TopazMystique's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:2.2
- Helpful Votes:354
- Reviews Submitted:31
- First Review:July 30, 2012
- Most Recent Review:February 25, 2016
- Featured reviews0
Overall rating
2
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Hammer, hammer, hammer!
PostedFebruary 25, 2016
TopazMystique
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Time Management, Adventure, Match 3, Strategy, Marble Popper, Arcade & Action, Card & Board, Brain Teaser
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I'm not particularly fond of group matching games (this one is groups of 2+) but Pantheon started out as a lot of fun. I played Classic (limited time). There are also Puzzle (limited moves) and Relaxed modes. In Classic, you start with 3 lives. I only gained 1 during my play and lost them all. I would have tried the Relaxed mode however the game play in later levels amounts to clicking groups to build up the hammer to clear difficult tiles. There really isn’t much strategy involved. If you like using power-ups (there may be more but the only one I had was the hammer), go for it. Otherwise, I would steer clear of this one.
I don't recommend this game.
Experience the birth of the terror that gripped the island of Tormente! Every story has a beginning, but few are as horrifying as this!
Overall rating
2
/
5
2 of 3 found this review helpful
Definitely TWISTED... map!
PostedOctober 28, 2014
TopazMystique
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Strategy, Brain Teaser, Time Management, Marble Popper, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
My biggest complaint with this game is the map. Am I the only one who found it totally confusing? I was always going in the wrong direction to get to an active area. Had the map been interactive, it would not have been an issue but here's what happened to me.
Looking at the map, it shows that I am at a "crossroads" and has a picture of a bridge going upward. So if this is a USA map, UP is north and I am at the south end of the bridge. Clockwise on the map (starting at 12:00), if I go across the bridge (north), it says I should be headed to the "foggy park", right (east) should take me to the "police station", and left (west) should take me to the "rocky road". In reality, if I go across the bridge (north) I end up at the "police station", right takes me to the "rocky road", and left takes me to the "foggy park". Everything is one point off from where it should be.
Maybe whoever designed this game lives south of the equator and that's the way they read maps but in the USA... nada. As much as I liked everything else about the game, this is a "no sale" for me.
I don't recommend this game.
Fight off hordes of dinosaurs! Build defensive towers and survive in the Ice Age!
Overall rating
1
/
5
11 of 12 found this review helpful
EASY is NOT easy!
PostedSeptember 14, 2014
TopazMystique
fromUSA
Skill Level:Beginner
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Card & Board, Strategy, Brain Teaser, Time Management, Puzzle
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
I have recently started playing tower defense games and find some of them tons of fun but not this one. This has to be THE WORST 8Floor defense game yet (and they have developed quite a few). I play the EASY mode and usually can keep all hearts on at least the first 3 levels in their games but on the first try for this one I lost 10 of 25 available lives in wave 1 level 1. After playing 7 minutes of retries (level 1 wave 1 only), nothing helped and there are 7 waves in that level. GEEZ. Give me a break! They call this EASY? Not in my book.
Just to check the game, I went played level 1 in both EASY & HARD difficulties using the same scenario. I lost 7 lives in wave 1 in both modes so how does EASY make it any easier?
It’s too bad because the graphics are a great improvement over 8Floor’s previous games. I keep hoping that they will really make a game easy and fun but none so far so it goes in the demo trash bin with all the rest of their defense games.
Definitely try before buying this self-destructive tower defense game!
NOTE: AWFUL (level of challenge) means that it is REALLY DIFFICULT!
I don't recommend this game.
Explore the magical world of Enchantia as you race to save the land from the evil Phoenix Queen.
Overall rating
2
/
5
4 of 4 found this review helpful
Enchantia left me feeling morally bankrupt
PostedJuly 12, 2014
TopazMystique
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Strategy, Brain Teaser, Time Management, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Dreamscapes: The Sandman
(165)Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I may have been better off playing this when purchased rather than over a year later. Although I gave this game my highest rating when demoed in April, 2013, I am hard-pressed to not give it a failing grade after completing it. Although I could do PROS and CONS, it seemed that even the PROS had some negatives associated with them.
• Although on the short side, I consider any game that lasts at least as long as a good movie worth the “price of admission” so this gets a plus vote on that count.
