TheDoctorIsHere's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.3
- Helpful Votes:138
- Reviews Submitted:16
- First Review:March 31, 2017
- Most Recent Review:May 7, 2019
- Featured reviews0
The Kingdoms of Lanceya and Winterhelm are in peril!
Overall rating
5
/
5
3 of 3 found this review helpful
A lot of things most games don't have!
PostedMay 7, 2019
TheDoctorIsHere
fromThe Tardis
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I loved so much about these games. Not the annoying fairy, as others have noted. Whenever she showed up, I hit the mute button because I would rather listen to the truly intolerable "Manic Mondays" song yet *again* than her voice.
However, playing as two characters?? Fantastic! So often I think, hey, this would be easier if one of the characters I keep meeting and says they'll help me do more than randomly stand there waiting for me to bring them finished stuff and occasionally go "oh btw I had this in my pocket did you want it?"
I know only one other set of games that has you play as two characters, the truly fantastic, truly amazing, unbeatably good Royal Trouble series (Go check it out now. I'll wait).
I know only one other set of games that has you play as two characters, the truly fantastic, truly amazing, unbeatably good Royal Trouble series (Go check it out now. I'll wait).
I like HOPS, but so so so often, I feel like game makers add more and more to a story to stretch it out. A game that would be 3-4 hours becomes 5-6 or more with a HOP every few minutes. Most games, by the end of the demo, I'm *groaning* if I see yet. another. HOP.
This game did NOT have that. One would show up about the time I went, "hey I haven't seen a HOP in a while". The ones they included weren't the kind that annoy the pants off me, but made sense for their place and location. Cupboard nobody's looked at in fifteen years? Yep, I'll buy it's cluttered and I need to search. Storybook where I hunt for things while you bring me up to speed? Awesome! Exposition without an endless cutscene!! Even *better*. And I LIKE cutscenes, too, but I love balancing cutscenes with those 'story HOPs'
This game did NOT have that. One would show up about the time I went, "hey I haven't seen a HOP in a while". The ones they included weren't the kind that annoy the pants off me, but made sense for their place and location. Cupboard nobody's looked at in fifteen years? Yep, I'll buy it's cluttered and I need to search. Storybook where I hunt for things while you bring me up to speed? Awesome! Exposition without an endless cutscene!! Even *better*. And I LIKE cutscenes, too, but I love balancing cutscenes with those 'story HOPs'
The bonus chapter makes you think very differently about the story you just played, and I love it when a game does that, reframes the original story. I won't say more so you enjoy it fully, but it was very very well done.
The characters were great (minus some of the voices), fun and they didn't feel like cardboard cutouts who uselessly stand around waiting for me to solve their problems. (In case it's not becoming obvious, I've played way too many HOGs and have very decided ideas about their shortcomings). "Oh nooooooo bad thing happened look the hero is here I will stand right here, possibly (probably) in serious danger, while they sort through four HOP scenes, combine fifteen unlikely items, and bring me the hidden item I need that I, who live here, probably could've found on my own in a quarter of the time". Or the ones who say "oh dear this is a terrible amount of trouble let me help" and the sum total of their help is handing you half of a broken item. While there is SOME of that in the game, most of them actually advance the plot in *meaningful* ways. One of the dwarves goes between the two people you're playing to convey a message, another prepares and sends a potion, and so on. It's like they're people with their own motivations and abilities and agency, not obstacles in my path! SO amazing, loved that feature.
The story was okay. It was not particularly innovative or new, nor was it particularly stale or overdone. Sort of middle of the road.
Things I was not a huge fan of:
Okay yes the fairy, we've mentioned that, move on. Actually, quite a bit of the voice acting was not great. That's fine, the mute button exists and only has to be employed through some of the cutscenes. Not a huge deal. And the music and ambient sounds were good, so I didn't play most of it on mute. I like to have the background game noise.
While the game struck a good balance with HOP scenes, I am convinced everything was either locked or broken. I mean, yes I know the evil evil Queen Nivella has inhabited this area and wants to stop me, but she LIVES IN THIS PLACE TOO. And the hut one of the characters lives in as well, they're both full of things that need a key, things that need a puzzle solved, things that are too rusted/hot/cold/frozen/whatever to use, and I'm just wondering, like.... Do they never need anything in their rooms? Does Queen Nivella not wake up in the middle of the night and just not feel like putting together four puzzles to find the screwdriver? Who in this mystical realm put these places together, Daedelus??
