SeaBamboo's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.3
- Helpful Votes:3,793
- Reviews Submitted:147
- First Review:November 27, 2011
- Most Recent Review:January 21, 2019
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Guide Ethan Black as he attempts to rescue his bride-to-be from a terrifying menace known as the Faceless Ones!
Overall rating
4
/
5
98 of 126 found this review helpful
Long game, well worth playing
PostedApril 6, 2012
SeaBamboo
fromLondon, UK
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This was an excellent game; it took me over 5 hours to complete in expert mode & no need to buy the Collector’s Edition as the ending was very satisfactory.
There are 2 modes, casual with 60 second hint recharge & sparkles/glints everywhere or expert with 2 minute hint, unfortunately this mode also has a big blue neon eye wherever there is a hidden object scene. The music was good, not too over the top & it suited the game.
The voiceovers however are only in the first sets of cut scenes & then again at the end. Most of the game is dialogue only, it is clickable, I recommend watching the cut scenes as they are very good; I particularly liked the ones that were shown as paintings being coloured in. I did not like the way the characters leapt to the front of the screen with a sort of whooshing sound when their dialogue appeared on screen, it was rather disconcerting.
You do collect quite a lot of inventory items but they are used relatively fast so you are not carrying a great many objects at the same time.
The H0 scenes do have interactive items during the demo but after that they disappear & they are just word lists. However some of the objects are well blended in & it was fun searching them out.
There are not very many mini games & they are the usual sliders, move tiles into a specific coloured corner, there is a skip button but I only needed it for one puzzle, all the rest were pretty easy. However there were some tasks to solve through the game which added interest & were fun to figure out.
You do get a journal which has a few clues within & there is a map but it only shows where you are, you cannot use it to jump between scenes. There is quite a lot of going to & fro between areas but I did not mind as the graphics were clear & crisp & the artwork excellent
I did not give it 5 stars as it is rather too easy even for an intermediate gamer on expert mode but this developer always produce a good looking game & this is well worth playing.
I recommend this game!
Step into the shoes of a detective who has been approached by the FBI to take over a terrifying case and stop a Dark Ritual!
Overall rating
3
/
5
34 of 44 found this review helpful
Rather tedious game
PostedApril 2, 2012
SeaBamboo
fromLondon, UK
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This is a moody & atmospheric game from Vogat, there were no voiceovers but the music was suspenseful & suited the game. The graphics were clear although the artwork seemed pretty average, it felt like a dated version of a game from this developer.
There were 2 modes of play, casual with a 30 second hint recharge & glints/sparkles, the advanced mode had sparkles for the hidden object scenes only & a 2 minute hint.
I found the cursor clumsy to use & it was extremely large. You get a diary but it doesn’t give any clues, just a resume of the game to date. There are lots of locations in the game & quite a lot of going backward & forward but not so much that it became tedious.
The hidden object scenes were mainly junk piles although some of the items were well hidden & the mini puzzles were pretty easy, these were the usual put tiles in certain places, sliders, etc. There were a lot of H0s & puzzles which made up for the lack of a story; this sort of fizzled out at the end.
It is a good long game to play, took me around 5 hours so worthwhile getting for this reason but for myself I got rather bored by the time I was ½ way through & had to force myself to finish.
I don't recommend this game.
Black Isle was supposedly abandoned after an earthquake but the truth is much more sinister! Join the Mystery Trackers and learn the truth!
Overall rating
2
/
5
32 of 74 found this review helpful
Incessant rain on a blue background makes for a gloomy picture
PostedApril 1, 2012
SeaBamboo
fromLondon, UK
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
The latest in the Mystery Trackers series from Elephant Games is a gloomy game; the artwork is all dark blue & it rains incessantly, in addition the graphics were not as crisp as I like.
There are 3 modes, casual with 45 second hint recharge & sparkles absolutely everywhere, advanced with 60 second hint & sparkles to mark the H0s. The hardcore has no hints & although it says no sparkles they are used for the H0s. You might notice a lot of owls around the place but they are only used in the collector’s edition as an extra in game task.
Live actors are used in the transition scenes, the music is very subtle & the background sounds are good. There is a map & if you click on it you will get a closer view of various areas & can use it to jump from scene to scene, it is not the easiest map to use & could have been much better. The hint button will tell you what to do next if you get stuck & make sure you examine all of the scenes well as there are a lot of well hidden inventory items.
The H0s are pretty much junk piles & also rather blurred, you will use some of your inventory items on some of the interactive hidden objects. This is quite a recent development & I like it as it makes them more interesting.
The mini puzzles were fun to play, a mix of the usual sliders, matching items, etc. & most of them were easy to solve.