• Scenes are beautiful and colorful and fractured objects are my favorite type of HOG. That is what originally drew me to purchase the game. However, I thought the hidden object scenes were less crisp and at least in the beginning leaned toward too many browns and oranges… not my favorite colors.
• Although I felt the voice acting was excellent, it was much too slow. I turned the SOUND volume all the way down and just read the dialogs… leaves a lot to be desired.
• Navigation was very confusing. Perhaps because there was too much backtracking through more than one or two scenes for one item at a time.
• I found the map more of a hindrance than a help except that it is impossible to go from one region to another without it. Very rarely was there a STAR (area of interest) on the map and very often, especially toward the end of the game, the DESTINATION that was indicated was incorrect. It became necessary to just click each area and then try the HINT button to see if I was in the right region.
• Game play seemed illogical to me and I used the HINT button way too much to find out where to go next.
• Most of the puzzles were skipped because I found them too boring and tedious.
• With no journal to track information, all of the “notes” remained active so it was next to impossible not to open at least some of them more than once.
• But my biggest complaint with the game was the moral choice that needed to be made toward the end of the game… very depressing.
• Scenes are beautiful and colorful and fractured objects are my favorite type of HOG. That is what originally drew me to purchase the game. However, I thought the hidden object scenes were less crisp and at least in the beginning leaned toward too many browns and oranges… not my favorite colors.
• Although I felt the voice acting was excellent, it was much too slow. I turned the SOUND volume all the way down and just read the dialogs… leaves a lot to be desired.
• Navigation was very confusing. Perhaps because there was too much backtracking through more than one or two scenes for one item at a time.
• I found the map more of a hindrance than a help except that it is impossible to go from one region to another without it. Very rarely was there a STAR (area of interest) on the map and very often, especially toward the end of the game, the DESTINATION that was indicated was incorrect. It became necessary to just click each area and then try the HINT button to see if I was in the right region.
• Game play seemed illogical to me and I used the HINT button way too much to find out where to go next.
• Most of the puzzles were skipped because I found them too boring and tedious.
• With no journal to track information, all of the “notes” remained active so it was next to impossible not to open at least some of them more than once.
• But my biggest complaint with the game was the moral choice that needed to be made toward the end of the game… very depressing.
Definitely try before you buy but even that may not be a good enough indication of whether Enchantia is worth the price.
I don't recommend this game.
When your daughter, Emily, is taken over by a mysterious force, you must travel to the Nightmare Realm to search for a cure. But nothing could have prepared you for what you find there…
Overall rating
1
/
5
7 of 9 found this review helpful
Nightmare... to the end?
PostedJune 29, 2014
TopazMystique
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Strategy, Brain Teaser, Time Management, Puzzle
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Not for me. I quit about half way through. I rated Nightmare Realm 1 as one of the best games I have played (although it's been awhile). This one was just too convoluted for me.
Pros:
• Pop-up inventory that can be locked
• Letterbox window
• Decent graphics
• Voice-overs (although very limited)
• Pop-up inventory that can be locked
• Letterbox window
• Decent graphics
• Voice-overs (although very limited)
Cons:
• Dark colors required changes to graphics settings
• Way too many dreadful puzzles
• 2-minute puzzle SKIP recharge (CASUAL mode)
• 2-part puzzle requires 2 2-minute SKIP recharges
• Inconsistent dialog (some spoken, most required reading)
• Used too many hints for what to do next
• Resorted to walkthrough several times
• Detailed hints were next to useless at times
• Too much reading of useless information that stays active
• No journal
• Too much backtracking for one item
• Map not interactive
• Dark colors required changes to graphics settings
• Way too many dreadful puzzles
• 2-minute puzzle SKIP recharge (CASUAL mode)
• 2-part puzzle requires 2 2-minute SKIP recharges
• Inconsistent dialog (some spoken, most required reading)
• Used too many hints for what to do next
• Resorted to walkthrough several times
• Detailed hints were next to useless at times
• Too much reading of useless information that stays active
• No journal
• Too much backtracking for one item
• Map not interactive
Definitely try before you buy on this one!
I don't recommend this game.
Find out who is behind the shocking zombie invasion.
