ElitistGeek's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.9
- Helpful Votes:602
- Reviews Submitted:16
- First Review:September 28, 2013
- Most Recent Review:October 31, 2013
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Nightmares from the Deep: The Cursed Heart
Dive into an epic journey as a museum owner in pursuit of an undead pirate who has kidnapped your daughter in Nightmares from the Deep: The Cursed Heart!
Overall rating
3
/
5
8 of 8 found this review helpful
An Excellent Game for Beginners who love HOS
PostedOctober 14, 2013
ElitistGeek
fromBrandon, FL
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
After learning that Artifex Mundi was the developer for Enigmatis: Mists of Ravenwood and Nightmares From the Deep's latest addition, Siren's Call (both of which I loved), I had to try NFTD's first game in the series: Cursed Heart.
Much like Siren's Call, this is a story revolving around a dangerous pact a pirate makes with Davy Jones and it's dire consequences. In the case of Cursed Heart, you are a museum curator who has just found the body of the infamous Captain Remington from the bottom of the sea. In putting together his belongings to ready his corpse for an exhibition, you accidentally rekindle the pact he made with Davy Jones that makes him immortal and you end up bringing him back to life. Worse yet, he kidnaps your daughter and sets sail on his pirate ship to Skull Island in an attempt to sacrifice her to bring back his beloved via a ritual. It's up to you, the mom, to follow Remington, traverse the pirate ship and Skull Island to find and stop him in order to rescue your daughter.
Like Siren's Call, the graphics in this game do not disappoint. They are crisp, colorful, and set the scene wonderfully. The pirate ship's rooms and various chambers are the main visual delicacy of the game, even after arriving at Skull Island.
The music, however, was very disappointing. It seemed like this entire game had two or three tracks at the most and they were very short and constantly looped. One of the tracks I felt didn't fit the theme of the game at all (with its screechy/grinding//whiny edgy electric guitar sound, ugh) and this track was the one that looped and was played the most. Even the piano track that is played during some of the more gentler scenes is obnoxious and loud. Both of these tracks got so incredibly annoying and repetitive that I had to actually turn the music OFF in the options panel. I'm not joking when I say I have NEVER EVER done that in a game before. I can generally handle repetitive music, but when they're this bad and irritating that I have to turn it off, -1 star. No one likes to play a game in silence.
The storyline is good enough though there is a love story component that ends up dominating the entire game. I really wanted a pure, authentic, pirate adventure -- and I did for a while, while we were still in the pirate ship, but then we reach Skull Island. The game then starts getting really lovey-dovey and I feel like the story kept trying to desperately convince you that despite how horrible and evil this pirate was, he was a changed man and a good one at that. Really? Considering how Remington and his beloved had met and you couple that with the fact that he has kidnapped your daughter with an intent to sacrifice her -- I didn't buy it for a second. This was a guy who didn't deserve any pity or redemption.
The gameplay was also lacking, mostly because it was a bit heavy with hidden-object scenes. It felt like there were tons of them. There were very little puzzles and the few you did come across were insultingly easy. Couple that with the fact that even though for those us who played on expert mode, we get sparkle indicators for the HO scenes- it makes this game feel like it was made for beginners who are getting their feet wet with HOGs. A blah storyline and gameplay that does a lot of hand-holding, -1 star.
This totals Nightmares of the Deep: Cursed Heart to a 3 star game. It's certainly not a bad game and doesn't lack in its visual quality. Unfortunately its visuals is all that it has really going for it. It's gameplay isn't terrible, it could just be better and more fun if there were more puzzles and less HOS. A better soundtrack could have made for a more exciting, immersive experience as well, and the story was a little hard to believe. All of this made the game feel slightly boring to me. It doesn't live up to the next game of the series, but I am at least glad that they have improved upon this game to produce such a fantastic sequel, Siren's Call.
But if you're looking for a visual feast and a night of some pure HOS fun with the occasional easy puzzle, you might like this game. Just don't expect too much from it.
