CabinDragon's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:4.5
- Helpful Votes:9
- Reviews Submitted:2
- First Review:September 6, 2016
- Most Recent Review:September 5, 2019
- Featured reviews0
CabinDragon's Review History
Uncover your grandfather's true identity and restore his legacy!
Overall rating
5
/
5
8 of 8 found this review helpful
Favorite of the Amaranthine Voyages
PostedSeptember 5, 2019
CabinDragon
fromSonoma CA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I just finished the complete game and part way in wished I'd purchased the CE. This game was wonderful for my tastes. I play late when my brain is not peak performance so I prefer some challenge but not hard core. I played in custom mode- no tutorials but minimal penalties and recharges etc. I prefer to decide how much challenge I feel like enduring rather than let the game punish me, so I appreciate Custom mode. I like the ability to decrease sparkles frequency vs turning it on/off.
This delivered perfectly for me. A nice balance of HOPS to puzzles, well-designed and functional map (the last game the to-do icons stopped appearing early on, super annoying). Skip, recharge/hints all perfect. Didn't require restarts when I switched on/off full-screen, something that really irritates me.
Sound and voices are nice and nothing detracting as sometimes is the case. The game flows very well, the story is cohesive and creative beyond the time-worn evil villain/wizard/witch vs princess/prince/king/queen scenario.
The artwork really sets it apart for me. I would categorize it more comparably like fantasy comics vs the classics like nouveau, deco, baroque, noir, atomic etc. The colors are sharp, balanced and delightful. The designs are elegant in line and form with great depth and uniqueness. So refreshing. A wonderful departure from the ubiquitous grody, gloomy bug-infested, yuck strewn, dilapidated stylings or the "blurple", blue-magenta-purple deep, high-saturation colors, both of which I like in measure but sometimes make me crave a breath of fresh air. This really delivered me from that into a place of expansive refreshing visions. Not too much gadget reliance, nor any silly critters- again I don't hate those things, but sometimes they can be over-done. It's nice to play a game that feels less encumbered and stifling.
I found the puzzles easy to challenging enough to not be boring. I used the hint maybe 3 times max to figure out where to go -- ie I couldn't intuit from my inventory or options what next. But mostly it was fluid and fun all the way. It was generously long, although I didn't time it. It seemed to keep going when I thought I was about at the end, another round of things to do and another, but not tediously so. I was grateful it didn't end as soon as I was thinking it was going to but not to the point where I was anxious to get to the finale.
I wrote what was probably a better review before but somehow when I closed the preview I lost it. argh! Almost didn't bother rewriting it but I felt in the face of the luke-warm star rating this deserves it. I would say Amaranthine Voyage: Legacy of the Guardians ranks among my favorite of games I've played of late, and am so glad I gave it a try despite being put off by low ratings for a long time. I encourage giving it a try if my review resonates. I'm only sorry that upon looking for more, it seems this was the second to the last Amaranthine Voyage from Eipix. This was by far my favorite of the series and I'd very much welcome more games like this.
This delivered perfectly for me. A nice balance of HOPS to puzzles, well-designed and functional map (the last game the to-do icons stopped appearing early on, super annoying). Skip, recharge/hints all perfect. Didn't require restarts when I switched on/off full-screen, something that really irritates me.
Sound and voices are nice and nothing detracting as sometimes is the case. The game flows very well, the story is cohesive and creative beyond the time-worn evil villain/wizard/witch vs princess/prince/king/queen scenario.
The artwork really sets it apart for me. I would categorize it more comparably like fantasy comics vs the classics like nouveau, deco, baroque, noir, atomic etc. The colors are sharp, balanced and delightful. The designs are elegant in line and form with great depth and uniqueness. So refreshing. A wonderful departure from the ubiquitous grody, gloomy bug-infested, yuck strewn, dilapidated stylings or the "blurple", blue-magenta-purple deep, high-saturation colors, both of which I like in measure but sometimes make me crave a breath of fresh air. This really delivered me from that into a place of expansive refreshing visions. Not too much gadget reliance, nor any silly critters- again I don't hate those things, but sometimes they can be over-done. It's nice to play a game that feels less encumbered and stifling.
I found the puzzles easy to challenging enough to not be boring. I used the hint maybe 3 times max to figure out where to go -- ie I couldn't intuit from my inventory or options what next. But mostly it was fluid and fun all the way. It was generously long, although I didn't time it. It seemed to keep going when I thought I was about at the end, another round of things to do and another, but not tediously so. I was grateful it didn't end as soon as I was thinking it was going to but not to the point where I was anxious to get to the finale.
