9otters's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.1
- Helpful Votes:1,898
- Reviews Submitted:63
- First Review:November 24, 2014
- Most Recent Review:February 22, 2016
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Investigate the mysterious death of Count Anthony in 18th century France.
Overall rating
1
/
5
5 of 9 found this review helpful
Needs An EXTREME Makeover
PostedMay 25, 2015
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
REVIEW BASED ON DEMO
VERY "old school". Must click and drag inventory items to the proper place. Does not fill my computer screen. On the largest setting, the sides of the scenes were cut off. On the smallest settings, the inventory was cut off. No character animation when speaking--boxed "conversation" to read. No map. No hint beyond the obvious in the current scene.
Inventory "plus" items but no indicator. Had to guess that one belonged with the other and, gratefully, it worked. Standard list HOS with MINIMAL interaction. The puzzles I found were SIMPLE enough to need no instructions, which was good because the instructions were very vague for one of them.
No locking inventory. It does have a journal and reading it was the ONLY way to make sense of what was going on. Even still, it was a reach. Anyone with sight issues will need extra help due to the smallness of items to find in the regular scenes. Some of the HOS too.
Action response very slow. And, really, I just dislike getting something totally different for the inventory than anything I identified in a HOS.
All in all, too much effort for very little payback. This one is just not my cup of tea. For me, not even worth a game coupon. I would suggest you try before you buy.
I don't recommend this game.
It was supposed to be a routine mission. But when a dragon attacks your plane, crash-landing in a lush valley, you're drawn into the adventure of a lifetime!
Overall rating
1
/
5
10 of 12 found this review helpful
Even DRAGONS Can Be Boring.
PostedMay 25, 2015
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
BASED ON COMPLETED GAME
I have to agree with "roaming" on this one.
I made the mistake of using game credits to get the CE version of this game. I played the demo. Twice! But, instead of listening to my gut, I let my head take over and talked myself into it because of all the rave reviews of the CE game.
The entertainment value is just SO lacking for me. Yes, we're in a "new" situation/world, but we're playing the same Eipix game. And without the stellar graphics that used to be their signature. Imo, their graphics have been going downhill for a while now.
They tried to jazz it up a bit with some extra puzzles and mini-games, but for me, it was still just blah. SO EASY. No challenge. Trying to follow the disjointed story, playing "take this here and put that there", map jumping to get through because it wasn't really that interesting. Really not much thinking required.
If I don't have to THINK, I can't get invested in the game. If the graphics are so-so, I cannot delight in the world that has been created. If the items mentioned above are lacking, AND the story leaves me cold, even DRAGONS can be boring.
More power to all who liked it, but I can't be counted in your number.
I don't recommend this game.
Only the Rose of Life can cure your father’s illness.
Overall rating
4
/
5
19 of 20 found this review helpful
Entertaining, Colorful, and Good Value As A SE
PostedMay 24, 2015
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
BASED ON COMPLETED SE GAME
I didn't think this game had enough extra content to warrant CE status, I DID enjoy it enough to revisit it and got the SE with a game coupon. I wasn't disappointed and it just got better after the demo.
I LOVE puzzles and even though most of the puzzles here were pretty simple, they were visually lovely...and FUN. I especially liked the one with flowers, pictured below the game page video. Its not hard, but you can expect to see that level of DETAIL in the puzzles, and that was entertaining to me.
The graphics here were colorful, crisp and defined, and most welcome after wading through the grainy "parable sands". I also HAVE to mention the EXCELLENT voiceovers. There were quite a few characters here and NOT A SINGLE ONE sounded like they were reading their lines. THAT went a great way towards keeping me immersed in the game.
For those who are interested, the inventory locks, the map "jumps", and I had no need of a strategy guide.
Some GOOD twists in the HOGs, the complexity of playing as TWO characters, and the Devs obvious sense of humor where the animals were concerned, and I spent an enjoyable afternoon/evening unaware of the rain outside.
Thank you Devs and BFG.
I recommend this game!
Team up with the Red Riding Hood Sisters to defeat the nightmares!
Overall rating
1
/
5
121 of 145 found this review helpful
Definitely An Eipix Product
PostedMay 21, 2015
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
BASED ON DEMO
I have all the prior Blue Tea games, including The Little Mermaid, and THAT is where I learned my lesson. Never again will I buy a Dark Parables game that REALLY doesn't have that mark of Blue Tea quality.