Anyway, as you can tell, I'm not a huge fan of everything broken/locked. And I know if you start taking a lot of these things out, there wouldn't be much of a game, but I dislike the illogical "every single thing you encounter in a lived-in area is going to be broken or locked" (Honestly, Royal Trouble did that well as well. Some things were broken or locked. When they were, it made sense. They advanced the story and gameplay in *other* ways, like having the characters have to use items to help each other out of their various binds without making everything completely unusable. If you didn't check out Royal Trouble the first time I mentioned it, go do so now. I'll wait. Or heck, go replay it, I'll wait some more, it's cool, I'm playing it again too)
Okay yes the fairy, we've mentioned that, move on. Actually, quite a bit of the voice acting was not great. That's fine, the mute button exists and only has to be employed through some of the cutscenes. Not a huge deal. And the music and ambient sounds were good, so I didn't play most of it on mute. I like to have the background game noise.
While the game struck a good balance with HOP scenes, I am convinced everything was either locked or broken. I mean, yes I know the evil evil Queen Nivella has inhabited this area and wants to stop me, but she LIVES IN THIS PLACE TOO. And the hut one of the characters lives in as well, they're both full of things that need a key, things that need a puzzle solved, things that are too rusted/hot/cold/frozen/whatever to use, and I'm just wondering, like.... Do they never need anything in their rooms? Does Queen Nivella not wake up in the middle of the night and just not feel like putting together four puzzles to find the screwdriver? Who in this mystical realm put these places together, Daedelus??
Anyway, as you can tell, I'm not a huge fan of everything broken/locked. And I know if you start taking a lot of these things out, there wouldn't be much of a game, but I dislike the illogical "every single thing you encounter in a lived-in area is going to be broken or locked" (Honestly, Royal Trouble did that well as well. Some things were broken or locked. When they were, it made sense. They advanced the story and gameplay in *other* ways, like having the characters have to use items to help each other out of their various binds without making everything completely unusable. If you didn't check out Royal Trouble the first time I mentioned it, go do so now. I'll wait. Or heck, go replay it, I'll wait some more, it's cool, I'm playing it again too)
I AM, however, a fan of the LOGICAL combinations that usually resulted in this game. Granted, this game has the same thing as all other HOGs, which I think is unavoidable, where you have to do things the specific way the developer intended, which is often not the way I would have done it, but okay, I'm guessing writing a game with multiple possible combinations is either impossible or extremely hard. I'll give them a pass. I will say, though, the game actually employs the basics of logic with this. Two broken pieces? I need GLUE too, not just wishes. Two scissor halves need a bolt. And so on. That bit I liked. Idk why, it meant more searching for me, but I always vaguely disliked 'oh of coooouuuurse they now work since I put the necessary pieces in the same area'.
There is a thing I really dislike and shows up in *every* HOG, including, unfortunately, this one (I live in hope one day a HOG will not have this. It will immediately become my favorite game. I'm pretty sure the story line could be entirely missing and I would still rate a game that doesn't do the following rant as one of my top tens). Items are single use. In my actual real life, when I find something useful, I hang on to it. Sure, certain things are single/limited use -- a glass of water, a batch of paint, some ink, matches -- but most things can be used a TON.
In a world where everything is either broken or locked, why on earth am I repeatedly throwing away knives, wrenches, screwdrivers, and lighters? Knives are not single use, they are really useful, they do not break easily, and if you have a folding pocket knife, you don't even worry about accidentally cutting yourself carrying it! So why does every single HOG treat these useful reuseable items as disposable? Why do I find a screwdriver, use it to unscrew ONE PANEL, throw it away because WHO ON EARTH KNOWS WHY, and then one room later go "oh I need a screwdriver. YOU HAD ONE, YOU TOSSED IT.
You used the lighter you found ONCE? I have a lighter in my pocket RIGHT NOW. I use it about 10 times a day. I bought this lighter -- for about a dollar -- a year ago, and it's not even sputtering yet.
