siladan's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.8
- Helpful Votes:605
- Reviews Submitted:34
- First Review:September 7, 2012
- Most Recent Review:January 16, 2018
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Help Sam rescue his love Anna in Brink of Consciousness: Dorian Gray Syndrome, an incredible Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure game!
Overall rating
2
/
5
3 of 4 found this review helpful
Excellent Game Hampered by Excessive Backtracking and Poor Map/Hints
PostedOctober 24, 2014
siladan
fromthe desert Southwest
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Card & Board, Mahjong
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This game could have been such an excellent game. Everything was there to make it so: a great storyline, good plot twists, an evil villain who is truly frightening, creepy music and sound effects, puzzles and HOs that are equally balanced and not too frustrating.
Why the low rating? Unfortunately, this game is crippled by excessive backtracking. There is a grossly inadequate hint system which says "there is nothing to do here" instead of pointing you in the right direction... and you need to be pointed, as the map is a three page contraption with no interaction and a confusing maze of rooms and outdoor locations.
I slogged through three hours of wandering around, trying to find out where to go, totally frustrated at times. I used the walk through quite a bit, but it was also hampered by vague directions (as in, "go to the bathroom" which was on another level completely and had to be accessed by doglegging onto a balcony and beyond). I finally gave up after going into the elevator to go outside to get to the garden to get to the mermaid, only to realize that I had to access the other outside exit, which was located on another floor, which was another riddled maze to get through.
I suddenly realized I could care less, which was a pity, as I would have enjoyed this otherwise excellent game. I quit 3/4 of the way through, and I have no regrets other than I wasted money and time on what was, for me, a flawed game.
I don't recommend this game.
Every second counts in this breathtaking paranormal adventure!
Overall rating
5
/
5
112 of 122 found this review helpful
I Don't Buy CEs, But I Bought This One
PostedOctober 16, 2014
siladan
fromthe desert Southwest
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Card & Board, Mahjong
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I have 3 CEs out of several hundred games that I have purchased on this site and others, and this is one of the three. The other two CE games made me CE resistant, as I care so little for wallpapers, soundtracks, collectibles and other bling that I avoid them like the plague. Even with games I adore, I wait for the SE to come out.
I just couldn't resist with this one. I knew from the moment that I hit 'play' on the demo, this was The One, the game I've been waiting for. I didn't want to miss one minute, not one scene or extra bit of game play that this game had to offer. As a hard-core gamer (MMORGPs, FPSs, Otomes, open world/sandbox, etc.) who occasionally forays into the realm of casual gaming, I had been wishing and hoping for something that would bridge the gulf between the two worlds. I wanted something a little more sophisticated than the run-of-the mill HOGs that feature so predominately in the casual gaming scene. Paranormal Pursuit is the closest to fulfilling my wishes to date.
I suspect any low ratings are from traditionalists who prefer their HOs cut and dried, with junk piles and very little story-line or cinematics. Or perhaps they come from those who love all the bling that bogs down the game for me. Perhaps low ratings come from puzzle enthusiasts who love a good brain drain. I get it and I respect that. We all have our preferences. But for a story junkie, like me, everything in this game was ten stars. I experienced no glitches, hiccups, or problems. Everything from the installation to the closing credits ran smoothly and without a flaw. It was immersive, adventurous, and creative. I loved every minute.
Fortunately, this game is not over burdened with useless HOs, silly puzzles, morphing nonsense, and other sad contrivances. In this, is feels more like the harder-core adventure/rpg gaming that I'm used to. All of the actions, objects, and puzzles go together, and while not hard, they make a seamless story that makes sense. Even the collectible coins were not a hindrance. I just ignored them.
Plus, I loved having Kevin and Hunter with me. As an online gamer-girl, it felt good to have a companion and to not be alone.
I'll admit, this game is not for everyone, but for someone like me, who wants a little something fresh and different, it is The One.
I recommend this game!
Without warning, a group of mysterious figures arrives and reduces your village to flames and rubble. What do they want... and who is controlling them?
Overall rating
5
/
5
4 of 6 found this review helpful
Five Stars? Nay, Eight! Huzzah!!!
