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:
Can you take on Goldilocks’ mantel and protect the kingdom?
Overall rating
5
/
5
7 of 8 found this review helpful
The Glory That Was
PostedJune 26, 2022
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 took a remaster to do it, but at last we have a game that recaptures some of the genre's former glory. The traditional story of Goldilocks is continued into something much more interesting than the fairy tale, involving a romance, multiple betrayals, murder, and a changeling son struggling to find out who he really is. In lesser hands that plot could have been ridiculous, but these aren't lesser hands and this one is really good.
Pros: Excellent voice acting, familiar and rather beautiful music, colorful scenery. Plenty of HO scenes, mostly of the silhouette variety with a few more complicated variations thrown in just to keep things interesting. Mini-games are fairly easy with some good ones loaded toward the end of the main game, and one can tell where the remaster kicked in in the graphics, which are quite up to the current state of the art. Clear writing keeps what turns out to be a rather complicated plot involving multiple well-developed characters perfectly accessible. Excellent length of play, a thing that didn't used to be as noteworthy as it's become.
Cons: It's a remaster, so the question is, has enough been added to the original to justify a full price for the new edition? I would tentatively answer yes, but everyone may not agree with that because the original was pretty darn good by itself. That isn't a knock on this specific game so much as on the general idea of remastering classics.
Bonus Game: Our hero now has a beautiful wife and daughter, the latter of whom decides to play a dangerous game with the Alchemist. We are off to rescue the girl! Great game length - heck, it's as good as some main games we get these days - and some great mini-games. Spectacular scenery.
Overall, the game is good enough to evoke an almost melancholy feeling that games used to be this good, so what happened? Can new developers, writers, graphic artists recapture the old magic? If they decide to try, this game might be an excellent template of what went right in the beginning. It's the writing, it's the voice acting, the music, the ambience covering a set of challenges that at least try to seem original. This game could have been warmed-over leftovers like too much of the recent offerings, and it isn't. It's wonderful.
I recommend this game!
Can the twin detectives stop another murderous evil?
Overall rating
2
/
5
7 of 7 found this review helpful
Not Up To Its Predecessor
PostedJune 9, 2022
timothya
fromSandpoint, Idaho
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
The first of this series was an engaging game with two sympathetic characters that played well off one another. This is the second. It has none of that going for it. From the moment Domini's new opening lights off - that incredibly annoying voice squealing "That tour was rrrrrilly interesting, don't you think?" - to the moment when the villain is sucked mercifully through a portal to the nether regions, we are bounced back and forth between plot fragments that do not connect, characters we haven't actually met yet, and an entire world in which everything, absolutely everything, is broken. We play alternately as cop Randall and psychic sister Eleanor. Our heroes have been called in to solve a strange case of a Draculoid murder by exsanguination, an intriguing mystery death whose solution is...well, it turns out not to matter because it never comes up again. Fangs a lot.
Pros: lots of play, frequent changes of character to keep us on our toes, and for me the bright spot of the game, some excellent mini-games, quite challenging on Hard mode.
Cons: a disjointed plot whose exposition depends on curious notes by various characters explaining their motives and their actions, but to whom? Does anyone anywhere ever do this? Cliche-ridden puzzles whose solutions make no sense at all but we've seen them all before: within the first several scenes we have a cat to feed, a missing light bulb, crows to frighten, bees to fend off, missing wheels, and the only cliche they missed was a broken zipper pull. There are sundry other animals to feed, inexplicable stashes - come on, why did that lady staple her luggage key into the lobby couch? - a diminutive woman chloroforming a full-grown male policeman, a fellow who can't get into his own wallet - it goes on and on. And on and on. We have a ladder that needs its steps nailed into place next to an open toolbox prominently displaying a hammer that cannot be used, and what is actually required is coaxing a plaster gnome out of his little plaster pickaxe. Does anybody proofread this stuff? And if you weren't annoyed enough already they chose to put a barking dog who won't shut up into the environmental sounds and include a couple of frequency-pushed voices just for good measure.
Bonus game: Eleanor solos this one, and her partner is a very curious lady officer who knows more than she's letting on. Someone has sworn vengeance from beyond the grave, but who and why? A couple of good mini-games in this one and length of play is generous.
