I rarely buy CE editions, but I'm doing it for this one because I simply do not want to stop playing! I get bored easily with some of the fluffy fairytales with no "drive" to the story or depth to the characters #e.g., like some of Boomzap's previous games#, but I feel like this is one of the exceptions. Yes, it is absolutely a fairytale, but it is very much about the story and not too silly.
What made me decide to purchase it when I rarely purchase CEs?: 1# The devs do a good job of drawing you into the story and making you care about the outcome; it feels more personal than the average HOPA, which is important to me. 2) Attention to DETAIL! For example, I tried using a screwdriver in instances where I was unsure if it might work, and instead of just saying "that didn't work", it would say things like "no, it will break if I try to pry it out with a screwdriver" or something else that indicates that they foresaw that you might try that #which for some reason makes me feel less stupid about trying it, haha#. 3) They don't hand-feed everything!!! Without making it overly difficult, the game also has nicely SUBTLE HINTS. For instance, when speaking with someone, it won't necessarily be obvious that you should "bring them something" like most HOPA games. I have to think about what might please them or influence them to help me. In some cases, you won't realize it until you find whatever it is - then it hits you - "Oh, I bet they would like this!" This makes the gameplay feel so much more interactive and realistic, like you actually came up with the idea yourself. :) It's a very nice touch that is much-appreciated by those of us who prefer less hand-holding #without wanting excessive frustration#.
You can tell that the DEVs put a lot more work and thought into this than some of the "bigger name" DEVs who produce more games but with less attention to detail, or - importantly - respect for your powers of deduction.
I will admit, I expect a lot from these developers. If anything, my standards can be overly high when I trial a new release by a developer that has impressed me in the past (e.g., I liked but didn't love Nightmares from the Deep: Siren's Call because I feel that the storyline paled in comparison to the original Cursed Heart's story#. Artifex Mundi has outdone itself this time, though.
THE BEST: -Riveting STORYLINE with a very strong ADVENTURE theme. You'll be sucked in right away! You don't know the whole backstory right from the get-go, but that's part of the suspense! In addition, there are a couple of unexpected twists and turns in the plot to keep you guessing. :# -INTERACTIVITY - So, one of my personal annoyances in games is that somehow, my character is the ONLY one that is capable of doing anything. In this game, the interaction is much more realistic; you cooperatively do things with other people at times, and other people are busy trying to help in some other way - not standing around like idiots as though you're the only one who can problem-solve. Awesome, awesome gameplay choice there...better than I've seen in any game yet! -AUDIO - there is a beautiful and balanced mix of music and ambient sounds, which are often blended together or transition so seamlessly that you don't notice it, but it creates the perfect atmosphere for the game. This kept the music from being too repetitive without having looonnng stretches of almost nothing but silence #ahem, "pachiderm" devs! Are you listening?# -VISUALS are rich, colorful crisp - just gorgeous! -MINI-GAMES - really fun, detailed, not overly hard, and work smooth as butter with no glitches! I really, really ejoyed the mini-games/puzzles in this game! -HOPs - not an over-abundance of them, and those that are present are interesting and interactive. -GAMEPLAY - overall just great. Nonlinear enough without being frustrating. I played on Hardcore and really liked that I still had the option of a hint and skip, just slower-charging, while still being given the higher level of challenge that I prefer. -Your helper - One of the most well-animated #and adorable# animal helpers #tabby kitten!# I've had - plus, it doesn't walk or talk like a human, which I appreciated! BUT if the inclusion of a cute animal helper makes you panic, don't! The game isn't cutesy overall. I really think that you'll like this, whether you are a man or woman, or an animal-lover or not. I feel like it's got something for everyone.
