talula1059's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:2.5
- Helpful Votes:16
- Reviews Submitted:32
- First Review:January 7, 2023
- Most Recent Review:March 21, 2025
- Featured reviews0
Embark on a high-altitude adventure with Mia Faircroft!
Overall rating
3
/
5
GAME FUN, CHARACTERS/STORY AWFUL
PostedFebruary 6, 2024
talula1059
fromUSA
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
I enjoy playing the Faircroft games for the gameplay and puzzles. However, the storyline and characters get more awful with each new game. Others have reviewed the game itself so my review will focus in depth on the problems with the main character that make the game less than stellar.
The main character Mia Faircroft is beyond annoying. She keeps interfering in people's lives and for some reason they allow her to do it. I finally had to post a review after playing this final game in the series. Mia's interference hits an all-time high. It's not giving anything away to say that one of the characters proposes to her boyfriend. He runs away because he can't believe a woman would propose to a man. The character who proposed vents to Mia who says, "I will straighten him out." Huh? It's' none of your business and certainly not your place to straighten things out between two lovers! The idea that anyone would think this is appropriate behavior is just naive. Every game we find Mia meeting a bunch of new people and then inserting herself into their personal business. If there is a conflict between two characters, Mia will include herself in the situation to "help" resolve it. However, when her own family tries to spend time with her or get close to her, she acts too busy or runs away. Mia is a flawed character who is uncomfortable with any kind of intimacy, but has no trouble involving herself in the personal business of strangers. I was hoping this final game would see some of the characters tell her to stay out of their business, but no such luck. Sometimes a game is great but is ruined by an awful storyline or characters. This is one of those games. Game gets 3 stars. Storyline/characters get half a star. Replace Mia with a more interesting main character who respects boundaries and Boomzap may have a winner.
Help Mary save her friend Lora’s wedding! Lora’s inheritance has been stolen, and now Mary must crack the case and catch the crook!
Overall rating
3
/
5
INCORRECT REVIEWS BY PEOPLE WHO ONLY PLAYED DEMO
PostedDecember 30, 2023
talula1059
fromUSA
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Some of the reviews claim you cannot play in several sessions because it won't save your progress. That is actually incorrect. You CAN play in several sessions though if you are in the middle of a task, it will not save. This is why Big Fish should flag any reviewer that admittedly did not purchase the game and did not play for more than 5 minutes. Someone's impatience or split second judgement is not a good indicator of what the game actually is. That said, this game is mainly HOPs or inventory puzzles. There are some graphics issues because of its age. But if you do want a relaxing game without ghosts, goblins, fairy princesses, or other HOPA tropes, I would check this one out.
I recommend this game!
Can you save your missing mother in time?
Overall rating
2
/
5
USELESS FERRET PLUS CONTRIVED STORYLINES
PostedOctober 7, 2023
talula1059
fromUSA
Storyline
1
/
5
I bought the entire series at once because I was such a big fan of Elefun. Unfortunately, Witches' Legacy is a fail for me. There are certain parts that are fun to play. But fighting the same enemies over and over gets old really quick. We defeat someone in one game and then they return in the next game! And if it's not them, then we suddenly discover they have an angry sister who wants revenge or wants to displace another villain so they can be the queen of the witches. It's just not a fun storyline.
Probably the worst part about these games is Bertha the ferret. She always shows up to force her way into our adventure. "My ferret skills can come in handy." Yes, they could if you weren't such a diva. Every time we ask her to do something, she says she can't do it because she might get hurt, can't stand the smell, is afraid to jump, or doesn't want to do it on an empty stomach. She is a pain in the -ss. Half the time she tells us she can't reach something that the human character could have leaned over and grabbed himself! Why are we keeping her in the game? I wish they had given us a choice on whether we wanted her with us. I know the developers were trying to add a cute character like the imp from the earlier games. He wasn't that cute either, but he was tolerable because he didn't talk. Bertha isn't amusing, makes stupid noises every time she attempts something, and is always lecturing us about all the things she can't do. She doesn't add to the game and makes it a real chore to get through to the end.
I don't recommend this game.
When an age spell drains your vitality, will you save your family?
Overall rating
1
/
5
GAME BECAME A CHORE DUE TO POOR STORYLINE
PostedOctober 3, 2023
talula1059
fromUSA
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
Normally love this developer. Fear for Sale was a great series. Was hoping for another engaging storyline with the Witches Legacy series. Unfortunately, the stories are very boring and go on WAYYY too long. It became a chore to finish. I played the first couple and enjoyed them so I bought all of them. They actually got worse as they went on. It became difficult to care about Morgana and her long lost sister, then another sister pops up. If we aren't fighting those witches, we are supposed to care about Lynn and Edward. The least engaging or realistic love story in history. Most of their problems are of their own making. I wish these developers would realize that players are sick and tired of witches, warlocks, sci-fi, ghosts, and hauntings. Why on earth can't they come up with a good old fashioned whodunit that might have a hint of supernatural, but isn't dedicated to more of the same boring storylines? The problem really is that most of the creators of HOPA games are men (with a few exceptions) and most of the players are women. They write storylines THEY find interesting without considering their customers. It's too bad about this series. It spent way too much time in repetitive witches' lairs and alternate worlds when it should have just stuck with the real world which would have been infinity more interesting.
