ADamselInDesign's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:4.3
- Helpful Votes:428
- Reviews Submitted:8
- First Review:December 17, 2011
- Most Recent Review:August 24, 2017
- Featured reviews0
ADamselInDesign's Review History
Become the hero of your own chapter in Tiny Tales: Heart of the Forest.
Overall rating
5
/
5
87 of 102 found this review helpful
Huge Adventure Awaits You in a Tiny World!
PostedAugust 24, 2017
ADamselInDesign
fromPresiding over Winterfell and awaiting for my beloved Hound's arrival so that we can finish preparing for Winter!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
***Review of Completed Game***
First, this is a review of the completed game. I *never* review demos as it would be the equivalent of reviewing a surgeon's work before he's even finished with your operation—basically, it is utterly pointless and ridiculous! A game can change drastically after a single hour of gameplay and by reviewing just the hour-long demo, you are honestly doing a disservice to both the game developers *and* to other gamers.
Now, on to the review:
Tiny Tales: Heart of the Forest is an absolute delight in many ways. From the outstanding graphics, intriguing storyline, and innovative gameplay, Tiny Tales has proven to be anything but tiny in its offerings.
The graphics are probably my favorite aspect of this game, and that may be partly because of my being a professional digital artist, myself, who creates art for book covers as well as for games. My bias aside, however, the tiny little world that Brave Giants has created kept me smiling throughout the entire gameplay.
The environment is reminiscent of Disney's Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Tom Thumb, Thumbelina, The Borrower's, and The Secret World of Arrietty. The architecture was made from our everyday items and was adorable and clever. Chess pieces making up columns, match sticks being used as rungs on a ladder, spools of thread used as part of a well, a needle and thread making up a partition barrier… everything was just so creative and really makes your inner child come alive.
The bright, vibrant colors of the various flora and fauna, which at times reminded me of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland—especially in regards to the mushrooms and toadstools that looked massive compared to our tiny character—really helped create the fantasy, fairytale world that you really don't want to leave.
The main game character we play in Tiny Tales is a tiny man named Max. The addition of a male protagonist—who even ends up saving another female character numerous times—is such a nice change of pace from all of the games where we are female and must ultimately save our "damsel in distress" husband/fiance/boyfriend repeatedly, or even our son/daughter, from the clutches of evil.
It is like these game developers often forget that not only mom's play these games. There are many single women with no children, as well as single men and fathers, who play these and I am sure I am far from the only gamer tired of having to play the part of a mother saving her child, or a wife/girlfriend saving her man that so many developers create just to look "progressive." I really wish more games would allow you to choose your character's gender.
As far as the gameplay goes, as someone who has played over 250 BFG games, I have seen and done it all. So, I was very pleased that the HOG's within Tiny Tales were not all the standard straight list style. The different HOG's within the game varied, and the scenes were logical for the game's theme and environment—no floating hamburgers in the sky, or unmelted ice cream cones in the trunk of a car! Also, there is an alternative to the HOG where you must match two like symbols that many will enjoy; I did play the alternative a couple of times.
The minigames were clever and were just challenging enough to not really require any walkthroughs. They should be fairly suitable to gamers of all ages, skill level, and experience.
The music could become rather monotonous, but I just turned the music volume down, considerably, and it helped.
There are the standard options when choosing game difficulty, and the Custom option is available, as well.
Overall, this game is an adorable way to spend an afternoon if you want or need a fun way to destress and unwind.
Give it a shot; it surely won't disappoint!
Oh, I am wondering… was I the only person to notice that Max's father, Heath Thaddius, is apparently a Stark bannerman? At least, he is if you go by the statue of him in the game that shows him sporting a House Stark shield from HBO's Game of Thones, that is!
I recommend this game!
Experience the Travels of Marco Polo - a historical Point & click Adventure for the whole family!
Overall rating
4
/
5
100 of 110 found this review helpful
Good Game, But Very Short
PostedMarch 17, 2015
ADamselInDesign
fromStrolling through Jerusalem! Shalom, my friends!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Time Management, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I was really exited to see this game as it said it was a Point & Click Adventure. I have grown very tired of Hidden Objects, so I was slightly disappointed when HOS came up. I can usually sail through the HOS in under a minute but some of these HOS literally had you looking for needles.