Overall, the thing seemed thown together from fragments of other, older games with tedious activities and total lack of plot continuity. As desperate as I am for fresh entertainment, (to the point of shuffling through decade-old releases for ones I haven't played yet, and I bet I'm not alone), this one is like a handful of sand to a thirsty traveller. The good news is that a single clunker does not necessarily kill a good franchise. Better luck next time.
I don't recommend this game.
Time is running out when a killer targets a fellow detective!
Overall rating
4
/
5
4 of 4 found this review helpful
Good But Short
PostedJune 1, 2022
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
Another in one of the better-written mystery series to come along in quite a while. We understand at this point that Detective Dana Strange is a wounded young woman traumatized by the death of her sister, and she has a partner, Malcolm, fortunately spared that sort of loss until now. Solitaire is, after all, a game played by one, and now, due to the death of a Corps brother, Malcolm has a deck of his own. And, apparently, the both of them face an avenger out of control whose sense of justice has been stretched to an illegal extreme.
Pros: the writing, both of this entry and the series as a whole, is excellent. We have, for example, the continuing metaphor of the bees and a slight resolution of who this mystery character than only Dana seems to see really is. The music is outstanding - guitar-accented, gritty and bittersweet. Great atmosphere throughout. Plenty of HO scenes that don't detract from the game flow. Puzzles a little on the easy side.
Cons: it's quite a short game, unfortunately, because there are certain characters (a photographer, for one, who really could be more than a simple deus ex machina), and Malcolm needs quite a bit more development as well - he's no longer a cardboard supporting character, and it was his loss, after all, that gave us the game. Shuffling him to the side at first opportunity meant a lost opportunity for a fuller game.
Bonus Game: quite refreshing - no mayhem in this one, only a clever grandfather who wants his grandson to earn his legacy through puzzle solving. Said grandson cheats a bit by getting Dana's help, but we have to forgive him because there wouldn't be a game without it. Some very nice interiors and a sense of preserved history give us a novel, relaxed atmosphere.
Overall, one star off for brevity. I understand the strictures of real-world turmoil but at times the customer stops wondering where the rest of the story went and that's not a good thing. The meta-story in this series is too good to lose and Dana Strange is too complex a character to fade into blandness. I look forward to the next entry in the series!
I recommend this game!
Can you stop the paranormal from terrorizing an award-winning winery and hotel?
Overall rating
4
/
5
8 of 9 found this review helpful
In Vino Veritas
PostedApril 5, 2022
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Another entry in the sadly diverted Paranormal Files series. Fans who hope to know what happened to the former protagonist Rick Rogers are given a small clue and then it's off to a new adventure. The events take place in the future, in 2034, thirteen years after Rick Rogers' disappearance and once again with the principals attempting to find out what happened to him until they get distracted by another apparently unrelated haunting. New players will be mystified by this reference to Rogers, so I am assuming the game is pitched toward returning players.
It's slow to develop but actually a very good game. We have a winery that is violently haunted, but why? These are definitely vengeful ghosts, and so the investigation turns toward past actions, and past sins. It turns out to be a family feud, but which family is in the right?
Pros: A very nice mystery plot; reveals well-timed. Detailed interior and some beautiful exterior shots, and a couple of pretty challenging mini-games among the majority of easy ones. Above average to excellent voice acting: only one of Rae's team's characters is even halfway developed, but he's very good, although who in the world names their kid "Daemon", anyway?
Cons: Rachel's team really isn't particularly useful except to advance the plot by being rescued from something....again, the contrast with previous entries in the series is unavoidable: Rick was fallible, overconfident, and funny; Rachel is infallible and humorless. Some reviewers have pointed out difficulty in game mechanics; what I saw was unusually small hot zones, particularly in objects you have to assemble. Dialogue is, as other reviewers have noted, done consistently with Rachel/the player facing the others weirdly lined up like a drill sergeant facing recruits in boot camp.
Bonus Game: Here at last we get a genuine clue as to Rick's disposition, which is really unfortunate for players who purchase the Standard Edition. It is, however, only a promise of more information to come. What we actually accomplish here is supply an unexpected bit of closure for the main story. Note to the Devs, who must be city kids: don't feed straw to horses, even ghost horses.