This review is on the demo only as due to the bad graphics I will not be purchasing.
I don't recommend this game.
Strange figures have taken over a small town in Hallowed Legends: Templar! Stop the Knights of the Templar!
Overall rating
4
/
5
4 of 6 found this review helpful
No story to speak of but challenging gameplay
PostedMarch 31, 2012
SeaBamboo
fromLondon, UK
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
2
/
5
As usual an excellent offering from Elephant Games, the graphics are crisp & the artwork excellent & is interspersed with live action cut scenes, I have to admit I prefer them without live actors; however these are not as bad as some I have seen. There is a gamma option to change the brightness if you monitor shows the scenes as a little dark for your taste.
There are 3 modes of play, casual with a 20 second hint recharge, lots of sparkles ; advanced with a 35 second hint & no sparkles or hardcore for those gamers who prefer no help whatsoever. The hint is rather too helpful, instead of just pointing in the direction you should go it tells you exactly which area you should be in & what you should do when you get there. Too much hand holding in my opinion.
The music is ok & gets a little creepy at times, the only voiceovers are in the cut scenes & there are some excellent ambient sounds. During the scenes you can collect birds however the reason for this is only apparent in the Collector’s Edition so you can ignore them here. You get a diary which has a map, not interactive & not really that helpful; there is a great deal of going backward & forwards through the scenes.
There aren’t a lot of mini games & they are pretty difficult, I ended up using my skip button more than usual. They were along the lines of logic or maths puzzles & I could not always work out how I was supposed to solve them.
The hidden object scenes were very good, sometimes you have to use your inventory items within the H0 & if you don’t have the right item you have to leave the H0 unfinished until you find it. There were also some excellent interactive objects that were not always easy to solve.
You do pick up quite a lot of inventory items but rarely have more than one screen full as they are used quite soon after they are found.
All in all quite a hard game & it took me around 4-1/2 hours to play so a worthwhile buy.
I recommend this game!
Rita James and the Race to Shangri La
Join the “More Brave than Brilliant” Rita James on another whirlwind adventure in search of the mythical paradise of Shangri-La!
Overall rating
3
/
5
80 of 83 found this review helpful
Scenes rather dark but challenging to play
PostedMarch 26, 2012
SeaBamboo
fromLondon, UK
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
From Big Finish Games this is an amusing hidden object in the style of a 1950s adventure, the graphic are clear & cartoon in style. I found the scenes a little dark although the cut scenes are bright enough, you really should watch these as there are some hilarious moments. Be sure to explore the scenes thoroughly as you will find many inventory items which are not always easy to spot. Most of the items will be used reasonable quickly so your inventory will not get too full.
There is no choice in gameplay but the only sparkles are for the H0s & they are very subtle, the H0s have some excellent interactive items some of which require 3 or 4 items to complete the object. The hint recharges in 40 seconds & can be useful outside the H0s; it will give a clue what to do next if you get stuck.
The mini games range from easy to rather hard; once you get into the mind-set of the developer they are a little easier to solve. I found them interesting & they form part of the gameplay rather than being add-ons; there is a skip button.
There is a task list which shows what actions still need to be performed in an area; some gamers may find this too much like hand holding but you do not have to use it as it has to be clicked on in order to read it. Through the game you will collect an amulet & crystals; each crystal will give you a different ability to help you.
There are not a great many H0 scenes, this is more about solving problems to get to the next part of the game.
I recommend this game!
Down by the deep and muddy Mississippi, something’s not right. A ghostly riverboat brings to light a new conspiracy!
Overall rating
3
/
5
8 of 10 found this review helpful
Good hidden object with some difficult puzzles
PostedMarch 25, 2012
SeaBamboo
fromLondon, UK
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
This was a good game that took me about 4 hours to complete & I had to look for a walkthrough a couple of times to solve some mini puzzles; I liked these, there were some that I hadn’t seen before which added interest. The H0 scenes were lovely & not junk piles, it was nice to have a clue to what some objects were rather than the name of the object itself.
As ever with Midnight Mysteries the scenes were beautiful & I like having an extra task, in this case collecting clover leaves, throughout the game. There were also some achievements to pick up although I did not do so well with these, I will have to play again to improve my score.
The music was subtle & well suited to the game but the story was lacking, indeed half the time I forgot what I was doing in some scenes, Salem Witches was a much more solid & enjoyable tale.
However this is a good hidden object & well worth the price.
I recommend this game!
Overall rating
4
/
5
6 of 8 found this review helpful
Good long game with a satisfying ending
PostedMarch 24, 2012
SeaBamboo
fromLondon, UK
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This is an excellent offering from Elephant Games; the graphics were clean & the artwork simply wonderful, this was a joy visually. The voiceovers were also good as were the ambient sounds, the music was subtle for the most part although occasionally the drum beats went overboard.