I recommend this game!
Someone has stolen two powerful magic doves from your kingdom, and the consequences could be disastrous. Embark on an extraordinary journey to stop the thief.
Overall rating
5
/
5
17 of 18 found this review helpful
Truly a Magical, Charming Experience!
PostedOctober 12, 2013
ElitistGeek
fromBrandon, FL
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
In Flights of Fancy, you play as a Countess, who is investigating the theft of one of the doves your family is sworn to protect. It's not just a dove, its a magical one, one that -- if united with the other stolen dove -- could spell chaos for the entire kingdom. It's up to you to find and recover the doves and stop the thief from harnessing their power for his evil motives.
Be warned. A lot of you will not like this game because "it's too cute". This is a fantasy HOPA through and through. This game is seriously as cute as it gets. Everything down to the interface, to the character you're playing (a Countess), the setting, music, bright color schemes, sound effects-- you name it, it's adorable. This is one of the games you play and you can't help but going "awww" all the time or just plain getting amused (i.e. the singing mushrooms). Your hint button is a fairy, you have another fairy companion that does some occasional magic to get you through tough obstacles (did I mention you can name both of these fairies?), and you also get lots of help from other enchanting creatures such as the griffon and the cute little blue bird. And you know what? I loved every minute of it.
I was also very pleasantly surprised to find that despite the game's adorableness, it was more difficult than most of the HOPA's I've played (and I always play on expert). The HO scenes hid objects very well and many of the puzzles/mini-games genuinely took time and thought. Never before in a game have I abused the hint option as much as I did in this game. The game has strange logic as to what items you should use for certain actions. What was annoying is that unless you use an item at exactly the right spot, the game thinks you're using the wrong item. The same goes for HO scenes, you'll find yourself clicking on a item and nothing happening unless you click in a certain area. This was very strange and quite an annoyance.
The interactive map was suppose to be your saving grace at this point, but it only serves to be further confusing. Several times, the map says there is an area where an interaction was available, but when you go there you have no idea what you should do, so you use the hint button. And get this- the hint tells you that there is nothing to do in that room. Huh? Then why is my map telling me that there is? This made things VERY confusing. Needless to say there is A LOT more backtracking than you would expect in a normal game. Thank goodness for the map otherwise this would have been a frustrating game indeed.
HOWEVER, despite all of this, I think these are minor flaws that are easily overlooked by the sheer awesomeness of this game. The graphics are so, so, SO BEAUTIFUL. Really wonderful. My favorite series of all time was ERS' Spirits of Mystery and the graphics in those games were such a delight. In Flights of Fancy, you won't be disappointed. The artwork is just gorgeous and really breathtaking. I was truly impressed. The music was just as beautiful, although with most music in many of these games, it can get repetitive. Personally, I enjoyed the tracks so much I wasn't bothered at all. The VO's and cutscenes were top-notch as well.
I personally purchased the CE mainly because of the bonus chapter. Another hour of this awesome game? Sign me up! The CE extras also include wallpapers, soundtrack, replayable HO scenes and puzzles, concept art, achievements that are stored in the fairy house, and collecting different outfits for your fairy to wear.
This is officially my new favorite game, topping my beloved Spirits of Mystery series. Don't mind basking into the adorable, cute, and wonderfully sweet, all while being presented with a new and welcome challenge? You'll love this game! Yes, it's for die-hard fantasy folks and no I definitely don't think this game was made with males in mind AT ALL (So you males, be warned! Know what you're getting yourself into!). However, I don't think the cute and sweet factor of this game should diminish its quality at all, I believe that it adds to it. And take the game for what it is, overly sweet and "saccharine" is what it WANTED to be and was MEANT to be by ERS.
So just sit back and enjoy it!
I recommend this game!
Can you defeat the Four Horsemen and save the city?
Overall rating
3
/
5
43 of 44 found this review helpful
A Thrilling, Spooky Adventure!... At least for a while...