THE OKAY: - VOICEOVERS - Alright, the voiceovers were fine...decent enough..but just not the best that I've seen #talking about the main character's voice primarily here - the rest were better, I feel#. I've gotta have something to criticize, right? To be fair...the main character voiceovers in Artifex Mundi games I've played before have been pretty bad, probably the weakest part of the game in my opinion, so this is a comparative improvement over those. But, it's not that distracting really - I just used to be in drama and am kinda nitpicky about it. :#
CE OR SE? - Ok, I haven't played the bonus game yet. I just couldn't wait to write a review. I'm sorry, I'm sorry! But let me tell you this - I had fully intended to wait to purchase this game until a sale when I started playing it. I have NEVER - no really, NEVER - purchased a CE game for full #gameclub# price. I just couldn't justify it in my own head. I just now purchased Grim Legends: The Forsaken Bride CE for full price. Yep. I just admitted it. It was that good, and I just could not wait. If you refuse to purchase CE formats of games, I'm sure it will be worthwhile to wait for the SE instead of not getting this game at all. But the CE has plenty of extras, multiple different kinds of in-game collectibles, achievements, PLUS 2 bonus games - that's a pretty sweet deal in comparison to most CEs.
FINAL TAKE - I, umm, liked this game. In case you can't tell. :) Get it!
I think I’m giving up on the Grim Tales series because of this installment. Elephant is one of my favorite developers, esp. the Surface series, but this is not. I enjoyed Grim Tales: The Legacy, and I enjoyed this to an extent, but it wasn’t really worth the time it took up. Sorry if I’m in the minority here, but here’s my take:
DISLIKES: -There just was not much of a plot. There just wasn’t any depth. Sadly, I think the premise actually was good…but it was simply lacking depth in execution. - Some of the acting was terrible, and the characters (esp the boy) spoke sooo slowly that I almost gave up on it in the beginning. I somehow felt like I was being patronized in the beginning of the game in terms of my intelligence level! -There were multiple mistakes that I noticed, much more than I normally encounter in games – not just grammatical errors (there were those, too), but errors within the gameplay that were inexcusable and clearly the result of sloppy programming and low quality control. The game is long, so it’s hard to remember all of the specific problems that occurred, but one of them was a glitch that actually prevented me from finishing one of the mini-games – and I love mini-games, so this made me very sad (it was the planet one, BTW; I know that other players had this problem too). -Almost all of the game was silent (e.g. no music). I know that Elephant tends to be sparse on music, but even the ambient sound effects were sparse, and the music was even sparser than normal. And no, the incessant, loud, and highly annoying clock-ticking that seemed to be present for about half of the game does NOT count as ambience. It was so loud and constant – and really obvious since there was no music and most of the scenes were silent – that it ended up feeling like water-torture.
LIKES: -Fluffy the cat as your helper, although the Fluffy you meet and that is in your inventory looks *completely* different than the Fluffy that you see interacting with a scene when you ask him to. Quite noticeable and distracting. So even something I liked (and that’s only because I like cats) was done sloppily. -The HOS, oddly enough. I didn’t love them, mainly because I like but don’t love HOS and prefer them to be only in smallish quantities. But Elephant does them well, and I like that they are clear, bright, and easy. -The graphics, for the most part, were very good. As just one example, the sleeping kitten in the laundry basket HOS was very well drawn and just insanely cute (it made me wish we returned to HOS for once!)
BOTTOM LINE: I was going to buy Grim Tales: The Stone Queen, but reviewers said that it isn’t as good as previous installments. If it’s even worse than The Wishes, then I won’t even trial it. That being said, if you have spare punch card coupons, it’s not a terrible option. It just did not live up to my expectations based both on the inflated reviews and my expectations from Elephant.
I thought that this would be too outdated, and I’m not even entirely sure how I stumbled across it since it is not a newer game. That being said, it was one of the more memorable games I’ve played this year (2014). Although you do have to read some, it’s not nearly as much as I got the impression from by reading the reviews (nowhere near as much reading as in, say, Ravenhearst). What really surprised me about this game was that I bought it DESPITE the fact that it had much more HOGs than I prefer. I am not a huge fan of more than just a few HOGs, personally. But the story was so good, I couldn’t put it down. It also is CLEARLY not just a “crank it out” formulaic production like so many that we get from popular developers nowadays. It had heart. It was well thought-out. It was philosophical and beautiful. *NOTE: I did not, like many others here, play the first “Lost in the City”, and that was fine (although perhaps someday I will). Just an FYI in case anyone was worried about having not played the original!
