AverageSizeFish's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:2.8
- Helpful Votes:2,910
- Reviews Submitted:173
- First Review:June 2, 2014
- Most Recent Review:May 1, 2017
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Solve the mystery that spooked a young girl into silence!
Overall rating
3
/
5
46 of 58 found this review helpful
Typical story and easy gameplay
PostedAugust 9, 2014
AverageSizeFish
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
The graphics are sharp and the color palette is somewhat subdued without being drab or washed out. The style is appropriate to the story. The voice overs were good enough to not be annoying. The soundtrack was unobtrusive.
The storyline is typical for the HOPA genre. Family moves into cursed castle, curse causes all but the youngest daughter to mysteriously disappear, our character must use a combination of sleuthing and child interviewing skills to get to the bottom of things. In this case the relatively straightforward story is somewhat complicated by the slow introduction of an ancient romance gone wrong and a cluttered family tree that I had a hard time keeping track of. While it wasn't poorly developed it wasn't completely clear either.
Perhaps if the story were more compelling or moved along a little less like molasses in January I would have paid enough attention to the minutiae to get more out of what was showing up in the cut scenes and child's drawings.
The HOS are all interactive and of varying type. The interactive component was a mixed bag for me. In some cases you had to perform a task that made complete sense but in others the task was non-intuitive and annoying. For example, you have to click, click, click through a HOS looking for a lightning bolt only to finally discover it hidden behind a toy monkey's arm. This is different than doing something like filling a glass of wine from a wine bottle in that the former requires annoying random clicking while the latter is something you can figure out logically.
Other than the randomness of some of the interactions the HOS were very easy. The puzzles were present in a good amount but they were also pretty easy.
The adventure component flowed smoothly along. There was never a point where I didn't know what to do next. The inventory items you need are clearly telegraphed by the story and are not difficult to find. When you find something you weren't looking for its purpose becomes clear very quickly.
The UI occasionally was clunky both in puzzles and in the popups that appeared when you clicked on something. For example, I got stuck in the laptop popup until I unlocked my locked inventory. The back arrow out of that popup had been hidden behind the inventory.
Overall, this is a decently made game except for some minor clunkiness with the UI for puzzles and popups. The storyline is too worn and develops too slowly for it to really grab me though...it just wasn't that engaging. For this reason I can't recommend it. On the other hand there isn't anything about the game that is objectionable so I can't say it isn't worth trying the demo either. It's an OK game.
Beyond the Unknown: A Matter of Time
It’s time to solve the secret of this mysterious island!
Overall rating
3
/
5
12 of 15 found this review helpful
Disappointingly dull
PostedAugust 8, 2014
AverageSizeFish
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
The graphics and sound are competently done and suggest the game might become interesting. Unfortunately it just never does.
The storyline is familiar fare for anyone who has played more than a few HOPA games and the developers didn't add anything new to make playing their version feel like anything other than a rerun.
Game play involves more than the average amount of backtracking and seeing the same places over and over grew tedious. This in combination with the worn out story made the game somewhat boring.
Puzzles and HOS are present in a less than average quantity and both ranged from ridiculously simple to merely lacking in challenge. It seems this game was designed to please people who prefer the adventure component of a HOPA over the puzzle/HOS component. However, given that much of the time spent performing the adventure component is due to backtracking instead of actually thinking and figuring things out, it will probably end up pleasing no one.
Overall, this game has nothing much to recommend it other than decent graphics. I'm giving it a 3 instead of a 2 because it's possible someone very new to this kind of game might enjoy it. For anyone else it's probably going to be a disappointment.
I don't recommend this game.
Find your missing sister and unlock the mystery behind the Magic Academy.
Overall rating
3
/
5
8 of 9 found this review helpful
Hasn't stood the test of time
PostedAugust 7, 2014
AverageSizeFish
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I liked this game well enough but the graphics have not stood the test of time. Some older games have done well and are still playable but this isn't one of them. The graphics are extremely grainy making it impossible to identify things in the HOS. The scenes are very stretched on a modern computer screen also. It was okay for the first 10 minutes of the demo but then I just couldn't continue. I'm giving it a 3 because I liked the game itself but I cannot recommend it.
If you like games in this style and theme you might like Magicians' Handbook: Cursed Valley. That one is older too but it is more polished and it's still playable.
