mouser9169's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.9
- Helpful Votes:292
- Reviews Submitted:90
- First Review:October 20, 2012
- Most Recent Review:April 24, 2018
- Featured reviews0
Status:
20 years ago a terrible accident destroyed most of Cyan City. Now, Monica returns to uncover the secrets of her childhood!
Overall rating
4
/
5
4 of 5 found this review helpful
Superb Standard Edition Game
PostedAugust 3, 2014
mouser9169
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Strategy, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This review is based on a complete playthrough of the game.
First, let me get this out of the way: this game is pretty obviously a Collector's Edition that didn't happen. The game includes the Strategy Guide, a definite bonus, but ends 'abruptly' (so pay attention - you can't replay the last dialog without replaying the whole game) and on a serious cliffhanger, which would presumably had been answered in the bonus chapter. Fortunately, the dev team lived on and has delivered two more titles in the franchise.
Jumping straight into the review:
THE GOOD:
Strategy Guide in a Standard Edition - and you can access it in game, not sure why some reviews said you can't.
You can replay past dialog scenes from your journal - Personally I hate missing lines and info because I clicked too fast.
No click penalty in the HOS, and they all featured a 'scene within a scene' essentially giving a glimpse of you as a child. The puzzles included interesting takes on 'old standards': tangrams, jigsaws, even mahjong. Good ratio of puzzles to HOS.
THE BAD:
The game weighs in at about three and a half hours. I'm a pretty slow player, so this is on the short side. But I went through it all in pretty much one sitting - this game grabs hold and doesn't want to let go, so a minor negative. I did use the hint a few times and skipped one puzzle where I couldn't figure out what the game wanted me to do (the instructions were good for the most part).
The journal doesn't 'fill in' properly all the time. Sometimes I'd have a task listed as finished (and even saying what reward I got) while I was still working on it, and other times the journal wouldn't acknowledge a task as done for some time afterwards.
THE UGLY: Some hideously bad translations in the HOS lists (band-aids = plaster).
The game distorts to fill a widescreen monitor.
BOTTOM LINE: Even being a tad on the short side, and with the abrupt not-quite-an-ending, this is a solid 4 star game - and that's by 2014 standards. The things they did they did well, without overdoing any one thing. Just a great game all around.
Not my new favorite, but definitely makes my short list.
Hearty recommendation on this one.
Hearty recommendation on this one.
I recommend this game!
After a suspicious accident, you find yourself stranded at a run-down motel. But you soon realize the area hides a terrifying secret...
Overall rating
3
/
5
7 of 7 found this review helpful
So much potential, so little game
PostedAugust 2, 2014
mouser9169
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Strategy, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This review is based on a complete playthrough of the game and bonus content.
Most of it is copied from the review I did of the CE version.
Most of it is copied from the review I did of the CE version.
With a name like "Fright" the game brings a certain expectation of 'scare' or 'creep' or something. You start off stranded in a corn field with black smoke and ravens - classic horror stuff right? Children of the Corn ready to go all Deliverance or something like that? It just never comes together.
First off, the bonus content, so you know what you won't be getting if you go the SE route: The bonus chapter lasted about an hour, but was even less engaging than the main game. The best thing going for it was the 'puzzle' at the very end, which can be 'brute force' solved if you don't like hints or the guide (the in game clue is only enough to get you about half way there).
You could collect dollars to spend in a 'store' - there were a couple of 'the making of' videos which were funny/interesting, and you could redo the puzzles and HOS. And you could dress up a doll in various outfits. Yippee.
The main game took me maybe three full hours to play through. I didn't 'hint' through it, solved all the puzzles, and generally took my time to watch all the cutscenes. That's half the playtime I typically get from a good SE game. Even 'short' games I generally get 4 or 4 1/2 hours out of, and that's without cutscenes. Now the specifics:
THE GOOD:
Live actors and well done cutscenes. They really ramped up the production budget on this one. The actors were fairly convincing and the scenes were well done, other than the lip synch thing which I'm guessing is because the original wasn't in English.