In summation, whoever thought it a good idea to take a successful series, write out the well-developed and entertaining protagonist and place his agency in the hands of Mary Sue and the Four Damsels In Distress made a terrible decision. Let's face the truth: Rick Rogers can't really come back because if he does after 13 years in limbo he won't be Rick Rogers anymore. Whether what is to come will recover his quirky appeal or consign the series to its current mostly bland cast remains to be seen. I'm still dinging the writers for waiting for the Bonus Game to give us the meta-story.
Nevertheless, despite the frustration for old Paranormal Files fans, the game is someone's earnest creative effort and deserves to be judged on its own merits, which are considerable. Give it a chance, it's worth it.
I recommend this game!
A breathtaking voyage through dreams, reality, and places in between!
Overall rating
5
/
5
5 of 6 found this review helpful
Where Have You Been All This Time?
PostedMarch 22, 2022
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
Very different and very, very good. Whimsical might be the best description for this world - we are charged with determining who or what stole the Heart of the Kingdom, and why. Along the way we have wonderful companions, an airship, and a fantasy environment that is always amusing and occasionally downright hilarious.
Pros: No hand-holding, hurrah! Yes, you actually have to think in this one, but the solutions are logical. Spectacular graphics, with colorful surroundings for some beautiful and sometimes challenging HO scenes. Sympathetic characters that actually develop past the cardboard-cutout status that has been so boring of late - there is a side-character romance that I found rather charming - supported by excellent voice acting. Scene-thematic music that at one point has a character humming tunelessly in the background that had me laughing out loud. A couple of mini-games are of the sequential Rube Goldberg variety and they're all good.
Cons: Not much. The voice volume is very uneven, at times low and for a period altogether inaudible. But you could read it - who cares, on with the game!
Bonus Game: Our drunken ghost friend Todd jumps into a quest of his own in a surreal world with a surprising ending, or is it actually the beginning of a sequel? Great mini-games in this one.
Overall, five stars for originality and a complete breath of fresh air. It was one of those strikingly artistic games that I'd like to wander around in just to take in the atmosphere. Looks like a replay is in order! This is, apparently, the second of two, the first one (that I missed) having been released - gasp! - 10 years ago. The copyright date on this one is 2020, so it's been percolating for a couple of years and was released just as I thought the entire genre had been played out. So glad to be wrong about that!
I recommend this game!
Can you uncover who's trying to destroy the Osmont family in time?
Overall rating
4
/
5
8 of 9 found this review helpful
Weddings Always Make Me Cry
PostedMarch 9, 2022
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
Count Victor Osmont and his beloved Adele are to be wed, a private ceremony involving the two, a priest, and some serious complications in the form of a kidnapped bride, a mysterious fire, and a mentally disturbed brother. Fortunately we, the Detective, have happened by at an opportune time. There is a derelict mansion, and perhaps even a ghost - but really, is this any time for a wedding?
Pros: Beautiful graphics, lush interiors in slightly oversaturated colors, and a plot that spaces its reveals out like a proper mystery, and like a proper mystery it's a little confusing at first. Adequate to good voice acting, especially in younger brother Simon. Much less than the usual back-and-forth, with a map that gives a good idea of overall game progress. Game's emphasis is on varied HO scenes which are detailed without being junkpile. Mini-games on the easy side with directions it is best to pay attention to.
Cons: We had a very serviceable mystery going until the very end, when things became rushed and the resolution more than a little abrupt. Suddenly there was magic, amulets, and a surfeit of perfectly alive young ladies in caskets who didn't expect to be there any more than we expected to find them there. Frankly, it felt contrived, as if somebody were told to close the show before they were really ready.
Bonus game: Here we play as young Annabel in a prequel that is apparently intended to fill in a few blanks, notably how what we discovered in the main game were even possible. It begins minutes prior to the ceremony with Victor telling Annabel that her wedding dress has been stolen by naughty Simon and oh by the way, he has a couple of things to take care of, meet you at the altar. Come on, now, really? There are no guests, no witnesses, no flower girl, no canapes - is this even legal? Annabel makes her escape...or does she?