PostedOctober 9, 2013
ElitistGeek
fromBrandon, FL
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
In Riddles of Fate: Wild Hunt, you play a detective who must try to save a town that is being terrorized by ghosts who are searching for a young girl. Along the way you must save and assist a mysterious prisoner to defeat the four horseman of the apocalypse who are commanding the scary creatures. Sounds thrilling doesn't it?
And it is. This game does an amazing job at hooking you right in the beginning. The cinematics are great, the story is very unique, especially when you save the prisoner you learn of an interesting twist to the story -- I loved this! You'll encounter ghost dragons, hellhounds, witches, ogres, and other cool monsters that will try to stop you. You will also have the adorable bat named Louis who helps you throughout the game. Needless to say, the beginning of the game is extremely immersive and exciting. There are even some moments when you revisit a scene and something really spooky suddenly happens. The scary sound effects and music really add to this wonderfully eerie and dark environment -- and it's exciting! As a game that is of the dark fantasy/supernatural genre, this started off as a real special treat to play.
But then... something happens once you reach around the middle-to-end mark of the game. Everything slows way, way down. Maybe it's because you've defeated most, if not all the creatures, and already freed the prisoner -- I don't know. It's just that the pacing starts becoming really sluggish. Add that to the fact that sometimes you acquire items that won't be used for a long time or come across stuff where you won't find the item for it for a long time -- the game begins to feel like a chore.
There is a TON of backtracking. There is a interactive map that allows you to teleport to different locations, but I personally didn't find it very helpful. You're going to have to remember a lot of things that you've come across in the game. Without a journal, this can be very difficult to keep track of. I use the hint button when I get stuck, but I REALLY hate that it tells you EXACTLY what to do, word for word, instead of just giving you a directional hint. The HO scenes were VERY easy, almost ridiculously so. The puzzles and mini-games were definitely fun, most of them were really tricky, and there are some new ones as well! Many of them took a decent amount of time to solve and I liked that you had to really think for some of them.
I was also getting tired of the endless "doom and gloom" scenes. I realize this is a dark game, but it doesn't have to be constantly depressing, it can be exciting too (ahem... like in the beginning!) Even the storyline eventually loses its intrigue as you keep playing, eventually becoming incredibly uninteresting and boring. Add up all this to -1 star.
Then there's the ending. It's SO abrupt and didn't feel very satisfying AT ALL. Even the ending cinematic seemed really rushed. Maybe this isn't a problem for the CE since I imagine the bonus chapter is the real wrap-up to the story, but the developers could have made the ending a little better for those of us who only have the SE. This was a biggie for me, so -1 star.
What I've got left is a 3 star game. A real pity, honestly. The graphics and music were top-notch, some of the gameplay elements and the ending? Not so much. The real question now is: Do I recommend this game? This is a tough one.
If you love games that are of the dark fantasy/supernatural genre, that are spooky and scary, I think you will definitely enjoy this. Be wary of the pacing issues, the lack of a journal, an unhelpful map, a storyline that eventually becomes lackluster, and the excess amounts of backtracking.
Personally, I don't see myself playing through this game a second time in a hurry, if at all.
I don't recommend this game.
Someone has stolen two powerful magic doves from your kingdom, and the consequences could be disastrous. Embark on an extraordinary journey to stop the thief.
Overall rating
5
/
5
18 of 20 found this review helpful
A Magical Experience!
PostedOctober 7, 2013
ElitistGeek
fromBrandon, FL
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I'm reading through some of these reviews and most people are lowering this game by one or two stars simply because "it's too cute." Really?
Listen, people. This is a fantasy HOPA through and through. True, this game really is "as cute as it gets". Everything down to the interface, to the character you're playing (a Countess), the setting, music, bright color schemes, sound effects-- you name it, it's adorable. This is one of the games you play and you can't help but going "awww" all the time or just plain getting amused (i.e. the singing mushrooms). Your hint button is a fairy, you have another fairy companion that does some occasional magic to get you through tough obstacles (did I mention you can name both of these fairies?), and you also get lots of help from other enchanting creatures such as the griffon and the cute little blue bird. And you know what? I loved every minute of it.
