Just finished 'Fabled Legends: The Dark Piper Collector's Edition'. From 10 minutes in on the demo I knew I would buy this game. It had all the elements I enjoy in a game - wandering around, picking up things and really feeling like "you're there". The story is loosely based on the old Pied Piper story, except that here the Piper has unleashed a plague of infected rats on the townsfolk of Hamelin. Those who didn't succumb have fled the town, leaving you to walk around, solving the mystery. There were quite a lot of HOGs in this game and not quite so many puzzles. The HOGs were, for me anyway, relatively simple, and the items to be found were all visible. I *hate* HOGs where it's nigh impossible to find some of the items without giving yourself a headache from all the squinting up close at the screen! The puzzles there were, from memory, tended mostly to follow a similar theme. That didn't detract from my enjoyment of the game, though, because the storyline held my interest so well.
In addition, there are 'fabled objects' to be found #morphing objects#, 20 in all, so it did slow me down and make me take a good look at each scene before ploughing ahead!
There were a few times I needed to consult the built-in strategy guide just to keep myself on the right track, but more often than not I was able to keep track of where I needed to use particular items. I also didn't realise - until I'd finished the game - that there is a 'golden map' on the bottom right of the screen, which tells you where 'areas of interest' or 'active areas' are. That would've saved me having to consult the guide to find the next HOG - doh!
Overall I highly recommend this game. For entertainment it kept me hooked, and - like all great games - I was disappointed when it finished. I'm in the middle of playing 'the Midas Lair' just now, which is the CE's bonus content. I believe that once I've completed this there will be more bonus content in the form of stand-alone puzzles accessible from the main menu.
Lots to keep you occupied in this game, which gets a 5-star rating from me!
My favourite games are where you're free to wander about and explore the scenery, and this game doesn't disappoint. The graphics, and the detail in them, are fantastic. Where this game was better than 'City of Fog' was in the hints - your first hint just tells you which direction you need to go in, and sometimes that was all I needed. This game really got me thinking hard about where to go to next, and where certain items could be used. Some of the puzzles I found a little bit challenging, and I did skip a couple, but perhaps with a bit more patience I could have solved them. I did have to refer to the walkthrough a few times when I just couldn't figure out where to go next, or where I should use a certain item, but it was a good brain-teaser.
Story-wise, your character has found the next 'dark dimension' and is looking to find out what happened away back in 1918 or 1919 (I think). The main characters are the beauty queen, immortalised forever in wax, her jealous twin brother, the investigative journalist, and of course the wax-maker herself, whose statues hide a grisly secret...... These characters appear in ghost form, via cutscenes, throughout the story. I ended up playing this game over about 3 nights, but it was thoroughly enjoyable and I was, I confess, a little bit disappointed when it was finished.
To be honest, when I started playing the demo I wasn't sure I liked the game at all. However, as I got further into the story I found myself getting "sucked in", and by the time the demo finished I went straight over to buy it. This is a HO/puzzle game that involves you 'walking around', picking things up and solving puzzles (my favourite type of game - I don't like screen after screen of HOG). A fair number of puzzles are of the 'complete the jigsaw' or 'rotate the pieces to complete the picture' type, so if you don't like these sorts of puzzles this game's probably not for you. The HOGs are not overly difficult (even though there's lots of items on the screen to look at), and I got through them pretty quickly.
You play a 'paranormal detective' in the deserted town of Deadwood, where all the citizens have met their end at the hand of Blackjack, whose evil spirit has unwittingly been released from his grave. Through talking to various peoples' ghosts, you progress through the story picking up clues and items. This game was good in that when you picked up an item you didn't have to wait too long before using it, and I only had to refer to the walkthrough once or twice when I couldn't remember where I'd seen something previously. Apart from that, I didn't have much trouble figuring out where things should be used. The ending to the story tied up all the loose ends and didn't leave you feeling cheated.
Overall, this isn't perhaps a terribly hard game, but it's an enjoyable enough one, and a nice way to spend some time without over-taxing your brain :-)