Lockable inventory, customizable difficulty (which could be changed in game), and general UI goodness.
Hint was directional outside of HOS. Circle object and where to go inside them.
The HOS were all 'puzzles' in themselves - find this and use it somehow to get that, use these over here to do this, eventually the scene all comes together. Pretty challenging, but doable: cursor changed over 'usable' items which helped a lot.
The story wasn't bad: some good misdirection and twists and turns, there just wasn't enough "game" to go along with it. It does come to a conclusion in the main game - the bonus chapter is from a different time.
THE BAD:
The game was incredibly short. There's no sugar coating this part.
The plot is incomplete. Too many loose ends that are never tied up, questions that are never answered...
No real 'creep' or 'scare' factor. There were some jump scares, but that's about it.
THE UGLY: Nothing that comes to mind other than the lip synching thing. Production wise, they did a great job.
BOTTOM LINE: I'm bucking the trend here, but as a GAME, I don't think it measures up. This might have been better as an interactive novel (but then they would have had to do a lot more filming). It's not that it was bad, there just wasn't enough of it.
Look for this on a sale or when you've got a punchcard to fill out. As a CE I can't recommend it at all, the SE has enough going for it that I can. Just wish it was longer.
I recommend this game!
After a suspicious accident, you find yourself stranded at a run-down motel. But you soon realize the area hides a terrifying secret...
Overall rating
3
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
So much potential, so little game
PostedAugust 2, 2014
mouser9169
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Strategy, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This review is based on a complete playthrough of the game and bonus content.
With a name like "Fright" the game brings a certain expectation of 'scare' or 'creep' or something. You start off stranded in a corn field with black smoke and ravens - classic horror stuff right? Children of the Corn ready to go all Deliverance or something like that? It just never comes together.
First off, the bonus content (or "Why should I pay double for this game?"): The bonus chapter lasted about an hour, but was even less engaging than the main game. The best thing going for it was the 'puzzle' at the very end, which can be 'brute force' solved if you don't like hints or the guide (the in game clue is only enough to get you about half way there).
You could collect dollars to spend in a 'store' - there were a couple of 'the making of' videos which were funny/interesting, and you could redo the puzzles and HOS. And you could dress up a doll in various outfits. Yippee.
The main game took me maybe three full hours to play through. I didn't 'hint' through it, solved all the puzzles, and generally took my time to watch all the cutscenes. That's half the playtime I typically get from a good SE game. Even 'short' games I generally get 4 or 4 1/2 hours out of, and that's without cutscenes. Now the specifics:
THE GOOD:
Live actors and well done cutscenes. They really ramped up the production budget on this one. The actors were fairly convincing and the scenes were well done, other than the lip synch thing which I'm guessing is because the original wasn't in English.
Lockable inventory, customizable difficulty (which could be changed in game), and general UI goodness.
Hint was directional outside of HOS. Circle object and where to go inside them.
The HOS were all 'puzzles' in themselves - find this and use it somehow to get that, use these over here to do this, eventually the scene all comes together. Pretty challenging, but doable: cursor changed over 'usable' items which helped a lot.
The story wasn't bad: some good misdirection and twists and turns, there just wasn't enough "game" to go along with it. It does come to a conclusion in the main game - the bonus chapter is from a different time.
THE BAD:
The game was incredibly short. Yes, there were collectibles, but nothing really to do with them - no achievements, no morphs, typical 'swag' package.
The plot is incomplete. Too many loose ends that are never tied up, questions that are never answered...
No real 'creep' or 'scare' factor. There were some jump scares, but that's about it.
THE UGLY: One game breaking bug in a cutscene in the bonus.
BOTTOM LINE: I'm bucking the trend here, but as a GAME, I don't think it measures up. This might have been better as an interactive novel (but then they would have had to do a lot more filming).
