xanz's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3
- Helpful Votes:544
- Reviews Submitted:17
- First Review:May 15, 2012
- Most Recent Review:July 14, 2014
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Mystery Age: Liberation of Souls
Defeat the Chaos God and escape from his mysterious orb!
Overall rating
2
/
5
12 of 15 found this review helpful
A Demo Review....
PostedSeptember 23, 2013
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
I don't usually review demos unless I'm not buying it due to some issue, and in this case there are a couple....
First, I'm tiring of the same nonsensical fantasy story lines, but then that would just be a personal preference. They are simply all beginning to look alike to me - someone lost, trapped, in need of rescue, magical creatures, odd plants... you know the story.
In this case, there are several beings to rescue and solve problems for as you move along. Nothing we haven't seen before.
The worst of it, however (and I did play the entire trial) was that the mechanics are extremely clunky. Scenes where actions overlap and one gets in the way of another so you have no choice which to choose first; scenes not closing properly, or closing but giving you glimpses of how it will look solved and then the age old problem of not just holding your hand, but practically playing the game for you.
The only real plus were some clever HO scenes where completing one item leads to using it to complete another, but again, it's not exactly original, just a little more challenging than "find the list", tho there are those too.
And when you return to an HO, you'll easily spot all of the items without the list, as anything different than when you were last there (3 minutes ago) will be on it. I didn't even refer to the list, other than maybe for the last item.
I need at least one of three things to truly enjoy a game; a great story line (and much is forgiven for that), out of this world cleverness, or something new and original in the graphics. I also give points for a truly immersive game environment and that doesn't mean a lizard here or there than runs when you touch it.
This game just feels like a step backward where none of the things I really buy a game for were present. I played it out of boredom, but I'd never be bored enough to purchase this one. You may feel differently, but with all the truly clever games out there, this one just isn't in the running for my time.
I don't recommend this game.
Dark Manor: A Hidden Object Mystery
The bayou. The roaring 1920’s. A supernatural secret. Step into Dark Manor, where ghostly hosts will help you find your way! Beautify your manor today!
Overall rating
1
/
5
9 of 11 found this review helpful
It's ALL a Mystery to Me...
PostedAugust 31, 2013
I have enjoyed the Free to Play marble popper games, but this one is just too too.
Too complicated - when in 30 minutes I see no pattern to what I'm doing, when the game has to point me to every next step and I still just don't get it, I'm not having "fun".
Too much going on all at once.
Too many things to keep an eye on.
Plenty have gone into detail, so I'm just rendering a simple opinion - I didn't care for it. I want an actual story. This plays more like an online multiplayer game, and I'm not fond of levels for different resources. There's just no real atmosphere and no story.
I'm sure some will love it, I'm just not one of them.
I don't recommend this game.
Rite of Passage: Child of the Forest Collector's Edition
The lighthouse fails and darkness invades Willow Ridge. Your husband runs into the forest for answers, unaware of the shadow hunting him.
Overall rating
4
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Adventure Fable
PostedMay 18, 2013
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
*Based on entire game and bonus content*
This is one of the better games of late. Much care was taken both with the story and the little details that make PC games interesting and fun.
I won't bother with all of the details you can find for yourself in the demo, but just let you know that the CE might be one of the few worth the price. While the game is complete with out the bonus play, not abrupt in the ending or unsatisfying in the least, I think it adds much to the story and winds it up nicely in a way you won't see in the future SE.
In the CE, you also get a little extra treat for collecting all of the acorns. Be sure to be on your toes so you don't miss the tour of the Old Lady windmill - especially if you're a hidden object fan.
I usually don't care much for fantasy, but would rather play a mystery with real world physics and rules. This game is an exception in the fantasy/adventure genre for me. It gave great background for a truly engrossing story line and the game play supported the plot beautifully.
It wasn't just HO, use an item, move ahead one space kind of play, but an actual problem solving adventure where first you need to fix the lighthouse, then find your husband, then solve the problem that started it all. I love the feeling of it being in acts rather than just a formulaic bore.
I played from beginning to end in one sitting. I'm rarely that interested.
I played the entire game in just under four hours with another 50 minutes or so for the bonus. I don't play in hard mode, but hate sparkles. I just like the hints and skips to be available in case I run into things I don't really enjoy. I especially liked the custom sliders that allowed me to have what I wanted and avoid all that hand holding. I never needed the SG, but did use the hint a couple of times.
This game had just enough HOs without it being too much, and the problem solving was unique and clever.
If you care about the story as much as the game play and if like me, you rarely buy CEs, if you enjoy some back story (I'm an artist and like the concept art as well) you really should check this one out. I look forward to more from the same developers.
I recommend this game!
Shiver: Moonlit Grove Collector's Edition
With your carriage broken, and a wolf nearby, you must find shelter. What awaits you in the village just ahead?
Overall rating
4
/
5
12 of 12 found this review helpful
Logic At Last
PostedMay 6, 2013
xanz
fromIndiana, USA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Large File, Match 3, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Brink of Consciousness: The Lonely Hearts Murders Collector's Edition
(162)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I've waited for weeks for a game that isn't about achievements or morphing objects, but that has a decent story and offers a fun escape.
The latest Shiver is good on most counts for me. I want a story line that makes sense and this one delivers that, for the most part. To get the full experience, you really do need to take your time and read the notes in your journal.
No gimmicks here, but an excellent mix of photo realism and drawn graphics, as far as I can tell. Not too jumbled or claustrophobic, but so seamless that I'm not exactly sure of the technique. With my larger monitor, in the dark, the graphics and ambient sound with a bit of unobtrusive melody were the perfect combination to get lost in on a rainy evening for me.