Your fairy even has it's own little house where your achievements are stored and where she can do things such as trim a plant, play music, blow away dandelions, and other little things that I found insignificant. You also acquire outfits that you can use to dress up your fairy, although this was pointless because her outfit only shows up on her when you're viewing her in her house and not in the actual game (where she continues to wear the default outfit). It was cute, though pointless, I have no idea why this was here. It's things like this that make think this game was made for a 5-year old, the only thing that stopped the game from being a kid's game was the difficulty.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that despite the game's adorableness, it was more difficult than most of the HOPA's I've played (and I always play on expert). The HO scenes hid objects very well and many of the puzzles/mini-games genuinely took time and thought. Never before in a game have I abused the hint option as much as I did in this game. The game has strange logic as to what items you should use for certain actions. What was annoying is that unless you use an item at exactly the right spot, the game thinks you're using the wrong item. The same goes for HO scenes, you'll find yourself clicking on a item and nothing happening unless you click in a certain area. This was very strange and quite an annoyance. The interactive map was suppose to be your saving grace at this point, but it only serves to be further confusing. Several times, the map says there is an area where an interaction was available, but when you go there you have no idea what you should do, so you use the hint button. And get this- the hint tells you that there is nothing to do in that room. Huh? Then why is my map telling me that there is? This made things VERY confusing. Needless to say there is A LOT more backtracking than you would expect in a normal game. Thank goodness for the map otherwise this would have been a frustrating game indeed.
HOWEVER, despite all of this, I think these are minor flaws that are easily overlooked by the sheer awesomeness of this game. The graphics are so, so, SO BEAUTIFUL. Really wonderful. My favorite series of all time was ERS' Spirits of Mystery and the graphics in those games were such a delight. In Flights of Fancy, you won't be disappointed. The artwork is just gorgeous and really breathtaking. I was truly impressed. The music was just as beautiful, although with most music in many of these games, it can get repetitive. Personally, I enjoyed the tracks so much I wasn't bothered at all. The VO's and cutscenes were top-notch as well.
Since this is a CE, you get a ton of extras, including the extra hour-long bonus chapter which made this CE worth it alone. I was a bit disappointed in the wallpapers and screensavers as there were MUCH prettier scenes in the game that they could have used. The ones they picked seemed random and not wallpaper/screensaver-worthy. You also get the music tracks (four I believe), concept art, and you can replay all the HO scenes, puzzles, and cinematics.
This is officially my new favorite game, topping my beloved Spirits of Mystery series. Don't mind basking into the adorable, cute, and wonderfully sweet, all while being presented with a new and welcome challenge? You'll love this game! Yes, it's for die-hard fantasy folks and no I definitely don't think this game was made with males in mind AT ALL (So you males, be warned! Know what you're getting yourself into!). However, I don't think the cute and sweet factor of this game should diminish its quality at all, I believe that it adds to it. And take the game for what it is, overly sweet and "saccharine" is what it WANTED to be and was MEANT to be by ERS.
So just sit back and enjoy it!
I recommend this game!
Relive the fantasy of Beauty & the Beast in this never before told story of magic and love!
Overall rating
5
/
5
4 of 4 found this review helpful
Simply Enchanting!
PostedOctober 1, 2013
ElitistGeek
fromBrandon, FL
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
In this little fairytale adventure, you play as Belle, who is trying to free Beast from a terrible curse that an Enchantress had put on him.
This game was truly a delight! The graphics were adorable and gave off this fairytale/enchanting vibe, the soundtrack was great, though best of all -- it wasn't repetitive nor annoying! The actual gameplay was terrific! You meet several creatures, such as a leprechaun, a mystical owl, and Pinocchio (and the really cute and tiny Spindle fellow!), that help you out throughout the game. There are also lots of references to other fairytales, like Alice in Wonderland, Gepetto the Toy Maker, and Hansel & Gretel.
