timothya's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:4.3
- Helpful Votes:1,143
- Reviews Submitted:192
- First Review:June 24, 2012
- Most Recent Review:December 27, 2024
- Featured reviews0
Status:
A deadly secret lurks in the woods of Dire Grove!
Overall rating
4
/
5
1 of 2 found this review helpful
Almost Up To A Very High Bar
PostedDecember 10, 2014
timothya
fromSandpoint, Idaho
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
A wonderful game and a fun revisit to some old territory. Graphics top-notch as one might expect. Superb game play, nice mix of HOs in different styles and of course, the absolutely glorious MCF puzzles! I savored these - one of them took me a nice, leisurely hour. Excellent bonus time, and the alternate ending was worth the price of admission (and superior to the "real" ending, I think). Just loved the thing.
So why four stars? It was the writing. The inclusion of a certain old enemy in order to provide series continuity was unnecessary and seemed very contrived, and wisely was kept pretty much to the bonus content. But without him (and the original Dire Grove didn't have him) the game would have worked fine but lost that extra something we have come to expect from this stellar series. It simply wasn't as tightly written as the standard-setting series from Return to Ravenhearst through Madame Fate to Dire Grove. The subsequent two entries were, regrettably, not up to that standard and will be mercifully disregarded. It is a lot to ask for the entire story arc to be smooth but this was, I think, a little disjointed.
Things I really liked: nearly everything else. The choice to provide an alternate male POV (and narrator) was deeply appreciated and long overdue. And the puzzles, my gracious, the puzzles were superb!
Overall a great effort by Elephant to live up to a very high standard indeed.
I recommend this game!
Save your friends and escape from a deadly game!
Overall rating
5
/
5
2 of 3 found this review helpful
Very Entertaining Entry
PostedNovember 26, 2014
timothya
fromSandpoint, Idaho
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I liked this one a lot. Our protagonist is caught into playing a sinister game that vaults her (yet another female POV but not too obnoxious about it) through other worlds to confront gods and free her friends from the game's icy clutch. Great graphics, excellent voice acting. Music a bit more intense than would have been called for by the relatively static scenes but not enough so to turn it off. Very nice mix of HOGs of different styles. A couple of really original puzzles. Quite a few cut scenes, some adding considerably to the game experience, some not so much. Nice, if short, bonus. Great game mechanics overall.
I recommend this game!
You’re about to uncover the secret that’s been haunting Blackrow!
Overall rating
5
/
5
4 of 5 found this review helpful
Another Fine Mystery Trackers Entry
PostedSeptember 3, 2014
timothya
fromSandpoint, Idaho
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Beautiful game. Nicely but conventionally plotted, music not overly obtrusive and I left it on the entire time. The usual mix of HO scenes and quite a few puzzles - I love puzzles - some of which are quite original. Casual mode seemed a little too easy but the next one up, just about right. Oh, and Elf is back. Plenty of achievements and artifacts for those who find that sort of thing enhances the game. I'd trade those for a little more length but it isn't enough to take a star off. Had a great time!
I recommend this game!
Twenty years ago, the children of Greystone were taken by a mysterious fog - only you escaped. It’s time to find out why...
Overall rating
5
/
5
2 of 3 found this review helpful
Beautiful, Beautiful Game
PostedJune 17, 2014
timothya
fromSandpoint, Idaho
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
It's been a bit of a dry spell but worth the wait. This one is simply stunning, the art enough to make you wander from scene to scene just looking at it. Lovely color saturation, reminiscent of the Drawn games, and that is high praise. The music, by Jovian, is good enough to justify the CE price by itself. Moving, melancholy, it captures the mood of the game perfectly. Interesting plot that keeps the player engaged, convincing voice acting - real children's voices, hurrah! Puzzles easy to medium difficulty. Nice balance of action in the transition scenes. If I could have given it six stars for the art and the music I would have. Loved it!
I recommend this game!
The lighthouse fails and darkness invades Willow Ridge. Your husband runs into the forest for answers, unaware of the shadow hunting him.
Overall rating
5
/
5
Outstanding Game
PostedMay 22, 2013
timothya
fromSandpoint, Idaho
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This one excels on nearly every level. For me this is a strong entry for game of the year, at least so far.