I don't recommend this game.
A struggle for the truth in a city of deceit!
Overall rating
2
/
5
BRING BACK ORIGINAL DETECTIVE
PostedSeptember 14, 2023
talula1059
fromUSA
Fun Factor
1
/
5
I loved the earlier Dark City games with the Sherlock Holmes-ish detective. Several games back, the developer decided to bring on Agatha, a boring detective who is supposed to be some savant of the paranormal. I stuck with the series when they switched to Agatha, but with every game I was less and less interested. I suppose most of these developers assume that since the majority of HOPA players are women, we MUST have a female protagonist. WRONG. In fact, just the opposite. We already know what it's like to be a woman, so let us play someone else!
The character design for Agatha is very ridiculous. They always show her with 70s-era Gloria Steinem tinted glasses and old granny clothing. Yes, Victorian Era women were conservative, but that didn't mean they had no style!
I just don't enjoy these games anymore. We are solving the same tired puzzles with the same items in our inventory. We are still expected to find 2 morphing objects and 2 collectibles hidden in each scene. The only difference is we are in a different city so the developers throw in motanka dolls to make us remember we are in Keeev. I'm also not a fan of this new pronunciation of Kiev by the characters. It's not more authentic. My co-worker is Ukrainian and doesn't pronounce it that way. Either way, I was bored with this game. Had they brought back the male detective, I would have been infinitely more interested.
A mysterious fog hides a small town’s secrets… and something even darker!
Overall rating
3
/
5
GAME BREAKING GLITCH IN BONUS CHAPTER
PostedSeptember 8, 2023
talula1059
fromUSA
I enjoyed the game itself even though it was very different from the first two. However, toward the end, you finish an HOP and are supposed to be given a wrench as your "reward." Unfortunately, I never received the wrench so was stuck standing there stupidly unable to move or even start the Bonus Chapter over in hopes the glitch would resolve itself. I enjoyed the game, but not enough to replay the entire thing just to see how it ended. It's really too bad since others have had the same problem. I don't enjoy spending extra money for a bonus chapter I can't finish. For that reason alone, I can't recommend the game.
I don't recommend this game.
Beyond the sky lies a thrilling adventure... and a deadly threat!
Overall rating
4
/
5
GREAT GAME, POOR VOICE ACTING
PostedAugust 13, 2023
talula1059
fromUSA
There are enough reviews about how wonderful this game is. Visually, it's a great looking game. Our counterpart from the alien world is Nix, but he could just as easily been called Flame because he looked as though he had been based upon an Adonis statue. Very nice looking. His was the only voice acting that was halfway decent.
The soccer mom that does the voice for Diana (our heroine) is horrible. She is in these games a lot and she sounds too old for most of the characters she plays. She has this small town quality to her voice that makes her sound like a reject from the movie "Fargo." A voice actress should be able to read well and put some inflection in her voice. This woman does none of that. She isn't capable of it because she obviously isn't an actress. It seems like she's probably someone's secretary that they used once when the real actor didn't show up. Then they just kept using her because she was at the office anyway so it was cheaper than flying someone out for the job. Voice acting matters in these games because a lot of the time the tasks are repetitive or very similar to other games.
Madhead does a great job keeping the story going and making it interesting. I'm not a huge fan of straight sci-fi games, but this one was mostly set in 1950s America with a few aliens thrown in for good measure. Very clearly inspired by those 50s Cold War movies where aliens invade.
The only other negative thing is it takes awhile to be able to fast travel with the map. It's supposedly storyline related, but it was annoying having to back track over and over. Finally the game gives you the ability to jump from place to place and it's not a moment too soon for me.
The soccer mom that does the voice for Diana (our heroine) is horrible. She is in these games a lot and she sounds too old for most of the characters she plays. She has this small town quality to her voice that makes her sound like a reject from the movie "Fargo." A voice actress should be able to read well and put some inflection in her voice. This woman does none of that. She isn't capable of it because she obviously isn't an actress. It seems like she's probably someone's secretary that they used once when the real actor didn't show up. Then they just kept using her because she was at the office anyway so it was cheaper than flying someone out for the job. Voice acting matters in these games because a lot of the time the tasks are repetitive or very similar to other games.
Madhead does a great job keeping the story going and making it interesting. I'm not a huge fan of straight sci-fi games, but this one was mostly set in 1950s America with a few aliens thrown in for good measure. Very clearly inspired by those 50s Cold War movies where aliens invade.
The only other negative thing is it takes awhile to be able to fast travel with the map. It's supposedly storyline related, but it was annoying having to back track over and over. Finally the game gives you the ability to jump from place to place and it's not a moment too soon for me.
Medium:
Can you navigate three chilling stories and find a new path?
