nextgengranny's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.3
- Helpful Votes:1,479
- Reviews Submitted:129
- First Review:May 1, 2016
- Most Recent Review:October 14, 2018
- Featured reviews0
Status:
When your world and the supernatural realm collide, can you survive?
Overall rating
4
/
5
7 of 10 found this review helpful
Looks Like Fun! :D
PostedOctober 14, 2018
nextgengranny
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Although I purchased this game w/ the w/e sale, I've yet to play beyond I assume what was the end of the demo portion, as I rarely play HOPA games anymore, much less in one sitting. That said, I purchased this game sight unseen, based on how much I enjoyed last year's Halloween Story, & so far, this game looks to be equally enjoyable. I personally wouldn't call it scary at all, as I'm not of an age to be frightened by images of ghosts & goblins & the like. That said, it's full of images of ghosts & goblins & the like, & it's all great fun; when I catch myself laughing out loud while playing a game, I know I've picked a winner. The one word of caution I would extend would be to those who find images of spiders disturbing; as w/ last year's offering, they're present in fair abundance, at least in the portion of the game I've played.
As for the level of challenge, I'd rate it "midrangy", which is good in my opinion, as I think most people will find enough to enjoy in this game to make the purchase worthwhile, providing their primary objective is to have fun. This series has the flavor I'm looking for in a Halloween game, & as I imagine I said last year, I'm so glad Elephant decided to branch out & do a Halloween series.
If in doubt, playing the demo should give you a good idea of whether or not this game is your cup of brew, too. ;) Happy gaming, all, & Happy Halloween! :)
I recommend this game!
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
4
/
5
2 of 3 found this review helpful
A very well-rounded game. :)
PostedJanuary 23, 2018
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Based on the completed game: Having purchased this game today as the Daily Deal, I just finished playing it about an hour or so ago, & I'm so glad that the DD brought it to my attention, as I probably would have overlooked it otherwise. Aside from a period of a couple hours between playing the demo & finding time to return to it, I played this game all in one sitting, & never reached that point you do sometimes where you're just ready for the game to be over, already. :D I found the storyline sufficient, & while the game isn't overpopulated w/ characters, those there are work well w/ it, as opposed to seeming randomly thrown in. The graphics are as lush as you'd expect from this dev, & while that wouldn't be my cup of tea on a regular basis, when I'm in the mood for it, it suits me fine. This game also had what I thought to be a very good balance of FROGs & mini-games, more so than I'm used to seeing from this dev in this series. One thing worth noting regarding the latter is that some of them require you to begin tinkering around w/ them before you'll clearly be able to see how to solve them, but I was able to solve all of them, & there's always the option of skipping those if you find you don't care for that sort of thing. There are two items you collect throughout the game, the one of course being the parables, & the other of which you'll use once you've found them all (they're easy to spot, so no worries on that account). The only real fly in the ointment for me was the map, which I agree w/ others is mostly useless, though it does show areas of interest. I didn't think to watch the time while I played, but my guess would be my play time was at least a good four hours, using no hints, skipping nothing, & all collectibles found. This is a game that definitely has replay value for me, & I highly recommend doing the demo, & seeing what you think; as the demo is representative of the game overall, that should give you a clear idea of whether or not this is a game you will enjoy. Happy gaming, all. :)
I recommend this game!
Dark Parables: Requiem for the Forgotten Shadow
A dark illness has befallen the townspeople of Anaben!
Overall rating
5
/
5
16 of 21 found this review helpful
A great gamae for me, but probably not for everyone.
PostedJanuary 11, 2018
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Based on the completed game: I actually purchased this game w/ some reservations, as I had read all the comments about the complexity of a recurring mini-game in this game, & I didn't want to get stuck w/ a game where I ended up having to skip a lot of mini-games (it occurs once each in six of eight chapters, if I kept track correctly). It turned out my fears were groundless in that regard; there was a bit of a learning curve involved, but once I got the hang of it, I found the level of challenge to be great. I thought there to be a good degree of variety of mini-games, as well as a good range of difficulty. The balance of FROGs & mini-games overall is pretty good, although a bit heavy on the FROGs toward the end of the game for my taste, but I suppose that's to be expected, as this is a DP game, which relies heavily on "crafting" various keys & whatnots to use, via the FROGs. As for the FROGs themselves, I managed to complete all of them w/o using any hints, but it wasn't easy, as many fragments are either tiny or discolored; for example, in one, where the pieces were supposedly silver & gold, many looked more green or brown. Other than the foibles in the FROGs, I thought the graphics to be truly excellent; I think the devs did an excellent job depicting both the real & alternate worlds. Cool colors are used quite a bit, especially in one of the alt realms, but they're used w/ restraint, as opposed to being oversaturated as is so often the case w/ this type of palette, & I thought the effect to be excellent. I also liked the fact that the fairy story this game is based on is one I was unfamiliar with, despite having read many of HC Anderson's stories to my daughter when she was young. My playtime was somewhere between 5-6 hours, w/ probably about an hour or so of that taken up w/ the recurring mini-game, & of course some extra time taken w/ the FROGs (next time I play this, I'll probably use some hints, but for some reason, I got the bit properly between my teeth this go around :D). Overall, my actual rating for this game is 4.5 stars, & I highly recommend doing the demo, & seeing what you think. Happy gaming, all. :)
I recommend this game!
