knucklebones's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.3
- Helpful Votes:144
- Reviews Submitted:29
- First Review:May 17, 2013
- Most Recent Review:March 4, 2018
- Featured reviews0
Help your little sister get a second chance this Christmas after she gets on the naughty list.
Overall rating
2
/
5
6 of 7 found this review helpful
Where's the magic in The Magi?
PostedMarch 4, 2018
knucklebones
fromLondon
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
I've loved all of the Christmas Stories, but this one descended very rapidly into a back and forth, Find an item... Trot to another location...Use the item...Find another item...Trot to somewhere else. Very simple problem-solving, and simple puzzles too. It became extremely tedious very quickly, with no connection with Christmas other than that everything's frozen, and Jack Frost pops up at some point. Sorry, but I was expecting at least a vague connection with both the joys and celebrations of Christmas and with the real Gift of the Magi.
I don't recommend this game.
Embark on an exciting expedition to crack the intriguing puzzles of the past, while developing new lands for the kingdom!
Overall rating
2
/
5
14 of 14 found this review helpful
Enough with the Dovecotes and Sad Leprechauns, already!
PostedJune 24, 2014
knucklebones
fromLondon
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Strategy, Time Management, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Royal Envoy: Campaign for the Crown Collector's Edition
(77)Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
BASED ON COMPLETED CE GAME
I'd thoroughly enjoyed all of the previous Royal Envoy Collector's Editions and play them often - particularly 'Campaign for the Crown' (CFTC) with its wonderfully imaginative and strategic gameplay. Unfortunately I really disliked this latest addition to the series. There's way too much emphasis on achieving 'Happiness' for the hundreds of Sad Leprechauns sitting around all over the place, and on building multiple Dovecotes at the expense of everything else. Gameplay is essentially a reworking of the best bits from RE 2 and CFTC, so if you haven't played them I'd recommend buying either of those instead.
Apologies to fishies for such a long review, but if the developers ever get to read this I'd like them to know why I didn't enjoy this game and don't recommend it.
1. The good things:
- Being able to 'swipe' across the screen to pick up resources and gold, rather than having to click on them individually. This was first introduced in CFTC and makes a very welcome return here;
- 112 levels, of which 32 are in the Bonus section of the Collector's Edition. As usual the Playrix developers are generous with their content, and I certainly can't complain about the length of any of it;
- You can continue on to the Bonus levels in this Collector's Edition even if you've not achieved complete glory in the main game;
- The wonderful Rabbit Holes from CFTC are back! I love the challenge of remembering where all my workers are, and whether I've left some of them stuck over on another floating island in the sky;
- The darkness and lanterns, and the fog, druids and obelisks from CFTC also make a very welcome return, although I wasn't best pleased to discover that the fog was usually hiding yet another squad of depressed Leprechauns;
- A comprehensive Walkthrough of both the main game and bonus, which can be found in 'Extras' on the main menu. Very useful if you want to achieve 3-star ratings on every level. It keeps up with your progress, in that you can't peek ahead to future islands;
- The 'Relaxed' mode, which still runs the timer but allows you to continue playing the level once the time's up.
- Being able to 'swipe' across the screen to pick up resources and gold, rather than having to click on them individually. This was first introduced in CFTC and makes a very welcome return here;
- 112 levels, of which 32 are in the Bonus section of the Collector's Edition. As usual the Playrix developers are generous with their content, and I certainly can't complain about the length of any of it;
- You can continue on to the Bonus levels in this Collector's Edition even if you've not achieved complete glory in the main game;
- The wonderful Rabbit Holes from CFTC are back! I love the challenge of remembering where all my workers are, and whether I've left some of them stuck over on another floating island in the sky;
- The darkness and lanterns, and the fog, druids and obelisks from CFTC also make a very welcome return, although I wasn't best pleased to discover that the fog was usually hiding yet another squad of depressed Leprechauns;
- A comprehensive Walkthrough of both the main game and bonus, which can be found in 'Extras' on the main menu. Very useful if you want to achieve 3-star ratings on every level. It keeps up with your progress, in that you can't peek ahead to future islands;
- The 'Relaxed' mode, which still runs the timer but allows you to continue playing the level once the time's up.
2. The middling things:
- There's hardly any Tutorial at all, other than being shown how to build a cabin and hire a worker at the castle. If someone's not played a previous Royal Envoy I suspect some might be floundering pretty quickly;
- Many of the levels look very similar to CFTC, though the strategy here is very different (the emphasis on 'Happiness' looms large from early on...);
- The workers are still too talkative for me and I wish the devs had changed the 'Desert jazz' and 'Arctic screech' music from CFTC to something less irritating. But at least I know when those soundtracks are coming and can cut the sound for those levels;
- No finale to the game if you've failed to achieve a 3-star rating on each and every level. I gave up on some of them, so after I'd completed the final bonus island there was no denouement. Presumably I'm stuck in limbo until I can summon up the enthusiasm to produce a completely stellar performance;
- The complete lack of any storyline! I know CFTC went overboard with a terrible mock-political overly-chatty plot, but something's needed to glue the whole game together and keep your interest up. After the opening scene where new lands are discovered there are no more little dramas. You simply finish the levels on one island and immediately sail on to the next. I felt rather cheated out of Cedric's humourous interventions and of any feeling of involvement in a story.