Overall, a better than average mystery that could have been brought to a landng a little more gracefully, because there are enough loose ends to weave into a wedding dress. The villain finds a comeuppance, the ghost a rest, and the young ladies wander off wondering what the heck happened to them, a sentiment the player can relate to. Not the best GrandMa has offered us but far from the worst.
I recommend this game!
Can you save your kingdom from a malevolent creature in time?
Overall rating
4
/
5
13 of 13 found this review helpful
Really Fractured Fairy Tale
PostedMarch 1, 2022
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
4
/
5
I love fractured fairy tales, and this is a good one. For many years now we've heard Snow White's saga from her point of view, but what if the "wicked" stepmother were actually the good guy? But that means...and we're off! We play as the stepmother Queen, back after a lengthy diplomatic mission to find the castle empty and her sweet stepdaughter very happy to see her...just as a wolf is happy to see a lamb. Fine welcome home. There is, of course, a poisoned apple, but no dwarves in sight. Or are they?
Pros: Really excellent graphics, lots of purples and golds as is becoming customary for fantasy games but not enough to hurt the eyes. Good to very good voice acting. Game moves along at a good pace, plenty of diverse scenes, mini-games on the easy side, and a clever conclusion but way too soon.
Cons: It's short. Really short, and that's too bad because the otherwise excellent writing could have supported some expansion of the supporting characters, who seemed more interesting than the normal cardboard placeholders but we never really got to know them. Plot is a little intense for younger players (but nice and shivery for us oldsters). We had a bit of a Halloween mystery going on for a very brief time that could have been extended a few scenes for further play - the reveal on Snow White was front-end-loaded and that, I think, was an editorial mistake.
Bonus Game: Here we play as a master detective brought in by the Dwarf King to try to determine who is attempting to ruin his annual ball. Dwarves are well-known for being excellent detectives but are occasionally lacking somewhat in the social graces, and that's gotten our King into a bit of a pickle. Plenty of play in this one and very suitable for younger players - actually, it's non-violent and cute. More detail would risk spoilers, so let's just say all comes right at the end.
Extras: Oh, did you think we'd get away without any of the Seven Dwarves? Turns out you've been looking for them all along. Hope you found all the collection items! If you haven't, you can go back to look again in the Expedition Room. This feature is becoming customary in top-tier CE's and I like it a lot.
Overall, the brevity of the game cost it a star in an otherwise excellent performance. A long Bonus Game doesn't really make up for a too-short main game and the losers are the customers who waited for the SE. That aside, I'd love to see a few more cursed fables in this series.
I recommend this game!
A mysterious bartender gives extraordinary guidance to those in need.
Overall rating
5
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
It's Just A Bar - What Could Go Wrong?
PostedJanuary 10, 2022
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
Oh, my, this one is really good. Been waiting such a long time... Crossroads is a bar, a very special bar wherein the confused and conflicted can find...well, more confusion and conflict. Doesn't seem fair, does it? But it's for your own good. Keep telling yourself that. Scary lady Mistress Eve is the owner, bartender, story tender, and you'd better pay attention...or else!
Pros: spectacular graphics, smooth and convincing. Considerable intensity, and certain decisions are timed, which leaves the inattentive (that would be me) at the mercy of default decisions that sometimes aren't very good. This decision tree is displayed between chapters right in front of the player, which is something I've never seen before and leads toward the holy grail of game developers, the replay. Voice acting is uniformly excellent, and the music is top notch creepy.
Cons: I honestly can't think of a thing. Some of the imagery is on the gruesome side but the players were warned, weren't we?
Bonus Game: we play as our new friend Mistress Eve, who has had her quill - the one that writes the stories we're living - stolen, and the culprit is one of the players! He's really only teasing but his game risks all of the written worlds, and we have to get the quill back. Great play in this one, fully another evening for me, which is what a CE ought to be.
Overall, this is the one I've been waiting for. It's not only good on its own, it offers the player the chance of rethinking certain decisions that turn out to be pivotal in the game. The bonus game hints at a sequel, and I'm already salivating. Wonderful job, Devs!
I recommend this game!
Can you uncover who’s behind the haunting of the McKirk estate?