The storyline was fine & the end of the game was very satisfying, the length was satisfactory; in advanced mode it took me about 4 hours to play.
There are 3 modes, casual with 40 second hint recharge & sparkles however it was rather too easy so advanced mode would probably suit most players, no sparkles at all & a 60 second hint. For brave souls there is a hardcore mode with no hints & no skips.
My only quibble would be with the hints, they were too helpful, most of the time I just wanted to be pointed in a general direction but instead was told exactly what to do next.
The hidden object scenes were relatively easy & I only had to search hard a few times, the mini games were fun; sliders, slot shapes into an area, logic puzzles, etc. With some thought I was able to complete them without using the skip button.
You will carry quite a lot of inventory items around as there will be areas waiting to be opened before you can use some of them. There is a lot of back & forth but with an interactive map that isn't a problem, in addition the map shows where there are still active tasks to be completed.
All in all a splendid game & well worth playing.
I recommend this game!
Upon arriving in a strange city, you find the citizens ready to burn Menes at the stake in Ghost Towns: The Cats of Ulthar!
Overall rating
2
/
5
6 of 9 found this review helpful
Gloomy graphics & uninspiring gameplay
PostedMarch 18, 2012
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This game is based on an H.P Lovecraft story but unfortunately I did not want to play long enough to find out if it was a good story.
The artwork was extremely gloomy, sort of washed over with a muddy brown/grey & it made it difficult to make out any detail. There are 24 cats to find during the game, I found one during the hour long demo but only by accident, I didn’t actually see it in such a dark scene.
There are 3 modes of play; I could not tell the difference between casual & advanced, both had a 60 second hint, sparkles & glints. There is a hard mode with no hints or sparkles. The music was average, nothing to get the heart racing there.
You will find a lot of going back & forth between scenes to find items to unlock a gate or a door, normally this would not be a problem but it just got annoying as the game did not seem to flow.
There were a lot of hidden object scenes but not many mini puzzles, these seem to consist of putting together pictures (jigsaws, swapping tiles, etc) or finding items to put in a lock & moving the items in a specific way to open said lock.
I did not purchase as this did not give me any joy in playing.
I don't recommend this game.
Return to the De la Fer estate to help the count unravel the curse that has been passed down through his family!
Overall rating
2
/
5
8 of 11 found this review helpful
Far too easy & a disappointment
PostedMarch 13, 2012
SeaBamboo
fromLondon, UK
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This is a very easy game to play, mostly hidden object scenes many of which seem to be just piles of items. There are also the usual mini puzzles, sliders, turn the rings, picture puzzles etc. most are very simple to solve.
The graphics are pretty average, definitely not the best I have seen from this producer & I found them rather blurred in places. The voiceovers are good but the dialogue is not clickable so if you are a fast reader it is a little tedious. The music is fine & is the usual score associated with these games.
There are three modes of play, in regular the hint is a 60 second recharge & there are sparkles & glints, in expert 2-1/2 minute hint & sparkles & in Hard a 5 minute recharge not glints but still sparkles for the H0s.
I found lots of areas to visit but you don’t need a map as there is not a lot of backtracking.
All in all a competent H0 but I would have been happier had I paid sale price. I was disappointed as this was a decided step down in quality from the first in this series.
I don't recommend this game.
The entire town has been put into a deep, dark sleep by a mysterious evil force. Now young Lillian must find allies and uncover the dark secrets of voodoo in order to save her master and free her friends before it is too late.
Overall rating
3
/
5
17 of 20 found this review helpful
Shame about the ending
PostedMarch 4, 2012
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
The game is set in 19th century New Orleans & you have to save your family when the town is overcome by a curse.
The hidden object scenes are relatively easy and the items within them are in keeping with the era & the mini puzzles are not too difficult. There is a lot of back tracking through scenes already visited but this is no hardship as the graphics & artwork are quite stupendous; very clear & very beautiful. I enjoyed having to collect items for recipes to create potions.
I love the voiceovers in the cut scene & as for the background sounds & music, they are some of the best I have found in a game of this type.
but...............the moving inventory at the bottom of the screen is really annoying. When I want to back out of a scene the inventory pops up & I have to move my mouse around to find the exit.
The hint button is not very useful unless you are in a H0 scene, within the H0 scene there is a magnifying glass but as the area it shows is not large it is not very helpful.
Unfortunately the ending is a cliff-hanger which is a shame as by the time a sequel comes out (if it does) I will have forgotten the story
I recommend this game!