I'm giving it three stars primarily because of it's length and the lackluster bonus chapter. The very well done cutscenes and HOS keep it from being lower.
As a CE, I say save your money.
I don't recommend this game.
Stop the evil Vansig family before they point their vengeful wrath at your friend Christine in Nightfall Mysteries: Black Heart!
Overall rating
4
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Solid chapter in a promising series. SE would be my call.
PostedAugust 1, 2014
mouser9169
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Strategy, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This review is based on a complete playthrough of the game and bonus content. Most of this is copied over from my review of the CE.
First off, the Bonus Content so you know what you'll be missing by getting the Standard Edition: Not as strong as it could have been, and that's being generous. The bonus chapter took me a bit more than an hour, and basically added a 'mini-chapter' that develops your character and sets up another sequel. A couple puzzles and HOS all done in about ten areas. Nothing really earth-shattering. A tetris style jigsaw was the highlight.
There are collectible masks to find - I found 12/15 which was enough to 'unlock' everything: you get to do the same puzzles and HOS from the game as many times as you like. Yippee. Screensavers, Concept Art, and a few music tracks fill out the 'swag'. Now for the main game:
THE GOOD: Took me over six hours to play through the base game, mostly on the highest difficulty (no help at all), though I did use the occasional hint and even one skip. There's no option for "no sparklies" but hint and skip still enabled. come 'on devs!
We reprise our role that we had in 'Opera' helping out the protaganists from 'Asylum'. Our fearless detective friend also returns.
The voice actors seem to have been kept consistent throughout the series thus far, which is a big plus in my book. Some top-notch work there.Similar artwork and style to the previous games as well.
HOS are well drawn, well-lit, and not random junkpiles (for the most part, anyway). I mentioned the voice-acting. Dialog was interesting, just be careful you don't click through it too quickly - you may miss something.
The story was interesting. I highly recommend playing at least Asylum before this one so you'll know the dramatis personae. Opera is the weak link in the chain (and I think the first released, though the 2nd chronologically). At over six hours for the base game, you've got a good solid title (your time will probably be faster than mine, I like to smell the roses and puzzle things out myself as much as I can).
Just like in Asylum, collectible cassette tapes let you into the viewpoint of the antagonist and other characters.
THE BAD: "Widescreen" still just distorts the game.
Hint system. We get the dreaded "Nothing to do here". I also had at least two 'hot spots' fail to update correctly, and a few more show up before I'm able to do anything there. I was hoping for more improvement here over the prior games.
THE UGLY: Other than a few minor typos and grammar issues, not much. They have tightened up their production in this department.
BOTTOM LINE: The SE really seems to be the way to go on this one (IMHO). There just isn't that much 'new' story or development that happens in the bonus to justify the price of a second game. If you've played the first two, you can probably guess most of it already.
A solid four star game as a Standard Edition - I dinged a star for the Hint system problems they've kept over from the last game and no real wide screen. If this ever comes up as a DD I wouldn't hesitate if this type of game is your cup of tea.
I recommend this game!
Stop the evil Vansig family before they point their vengeful wrath at your friend Christine in Nightfall Mysteries: Black Heart!
Overall rating
4
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Solid game: bonus bling, not so much.
PostedAugust 1, 2014
mouser9169
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Strategy, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This review is based on a complete playthrough of the game and Bonus Content.
First off, the Bonus Content (or "Why should I pay double for this game?"): Not as strong as it could have been, and that's being generous. The bonus chapter took me a bit more than an hour, and basically added a 'mini-chapter' that develops your character and sets up another sequel. A couple puzzles and HOS all done in about ten areas. Nothing really earth-shattering. A tetris style jigsaw was the highlight.
There are collectible masks to find - I found 12/15 which was enough to 'unlock' everything: you get to do the same puzzles and HOS from the game as many times as you like. Screensavers, Concept Art, and a few music tracks fill out the 'swag'. Now for the main game:
THE GOOD: Took me over six hours to play through the base game, mostly on the highest difficulty (no help at all), though I did use the occasional hint and even one skip. There's no option for "no sparklies" but hint and skip still enabled. come 'on devs!