The thing I enjoyed most was that your actions made sense and were detailed, as were all the hidden object scenes, not just those in the trial.
The actions needed to advance the story and the use of items to solve problems were particularly clever and original.
No map. but you don't need one. The play is non linear, but somewhat confined to just a few screens at a time and for once, the game play supported the story rather than being the reason for the plot to exist. It has more of the feel of being in a movie than just solving puzzles for the sake of solving them.
I did not have to use the guide once, tho I did use the hint a couple of times. The challenge isn't so much the point as was advancing the plot for me.
I was not crazy about how it ended prior to the bonus play. It was a little abrupt and didn't completely solve all of your problems or answer all questions. For this reason, the SE may turn out to be slightly disappointing. I generally do not appriate games that are not complete without the bonus, but since in this instance I had decided I wanted as long an experience as I could get out of it anyway, I was OK with it. I just don't think it generally fair to make the SE incomplete.
If your main concern is much to do in a scene, to have collectibles or achievements, if you enjoy the formulaic games of recent memory, you may not like this one so much, but if you want to see some clever and original uses of items, enjoy little puzzles within puzzles and enjoy feeling fully immersed in your adventures, I think, like me, you'll be quite pleased.
Happy gaming.
I recommend this game!
Dark Mysteries: The Soul Keeper Collector's Edition
Charles Dexter Ward summons you to the island of Pawtuxet to stop a revenant from murdering the townspeople.
Overall rating
2
/
5
89 of 107 found this review helpful
Another "Mystery"
PostedDecember 9, 2012
xanz
fromIndiana, USA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure
Current Favorite:
Brink of Consciousness: The Lonely Hearts Murders Collector's Edition
(162)Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I wouldn't normally post a review on a demo, but I just wanted the opportunity to say how weary I am of the same old thing. You're a detective (surprise), called to help out a friend who has resurrected a relative in search of immortality (another surprise). I'm afraid it's the usual fare, like all the developers have the same game engine and just plug in a dreary plot.
HOs, a little adventure. Find the needed items. Throw in a few puzzles and I'm sorry, but I'm yawning. I think I still haven't gotten over the latest Mystery Case Files. What a disappointment.
I don't care about achievements or morphing objects, and there aren't any here, but I do care about a cohesive plot that hasn't been done to death, about a worthy adventure and a mystery to solve.
You truly may enjoy it if you haven't yet tired of the formulaic CEs of late. Me? I'm looking for something different.
I don't recommend this game.
Paris 1925
Play as journalist Edgar Lance and solve a mysterious murder during the roaring twenties in Paris.
Overall rating
1
/
5
10 of 14 found this review helpful
Thumbs Down
PostedOctober 1, 2012
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
I'm not sure if anything positive can be said of this game. Normally I wouldn't have written a review at all on a trial, but I thought I should warn you.
I have nothing against something easy and retro once in a while, an old time escape the room, HO or arcade "shoot the aliens" game can be quite fun, but that's not what we have here.
You are a Jr reporter, just setting up your office and sent to a museum function to take photos. There you find a body (of course).
The mechanics are stiff. The hint button worked all of once, and nothing much makes sense. You begin by given the task of finding a number of items to set up your room. You do have some choices in dialogue, but it's clumsy wand whatever you choose makes no difference. Items appear everywhere, most in plain sight, and even hanging in mid air. No junk piles, but boredom reigns here, guys.
I also don't mind no map (you don't need it with only one or two rooms at a time to investigate), but just a note pad (that really says nothing much). When you finally complete the first two very easy rooms, nothing tells you to go to the phone but action gears. No sparkles, but you don't need them. The scenes are simple pencil type drawings with no imagination, no clutter, and no interest.
I can't even recommend it for beginners as it gives no guidance whatever.
Dull, frustrating, an all around looser. Go ahead. Give the trial a spin, but seriously, I can't imagine what dusty vault this one escaped from. Spare yourself.
I don't recommend this game.
Dark Alleys: Penumbra Motel Collector`s Edition
Rescue a young girl from the Penumbra Motel. Solve puzzles, unravel a long standing mystery of death and disappearances in this heart-pounding adventure game!
Overall rating
4
/
5
18 of 25 found this review helpful
Up my Alley
PostedMay 15, 2012
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
My review is based up the entire game plus bonus content. I have to take this opportunity to say how irritated I am with demo reviews. I can play the demo for myself. If you reject a game based upon something in the demo, that's not so bad to point out, but these long narratives on a 1 hour experience never get a "helpful" from me.
I won't go into all that has been said already. This game is light adventure. It's very linear. You won't be backtracking far, so you won't miss the map, and there are no HOs to slow down the action. Most of it is played in one major area at a time. The hint button is pretty useless, being of the "nothing to do here" variety.
What I always want to know with a CE is was the bonus content necessary to the story. I've played a couple where it was, and in a light, easier game, the story is everything to me. The bonus content added a little and was about another 60 - 90 minutes play. I'm not interested in the music or art work so much, or not enough to pay for it. I don't know that knowing what I do I wouldn't have enjoyed the SE just as much.
The story begins to go somewhere and then kind of falls off. There is one mystery character that you eventually catch up with and his story is told a little further in the bonus, but not really enough to make it worth it. You will accomplish your major directive in the main story - which is how it should be.
I played the game in "hard" - no sparkles YAY! And another thing I really enjoyed with this game are the immediate results when you click. No waiting for something to load or for an action to slowly complete.
I've played probably 400 HOs and adventure games. I'm a little harder core than BigFish offers, my favorite being the Lost Crown and the Dark Fall series, a class of games not available here, but all in all, Dark Alleys was a good experience. Fun, pretty light as far as challenge, and more a matter of following a small goal at a time to conclusion. I'd like to see more of this variety.
I recommend this game!