timothya's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:4.3
- Helpful Votes:1,143
- Reviews Submitted:194
- First Review:June 24, 2012
- Most Recent Review:April 7, 2025
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Who is trying to destroy the Kingdom of Barsia?
Overall rating
3
/
5
2 of 4 found this review helpful
What In The World Was This All About?
PostedDecember 6, 2015
timothya
fromSandpoint, Idaho
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure
Current Favorite:
Drawn®: Dark Flight ™ Collector's Edition
(48)Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
The game had a certain charm to it, which is why the three stars, but it is, in summation, the single most incoherent plot I've come across in years. There is, of course, a young woman with golden hair and there are bears. It may be a late teaming between developers that resulted in this muddle, or perhaps it was always like that. If the former, the teaming of the writers wasn't a happy one; if the latter, the player's best hope is to get hold of a bottle of whatever the author was drinking and hope for the best.
The good: LOTS of game play, hurrah! for a change. Brilliant scenes, fun mini-games. A map that was the rational player's only hope of finishing the thing.
The less than good: the plot, or plots, or whatever this was supposed to be. We have Goldilocks herself, a singularly unsympathetic character redeemed by a hug given to a little boy whose name we do not know and who does not figure in the game aside from being turned into a golden statue and mysteriously resurrected at the end. Jack, who pops in from his beanstalk and out again, and then in and out, golden himself for a time and altogether baffling as to his presence at all. An evil automaton queen, an inventor with no discernible purpose except to hold this mess of a plot together, magical, weirdly-shaped pieces impossible to locate in the junk-pile HOS's, and a main character whose motivation to remain in this fantasy madhouse is entirely inexplicable except for the fact that she, and the player, are riding this hideous beast to oblivion. There is a horrible fascination here: you can't stop playing because it's just so bizarre that it has a certain dark beauty to it.
If, however, you're the sort of player so jaded by cliche that you can depend on the map to tell you what in the world you're supposed to do next without complaint, then the novelty of certain of the puzzles will attract you and the monotony of the hidden object scenes won't repel you too much. The music is repetitive and not particularly atmospheric. The voice acting is not to be blamed for the sheer grating awfulness of the lines the actors are compelled to recite.
And yet I'm recommending the game. Why? Because it was fun. Not, perhaps, for the right reasons, but the truth is I enjoyed playing it just to see what weird plot developments were going to happen next.
I recommend this game!
Can you find the key to Ravenhearst's resurrection?
Overall rating
4
/
5
4 of 8 found this review helpful
Almost There
PostedNovember 4, 2015
timothya
fromSandpoint, Idaho
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure
Current Favorite:
Drawn®: Dark Flight ™ Collector's Edition
(48)Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
The MCF franchise has helped build the genre and has seen some highs - Madam Fate, Dire Grove, and Return to Ravenhearst, still the reigning champ - and some lows - the grotesque Escape from Ravenhearst, the stupifyingly boring Thirteenth Skull, and the sad Dire Grove, Sacred Grove, whose recycling of the Dire Grove scenes served only to remind us of how short the successors fell of the earlier brilliance. This one falls somewhere in between but is a high effort that shows that the new developer at least appreciates what made the gems unique.
The Pros: brilliant graphics as good as anything in the series. Cut scenes spectacular. Art worth enjoying just for art's sake. Music atmospheric and not overwhelming. Puzzles quite in keeping with the originals and if a little easier, also a little more logical and straightforward. Replayable in the extras, hurrah! And a small thing: the creepy typewriter is back! I love the creepy typewriter.
The Cons: It's a little short, the voice acting only adequate, and the writing somewhat disjointed if constrained by the excesses of the story line developed in the predecessors. The ending is abrupt and confusing - what really did happen to the lead male protagonist, after all? It wouldn't be answered in the bonus game, which was frankly disrespectful to the genuinely mentally disturbed and a bit of a downer in resolution.