We reprise our role that we had in 'Opera' helping out the protaganists from 'Asylum'. Our fearless detective friend also returns.
The voice actors seem to have been kept consistent throughout the series thus far, which is a big plus in my book. Some top-notch work there.Similar artwork and style to the previous games as well.
HOS are well drawn, well-lit, and not random junkpiles (for the most part, anyway). I mentioned the voice-acting. Dialog was interesting, just be careful you don't click through it too quickly - you may miss something.
The story was interesting. I highly recommend playing at least Asylum before this one so you'll know the dramatis personae. Opera is the weak link in the chain (and I think the first released, though the 2nd chronologically). At over six hours for the base game, you've got a good solid title (your time will probably be faster than mine, I like to smell the roses and puzzle things out myself as much as I can).
Just like in Asylum, collectible cassette tapes let you into the viewpoint of the antagonist and other characters.
THE BAD: "Widescreen" still just distorts the game.
Hint system. We get the dreaded "Nothing to do here". I also had at least two 'hot spots' fail to update correctly, and a few more show up before I'm able to do anything there. I was hoping for more improvement here over the prior games.
THE UGLY: Other than a few minor typos and grammar issues, not much. They have tightened up their production in this department.
BOTTOM LINE: I think there's barely enough here to justify being a collector's edition. If you go with the Standard Edition, you won't be missing much that you probably can't guess, especially if you played the first two.
As a CE, 3 1/2 stars rounded to 4.
I recommend this game!
Take on the role of a lowly stagehand in an opera company tasked with solving a deadly mystery in an isolated village!
Overall rating
3
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Think 'Madame Fate' with some adventure thrown in
PostedJuly 27, 2014
mouser9169
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Large File, Strategy, Time Management, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
This review is based on a complete playthrough of the game.
I played Asylum first, which gave me a pretty good idea of what was going on. Without giving anything away, what I knew didn't "ruin" the story for me, but I was a bit put off as this is a very different type of game. It took me a while to 'adjust'. The difference is akin to Return to Ravenhearst vs the original Ravenhearst.
This is a Hidden Object Game with a little bit of moving around and some puzzles thrown in. The puzzles are either unique creations (like the Madame Fate Rube Goldberg machines), or else ones we've seen before (Towers of Hanoi, the Water Jugs) with an added layer of difficulty added.
This is a very challenging game if you stay away from the hint/skip button and work your brain finding and solving everything yourself. It took me about six and a half hours, and I skipped at least two or three puzzles and used the hint quite a bit in the HOS. You're getting a very long game here. On to the review:
THE GOOD: Loads of different HOS. If you don't like the HO part of HOPA's, this isn't the game for you. Most of what you do is move from one scene to the next - when you find everything, rather than simply give you the object for your inventory, you have to find one more thing and use it in the scene to get your 'reward.
You have a 'journal' that includes the map, your current 'task list' and normal journal notes stuff (including clues to the puzzles). It was over seventy pages long by the time I finished the game so there's plenty to read to help you understand or keep track of what's happening.
The 'puzzles' come with no instructions, though you can use your hint button for some clues on what you're supposed to do. I found them very challenging. One that I skipped I'm probably going to work out on paper (I was just ready for the game to be done at that point) - it was a very good take on an old classic.
There is a small degree of freedom in the order you do things. So you may do some HOS with a flashlight since there's no power, or you might have gone and solved all the power issues first. That said, it's a pretty linear game.
THE BAD: Unfortunately, there's a lot in this category.
No difficulty levels, and you've got full on sparkles everywhere, even telling you which fork in the road you should take. The game 'distorts' to fill a widescreen monitor.
There is no hint button outside of HOS and puzzles. In HOS, you can't select a specific item like you could in Asylum. On the plus side it recharges very, very fast though.