What made this game refreshing was the level of challenge. There were surprisingly a lot of HOS compared to your average game and though it was straight forward HOS (no interactive actions), they were fairly difficult. The things you have to find in a HOS are actually hidden fairly well and some are hidden just a little TOO well. I usually play on Expert mode and I found myself having to use the Hint button quite a few times. You also have to find and collect these crystal shards that contain the Beast's soul in order to save him. When you collect one you have to solve an HOS where you have find 20 roses (reminds me of MCF's Madame Fate) -- and these can get really tricky!
The puzzles weren't too difficult at all, in fact they were a bit on the easy side, but they were still fun. The one thing I liked was that you really had to pay attention to your environment as there were lots of items lying around that you had to collect in order to use for something else. I know most HOPA's have that, but I felt this game had more items lying around than the average game.
The adventure aspect of this game is great! Towards the end there are some interesting moments where you fight spiders. I won't give it away but this was very cool and unique, although very simple and repetitive.
All in all. I highly recommend this game for anyone who loves both HOPAs with fantasy/fairytale-like genre.
I recommend this game!
Several young women have gone missing in Paris. Now only you can stop a maniac's murderous trail of fragrance and deception!
Overall rating
2
/
5
19 of 21 found this review helpful
Don't believe the hype...
PostedSeptember 28, 2013
ElitistGeek
fromBrandon, FL
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Strategy, Puzzle
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
I really need to start playing demos first before I purchase games. But considering how much people are raving about this game, I went by my gut and decided to get it. What a mistake.
I play all HOPA games on expert and usually never have to revert my difficulty setting, but on this game I constantly had to. I went through the first 30 min wondering why every time you clicked on something to investigate it said the SAME sentence over and over. "I believe I use something else here" or "What item should I use?". You never know if you need to repair stuff, replace it, or what kind of object you need to use so you can look out for it. I clicked on a cabinet that was ajar and it looked like it could be opened. I clicked on it and nothing happened and the text at the top of the screen didn't tell me anything. I later found out (from reverting back to the BEGINNER difficulty) that something was blocking it from opening on the inside and I had to use a thin object to pry it open. How on earth was I suppose to know that from just looking at it?
Apparently on Intermediate and Expert Difficulty you get those annoying two sentences instead of describing what you're looking at. On Beginner, that's when it disappears and everything goes back to normal, except everything becomes insanely easy when all the sparkling indicators comes back on. Horrible. A custom difficulty setting is very badly needed in this game.
Other than that this game was a total snoozefest. It was very, VERY boring. There was nothing exciting about it, I tried to force myself to play through the whole thing but I just couldn't, I was bored out of my skull. The puzzles were ridiculously easy and HOS were nothing special.
The storyline is ridiculous. You're playing the role of a detective and yet -- from where I left off -- the culprit manages to kidnap two women AND murder a innocent old man right in front of you. He is able to do so by distracting you most of the time by bombarding you with a toxic gas. Hasn't this guy learned already from the first time that he should maybe keep on his mask that he has on him? Worst. Detective. Ever.
The graphics are highly inconsistent. The interface and the main title screen are probably the best graphical-looking things in the whole game. Some scenes in the game look better than others but in general the artwork was uninspiring and nothing special. It wasn't bad, just average.
The music, though beautiful initially is EXTREMELY repetitive. There's a song when you're in a HOS, a song when you're in a puzzle, and a song when you're walking around. And it loops over and over. Some variety would have been nice. After a while it got so annoying I turned it off entirely.
The only redeeming quality about this game was extracting scents to make perfumes that perform different functions. That was a very unique touch.
Do yourself a favor. Try the demo first before you spend your hard earned money.
I don't recommend this game.