LIKES: -The STORYLINE carried it. I thought this was very original, although it did take me a little while to get into it. I could go on about it, but I would really rather that you see for yourself. I’ve played tons of HOPA games, and this stands out among them despite its age and the fact that I just now discovered it in 2014! -Music was good -Long length -Diary adds depth to the experience; you get to ride the rollercoaster of his experiences and thoughts, going through the all-too-human struggles of change, leaving your comfort zone, acceptance in the face of a loss, and jumping off into the proverbial unknown for the sake of love and life. -Uplifting story despite its stark and often-serious feel, and definitely amusing at times. It’s worth it to find out what happens in the end! -Characters you can like and respect – especially the character you are playing. Most of the time it seems that there isn’t nearly as much thought expressed about the individual character you are playing…they are not really unique or distinguishable from any other character you’ve played, usually. This character has a fierce and selfless love of his partner that is inspiring and admirable, although I wouldn’t say this is a love story. -The cat. No, you don’t need to like cats to like this game, but if you DO like cats, you’ll just like it that much more! I enjoyed that this cat was “realistic” – not walking on hind legs, speaking English, or whatever. Just a sweet little black cat that befriends our character and provides him a sounding board for his thoughts, as well as fulfilling that strongly powerful need for a sentient, warm companion (don’t forget to click on the cat occasionally to see the character’s thoughts and get “feedback” from the cat). The cat waking him (you) up in the morning totally cracked me up…I am very familiar with that particular view he opened his eyes to!
DISLIKES: -The graphics were where you felt the age of this game. Besides not being the best, they also just aren’t always that pretty because you’re in, well, a rundown city. But you get some cool and pretty scenes closer to the end of the game. Somehow, the subpar graphics didn’t detract from the experience for me. I have about a dozen new games that I have played the demos for, purchased, and am waiting to continue…most of them new and popular HOPA games…and this one still was the one I wanted to continue playing first, playing it long into the night (unfortunately for my work schedule the next day!) -I definitely would have preferred fewer HOS, but again…somehow it didn’t bother me as much in this game as it usually does…
BOTTOM LINE: There is something about this game that I cannot put my finger on, as other reviewers have said, that made me like it so much. It’s poignant, thought-provoking, and refreshingly different. But somehow I just can’t properly describe what’s so special about it. You’ll just have to see for yourself!
Boomzap and I had a bit of a rough beginning to our relationship in the form of me playing the first two Awakening games and feeling like my intelligence was being insulted because of the ease of the puzzles. I also wasn't hooked by Awakening's storyline. When I saw the new Botanica: Earthbound ads recently, I was intrigued and looked into getting it, at which point I realized it was a continuation of the previous game (this one#. Then I saw it was Boomzap, and I hesitated. Everyone else seems to love Boomzap, and by all rights I should too because they are more puzzle-heavy and less HOS-heavy - just my style! But I also crave at least some challenge and an engaging storyline, which my previous exposures to this developer did not deliver #for me#. But, as you can tell by my rating, Botanica changed my mind!
This was a refreshingly fun game with awesome music, challenging but totally doable puzzles and HOS #and btw, yes the instructions weren't in your face, but a quick click on the "eye" would give you instructions, at least in the middle hardness level...yes, some of them took some thought, but they were all logical, never random!# I loved the botany kit. This never felt too science-heavy, just fun science-y. Graphics were beaut *except* for the characters. I agree that they were way too cartoonish - particularly the main character #the others were just okay#, but even that didn't detract from it enough to drop my rating because of the good story and creative, engaging gameplay. I thought the events that a couple of people called childish to be really creative and quirky, for the fun-loving in all of us. This is coming from someone who felt that Awakening felt pretty childish. #Sorry for all the comparisons, but it can be a bit unhelpful for me to see everyone saying that this is great "just like all of the others from this developer" when it's a developer I have had mixed experiences with. Obviously that's my personal bent, but I like hearing from people who were unexpectedly won over by a game, too, which is why I'm writing this. :# #
Try the trial. I did, and it was good enough to buy, and I only became more grateful of the decision as I continued, partly because the puzzles increased somewhat in challenge level #in a good way#. Now I'm just trying to force myself to wait at least a few days before getting the next Botanica #this time, I'll probably get the CE!#
Wow, I have to say, this one really took me by surprise. The reviews were good, but not great, and although I had briefly considered it in the past, it was only a Daily Deal that made me ultimately buy it. But this was actually spectacular!
