timothya's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:4.3
- Helpful Votes:1,143
- Reviews Submitted:196
- First Review:June 24, 2012
- Most Recent Review:May 18, 2025
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Escape a terrifying hotel with a haunted past.
Overall rating
5
/
5
Nice Old-School Fun
PostedJuly 29, 2024
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
Greetings to my The Catch friends! Yes, they used to be this good. Sister Tilly has taken a job in a hotel that is more than it appears, and we have to delve deep into the horror to extract her. What's not to like?
Pros: Clean, straight writing. Lots of creepy scenes, some altered upon return to be creepier still. Classic Sister-to-the-Rescue game, plenty of play, lovely graphics, some very nice mini-games, and a plethora of HO scenes. Atmospheric music, excellent voice acting.
Cons: Not a lot. The villain isn't very well developed but is suitably creepy and has enough lines to develop a nasty personality indeed.
Bonus Game: It looks like we're not quite through with the creature's minions. This time they're going to get it!
Overall, one of those great Eipix games from a departed but dearly remembered Dev. Five stars compared to what we have before us now.
I recommend this game!
The past isn’t set in stone. Now’s your chance to change it!
Overall rating
5
/
5
Nice Find
PostedJune 24, 2024
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 thoroughly engaging game with beautiful art, plot twists, terrific pace, and a rather wild story line.
First, the silly stuff - you'd better bring a bucket-full of suspension of disbelief, because in the first few minutes of the game we are presented with a hero flying a light aircraft (can't she drive?) through a terrifying storm, which plane bursts into flame presently, and she has to kick open a suicide door that such aircraft don't have, don a parachute which they don't carry, and gently float to the ground in the midst of a tempest that has blown off roofs and destroyed buildings. We are then presented with a gizmo-wielding scientist attempting to capture an electrical storm with an ancient amulet resulting from the inexplicable presence of an oriental temple - heavy Chinese influences with a dollop of Japanese trimmings - in the middle of a small American town ominously named Ashen Rise. A monk named Omni appears to be angry over something (I'd be angry too if I were named after a car) and we proceed merrily into magic, revenge, and a murder mystery.
You'd think with all this going I'd hate the game but in fact I loved it. Even the part where we plug a high-pressure supply line with a wad of used bubble gum. Because why not?
Pros: Extraordinarily beautiful art, straightforward tasks, a nice variety of HO scenes, and mini-games challenging enough for intermediate players. Gorgeous soundtrack by Jovian Audio. A plot that actually makes perfect sense in the midst of all this weirdness and unfolds rapidly enough to keep the interest level high.
Cons: Some of those tasks have pretty improbable solutions, so just roll with it. Bittersweet ending more sweet than bitter, not really much of a con but still a little sad.
Bonus game: Omni finds closure. A lovely ending, but you have to be playing the CE to get it.
Overall, a wild one but a fun ride. One suspects somebody spiked the writing team's tea, but you can't complain about the results. Players who are combing older games looking for missed gems would do well to take a look at this one.
I recommend this game!
Rick and Daemon stumble upon a sinister plot at a rock concert!
Overall rating
3
/
5
Will Rick Recover?
PostedMay 30, 2024
timothya
fromSandpoint, Idaho
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Rick's back - or is he? Writing the protagonist out of his own series was really weird, and the recovery has been long, painful, and frustrating. This version of Rick is "back" but definitely wounded, as 13 years of netherworld exile could not help but do, and what was apparently burned out of him was the fun that made him an attractive character in the first place. So will he recover even a little in this episode? Let's see.
Daemon (the only really interesting character in Rachel's team) invites Rick to a concert to attempt a little normality therapy and what they encounter is anything but: a Mean Muse who eats souls, and the boys are definitely on the menu.
Pros: Some nice if fairly conventional HO scenes. Decent pacing, plenty of locations. A couple of novel mini-games that are pitched toward intermediate players (not much for the advanced player).
Cons: Very linear plot, no real mystery in this one - we know from the outset how the sides line up and it becomes a bit of a generic quest scenario. The villain is a cardboard cutout that doesn't really excite much interest, nor is there any character development at all with the rest of the cast. Daemon does a little - but only a little - more than act the Damsel In Distress role he filled when Rachel was at the helm, and if he says "I found this" one more time this player is going to scream.
Bonus Game: Daemon, Rachel, and Rick go into Rick's world of dreams to confront the being that held Rick for 13 years.
Writing: Some acknowledgment should be offered to the writing team - I see some heavy hitters in the credits - who began the project having been written into a corner by their predecessors from which escape always was going to be a job. Wounded Rick was probably the best alternative; unfortunately a partial return isn't going to satisfy fans who have waited patiently through half a dozen teases by now. But toward the end of the main game we do, in fact, get flashes of the old Rick, and they're like a breath of fresh air.