Needless to say, you will get a nice brush-up on your 6th grade history and that would make this game highly suitable for a young student in grade school or middle school.
The music and graphics are beautiful, and the level of challenge on a few mini games was high. The only time you can use a hint is inside a HOS. You can skip puzzles, too.
Overall, the game is fun, shares a bit of history, geography and minor Christianity. Being Jewish, it did not turn me off the game at all, it is always fun to learn about others faiths.
The main downside was the length of the game. It took me all of 2 hours to complete. If you have a coupon or game credit or if there is a deep sale, like today, or a Daily Deal, then you may want to try this game. I would not, however pay full price for approximately 2 hours of gameplay.
All that said, yes I recommend the game.
I recommend this game!
Resolve a family squabble before the gates to the realm of the dead swing open and horrors beyond imagination pour into this world!
Overall rating
5
/
5
43 of 78 found this review helpful
Wonderfully Unique "Out of the Box" Thinking
PostedJuly 16, 2014
ADamselInDesign
fromClimbing The Tower
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
***REVIEW OF COMPLETED GAME***
First, this is a review of the completed game as I feel reviewing a demo does the developers and other players a disservice! A game can dramatically change after 30 minutes or an hour into it. If you review a demo and say it is horrible you'll never know whether or not the game gets better. If you don't want to waste money on a bad game then wait until you have a free game code or until it is a Daily Deal or Catch of the Week.
Now, on to the review!
First, the *only* thing keeping this from being a Collector's Edition is the lack of a Strategy Guide. This game has collectibles in the way of journal pages, paw prints and coins that you find throughout the game and the HOS. The coins can be used in the Shop to dress up your travelling companion, Boris, who is a lifesaver throughout the game.
These clothing and accessory items will either speed up your general hints/skips by 25%, your HOS hints by 25% or your minigame hints by 25% so you must pay attention to which one(s) you want to buy and have enough coins to cover it. You can stack them and buy multiples of one kind of hint so that it will charge very fast. Then you just click the item, click buy, and turn Boris into one dapper dude!
One thing I did not care for is that there are only two levels of difficulty. Easy or Challenging. I believe we have all been spoiled by the newest games allowing us to customize our difficulty! At first I thought this one would let you customize the difficulty by the way the options were laid out. It showed easy on the left, and difficult on the right. Beneath that you see X’s in boxes saying what the difficulties included. I made the mistake by thinking you could select and deselect these boxes and clicked on one on the difficult side. To my surprise, the game immediately started and I questioned whether that was a mistake or not.
**Storyline
I won’t give too much away to not spoil it for anyone, but you are a male paranormal detective who receives a mission request from someone named Lucy who wants you to meet her in the tower in the cemetery. Okay, great! The only problem with that is there is no tower in the cemetery! It is all ruins! This is where you meet Boris, the Cheshire-like cat.
He can disappear and reappear, climb like Spiderman, telepathically talk to you, help you reach things and offers guidance throughout the entire game whether you want it or not. His guidance always comes with a thick layer of sarcasm which really adds to the ambiance of the game. This little guy definitely has opposable thumbs and is ambidextrous ;)
Once you get into this “tower that isn't there” you meet Lucy who turns out to be a ghost! She tells you of a witch named Beatrice living in the tower who wants to open the door to the other side where the dead reside and can return to roam the earth! Lucy flat out warns you not to trust a word Beatrice says! Lucy tells you that you need to reach the top of the tower to destroy the door and ultimately the tower to keep the living safe from the dead. She also tells you that you will find evidence of Beatrice’s insanity, so be on the lookout for journal pages!
Almost immediately, Beatrice tries to stop you by collapsing the stairs. How rude of her, she didn't even say hello! About another floor up or so you meet Beatrice again and this time she apologizes and promises she was not trying to hurt you, only to save you from Lucy! Beatrice tells you that Lucy lured you to the tower to sacrifice you and she wants to help you escape. Beatrice also warns you to not trust a word Lucy says!
