I've been enjoying all the Christmas Stories titles so far including this one. They're fun, festive and light hearted, perfect for taking my mind off the crazy things happening in the world right now.
But I like the older titles better; I feel like the new ones aren't as colorful and Christmassy. If you compare this to e.g. Enchanted Express you will see what I mean. I also found myself having to adjust volume because some tracks were louder than others.
But at the end of the day it's still a fun game that I'll likely be playing again next Christmas.
As someone who's played multiple HO adventure games, it's rare that I'm impressed by every single game in a series. But Edge of Reality managed to do exactly that, despite not being a top seller on the charts. Excellent graphics and storyline (can't say about voiceovers, since I keep them off). Those who enjoy this series should also check out the Mystery of the Ancients games (but avoid the first one, Lockwood Manor), which have a similar supernatural theme.
Don't get me wrong; these developers are great and I enjoyed playing all the other Mystery of the Ancients titles. But sadly this one was a miss. The artwork was bland and repetitive, with all scenes looking mostly the same. This proved to be a big problem for gameplay, as the lack of a map meant I had to use the hint and guide all the time just to know where to go. This made it really tedious and boring, and hard to keep track of the big picture, especially if picking up from where you left off. In addition, visual effects weren't smooth at all; the game would lag at every transition (e.g. picking up items, changing locations). And I could never get the bonus game to work; it would always freeze on the loading screen. All in all, I'd say this game isn't worth paying for even the SE, let alone the CE.
Here are my thoughts after completing the Android edition of this game, purchased from the Amazon app store.
Having previously played another Living Legends title (Ice Rose), as well as other series by this developer, I'm pleased that they were able to carry over the full desktop experience to mobile (at least on my 10" tablet; can't speak for phones). I also like how you can touch a button to highlight all the active areas in a location, even when hints are disabled, so you can easily check if you've missed a spot. My only complaint is that you have to drag an item to place it; it would've been nicer if you could tap to pick it up and tap again to release it.
As for the content, it's top-notch as always for this series. I think the story is quite an interesting and original twist on the classic tale of Rapunzel. All the scenes are nicely drawn, and the minigames and hidden-object puzzles have just the right balance between challenge and playability. I only had to use hint/skip 3 times throughout the entire game.
It's a shame this title doesn't have the popularity it deserves, because it's simply outstanding. The storyline, artwork, and minigames are all nicely done.
Whether you're one or ninety-two, this game surely has something for you. From the lifelike art to the upbeat sound, it's simply amazing all around. Tale of love and holiday cheer; you'll be playing it again year after year. So the first thing to do without delay: install this game and get ready to play! (In case you're wondering, I lost a bet, so I must speak in rhymes from sunrise to sunset.)
The first title in the series (Lockwood Manor) was a bit of a letdown; the artwork was so-so and the game had a tendency to lag during transitions. But Three Guardians is a vast improvement over the previous two installments. The visuals are vivid and sharp, the transitions are smooth, and the puzzles offer an appropriate amount of challenge without requiring a degree in combinatorics. I also like how the story makes several connections to League of Light, another series by this developer.
Considering this game is an older release, it's understandable you won't have the latest-and-greatest HD graphics. But even counting that, the scenes still appear crudely drawn, dark and gloomy, like from a budget horror B-movie. In addition, the game tends to get choppy and lag during transitions, such as when picking up or placing an item. This performance is disappointing, especially considering that newer and more graphics-intense games can run on my PC without issue. The later games in the series (i.e. Three Guardians and onwards) are much better, however.
If you like room escape games, this one fits the bill
PostedAugust 22, 2020
uncle_happy
Fun Factor
5/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
5/ 5
Level of Challenge
5/ 5
Storyline
5/ 5
I won't give away the plot, but the basic premise throughout is that you're in a simulator (kind of like VR) and must figure out a way to complete each simulated scenario, in order to advance to the next level. In addition, there are parallels to the "Hunger Games" novel, where operators are able to observe players and make changes to the game world; this is also a core element in "League of Light: The Game", from the same developer. I highly recommend playing that game, as well as this one, if you're into room escape and problem solving.
Scenes and characters are nicely drawn. The bright colors are a welcome break from the dark-and-gloomy motif that's all too common in other games of this type. Captivating storyline too.