LunaNik's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:2.8
- Helpful Votes:12,435
- Reviews Submitted:670
- First Review:November 2, 2012
- Most Recent Review:August 19, 2020
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Can you save your hometown from the entity that killed your family?
Overall rating
1
/
5
33 of 39 found this review helpful
Illogical
PostedDecember 29, 2019
LunaNik
fromIt's time for the HOPA to evolve...or die.
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle, Strategy, Word
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
First scene was typical...everything's broken, locked up, or needs a shaped key. And my detective character was utterly unprepared for a quarantined town.
Second scene: Touching an incandescent light bulb burned through the heavy rubber quarantine gloves I was wearing. I can't get immersed into a game that includes this kind of illogical garbage. Devs need to step away from their computers and learn how life actually works.
Until devs start offering original stories, creative gameplay, and sensible game mechanics, one star is all they'll get from me. Innovate or go out of business.
I don't recommend this game.
Can you save the city from nature’s destructive forces in time?
Overall rating
3
/
5
11 of 12 found this review helpful
Needs a storyline.
PostedDecember 22, 2019
LunaNik
fromFreezing in snowy New England...send cookies, please!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle, Strategy, Word
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
Growing Threat represents a departure from the usual format of the HOPA. After the first couple scenes, you access HOs and puzzles from a map, kind of like MCF: Shadow Lake. In and of itself, this format change isn't a bad thing. However, the storyline is exceedingly shallow, almost nonexistent. And games should be story-driven, IMO.
The HO scenes I played were mostly interactive lists, and the puzzles mostly consisted of moving or rotating pieces to line them up in the correct pattern. Both HO scenes and puzzles were more challenging than usual, but I would have preferred more variety in both.
Top notch production, as usual. The animation was especially realistic. At the same time, the 'click to continue' during conversations didn't work at all. I was forced to wait for the character to finish talking, which became annoying. I wish BFG's beta testing was more professional, because this is clearly a bug.
My recommendation is to try the demo and see whether you like this new format. I'd rather have a plot.
Board the SS Wonderland Princess and get ready to visit the most festive places on earth!
Overall rating
5
/
5
41 of 52 found this review helpful
Well, NOW it's Christmas!
PostedDecember 8, 2019
LunaNik
fromFreezing in snowy New England...send cookies, please!
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle, Strategy, Word
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Objects hide, are you seeking?
Hear the words that I'm speaking:
If you love to play,
Be happy today,
Searching in a Christmas Wonderland.
Hear the words that I'm speaking:
If you love to play,
Be happy today,
Searching in a Christmas Wonderland.
Just check out all the puzzles.
You'll forget all your troubles.
So find the lost toys
For good girls and boys,
Searching in a Christmas Wonderland.
You'll forget all your troubles.
So find the lost toys
For good girls and boys,
Searching in a Christmas Wonderland.
On the map, you'll see so many places.
Golden angels hide for you to find.
Elves are in the workshop making more toys.
And Santa's in a happy frame of mind.
Golden angels hide for you to find.
Elves are in the workshop making more toys.
And Santa's in a happy frame of mind.
Church bells ring in their spire.
Pets recline by the fire.
This game is first class,
So raise up your glass,
Searching in a Christmas Wonderland.
Pets recline by the fire.
This game is first class,
So raise up your glass,
Searching in a Christmas Wonderland.
In the kitchen, we can bake some cookies,
And hot cocoa mugs to wash them down.
Then go in the yard and build a snowman,
And have a snowball fight until sundown.
And hot cocoa mugs to wash them down.
Then go in the yard and build a snowman,
And have a snowball fight until sundown.
Christmas Eve...hang your stocking.
Santa soon will be stopping.
He'll check all his lists,
Then leave you some gifts...
Ten episodes of Christmas Wonderland.
Santa soon will be stopping.
He'll check all his lists,
Then leave you some gifts...
Ten episodes of Christmas Wonderland.
Merry Christmas, fishies!
I recommend this game!
A visit to Manchester Asylum takes a dangerous turn into madness!
Overall rating
2
/
5
66 of 69 found this review helpful
Not a worthy addition to this franchise. I miss BFG Studios.
PostedNovember 27, 2019
LunaNik
fromFinally spent two credits...on this. Wish I hadn't.
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle, Strategy, Word
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
BASED ON COMPLETED GAME + BONUS CHAPTER
I must have played a different game from the five-star reviews. From the missing theme song to the absence of the clacking typewriter to the cookie cutter gameplay to the thinly developed plot, nothing about this game said "MCF" to me.