Well, that’s a dilemma… who do you believe? Lucy or Beatrice? The choice is ultimately yours as you can choose who to believe and side with at the end. Will you help Lucy or will you help Beatrice?
Since I already completed the game on difficult mode I may go back and do the easy mode and try the other ending!
**Game Mechanics
This is a HOPA with interactive HOS. The only thing about these iHOS are that, at least in difficult mode as I do not yet know about easy, the item list is all one color so you do not know which item might be hidden or needs something special done to it to collect it. What you won’t find in these iHOS are melons that need to be cut, instruments to play, etc… I think I may have had to fill one teacup and water two plants. Most of the time you had to open doors, caskets or drawers for the objects.
In one of the early HOS we have a wooden bust of the Internet’s favorite sourpuss, Grumpy Cat! I literally giggled out loud when I saw Tardar Sauce’s little frowny face staring at me!
The Puzzles are great and most are new or reimaged. You do play a game of reversi but there is no mahjong or anything like that.
The game is very linear so once you get to about the 3rd floor you will not be backtracking and running back and forth very much.
**Graphics, Voice Overs and Music
The graphics are absolutely adorably macabre! Imagine the creators of the Addams Family and the Munster’s making a game. This would be it. The graphics and characters are creepy and kooky, mysterious and spooky, and altogether ooky! The voiceovers and music are completely on par with the visuals of the game.
**Overall
Overall this is an absolutely wonderful stand-alone game. The graphics, the storyline, the game mechanics and the challenge were all top notch and worth every penny spent. I actually had a free game credit but I would have gladly paid the Game Club Collector’s Edition price for this unique gem!
**Do I recommend this game?
Absolutely! It is very challenging but you will smile and laugh and enjoy every moment of it.
I completed the game in approximately 4 ½ hours with only skipping very few games and I consider myself an "expert" player after playing at least 200 BigFish games.
I recommend this game!
Darkness has engulfed Grimville! Use your cunning and wits to unravel the evil intrigues and save the town!
Overall rating
5
/
5
138 of 144 found this review helpful
Refreshingly Different!
PostedNovember 18, 2013
ADamselInDesign
fromHouston, TX
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I really like this game. It is truly interactive and unlike any other game we have been presented with as of late.
All of your decisions have an impact on other characters so you must really pay attention to what is going on and use your best judgment. For example, you are in need of a few coins and a pick-pocket says he will share the money with you if you distract the helpless victim he intends to rob. You then have the option of helping the thief or warning the would-be victim.
The graphics are very well done in a cartoon/caricature style and the music is non-obtrusive. There are no voice-overs which I do miss as with this game there is quite a bit of reading of both dialog and the cut scenes. For those of you who are easily offended, there are a few incidents of foul language/swear words but it is not often and the game would still be rated a PG.
The minigames/puzzles are unique and quite difficult in the hard mode. I have not tried the easy mode but the game stated the puzzles vary in difficulty depending on the mode you chose to play.
The hidden object scenes are the best standard style hidden objects I've encountered and I've played well over 200 games. As someone who is beyond sick to death of hidden objects, this really says a lot! Instead of the usual junk piles, each hidden object scene is filled with objects that you would expect to see in the area they take place. For example, you have to look for items in a blacksmith shop and in the scene you find metalworking tools, horseshoes, and other metal objects instead of the traditional sandwich sitting on the floor or unmelted ice cream stuck to a wall and modern electric appliances in a Victorian England game.
This game may not appeal to all but I would suggest that you at least try the demo. I used a free game credit but after playing the game I would have definitely spent money on it as it is refreshingly different!
I recommend this game!
Hop aboard to cross the border between life and death!
Overall rating
5
/
5
43 of 46 found this review helpful
Refreshingly Different!
PostedJune 25, 2013
ADamselInDesign
fromHouston, TX
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Large File, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
***REVIEW OF ENTIRE COMPLETE GAME!***
I never review just a Demo as that is not fair to the developers nor the other potential gamers. A game can drastically change for better or worse after one hour of play so reviewing one hour of a 5-6 hour game is doing yourself, the developers and other gamers a very big disservice. It would be like writing an online review for your mechanic after he only changed one tire, not knowing how the other four will come out!