Overall, a better effort than some, but not up to the well-deserved five stars of the others. This story line may not be played out, but it's limping pretty badly, and the current writers need to recover that playful mockery that made RTR such a delight.
I recommend this game!
A dark prophecy threatens to destroy the city of Munich!
Overall rating
5
/
5
29 of 38 found this review helpful
Short and Fun
PostedOctober 20, 2015
timothya
fromSandpoint, Idaho
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure
Current Favorite:
Drawn®: Dark Flight ™ Collector's Edition
(48)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Crank up the difficulty level a bit on this one unless you're a beginner. It's short, the games are plentiful and easy, the hidden object scenes straightforward and clear, and the plot coherent. The five star review is based on only one overweening factor it's Just Plain Fun!
Lots of little things, but they add up. Graphics gorgeous as we've come to expect from this developer, the Munich scenes enjoyable on their own over and above any game play. Music appropriate, varied, and atmospheric. Voice acting quite competent and either painfully or charmingly American depending on your point of view. Your little orphan friend was actually cute instead of cloying for a change. Smooth game play, smooth scene transitions, just the right number of cut scenes. I usually find morphing objects irrelevant and distracting, but these weren't.
If you need to introduce a rookie to this genre, this is definitely a game to hook them on! Or, for that matter, a young person: the plot was devoid of splatter and ultimate evil and the player was left with the impression that pretty much everyone he or she met was a decent human being without the plot resolution being overly sappy. Nicely done, writers.
Just fun. What else do you need?
I recommend this game!
Redemption Cemetery: Clock of Fate Collector's Edition
Can you undo the past and set the trapped souls free?
Overall rating
3
/
5
4 of 4 found this review helpful
Not The Best In The Series
PostedOctober 6, 2015
timothya
fromSandpoint, Idaho
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure
Current Favorite:
Drawn®: Dark Flight ™ Collector's Edition
(48)Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
A strange, charmless game, creepy in the wrong places. The Good: great graphics, decent music, voice acting good in places and awful in a few. The Bad: repetitive matching puzzles that sometimes didn't make much sense and were a horribly slow way to do plot exposition, far too many cut scenes, one fairly significant spelling error in Greek, thoroughly unsympathetic "victims", plot flow that was choppy and too frequently interrupted. It's a great franchise and I purchased the CE without hesitation, but this one simply isn't up to the rest.
I don't recommend this game.
Fright
After a suspicious accident, you find yourself stranded at a run-down motel. But you soon realize the area hides a terrifying secret...
Overall rating
5
/
5
1 of 2 found this review helpful
Very Innovative
PostedAugust 20, 2015
timothya
fromSandpoint, Idaho
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Match 3
Current Favorite:
Drawn®: Dark Flight ™ Collector's Edition
(48)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I don't know how I missed this one when it was released. Best live-actor implementation I've seen to date, the actors fully up to the roles and those roles worthy of their effort. Creepy fun, coherent plot, lots of puzzles with solutions that fit the game. I loved the serial-solution HOS! If anything it was too short. I am seriously considering buying the CE and playing it again just to see what the bonus game is like, it's that good. Developers, well done!
I recommend this game!
Invasion: Lost in Time
Complete dangerous missions amid dazzling landscapes of prehistoric Earth and alien worlds. Can you complete these thrilling puzzles in order to return home?
Overall rating
5
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Lots and Lots of Puzzles
PostedAugust 18, 2015
timothya
fromSandpoint, Idaho
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Match 3
Current Favorite:
Drawn®: Dark Flight ™ Collector's Edition
(48)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
A very pleasant surprise. I love puzzles, easy or hard, love 'em all. This game has them. Game shows a few rough edges linguistically and the character interface is written only, but that doesn't really detract much. Very colorful art, Enough plot to keep the thing rolling with an entertaining twist toward the end. And did I mention puzzles? Loved the game.
I recommend this game!
Witches' Legacy: The Dark Throne Collector's Edition
The witches' dark legacy continues as Lynn becomes possessed!