STORYLINE
13 Skulls is one of my favorite MCF episodes, and I recently replayed it, so I was excited at the resurrection of Phineas Crown. Unfortunately, the flow of the storyline didn't make much sense.
13 Skulls is one of my favorite MCF episodes, and I recently replayed it, so I was excited at the resurrection of Phineas Crown. Unfortunately, the flow of the storyline didn't make much sense.
How did the girl get from the swamps of Louisiana to an asylum in Manchester, England? And why was the Crown Museum located there? I'm guessing it's so that Eipix could recycle some scenery. When we finally did get to the bayou (in the bonus chapter), the swamp had inexplicably encroached upon the town, swallowing the gas station I clearly remember as being across from the barroom. There was no recognition of a familiar place.
As a Master Detective, why on Earth were we called to deal with an asylum patient? Yes, the reason became clear at the end, but we should have been suspicious. Overall, the storyline wasn't done well. When compared to the well-crafted plot of 13 Skulls, this storyline was a disaster.
GAMEPLAY
Exploration was not intuitive and relied far too much on shaped keys, copying clues, and "just click through the story" gameplay. The endless back-and-forth to find one item became really tedious. This formulaic gameplay isn't remotely creative. Let's not even mention the stupid watch, ok?
Exploration was not intuitive and relied far too much on shaped keys, copying clues, and "just click through the story" gameplay. The endless back-and-forth to find one item became really tedious. This formulaic gameplay isn't remotely creative. Let's not even mention the stupid watch, ok?
HOs, while imaginatively integrated into the game, were nearly all basic lists with minimal interactions. Not much variety or creativity in the actual gameplay. And mini-games were mostly retreads with a fresh coat of paint.
Lastly, and most importantly, the super puzzles weren't. A Rube Goldberg puzzle is supposed to be a series of actions, each of which affect the next, all leading toward an overall goal. The ones in this game were just collections of recycled mini-games, each part unrelated to the next. Not super at all.
PRODUCTION
Graphics weren't consistent. While the posers were done well, many of the HO scenes were noticeably cut and pasted, with visible artifacts and inconsistent shading. The music wasn't appropriate to the game theme at all, and most of it came across as elevator music. Eipix should have resurrected that slow, twanging background music from 13 Skulls. Or used some sea chanties.
Graphics weren't consistent. While the posers were done well, many of the HO scenes were noticeably cut and pasted, with visible artifacts and inconsistent shading. The music wasn't appropriate to the game theme at all, and most of it came across as elevator music. Eipix should have resurrected that slow, twanging background music from 13 Skulls. Or used some sea chanties.
So many long, slowly-moving cutscenes! I really disliked the constant camera panning, during which the mouse was disabled, that attempted to force my attention to certain things. If players can't figure out what to do without the dev shoving their faces in it, then the game design isn't very good.
EXTRAS
The bonus chapter was based on a fantastic idea: finding the horcruxes of Volde...I mean Phineas Crown. However, we didn't really have to search for them, did we? We just encountered them here and there. We should have had to work for them, solving awesome puzzles and complex locks.
The bonus chapter was based on a fantastic idea: finding the horcruxes of Volde...I mean Phineas Crown. However, we didn't really have to search for them, did we? We just encountered them here and there. We should have had to work for them, solving awesome puzzles and complex locks.
The collectible crabs and morphing corals added nothing to the overall experience, being huge and obvious.
CONCLUSION
Eipix can do better. They have done better. But this game was like a badly written fan fiction that violated canon. I really wish Eipix would stop destroying beloved game series. Now I'm going to have to replay 13 Skulls just to take the bad taste out of my brain. I don't recommend you buy without playing the demo.
Eipix can do better. They have done better. But this game was like a badly written fan fiction that violated canon. I really wish Eipix would stop destroying beloved game series. Now I'm going to have to replay 13 Skulls just to take the bad taste out of my brain. I don't recommend you buy without playing the demo.
I don't recommend this game.
A visit to a childhood home uncovers unreal memories!
Overall rating
1
/
5
6 of 11 found this review helpful
Third awful game I've played today.
PostedNovember 19, 2019
LunaNik
fromGetting ready to give up. Nine credits, and I can't find a single game worth buying.
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle, Strategy, Word
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
Good grief! This isn't a game; it's a bunch of cutscenes loosely tied together with a few clicks.
