turkthesnake's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.3
- Helpful Votes:542
- Reviews Submitted:26
- First Review:May 2, 2012
- Most Recent Review:May 2, 2015
- Featured reviews0
Status:
A missing girl has been lured away by evil music! Stop the young prodigy and save everyone from the evil Maestro!
Overall rating
4
/
5
Good (CE vs. SE at the bottom)
PostedMay 22, 2012
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I bought this because it was a CE for the price of an SE and had good reviews.
HOS - good. Nothing too blurry or small to see. Some basic interaction. There were a couple of situations where there were multiples of a single item on the list which is a little frustrating (What? I already found a hat! *random angry clicking* oh, you want me to find THAT hat). However, there is no penalty for imprecise clicking. I love that. No clicking penalty covers over a multitude of HO sins.
Story line - pretty good, if a little predictable. It is highly similar to the first maestro.
sound - the score is, necessarily, quite beautiful. I'm no music aficionado but I really enjoyed the violin solo. The voice acting left a little to be desired, but I thought the actor they got to voice Francois did a very good job at sounding both naive/childish and evil at the same time.
game play - again, very similar to the first maestro. It is quite linear but you would hardly notice. There is so much to explore! I felt like I had "been to" quite a few locations by the end of the game. There is very little back tracking, and scenes load quickly. Hints are location specific but helpful otherwise. I never needed the strategy guide, so I can't comment on that.
CE content
The bonus gameplay is of a descent length similar to the other chapters in the regular game, and the quality of game play is also on the same level. Overall, if you enjoy the gaming aspect, I would recommend the CE, but I felt it added very little to the story. Note: if you buy CE's for anything other than the bonus game play (personally that's all I'm interested in), you must complete the bonus game before you can access any of the rest of the bonus content.
The bonus gameplay is of a descent length similar to the other chapters in the regular game, and the quality of game play is also on the same level. Overall, if you enjoy the gaming aspect, I would recommend the CE, but I felt it added very little to the story. Note: if you buy CE's for anything other than the bonus game play (personally that's all I'm interested in), you must complete the bonus game before you can access any of the rest of the bonus content.
SPOILER ALERT The CE adds a chapter in which Eva dies and the boy violinist takes over as the villain. If you are a story person, the SE would probably be sufficient.
I recommend this game!
Escape from Shady Pines and save the other patients! Explore the mysterious hospital and stop the psychotic doctor!
Overall rating
3
/
5
6 of 6 found this review helpful
I don't generally judge on graphics but . . .
PostedMay 16, 2012
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I am a story person, all the way. I especially like escape/mental hospital themed stories. So long as a game has a good story, I generally don't mind cartoonish graphics. But this game was so grainy that despite my interest in the story, I could not bring myself to spend actual money on it. To call it "grainy" is generous. "Pixilated" would be more accurate.
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
1 of 3 found this review helpful
Have to add my voice . . .
PostedMay 16, 2012
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I loved most everything about this game. Much of what I liked has already been said -- the match 3 option, achievements, the storyline (OMG AWESOME!). I bought the SE out of curiosity and am toying with the idea of upgrading, but if you're pinching pennies the SE is almost a CE in and of itself. I would have liked there to be more codominion symbols to find, but hey not complaining.
The one thing I think I can add is that the main character is gender neutral. That doesn't seem to happen often. I played through to the end and realized that I didn't know whether "I" was a boy or a girl. This isn't a requirement for a good game by any means but it is kind of nice to know that anyone would feel comfortable playing this game, regardless of their gender identity.
I recommend this game!
After inheriting a manor in England, you begin to explore the Kangale Estate and discover its history!
Overall rating
5
/
5
7 of 7 found this review helpful
My favorite, hands down.
PostedMay 2, 2012
turkthesnake
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I got Shiver: vanishing hitchhiker as a deal after purchasing another game, and I loved it, so when this came out I immediately bought it, and couldn't be happier.
I loved...
