RavenCorbie's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:4.3
- Helpful Votes:30
- Reviews Submitted:16
- First Review:January 23, 2017
- Most Recent Review:August 7, 2022
- Featured reviews0
After crashing your car in the middle of nowhere, you stumble upon a mysterious town with a shady background. Solve a dark mystery!
Overall rating
5
/
5
3 of 3 found this review helpful
Phantasmat Review
PostedMarch 3, 2017
RavenCorbie
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Card & Board, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Puzzle, Word
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This is a review of Phantasmat, Standard Edition for PC, which I completed on 03/03/2016.
GAMEPLAY: There isn’t a lot to say about the game play. It mostly consisted of HO scenes, which I enjoy. There were some puzzles that were, on average, pretty easy to figure out. The main difficulty was in knowing when you had to go back to a previous area to find something, and there was one puzzle in the middle of the game that I didn’t figure out. I ended up looking up the answer on the walkthrough, and even then, I wasn’t really sure why that solution worked and a similar one I had tried didn’t. The fact that there were no instructions for any of the puzzles compounded that difficulty.
STORYLINE: The storyline was wonderful. I really enjoyed learning about the different people at the hotel, and exploring the different locations. Everything felt natural and logical, except for the very end. I won’t spoil it, but I think considering the three other characters, what happened to the main character didn’t quite make sense, especially in light of how the character ended up at the hotel in the first place.
OPTIONS: This is an older game, so it’s missing some features I’ve come to enjoy in newer games. There are three difficulty settings, and no custom difficulty. In HO scenes, you can switch to Match-3 instead. Since I love HO scenes, I never tried out that option.
AESTHETICS: Excellent considering its age. Some of the scenes are dark and blurry, but that’s likely due to the age of the game. There are some very creepy scenes, particularly one with discarded dolls. The music was okay, but somewhat repetitive. The voice acting was very good, particularly that of the girl. The main character is not voiced, which is my preference. The appearance of the three other characters was good, too.
LENGTH/VALUE: It took me quite some time to play through the game, but it never felt frustrating or tedious. Good value.
Final Assessment: I enjoyed this game quite a bit and I recommend it.
CE or no? I did not have the Collector’s Edition, and I did not feel like anything was missing. They even have trophies for the non-CE version, which is nice.
I recommend this game!
An organ grinder seeks revenge, marking his victims with cards. Can you stop him before he destroys the entire city?
Overall rating
3
/
5
3 of 3 found this review helpful
Chimeras: Tune of Backtracking
PostedFebruary 27, 2017
RavenCorbie
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Card & Board, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Puzzle, Word
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This is a review of Chimeras: A Tune of Revenge, Collector’s Edition for PC, which I completed on 02/26/2017.
GAMEPLAY: There is a lot of backtracking in this game. I found it very irritating. It seemed like I was constantly going back to an earlier area just to pick up one item, then back to the area I was in. I normally do not use interactive maps, but I used this one a lot for that very reason. I also disliked, as others have mentioned, how I would find a knife, then use it, then need another sharp object right away, when the knife was gone. It made the game feel more frustrating than it needed to. Once I started writing down what was needed in each area, though, I enjoyed it more. Still, I was relieved when I was done, and had no desire to play any of the bonus content. I enjoyed the puzzles, but not all the back and forth. There were usually only a few things you could do in each area before having to go back to an old area. Also, occasionally, there was something you could find in an old area that you thought you had finished, that wasn’t available the first time you did that area.
STORYLINE: The storyline was good, and I enjoyed the cut scenes quite a bit, even though I don’t normally enjoy cut scenes. The addition of Alicia gave a poignancy to the overall story.
OPTIONS: There was no “Custom” difficulty option, but there were three levels: Casual, Advanced, and Hardcore. Normally, I have to default to the easiest difficulty because I don’t like penalties in HO scenes, but this game didn’t have that in any of the difficulties, which might be a turn-off for those who like that option. As a result, I played on Advanced, which was just right. It was nice not having sparkles everywhere, although there were still sparkles for the collectible animals. The map was very useful and indicated where something needed to be done, but not what needed to be done. It was also an interactive map, so you could click on a location and go there. As I mentioned in the Gameplay section, I normally don’t use that function, but it was necessary in this game due to all the backtracking and picking up one item in a previous location to be used in the current location.