Overall rating
1
/
5
17 of 18 found this review helpful
Ending in CE? Geez...
PostedMay 13, 2014
TopazMystique
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Strategy, Brain Teaser, Time Management, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
My main reason for only 1 star is that I was very disappointed in the abrupt and incomplete ending of the SE version of Haunted Legends: The Undertaker. I would have given this game a higher rating except for having the true ending in the CE and not this version. Any developer who does this is short-changing gamers who either can't afford or don't want the extra bonus content.
My other complaints:
o long hint & skip recharge rates. If I want to skip a puzzle, I want to skip it NOW... not wait for what the developer thinks is an appropriate time to try to solve the puzzle.
o having to OK inventory items. It's bad enough when items do not automatically go into inventory but having to click a specific spot to do that is a pain. Would be much better to click anywhere on the screen.
o puzzles were all over the map... extremely easy to painfully time-consuming. I guess that's better than all of one or the other but I found myself waiting time and again for the SKIP to recharge.
Definitely try before you buy and understand that you won't be getting the complete story if you buy this version.
I don't recommend this game.
Luna's friend calls her to a remote island after unearthing ancient mystery. Now together they face the cult of the Wolf Man.
Overall rating
5
/
5
12 of 13 found this review helpful
“Beastly” hidden object but fantastic adventure!
PostedMay 12, 2014
TopazMystique
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Strategy, Brain Teaser, Time Management, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Sorry to see so many negative reviews on this one. Unfortunately, I think this would have a higher rating if it was categorized as an adventure rather than a hidden object. Games listed as “hidden object” that do not have traditional hidden object scenes or very few of them are a misnomer in my book. This one truly is an adventure!
The scenes are intriguing with the lighting effects and I especially enjoyed just traipsing around even if there was little if anything to do in a scene. It was only a little confusing toward the end trying to find how to get to one location. It was a pleasant change from Break the Curse: Crimson Gems which I found tedious and time-consuming with puzzles that I hated and long SKIP recharge times (another one that is mislabeled as a HOG that should be a puzzle).
Although many seasoned players found the glowing inventory items “too helpful”, I thought it was a great idea and enjoyed the change from traditional inventory usage. As I get older I think I am gravitating toward games that are just enjoyable that I can relax playing rather than challenging. I want an intriguing story, great graphics and interesting special effects. I think Beast of Lycan Isle fits the bill for me. I found it an unusual game to say the least and would love to find more like it.
But as always, try the demo and judge for yourself!
I recommend this game!
Save a loving couple from the clutches of a powerful alchemist in Break the Curse: The Crimson Gems!
Overall rating
1
/
5
3 of 5 found this review helpful
This is a PUZZLE game… not HIDDEN OBJECT!
PostedMay 10, 2014
TopazMystique
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Strategy, Brain Teaser, Time Management, Puzzle
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
This game is definitely misrepresented as a hidden object. There are a few items to find “loose” in each location and the very few “hidden object” scenes were limited to “find X number of Y”.
I found the puzzles in the demo portion of the game fun to do. Unfortunately after that they were mostly horrendous and I spent most of my time waiting for the exceptionally SLOW skip to recharge.
Very sorry I wasted $$$ on this game. I will be very hesitant to buy any games by this developer again. Definitely don't believe the category and demo this game before buying.
I don't recommend this game.
His mother escaped her murdering husband just before he was born. Now the son of Bluebeard must break his father's curse.
Overall rating
1
/
5
5 of 7 found this review helpful
Hard to believe this is the same developer!
PostedApril 27, 2014
TopazMystique
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Strategy, Brain Teaser, Time Management, Puzzle
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
I agree with the negative comments on this game. I was so looking forward to it because although the first game had some flaws, I thoroughly enjoyed it. What a letdown. The only thing I can surmise is that the developer had a major turnover in staff because this game is so totally different from the original Bluebeard's Castle. I even checked to be sure it was the same developer which it is. I kept playing the demo hoping it would improve but after 27 minutes, I gave up. I just could not get into Bluebeard's Castle 2.
Don't buy this game based on your opinion of the first... definitely demo first!
I don't recommend this game.
Discover the fate of your exiled kingdom, save your people, and end the ancient evil that started it all!