Overall rating
2
/
5
8 of 8 found this review helpful
Ritual? What Ritual?
PostedJanuary 6, 2022
timothya
fromSandpoint, Idaho
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
I so wanted to like this game. Our heroine at last finds herself in a genuine mystery and is able to do some genuine detecting. She is variously MS Holmes, perhaps more appropriately for a Victorian scenario Miss Holmes, and Sharlotte to men who have apparently barely met her. More of this in a moment. She is, however, a heroine worthy of the name who avoids some of the silliness of the previous entries in this series.
Pros: Beautiful graphics and a plethora of mini-games and HO scenes. The plot advances in a rather jerky fashion due to poor writing but it does advance, and there is a legitimate mystery with clues ("clews" to true Baker Street Irregulars) and reveals timed to a logical conclusion, at least in the main game. Good to very good voice acting.
Cons: The weird anachronistic nature of this world is dizzying. Sharlotte rides a 40's vintage motorcycle in a Victorian culture during an explicitly post-WWII era. No one would be surprised if something as silly as a fax machine made a sudden appearance in this weird alternate world - oh, wait, one does, in the Bonus Game, and it's critical to the plot. What? Several of the mini-games suffer from imprecise directions including a rather delicious lock puzzle that is ruined by them - I enjoyed replaying this one in the Extras once I figured out what they hadn't told me (and where the Mini-Games were; they're under Archive for some reason). Far too much "what do I do next?" that could be smoothed by a more logical game flow. And wait - wasn't there supposed to be a ritual of some kind involved?
Bonus Game: An absolute mess. There is no introduction, no idea of what the mystery is, and a cast of characters whose identity begins and remains a complete unknown. Nice puzzles but nothing in this makes any sense at all. It's as if the middle were torn out of another game, the middle, mind you, and not the conclusion. And that's a real shame because the environment is nicely laid out and the graphics excellent.
Overall, a game that had all the pieces but not the continuity to put them together. It is actually better on many points than its predecessors and one would like to see a succeeding entry with a little more care to a believable - I'd even take understandable - narrative. I can't recommend this one.
I don't recommend this game.
A vengeful monster has found a way to stop Christmas!
Overall rating
4
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Sweet But A Little Strange
PostedDecember 20, 2021
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
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
A different plot for Christmas, hurrah! Well, actually not, it's a hash of multiple classic Christmas stories, but off we go anyway. We play as Asdis in a sister-to-the-rescue game when the Scrooge-like Trapp comes a-calling. The latter is an evil slave-driving factory owner who forces his workers to endure overtime on that special night instead of celebrating. A thrall of a Narnian Snow Queen, he is bent on making everyone about him suffer for no particular reason except for her own inexplicable malice. Anyway, we're off to rescue little brother and redeem the irredeemable.
Pros: strikingly intense holiday colors and sugary Christmasy music, and a plot of simple rescue and redemption. Voice acting is good, hidden-object scenes abound, and a relatively straightforward plot make this a game one might sit down to with the young ones...
Cons: but wait, the HO scenes require a bit more precision than small hands are capable of and the mini-games are far beyond the capabilities (or interests) of young players. And frankly, the plot is a mess - we have a Snow Queen whose motives beyond simple malice are never explained in the main game. Lost in all this is, well, Christmas itself. We have several hours of pure nastiness on the part of Trapp, the villain, with a few miserly moments of redemption squeezed out of the story at the very end. Dickens did it better.
Bonus Game: Excellent resolution to both Trapp and Snow Queen enigmas - unfortunately, it has to wait until the Bonus Game, which makes it unavailable to anyone purchasing the SE. But yes, we play as Trapp himself and we do get to save the Snow Queen from herself. Her story doesn't really make a lot of sense but all is well in the end.
Overall, an incomplete story until the Bonus Game, but we do finally get to understand where everyone is coming from. It's a little difficult to understand who, exactly, the game was pitched to, because the sweetness of the scenery and the ease of the puzzles are fine for little ones but the mini-games are not, although I'll have to admit I enjoyed them.
I would have recommended the game but for the fact that little brother is playing his flute backwards in the opening scene. OK, kidding. Merry Christmas all!
I recommend this game!