AESTHETICS: Excellent. The voice acting was wonderful, even if it isn’t accurate (and I don’t know that it isn’t). I loved the playing of the poem at the beginning, even though it didn’t really make sense in context. Graphics were fine.
LENGTH/VALUE: I spent a long time on this game, but a lot of it was just frustrating. I wish I had bought the standard edition (if one exists), since I chose not to do any of the extra content.
Final Assessment: Not a bad game, but not really my taste. I found the puzzles interesting and the right level of difficulty, but the rest of the game, finding and using objects, was more tedious than truly challenging, and relied more on memory (where was that particular object) than problem-solving skills. The fact that some items weren’t there originally meant that without the indications on the map, it could easily become a long “hunt-and-peck” session where you had no idea where you might find something.
I should also note that during some of the cut scenes with the cursed cards, the game would freeze up and the game cursor would not work. A small white arrow cursor would move around the screen, but I couldn't use it to click on anything, and had to resort to CTRL+ALT+Delete. This was naturally also very frustrating.
CE or no? For me, no. I didn’t enjoy the base game enough to want to play the additional content.
I clicked that I recommend the game, but only because it isn't a bad game; it just wasn't to my taste. To be honest, I neither recommend it nor want to "not" recommend it.
I recommend this game!
Help solve an ancient mystery as you discover and capture Edgar Allan Poe`s murderer! Collect clues and crack the conspiracy!
Overall rating
5
/
5
4 of 5 found this review helpful
Old Game Retains its Charm
PostedFebruary 3, 2017
RavenCorbie
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Puzzle, Word
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This is a review of Midnight Mysteries: The Edgar Allan Poe Conspiracy for PC. This is the first HO game I ever played, back in 2013, and I loved it. With my renewed interest in such games, I decided to replay it to see if my impressions had changed, especially since I have found myself being frustrated with games that are too easy.
GAMEPLAY: I am learning that I really like HO scenes compared to Adventure or Puzzles, as this game is almost entirely HO scenes and I still loved it. They were fairly easy, but I did use hints a few times. One thing I did not like was how precise the clicking had to be. There were times I gave up on an object thinking I was wrong about it because I got the dead-click sound so many times, and then later discovered it actually was the right item. I loved having the not-quite-hint of seeing the item’s silhouette in the lantern, which did not use up an actual raven hint, but still helped me find it. There were a couple of puzzles, but not many compared to the number of HO scenes, and they were pretty easy, too, although again, I never felt irritated by them. Finally, there are ghost witnesses you can listen to. You don’t have anything to say back to them, and they usually only have one or two lines. All the dialogue is silent. I normally do not like penalties for miss clicking, but I didn’t mind the appearance of the cat, since it did not do anything permanent. Also, I kind of liked the cat.
STORYLINE: I enjoyed the storyline. It is not logical, but it was still entertaining. I liked how Poe’s fictional stories were related to the “real” story of his death, and how the villain was involved in the real-life versions of those stories. I also liked the role of the books at the end.
AESTHETICS: This is a beautiful game, but it’s old, so the graphics are not comparable to today’s. I liked the skeleton hand pointer, but again, due to the age of the game, it’s not as clear, which might have been part of the issue with the ease of miss clicking. The music was beautiful and soothing, and I also liked the other sound effects: the dead-click sound when miss clicking, the chime when something is found, and so on. The raven was occasionally annoying, and the cat was perfect.
LENGTH/VALUE: This is definitely a short game. It was 4 hours the first time I played and shorter this time. That said, I enjoyed replaying it, and I can see myself playing it again a third time because it is so peaceful and interesting, so I think it is worth the price.
