I enjoyed the Victorian Mysteries so much I bought this game hoping it had some of the same magic. Oh noooooo.
Graphics are cartoony (unintentionally) and poorly drawn.
Hidden Object Scenes are frustrating with objects so small its hard to click on them to pick them up. Some objects just show a corner and others so embedded in the background they are impossible to see. Add to that a hint button that takes FOREVER to recharge.
The story is elementary school easy - moonstone is missing, interview each subject by doing 4 hidden object scenes per person.
The worst part (other then waiting for the hint button) is the monstrous repetition. All four rooms rely on a tools from another room -- but they use the same few "tools" over and over and over.
It's a short game (the "interviews" are really all you do" - which is the only good thing about it.
I've loved all the other games from this company, but this was a bad entry and a waste of time.
Truthfully, this is not a fast starter. For the first 30 mins or so it seemed very "rote" - find this, put it there, do that, rats rats rats.
However, once the Duke gets involved it turned not just into a story but a twisty "oh I can believe that happened" story. Suddenly I would get an object be on the way to use it in the right place and BAM - road block, new plan. Things happened I didn't expect and the game took on a whole new fun turn.
Graphics are fantastic, HOS screens are clear and objects easy to define. Puzzles are easy to easy-medium. Didn't need to skip any. Music adds and the voice-overs are great.
I have played both Victorian Mysteries and hope they add more to the series. This particular game was a great amount of fun with lots of small challenges:
Visually, not sophisticated but it had a nice look to it and the objects were clear in the pictures, even the small ones.
Music was rousing for some scenes and pensive for others - never distracting and matched the mood of the room/task.
Puzzles were easy to easy-medium and worked well with the motif. The "Skip" takes annoyingly long to be ready but most puzzles were solved before the skip was halfway done.
Story takes several twists and turns to arrive at a conclusion. Some found this game short - but I thought it told the whole story and was a good length.
This is one of those times when instead of it being a game, with some story attached, this was a story - with a game attached. The story takes front and center here - good news - as it is an interesting story with twists, turns, villians and heroes.
Music is fine, not distracting. Graphics are a bit simplistic and murky but fit the story/scene.
Puzzles are easy to medium and fit the story as well. HO Scenes are murky with many objects blending into the bleak background. The Hint recharges maddeningly slow (even on casual) and so a lot of time is spent clicking around the dark junkpile (the click takes a spin after the 5th wrong click).
Best use of the Journal I've seen in some time - showing the family tree. Also good, after the game is won, you can hit "Secrets" and go back and review the whole story and pick up any character or idea you missed. I enjoyed the game and would play another in this series - however a little more clarity would definitely be easier on the eyes.
This game seemed very short to me, probably because it was enjoyable. The story line catches you up in the action -- especially at points when things happen you don't expect. The inventory items are all logical and it's easy to figure out how to use them.
The music sets the pace well - I found myself hurrying when they were chasing me - driven by the music - even though I had plenty of time in reality.
Graphics not bad, a little choppy but easily seen and understood. HOS items were easy to see and find.
I didn't care for the "family heirloom/animal" thing - and didn't see the point of it - but the rest of the game is great.
I played Empress of the Deep 1 and 2 back to back - everything in this review covers both.
1. The screen shots are beautiful. I've never seen a prettier game - particularly the underwater art, and the fall garden.
2. The "clue in" arrows/magnifying glass are way too big. When the arrow telling you where to go takes up 1/4 of the screen it makes you feel like you're playing a game for small children or 80 year old women who lost their glasses.
3. The screens are simplistic. I'm a huge fan of "area completed" notices - but these are ludicrous. Most screens have 1 think to pick up or do and then they are cleared. There's no real challenge - pick up a ball (pointed out by a HUGE hand) - oooh area completed. Screens should have more than one thing to do
The story is good and characters compelling. (but what's with these people - don't you know when you name a kid "pandora" you're gonna get a troubled kid???)
Puzzles are easy to medium, skip takes a minute - hints on HOS are generous.
It was fun, but nothing new - and nothing exceptional.
I found this game to be the perfect length - not too short for the money and not so long that I'm begging for it to end. The story is compelling and each scene seamlessly blends with the next.
Hidden Object scenes are interactive, and the few "junkpile" scenes are will drawn and objects are clear. Some puzzles are a little tedious after a while, but all within solvability range and a good balance between medium and easy.
Music adds and doesn't distract and there is a logical pattern to the expectations. A great game and fantastic followup to the first.
I recommend this game!
+6points
8of10voted this as helpful.
The Secrets of Arcelia Island
Unravel The Secrets of Arcelia Island as you, your father, and a small crew set off on this dangerous expedition!
A good story, great visuals and log and varied puzzles keep you going from one place to another. It's a longer game but I never felt like it was dragging or dragging the story out to make it longer.
The art is great - some items are small but easy to see - everything is clear and the actions are logical so they are not too difficult to figure out. The hint button gives real hints - not just tells you what to do next.
The characters are varied - from the people to the mystical fairies to the witch...nice fantasy.
The end promises a sequel - Definitely something I would want to play.
My question is: Where is the Humor?? Where is the Love? What happened to the game I enjoyed so much?
I loved the first Tiger Eye and eagerly picked this up. But all the things I loved about the first are gone from this. It's all serious all the time (None of that "you want me to pleasure you?" kind of laugh out loud humor) and Hari has nothing but fleeting appearances and the entire story degenerates into puzzles to solve puzzles to solve puzzles.
The puzzles aren't as varied as the first which had a lot more word puzzles. This one has logic, a few word, a shooter and then lots and lots of spacial puzzles.
Don't play this game unless you like mini-puzzles because the story drops off and it just becomes solve this puzzle to get the gems for this puzzle to get the key to open the door to this puzzle, etc.
Note: The thing says "for more challenge try the Collector's Edition". What it should say is "IF YOU WANT TO SEE THE END - BUY THE COLLECTORS EDITION."
Yep - when it ends - you get a little clue and then it just STOPS. If you're okay with that - use this one. If not - shell out the bucks.
Now - for those who use the standard game. What a fun game. Clues were logical and intuitive. (Not like many that are all "figure out the stick pokes the horse that eats the apple that gives you a seed that grows a tree"). You can tell where things go.
Mini game level is good. I skipped a couple because I got how the game worked and I wanted to get to the story - but most games are in the easy-mid section.
The art is great and the best part about it is the humor. The journal says hysterical things like "that slushy queen was here again" -- and the Hidden Object Scenes have some funny ways to get at clues.
Story is compelling, and they even have a thing where you can replay the cut scenes in case you forget/miss something.
Over all a great game except for the cop-out ending (I just made up my own end - forget paying big bucks). As they say -- "It's not the fall out of a tall building that kills you - its the abrupt stop at the end."