I wrote what was probably a better review before but somehow when I closed the preview I lost it. argh! Almost didn't bother rewriting it but I felt in the face of the luke-warm star rating this deserves it. I would say Amaranthine Voyage: Legacy of the Guardians ranks among my favorite of games I've played of late, and am so glad I gave it a try despite being put off by low ratings for a long time. I encourage giving it a try if my review resonates. I'm only sorry that upon looking for more, it seems this was the second to the last Amaranthine Voyage from Eipix. This was by far my favorite of the series and I'd very much welcome more games like this.
I recommend this game!
Isa's back to his old tricks, and now he's doing the bidding of an even greater foe.
Overall rating
4
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Straight-ahead fun game with some nice variations and beautiful graphics
PostedSeptember 6, 2016
CabinDragon
fromSonoma CA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Match 3
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I will leave the detailed inventorying to others who have done a great job, and just add a few comments. ERS games are among my favorites, and I have played several, including a couple in this series. I played the SE version of Chains of Promise. I was very happy with it. It delivered a few hours of pleasant gaming. Not too hard, not too short or super long either. I generally play casual/moderate/custom (no twinkles on HOPs). I am not looking for a headache by challenging myself, just an entertaining escape. The story being new or believable is secondary to me, since none of them, including this one, are really, I just like it to flow and end nicely. I dislike abrupt or truncated endings as many games seem to have (whats up with that?). This game is a traditional fairytale theme and ends OK, though as usual somewhat abruptly. The design and visuals are superb, though a little dark overall, (as with many games for some reason). For me the visuals are a major component of my enjoyment. The villain cracked me up, he is such the epitome of a ridiculously villainous rogue with his exaggerated chin and smirk. Smatterings of LoTR elements (elvish stuff) and as someone else mentioned, the gargoyle prominent in the titles and bumpers is not a big feature in the game, only appearing once, as I recall. One complaint: the voice overs sound like they are simulated computer-generated monotone making me wonder why? non-english origin? economics? It would kind of take me aback each time someone spoke, and was a bit off-putting and distracting, but not enough that it ruins the game for me. Music is pleasant, classical, repetitive refrain I recognize from another game. I almost always find the music too repetitive or oppressive and turn it very low or off.
The game flows fairly nicely although I did use the pointers on the map frequently. Without I would have been bumbling a lot more. Some of the plays were less than intuitive and I had to use hints, which I rarely do. I never needed to resort to the walkthrough. Enjoyed the mini-games, and HOPs, which although they are the standard fare, were creatively varied enough throughout so as not to be disappointingly repetitive, nor were they too hard or too easy. Maybe a little on the easy side for those who prefer more challenge. I didn't really like the 'Unicorn Figurine' mini-game and skipped it. However, I did really enjoy the 'Isa vs the Dragon' mini-game, kind of like checkers on steroids. I would go back and replay it if I could. Took me a few tries to get it but it was a fun challenge learning the trick to winning. Smooth play except a couple minor glitches and a sticky 'torn map' puzzle (pieces hard to rotate). I don't know if the CE offers much more to commend it, but for me this was a satisfying buy as an SE, definitely one I'd hop on with a credit or discount. This is the kind of game I would come back to just for some relaxing fun and leaves me receptive for another from the series and or developers.
The game flows fairly nicely although I did use the pointers on the map frequently. Without I would have been bumbling a lot more. Some of the plays were less than intuitive and I had to use hints, which I rarely do. I never needed to resort to the walkthrough. Enjoyed the mini-games, and HOPs, which although they are the standard fare, were creatively varied enough throughout so as not to be disappointingly repetitive, nor were they too hard or too easy. Maybe a little on the easy side for those who prefer more challenge. I didn't really like the 'Unicorn Figurine' mini-game and skipped it. However, I did really enjoy the 'Isa vs the Dragon' mini-game, kind of like checkers on steroids. I would go back and replay it if I could. Took me a few tries to get it but it was a fun challenge learning the trick to winning. Smooth play except a couple minor glitches and a sticky 'torn map' puzzle (pieces hard to rotate). I don't know if the CE offers much more to commend it, but for me this was a satisfying buy as an SE, definitely one I'd hop on with a credit or discount. This is the kind of game I would come back to just for some relaxing fun and leaves me receptive for another from the series and or developers.
I recommend this game!