Final Assessment: As far as enjoyment goes, this easily ranks as one of my favorites, even after playing and liking more difficult games. I definitely recommend it, unless you don’t like too many HO scenes. If there was a Collector’s Edition, I would probably buy it even though I already own the basic one.
I recommend this game!
You've returned from school to visit your father at his famous Jazz Pepper Club during Mardi Gras, but everyone is hypnotized. Have they heard the wrong note?
Overall rating
5
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Cadenza: A Virtuosic Performance
PostedJanuary 30, 2017
RavenCorbie
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Brain Teaser, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Puzzle, Word
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This is a review of Cadenza: Music, Betrayal, and Death, Collector’s Edition for PC, which I completed in full, including the Bonus Chapter and some of the Extras on 01/30/2017.
GAMEPLAY: The gameplay is excellent. I was never bored, and many of the puzzles made sense. The HO scenes were varied and interesting as well. It took me awhile to understand morphing items. I found one without trying, but didn’t make the connection to the swirly icon and did not realize there was one in every HO scene. Similarly, I didn’t make the connection of the note symbol, nor its color change, so I didn’t know there was a note in every area to find, nor whether I had already found the note. That’s all fine, though, and when I did make those connections, I had a lot of fun. As a result, I found all the morphing items and notes near the end of the game, but very few in the beginning. Overall, I really enjoyed the game play.
DIFFICULTY AND CUSTOMABILITY: There are four difficulty settings with an additional Custom (Improviser) option, for a total of five options. The areas of customability are Tutorial, Objectives, Active Plus items indicated, Sparkles for active areas, Sparkles for HOPs, Icon change on active areas, Hints available or not, Hint recharge time, Skips available or not, and Skip recharge time. I really liked most of this, and turned almost everything off. I kept hints on, but with the longest recharge time, and I think I left the icon change on. You can’t turn off the sparkles on the map indicating where something can be done, and you also cannot turn off miss click penalties. Overall, I liked this system, but I would have liked to turn off miss clicks because I sometimes enjoy clicking on something that is beautiful or interesting even if it isn’t an objective, sometimes I don’t know what a certain object actually looks like, and sometimes I think I am clicking on the object, but it registers as a miss. I like the sparkles on the map, but that might be a concern for others who prefer that not to show up. That said, five different options, including a custom option with so many choices, is stellar.
STORYLINE: I liked the storyline at first, and I was very connected to the characters and plot. I found the actual perpetrator to be a nice twist that I was not expecting! However, the mechanism that the perpetrator was using was a little too out there for me, and it also wasn’t clear why that person wanted to do what he/she was doing. Once the story passed a certain point, it seemed unrealistic and disconnected from the rest of the plot. That said, it was still entertaining, and the characters were great.
AESTHETICS: Wonderful. I don’t consider myself to be a great judge of these things, but I particularly enjoyed the auditory elements: the voice acting and the music. As others have pointed out, I wished that there had been even more music. The visual aspects were not as stunning, but they were generally well done. I really did like the cubist painting, and I also liked the cemetery/crypt area.
LENGTH/VALUE: I spent a lot of time on this game and in the bonus chapter. It was engaging and fulfilling time spent. I did do some backtracking to find notes once I understood how the note symbol worked, but by that time, some areas were off limits. After the bonus chapter, you need to go back to find all the notes in order to unlock a Collectibles Hunt, and only after you have successfully completed the Collectibles Hunt are you allowed access to the Instrument Shop Repair. I didn’t really like that set up, as I had planned to find the notes anyway, and wanted to do that at the very end, but I did like the fact that you could go back to areas and find the notes that you missed during the game, especially since, as I mentioned, some areas became inaccessible later on. The collectables were extremely easy to find. Most times, they stuck out as the first thing my eyes settled on or as the only thing of a certain color in a room of a completely different color. I found the shop repair to be pretty easy as well. It’s a jigsaw, but all the pieces are already in the right orientation.