PostedOctober 6, 2014
siladan
fromthe desert Southwest
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Match 3
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I've loved dragons ever since I read Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern books and I would love to see a series of games based on them (hint, hint). But since that doesn't seem to be happening, this game feeds my dragon-love very well. One star for dragons!
Others have expounded on the storyline and have done a much better job than I could, so I am going to concentrate on the game play, especially the puzzles. I am not a puzzle enthusiast, and I usually skip any and all puzzles that come my way. Not so, with this one. One star for puzzles that I actually liked!
Mad Head has made puzzles fun and interactive, whether balancing on a beam or sword fighting. Plus, the puzzles fit the action happening in the story and are not just some random "click and swap" for the sake of throwing in a puzzle. A few do take some manual dexterity. Although I am not there (yet), I can imagine this might challenge older players. Mad Head makes them easy to skip, though. I set my puzzle skip time to the shortest possible (15 sec), since I fully expected to skip each and every one (which I didn't have to do). Awesome customization! Mad Head even let me customize my tutorial.
Which brings me to another point: I am so thankful that developers are allowing custom settings in their games, as they realize that every player is different in the way they like to play. Another star for customization!
Since this was already a five star game, the additional stars make this an eight star game for me. Thanks, Mad Head and Big Fish. Now, about those Dragonriders of Pern.......
I recommend this game!
You're called to a health spa in the Alps, where an evil professor has something terrible in mind for his unwitting patients.
Overall rating
5
/
5
7 of 7 found this review helpful
Freaky Fun Invasion!!!
PostedJanuary 10, 2014
siladan
fromthe desert Southwest
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3
Current Favorite:
Fall of the New Age
(56)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I'm a fan of the entire Agency of Anomalies series. They just keep getting better and better and Mind Invasion is the best yet. The HOs are interactive and interesting, and the puzzles are different and challenging. I'm not a big puzzle fan and usually skip the mediocre ones. I only had to skip a few of these.
I have to disagree with the reviewer who said it was an ugly game. Not so. It is a lovely game, both in the graphics and in the mechanics. Even the supposedly "gross" stuff, like a sink full of dirty dishes, was beautifully rendered. Plus, the characters were not nightmarish at all, but more like cartoon images in a fantasy book. Mystic Hospital was an ugly, dark and atmospheric game, but fun, nonetheless. Mind Invasion is gorgeous AND fun!
The only negative I can see is the abrupt ending, which in no way detracted from my overall enjoyment of the game. I didn't play the CE to the end, so I don't know if it ends differently. I wish there was a way to upgrade to the CE without purchasing the whole game, so I could experience the additional gameplay. There is only one other game that I would do that for- Eternal Journey: Mission to Mars.
You owe it to yourself to give this a demo. You may find a new favorite, as I did!
I recommend this game!
Defeat the giant to save the world from destruction!
Overall rating
4
/
5
7 of 7 found this review helpful
Enchanting!
PostedJanuary 6, 2014
siladan
fromthe desert Southwest
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Mahjong
Current Favorite:
Fall of the New Age
(56)Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Don't let the few bad reviews stop you from at least trying the demo of this game. I bought it after playing the first Fairy Tales Mystery (which I loved). This game is a bit different, but different is.... enchanting. From its humble beginnings in a modest cottage to a castle high in the clouds, this game is pure magic as scene after gorgeous scene unfolds.
At one time I felt as though I was in an untold tale of Tolkien, as the otherworldly music and beautiful scenery brought to mind the wonderful elvish world of Lothlorien. I didn't want to move on, but I did and landed in new worlds full of their own wonders with special music to set the mood. Play it with your headphones on; you'll be glad you did.
The gameplay was unique- a different twist on FROGs. I am not a fan of fragmented objects, but this was not bad at all, especially the way it was incorporated into the gameplay. There was only a tiny hiccup in the end, which I eventually figured out and hopefully left a helpful comment for future fishies in the forum in case they also got stuck.
My only complaint? It was short, like its sister game, and I finished them both in one day. However, that could also be due to the fact that I couldn't stop playing (I have a sprained ankle from snow skiing and this is awesome for convalescence!). Hence the 4 star instead of 5 star rating. But I would rather have an amazing short game than a long and tedious one.
Today, I fell under the enchantment of Fairy Tale Mysteries and am waiting spellbound for the next installment in the series!
