plat1098's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:4.2
- Helpful Votes:615
- Reviews Submitted:122
- First Review:June 17, 2016
- Most Recent Review:February 20, 2024
- Featured reviews0
Status:
After being summoned to a mysterious manor, you must unravel the story of an ancient evil and discover your destiny before it’s too late!
Overall rating
5
/
5
Ten Years Later, Add Another Fan
PostedAugust 8, 2022
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
If anyone finds this review after all this time, hopefully it'll register how much I like this game. Seeing as my cherished game A Gypsy's Tale: The Tower of Secrets is becoming unplayable in Windows 11, I looked for other games from this dev. Found this one and am enjoying it greatly.
Very simple mechanics with plenty of atmosphere--some of the scenes are so pleasing I want to make desktop backgrounds out of them.
The CE content is embedded into the proper game. Every scene contains coins (for parts of the map) which, along with the hidden objects, are challenging to find. Mini games are absolutely great- taxing your skills quite well. Don't give up--try again some other time--esp. for the drawing scene at the wall.
Plays beautifully in Windows 10. A primitive game by today's standards but a lovely and well-crafted one.
I recommend this game!
Seize your destiny as the city’s heroic princess!
Overall rating
5
/
5
It's a Rogue's Life
PostedAugust 6, 2022
plat1098
fromDa Mean Streets of Brooklyn
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
I wish there was a notification of some kind whenever games we're really waiting for actually do show up. You know, like a new Gardens, Inc (yeah right) or this one!
After a disappointing first Lost Tales--way too short--this one clicked almost immediately. I demoed it for maybe two minutes. Basically, the very first Hero is my yardstick and this looks promising.
A comparatively simplistic game--no fancy mechanics, no hints. You go back and forth thru the various pretty scenes looking for things to do and money to earn. Sometimes, it's not clear what to do next but it's fun to keep at it until something clicks. Oh yeah--you're a princess but you're sort of undercover, having run away from the palace in search of adventure. And you have a companion to boot.
Same kinds of survival and bartering skills--farming, fishing, treasure hunting, but without the sheer tedium of endless cooking and potion-making we found in the third Hero. Very few settings to adjust--mainly for sounds.
Sometimes, the best things in gaming are the simplest!
I recommend this game!
A royally challenging match-3 adventure in time!
Overall rating
5
/
5
5 of 5 found this review helpful
The Amazing-Castle Specialists
PostedJuly 5, 2022
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
If you're a Match-3 fan, it's almost impossible not to get into this game. Attractive boards, interesting board elements, challenges beyond the ordinary, and the building--all await you in this lovely game.
You have sliders for sounds, music, ambient fx and brightness, as well as three modes (easy, moves and timed) with three levels of difficulty (Normal, Advanced and Insane).
You also have a Shop where you can get those familiar bonuses, and in the more advanced modes, trust me: you need them.
Quite a departure from the Jewel Match Royale, with more elements taken from the Aquascapes installment. I ain't complaining.
I recommend this game!
Guide the Rescue Team to save your city from disaster!
Overall rating
3
/
5
7 of 8 found this review helpful
RT Meets Adelentado...And It Ain't Pretty
PostedJune 2, 2022
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
But it's interesting...in theory. Click and drag over the terrain and build lookout towers (how did they get there in the first place?) to discover new things. Sounds great but there's a learning curve and it can be steep. Demo, demo, demo.
You're subjected to a barrage of tutorial "hints" before you even start and there's no context to apply them. Then, in-game you may well be wishing for some of those hints because it's often not intuitive what to do next. A lot of wandering and clicking around before something gives. There are numerous supply stations and areas to build but starting off, it's not clear what to build first or even what to build period. Stuff you need for the level is scattered under different icons and it's just plain messy.
Graphics are OK, the usual. Game mechanics are crisp and responsive. You can make the usual adjustments for music, sound, etc as well as selct one of three modes. Extras in the CE include a guide but it's so NOT convenient to transpose the arrows to the actual playing field you're on. It takes time figuring out the core and rhythm of this game. At that point, you might either love or hate it.
I think I might love it--eventually-- but the demo wasn't quite long enough for me.
Who is the mysterious ally supporting the Roman soldiers?
Overall rating
5
/
5
3 of 3 found this review helpful
A Quality Resource Management Game
PostedMay 26, 2022
plat1098
fromDa Mean Streets of Brooklyn
Favorite Genre(s):Time Management
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
It's been a lean year so far so this was a pleasant bump in the road. Basically, if you enjoyed the first Portals, this follows right in its footsteps.
Roman workers are charged with clearing paths and building resource centers while the noble fighters tackle the various monsters that block your progress.
They're already messing with you at level 4 (hard mode)-maybe earlier? Strategy is there; sometimes one move or lack thereof is all the difference between gold time in the green zone or less-deisrable yellow zone.
Graphics are lovely, with many of the same elements as previously. Trees move, people move, water moves, it's alive! Three modes to play and you can disable sounds, music and use your system pointer. Hidden objects are there too.
I'm enjoying this, hope you will too.
Build your dream town on a tropical island!