This is broken. That is missing pieces. Loads of "just click through the story" gameplay. I don't know who thinks this is remotely fun or entertaining, yet every dev keeps churning out the same tired crap.
Doesn't anyone else miss being challenged by creative puzzles? Entertained by original storylines? I find it impossible to believe these devs are making any money with this nonsense. Give me a game!!! Stop dumbing everything down!
I don't recommend this game.
A trio of masks could bring about an era of nightmares!
Overall rating
1
/
5
15 of 16 found this review helpful
This game might scare me away from HOPAs for good.
PostedNovember 19, 2019
LunaNik
fromPlease abandon the irradiated Lisa Frank palette and graphical bells and whistles. Instead, focus on storyline and gameplay, because this is supposed to be a game.
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle, Strategy, Word
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
I'm beginning to wonder if Domini's graphic designers have something wrong with their vision. Everything is saturated in eye-searing neon colors to the point that immersion is impossible.
Add to that, running back and forth playing Mr. Fixit is not my idea of gameplay. Frankly, it shouldn't be anyone's idea of gameplay. It's just busy work.
I've been replaying the older MCF and it makes me nostalgic for the time when devs actually cared about their product. Storylines were imaginative and gameplay was innovative. I guess those days are gone.
I don't recommend this game.
A family reunion at the Sweet 18 hotel turns into a night of terror!
Overall rating
1
/
5
11 of 15 found this review helpful
Just another formulaic cookie cutter.
PostedNovember 19, 2019
LunaNik
fromRemember when Elephant put out quality games? Pepperidge Farm remembers.
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle, Strategy, Word
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
I lasted seven minutes. First, my brother had absolutely no reaction to a giant tree falling right behind him. I mean, he didn't even flinch. This didn't bode well for my own ability to immerse myself into the game.
Second, the first two scenes consisted mostly of shaped indentations awaiting matching objects. Seriously? This isn't even gameplay! It's just garbage.
I refuse to waste my time, never mind my money, on a game that has no substance whatsoever.
I don't recommend this game.
A family hike through the woods takes a terrifying turn!
Overall rating
2
/
5
11 of 17 found this review helpful
Slow story, same old gameplay.
PostedNovember 18, 2019
LunaNik
fromI loved the "skull between the trees" imagery when BFG created it in 2011 for MCF: The 13th Skull. Eipix has used it in multiple games, including this one. Stop copying and be original.
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle, Strategy, Word
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
OVERVIEW
Cookie cutter storyline and gameplay. Nothing new. Nothing interesting. Nothing challenging.
Cookie cutter storyline and gameplay. Nothing new. Nothing interesting. Nothing challenging.
STORYLINE
Missing relative...again. Eldritch hooded villain...again. It would be nice to see an original, creative storyline again, but I'm not getting my hopes up.
Missing relative...again. Eldritch hooded villain...again. It would be nice to see an original, creative storyline again, but I'm not getting my hopes up.
GAMEPLAY
Childish and repetitive. There are about three times as many mini-games as HO scenes, and the HO scenes were too easy. The mini-games:
• Copy the clue to enter the code into the fire warning sign.
• Copy the clue to create the map.
• Match the rocks to their outlines.
• Swap pieces to restore the image.
• Combine piles of leaves into one, then click on footprints (three levels).
This is elementary school level gameplay and a waste of time.
Childish and repetitive. There are about three times as many mini-games as HO scenes, and the HO scenes were too easy. The mini-games:
• Copy the clue to enter the code into the fire warning sign.
• Copy the clue to create the map.
• Match the rocks to their outlines.
• Swap pieces to restore the image.
• Combine piles of leaves into one, then click on footprints (three levels).
This is elementary school level gameplay and a waste of time.
PRODUCTION
Mixed. Cutscenes were pixellated and blurry, but objects were fairly well-rendered. The palette, thankfully, lacked those eye-searing neon colors that prevent immersion. However, the voice acting was stilted.
Mixed. Cutscenes were pixellated and blurry, but objects were fairly well-rendered. The palette, thankfully, lacked those eye-searing neon colors that prevent immersion. However, the voice acting was stilted.
CONCLUSION
I recently replayed MCF: The 13th Skull. Compared to the immersion and enjoyment of that game, this one was torturous and could cure insomnia. I miss the days when devs offered immersive storylines and innovative gameplay instead of copying one another's substandard cookie cutters. I have nine game credits and can't find a single game to spend them on.