Overall, the game itself is fairly bland, simplistic, and a cover for the meta-plot, where it's evident that the writing staff made its principal effort and unsurprisingly is the real point of the game. There are, though hints of better things to come, and a partial Rick recovery is better than no recovery at all. Four stars for the meta-plot and two for the actual game make a nice solid three.
I recommend this game!
Discover untold stories from familiar pasts!
Overall rating
5
/
5
Blew Me Away
PostedMarch 8, 2024
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This one is something extraordinary. I had thought going in that these would be three dissociated stories, but they're not at all. Telling more would be spoiling the surprise, but this is beautifully written and the pieces fit together brilliantly, not just with themselves, but with what went before. Past fans of the series had better buckle up, because we're in for a ride.
Pros: Where to start? Graphics are first class, animation is a little creepy at times but well done. The mini-games merit a special mention below. There are easter eggs aplenty here for players of past games in the series (don't blink or you'll miss the Ulf origin story, and it's really good). The writing is outstanding as it has been throughout this series, although hearing fantasy characters utter "OK" is so cringe-worthy it's almost funny. Some points require a bit of a stretch of imagination - a sweet little girl braving a giant spider cavern and climbing a sheer snow wall with ice axes is the shortest way to Grandma's house? And she's done it before? Tough kid. And she'll be back.
Cons: The mazes. Well, the first one, anyway. Come on, Devs, a timed maze? I want to savor it, not race through it. They get better, though. Much later, but more of that in a bit.
Mini-games: Some nice twists on some classic games here, with some cute traps for over-thinking - the "punch the code" button push in the Riding Hood chapter is just MEAN and I laughed out loud when I finally figured it out. A warning: the difficulty level of many games is well above the ability of a beginning player. A few might even be described as over-elaborate, but they're worth the work. You can skip them...but you won't want to.
Bonus game: Brace yourself - there are no fewer than six. Not kidding, six. Each is a separate story incorporating some characters we've seen before. It's six free re-visits to a charming world. Buy the CE, you won't regret it.
Overall, I haven't seen a game like this in a very long time. If I could give this six stars I would. Writing, graphics, puzzles, length of play, and production values are all outstanding and this must have taken a lot of work by some seriously talented people. For pure value this sets a new standard. Highly recommended.
I recommend this game!
A simple museum heist becomes a desperate rescue from the forces of darkness!
Overall rating
5
/
5
Stick With This One and Don't Miss The Easter Eggs
PostedDecember 6, 2023
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
We have the now perennial question - is it MCF worthy? After the first five minutes we sadly conclude no, it isn't...but wait. There are a couple of things, now a couple more, and all of a sudden it steps up the game again, and again. The overall pattern of the game is an indifferent beginning, a solid middle, and a roaring climax with a few teasers in it just for fun. Somebody put a lot of work into this one, it's really good.
Pros: You'd better pay attention because there are a few things just for longtime fans. Alas, no Queen to dispatch Master Detective on the latest adventure. Instead...oh, wait a minute, who is she? Better pay attention or you'll miss it. No clacky typewriter, darn it...oh, wait, it does turn up. Only once, chuckling at you. Excellent plot, plenty of play, not too much back-and-forth, and some mini-games that deserve their separate mention below. Beautiful graphics, very high production values throughout.
Cons: First, no dashboard hula doll. Got 'em there! No MCF theme (come on now, how hard can that be?) inside a really atmospheric musical mix. Early voice actors are atrocious with the customary complaints that Scots don't sound like Valley Girls...until that gets better and by mid-game they're excellent.
Mini-Games: No Rube Goldberg door locks, doggone it! Instead we have sequential puzzles that are actually the same thing in a different format, but they're still games nested within games. Some are really original, some classic, all pitched at just about the right level of difficulty to allow beginners to try but are really for more advanced players. A squares game I haven't seen since junior high school that really brought back the memories.
Bonus game: A prequel. Here we play as Carol, sister to a rather nice fellow who gets dragged into the mirror mess through no fault of his own. She/we have to drag him back and set up for the main game. More detail would only be spoilers.
Overall, five stars. There are enough references to past MCF games to keep the old fans amused if we can find them. After a slow beginning it builds to something head and shoulders above the rather tame fare we've subsisted on of late. Oh, one more thing - check the credits out. There are names there that have been attached to the MCF ride from the beginning. They deserve our thanks.
I recommend this game!
Enigmatis: The Ghosts of Maple Creek Collector's Edition
Find a kidnapped teenage girl and save yourself in Enigmatis: The Ghosts of Maple Creek, a fun Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure game!