QUICK TIP FOR MORE EXPERT PLAYERS: I often like to play these on the hardest difficulty possible (as long as I have the option to switch back, ideally, haha) BUT in this case I tried going back and forth between the middle and hardest difficulties to see if I was missing much by not having the black bar tips in terms of interesting commentary. As it turns out, I was – there were multiple amusing/sarcastic lines that added to my enjoyment once I realized early on that it was worth it to keep the “tips” on, even if I didn’t want the “tip” part of it. Thus, I recommend the middle level of difficulty because the occasionally funny commentary is worth it.
THE GOOD (for me): -Extremely interactive in terms of the storyline. You really feel immersed in the story. I had read some people say that, but it is true for this game more than most I’ve played. And as mentioned, the commentary was generally a lot better than average, and some of the “solutions” themselves in the gameplay were amusing, too. I had a blast. -Lots of puzzles, most of them pretty good! Some of them were medium to hard, which I liked. I pretty much never skip puzzles, and there was one that I struggled with for wayyy longer than I’d like to admit, haha (mainly because that specific puzzle type is harder for my non-linear brain to fathom, apparently, not because it was not-doable.) -The animals. Not too cutesy or anything, but I do love animals and they added some fun to it; I still would’ve given this game 5 stars without them, though, just an FYI. Although, I would’ve liked to know what happened to that one furry sidekick that was working for the other side… maybe that was in the CE, which I now wish I had gotten. And I don’t usually feel that way!
THE BAD (for me): -Too many HOS, and the List ones were a bit too tough for my taste. Normally I don’t like very many HOS – and there are certainly games out there with a lot more than this one had – but I wanted to mention this for others in case they really hate HOS rather than not be a big fan of them in anything other than smallish quantities, like me. The fact that I still really enjoyed this game and am giving it 5 stars despite this is saying something. - There were a couple of glitches, one of which required that I skip a puzzle. The other minor glitches/errors did not affect gameplay.
COMPARISONS: I hesitated to buy this partly because the reviews compared it to the Awakening series a couple of times, which put me off. Yes, throw stones if you must, but I have to admit that I’m not really a fan of the first couple in the Awakening series (which are the only ones I’ve pushed myself to complete thus far of the 4 that I bought at once during a bundle sale without trying them…*slaps forehead*) To me, this was VERY different than the first 2.5 of the Awakening series because there was more drive to the story. I felt an urgency to continue in Dark Minotaur, in a really good way. It was exciting, like a real adventure. It was bit dark without being too dark, yet full of magic and beauty. My point of all this is that, despite it having more HOS than Awakening, I liked this light-years better because of the storyline and level of challenge (which was higher than the first 2.5 Awakenings), as well as the music, and quirky comments, and music…etc.etc. That’s just me.
BOTTOM LINE: You will probably like this if you’re similar to me in prioritizing the adventure aspect and a good storyline, with beautiful graphics too, of course. Even if you have a bit of an aversion to HOS, I think you’ll like this.
Two things: I do not usually get the CE versions because I am a poor grad student, but I highly recommend it for this game, both because of the quality of the bonus and also because the office decorating was really fun. I know it sounds silly (it did to me when I read the reviews) but it actually was a lot of fun since you can buy a gramophone, a remote controlled car, all kinds of cool stuff!