I don't recommend this game.
A Mayan god is turning people into jaguars! Can you stop him before the world falls into chaos?
Overall rating
3
/
5
106 of 113 found this review helpful
Not bad
PostedAugust 7, 2014
AverageSizeFish
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
The graphics are fairly sharp for the most part although there was a little graininess in a few spots. The colors are vibrant without being overly saturated. I thought the game looked pretty. The music is unobtrusive and the few crescendos were appropriate to the action. The voice overs aren't going to win any awards but they weren't annoying either. Game play is smooth and I experienced no difficulty with the UI.
The storyline is a typical one where an evil guy is doing evil magical things and only our character can save the day. It is presented complete with the usual hapless male sidekick who needs saving. A little less typically he actually proves to be useful as he has been turned into your animal helper. Scenes with him were fun to watch because the leopard animation is so well done.
The HOS were fairly few in number and generally contained several interactive components. They were all pretty easy. The puzzles varied in type and, with the exception of one, were fairly easy to accomplish without being complete child's play.
The adventure component was pretty straightforward although at times it felt a little contrived. For example, Gregory is locked in a cage that needs a leopard key to open and you happen to find that exact key while diving underwater. How did the key come to be there? The story doesn't explain. There are several instances like that in the trial.
People who like really intricate adventure activity may be disappointed because there is rarely a moment where you really need to think much to progress. Everything you need is laid directly in your path and everything you find is used pretty much right away.
Overall, this is a fairly well put together game that revisits a common HOPA plot but adds its own small twist. HOS and puzzles are present in average quantities and won't make you pull your hair out. It didn't grab my interest particularly so I can't recommend it but it was pleasant enough so I can't say it isn't worth trying the demo either.
A strange and deadly pollen is spreading around the world, and you've been hired to track down its source. But the secrets you discover in the fabled kingdom of Floralia are much darker than you imagined...
Overall rating
2
/
5
21 of 24 found this review helpful
Busy visuals and boring game
PostedAugust 6, 2014
AverageSizeFish
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
The graphics were sharp but had very high contrast and overly saturated colors. At the start of the game this didn't bother me too much but after awhile it made me feel like my retinas were frying. The art style is very ornate with scrollwork, jewels, and carving all over everything. The combination of these two elements had the unfortunate effect of making everything blend into a visual jumble. Just navigating through rooms caused me some amount of eyestrain.
The storyline was confusing. Our character is trying to save a town from poisonous pollen and, for some reason which is never really explained, Rapunzel is key to getting the job done. The Rapunzel character doesn't seem particularly Rapunzel-like. Instead she's this glowing-eyed zombie who keeps singing the same few notes over and over in a really annoying fashion.
Game play consists of exploring an area trying not to miss bejeweled baubles and medallions that are strewn through visually chaotic scenes. You then read the name of said baubles and medallions to get a hint where they might need to go. Armed with this gaudy inventory you move on to a new area and try to find the spot where what you've found needs to be placed. Once you find it you're rewarded with another bauble. Rinse and repeat.
You also get little snippets of fairy tale books sometimes. Some of these snippets seemed completely off the topic of our character's quest and were just time wasters to read. There is a lot of backtracking and the items you pick up are basically random things with no logical underpinning explaining why you picked them up, for example: a statue needs a flower hairpin and you just happened to pick one up in the area before this one. There is no true cause and effect that allows you to figure things out. It's just random clicking around while glittery stuff accumulates in your inventory.
The HOS were all FROGs where you see a bunch of items and have to find their counterpart in the scene. I actually liked the HOS because, due to the ornate jeweled nature of the scenes, they were in some cases moderately challenging. There weren't enough of them though. The puzzles were too easy to deserve the name puzzle for the most part.
Overall, this is a very thinly developed story combined with tedious game play wrapped inside graphics that have the glittery glare of sun on water. It hurt my eyes and made me bored.
I don't recommend this game.
Unearth your forgotten childhood memories to reveal the secret of the ancient labyrinth.
Overall rating
2
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Murky graphics, murky storyline, murky game play
PostedAugust 6, 2014
AverageSizeFish
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
This is a somewhat older game and this is reflected in a somewhat grainy look on the screen. I don't mind the graininess if it's accompanied by something interesting to look at but in the case of this game the scenes are done in a flat style using very drab greys, browns, and the occasional dull green. The combined effect gave me eyestrain even before I got to the HOS.