Also, in the beginning, the character I am playing is a KING TRAVELLING ON THE ROAD. In a magical mystical land. Are you *seriously* trying to tell me he doesn't have a sword? A dagger? Anything useful at ALL?? I mean, if I leave the house for more than an hour, I have more than Clueless William did at the beginning. Not even counting my car keys.
Never mind the amount of detritus a character leaves behind them as they go through this game. Every item single use? The path behind them must look like a park or beach after a party: absolutely littered with trash. No wonder the evil villain keeps finding me, all they had to do was follow the trail of discarded useful items!
Now, granted, that rant is applicable to pretty much any HOG. That is not unique to this game. But it's annoying every time nonetheless.
In a world where everything is either broken or locked, why on earth am I repeatedly throwing away knives, wrenches, screwdrivers, and lighters? Knives are not single use, they are really useful, they do not break easily, and if you have a folding pocket knife, you don't even worry about accidentally cutting yourself carrying it! So why does every single HOG treat these useful reuseable items as disposable? Why do I find a screwdriver, use it to unscrew ONE PANEL, throw it away because WHO ON EARTH KNOWS WHY, and then one room later go "oh I need a screwdriver. YOU HAD ONE, YOU TOSSED IT.
You used the lighter you found ONCE? I have a lighter in my pocket RIGHT NOW. I use it about 10 times a day. I bought this lighter -- for about a dollar -- a year ago, and it's not even sputtering yet.
Also, in the beginning, the character I am playing is a KING TRAVELLING ON THE ROAD. In a magical mystical land. Are you *seriously* trying to tell me he doesn't have a sword? A dagger? Anything useful at ALL?? I mean, if I leave the house for more than an hour, I have more than Clueless William did at the beginning. Not even counting my car keys.
Never mind the amount of detritus a character leaves behind them as they go through this game. Every item single use? The path behind them must look like a park or beach after a party: absolutely littered with trash. No wonder the evil villain keeps finding me, all they had to do was follow the trail of discarded useful items!
Now, granted, that rant is applicable to pretty much any HOG. That is not unique to this game. But it's annoying every time nonetheless.
Also why do almost all HOP scenes in any HOG only give you one useful item? I'm looking at the scene and spot about fourteen things I could think of a use for, why wouldn't I take all of them?? Especially if the game treats durable items as 'single-use'.
Bottom line: the game is very good, I liked most of the gameplay, and if you're still reading, kudos. Also go play Royal Trouble that game is also great. So was this one.
I recommend this game!
Your father was murdered while he was investigating a crime. Travel back through time to save him!
Overall rating
5
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
I should've been in bed 4 hours ago
PostedOctober 11, 2018
TheDoctorIsHere
fromThe Tardis
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I loved pretty much every aspect of the game. The story pulled me in almost immediately, and ten minutes in, I knew the game would have to pull something pretty awful for me not to buy it. It didn't, and I did buy it, then stayed up five or so hours past what I was planning to to finish the game.
The story was fantastic, if a tad predictable in places (I don't mark off for this only because I've played so so many of these HOG games that it's very rare I don't predict story turns), the challenge level was very good, and it had some features I particularly liked.
The feature I liked the most, and at this point won't buy a HOG without, is the *map*. The map is absolutely key in this game, especially halfway through and on, because the amount of hopping between scenes was extreme, and the places I was hopping between weren't close to each other at all.
I also really liked the way the HOG scenes worked, especially with the "hidden" objects (or the objects requiring extra work to find) -- the key to unlocking one of these was displayed on the side as a silhouette. I liked that, especially because I find in a lot of these games, the thing to do to get an item to show up isn't self-explanatory at all.
Another thing I liked was that HOG scenes gave you more than one object, usually. I've always found it a bit odd that HOG scenes only give me one, especially when I have to then revisit it. Couldn't I have found both useful objects the *first* go-round?
I bought the CE, but I'm not sure I'd recommend that. The extra gameplay wasn't particularly worth it, although I'm always happy to support the game studios I particularly like, and Boolat is definitely one of those. I'd solidly recommend the game, for sure, just not necessarily getting the CE.
The story was fantastic, if a tad predictable in places (I don't mark off for this only because I've played so so many of these HOG games that it's very rare I don't predict story turns), the challenge level was very good, and it had some features I particularly liked.
The feature I liked the most, and at this point won't buy a HOG without, is the *map*. The map is absolutely key in this game, especially halfway through and on, because the amount of hopping between scenes was extreme, and the places I was hopping between weren't close to each other at all.