ON TO THE REVIEW--
This was by far one of the best games released over the last few months. Like many people I, too, am tired of HOS and prefer more straight Adventure games. Calavera: Day of the Dead CE is a HOPA, but the HOS were less obtrusive than others in this genre. There were far fewer HOS than most HOPA games. This is a relief seeing as how HOS are generally filler content to add length to an otherwise rather short Adventure game. Calavera: Day of the Dead CE's HOS were only slightly interactive. I really only recall one item in your list requiring a special task, and once you find all items on the list, the name of an additional item is listed to find which is actually the item needed to complete your current task. You are required to visit each HOS twice in the game, but seeing as how there are not as many as we are accustomed to this was not off putting.
Living in a predominantly Hispanic area I am pretty familiar with the Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, festivities and have always found them fascinating. Mexicans are probably the only people I know who can make skulls and skeletons look absolutely adorable and this game demonstrated that adorable factor quite well. I loved the graphics- they were bright and cheerful, surprisingly so considering you were in the Land of the Dead! I loved seeing skeletal animals included as well. The skeleton dog was very cute and seeing mouse skeletons scurrying about was a very nice touch.
There was one mini-game that I honestly thought could have been eliminated as in my opinion it seemed to make light of the very serious issue of animal fighting that is still to this day rampant in more rural, or socioeconomically disadvantaged areas. This mini-game, and all others, can be skipped if you play in the Casual or Advanced modes but not in the Hard Core/Expert mode. I played through this particular mini-game, thankfully mastering it the first go-round, as I do not believe the developers added it because they condone animal abuse. They were simply adding bits traditionally associated with Mexican culture and that was a part of it, and sadly in some areas still is.
The other mini-games were just wonderfully unique and quite entertaining to boot! There was only one mini-game, a “repeat the sequence” style, which I have seen before. The remainder, as others have mentioned, were more old-school arcade style. Some were pretty simple whereas others had me really having to concentrate.
The voiceovers were pretty spot on for fake Spanish accents. They were not over-the-top cheesy, er make that queso-y ;), like some other games fake English/British accents are. The characters were great and were a mixture of skeletal residents of the Land of the Dead and robots in service jobs, such as a butler.
Your journal is a character all his own, who you call Guide. He is a talking book you pick up in the train station while still in the Land of the Living. He is the Guide Book to the Land of the Dead and is eerily reminiscent of the Big Book of Monsters from Harry Potter. Guide write all he sees in his pages for you and everything is from his point of view… definitely worth a good perusal at the end of the game if you don’t read him any other time.
There are Collectibles and Achievements to be had throughout the game such as the Sugar Skulls. There are 26 Sugar Skulls scattered about the game and with each one you find you unlock either a Concept Art Sketch or a replayable mini-game. I really like this method instead of only unlocking the extras at the end of the game. Gives you more of a sense of accomplishment this way. There are phone numbers written on random walls throughout the game… jot those down when you find them as you will stumble across a phone and some of the calls are comical.
The music was lovely and had a distinctive Spanish sound. It added to the overall atmosphere and ambiance of the game.
Overall, I highly recommend Calavera: Day of the Dead CE. It was a wonderful, entertaining, well made and well planned game that was a refreshing change from dark Gothic mansions.
I recommend this game!
Emma`s soul is free. But a dark secret still lurks in Ravenhearst Manor. Return to Ravenhearst to continue this tale of twisted love.
Overall rating
2
/
5
4 of 6 found this review helpful
HOPA, Heavy on the Hidden Objects!
PostedNovember 26, 2012
ADamselInDesign
fromHouston, TX
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Large File, Puzzle
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Review of entire game, NOT the demo!
This game is the sequel to Ravenhearst as most people know. I honestly want to know what the attraction is to these first two games in the Ravenhearst series. They are not as great as the rave reviews state. I am hoping the third installment improves greatly as so far I am not impressed.