- There's hardly any Tutorial at all, other than being shown how to build a cabin and hire a worker at the castle. If someone's not played a previous Royal Envoy I suspect some might be floundering pretty quickly;
- Many of the levels look very similar to CFTC, though the strategy here is very different (the emphasis on 'Happiness' looms large from early on...);
- The workers are still too talkative for me and I wish the devs had changed the 'Desert jazz' and 'Arctic screech' music from CFTC to something less irritating. But at least I know when those soundtracks are coming and can cut the sound for those levels;
- No finale to the game if you've failed to achieve a 3-star rating on each and every level. I gave up on some of them, so after I'd completed the final bonus island there was no denouement. Presumably I'm stuck in limbo until I can summon up the enthusiasm to produce a completely stellar performance;
- The complete lack of any storyline! I know CFTC went overboard with a terrible mock-political overly-chatty plot, but something's needed to glue the whole game together and keep your interest up. After the opening scene where new lands are discovered there are no more little dramas. You simply finish the levels on one island and immediately sail on to the next. I felt rather cheated out of Cedric's humourous interventions and of any feeling of involvement in a story.
3. The bad things:
- Way too much emphasis on achieving high levels of 'Happiness' at the expense of any other strategy. I can understand that the devs want to distance their Royal Envoy games from the 'build fast and build big' scenarios of 'Build-a-Lot' and the like. But after the umpteenth Sad Leprechaun sat around waiting to be cheered up by me building yet another Dovecote, I realised that I simply wasn't enjoying myself.
- What's the point (and where's the fun) in being able to build fancy and expensive chalets if the only way to achieve 3-stars is to always build meagre little cabins? I got very fed up at constantly failing to make the grade, consulting the Walkthrough, and realising that - yet again - I should have built cabins plus three Dovecotes...
- What's the point (and where's the fun) in being able to build fancy and expensive chalets if the only way to achieve 3-stars is to always build meagre little cabins? I got very fed up at constantly failing to make the grade, consulting the Walkthrough, and realising that - yet again - I should have built cabins plus three Dovecotes...
All in all, it's unlikely I'll play Royal Envoy 3 again and reluctantly can't recommend it. Instead I'll return to the three previous Royal Envoy games with the chatty Cedric and his mate Tippy, their strategic challenges, and the imaginative and amusing scenarios that made the earlier games so much fun to play.
I don't recommend this game.
Help Nostradamus`s daughter lift a deadly curse from a powerful family.
Overall rating
3
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Nauseous as well as frustrating
PostedJune 11, 2014
knucklebones
fromLondon
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Strategy, Time Management, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I'm no good with 360 degree camera movement - it makes me giddy and sick. So I didn't last long given the navigation on this game.
Also, as others have said, it's a tough adventure challenge right from the start. After an initial talk with Nostradamus, I wandered endlessly around the house trying to find anything to get me started. It was frustrating and ultimately maddening. I eventually found a walkthrough that got me started, but I didn't like having to refer to it all the time just to get through the game.
The in-game navigation is a bit puzzling too - if I remember you have to press ESC to access the menu and inventory items. Even though I've a one-year old Windows 8.1 widescreen laptop with a decent spec, my graphics card had problems with the game, particularly severe flickering during the dev's logo sequences.
All in all, I was left feeling that I was banging my giddy head against a brick wall. I'm sure it's a great game for experienced Adventure players but, sorry, not for me.
I recommend this game!
The mysterious League of Light has chosen you as their newest member. Are you up to your first assignment?
Overall rating
2
/
5
10 of 13 found this review helpful
A dull adventure
PostedJune 11, 2014
knucklebones
fromLondon
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Strategy, Time Management, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Set in the snowy Middle Ages, with a winged demon as your adversary, this could have been a thrilling and adventurous game. But I found it unchallenging, mediocre and ultimately boring. I finished it, but only because I kept hoping it would improve. It didn't.
With the help of introductory cut-scenes you're quickly into the adventure of rescuing a damsel in distress who's been abducted by the demon into his hilltop castle. My main problem with this game was that it was a 'threatening' scenario presented in such an unthreatening way that I felt vaguely cheated. I definitely felt cheated at the end because there was no showdown with the demon. Perhaps that comes in the Collector's Edition, but I'm not going to waste my money to find out.