Overall rating
4
/
5
7 of 7 found this review helpful
Cute!
PostedApril 6, 2022
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Resource management game you can play in three modes (c'mon, we know these already). The demo levels are on various islands where you're building stuff and generating income in order to build more stuff. Fair enough.
In Expert mode at least, there are no hint rings so you're having to repeatedly check your buildings for upgrade availability. You can queue up to five tasks but if something requires two workers, they both need to be available in order to proceed.
Graphics are very clear and are animated: butterflies, trees and bushes swaying and water moving. It saddens me a little when I see background animations fade away in other games so it's nice to see here. You can adjust sounds, music, use your pointer and turn off hints. Extras in the CE include a puzzle (pieces of which are hidden in a certain object on a level), a strategy guide, wallpapers and 10 extra levels.
Nifty game, will buy on sale. I'll finish the demo first before deciding whether the extra 10 levels are worth the CE price.
A global art heist and a series of natural disasters collide!
Overall rating
4
/
5
25 of 25 found this review helpful
You'll Be Fine With This One
PostedMarch 25, 2022
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
On the plus side: they know now to leave well enough alone with the formula. So it's like picking up where you left off from the previous, except for some minor storyline adjustments. Here, you are on the trail of an art thief and vandal, so instead of meteorites, you're picking up canvases and artifacts, some with shovels no less--lol.
In hard mode, early levels were around 3-6 minutes give or take. At level four, you can demolish buildings; at level 6, you can upgrade. Resource buildings are the same. Some familiar characters also. Graphics are a bit toned down now--the trees don't sway in the breeze and no butterflies, bunnies or hedgehogs--not in the demo levels. But there are birds flying overhead and the water shimmers. Time to economize, I guess.
You can turn off hints, sounds and music, use your pointer and choose from easy (default), relaxed and hard. There are achievements in the CE (meh), concept art (yuck), extra levels (yes!) and a Store to buy boosters.
Not my fave, and not the best, imo. I remember when the cops gave the punks what for but that's safely in the past. Those were the good ol' days!
Can you save the Northern Woods in a race against the clock?
Overall rating
4
/
5
3 of 3 found this review helpful
Alice Does In Fact Live Here, She Just Morphed That's All
PostedMarch 22, 2022
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
We see this arrangement in many other games: Alicia Quatermain, Elven Legends and Alice's Wonderland, where it's the lead female character and her strapping assistants and they all do specific tasks with no overlap. OK, no problem.
At first I was inclined to think this was a dash kind of game until I read that it was an Alice variant and so I tried it right away. So far, it's a gentle and pleasant resource management game, where you're taxed with restoring various plots of land by using "glades" for wood, gardens, etc. You then are gradually restoring an old and beat-up farmhouse as well. Little objects to find--that paint palette again and various veggies.
Scenes are pretty and very intuitive if you've played the Alice games before. Normal mode is a bit more challenging this time, so you're likely to have less time left on the clock when completed. You can disable dialogs and hints-yay! Music is easy-listening acoustic stuff; you can turn it off. In the CE, you have achievements, which you commonly get just by playing the game anyway.
A pleasant if fairly nondescript addition to your TM library, imo, especially if you're a fan of this developer's various games.
I recommend this game!
Discover hidden worlds on a journey to solve a captivating mystery!
Overall rating
4
/
5
9 of 10 found this review helpful
For A Literal Change of Scenery
PostedMarch 21, 2022
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
If you like walking simulators, this might interest you though it's technically not. No casting about in static, cartoonish scenes, the mechanics enable a touch of realism, along with the "real-fake" graphics I love.
You can adjust the game difficulty (easy, normal, hard), walk or teleport, adjust brightness, and also the visual quality. I experimented with all three, and unexpectedly, the "low" setting actually worked best on here--very sharp and clear.
You're looking for someone and each chapter will reveal more detail and consists of a chamber or chambers which you must navigate back and forth, examining any minute detail for a crucial breakthrough on how to escape. The "Question Mark" isn't really a hint, as it's often stating the obvious. You'll have to figure it out.
Reading the reviews, a common thread is it's "too short." I enjoy the scenic route always so I calculated my progress based off the one hour demo and came up with a potentially worthwhile game. I'll get this on a sale, though, as I was already sensing in the demo that the challenge and memories of it may lower its replay value for me. To each his/her own!
There's a gold rush coming, and it's your job to lead the way!
Overall rating
4
/
5
6 of 6 found this review helpful
Better Take What I Can Get
PostedMarch 3, 2022
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Third in this series, with not a lot of difference between this and the first one--which can be a good thing, as familiarity makes things easier.
Resource management game that has you developing towns and laying tracks thru some challenging landscapes. Three modes--and I must say: hard mode isn't all that hard, relatively speaking. But I have some levels to go yet. There's a cute owl lurking in the rocks or trees on every level.
You get a levels guide, four wallpapers (yuck) and music tracks. If you see a red exclamation point over your Train tab, it's time to go there and buy another booster with your stars.
In these challenging times, best to make the most out of what you have. I plan to do that with this game, while secretly hoping for another Viking Bros. or Rescue Team next time, whenever that may be.
I recommend this game!