Final Assessment, including CE value: I was definitely glad I got the Collector’s Edition of this, though I did buy it during a half-off week-end, so I paid $9.99. I used the Strategy Guide a few times, and the bonus chapter was long and engaging (but still separate from the main game, which concluded satisfactorily at the end of the main game). I also liked the replayability of finding the notes and later, the collectibles. The instrument shop repair was fun, too, even though it was easy. Finally, there was a Connections board where you try to remember what relationships the different characters had with each other, and I really enjoyed that as it felt like part of the investigation. There are also a number of achievements that I want to go back and obtain, particularly with regard to the morphing items and speed of completing HO scenes, since you can redo all the HO scenes. So, all in all, I do recommend the Collector’s Edition, and I will probably get CE versions of other Mad Head games.
I recommend this game!
Your long-lost relatives are excited to welcome you to the family... or are they?
Overall rating
5
/
5
1 of 2 found this review helpful
Masked Madness
PostedJanuary 27, 2017
RavenCorbie
Skill Level:Beginner
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Puzzle, Word
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This review is for the completed game of the PC Standard Edition version.
GAMEPLAY:
This is the most important category, obviously, and it was a great game. I never felt bored, but was always involved in using my brain to solve puzzles. I really loved the Custom mode for difficulty because I like some things to be very difficult (long refreshes for hint/skip, lack of sparkles, etc.) and other things to be very easy (in particular, I hate miss click penalties in HO scenes as sometimes I like just clicking on things I like), so the custom mode was very refreshing! One thing I didn't really like was the fact that there was sometimes only one item to find or a very small number. I like switching from looking for one item to another, and coming back to harder items multiple times, which doesn't work with shorter lists as well. That said, I did like the originality of many of the HO scenes and tasks. I also really enjoyed the puzzles and the special items that you had to create from multiple parts.
This is the most important category, obviously, and it was a great game. I never felt bored, but was always involved in using my brain to solve puzzles. I really loved the Custom mode for difficulty because I like some things to be very difficult (long refreshes for hint/skip, lack of sparkles, etc.) and other things to be very easy (in particular, I hate miss click penalties in HO scenes as sometimes I like just clicking on things I like), so the custom mode was very refreshing! One thing I didn't really like was the fact that there was sometimes only one item to find or a very small number. I like switching from looking for one item to another, and coming back to harder items multiple times, which doesn't work with shorter lists as well. That said, I did like the originality of many of the HO scenes and tasks. I also really enjoyed the puzzles and the special items that you had to create from multiple parts.
STORYLINE
I rated the story as 4/5, but I'd really put it as 4.5. I really enjoyed meeting the members of the Ward family, but some of them were fairly cliche, and the ending felt a little abrupt. That said, I was really invested in learning about the family and putting everything together. The tasks for the game meshed well with the story, and the types of rooms and puzzles for each character were appropriate and interesting as well.
I rated the story as 4/5, but I'd really put it as 4.5. I really enjoyed meeting the members of the Ward family, but some of them were fairly cliche, and the ending felt a little abrupt. That said, I was really invested in learning about the family and putting everything together. The tasks for the game meshed well with the story, and the types of rooms and puzzles for each character were appropriate and interesting as well.
LENGTH/VALUE:
I got this at a very low $2.99 so I found it to be an excellent value, particularly as I felt it to be one of the longer HOPAs I've played recently. I definitely feel like I got my money's worth! I'm not sure whether the length was actually longer or if I just spent more time on it because I was enjoying myself and didn't get frustrated or bored, but either way, it points to good value.
I got this at a very low $2.99 so I found it to be an excellent value, particularly as I felt it to be one of the longer HOPAs I've played recently. I definitely feel like I got my money's worth! I'm not sure whether the length was actually longer or if I just spent more time on it because I was enjoying myself and didn't get frustrated or bored, but either way, it points to good value.
AESTHETICS:
I put this last because I don't feel like a good judge of these things. The child's voice was very well done, particularly once you get to the very end. I did not care for the bugs on some of the screens because I hate bugs. The first time one appeared, I actually thought it was a real bug and screamed. I guess that points to good quality, though, so I can't really fault it. Nothing else really stood out.