Also, I almost did NOT buy this because I was a little weirded out by the title, the picture (on the SE version, which is what I kept seeing all over the place...that's just a creepy picture, sorry#, and even the little I read about the storyline. It sounded like some kind of mystery, horror theme. To be fair, I also did not read anyone's description of the story very carefully because I never do - I personally like to discover the story myself, not through a review, besides the most basic premise. A lot of reviewers have ruined my enjoyment of the intro by their detailed descriptions of what happens. ANYWAY, I am SO glad I did not pass this one up. Here's what I liked best:
-Story was creative, creative, creative - wow. This kept me interested. -Mini-games were medium-to-hard, but DOABLE - keep trying, they are not just meant to frustrate! You will feel a great sense of accomplishment when you're done. They actually looked a lot harder than they were, they were all doable without having to just guess and guess and guess. If you took a moment to stop, think, and plan out your next moves - you could do it. I can't say the same for many of the "harder" mini-games I've played. I absolutely loved the games in this one and the fact that I had to use my brain. -The main character is not objectified. There's a lot of reasons why this is important that I can't/won't go into. Let's just say I am very, very, very grateful that they didn't feel the need to depend on superficiality or exploitation to sell this one. They certainly didn't need to. -They treated a potentially sensitive subject VERY responsibly. This is also not something I see every day. I seriously want to send a thank-you card to the Surface devs because of this, lol.
Sometimes it felt a like hokey, yeah, but no more than any other HOPA that I've played. I guess they all are a bit hokey. :) But this one did a really good job of it.
It is better to get the SE than nothing at all, but I do really think the CE was worth it because of the fun use of the collectibles, and the more satisfying post-ending conclusion #although the story IS fully resolved in the SE, which we all can appreciate#. Save up your game credits or something, or wait for a sale. I cannot recommend this game enough. It's in my top 5 now. Seriously.
Wow, I don't think I've ever felt so torn about a game. Creative and surreal story, TONS of potential, but poor execution (in some aspects, at least#. I Beta-tested this game, and I thought it was interesting enough to buy as an SE, although I wasn't willing to splurge for the CE. I will not wax on about the details of the story since you probably want to find that out yourself; I will get right to what I liked and didn't like #without giving anything away, of course#.
THE GOOD: -Impressive visuals. I disagree that the mechanical-ish theme detracted from gameplay, for me personally, unless you *only* like fairytale type games. I do not prefer mechanical or sci-fi games, yet I enjoyed the visuals and setting of this game. The colors were bright and the scenes were clean and aesthetically pleasing. I didn't think any of it was visually dull, except for maybe a couple of scenes out of many. -Creative storyline, in my opinion. It is different than most of what we see in HOPA, which I liked. -Interesting, creative side characters. I was impressed by the novelty of the couple of side characters you get to interact with, who were both funny and endearing. -Cuteness factor. No, this isn't a "am I playing a child's game?" kind of frilly stuff that detracts from your gameplay. But who can resist adorable meowing kittens that you need to rescue and reunite with their mommy, and an equally adorable flying robot? I mean, this wouldn't be enough to affect my rating, but it did improve my enjoyment because they added lightness #along with those side characters# to an otherwise fairly serious game. -Music was appropriate and better than average at setting the right atmosphere without being annoying. -Emphasis overall is on the Adventure aspect, which I liked.
THE AVERAGE: -HOS and mini-games were just ok...not bad, but just okay. I love mini-games, and I felt a LOT more effort could have been put into the mini-games in particular. At least it wasn't overloaded with too many HOS with tons of items #not my cup of tea#. -I personally like cut-scenes because they *usually* mean a more thought-out, in-depth, and engaging storyline. The problem with the "minute movies" that you encounter is that they don't always seem to be in the right order #e.g., it is possible to find the last one before you are really supposed to be watching it#. This made for a more disjointed storyline, which was a shame.
THE BAD: -Disjointedness overall. I was saddened that a game with so much potential left so many holes and didn't try to clean up the game to make sure the parts were told in the correct order or fleshed out enough. I mean, I knew what was generally going on, but some things just weren't explained well throughout the game. -I did not like some aspects of the ending. I suppose saying that doesn't help you since I can't say anything about it, but...I guess I cared about the game enough to actually be upset about the fates of some of the characters, and the game left me WORRIED rather than satisfied with the closure. Normally, some emotional investment in the game on my part would be a compliment to the developers, except that I don't think they handled the ending well. They went to the trouble of creating some characters that we liked and then didn't seem to care about them themselves! NOTE that I'm not necessarily saying it has a sad ending - any game has the right to do that, and kudos to those that go against the grain in that way - that's not what I'm saying. I just didn't think they ended it well. -Glitches - minor but annoying ones - like zoom-in shots that didn't close when you were finished with them and that could still be zoomed into. I understand that this is normal for shots with notes in them, but there was more than one for which that was not the case. Sometimes you could still zoom in on it, despite it being completed, and sometimes you couldn't. That lack of consistency detracted from the gameplay for me. There were a couple of other glitches of this sort. It just seemed like they were on a deadline to finish this at the end and didn't check it thoroughly enough. That makes me sad since I was a Beta tester for it, and I didn't really run into those types of glitches during the portion that was Beta-tested; the errors were almost exclusively in the remainder of the game. I expected the remainder to be as smooth as the first part, especially considering that it was the only part I was technically paying for #having played the first part already in Beta#.