Overall rating
5
/
5
5 of 5 found this review helpful
Give This One A Chance
PostedJuly 15, 2015
timothya
fromSandpoint, Idaho
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure
Current Favorite:
Drawn®: Dark Flight ™ Collector's Edition
(48)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I just about gave up on this one way too soon. It turned out to be a great game, fully worth the effort and the bonuses made it worthy of being a CE. I'd give it four stars but the bonus game kicked it back to five.
Pros: Great graphics, lovely colors, and LOTS OF PLAY! The latter is all too rare these days, but it went on and on and got better and better. Plot decent and coherent. Puzzles just about right level of difficulty, HO's of several different styles.
Cons: Too many cut scenes, especially in the beginning. Completely took the rhythm of the game off the rails. Assistant is less annoying than most but didn't seem all that necessary. In the first "alternate world" the direction was occasionally not very logical, you often didn't really know what to do next.
Overall, though, stick with this one. Full value for length, full value for bonus game.
I recommend this game!
Surface: Alone in the Mist Collector's Edition
All the adults have vanished. Is this a child's dream, or nightmare?
Overall rating
5
/
5
2 of 6 found this review helpful
Wonderful Entry in a Favorite Series
PostedJune 8, 2015
timothya
fromSandpoint, Idaho
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure
Current Favorite:
Drawn®: Dark Flight ™ Collector's Edition
(48)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Great opening, a child singing a song that is wonderfully creepy. The idea is that our antagonist has wished all the grownups away, and is enforcing that edict with an amulet that must be recovered. The major plot weakness is that the identity of the Wishmaster who gave it to her is never explored, but suffice it to say that he's a bad guy. The protagonist, a young woman with a penchant for archery, is not quite the stock character that would imply.
Pros: great art, atmospheric music, varied hidden object scenes and puzzles at about the right level of difficulty. Competent to excellent voice acting. Cons: plot resolves too abruptly. Amusement park is a little trite. Supporting characters could be fleshed out some more, they're rather charming but our acquaintance is too brief.
Overall, though, an excellent entry, very immersive, very diverting.
Pros: great art, atmospheric music, varied hidden object scenes and puzzles at about the right level of difficulty. Competent to excellent voice acting. Cons: plot resolves too abruptly. Amusement park is a little trite. Supporting characters could be fleshed out some more, they're rather charming but our acquaintance is too brief.
Overall, though, an excellent entry, very immersive, very diverting.
I recommend this game!
PuppetShow: The Price of Immortality Collector's Edition
Your friend vanishes after investigating the mysterious Theater of Emotions
Overall rating
5
/
5
3 of 5 found this review helpful
Worthy Successor to a Great Franchise
PostedApril 1, 2015
timothya
fromSandpoint, Idaho
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Drawn®: Dark Flight ™ Collector's Edition
(48)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
It was only good until the bonus game, then it was brilliant. Great graphics with the familiar Puppet Show music, which I ended up turning up just for the atmosphere. A few fairly tough puzzles even on Easy mode. Lots of to-and-fro but the map helped a great deal. And yes, the Little Spider Guy we've come to despise is back! For once the assistant is really adorable, for once the bonus prizes let you do something you care about, and for once the Achievements gave you a little reward just for reading. Full marks. I really enjoyed this one.
Magic Gate: Faces of Darkness
Venture into a magical world and experience the struggle of good versus evil!
Overall rating
4
/
5
4 of 5 found this review helpful
A Sleeper - Love These!
PostedMarch 4, 2015
timothya
fromSandpoint, Idaho
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Drawn®: Dark Flight ™ Collector's Edition
(48)Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Quite an old-school game, but beautifully done. And, for once, a male POV. Hurrah! Nice graphics, unobtrusive music, perhaps a little repetitive, a bit epic. More dialogue than I liked but it's believable and so is the voice acting. Occasional language errors in the HOS cost it a star - nothing more frustrating than searching for the wrong thing! Very nice SE.
I recommend this game!