I also really liked the way the HOG scenes worked, especially with the "hidden" objects (or the objects requiring extra work to find) -- the key to unlocking one of these was displayed on the side as a silhouette. I liked that, especially because I find in a lot of these games, the thing to do to get an item to show up isn't self-explanatory at all.
Another thing I liked was that HOG scenes gave you more than one object, usually. I've always found it a bit odd that HOG scenes only give me one, especially when I have to then revisit it. Couldn't I have found both useful objects the *first* go-round?
I bought the CE, but I'm not sure I'd recommend that. The extra gameplay wasn't particularly worth it, although I'm always happy to support the game studios I particularly like, and Boolat is definitely one of those. I'd solidly recommend the game, for sure, just not necessarily getting the CE.
I recommend this game!
Can you stop a deadly curse before it’s too late?
Overall rating
2
/
5
7 of 7 found this review helpful
Did They Have an Urgent Deadline?
PostedAugust 16, 2017
TheDoctorIsHere
fromThe Tardis
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Match 3, Puzzle, Strategy, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
I went into this expecting to like this. Everything I've played by 4friends I have loved. I played Immortal Love 2 in one sitting. I own all the Living Legends.
My brother says every game company has a dud, and this is 4friends'.
I'll separate my complaints into two categories: bugs and other flaws.
Bugs:
1) Tutorial. I don't need one for a HOG but I like having it for the special features so I turn it on for that. It never provided it. It wasn't hard to figure out, but if you're going to offer special features tutorial, maybe have it.
2) I generally put it on advanced difficulty. I'm good at these games but I don't want to spend all day figuring out what to do next. The icons never changed for combinable objects, meaning I was constantly checking can I do something with this one yet. Again, if I set it to change, then have the game do so.
1) Tutorial. I don't need one for a HOG but I like having it for the special features so I turn it on for that. It never provided it. It wasn't hard to figure out, but if you're going to offer special features tutorial, maybe have it.
2) I generally put it on advanced difficulty. I'm good at these games but I don't want to spend all day figuring out what to do next. The icons never changed for combinable objects, meaning I was constantly checking can I do something with this one yet. Again, if I set it to change, then have the game do so.
Other flaws:
1) The story is *incredibly* bland. I kept playing for a while just to see if it picked up, but I couldn't make myself care about this at all. I'm only mildly interested in why Ursula is blaming the best friend for her beloved's death, certainly not curious enough to buy a CE. There was nothing particularly interesting about it. You're cursed because you have the nerve to be happy with the villain's fiance's best friend, who she's blaming for her fiance's death. The villain's father is helping you, instead of getting the villain some help to process her grief. Everyone is pretty much treating this poor woman like grief is a terminal and infectious disease.
2) The cutscene graphics are choppier than a 4friends one usually is. The characters usually move more smoothly than this. It felt like watching a glitchy Sim. Otherwise the graphics are good, but I felt really thrown out of the story every time a cutscene came up. And with the story as dull as it was, they couldn't afford anything that dulled the interest in it even further.
3) The bride is unbelievably annoying. I don't want to play as her for another minute. I'm not a fan of sappy love stories, and Immortal Love tends not to be particularly sappy, but if I have to listen to her any longer, I'm tossing the computer out the window.
4) Honestly, I felt sorry for Ursula. Throughout the Immortal Love games, I've felt sympathetic for the villains, since their evil actions are motivated by a deep love, but Ursula was the *only* person I felt sorry for in this game. She's mad with grief and apparently everyone's reaction is to leave her to it? Everyone else seems kind of blase about the hunting accident. Apparently it really *was* an accident (idk, I'm certainly not playing long enough to find out otherwise) but she's gotten zero help or support through this time.
5) The level of challenge is extremely poor. I don't generally need super extra hard games, but this game just was 'click here, click there' level of difficulty, no thinking involved.
6) This is a HOG. I am not a fan of dexterity games and hate it when they include one (clicking the mouse when the slider is in the yellow).