Overall rating
5
/
5
A Beautiful Blast From The Past
PostedSeptember 7, 2023
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
Here we are in 2023. This turned up in my search page and although I'd seen it before, for some reason I gave it a pass long ago. Lucky me! This is the first game in a trilogy and it's a real gem. We play as a detective engrossed in a missing person investigation whose memory of why she's in Maple Creek at all must be recovered before she proceeds to solve the mystery. That leads in some very interesting directions.
Pros: the writing is outstanding. Believable characters, pace is excellent, reveals timed perfectly. Plenty of HO scenes, some mini-games that are nicely challenging. Useful journal. Evidence board is well-handled. Plenty of play.
Cons: lots of back-and-forth. There is a map but it's not interactive so we do a lot of trudging between scenes.
Bonus Game: worth the CE price. It's a prequel. We play as one of the characters who we meet in the main game and his story fills in some interesting blanks.
Overall, a game still worthier of the price a decade after its publication than most games since and certainly at present. I can't wait to get to the other two. Hat's off to Artifex Mundi, this is really enjoyable!
I recommend this game!
Who could turn down an opportunity to change the past?
Overall rating
5
/
5
14 of 15 found this review helpful
They Did It - It's MCF Worthy
PostedMarch 22, 2023
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
It all began over 16 years ago - it hardly seems that long, but the dates don't lie - when Charles Dalimar lost his fiance and his sanity in the course of a single game, the Queen herself took a hand in affairs and Master Detective first came to the acquaintance of a very strange place named Ravenhearst. That's all behind us now, or is it? On his way to an opening ceremony for a new headquarters the Master Detective is suddenly plunged into the past in a blast of evil green light and somehow finds himself in the body of a longtime nemesis. The body, but not the mind, and here is an opportunity to make things right before ever they went wrong. But Dalimar caused this, somehow...what's his game?
Pros: Rube Goldberg puzzles, yes! Charles has laid his customary traps in this steampunk world and some of them are really good. Plenty of game play, some references to past games to amuse those of us who have ridden this ride for so long. The graphics are outstanding in both color and detail. Nice balance between HO scenes and mini-games, several of which are quite challenging. Perfect voice acting.
Cons: Nearly nothing. The main question is, how much of the old MCF magic can be revivified? Music is quite good but the MCF theme is nowhere to be found. Dun DUN dun DUN dun DUN dadadada dun DUN...come on, how hard would it be? At least we do get to hear from the clacky typewriter. Yes, I am complaining about sound effects because there's nothing else to complain about.
Writing: Here we make or break the entire thing. The premise is very amusingly executed - we are embodied as Charles and trying to undo his misdeeds when everyone around us thinks us to be the villain that Charles is. That's a pretty tough headwind to navigate. Some beautifully developed secondary characters here, voiced well and convincing. One of them, no, two, seem to sense that something in Charles isn't the villain they know. There was, in the best of the Ravenhearst writing, more than a suggestion of real cruelty - Rose's twins come to mind - that is reflected here, tastefully, but it's there, and it adds an subtle emotional edge that's difficult to pull off in a game such as this. Hats off to the writers and the editors!
Bonus game: OK, buy the CE. Herein we see two of the secondary characters come to life: Angelica, a cruelly exploited maid, and a certain talking cat named Goliath. In the main game Master Detective frees them and this is where they went after he did so. She wants Dalimar - the real one - arrested, but who will listen without evidence? More generous game play.
Bonus game: OK, buy the CE. Herein we see two of the secondary characters come to life: Angelica, a cruelly exploited maid, and a certain talking cat named Goliath. In the main game Master Detective frees them and this is where they went after he did so. She wants Dalimar - the real one - arrested, but who will listen without evidence? More generous game play.
Overall, I have to say someone finally did it - they managed to recapture the magic. It's been a long wait. Kudos to the entire team at GrandMa and BFG. They've set the bar back where it belongs.
I recommend this game!
Solve a series of near-hopeless cases full of suspense and drama!
Overall rating
4
/
5
6 of 8 found this review helpful
Better Than Expected
PostedMarch 5, 2023
timothya
fromSandpoint, Idaho
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
A straight detective game for a welcome change! Three episodes, three murders, and a set of fairly gritty partners that aren't stupid for an even more welcome change. We play as an anonymous Detective (her name leaks out later), brought in to assist the investigation of some fairly straightforward crimes for some not so obvious motives. Put on your deerstalker hat and get out your magnifying glass!
Pros: For me the best part was the Raymond Chandler-esque writing. The Detective is good - we know she's good - but the Boss isn't fawning and demands results. They're murderers, and they need to be caught! Some excellent graphics, better than average voice acting, and a very useful map (and I needed it). Mini-games are selectable for difficulty and I will confess to having to ease back on one of them. Great game length.