The HOS: If this is the heart of the game (and it is), then the scenes need to be good ones. These aren't. This is the old, junkpile, objects completely out of scale, some blending completely into the background HOS. My eyes aren't the best, but when I use a hint and examine the circled area and still can't tell if what I'm clicking on is a rat, a gear, or a lightning bolt, there's an issue.
The characters are caricatures for the most part. The voice overs were ok, but the dialog was just silly at times. They really could have done a much better job here (they did in Asylum).
The 'plot' as it were is pretty thin to say the least. Even knowing what I did from playing Asylum a lot of things just didn't make sense. With a bit of imagination and suspension of disbelief the two stories do work together, it's just that this story was very, very weak - the same thing happens over and over again for each 'chapter'. While the ending did tie things up, it still left an 'unfinished' feeling in my mind.
THE UGLY: Items in your task list not disappearing when done, so you've got permanent 'hot spots' on your map. Misspelled words (acrodian) and a few just completely misnamed items, along with the ambiguous, "Which clock do they want?" thing.
BOTTOM LINE: I've got to give a review based on 2014 standards, as this is when you'll be spending your money (or later). IMHO this game doesn't hold a candle to Asylum, the 'prequel' game released by the same company in the same year as far as I can tell.
If you want a pure HO game, there are better ones out there (like Prime Suspects or Madame Fate). If you want adventure, there are MUCH better games out there. If you're thinking of getting this to 'finish' the story started in Asylum - I say don't bother. It plays out (pun intended) exactly the way you expect it would (albeit with a higher body count).
The one thing it's really got going for it is its length. It's a long game by SE standards (and especially by 2014 standards). If you don't mind the random junkpile HOS, this might be a great game for you.
I'm on the fence on recommending it, but there was enough to keep me playing till the end, so overall the good outweighs the bad. I'm going to give it a cautious, be sure you try before you buy, recommendation. Two and a half stars rounded to three for it's length.
I recommend this game!
Awakening Kingdoms
You are chosen by Queen Sophia to restore her kingdom back to its former glory through fun mini-games and beautiful hidden object scenes.
Overall rating
4
/
5
5 of 5 found this review helpful
Slow pace @ free - but that can be a Good Thing(tm)
PostedJuly 25, 2014
mouser9169
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Strategy, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Look, we've all played the FTP games out there, I won't mention competitors titles, but you can hardly open a webpage without have some banner for some new FTP coming up at you.
Unlike the other major ones I've played, it takes a long time to replenish your energy. If I play till I'm out of energy, I can usually play about twice a day, which to me is perfect. I hated feeling like I had to log on every two hours or I was 'wasting' my precious energy building up (and don't get me started on 'scheduled' train stops and harvests you need to be there for). I can play this game, free, without feeling like I'm being left behind.
Yes, getting some rare items is hard. That's why they're rare. The game (all games, really) is a timesink. If you could just get everything at once and hit max level with all the kingdom rebuilt in a short time it would be an incredibly boring and unfulfilling experience.
The one thing It doesn't give you is a lot of eye-candy in the form of seeing the kingdom grow - maybe it does later on and I just haven't gotten that far yet (level 15). Part of that is not having just one screen for your 'kingdom' - you've got different villages and areas and the castle to look after.
The HOS are the heart of the game though, along with the puzzle minigames here and there. The 'quests' are pretty basic variations on the 'bring me stuff' theme, with a couple 'take me here' thrown in every now and then.
Bottom line is it's a fun diversion. No evil doctors, warlocks, psychotic killers, or even dysfunctional family members. Just you, rebuilding a kingdom one step at a time. Three and a half stars rounded up to four because it's better than just OK.
I recommend this game!
Help Christine explore the spooky Ashburg Asylum and find her missing grandfather in this dark Hidden Object game!
Overall rating
4
/
5
4 of 4 found this review helpful
Insane Asylum done right!