This installment is a Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure game with the majority of the emphasis on Hidden Object scenes that are blurry and cluttered junk piles. I seriously do not like Hidden Object scenes where items to find are A.) defying gravity (a doughnut floating in the sky, really??) and are B.) historically inaccurate.
The puzzles were not very challenging either. In honesty, the main challenge was trying to find the Hidden Objects but that was due to eye strain with the graphics.
The hint did not really help to much and when you utilize it or a mini game skip it tacks on 30 minutes to your cumulative game play time as if to punish you. The game only took me 3 hours to complete (I timed myself with my iPhone) but my total game play time upon completion was nearly 10 hours! On top of the hint/skip use penalty the time to charge between uses was insanely long.
Overall, I do not recommend this game unless you like Hidden Objects with a passion and even then I'd wait until the game is on a Daily Deal.
I don't recommend this game.
The residents of Bitterford, Maine have fallen prey to a terrible curse. It’s up to you to unravel the series of mysterious events that led to the town’s downfall and uncover the evil that was responsible.
Overall rating
3
/
5
6 of 7 found this review helpful
Did Not Live Up to Hype!
PostedNovember 24, 2012
ADamselInDesign
fromHouston, TX
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Large File, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Review of ENTIRE game, not just the Demo!
I rarely write reviews of games as I am usually starting the next game after completing one.
I am regretfully stating that I was disappointed in this installment of Mystery Case Files. After Dire Grove & The 13th Skull my expectations were extremely high and this installment just did not live up to the hype!
First thing is Lea Thompson. She severely overacted every single scene she was in, even in just the radio conversations. She sounded like the stereotypical charlatans in the 40's and 50's era films. Less is more, Lea! Also, regardless of challenge mode you start playing in, "Cassandra" (Thompson) virtually holds your hand throughout the entire game by stating to "look for this item," "come back and see me," and "visit this location." You cannot truly explore the locations and challenge yourself as many of us like to do. You are told exactly what to do in overly dramatic direction.
Second, the game description mentions an "Exclusive Bonus Game" and "Unlockable Morphing Objects." This is very misleading! The "Unlockable Morphing Objects" IS the "Exclusive Bonus Game."
Third, the strategy guide is iffy to me. I like that the guide follows along with your game play progress but I would also like the option of being able to flip through the guide at my leisure!
Finally, the map is the ONLY way you can travel throughout the majority of the game. For those of us who like to leisurely "walk" around the game environment you will not be able to. You have to click on the map locations and be transported there. There is no other option.
I did enjoy the graphics, the live acting (aside from Thompson) and how the video integrated with the game graphics so seamlessly. I have a powerful computer as I am a game designer and digital artist myself, so I did not experience any lag that others have mentioned.
There were a few times that this game made me jump in regards to being spooked.
Overall, the storyline was engaging but the game dynamics were lacking. If you want to try this game I would wait for the Standard Edition as I cannot see paying twice as much and not even getting a Bonus Chapter.
I don't recommend this game.
After crashing your car in the middle of nowhere, you stumble upon a mysterious town with a shady background. Solve a dark mystery!
Overall rating
5
/
5
7 of 11 found this review helpful
Phantastic Phantasmat!
PostedDecember 17, 2011
ADamselInDesign
fromHouston, TX
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
This was such a fun game! The graphics are extremely beautiful and the story could rival most of the stuff coming out of Hollywood these days. I actually think that this would make for an excellent movie.
The HOG's are challenging, but you rarely have to use a hint. I found that the only reason to use a hint would be due to language barriers as people often speak with different dialects and an object can have more than 1 name. The other mini-games are challenging, but not impossible. I didn't have to use a skip at all. A lot of mini-games can be very frustrating, but the ones in Phantasmat were just about right.
The dialogue does get a bit cheesy towards the end, but this is a game, not a movie or book.
I love that the characters in this are animated to talk to you instead of the usual static illustration and voice-over. Feels more like you are interacting with people.
I've already verbally recommended Phantasmat to two people and I will recommend it here as well. Whether you buy this SE version, or the CE version, you are sure to become a phan of Phantasmat, too!
I recommend this game!