7) I understand that in a HOG, things will need to be put back together, but this game stretches that to the limit. Did someone vandalize this house before the wedding and then they just decided oh well we'll do the wedding anyway no biggie? Did Ursula break everything with her magic? Was there a tornado? Are you marrying in the worst-run mansion in human history? Who knows?! All I know is that every. single. object you run across you will have to clean up or put back together. If you aren't cleaning it up or putting it back together, you're finding another object to be able to use it, and *that* object you're probably cleaning up or putting back together. It's a way to draw out the game without adding anything substantial, and I don't care for it.
8) There isn't much extra in this CE. Granted, there's a bonus game, and I haven't tried that because there is no way I am suffering through several more hours of this game, but previous 4friends games have included a lot more for a CE. The candles you have to find this time around a 3-year-old could find no problem. And that's the only thing this time around. Not worth it, imho.
1) The story is *incredibly* bland. I kept playing for a while just to see if it picked up, but I couldn't make myself care about this at all. I'm only mildly interested in why Ursula is blaming the best friend for her beloved's death, certainly not curious enough to buy a CE. There was nothing particularly interesting about it. You're cursed because you have the nerve to be happy with the villain's fiance's best friend, who she's blaming for her fiance's death. The villain's father is helping you, instead of getting the villain some help to process her grief. Everyone is pretty much treating this poor woman like grief is a terminal and infectious disease.
2) The cutscene graphics are choppier than a 4friends one usually is. The characters usually move more smoothly than this. It felt like watching a glitchy Sim. Otherwise the graphics are good, but I felt really thrown out of the story every time a cutscene came up. And with the story as dull as it was, they couldn't afford anything that dulled the interest in it even further.
3) The bride is unbelievably annoying. I don't want to play as her for another minute. I'm not a fan of sappy love stories, and Immortal Love tends not to be particularly sappy, but if I have to listen to her any longer, I'm tossing the computer out the window.
4) Honestly, I felt sorry for Ursula. Throughout the Immortal Love games, I've felt sympathetic for the villains, since their evil actions are motivated by a deep love, but Ursula was the *only* person I felt sorry for in this game. She's mad with grief and apparently everyone's reaction is to leave her to it? Everyone else seems kind of blase about the hunting accident. Apparently it really *was* an accident (idk, I'm certainly not playing long enough to find out otherwise) but she's gotten zero help or support through this time.
5) The level of challenge is extremely poor. I don't generally need super extra hard games, but this game just was 'click here, click there' level of difficulty, no thinking involved.
6) This is a HOG. I am not a fan of dexterity games and hate it when they include one (clicking the mouse when the slider is in the yellow).
7) I understand that in a HOG, things will need to be put back together, but this game stretches that to the limit. Did someone vandalize this house before the wedding and then they just decided oh well we'll do the wedding anyway no biggie? Did Ursula break everything with her magic? Was there a tornado? Are you marrying in the worst-run mansion in human history? Who knows?! All I know is that every. single. object you run across you will have to clean up or put back together. If you aren't cleaning it up or putting it back together, you're finding another object to be able to use it, and *that* object you're probably cleaning up or putting back together. It's a way to draw out the game without adding anything substantial, and I don't care for it.
8) There isn't much extra in this CE. Granted, there's a bonus game, and I haven't tried that because there is no way I am suffering through several more hours of this game, but previous 4friends games have included a lot more for a CE. The candles you have to find this time around a 3-year-old could find no problem. And that's the only thing this time around. Not worth it, imho.
I do not recommend this game. I really wanted to like it, but it was flawed from the beginning. It felt like they were developing this game and an urgent deadline snuck up on them, so they had to put out the game well before they were ready. With more work, this game could've been another great 4friends game, but sadly, this is the dud. I *may* buy the SE when it comes out just to see if Ursula gets the help she needs, but certainly not a CE.
I don't recommend this game.
You are the private detective Hercule Poirot and, once again, you find yourself up against a mysterious serial killer who goes by the name of "ABC".
Overall rating
2
/
5
47 of 57 found this review helpful
Tedious, flawed, and constantly loading the next scene
PostedAugust 16, 2017
TheDoctorIsHere
fromThe Tardis
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Match 3, Puzzle, Strategy, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I wanted to like this so badly. I really did. I'm a huge Agatha Christie fan and I've read most of her books. I also love these story telling games that *don't* have HOP scenes, especially since most HOP scenes tend to be there just to add game time.