... the storyline. Part of this is that I have a personal fantasy about owning an old castle, but I think this story has "mass appeal" as well. The developers did a very good job of handling the story so that there is a conclusion whether you opt for the SE or the CE. Usually you either have bonus gameplay that has nothing to do with the original game, or you don't get the final chapter of the story unless you pay double the price. I don't like to waste my money with the former, and I boycott the latter, just to stick it to the man. All in all, I would definitely recommend the CE. The ending had me grinning ear to ear, in spite of myself. At the same time, I don't think you will be disappointed if you opt for the SE. I have MAJOR respect for developers who work to make the SE satisfying too.
...the graphics/sound. HO scenes were of the standard variety with some interaction. I never felt that they were unfair (making things translucent or only a sliver of them visible is what I call unfair). The artwork and sound effects were superb - the little things make all the difference: I liked the way HO's dissolve in fire, the creeks in the old house, the wind in the outdoors, the way the light fell -- everything seemed carefully crafted, environmentally. I am a person who usually turns the sound off, but not for this game. The voice over in the introduction sounded like someone I would hire just for bedtime stories. Even the music seemed tuned to the game, not just background noise.
...the gameplay logistics: I'm a person who gets annoyed if I feel HOS or puzzles slow up the storyline. The story is my primary interest. The pace of the game was good; I was rarely at a loss as to what to do but at the same time it was challenging. I never felt like the game was played for me via hints. HOS were, as I said, clear, and puzzles were diverting and challenging without being frustrating and annoying.
Overall, I would liken the experience of this game to simultaneously watching and acting in a good suspense thriller.
I recommend this game!
Help Kiera Vale discover her ancestor’s history as she explores Blackwater Asylum in Nightmare Adventures: The Witch’s Prison!
Overall rating
5
/
5
7 of 11 found this review helpful
Can't wait for the sequel!
PostedMay 2, 2012
turkthesnake
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I got this game on sale. The opening cutscenes (more like drawings) made me a bit suspicious but it quickly became one of my faves!
The storyline is fascinating, and there are no HO scenes. I am an adventure game person, I play for the story. I tolerate HO scenes, at best. Not having them can make a game too simplistic but the devs did a good job of mixing puzzles with collecting tools so that I never felt like my tasks were handed to me.
The story line is filled in with drawings (no animation) and text. It is unimpressive but if they had limited funds I'm glad they put them where they did - into the game itself. I am grateful that there were no voice overs. Nothing annoys more than a low budget voice over.
My favorite thing about this game, the little extra something that sets it apart from the rest, is the little sarcastic comments the character makes throughout. Hilarious. Exactly the sort of thing that would be going through my mind if I were really investigating. The game tells you to click everything and you really should.
I recommend this game!
Stop a magician’s ghost and free the trapped souls haunting the Black Woods in Mystic Diary: Haunted Island!
Overall rating
1
/
5
19 of 21 found this review helpful
Not worth it
PostedMay 2, 2012
turkthesnake
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
I got this game on sale, and I feel that it was a waste even then.
The story line could have been awesome, but what you learn in the opening minutes of the game is really all the story you get. You meet ghostly manifestations of living people along the way who stop short of telling you what to do.
What made me dislike this game so much was that you have to do everything in precise order. You might have all the necessary tools to complete a task, but if you missed that one HO scene . . . Hints were of the "where do I use this?" variety and thus largely unhelpful
Also, HOS's were frustrating. They were grainy and if you don't click PRECISELY where you are supposed to, you won't pick up the object. Some were unfiarly hidden (oh, I was supposed to know that brown sliver in the bushes is a pipe?) Some HO's required special knowledge that I don't have. (Well, excuse me for not knowing the difference between Ivy leaves, mint leaves, and oregano leaves.) The hints load very slowly. All of the above would be forgivable if the penalty for unsuccessful clicking weren't so harsh. It didn't seem to matter how much time passed between clicks; if I hadn't found an object within three or four tries, the screen would go dark and the game would tell me to "focus."
Shut up game. I am focusing.
Shut up game. I am focusing.
I don't recommend this game.