I recommend this game!
The Brothers Grimm have assigned the task of revealing the truth behind missing children in the town of Arbourshire; it is up to you to discover the secrets of the Fairy Tale Mystery, before it is too late.
Overall rating
4
/
5
4 of 5 found this review helpful
Better Than Expected!!
PostedJanuary 6, 2014
siladan
fromthe desert Southwest
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Card & Board, Mahjong
Current Favorite:
Fall of the New Age
(56)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I always read reviews before I purchase a game, usually going straight to the lowest rating and reading up from there. You get to know the ins and the outs, the good and the bad, the pretty and the ugly of the game. A good reviewer will tell you the basics, but an excellent reviewer always tells you the little something that either kills your interest or spurs it on.
I almost missed this game based on the reviews. I like maps, I want interactive HOs, and I abhor too much back-tracking. Fortunately, some reviewers said the magic words: great story and beautiful graphics. I'm a sucker for both.
Within five minutes of downloading the demo, I was immersed in the game and knew I had to have it. I adored the Grimm brothers occasional visitation, was delighted by the hauntingly beautiful music, thought the voice-overs were first rate, and read each line of the journal (which are usually so boring that I skip them completely). I hate puzzles, but skipped only one, a slider.
The hint system was good- not too much, nor too little. No hand holding, you had to think for yourself a bit. I only had to use it a couple times to find a cleverly hidden object and again to know where to go the one time I got lost. The hint button recharged quickly, which is a plus, and.you can skip the puzzles.
If there's a down side to this game, it's the length. It IS short... too short, really, or I would have given it 5 stars. But I would rather have a short game that I absolutely love and hate for it to end, than a long, tedious drudgery of a game that labors on and on until you're sick of it. I bought it as a DD and I love it, so I don't feel gypped at all.
Try it with headphones... I think you'll be surprised at the difference it makes. A while back, I took a reviewer's advice to use headphones and now I play all my HOPAs this way. It really immerses you in the environment, especially when the music is as compelling as this.
I recommend this game!
Something wicked has taken over Fate’s Carnival!
Overall rating
4
/
5
15 of 24 found this review helpful
Better Than Shadow Lake
PostedNovember 27, 2013
siladan
fromthe desert Southwest
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Match 3
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I am not a fan of the whole MCF series. I tried Huntsville when it first came out and the timer killed the whole game for me. Other games in the series also have this feature and I avoid them like the plague. I play to relax and have fun, not to be rushed and harried.
Fate's Carnival has a great feature in that you can unlock the ability to play a timed game. The timer is not forced on you. This makes it a game that satisfies the purist and those who like a more relaxed mode.
I usually hate puzzles, as most of them are of the lame variety, but I have to confess that I love the wacky, intricate puzzles in this game. None of them are the same, every action has a reaction, and it is fun figuring them out.
As for the rest, it feels like a typical high-end HOPA, with excellent graphics and sound, a good storyline, a great interactive map, and adequate hint system.
Truthfully, it is nothing like the first MCF games, and that's a plus. Gaming has come a long way since Huntsville, Ravenhurst, and the original Madame Fate (TG!). It has just enough nostalgic elements to make old-time fans happy and enough new features to pacify progressives. Fate's Carnival is decidedly better than Shadow Lake and a step in the right direction.
I recommend this game!
As Sara tries to find a miracle cure for her ailing brother, she unravels the dark events of her own past.
Overall rating
5
/
5
10 of 11 found this review helpful
What happens in the lab, stays in the lab... unless it escapes.
PostedNovember 18, 2013
siladan
fromthe desert Southwest
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Match 3
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I loved this game, most notably because it has a serious sci-fi vibe. Being the geek that I am, it was nerdy-girl nirvana to me. TG, not a witch or a demon in sight! Don't get me wrong, I play those, too (D&D and LOTR fan). I'm just tired of them, as it seems we have a glut of them on BF right now. It did have a 'monster' that looked like Uncle Festus' DNA got mixed together with The Hulk's, but it was all in good fun. I didn't even mind the secret agent trying to do me in!
The game play was pretty linear, a little back tracking, but not too much. You are constantly moving forward. Right at the end you had to go to the beginning, but you knew what you were looking for. The storyline was awesome: radioactive experiments gone wrong, big corporations out for the $$, young girl seeking a cure for her brother, a repentant father... need I say more? The scenes were creepy, the voice over was not too irritating, the music was appropriate.