My main problem was the loading. It was painful, and during the 20-30 minutes I played, I spent about 10 minutes waiting for things to load. Even my Sims game isn't *that* bad, and it's notorious for long loading times.
I don't mind challenge in clues, either, but multiple times I found myself frustrated with having to have it juuuuuuust right to trigger a clue. For example, when you examine the ABC railway guide, I had turned the book over several times before Poirot finally commented "It's open to the letter A". It took a lot of spinning the book to get him to say that. A little less sensitive, please!
Finally -- and I know this is my fault -- the story didn't grip me, because I knew who the murderer was from reading the book. It was, however, an utterly faithful recreation of the book, so it did have that going for it and that's why I gave the story line such a high score.
The artwork wasn't very good, distractingly bad at times, I think.
Overall, I'd give this one a miss. It's not so bad that you shouldn't download the demo and try it out, but you won't get particularly far into the game during that hour because of the loading issue above.
I don't recommend this game.
Dive into one of the most celebrated epochs in history, solve card riddles and enjoy the grandeur of the 1920s.
Overall rating
1
/
5
3 of 5 found this review helpful
Nope Nope Nope
PostedAugust 15, 2017
TheDoctorIsHere
fromThe Tardis
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Match 3, Puzzle, Strategy, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
I love solitaire. I can play solitaire for hours on end. I own about ten solitaire games.
This will not be one of them.
First, there's no story, which isn't necessary in a solitaire game, I know, but I do enjoy having one. I love games with a story, and if I'm going to buy a game, having one is definitely going to make me want it more than if it doesn't.
Second, the cards were unpleasantly designed. On one option, the numbers were small -- mildly difficult to read -- on the other, poor contrast with the background pattern.
Third, the rules weren't clearly laid out that this is a matching solitaire game, not a one-up, one-down one. Matching solitaire is not really one I like, which is another reason I'll be passing on this.
Fourth, did not like the music. I know I can turn it off or play on mute, but one of the things that I like in a solitaire game is pleasant background music.
There are a lot of great solitaire games on this site -- Regency Solitaire being my absolute favorite. If you want a matching one, Doodle God Solitaire is very good. Don't settle for this one!
I don't recommend this game.
Young archaeologist Anna Windsdoe learns that her missing father, a great explorer, was looking for a secret city. Can you help her find him?
Overall rating
4
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Solid Game, Not Special, Terrible English -- But Fun!
PostedAugust 15, 2017
TheDoctorIsHere
fromThe Tardis
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Match 3, Puzzle, Strategy, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
This is a solid game. I love it, it's the one that made me fall in love with gathering resource/pathway type games, although now that I'm replaying it I find I've definitely played better games in this category.
It's definitely a solid, good game, with some qualities I definitely look for in these type of games. First, you can queue actions. I tend not to play these games if I can't queue actions, so that's a big one for me. Second, the resource production automatically goes into your bank, which I definitely like -- I hate sending workers to pick those up nonstop, since you have to factor that into the level time. The graphics are fun.
The storyline, as others have mentioned, is nothing particularly special, and I found myself, even on the first play through, skimming it instead of reading it properly. I am big on games with stories, so it's rare that I skip through -- I watch every cutscene in every game but the story was so bland I couldn't be bothered. There are definitely better stories out there.
The English is, as others have mentioned, terrible. It's not as bad as the sequel, as it is at least understandable, but if you are a grammar fiend, do not bother with this game.
Overall, it's a fun game, nothing particularly special. I'd recommend trying the demo. If you haven't played resource gathering/pathway games before, this is a good one to start with, since it's not a particularly challenging one, but does have some challenge, and it's pretty cute.
I recommend this game!
Young archeologist, Ann Windsdoe, is on a journey to find an ancient device that will help locate her father.
Overall rating
2
/
5
9 of 10 found this review helpful
Does Anyone Remember Babelfish? This Game Makes Me Think Of It!
PostedAugust 15, 2017
TheDoctorIsHere
fromThe Tardis
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Match 3, Puzzle, Strategy, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
I loved, loved, loved the original Chase for Adventure. I've played it two or three times by now, and it's one of my favorite games. So when I saw today that it had a sequel, I immediately abandoned the game I was going to play to play this one instead.
I was sorely disappointed. The gameplay is pretty good, still like the first Chase for Adventure, but I have a lot of problems.
