawn graphics, good sound, and smooth gameplay.
There are two different types of HOs, list and the more complex silhouettes, where you must find one item before you can find another, until you finally get the inventory item you need. There are also dozens of tiny mini-games, rather than just a few hard ones.
I liked this addition. You must keep your mind flexible, because you are never too long at any one thing.
However, the game has none of the ‘bling’ usually expected of a CE game. No morphing objects or other collectibles, no achievements, even the raven is too solemn and silent to be a sidekick.
Bonus Content Review ***
The bonus game lasted just over an hour for me, and I don’t play quickly. Despite its short length, it covers a lot of ground. A brand new quest, all new locations, all new HOs and puzzles. And it really was kinda fun.
Other than this we have the usual only. Strategy guide (not, in my opinion, needed), wallpapers, concept art, etc.
I can only give this content a three, there’s just too little for the extra dollars.
I can only give this content a three, there’s just too little for the extra dollars.
This a really great game and I highly recommend it – as a standard edition. I am sorry I bought the CE, much as I love the game.
I recommend this game!
Escape a cursed island of lost souls by helping three of the trapped spirits in Redemption Cemetery: Grave Testimony!
Overall rating
5
/
5
49 of 54 found this review helpful
Wake UP! Redemption Cemetery Just Had A Shot Of Adrenaline!
PostedApril 20, 2013
JustTheFacts
fromRural Western Australia
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
GAME COMPLETED SEVERAL TIMES
From the moment you open the game, Grave Testimony lets you know you’re in for something different.
Having witnessed the gangland shooting of three people, you are grabbed and knocked out. You wake up to discover you are being buried alive in “Redemption Cemetery”, this time a creepy swampy island.
That’s when things really start to get interesting. Again, escape is only possible through putting three lost souls to rest, starting with your would-be killer, and again we have a helpful raven to assist. But this is no cookie cutter game.
There’s the highest quality hand drawn graphics, good sound, and smooth gameplay we expect from ERS, of course, but this is something more. This game plays quite differently.
There are two different types of HOs, list and the more complex silhouettes, where you must find one item before you can find another, until you finally get the inventory item you need.
Interspersed with, and in, the HOs are dozens of very simple puzzles. These could be as easy as an eight piece jigsaw.
There are harder puzzles as well, but they are fewer than you would normally see in a HOPA.
I liked this addition. You must keep your mind flexible, because you are never too long at any one thing, and it kept up the pace of the game.
An unforgettable adventure!
I recommend this game!
Rescue your daughter from the clutches of the evil Emma!
Overall rating
3
/
5
26 of 29 found this review helpful
Couldn’t Get Into It
PostedApril 20, 2013
JustTheFacts
fromRural Western Australia
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
BASED ON DEMO & WALKTHROUGH
The story is not new, we’ve been telling it and retelling it since Hansel and Gretel. Children are deceived by a wicked old witch so she can nab them and feed on them – well, their souls anyway. This looks like an interesting version of it. And hints of Azada as well!
As I seem to be saying non-stop this month, it’s the look of the thing that stops me short. The graphics are clear, as in precisely delineated, but they are chunky and grainy, at least on my monitor. When it’s hard to tell the difference between stone and wood, I think there’s room for improvement.
The game also didn’t seem very busy. There was often only one or two things to do in a scene, the game seemed to move too slowly. Do one thing. Pick up another thing. Go to a previous room to use. Get one thing.
And as alternate worlds go, this was totally unimaginative.
Stacks of HOs for those (like me) who like them. The puzzles all seem very familiar. The game does not have any “bling” – collectibles, achievements, cute sidekicks.
What it does have is length. Judging by the walkthrough, you’ll be saving kids’ souls for quite a while!
For those of you who prefer a game without all the trendy distractions, and aren’t all that interested in wrapping your mind around some weird surreal landscapes, this is probably a game you should add to your collection.
For you,...
I recommend this game!
Someone in the Order has turned traitor, murdering one of the Secret Five! Only Sarah can prevent the Order’s destruction!
Overall rating
3
/
5
33 of 43 found this review helpful
Okay As A Standard Edition, Not Worth CE Price
PostedApril 20, 2013
JustTheFacts
fromRural Western Australia
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
BASED ON COMPLETED DEMO
This should have been easy for me to like, nothing intrigues me more than a little battle between Good and Evil, or in this case, Peace and Chaos. Add to that some time travelling, ancient gods, and underwater scenes and I’m pretty much content.
But I wasn’t impressed with the first of these games, and I don’t like this one either. I guess it’s just me, but I don’t like these pseudo-realistic graphics. They seem so clunky and grainy and pixelated! Give me a swath of hand drawn canvas any day.
Even if you love the graphics, this is still only a so-so game.
The game feels flat. Very little animation, particularly in the HO scenes, and the music , while fine, was often not there, leaving the whole thing feeling empty. The game is not ‘alive’.
The game play seems pretty straightforward, HOs are clear, puzzles seem all of the doable kind. I couldn’t tell, just from the demo, how well the game tracks.