There’s more to this restoration project than meets the eye.
Overall rating
4
/
5
4 of 4 found this review helpful
A solid game in a mostly solid series. ;)
PostedDecember 26, 2017
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Based on the completed game: I just started playing more games from this series within the last month or so, & I'm very glad I did, because for the most part, I've found them to be solid, enjoyable games. I especially like installments such as this one, where we travel to a variety of exotic locations & have interesting characters to interact with. The balance of all aspects of HOPA is very good, & even late in the game, the HO scenes maintain a high level of quality, in that they offer a mix of formats, are multi-layered & interactive, & the graphics are at the very least up to par, & in some case, quite rich. The selection of mini-games is very good, offering both variety & a good range of degree of difficulty, & including at least one that was wholly new to me. Back & forthing is kept in check by the fact that areas close behind us as we complete them, & gameplay overall is intuitive w/o lapsing into handholding. The graphics are mostly very good; in the beach screen, it's a pleasure to pause for a moment to take in the lapping waves & trailing clouds, & watch the gulls flying by. Lastly, as always, we have the infusion of humor which is one of the things I know this dev by, & which I set store by; if a dev makes me laugh, I will always at least consider their games. If you enjoy well balanced HOPA games that provide you the opportunity to put your brain to good use while playing them, I highly recommend doing the demo for this one, & seeing what you think. Happy gaming, all. :)
I recommend this game!
Can you and your friends escape what’s lurking in the mist?
Overall rating
2
/
5
26 of 31 found this review helpful
Underwhelmed
PostedDecember 23, 2017
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Based on the completed game (Main game only): This isn't the time of year I normally find myself thinking of this type of game, but then again, I do think the longer, darker nights (where I live, anyway) lend themselves to "scary ghost stories" & the like ;), & I was hoping, based on the demo, that this one would fit the bill nicely. It so happens I live in a state where terrain such as one sees in the demo is common, so it got under my skin off the bat O.O, & I also appreciated seeing a touch of the dev's trademark humor during the maze-type mini-game played in the demo. That said, the game in toto didn't live up to my hopes for it. This may be due in part to so much of the game being set indoors, as opposed to the creepier (to me) environs that attracted me to it, but even putting that aside, the desired level of gameplay just wasn't there for me. In terms of the bones, the HO scenes consist mostly of various mixtures of lists, silhouettes, & interactive, plus two wherein you have to find all morphs. They're mostly pretty basic, so if that's your personal preference, you'll be good, but I personally found myself getting bored w/ them. It also bears noting that some are visited twice, & there's no individual morphs to find in them. As for the mini-games, a respect in which this dev usually performs really well for me, I found there both too few (or so it seemed to me), & too little challenge presented by those there were. The storyline ended up being less detailed than I had hoped for; the best graphics, in my opinion, are those seen in the demo. This also ended up being a very short game, as my play time was only between 2.5-3 hours. Even though the demo wasn't over long, given that it only covers the first chapter of the game (as opposed to the usual two), I was still expecting at least a good four hours of playtime, & literally did a double-take when I finished the main & saw that so little time had elapsed. O.O While some criteria by which one evaluates a game are subjective, to me, length isn't one of them, so there's no way I can see my way clear to rating this game any higher. To those who find it more to their liking, happy gaming. :)
I don't recommend this game.
An earthquake reveals a hidden palace full of deadly secrets!
Overall rating
3
/
5
1 of 4 found this review helpful
Actual Rating: 2.5 Stars
PostedDecember 17, 2017
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Based on the completed game: Usually when my reaction to a game is mostly negative, I'll play it through a second time, to be sure I'm being fair in my assessment, as I do sometimes like a game better in the second go around than I did in the first. In this case, however, there was so much about this game that I found to be nondescript that I can't see myself wanting to play it again anytime soon. The best I can say for it is that there were some new, quite inventive mini-games, & the exotic animal you encounter at the end of the main game is beautifully rendered...& that's about it. Too many of the HOPs edged into junk-heap territory, & I found the gameplay in many cases boring, as too much of it revolved around going back & forth & back & forth, gathering bits & bobs of this & that. For the most part, the graphics were subpar for this dev, & the production values overall just struck me as being low. This was especially disappointing to me as I've only just recently revisited this series, & found a number of the games in it to be outstanding. In this case, however, in my opinion, the devs dropped the ball. Your experience of it may differ from mine, though, so as always, I'll recommend doing the demo, & seeing what you think. Happy gaming, all. :)
I don't recommend this game.