After playing the demo you can count me in with those who are disappointed. The graininess/fuzziness of the graphics, the "glare" factor in the HOS, and a convoluted story that lost me at the red riding hood sister.
This "game" is all about "opening this with that". All the "keys" and objects of beauty that the previous dev did so well now all look the same and have lost their crisp detail.
The HOS used to have a magical quality that is missing. The GAMES used to have a magical quality that is missing. Puzzles/mini-games so simple and...mini. I'm sure that those who haven't played the GOOD Dark Parables will perfectly fine with this one. I will have to pass.
There is Eipix in my Blue Tea and it leaves me with a bitter taste in my mouth.
I don't recommend this game.
Resolve a family squabble before the gates to the realm of the dead swing open and horrors beyond imagination pour into this world!
Overall rating
5
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Hours Of Hilarious Entertainment! Some Challenge Too!
PostedMay 13, 2015
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
BASED ON COMPLETED GAME
Since I purchased this game at the end of October 2014, I have played it three times over! There isn't a doubt I'll be playing it again! Every time I play, I see or hear something new and laugh and laugh and laugh!
I just wanted to add my hearty recommendation for this game.There are so many positive reviews on the main game page and the forums, and I agree with every single one.
Take a moment and read them and I bet you'll be using a game coupon to get in on the FUN! If you don't have a coupon, get it anyway! Hours of entertainment!
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
3 of 4 found this review helpful
HOPA Lovers Won't Want To Miss This One!
PostedMay 1, 2015
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
BASED ON COMPLETED SE GAME
I recently replayed this game and I had forgotten how GOOD it was! Even without all the add-ons that seem to be a must in 2015, this game holds its own, for me, in entertainment value. A true hidden object puzzle ADVENTURE.
HOS with a bit of a twist. Original puzzles that actually require some thought. A story with unexpected turns. Mix in some art nouveau style and the end result is five star fun.
I definitely found some SURPRISES here and, for the price of a game coupon, you might too!
I recommend this game!
A meteorite devastates a town, yanking Emily from her normal life.
Overall rating
5
/
5
64 of 72 found this review helpful
Wish I Had Played This Sooner!
PostedMay 1, 2015
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
BASED ON COMPLETED GAME
I noticed that some others were disappointed because this entry wasn't like the previous ones. Not having played this line, I had no prior expectations and I LOVED THIS GAME! Brilliant imagination and attention to detail was apparent in everything, on every level.
The only negative comment I have to make is that our heroine, Emily, is voiced by someone who sounds like she is reading her lines. Its a bit off-putting.
Other than that, I can't think of enough GOOD adjectives to describe it! This game is a WHIMSICAL, ORIGINAL, ARTISTIC, MAGICAL, STEAMPUNKY, CHALLENGING, COLORFUL, FANTASTIC ride! And, it just got BETTER after the demo!
I first thought the "hand of light" might get old pretty fast but that was NOT the case. Once I found that I didn't have to keep the mouse button depressed it was much easier. Easier still when I realized that all I had to do was "hit" the corners and made the bell sound happen for it to work. Much simpler than I made it in the beginning.
Not a fan of "gimmicks" and "contraptions" I wondered about the two other devices as well. But, they were acquired progressively throughout the game and not heavily used at all. As a matter of fact, I sat there a couple of times wondering about my next move before seeing that I needed one! Our lovely "helper" was also used logically and not too often.
The HOS were so interactive they played like puzzles and mini-games. Some were very challenging! Outstanding, UNIQUE puzzles and twists on familiar ones. Some easy, some not so.
Most of the time the active areas were close together but there is a jump-map available that was very easy to use and not confusing. We all need a hint now and then and the hint system was perfect whether it was just a direction or an out-and-out answer on what to do.
There was a surprise around every corner and it seemed like every door opened to MORE! I just kept going and going and going. I had to THINK. I had to LAUGH. I had to sit there in WONDER as I took this riveting ride that is House of 1000 Doors: Evil Inside. Hours and hours of entertainment for the price of a game coupon code!
Thank you, BFG! There is NO DOUBT that I'll be playing and sharing this game again!
I recommend this game!
Find the cure to save your brother from the Others.
Overall rating
5
/
5
39 of 45 found this review helpful
Pure FANTASY, IMAGINATION, And FUN!