Overall rating
1
/
5
3 of 4 found this review helpful
Very sad how low this series has sunk! UGH!
PostedJanuary 30, 2014
TopazMystique
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Strategy, Brain Teaser, Time Management, Puzzle
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
As a fan of the Awakening series, I cannot believe how boring this game was. This series has steadily gone downhill. As others have said, the game starts out great. At the beginning I gave it an "A+ 3 star" rating (my highest and equivalent to a 5 star here). But like other games I have played recently, it seemed that the majority of the development went into the demo portion of the game and the remainder was a bust. It slid very quickly to "A" and then to "F".
What I liked:
• Fast HINT recharge.
• Beautiful graphics.
• Self-contained chapters.
• Fast HINT recharge.
• Beautiful graphics.
• Self-contained chapters.
What I hated (almost everything else):
• WAY TOO MANY puzzles! This game should be classified as a puzzle game rather than a hidden object. At some places (seemed like most), every other thing to do was a puzzle.
• WAY TOO MANY repeating puzzles. Same puzzle, different colors / symbols / etc.
• Some puzzle movements were difficult to execute.
• Having to click YES after clicking SKIP on puzzles.
• Poor puzzle instructions. Walkthrough explanation was much, MUCH better.
• SKIP button took WAY TOO LONG to fill. I wasted a LOT of time waiting on the SKIP button.
• Voice-overs in the beginning seemed fine but as the game progressed, they seemed to get really slow and unemotional.
• HINT was not always that helpful. Sometimes the item I needed to complete it was not in my inventory and/or I had not “discovered” that I needed to do what it said I should.
• Interactive map had foreign symbols for the names of the rooms so it was necessary to mouse over the room to see the actual name. It also didn’t show active areas.
• Changing scenes (especially going to pop-ups) was sluggish.
• Pocket dragon was overused and for many illogical tasks. Would not have thought to use many times except for a walkthrough.
• Information displayed was often too fast to read so had to repeat actions to redisplay.
• Some hot spots were very difficult to find.
• I don’t mind thinking “outside the box” but a lot of the stuff in this game was downright ridiculous and extremely illogical.
• Beginning of story was good but went steadily downhill. I got to the point where I skipped everything I could just to get through the game.
• Some of the HOS I was hoping for a SKIP to skip the whole thing. And toward the end of the game, I just clicked everywhere... not so much because I hated the HOS but because I just wanted the game to end.
• WAY TOO MANY puzzles! This game should be classified as a puzzle game rather than a hidden object. At some places (seemed like most), every other thing to do was a puzzle.
• WAY TOO MANY repeating puzzles. Same puzzle, different colors / symbols / etc.
• Some puzzle movements were difficult to execute.
• Having to click YES after clicking SKIP on puzzles.
• Poor puzzle instructions. Walkthrough explanation was much, MUCH better.
• SKIP button took WAY TOO LONG to fill. I wasted a LOT of time waiting on the SKIP button.
• Voice-overs in the beginning seemed fine but as the game progressed, they seemed to get really slow and unemotional.
• HINT was not always that helpful. Sometimes the item I needed to complete it was not in my inventory and/or I had not “discovered” that I needed to do what it said I should.
• Interactive map had foreign symbols for the names of the rooms so it was necessary to mouse over the room to see the actual name. It also didn’t show active areas.
• Changing scenes (especially going to pop-ups) was sluggish.
• Pocket dragon was overused and for many illogical tasks. Would not have thought to use many times except for a walkthrough.
• Information displayed was often too fast to read so had to repeat actions to redisplay.
• Some hot spots were very difficult to find.
• I don’t mind thinking “outside the box” but a lot of the stuff in this game was downright ridiculous and extremely illogical.
• Beginning of story was good but went steadily downhill. I got to the point where I skipped everything I could just to get through the game.
• Some of the HOS I was hoping for a SKIP to skip the whole thing. And toward the end of the game, I just clicked everywhere... not so much because I hated the HOS but because I just wanted the game to end.
My LEVEL OF CHALLENGE was low because if you don't have a lot of patience to wade through all the puzzles or wait on the SKIP, you'll hate this game.
BUYER BEWARE! Do not take the demo as an indication of what the rest of the game is like.
I don't recommend this game.