First, as several people have mentioned, the English is *dreadful*. I cannot get past this. I am very tolerant of poor English generally, especially as an immigrant with family members who speak only a smattering of English. I am used to broken English, but even I couldn't figure out the storyline in this due to the translation errors. Google translate could do better than this. It feels like they unearthed that old Babelfish program and ran it through that.
Second, the music is on a 10 second loop. In about three minutes, I had to mute the game. I like having the sound on, but this was just intolerable.
Third, I really don't see a need for this game to be a collector's edition. It's a gather resources/time management game, and I don't see what the collector's edition adds to it. I won't be buying it, that's for sure. I will probably buy the SE, or at least get it with a free game coupon, because the gameplay is fun, but I'm definitely not spending extra money getting the CE for this game.
Overall, I wouldn't waste your money on this, especially if you want to follow the story -- there's little chance of that happening unless you are an expert in unintelligible, bad English!
I don't recommend this game.
Can you stop the Brotherhood of Stone Masks in time?
Overall rating
5
/
5
3 of 3 found this review helpful
Absolutely the Jewel of My Collection (Until the End)
PostedAugust 14, 2017
TheDoctorIsHere
fromThe Tardis
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Match 3, Puzzle, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This game is awesome. It literally took my breath away – I was hyperventilating from the excitement. 1 minute into the demo I knew I was going to buy it, and the following 89 minutes only confirmed it. This game has a fascinating story line, a decent level of challenge, simply *stunning* graphics, both in the game and the cutscenes, gorgeous background music, fun mini-games, and exciting extras for the CE.
You have special powers in this one, adding a neat touch to the game, elevating it above classic HOG adventure games. The scenes are expansive, beyond just one screen, which is stunning and I’m surprised I have never seen it before. The game even tells you how many collectibles are left in each scene!
The HOP scenes are not all lists to find things – they vary from finding lists of objects to finding pairs to silhouettes, keeping the game varied and interesting.
I have never disliked a 4 friends game I have played -- *everything* by them has been a gorgeous, mind-blowing game, and this one the absolute best of them all. And you can start with this one as opposed to playing them in order, since there is no connection to Immortal Love Letters From the Past.
Just *stunning*. I still can’t breathe.
It does get frustratingly difficult at times, but the hint button is always helpful and you can change the level of difficulty at any time – I was only frustrated because I refused that help out of sheer stubbornness.
The CE is absolutely worth the extra money. It is packed full of extras that are just delightful. I rarely get the collector’s editions, even when there’s a bonus game involved, but this one I’m so happy I paid the extra for.
However, I felt like the last two sections were extremely rushed, like they had spent so much time making the first four so awesome that they were in danger of missing a deadline. They were still good, just not the superb quality of the rest of the game. Honestly, for most of the game I was raving about it to anyone who would listen, and had most of this review written as glowing – perhaps overly so – praise, but I got to that section and became a bit disappointed. There is a definite disconnect between the first four sections and the last two, and I wish they would have put a little more effort in there to keep the quality as stellar. Still a truly amazing game that I am delighted to own and happy to replay, but it was a mild disappointment (note: the last two sections, in any other game, would have been an automatic five stars – but this game blew every other game out of the water until that point, and is why it got 4/5 on the storyline, which was absolutely amazing, really, just wanted to highlight the rushed end)
Try the demo – it is absolutely a great game, and one of the best in my collection.
I recommend this game!
Save the besieged alpine village of Martlet and rescue its residents from the mysterious living statues in this exciting Hidden Object Adventure game!
Overall rating
2
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
It had too many flaws
PostedApril 10, 2017
TheDoctorIsHere
fromThe Tardis
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Match 3, Strategy, Time Management
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
My overall takeaway from this game was meh. The scenes all looked the same after awhile, probably because the game was very monochromatic.
The storyline was interesting and the only thing that kept me playing despite some annoying flaws in the game. The biggest irritant was that the area to click on for an object was poorly designed -- if you wanted to click on an apple, say, even a few inches away you could pick up the apple. This got *really* frustrating in HO scenes when there were several objects near each other and the cursor wouldn't distinguish between them.
There were a lot of HO scenes that just felt like filler to make the game artificially longer. I like HO scenes, but it got to the point where if another one showed up I was groaning because I had *just* done one a few minutes ago.
