Inspectivus's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:4.3
- Helpful Votes:72
- Reviews Submitted:3
- First Review:April 25, 2018
- Most Recent Review:June 10, 2018
- Featured reviews0
Inspectivus's Review History
A vacation becomes a nightmare as you’re forced into an impossible game.
Overall rating
3
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
The charm is strong, but it didn't last.
PostedJune 10, 2018
Inspectivus
fromSeattle, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This game has a beautiful, bright, cheery atmosphere, and it makes no pretenses about taking itself seriously. The gameplay started out fine, with lots to do, and some creative interactions. But, after playing through the whole game and the bonus chapter, I wound up feeling more annoyed than entertained.
The story is somewhat of a Jumanji meets high fantasy mashup. I won't spoil things, but the villains had no depth whatsoever. They have justifications for what they're doing, but mostly, they're "bad for the sake of bad." Although it's not in a Saturday morning cartoon sort of way. Instead, it's in a very dark, "murdering everyone" sort of way. This felt like it didn't match well at all with the cheery looking world and lighthearted action and honestly, it was a little uncomfortable when I took a few seconds to think about it.
The art and animations in-game were great. The voiceacting was fine. There were achievements and collectibles, which don't do too much for me, but they're there for people who like them.
Now, my biggest gripes with the game:
- Repetition. After the first chapter, I was finding the same sorts of items to solve the same sorts of problems in every chapter. I cannot count the number of times I picked up a wire and used it to bind something together, or the number of "nippers" I assembled. It was a LOT. Over, and over, and over. I expect to run across a few hammers in a game, but the different sections of the game began to blend together because I felt like I was just doing the same things in a slightly different setting.
- Every time you find a good tool, you only use it once before chucking it out. Found pliers? Great! pull that nail out and chuck it out the window so that you can find a crowbar to pull out another nail five minutes later. Same with knives, shovels, ropes, chains, corkscrews, etc... Related to this, there were numerous times when I had several items that felt like they could do the job, but they just wouldn't work. A memorable example: I needed to remove a piece of bark from a tree. I didn't really know why, but I did. I couldn't use the knife, or the crowbar, or the forceps, or a handful of other items. Only an awl would work, and there was no apparent reason why.
- Mini-games. Too many of the mini-games relied on playing simon says, or pressing one button that affects other buttons until all the buttons are pushed. They also usually had lots of stages, and the puzzle would completely reset to stage 1 if you messed up at any stage, which ultimately meant lots of memorizing sequences, instead of thinking about how to solve a problem.
This game had so much potential, and I did have fun while playing it, but it ultimately fell into a routine of being predictable and frustrating enough that I don't think I'd ever play it again for enjoyment.
I don't recommend this game.
Wield powerful relics and stop a book from releasing the ultimate evil!
Overall rating
5
/
5
57 of 64 found this review helpful
An Enjoyable Adventure!
PostedMay 28, 2018
Inspectivus
fromSeattle, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
It seems like everyone either loves or hates this game. I guess I'm in the "love" crowd, and here are my thoughts:
More than anything, it's fun and adventurous. There isn't a deep, gritty murder mystery or a haunted house. Instead, you're traveling to interesting and unexpected places, and I really enjoyed that. I think the game doesn't take itself too seriously, which is pretty charming- It's a little like being dropped into a movie where, "Oh no, only you can save the world!" It's all done well, and the scenes were mostly bright and colorful, with lots of cute little touches. I don't know the series too well, but that didn't really interfere with my enjoyment. It was pretty clear what I needed to do, and along the way, I learned some of the history of the Torch of Hope. Maybe there's more about them in the other games in the series?
The gameplay was enjoyable and seemed to flow well. I had to stop and think in a few places, but I never really got stuck or frustrated. So, this was a great way to spend a few hours in another world, having some fun. :)
I recommend this game!
Unlock the secrets of the moor to save your niece from the banshee!
Overall rating
5
/
5
13 of 15 found this review helpful
A Spooky, Visceral Adventure!
PostedApril 25, 2018
Inspectivus
fromSeattle, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This is my first review on here, but I'm a long-time player. There was a lot to enjoy about this game. The settings were beautiful and the quality felt quite consistent, with a good number of HOG scenes. It seemed more mature than a lot of the games on here, without being too extreme. There are some jump scares, but they were well done. I'm not a fan of jump scares, but they didn't interfere with my enjoyment of the game too much.
I really enjoyed meeting the different characters in the world. Each one had a unique personality, and there were some cute moments to lighten the mood of a quite dark story. I will say, there's definitely a creepy atmosphere that follows you everywhere in this game! The game world is rich and it feels like there's a lot going on. I'm a huge fan of mythology, fables, and monsters, so this game was right up my alley!
I will say, the game isn't horribly hard, but it also doesn't hold your hand after a certain point. You know what you need to do, but they don't spoon-feed you all of the details. I think this is a gem of a game and absolutely worth playing it to see if you like it!
I recommend this game!