Cons: Animation of the characters was quite stiff, especially during dialogues, which may have been a bit too plentiful. Nothing that exceptional about the atmosphere either in music or in sound effects. Instructions for certain of the mini-games were a little vague. Not much to complain about, really.
Bonus Game: Another case, of course. Actress Ester has disappeared from her set but is someone after her, or is it all an elaborate ruse? Full-length case, some nice wrinkles.
Overall, a genuinely pleasant surprise. There's some genuine investigation going on and the villains aren't obvious. Even the minor speaking characters were well-done and not talking cardboard cutouts. A very solid effort that is exactly what it promises to be.
I recommend this game!
Can you uncover the truth behind a deadly shadow entity in time?
Overall rating
4
/
5
5 of 6 found this review helpful
I Fell For The Rick Tease One More Time
PostedFebruary 27, 2023
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
The latest entry in the Paranormal Files series promises long-suffering fans some progress on the Missing Rick narrative, which has resembled a cat toy over the last several games, dangled before us and snatched away to our collective howling of frustration. Herein we return to the series to see if something can be recovered from the mess the previous writers have left us. We play once again as Rachel, hot on the case of a curious and murderous Rick doppelganger, and even the most cynical fan has to wonder if the Devs have finally gotten serious about the meta-narrative. Apparently they have. Now what can they do with it?
So, back to the magic shop from which Rick disappeared, and we encounter an odd sort of Faustian bargain with severe penalties for voiding the contract. Alt-Rick - yes, that's the name he's been given - appears to be the offerer of these contracts, but perhaps a signatory to one of his own, offered by whom, or what? He's figured a way out of it, you see...but it isn't very nice.
Pros: Excellent, surreal scenery inside a magic shop that is much larger inside than out and is linked to alternate worlds, and a plot that develops through some nicely timed reveals. Plenty of locations, HO scenes are a variety of formats, mini-games are on the easy side.
Cons: It's another short game (but busy) and although it leaves us with a bit of a cliff-hanger it also leaves us without much closure. A couple of strange bugs in some of the scenes but none of them a game-stopper for me - I was apparently luckier in this regard than several other reviewers. This one should have been beta'd a little better. On the upside, Rachel's team are no longer helpless Damsels In Distress, mostly because they don't appear at all: Gabriel only, and then not very much. Basically Rachel solos this one and her team appears sporadically as dei ex machina.
Bonus game: Alt-Rick has been contractually naughty toward three angry ghosts, and due to the main game "ending" the team has to keep him safe - temporarily - to make progress on recovering the real Rick. Once again Rachel plunges into the labyrinthine magic shop to rectify the problem. Here too closure for the ghosts is denied; it won't be complete until Rachel and company find a way to void all the contracts which means maybe next time...again.
Overall, a workable effort wasting some spectacular graphics on a meta-narrative that still plods along although at least it does move this time. One star off for that and for the brevity of the main game, but I did have fun in places and the eye candy is almost worth the price of purchase by itself.
I recommend this game!
Welcome to Catstown, a scenic village with beautiful views, quaint cobblestone pathways, and stunning architecture!
Overall rating
3
/
5
10 of 12 found this review helpful
Cute But Very Short Game
PostedFebruary 13, 2023
timothya
fromSandpoint, Idaho
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
What do you get when you add anthropomorphic cats to a mystery game? Usually unbearable cuteness, but if the writing is up to it, it works as well as this one does, which is good, for as long as it lasts, which is not so good. We play as Shavan, a guards-cat in medieval Catstown, and yes, as another reviewer noticed (nice job!) we've visited its modern version before. He uncovers a conspiracy threatening the town he protects, but whose, and to what end? That turns out to be a nice twisty tale.
Pros: It's an intriguing little mystery of the who's-in-the-conspiracy sort. Very good voice acting, atmospheric medieval-ish music, some very nice interiors and excellent graphics. Better than average HO scenes, mini-games on the easy side. The frequent feline allusions are done on the light side and are actually pretty funny.
Cons: Major disappointment - it's one of the shortest main games I've played in a long time. And plot holes galore: who is this fellow Paul we're seeking all of a sudden? Who are the Alchemists, and what exactly was the Martens' nefarious plan? Stick a little game length into these not-so-little details and we'd have something here.
Bonus Game: We play alternately as Alvin, Mayor of Fishville, and his fiance-to-be, Valerie. The Foxes are planning mischief and we must save Fishville from inundation. Nice twisty plot here as well.
Overall, a great demo - oh, wait, was that the entire game? I giggled at the premise, enjoyed the graphics, music, and plot, but it was over so quickly I felt more than a little cheated. Compared to the older games I've been playing of late offering nearly equal quality and several times the length, not a particularly good purchase. Save your money.
I don't recommend this game.