I was split between 3 and 4 stars for this one...3 1/2 would be right. I think it is worth playing, but I really hope that the Devs read this review and give the result of their creative abilities the attention it needs to be a more cohesive and satisfying game, the next time around.
I got this on a Daily Deal, and there's no way I would have purchased it otherwise, between the cheesy-looking picture and even cheesier name. Maybe if you're really into alien stuff you'll like this, I thought. But for whatever reason, maybe the reviews, I got it anyway to help fill up my punchcard and my time. I was surprised by this one - I actually really enjoyed it from beginning to end! It was very well put-together, managed to get your attention from the very start, and was about as "believable" as an alien story might actually be in this kind of game. Not too many HOS, good puzzles, music fine...yeah, some of the scenes were drab to go along with the theme of this abandoned town, but it didn't detract from it for me because it was well-done and not "flat" #e.g., even the streets with the frozen people still had movement of some sort#. There was also a lot of attention to detail. For instance, the heroine notices early on that an animated bunny rabbit wasn't affected by the "disease". In a later scene, I personally noticed that a man who was walking his dog had become "frozen", and his dog was frozen as well. I thought "well, that's strange, but they can't catch everything" but then - the heroine actually recalls that later on and references that she thought that was weird, too! It makes it easier to enjoy a game if the emotions and thoughts about the ridiculous of particular situations is similar to what you'd actually be feeling yourself. They even found a way to explain her high immunity to diseases! Anyway, even if this isn't a genre you normally love, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised as you play this game. Despite not feeling particularly emotionally involved #which I often prefer in order to enjoy a game#, I actually still enjoyed it because it was exciting enough, had enough animation and cut-scenes, and just kept me engaged!
I had seen the banner for the first Awakening game plenty of times, and it looked absolutely beautiful and so much brighter and more inspiring than other HOPA games. I know it sounds weird, but that banner for it really sold me. Then, when people said that it wasn't hidden-object-heavy but adventure and puzzle-focused, I was sold. Between those factors and the stellar reviews, I went out on a limb during a sale and bought ALL FOUR installments. I was *that certain* that I would simply love it.
Not so. The graphics ARE lovely. But the story is pretty flat and does not keep you engaged; it is not an intellectually or emotionally stimulating game. And, more than anything, it is WAYYYYYY too easy. I mean, I felt like my intelligence was being insulted. (Note that this review is similar to the one I left for the first game, but I feel about the same - this one gets one more star for being slightly more challenging...just slightly...# This game would be great for beginners and children, or for parents to play with children. No, I do not need gore or creepiness. I can take it or leave it, and prefer G-or PG-rated games. And keep in mind that I started playing this back when I was more beginner-to-intermediate, so I didn't need as much of a challenge then. This #and the first one# ended up taking me over a month to finish playing because I would only play it while waiting to download another game, or if I was too sleepy at the end of the night to want to use my brain at all. It was just *that* not-riveting and not-engaging. I'm slowly making my way through the third one now that I also unfortunately bought without trying on that fateful day. I guess I learned my lesson; I thought the only thing that would make me really dislike a HOPA would be for it to be almost exclusively HOS. This series proved me wrong. :#
Note that there are many 3-star-average, older, hokey HOPA games that I have really enjoyed and played through to the end in a matter of a day or two. Actually, this series and MCF: Ravenhearst are the only HOPA that I have NOT played straight through without getting so bored that I start playing other games before finishing. And that's out of dozens and dozens of games...