I recently replayed MCF: The 13th Skull. Compared to the immersion and enjoyment of that game, this one was torturous and could cure insomnia. I miss the days when devs offered immersive storylines and innovative gameplay instead of copying one another's substandard cookie cutters. I have nine game credits and can't find a single game to spend them on.
I don't recommend this game.
A family hike through the woods takes a terrifying turn!
Overall rating
2
/
5
37 of 47 found this review helpful
They're not even trying to make a good game.
PostedOctober 19, 2019
LunaNik
from*sigh* I miss 2012. What an epic year for games here at BFG.
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle, Strategy, Word
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
BASED ON completed demo
OVERVIEW
The storyline was too shallow to be engaging, and the majority of the gameplay was not remotely challenging.
The storyline was too shallow to be engaging, and the majority of the gameplay was not remotely challenging.
STORYLINE
Pro forma and boring. The missing relative-comic book villain-revenge scheme schtick is, to be honest, pure laziness on the part of the dev. Give me creative, immersive plots like Abyss: The Wraiths of Eden, Surface: The Pantheon, and MCF: Dire Grove. Stories with depth, detail, and interest. Make me WANT to see what happens next.
Pro forma and boring. The missing relative-comic book villain-revenge scheme schtick is, to be honest, pure laziness on the part of the dev. Give me creative, immersive plots like Abyss: The Wraiths of Eden, Surface: The Pantheon, and MCF: Dire Grove. Stories with depth, detail, and interest. Make me WANT to see what happens next.
GAMEPLAY
Exploration consisted largely of MacGyver'ing random items, fixing broken devices, and the like. Same old, same old. Innovate, please. HO scenes were creatively designed and offered a moderate challenge, but mini-games were much too easy; most were "copy the clue" or "just click through the story." Additionally, I abhor having my hand held and detest being forced to interact with things in a particular order. It speaks to poor game design in that, without the dev holding your hand, the game wouldn't make any sense. (Enter a scene and you must immediately talk to the person there; you can't look at anything else until you do that.)
Exploration consisted largely of MacGyver'ing random items, fixing broken devices, and the like. Same old, same old. Innovate, please. HO scenes were creatively designed and offered a moderate challenge, but mini-games were much too easy; most were "copy the clue" or "just click through the story." Additionally, I abhor having my hand held and detest being forced to interact with things in a particular order. It speaks to poor game design in that, without the dev holding your hand, the game wouldn't make any sense. (Enter a scene and you must immediately talk to the person there; you can't look at anything else until you do that.)
PRODUCTION
Good graphics with an appropriately dreary palette. At least I wasn't blinded with unnatural, fluorescent colors. Music was appropriate to the game's theme, but VOs were poorly acted.
Good graphics with an appropriately dreary palette. At least I wasn't blinded with unnatural, fluorescent colors. Music was appropriate to the game's theme, but VOs were poorly acted.
RECOMMENDATION
As always, I recommend you play the demo before committing to this game. I found it extremely boring. The vague storyline was insufficient to engage me, and that made me not care what happened after the demo. There are loads of games way better for the Halloween season, including the three I mentioned above.
As always, I recommend you play the demo before committing to this game. I found it extremely boring. The vague storyline was insufficient to engage me, and that made me not care what happened after the demo. There are loads of games way better for the Halloween season, including the three I mentioned above.
Can you stop a dangerous curse from destroying the realm?
Overall rating
2
/
5
56 of 66 found this review helpful
Waiter? There's Eipix in my Blue Tea again.
PostedSeptember 19, 2019
LunaNik
from*sigh* I miss 2012. What an epic year for games here at BFG.
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle, Strategy, Word
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Seeing the blurb for this game, I had a brief moment of heart-wrenching joy. Blue Tea! But it was not to be. This is a standard Eipix HOPA; it is manifestly NOT an episode of Dark Parables.
The first HO scene was laughable. The background scenery was scant, making the objects quite obvious. I think it took me about 30 seconds.
The first mini-game had an incredibly complex design, but was basically a version of matching pairs. Rotate three tiles so their fragments match up to the clue. And here I thought the point of mini-games was to challenge the player, not show off the dev's graphical abilities.
The graphics were a strangely mixed bag. The opening cutscene was pixellated while the game cursor was a beautifully ornate design in impeccable detail. Background scenery was nicely detailed, but in-game characters looked cartoonish.
My recommendation is, after you try the demo, that you play the actually Blue Tea games instead.
I don't recommend this game.