The story has our character revisiting a kid's camp where he witnessed the kidnapping of several other children when he was a child. The camp seems to be a typical American camp but, for some reason that is never explained, there are Celtic ruins there. It made no sense. After arriving he "remembers" that one child was bullied a lot and discovers that this child had a crush on the camp nurse who also had a second admirer in one of the other counselors...or something. I couldn't tell why any of these details were important and the story never got clearer as I went through the game.
Game play involves a greater than average amount of running back and forth most of it with no idea what you're supposed to be doing. The tasks are non-intuitive and the objectives are completely unknown. The journal is of no help in fleshing out what is going on. The hint button worked a few times and then began simply reporting there was nothing in that area to do. Hint buttons that do this are of absolutely no help whatsoever.
The HOS are very easy and have these annoying little tasks in them that make about as much sense as the rest of the game. The puzzles made me grit my teeth in annoyance and the UI for them is often clunky.
Overall, this game features murky graphics, a murky storyline, and murky game play. It was so obscure I couldn't wait to finish the demo before uninstalling it.
I don't recommend this game.
Hoyle Illusions
There is malice afoot on the eve of the awaited Battle Royale between two famous illusionists. Will you get to the theater on time and save the day?
Overall rating
4
/
5
33 of 41 found this review helpful
Fun older HOP(a) with a good story
PostedAugust 4, 2014
AverageSizeFish
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This game appears to be an older game along the lines of those being made in 2011-2012. It's more of a HOP game with a less prominent adventure component than modern games have. It's sort of a HOP(a). The graphics are somewhat grainy and stretched on a wide screen computer, as I have encountered with older games, but it's easily playable. The soundtrack is pleasant classic music with no voice overs or atmospheric sounds.
You play as both Sophie and Peter who are fiances that work for the magician Johannes. The magician's rival Merlin kidnaps Sophie in order to coerce Peter into helping him dispense with Johannes. The story was interesting and somewhat different from the usual pink fairies and murky mansions. Sophie is working to escape while Peter is dealing with trying to get her back...but at what cost? Much of the story is communicated with brief cut scenes and dialogue with other characters.
Game play involves a clear objective which is met by searching through a small number of areas. In the search you will come upon a couple of HOS and a few puzzles. You may also find a magician's hat which you can click on with your wand to get a new inventory item you need. Once you've completed the objective there is a cut scene that advances the story and then you switch to playing the other fiance with a new objective. The story moves forward in a pretty linear fashion. The objectives fit with the story and the tasks make sense for the area where the character is. The hint button didn't work the one time I tried it during the adventure component so I'm not sure if it's meant to.
There are a lot of HOS and they usually had at least one or two items that were difficult to find. They are classic list HOS with a pretty area to search in. The puzzles were occasionally challenging and there was one that was annoyingly unfair (the card game with Merlin). I enjoyed the HOS/puzzles for the most part though.
There are collectible cards, sometimes multiple ones within an area. The game probably precedes the addition of achievements to expected HOPA fare and it doesn't have any.
Overall, this game seems to be a classic HOP with the addition of some adventure component typical of the type produced around 2011-2012. I had fun playing it because I like games with lots of HOS and a minimal amount of the running around randomly clicking for inventory items that often passes for the "adventure" component in newer games.
People who don't like HOS will not like this game. People with high expectations for graphic quality may be disappointed. For a fun game I'm willing to make allowances for the graphics because fun games are so uncommon. I wish though that someone would make a game like this with the high graphic quality that modern games have.
I recommend this game!
Witch Hunters: Full Moon Ceremony Collector's Edition
Defeat the evil witches and save the world from eternal darkness!
Overall rating
2
/
5
16 of 17 found this review helpful
Confused, repetitious, and not fun
PostedAugust 4, 2014
AverageSizeFish
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
The graphics are clear but of only average artistic quality. The music is, at times, overly dramatic as if the developers are trying to add some excitement to a game that doesn't have any.
The storyline is something about good and evil witches battling it out. For some reason, which is never made clear, only our character can tip the balance and win the day for the good witches. The evil witches have sent a little gnome to thwart you by damaging your home room by room. What the gnome has to do with witches isn't made clear either.