The Hidden Object scenes are either silhouette or lists, and the puzzles are simple. I didn't use any hints as gameplay is very easy.
I'm afraid I can't recommend this game as there are much better ones out there.
I don't recommend this game.
Namariel Legends: Iron Lord
Escape prison, defeat an army of mechanical soldiers and destroy the Iron Lord’s dark power!
Overall rating
5
/
5
4 of 4 found this review helpful
What a blast!
PostedJune 8, 2014
knucklebones
fromLondon
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Large File, Strategy, Time Management, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I didn't know what to expect when I launched this game - particularly given its rather brutal title - but once started I was so entertained I couldn't stop playing it until I got to the end.
Inventive, imaginative, intriguing - everything an adventure game should be. And, from what I remember, not a single Hidden Object scene. This game should definitely be reclassifed into the 'Adventure' category. It wasn't particularly difficult - just think logically through each challenge and it all made sense - but it was a blast to play. Terrific entertainment and worth every penny.
I recommend this game!
Help solve an ancient mystery as you discover and capture Edgar Allan Poe`s murderer! Collect clues and crack the conspiracy!
Overall rating
3
/
5
4 of 4 found this review helpful
The bare Hidden Object bones of the later excellent games
PostedJune 8, 2014
knucklebones
fromLondon
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Large File, Strategy, Time Management, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I'm a big fan of the 'Midnight Mysteries' series but I didn't care for this, the first game in the series. It's a straight Hidden Object game (HOG) without any of the elaborate and highly entertaining spectral adventuring of its successors. The core idea of playing as a spiritual investigator into past crimes is here, as is the great sense of time and place, but the handling's quite different.
Hidden Object scenes (HOS) come one after another, with only bits of story and a few puzzles glueing them together. The storyline's constructed around Poe's short stories which feature Detective Dupin in 1840's Paris, and most scenes includes characters from the stories very briefly contributing their bits of evidence. HOSs are exceptionally well-drawn, crisp but very small, in crowded but uncluttered scenes.
The game shows its age as it can't run in widescreen on my Windows 8.1 pc. There are few interactive elements so it feels like a static game compared to its successors. Too much wrong-clicking is penalized by swapping the beautiful 'hint raven' for an equally beautiful but rather battered and angry one-eyed cat. I so enjoyed the company of these characters that I happily mis-clicked throughout! (Fortunately mis-clicking is allowed in the subsequent games when playing in 'Easy' mode.)
This game's interesting for seeing the bare bones of what this series would become, but it's really only for HOG lovers. I found some items so irritatingly small that I didn't manage to finish more than a third of the game despite wanting to follow the story. I'll give this 3 stars as it's beautifully drawn and would be a good challenge for HOG enthusiasts (especially for those with a normal-sized screen!), but it wasn't up my alley at all.
I recommend this game!
One night the ghost of President Lincoln appears, asking for your help. Can you find the hidden Confederate treasure?
Overall rating
3
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Dumbing-down in Missouri
PostedJune 8, 2014
knucklebones
fromLondon
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Large File, Strategy, Time Management, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
A fairly entertaining game but nowhere near as moving or challenging as the three previous Midnight Mysteries ('Salem Witch Trials', 'Devil on the Mississippi' and 'Houdini DeLuxe'). All in all it's a disappointingly dumbed-down release.
The storyline of Lincoln versus the Knights of the Golden Circle (a real-life secret society) is a strong one but there are a lot less ghosts than usual and most are limited to brief walk-on roles. Essentially it's just you and Abe hunting down the the secret society and their stolen treasure. Jesse James was alleged to have been a member of the KGC and he takes the starring role of the Dead Bad Guy. The principal ghosts now come equipped with top-notch voice-overs, though perversely I think this rather weakens the eerie quality of the game. Music and sound effects are excellent throughout. As always with MM tales, the game makes much more sense if you can spend a few minutes on the web exploring the links between the various characters in the story.
There aren't many Hidden Object scenes in the game, and they're a bit duller and more junk-piley than before. Except for a couple of glaring mistakes (a teabag on a string in 1860's Missouri, for goodness sake) they retain the series' fine tradition of using historically-correct objects. Some items are small and/or hard to identify but not a pain to find, though I couldn't differentiate between the dark blue and black writing used in the item lists. Thankfully there's no penalty for mis-clicking! Alas there's no more joining-together of found items to create a useful tool - a shame, since that used to be a fun and creative thing to do.
There are three modes of play, which you can’t change mid-game. I played on 'Easy'. After the opening spate of adventuring in the White House, puzzles and gameplay generally become very simple with some puzzles so shockingly trivial that I felt insulted (eg match pairs of vegetables or splinters of glass). The puzzles seem to have lost their quirky and inventive humour too. Gameplay takes place in many different time periods and locations so there's a lot of time-travelling which is handled effectively.