I put this last because I don't feel like a good judge of these things. The child's voice was very well done, particularly once you get to the very end. I did not care for the bugs on some of the screens because I hate bugs. The first time one appeared, I actually thought it was a real bug and screamed. I guess that points to good quality, though, so I can't really fault it. Nothing else really stood out.
Final Assessment: Definitely a good buy and highly recommended even at a higher price than what I paid.
I recommend this game!
Find the woman who disappears in the Hall of Mirrors. Investigate two worlds: the Carnivals of Good and Evil!
Overall rating
3
/
5
3 of 3 found this review helpful
Not What I was Expecting
PostedJanuary 23, 2017
RavenCorbie
Skill Level:Beginner
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Word
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I should preface this by saying that I am very new to Hidden Object games. I started out with the Midnight Mysteries series, then recently played Dance of Death, which I really enjoyed. After Dance of Death, I played The Room (stuck near the end due to a glitch), and then I played this game, Dark Arcana: The Carnival.
I'm used to using hints frequently and needing to look things up or spend a lot of time on hidden object scenes, so I classify myself as a beginner. The Room was extremely difficult, so I was looking for something easier, and this fit the bill!
AESTHETICS:
The graphics and music were fine, but nothing that really struck me as amazing, although I loved the Sanctuary. The voice acting was fine, too, but seemed kind of wooden at times. I did not really like having a voiced protagonist, especially since she was always really surprised by things I had already figured out, but I realize this is a personal preference.
The graphics and music were fine, but nothing that really struck me as amazing, although I loved the Sanctuary. The voice acting was fine, too, but seemed kind of wooden at times. I did not really like having a voiced protagonist, especially since she was always really surprised by things I had already figured out, but I realize this is a personal preference.
STORYLINE:
I really liked the story. It's a little hokey at times, but that's normal for this sort of game, from my experience and what I've seen in other reviews. I particularly liked the last chapter, and I also liked the twist, even though it became obvious to me before the actual reveal.
I really liked the story. It's a little hokey at times, but that's normal for this sort of game, from my experience and what I've seen in other reviews. I particularly liked the last chapter, and I also liked the twist, even though it became obvious to me before the actual reveal.
GAMEPLAY:
It was mixed. The hidden object scenes were extremely easy. I never needed a hint, and I was able to solve most of them very quickly. This became a little frustrating, because it felt like filler, especially since many of the scenes were repeated, even with some of the same items. As I said, I don't consider myself to be very good, so the fact that they were this easy for me was particularly noticeable. You can play Monaco instead, but the way it works is that every time you make a match, it acts as if you found one of the items, so I always preferred to actually find the item. The puzzles were also fairly easy, but there were a few that were completely impossible for me (probably easy to others) that I had to skip. I really hate skipping, so I wish they had had a hint function available for the puzzles to get help without having to skip (or exit/alt-tab to look up information). Many of the puzzles were easy enough that I could solve with not much frustration but not as mind-blowingly simple as the hidden object scenes, so in general, I liked the puzzles.
It was mixed. The hidden object scenes were extremely easy. I never needed a hint, and I was able to solve most of them very quickly. This became a little frustrating, because it felt like filler, especially since many of the scenes were repeated, even with some of the same items. As I said, I don't consider myself to be very good, so the fact that they were this easy for me was particularly noticeable. You can play Monaco instead, but the way it works is that every time you make a match, it acts as if you found one of the items, so I always preferred to actually find the item. The puzzles were also fairly easy, but there were a few that were completely impossible for me (probably easy to others) that I had to skip. I really hate skipping, so I wish they had had a hint function available for the puzzles to get help without having to skip (or exit/alt-tab to look up information). Many of the puzzles were easy enough that I could solve with not much frustration but not as mind-blowingly simple as the hidden object scenes, so in general, I liked the puzzles.
All in all, I do recommend the game, but be sure you know what you are getting into when you start it up. It's very easy, even for beginners, and there are several repeated scenes.
I recommend this game!