In fact the whole story is so jumbled that it's as if one team started making the game, lost interest, and handed it off to another group who proceeded to tack their completely different story onto the game rather than just rewriting it.
The confusion is compounded by the non-intuitive tasks you must perform. For example, if you try to use a crow-bar on a drawer that's been nailed shut the black bar says something about not wanting to damage the furniture. Instead your character collects a jar of termites and unleashes them on the drawer. How setting termites free in an old wood structure isn't going to result in damage to furniture and, indeed, the house itself isn't explained. The game is full of this kind of silliness making it impossible to figure out what to do using anything that remotely approaches logic. There is a lot of back-and-forth running around built into the game and having to look at the same few rooms over and over became tedious.
The HOS are very easy and very few. I ran into 2 puzzles during the demo if I don't count the tic-tac-toe game as a puzzle...and I don't. The first puzzle was finding the intersecting point when given 3 locations on a triangular grid and the second involved clicking buttons sequentially until they all lit up. There was nothing challenging or interesting about either.
Overall, this game features a jumbled confusing storyline, repetitious running around in the same few locations, a few easy puzzles, even fewer but still easy HOS, and nothing to make any of this particularly enjoyable.
I don't recommend this game.
Agatha Christie: Peril at End House
Hercule Poirot is at it again Mon dieu! - in another Hidden Object mystery of murderous proportions.
Overall rating
4
/
5
3 of 3 found this review helpful
Classic mystery story in a classic HOP game
PostedJuly 30, 2014
AverageSizeFish
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This is an older game and it's a classic style HOP. The graphics have stood the test of time well for the most part. There is a little bit of dimness in some areas of the HOS which makes it very difficult to find dark items if they happen to lie in those areas but overall the game was sharp and clear. The music is pleasant and fits the theme of the game. There are no voice overs.
The storyline is that you are a detective investigating the attempted murder of a neighbor. The suspect list is fairly short and the locations you visit lie within the victim's house and the surrounding area. You visit each location multiple times searching for new clues as the story unfolds following your investigative forays. After each round of HOS there is usually a puzzle and then a sort of summing up where the storyline advances. Just as in the book there is a surprise twist to the ending.
The HOS usually include several items that are really tough to locate. Occasionally there was an item that made me cry foul because it wasn't even recognizable after I resorted to the hint button but overall the HOS are good and not too difficult to complete in the time allotted. The puzzles were fun although most aren't very challenging.
Overall this is an engaging game filled with fun HOS based on a classic whodunnit murder mystery. People who don't like HOS won't like this game because it's filled with them. But for people who buy HO games to play HO's this one is a great choice. I bought it because this style of game appeals to me and I can say what you see in the demo is how the game is to it's ending.
I recommend this game!
Dear Witch Apprentice, are you ready to meet your fate? Win the magical ingredients needed to save your world!
Overall rating
2
/
5
42 of 53 found this review helpful
Unplayable
PostedJuly 28, 2014
AverageSizeFish
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
The graphics are dark and muddled. The areas you see are flat, unrecognizable jumbles of tree trunks, stairs that lead nowhere, and bright pink or yellow windows. None of what is on the screen made any sense and very little of it was interactive in any way. I couldn't tell, from what I was looking at, what the developers meant any given area to be at all.
The confusing appearance was accompanied by innocuous guitar music that wasn't bad. Unfortunately the audio also included an annoying "aha" sound whenever I accidentally clicked something that, I'm assuming, is something necessary for the inventory or that will allow game progression. I say "I'm assuming" because there was no storyline at all. I say "accidentally" because there are no cues from a storyline or visuals that suggest what you should be doing.
The game has a gigantic custom cursor that has a blunt point and laggy movement. There is no option to get rid of it. This, in my opinion, is unacceptably poor game design. A custom cursor should work properly and you should be able to dispense with it if you prefer the system cursor. It also should not be over an inch in size. I really wish developers weren't in competition to see who has the biggest cursor.
After all that I started randomly clicking which caused me to get one meaningless screen after another. I had no idea what any of these screens meant. There was one HOS which required me to find 6 or so little pictures but I had no idea why I was looking for them and they were obviously placed so it wasn't really a HOS.
Overall, this was a visually random and completely unengaging ten minutes for me. All I can say is don't waste your time.
I don't recommend this game.