Pros: Gorgeous, colorful graphics. Three different kinds of HOS. New puzzles, some of them quite challenging. Engaging characters, decent voice acting. Unique new narrated transitions scenes that are puzzles in themselves. Lovely music. Nothing overdone, everything just the right balance. The writing is worthy of separate publication, paced well and with mystery that is genuine to the last scene.
Cons: I honestly can't think of a single one.
Overall: A winner on every level. Packed with variety and plot. Nothing seemed contrived, everything meshed together.
I recommend this game!
A wonderful story of the citizens of Joyville. Can you change their destiny? You will see – nothing is impossible!
Overall rating
5
/
5
3 of 4 found this review helpful
Spiderboy is Back!
PostedApril 9, 2013
timothya
fromSandpoint, Idaho
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
The arc of the series changed a bit with the previous edition and now Felicia is a Good Gal...or is she? And we have a new villain...or do we?
Pros: the usual outstanding graphics, familiar theme music that you either love or turn off - I love it - and a new assistant that looks an awful lot like an old nemesis. Smooth game play and a couple of new puzzles. A rather surprising ending that completes the story arc in a most unexpected but not entirely satisfying way.
Cons: not really a lot - this is a very experienced developer and it shows. Child characters voiced by adults are a little annoying, and I wanted to do a lot more with my assistant than merely change his hats. Give him a flamethrower, maybe, and send him after his counterpart...
Overall: Beautifully done and time, I think, to put this series to bed lest it suffer a MCF-like disaster.
I recommend this game!
An organ grinder seeks revenge, marking his victims with cards. Can you stop him before he destroys the entire city?
Overall rating
5
/
5
2 of 4 found this review helpful
Wonderful Story Line!
PostedMarch 19, 2013
timothya
fromSandpoint, Idaho
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Nice mystery game with a touch of the supernatural. Plenty of play and a few nice bonus treats. Bonus puzzles! Yay!
Pros: Lovely graphics as we have come to expect from this developer. Atmospheric music that adds rather than distracts. Excellent voice acting. Outstanding writing - the plot hangs together and closes very nicely.
Cons: a couple of insignificant translation errors, that's about it.
Overall: Great package with a few nice extras. I really enjoyed this one.
I recommend this game!
Dark magic threatens our world! Can you stop the Shade and his minions before it's too late?
Overall rating
5
/
5
0 of 1 found this review helpful
Absolutely Beautiful!
PostedMarch 11, 2013
timothya
fromSandpoint, Idaho
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
A late review but a sincere one - this is a beautiful effort, the graphics and especially the music. Not much to add to what the others have already said, but I'll buy the third one just as soon as it hits.
I recommend this game!
Eerie music fills the air in Vienna, where shadows terrorize people in the streets. Two musical prodigies have gone missing. Can you save them without striking a single false note?
Overall rating
5
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
A Nice Finish
PostedFebruary 19, 2013
timothya
fromSandpoint, Idaho
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
The Maestro arc has, we are given to think, come to an end. This one is lovely, the colors vivid, the scenes nicely composed and the music up to the challenge.
Pros: The art, of course. Vivid colors in this one, Viennese locations that are more or less believable, a hint system that really gives hints instead of answers. A particularly generous bonus game that made the CE price worth spending.
Cons: The plot. The missing children are entirely ancillary to the story arc and the villain Void is all too well named. Francois is the only carryover from the previous games, older now and actually very well done but given too few lines.
Overall: A fitting and lovely conclusion.
I recommend this game!
Your brother is kidnapped during an air show. Search for him in a beautiful world where the sky is as wide as your imagination.
Overall rating
5
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Gorgeous Game!
PostedFebruary 7, 2013
timothya
fromSandpoint, Idaho
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Stunning graphics and soaring music make this one pure candy from the start.
Pros: the atmosphere. Beautiful art, great in color saturation, really lovely music. Decent voice acting. Imaginative writing, good plot advancement. Puzzles easy to medium. Glorious cut scenes. Excellent, useful map.
Cons: not much. The dialogue is a little over-earnest at times, not the actors' faults.
Overall: simply outstanding, a visual and aural treat.
I recommend this game!