PostedJuly 25, 2014
mouser9169
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Strategy, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This review is based on a complete playthrough of the game.
Ok, we've seen tons of games set in or around an insane asylum. This ones switches things up a bit and has us starting on the outside and working our way in. As a bonus we get collectibles (in a SE!) in the form of tapes you can listen to as the game progresses. Very reminiscent of the malkavian manor in that old vampire game or the video clips of Dire Grove. If you missed a tape, you could go back after you finished the game and find it without having to start over.
It took me six hours to play through it all, taking the time to try and find all the objects in the HOS and watching all the cutscenes. Great length for a SE game.
Now to the game:
THE GOOD: It's got a wonderfully creepy atmosphere. Not over the top gory (though there is a pop anatomy quiz), but just enough to keep you on edge. Things moving when you click on them and brief cutscenes really add to the atmosphere. The music is top notch as well. Perfect ambience without getting too repetitive (ok, maybe a bit at the end).
The HOS were some of the best I've ever seen, at least for the first half of the game: neat, uncluttered, and looking how a scene might actually look. Stuff was still hidden, and I really wanted to try to find the stuff, rather than click all over for the big things then see what's left.
The Hint inside the HOS let you pick which object you want it to show you, which I thought was a nice touch I wish other developers would pick up on. Outside HOS, the hint gave prose instructions.
Your journal was split up into sections, with one that recorded 'clues' so you didn't have to write down numbers or picture patterns yourself every time you found them. It had the standard 'journal', a task list, and the map that showed areas with 'goals' to complete.
The voice acting was superb. Visually, the characters weren't too lifelike, but with the great voices you hardly noticed. The character were drawn in a way that fit the surroundings.
THE BAD: No difficulty levels - you're stuck with glints and sparkles.
Character development could have gone a lot deeper. There weren't any twists or turns with hidden agendas or motives.
About halfway through the game the HOS started to become more and more cluttered until they became the junkpiles we see far too often.
THE UGLY: Without giving away any spoilers, at one point you'll start picking up and adding things to your inventory that no sane person would carry with them: crowbars and flashlights? Sure, they have a purpose. Not these things.
I had them all and used them as soon as I was able. The hint system didn't update so I was stuck with that on my task list and 'Go search for <items>' as my only hint for a long time. So my advice is don't pick them all up until after you've figured out what to do with them.
BOTTOM LINE: This is a solid 4 to 4 1/2 star game. One of the best SE's I've come across in a long time. There's even a bit of 'teaser' ending a la Nancy Drew if you find all the tapes.
If the HOS had stayed the same quality that they started out being for the whole game, I'd give this five stars. Unfortunately, they didn't and what was a refreshingly fun part of the game turned into the same old dreary drudgery by the end. Even with that, it's still a great game (even by 2014 standards), and I can give it a full and hearty recommendation.
I recommend this game!
Travel back in time and experience the mysterious life of your grandfather! Explore eerie Victorian locations and find the truth!
Overall rating
2
/
5
2 of 3 found this review helpful
This Vampire Saga has grown long in the tooth
PostedJuly 21, 2014
mouser9169
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle, Strategy
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This review is based on a complete playthrough.
This is the first of the Vampire Saga trilogy, and playing it does help to understand the later games. On to the review:
THE GOOD: The HOS were neat and filled with stuff that could conceivably be in the scene - no ice cream cones floating over tool chests in a toybox.
There weren't many puzzles, but the ones they did have were fairly challenging. There were some easy jigsaw types as well.
The graphics were a dim palette, which suited the game very well. Objects were clear, and the scenes were well drawn.
The story was ok. It was told in true Homeric tradition: start near the end, then go back to the beginning, and finally finish at the climax. It worked, but it's been done so many times there really wasn't any suspense or surprises to it. OTOH, the character development was good enough that I started caring about the main character and one other.
It took me about 4 1/2 hours, so you've got a decent length game on your hands.