The Bonus Chapter is a stand-alone follow-up to the main game featuring the well-realised ghost of Jesse James. It has one new location plus revisiting of previous scenes. It took me about an hour to play this Bonus segment. Can't comment on the accuracy of the integrated Strategy Guide as I didn't need to refer to it, but it didn't keep up with my progress. Other extras are very sparse: only 2 screensavers and 2 wallpapers plus an Achievements Wall.
The game's stingy with ravens to top up your hints and most of them are found in the later stages. The game's so simple that I didn't need to use any, but I used to love collecting them and seeing the beautiful Hint Raven flutter on its perch, so I'm rather sad at how few there are. There's a map of sorts which shows the accessible areas in the immediate vicinity; it has no jump function but there's no need for one.
My biggest disappointment with this release (besides the simplistic gameplay) is the relative sparsity of chatty ghosts. The previous games had an abundance of historical characters telling their tales. They made me stop and think about the personal tragedies which haunted them as well as the real-life and supernatural connections between them, and interested me enough to read further after the game was over. But 'Witches of Abraham' is a lightweight political and wild west adventure with little of the series' usual emotional depth and spiritual undertones.
At the end of the Bonus there's a brief trailer for the next Midnight Mystery, based on a Charles Dickens' novel, which looks interesting. But I hope they ramp up the emotional and intelligence factors next time to bring this series back to its previously excellent (after)life.
I recommend this game!
Discover a small village of fairy creatures and embark on a fascinating adventure! Help the inhabitants to restore their world!
Overall rating
3
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Beautiful but with real-time gameplay
PostedJune 8, 2014
knucklebones
fromLondon
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Large File, Strategy, Time Management, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
The graphics in this game are stunning, if rather dark. The faeries remind me strongly of characters in the famous 'Flower Fairies' books by Cicely Mary Barker which were published from the 1920s onwards.
It came as a shock, however, that the gameplay was in real time, so that the faeries kept doing their thing while I was absent. I dislike the feeling of being obliged to devote my time to fostering the characters in a particular game, so I'm afraid it wasn't long before I left them to it, down in the dark and leafy autumn woods.
I recommend you try this out before buying. It may well be your bag. Certainly it's very beautiful-looking - but also quite slow.
I recommend this game!
Watch Charles Dickens` masterpiece, A Christmas Carol, unfold as you play this unique and challenging puzzle game.
Overall rating
3
/
5
5 of 5 found this review helpful
Not for Match-3 beginners like me
PostedJune 8, 2014
knucklebones
fromLondon
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Large File, Strategy, Time Management, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I fancied a seasonal game and so gave this one a go. It's got unusual and entertaining gameplay as you connect matching Christmas-themed symbols in any direction (up, down, across, diagonal) so long as they're touching. So it's a great game for Match-3 enthusiasts who'll doubtless enjoy this variation.
The storyline follows Dickens' famous short novel 'A Christmas Carol', so as you progress you see another short scene from the story. The graphics are deliberately cartoony, colourful and unthreatening. There are no voice-overs or anything sophisticated like that: it's basically a rather dated-looking cartoon-style story with 'Linked' Match-3 at very frequent intervals. The happy music that plays endlessly during the Match-3 games seemed fine to start with, though I found it got pretty tiresome after a few minutes.
I liked the gameplay a lot, but alas I'm a beginner at Match-3 and I found the timer on each game became quite challenging very early on. You simply must beat the timer to progress onto the next scene in the story. Also, you're given a certain amount of 'lives' and if you keep failing to beat the timer and lose all your lives then you have to go back to the very beginning of the story and start all over again. Despite trying my utmost over and over again, I never made it past the early rounds, and didn't even get to see the First Ghost! Sorry, but life's too short for me to persevere with this one.
I can heartily recommend it to Match-3 enthusiasts who can skip merrily through the game, but if you're new to the genre you'd be better off looking elsewhere first.
I recommend this game!
Help Jim find Long John Silver's hidden treasure! Avoid dangerous traps set by the legendary pirate, and discover awesome riches!
Overall rating
2
/
5
8 of 10 found this review helpful
Pass the sick bag, someone!
PostedJune 8, 2014
knucklebones
fromLondon
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Large File, Strategy, Time Management, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Like a fool, I didn't trial this before buying. Within 2 minutes I was feeling immensely seasick because of the game's navigation. Everything is seen through Jim Hawkin's eyes so, as you move around, the scene shifts. Look up, look down.. look for the sick bag.. I'm afraid I got no further than finding a cave on the beach, before I abandoned Treasure Island to await a more plucky adventurer. You've been warned: trial this first and make certain you can get on with the navigation. Given others' reviews, the game's probably fine if rather dated, but I can't recommend it for those who get giddy easily.
I don't recommend this game.