Overall rating
3
/
5
LOSS OF MISTRESS EVE
PostedAugust 5, 2023
talula1059
fromUSA
One of the things I loved about these games was the actress who played Mistress Eve. She had a gentle lilt to her voice that was all-seeing, but also soothing. Once again, Elephant was unable to get the original actor to return for this newest version of the game. They replaced Eve with some awful drama student wannabe who keeps putting dramatic unnatural inflections on her voice and pausing dramatically. She can't hold her accent longer than two words. She is terrible and really ruins the ambience of the game. I take it back. I don't even think she's in drama school. I think she might be some Elephant executive's latest fling. (I always wanted to act! Well you're in luck dear!) Yes it's that bad.
The game itself is typical for the series. The aesthetic reminds me of the Miss Holmes games.
The game itself is typical for the series. The aesthetic reminds me of the Miss Holmes games.
Journey to the past to save your parents from a deadly killer.
Overall rating
4
/
5
STORYLINE INCONSISTENT & FILLED WlITH ERRORS
PostedJuly 12, 2023
talula1059
fromUSA
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Loved the game and had lots of fun playing it. It's the storyline that earned this game a less than a stellar review. It's filled with inconsistencies and plot holes. Perhaps I'm in the minority, but I actually DO play these games (in part) for the story.
Character models were poorly developed based on what we have learned of the characters. Alexandra's father looks like he just walked off the set of Cops in Mayberry (as an arrestee). From his southern drawl to his Shaggy from Scooby Doo hairdo and wispy facial hair, there is absolutely nothing to suggest that he's some brilliant antique collector. Saying he resembles a hillbilly is being kind. The mother seems like a hippy who would have happily followed the Manson Gang without blinking an eye. At one point, she tells Alex that she will "hide the girl" and help. The girl? You mean your DAUGHTER? And about little Alexandra. From the bright blond curly hair to the pasted smile on her saccharine face, the developers went too far with the cute factor. Yes she was a child, but there was absolutely nothing of Alexandra's strength and intelligence in her. She seemed like a total bubblehead. I'm not a fan of children in games under the best of circumstances anyway.
Story errors were everywhere in this game. Kutcher apparently was considered a failure because his time machine only lasted 12 hours. It was claimed that 12 hours is not enough time to change events, but the game never explained why. The course of history can be altered in a split second so this part of the plot was a fail. Later, Kutcher's entire plan revolved around going back in time to ensure he saved Alexandra's parents from dying in the accident. Then he wouldn't be arrested and sent to an asylum and his life wouldn't be ruined. It wasn't clear WHY there even needed to be an accident. The parents only crashed their car because Kutcher ran in front of it. Why wouldn't he go back in time and grab the lamp before her parents ever got it? Of course, then Alex wouldn't be able to run into her parents and childhood self. But at least the story would have some semblance of reality.
Later, Kutcher saves Alexandra's parents, but then locks them on a Ferris wheel with a bomb connected to a short timer. He claimed he needed time to assemble the time machine without Alex interrupting him. Again, a very weak plot point that totally defeated the purpose of Kutcher's plans. Why not just lock them somewhere without the bomb? Another plot point that is only there so the developers can include more inventory puzzles.
For some reason, Alexandra is listed as Anastasia on Kutcher's written plans. Apparently, all it takes to get Alexandra's parents to take their young daughter driving through a treacherous snowstorm is a mysterious invitation from a stranger that shows up in their mailbox. The premise of the plot was OK, but the details were weak and lacking in creativity. So many plot points were only there in service to the mini-games. I know that often happens in games like these, but it seemed like overkill in this game.
Aside from the story and plot holes, it WAS a fun game.
I recommend this game!
Can you solve the mystery of the murderous dolls?
Overall rating
3
/
5
FEAR FOR SALE LOSES TOUCH WITH REALITY
PostedJune 25, 2023
talula1059
fromUSA
Storyline
1
/
5
The game itself was fun to play. However, the story was...just AWFUL. We all expect to suspend our disbelief when playing these games. This one was so unrealistic that it became laughable and ridiculous. The main villains are tiny little dolls infused with human souls. We've seen that before in the first Maze game by Madhead and a few others. However, these dolls were not life-size and did not have superhuman strength (according to what we were told.) They were tiny little dolls like a child would have. And yet they apparently were immune to bullets, knives, and various heavy objects. Yet we saw that they were made with regular plastic and rubber doll parts so how is that even possible? Answer: it isn't. The game just wants us to believe it is. Even if the souls of the dolls were immortal, their physical bodies were not. Every time one of the dolls got the better of the cop and Emma, I kept thinking, why don't you just drop kick the doll in the head or crush it under your foot? The whole thing was ridiculous and stupid.
Full disclosure. Aside from the first Maze game, I am not a fan of little doll villains. The high pitched voices and lullaby soundtrack isn't cute, fun, or scary. It's annoying. I love the Fear for Sale games and was sad that this was the last one. Talk about ending with the opposite of a bang. The storyline absolutely killed the game's replay value. That said, the puzzles were fun and collectibles were used to play little mini-games that recapped the progress of the case. This would have been a great game if the developers had not decided to get cute (literally) with the story.
I recommend this game!