PostedApril 27, 2015
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
BASED ON COMPLETED GAME
Bridge to Another World: The Others, for me, was something NEW AND DIFFERENT. Its almost like an interactive movie, but you won't just be watching, you'll be DOING. Every animation is there for a reason. High quality voice-overs added to the atmosphere. It was so much FUN taking part in the show and I loved the world and its inhabitants.
If you're a HOG fan I think you'll enjoy this game as much as I did. The HOS had UNBELIEVABLE variety and, with the mini-games and puzzles, were incorporated into the story in such clever ways. They created a momentum that continued throughout the entire game. Every time I thought I might be coming to the end, there would be another twist and off I'd go again. A good, lengthy game.
This game is PURE FANTASY. Friends4Games has created a detailed and complex world with SO much to do and see, its almost like they squeezed TWO games into their competitors' one!
For the price of a game coupon you can be a part of another world for a while. That, for me, is what fantasy is all about. I will absolutely be playing this one again. Thank you Friends4Games and BFG!.
I recommend this game!
A simple job protecting a bumbling professor becomes a nightmare when a masked figure threatens to kill him!
Overall rating
1
/
5
25 of 35 found this review helpful
This Game RUSHED DOWNHILL After The Demo!
PostedApril 26, 2015
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I'd like to say that this review is based on the completed game but, after purchasing and playing it, I didn't even finish it.
I was so anticipating a gritty, creepy game after playing this demo. NOT SO. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to get my hands on some challenging super-puzzles. NOT EVEN CLOSE.
For me, all the excitement was packed up front. The action-packed beginning, the atmospheric creepiness of the hotel. The super-puzzle that, while certainly being very linear, WAS interesting. The HOS with a bit of a twist. Promises made but not kept. The only positives I have to say is that the graphics were detailed and the voice-overs didn't sound like actors.
Getting into the actual game, I found myself back in the endless "take and put" gameplay that is so common lately. Find something, TAKE it here, PUT it there. Then do more of the same. The only change from the norm was the setting. And that turned out to be pretty blah as well.
When the first super-puzzle that we played in the demo appeared, I played exactly as I had in the demo. With the purchased game, it refused to cough up one of the letters! I played it twice with the same results. There was no way to progress further without skipping the puzzle altogether.
By the time I found another super-puzzle, I was just clicking the hint button to get on with it. That is certainly not entertaining to me. The super-puzzle I finally found ended up being SO SIMPLE that I don't think it deserved the name.
All the other puzzles were mindless. The one that really sticks with me, we were supposed to press three different buttons a certain number of times. That was it! With the answer right there on a piece of paper! When the instructions rolled out from the side I had to laugh!
The map made no sense to me whatsoever.
I have not been a big fan of the Haunted Hotel games in the past. This one seemed like it was going to be different than the rest. Well, yes it was. And not in a good way.
I don't recommend this game.
A mysterious Owl Man is terrorizing citizens!
Overall rating
5
/
5
35 of 36 found this review helpful
Things Are Not Always As They Seem On The Surface!
PostedApril 24, 2015
9otters
fromsomewhere in the midwest
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
BASED ON COMPLETED GAME
After playing the demo I was kind of on the fence about purchasing this game. Because of a good sale and the aspects of the game that I DID like, I purchased it and ended up playing an EXCELLENT game!
At first, I viewed "the sight" as a device to prolong gameplay. The more I got into the STORY, the better I enjoyed it. It ended up being a unique way to "see" the actions of the crime and give hints as to the identity of the true culprit.
It was very easy to immerse myself in the world and story of this game, mainly due to the excellent graphics. Very atmospheric! If you choose to play, take a look at the individual townspeople. It was good to see people that looked like REAL people. Everyone was definitely not perfect and pretty.
The HOS weren't difficult, but were definitely in keeping with the theme. The mini-games and multi-layered puzzles were a big plus for me. Not as hard as they first seemed and SO much fun to do. If I had the choice, I would liked to have seen MORE of those.
I appreciated the truth of the story beneath the kidnapping story. The true "horror" is not always what it seems to be on the surface.
I got the CE version of this game because I am a sucker for a good monster and it had the morphing mythic monster collectibles. Access to a secret room allowed play of some of the HOS and complex puzzles on a timed basis. It also had a story character vending machine as well as the normal CE extras.
The bonus game had more of a supernatural theme that could have been fun as an entirely separate game.
This turned out to be my favorite Mystery Trackers game of the whole bunch! SE or CE, I don't think you can go wrong. Different, entertaining, and definitely worth playing!
I recommend this game!