I am not a puzzle geek, but they weren't too bad. I only skipped about half of them and completed those that I had not seen before. A cool thing for all you HOs haters- after a short bit, the HOs could be skipped, like a puzzle. I love HOs, though, and these were great. Both puzzles and HOs were incorporated into the story, so the random stuff was at a minimum.
All in all, this was a great game. I love this genre and wish there were more like it. It goes into my top three all time favs: 1) Eternal Journey: New Atlantis. 2) MCF: 13th Skull 3)Greed: The Mad Scientist.
Now developers, can we get a Klingon or two? Maybe even a real starship? Space battles, alien cantina, galactic love story? Tribbles? Heck, I would even go for a haunted space station with a demon/witch/alien that looks like Chewbacca.... just sayin'....
I recommend this game!
Darkness has engulfed Grimville! Use your cunning and wits to unravel the evil intrigues and save the town!
Overall rating
4
/
5
3 of 4 found this review helpful
Quirky Fun, But Not For Everyone
PostedNovember 18, 2013
siladan
fromthe desert Southwest
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Match 3
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
**Based on the demo, but I like it enough to purchase!**
I know that some people are going to dislike this game, but I think it's fun in an offbeat and quirky way. It requires the use of brainpower. Nothing is completely laid out for you. You must use the little gray cells to figure out who to talk to and what to do next. The hint button refills within a moderate amount of time and gives just enough info to keep you going in the right direction, but does not 'play' the game for you.
The artwork is simplistic. I liked it, as I'm weary of sensory bombardment, but I am sure there will be many who won't. The music is a bit boring, but lower the volume or use your mute button if it bothers you. There are no VOs, so you won't miss anything without the sound.
The puzzles are not too hard and are different from the norm: crank the well by keeping a bouncing bucket within the circle, arrange suitcases from a moving conveyor to the appropriate cubbies, etc. They keep to the story, which is always a good thing, and are not just random puzzles thrown here and there. A few too many for my taste, but they are skippable.
There are plenty of HOs for those of us who love them and they correspond to the task: finding a rope or lantern at the blacksmith, for example. My only gripe- there are times when you have many of the listed objects in a scene and only a few of them are clickable. For example: 3 stars were listed for you to find, yet there was a ceiling full of stars that were not part of the action. Another time, you are looking for a brick, but the furnace is made of bricks. You have to find the one single brick. Not a game killer, but certainly an annoyance.
By the way, you return to various sites again and again, so if backtracking is a game ender for you, then you may not like this one. For some reason, it didn't bother me this time.
Grimville is a fun game for those times when you want something relaxing that requires you to think a little but not a lot. I recommend that you try before you buy, since it most certainly will not be for everyone. It will require too much thinking for some and too little for others.
I recommend this game!
Only Amy, the 13th zodiac sign, can free the zodiac children's souls from the Dark Lord.
Overall rating
4
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Zodiac Zinger!
PostedNovember 16, 2013
siladan
fromthe desert Southwest
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Match 3
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I bought this game as a Daily Deal and I'm glad I did. I played the demo first, as some of the reviews were positive and some were negative. Some thought the scenes were cartoonish, but I found them to be more high fantasy. Search for fantasy art and you will see what I mean. This is not a mainstream art form, but I think it's beautiful in its own way. Another complaint was the inability to turn off the music. Have they considered using the mute on their computer? Most, if not all, computer speakers have that option. As for me, I was able to turn the sound down with no problem.
In my opinion, the storyline is the only weak link. It seems that we have done this before, with slight variations. We are sent to another world to free others from the spell of an evil entity. We charge a medallion with the elementals of the of the zodiac: air, water, earth, and fire. This did not take away from my enjoyment, however. The scenery was so lovely that I didn't mind the sameness of the story.
I am not a huge puzzle fan, but I actually enjoyed a few of these as they were different. I only skipped those that were not unique- spin circles to match, swap gems, etc. The HO scenes were beautiful and clear, no big junk piles or hidden fragments.
All in all, this is a little gem and I highly recommend it for several hours of fun.
I recommend this game!