THE BAD: No voice overs - strictly written dialog. No map - not that you needed one for most of the game, but about the second half there were enough places you're exploing that a map would have been useful. No difficulty levels - you just play the game. That means sparklies over HOS scenes and a fairly fast hint button.
The hint is nice in the HOS, outside you get the dreaded "Nothing to do here" quite a bit.
The HOS are all straight lists, nothing interactive, and you visit them multiple times (several at least four times). You have a click penalty (though you can keep clicking through it) and there are quite a few ambiguous words: jar vs vase vs bottle, for instance.
THE UGLY: A few misspelled words and translations (protector = fuse). But pretty clean for the most part.
BOTTOM LINE: By itself I wouldn't recommend it. If you want to play the whole trilogy, they'd make some great punch card fillers, especially if you can get them on sale. You do have to be prepared for the age of the game though. This one seems to show it more than the other two.
The main reason for two stars is it just doesn't hold up to all the new choices you have coming out in 2014.
Since this is a review of this as a single game, I can't give it a recommendation. As a trilogy, I give it a cautious one.
I don't recommend this game.
Something unnatural is stalking you through an abandoned town! Escape by gathering useful items and solving clever puzzles!
Overall rating
2
/
5
3 of 5 found this review helpful
Better than the first, but not up to 2014 standards.
PostedJuly 20, 2014
mouser9169
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Strategy, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
This review is based on an (almost) complete playthrough.
First - my game glitched out right before then end, but I'm not sure it's the games fault, my virus scanner has a bad habit of interrupting things, so I watched a video showing the end.
Mechanically, this game is much improved over its predecessor. You have two difficulty levels to choose from, and they can be changed during the game.
Casual: Sparkles and glints, also the words in the HOS turn green the closer you get to the item in the scene.
Expert: No tutorial available, no glints, no sparkles except in the photos (more on that in a bit).
HOS are all non-interactive list types. All are repeated, some at least four times.
I do recommend starting in casual mode and doing the tutorial so you can see and learn the camera/photograph mechanic, then switch to expert after that if you want the challenge.
If I wasn't told this was a sequel to Pandora's Box I probably would never have known. Without giving too much away, remember the vampire chick's threat at the end of Pandora's Box. I think this game is the fulfillment of that promise.
Now the game:
THE GOOD: The photograph mechanic. There is no map, instead you take a photo of every scene you enter: most automatically, some you do manually. These go into a journal where you can see which still have Stuff To Do, and if any have an active HOS (even in expert). The hint button outside of HOS is now directional, though you really shouldn't need it if you use your photo album. You can instantly travel to any scene you have a photo of.
The journal fills in as you find stuff. Not the best writing in the world, but at least it gives you some sense of 'character'.
There is a click penalty of sorts: the cursor moves around erratically, but you can still control it to an extent and keep clicking on stuff, so if you want to just click around the picture and get the big stuff out of the way first, you can still do that.
THE BAD: Length - only about three hours. Not terribly short, but I'm usually a slow player and get a lot more out of these games. The insta-travel everywhere may be a big part of that.
The storyline. Your character starts off with amnesia, and you'll feel like you've got it by the end as you really don't learn anything as the game goes on. The setting was good, and the character was a bit better than last game, there was just no real plot or character development.
Still no voice overs - comic book style 'dialog'/event pages come up every now and then.
No map. Yes, you could 'warp' anywhere via the photo's, but this only led to an even more disjointed feeling about everything. There was never a need to walk from place to place, so you never got a real feel for how the city/town was laid out or where you were actually going.
THE UGLY: Obvious black bar lines: "This is a refrigerator!", "This is a door!"
BOTTOM LINE: In some ways this is a better game than Pandora's Box, but in other ways it's weaker. In any rate, it doesn't hold a candle to even the middling games coming out today. Could be a good punch card filler, or if it comes up as a DD, but really, I can't recommend it in 2014 with all the other better games out there now to play.
I don't recommend this game.