The HO scenes were extremely frustrating because of how monochromatic and dark the game was (definitely going to need full brightness for this game) and the whole poor object definition issue.
Also, the two endings, while a fun idea, is annoying in that you have to go back and replay the entire game to see the other ending. As interested as I am in finding out what would've happened if I took the blue pill, I'm not playing this game another 4 hours just to find out.
But the most annoying part is that your companion apparently knows the ENTIRE PLOT and WHO WAS BEHIND IT the WHOLE TIME and decides to deliver it to you piecemeal instead of being like "Oh yeah it was Person X this whole time and they are in Location Y let's go there." No, your companion sends you on a darn scavenger hunt throughout the town while he tells you meaningless story after meaningless story, piecing together the background of the town until you realize 3 hours into the game that the guy knew all along who the culprit was and couldn't be bothered to tell you. THAT'S a major flaw, it's EXTREMELY annoying to play and discover stuff when my supposedly helpful, "I'll do everything I can to solve this mystery with you" Watson-esque friend knew the whole time. I don't mind discovering a story piece by piece, but don't give me a companion at the beginning who knows what's going on and just doesn't feel like sharing. I almost ragequit at that point.
Overall, I do NOT recommend this game. Don't even download the demo, you'll want to know what happens, waste money on this game, and end up yelling at your screen in frustration.
The storyline was interesting and the only thing that kept me playing despite some annoying flaws in the game. The biggest irritant was that the area to click on for an object was poorly designed -- if you wanted to click on an apple, say, even a few inches away you could pick up the apple. This got *really* frustrating in HO scenes when there were several objects near each other and the cursor wouldn't distinguish between them.
There were a lot of HO scenes that just felt like filler to make the game artificially longer. I like HO scenes, but it got to the point where if another one showed up I was groaning because I had *just* done one a few minutes ago.
The HO scenes were extremely frustrating because of how monochromatic and dark the game was (definitely going to need full brightness for this game) and the whole poor object definition issue.
Also, the two endings, while a fun idea, is annoying in that you have to go back and replay the entire game to see the other ending. As interested as I am in finding out what would've happened if I took the blue pill, I'm not playing this game another 4 hours just to find out.
But the most annoying part is that your companion apparently knows the ENTIRE PLOT and WHO WAS BEHIND IT the WHOLE TIME and decides to deliver it to you piecemeal instead of being like "Oh yeah it was Person X this whole time and they are in Location Y let's go there." No, your companion sends you on a darn scavenger hunt throughout the town while he tells you meaningless story after meaningless story, piecing together the background of the town until you realize 3 hours into the game that the guy knew all along who the culprit was and couldn't be bothered to tell you. THAT'S a major flaw, it's EXTREMELY annoying to play and discover stuff when my supposedly helpful, "I'll do everything I can to solve this mystery with you" Watson-esque friend knew the whole time. I don't mind discovering a story piece by piece, but don't give me a companion at the beginning who knows what's going on and just doesn't feel like sharing. I almost ragequit at that point.
Overall, I do NOT recommend this game. Don't even download the demo, you'll want to know what happens, waste money on this game, and end up yelling at your screen in frustration.
I don't recommend this game.
Follow Lisa's journey as she learns the intricacies of running her own movie studio. Visit the world's trendiest movie festivals, meet celebrities and fall madly in love!
Overall rating
1
/
5
50 of 76 found this review helpful
Mindnumbingly Dull and Insultingly Stupid
PostedApril 10, 2017
TheDoctorIsHere
fromThe Tardis
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Match 3, Strategy, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
I didn't even make it through the demo -- I was already rolling my eyes when it started with her starting a studio on a farm in the middle of nowhere and inviting A-list celebrities. But OK, it's a game.
Gameplay is basic click here, click there, nothing special or unique, and there's nothing about this game that sets it apart from other time management games. I'm a big fan of time management games, but there was zero challenge to this and absolutely nothing to make it fun or interesting, just click click click.
I wouldn't even bother downloading the demo.
Gameplay is basic click here, click there, nothing special or unique, and there's nothing about this game that sets it apart from other time management games. I'm a big fan of time management games, but there was zero challenge to this and absolutely nothing to make it fun or interesting, just click click click.
I wouldn't even bother downloading the demo.
I don't recommend this game.