Can you restore balance to the world tree in time?
Overall rating
5
/
5
38 of 44 found this review helpful
Truly Epic
PostedDecember 17, 2017
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Based on the completed game: I actually purchased the CE version of this game, & as noted in that review, this is only the second time I've rated a game 5 stars across the board in all categories. The HOPs, mini-games, graphics, & gameplay are all excellent in my opinion, & I especially liked that the devs underscored the adventure aspect, producing in the process a game that really requires the player to pay attention to everything. That might sound like work :D, but for me, at least, what it actually was, was highly immersive fun; the challenge level was sufficient to be rewarding, w/o being aggravating, because so long as you pay attention, gameplay is quite intuitive. My play time was roughly 4.5-5 hours for the CE version, so sans collectibles & morphs, figure 4+ hours. This is truly one of the most enjoyable HOPA games I've played, & so I highly recommend doing the demo, & seeing what you think. Happy gaming, all. :)
I recommend this game!
Team up with experts to uncover a lost underwater civilization!
Overall rating
5
/
5
28 of 30 found this review helpful
Actual Rating: 4.5 Stars
PostedDecember 16, 2017
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Based on the completed game: I actually purchased the CE version of this game, & am glad I did, as I consider the bonus chapter & other extras to be worth it in this case. That said, if you opt for the SE, you will get a reasonably long (4-5 hour) game w/ what to me were excellent HOPs, mini-games, graphics, & gameplay in general. I highly recommend doing the demo, & seeing what you think. Happy gaming, all. :)
I recommend this game!
Team up with experts to uncover a lost underwater civilization!
Overall rating
5
/
5
4 of 6 found this review helpful
Close!
PostedDecember 16, 2017
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Based on the completed game & bonus chapter: My actual rating for this CE is 4.5 stars, as there was a "blind maze" mini-game in the main I thought poorly done, as well as a couple other mini-games that required clicking & dragging w/ the mouse which I found a bit clunky to play. Other than that, this game was a pure pleasure for me. HOPs are varied, including lists, silhouettes, progressive, & interactive; many are multilayered, 12 include morphs, & some include a mini-game. Also, these are some of the very best HOPs I've seen, in terms of using appropriate, as opposed to random, items. The selection of mini-games, w/ the exception of the blind maze, is excellent, & covers the spectrum in terms of degree of difficulty. There's one in particular that I can only describe as being somewhat akin to Sudoku which required getting pen & paper & drawing a grid for me to solve it, which, for me, was a real treat, as one hardly ever has to go to that length to solve a mini-game any more these days. The graphics are among the best I've seen, & I thoroughly enjoyed the locations visited in this game. Also, I had thought the game would end shortly after arriving at the Lost Paradise, but there was still about an hours' worth of play left at that point. The collectibles are the same in shape, but the color varies, & some are found in very unexpected places. The bonus chapter takes us back in time, where our PC (player character) is a man this time. My play time for the main game was roughly 4.5 hours, & for the bonus, 1 hour. Finally, the Souvenir Room in this game turned out to be a real treat, as it was done differently from any of the others I've seen, & to a different end result. I got this game less than a week ago, I've already played the whole lot (including the SR) twice, & will probably do so again in the relatively near future, because I enjoyed it just that much. So it goes w/o saying, I highly recommend doing the demo, & seeing what you think. Happy gaming, all. :)
I recommend this game!
Can you save your sister on the Day of the Dead?
Overall rating
4
/
5
28 of 29 found this review helpful
Four stars easy.
PostedDecember 11, 2017
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Based on the completed game: When I reviewed the CE for this game, which is what I actually purchased, I knocked the rating down somewhat because the bonus chapter, while enjoyable, was too short in my opinion, & went on to state that I'd rate the main game four stars easy, which is true. :D This particular Myth was a bit of a departure for me, in that there was more of the "A" in HOPA on display than I'm used to seeing in this series. This is something I've noticed these devs doing consistently of late, & it's a change I like, as it requires the player to pay attention & carefully investigate their surroundings. Along w/ this, there are a good variety of HOPs, & an assortment of mini-games that just happened to suit me really well in terms of variety & range of degree of difficulty. I'm a tad hard to please in terms of the latter, as I want to be sufficiently challenged w/o feeling like I want to beat my head against the wall, but I got lucky w/ this one. It bears pointing out that the demo didn't really lead me to expect that; rather, I was expecting the more or less laidback gameplay I've come to expect from this series. It may also bear pointing out that while the majority of my experiences w/ this series have ranged from average okay to really good, there have also been (in my opinion) some real stinkers, one of which I deleted w/o ever even finishing. This particular one was a winner for me, though, so I highly recommend doing the demo if you think that this game might be to your taste, as well. Happy gaming, all. :)
I recommend this game!