Hint is directional, so you’re not likely to get too lost. There is a jump map, and very detailed journal with objectives.
You can play Mahjong as an alternative to HOs if you wish, which may be a strong positive to some.
What it comes down to is, this game is okay. There’s nothing going against it as far as I could see, if you like realistic graphics. But it won't be winning awards either.
The bonus content was locked, so no comment there, except that it showed nothing to excite me. The usual wallpapers and game art, music, strategy guide, and bonus chapter.
For me, there is nothing here to justify a CE price, and I won’t be rushing to buy it as an SE either.
If you particularly like realistic graphics, this might be for you.
I don't recommend this game.
Someone in the Order has turned traitor, murdering one of the Secret Five! Only Sarah can prevent the Order’s destruction!
Overall rating
3
/
5
58 of 70 found this review helpful
Good Game, Particularly If You Like Realism
PostedApril 20, 2013
JustTheFacts
fromRural Western Australia
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
BASED ON COMPLETED DEMO & WALKTHROUGH
Nothing intrigues me more than a little battle between Good and Evil, or in this case, Peace and Chaos. Add to that some time travelling, ancient gods, and underwater scenes and I’m pretty much content.
I guess it’s just me, but I don’t like these pseudo-realistic graphics. They seem so clunky and grainy and pixelated on my big monitor. Give me a swath of hand drawn canvas any day.
This business with the graphics aside, I am still not sure this game is all it’s cracked up to be. From the walkthrough it is clearly not very long. There seems to be very little actual movements in time, just get to where you need to go and get on with it, and the overall texture of the game is fairly flat.
The HO scenes are not ‘alive’ with animations. Some do have some interaction, but not all. They visited only once, and there are two per chapter. There are six chapters.
The puzzles seem pretty straightforward, and I noticed nothing really eye catching. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of them.
What I’ve seen of the game play seems logical, although I did need to use the hint button (it’s a directional hint) in the trial a couple of times.
What it comes down to is, this game is okay. There’s nothing going against it as far as I could see, if you like realistic graphics. But it won't be winning awards either.
For me, it will stay in my “fillers” folder til the next time I need that one.. more.. game .. for my punchcard.
I recommend this game!
A warlock's curse has trapped you in an otherworldly cemetery! Explore Hidden Object scenes and save the warlock's victims!
Overall rating
4
/
5
32 of 33 found this review helpful
Evil Stalks The Daylight Hours
PostedApril 19, 2013
JustTheFacts
fromRural Western Australia
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
GAME COMPLETED SEVERAL TIMES
When an evil warlock escapes captivity and passed your way, you find yourself in Redemption Cemetery. A raven becomes human and explains that you must save three souls by helping them save their children, in order to defeat the warlock and escape the cemetery.
The first interesting thing about this game is that it is a creepy one set in daylight. Okay, it’s not a bright and sunny summer morn, but it is daylight and the game doesn’t lose its creep factor as a result.
Marvellously drawn, as we’ve come to expect, this game is the second in the series, Children’s Plight offers the same essential style of game as the first. Each quest to save a child is self-contained, keeping gameplay within a limited number of locations at a time. The difficulties the children find themselves in are interesting, and significantly different, and that adds to the experience.
The puzzles tend towards easy, some are originals. They outnumber the HOs, but it’s a good balance.
HOs are less cluttered than in the first game of the series, with larger items and interactive items clearly marked in the list. This made them much easier.
In fact, I think this game is overall much easier than the first, and therefore shorter, but I believe it is still a good game and a good buy.
Once again, I give this game four stars only because I know that the sequel to this is even better.
I recommend this game!
Escape from the eerie Redemption Cemetery by helping trapped spirits save their loved ones, and free their souls!
Overall rating
4
/
5
62 of 69 found this review helpful
A Curse For Us Means Redemption For Others
PostedApril 19, 2013
JustTheFacts
fromRural Western Australia
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
GAME COMPLETED SEVERAL TIMES
This is the first in the “Redemption Cemetery” series, and the start of an ongoing adventure. In each case we must bring redemption for three troubled souls, so they can at last rest easy.
This task is forced on us, and abetted, by a spooky raven we first see after a car accident, tap tap tapping on our windshield.
Trapped inside the cemetery, we have no choice but to proceed.
The game consists of three short stories where we change history in order to release a spirit. This is a nice way of breaking up what is a longish game. (Took me 4 hours 4th time around.)
The hand painted graphics are gorgeous, richly detailed and textured. There are many locations within each story, and each story is independent, so there’s a lot of variety. Awash with colour.
The music is unobtrusive, I don’t remember it at all. Voiceovers are few, and fine, except the little girl’s voice.
The HOs are packed with interesting items, and there are slight interactive components to them – but you must figure them out for yourself, no colour highlighting the items in the list. How easily we become spoiled!
Puzzles are easy, I think I skipped two. All familiar now. Less so, I imagine, when this game was released (2010).
I love this sort of game, where the tasks are mainly straightforward, it is clear where your next move will be most of the time, and you can relax into an easy rhythm.
An excellent game, which I give a four only because I know there is better yet to come!
I recommend this game!