jleeingb's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:4.7
- Helpful Votes:85
- Reviews Submitted:3
- First Review:January 28, 2012
- Most Recent Review:January 29, 2012
- Featured reviews0
jleeingb's Review History
Robin's Quest: A Legend Born
Rob from the rich and give to the poor! When an evil ruler taxes his people to near starvation, it's up to Robin to save the day!
Overall rating
5
/
5
47 of 49 found this review helpful
Short But Very, Very Sweet!
PostedJanuary 29, 2012
jleeingb
fromBaltimore, MD
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Family, Word, Brain Teaser, Adventure, Hidden Object, Card & Board, Puzzle, Mahjong, Strategy
Current Favorite:
Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles
(97)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
A terrific little game! Robin's Quest: A Legend Born is a clever take on a familiar story and a clever take on your standard hidden object adventure game. All the usual elements are here: hidden object scenes, mini-games, and environmental puzzles but the way the game works feels very fresh and unique. There are more puzzles and interactive elements here than there are HO scenes.
You play as Robin Hood, seeking revenge against the evil Prince John. As you progress through the story you recruit several followers (your Merry Men!) all of whom unlock new ways of interacting with objects, the environment and even NPCs.
You meet several characters throughout who will give you quests, each moving you through a limited part of the map and progressing the story forward. The quests are simple and fun and each section does a good job of keeping you on-track. It's pretty easy to figure out what you need to do next. There is a map provided if you happen to get lost but you probably won't need it as each quest is fairly self-contained and well planned out. Each area is marked when you clear it, which is very helpful.
There is a neat little crafting mechanic in the game that I loved. Sometimes instead of finding a needed object you might have to find someone in town to make it for you. I also enjoyed the archery mini-game. It's a fun little break between quests.
The art style is great, cartoonish without being cutesy and the voice acting was well-done. In certain spots you can listen to NPCs having some funny conversations with one another. The sound effects were satisfying. The music is lovely and perfectly fits the medieval setting.
I found this game to be pretty easy overall. I played on the "Casual" setting and found it almost TOO easy although there were still one or two puzzles I had to spend some time on. If I were to play it again I'd definitely go for the "Advanced" mode.
My only real complaint about the game is that it was too short. I played through the entire thing in about an hour and half. I definitely wanted more! But even though it wasn't a long game it was more than worth it. I'd love to see more HO games like this one!
I recommend this game!
Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles
Charles Baskerville is the latest victim of a centuries-old curse! Help Holmes break the curse before the next murder occurs!
Overall rating
5
/
5
38 of 42 found this review helpful
Fun and Well-Done From Beginning to End
PostedJanuary 29, 2012
jleeingb
fromBaltimore, MD
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Family, Word, Brain Teaser, Adventure, Hidden Object, Card & Board, Puzzle, Mahjong, Strategy
Current Favorite:
Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles
(97)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
I just finished playing Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles and it's already become one of my favorite Hidden Object/Puzzle games. Almost every aspect of this game was implemented with the player's enjoyment and convenience in mind. Combine thoughtful development with an engaging story and well-paced game play and you have a definite winner!
Hound of the Baskervilles included pretty much everything I could ask for in this type of game. A map with helpful information makes navigating a breeze although the locations are so well thought out and compact that you don't need to use it often. An ingenious in-game travel mechanic makes the map seem larger than it is and almost doubles the amount of locations to explore without making the map overwhelming or confusing.
Inventory was easy to manage. There is a large emphasis placed on finding collections of objects. A little too much emphasis in my opinion. I would have preferred a few more single-object mechanical and environmental puzzles but collecting was implemented well and fairly. I liked that you could put incomplete collections of items in their places to keep your inventory pared down.
One of my favorite aspects of the game was a tool that allowed you to discover brand new ways of interacting with objects. It was very clever and a lot of fun.
The sound design and graphics were excellent. The voice acting of Holmes and Watson was funny, informative and professional. The banter between the characters acted as a sort of in-game hint system to keep you on the right track. The writing was tight and the story was engaging and easy to follow.
Even though I decided to play the game on "hard" mode, which is supposed to make both the puzzles and the hidden object segments more difficult, I still found most of the game very easy. There were a few puzzles that confounded me for a while but I was surprised at how easy most of them were and I am not the best puzzle solver. If you are a fan of difficult puzzles this aspect of the game probably won't impress you. The game also goes through great lengths to let you know when and where to perform certain actions. I think it went a bit too far at times. Some of the hints and prompts could have been removed (at least from "hard" mode) to give the player more of a challenge.
I played in three sittings totaling approximately three hours. The length was perfect. Nothing seemed tacked on just to pad out the play time and the story was so much fun that I was disappointed when it was over. It left me wanting more!
If you're looking for an original, relaxing HO game that won't frustrate you with overly difficult puzzles and keeps you engaged with fun characters and a great story, Hound of the Baskervilles is for you!
Despite the fact that I thought it was a bit too easy at times, I gave this game five stars. Difficulty is subjective and I don't think a game should be penalized simply because of that. It was the story, the clever mechanics and the sheer enjoyment I got from playing it that earned those stars!
I recommend this game!
Haunted Manor: Queen of Death
Overall rating
4
/
5
0 of 1 found this review helpful
Nice Atmosphere, Fair Puzzles and Engaging Story
PostedJanuary 28, 2012
jleeingb
fromBaltimore, MD
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Family, Word, Brain Teaser, Adventure, Hidden Object, Card & Board, Puzzle, Mahjong, Strategy
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Haunted Manor: Queen of Death was a great game that kept my attention from beginning to end. The puzzles were implemented nicely with none of them being too difficult. I wouldn't have minded a few even harder puzzles but it was nice to play through a game without feeling frustrated. The game and its puzzles are very fair. You never feel like you're stuck with no idea what to do. The game had a great "flow". It was relatively easy to intuit what you need to do next and inventory management was never overwhelming.
The sound effects and music were excellent but a bit repetitive, particularly the music that plays during hidden object scenes. It was lovely though! The graphics were nicely done with some pretty animations and lighting throughout.
The story was engaging and surprisingly moving although I would have liked a bit more back-story on the family and especially the relationship between the player character and her sister.
The game was of average length. I played it in two sittings that totaled about two hours, I think. I was a bit distracted while playing so faster players may get through it in less time.
The only thing that would have improved the game for me is an interactive map once all locations are discovered. It got a bit boring having to backtrack to some of the locations during the endgame but I can't complain too much since the game isn't all that big and there were some clever shortcuts implemented during the game.
Overall, I would definitely recommend Haunted Manor: Queen of Death to anyone who enjoys HO games. A fun play all around!
I recommend this game!