8dognight's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:4.5
- Helpful Votes:81
- Reviews Submitted:6
- First Review:May 10, 2017
- Most Recent Review:October 20, 2018
- Featured reviews0
8dognight's Review History
Her Majesty has turned to the stars in a bid to establish a new, Galactic British Empire!
Overall rating
5
/
5
5 of 6 found this review helpful
Comic Straight Adventure
PostedOctober 20, 2018
8dognight
fromrural farm
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
The opening sequence of "Her Majesty's Spiffing" with the queen is my favorite beginning to a game ever.
"Her Majesty's Spiffing" is a point and click comic adventure that also allows use of WASD keys if you want to. It took me a while to get used to the examine/equip interface for inventory and that was frustrating at first.
I recommend this game!
When the clock strikes, London shall burn!
Overall rating
2
/
5
9 of 11 found this review helpful
Unrealized Potential
PostedDecember 26, 2017
8dognight
fromrural farm
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I wanted to like this game because the theme offers a lot for a future series and because the graphics are attractive. In fact, I did not like this game at all because any pretense that this is a detective story or even a game requiring a modicum of thought is ruined again and again by outlining the shape of the object required from inventory after a click or mouse over. That is a worse spoiler than sparkles on hotspots or HO screens and the feature cannot be toggled off.
I don't recommend this game.
Solve this maritime mystery to reunite a pirate with his lost love!
Overall rating
5
/
5
3 of 3 found this review helpful
Beautiful and Challenging Game
PostedNovember 15, 2017
8dognight
fromrural farm
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I’m reviewing Legacy Tales: Mercy of the Gallows because it is one of my all-time favorite games. I do not ordinarily like pirate themes in casual games; in fact, with few exceptions I avoid pirate themes. Legacy Tales: Mercy of the Gallows defies that prejudice for the reasons spelled out below.
For one thing, the attention to authentic detail elevates this game above the ordinary. For another, the story is not kicked off by a kidnapping, instead we have twin disappearances and deaths to solve. William Van der Decken, a sea captain in the 1700s who devoted his successful career to securing Dutch trade routes from the scourge of pirates, and Isabelle, his mysterious wife, lived harmoniously dividing their time between their ship the Batavia and their castle. As chatelaine, Isabelle was industrious and charitable until becoming more and more withdrawn from her husband and community until one day she disappeared. Thereafter, the captain vanished as well; his body was later discovered under grisly circumstances.
The story progresses via a series of treasure chests unlocked by gold coins scattered throughout the game world. The chests contain both inventory items and smidgens of back story. One of the great qualities of the game is that intriguing historical tidbits integral to the narrative are interwoven but never overpowering. Another unexpected enrichment is that clicking on items which do not have an icon change will often produce a comment on them, as might happen in a large file adventure, so remember to try this, particularly once you get inside the castle.
The environments are presented with stunning attention to detail. When you eventually get to the screens set on the sailing vessel you will find yourself aboard a scrupulously rendered version of (I think but can’t be positive) the actual replica Batavia built in the Netherlands around 25 years ago. She carries 10 sails and 32 guns and would have been more than capable of dealing with scurvy pirates. Back on land and earlier, in the castle tea room is a French gilt salon suite with tapestry, maybe Aubusson, upholstery, and I would love to know what the dining room china is. It doesn’t seem to be Delft, but then the Van der Deckens might have had Chinese export porcelain as well. I mention these seemingly trivial features of the settings to highlight the love and work ethic that so clearly went into every scene in Legacy Tales: Mercy of the Gallows. Many of these environments are a clever blending of precise artwork with photographs.
The puzzles are doable; a few required some thought, and I like that. You can skip if you want. I did have to consult the strategy guide to find several of the coins, and the difficulty in locating so many of them is for me the only weakness in the game.
In general, the HOs are visually pleasing and the objects are harmonious with the ambience of the particular scenes.
The voice acting is professional and never grating.
The music is melodious, fits the mood of the game, and is not an endless loop of sea chanteys. I listened to the music as I played and did not turn it way down to a murmur as I usually do.
Legacy Tales: Mercy of the Gallows is as a good a game as I have encountered playing HOPAs, and over the last nine or ten years I have played a lot of them, including the more widely acclaimed games that I along most players would agree are stand-outs. Legacy Tales: Mercy of the Gallows is one of them. Don’t expect a breakneck pace and do expect to think a little.
I recommend this game!
Travel to a family manor and lift the mysterious Curse of the Werewolves in this blood-chilling and enthralling Hidden Object Adventure!
Overall rating
5
/
5
6 of 6 found this review helpful
Stands Up Well in 2017
PostedSeptember 27, 2017
8dognight
fromrural farm
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Curse of the Werewolves, hidden object scenes notwithstanding, plays more like an adventure game than many more recent HOPA offerings. The map functions as a hint system, and the game is structured cleverly enough that I had to use the map numerous times. If you liked Haunted Hotel: Charles Dexter Ward, you will like Curse of the Werewolves although the puzzles are much easier.
If you adore Hidden object screens, which I do not, the downside is that while plentiful, these screens are repeated, and some objects are quite small. I was willing to put up with that because the game is otherwise an SE gem. I was disappointed to find no other HOPAs from Nordcurrent.
I recommend this game!
What dark and powerful secrets are hidden within the A.R.C.A.N.E. agency's old research base? Kiera Vale returns to find out.
Overall rating
5
/
5
3 of 3 found this review helpful
Witty and Intelligent
PostedAugust 2, 2017
8dognight
fromrural farm
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Nightmare Adventures: Turning Thorn is one of the top ten games I have played from Big Fish out of hundreds I own. The graphics are crisp. Many objects when clicked yield a witty and intelligent remark that adds richness or back story even if the object is otherwise not in play. In addition, you can try to use objects inappropriately for a comment specific to that decision. My character, Keira, point blank refused to use a baseball bat to break the windows in her own house; she later explained why several objects would not work as lever with differing reasons specific to each choice. This an admirable level of attention to detail from the writers at Ghost Ship Studios.
I like a challenge and the puzzles are challenging enough for me. The written in game notes are clear and often humorous. For example, a note early on from a repairman involving an elaborate reset a code to operate a phone that calls down to a secret facility includes the lament, “Next time we replace this, could we try—you know—a button?”
This is the second time I have played Turning Thorn, and I have gone back to a Windows 7 laptop to do so. The game is running well and without glitches.
Nightmare Adventures: Turning Thorn is a gem. I hope we will see a third addition to this series that shows the same skill. Turning Thorn puts the usual sloppy writing and slapdash graphics of ordinary casual games to shame.
I recommend this game!
Overall rating
5
/
5
55 of 57 found this review helpful
More Like a Genuine Adventure Than a Casual Just With Some HOGS
PostedMay 10, 2017
8dognight
fromrural farm
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
To my surprise, I am enjoying this game. It is set under water, ordinarily enough to keep me from so much as downloading a demo; however, the thought process that went into the HOGs is admirable, and the game play is, at least so far, enough to keep me hooked. If you're a stickler for fluent, idiomatic English, Embrace of Ocean will not be to your liking. Me, I'm well past the demo and still liking the game in spite of the fact I would rather be finding greaves or pieces of an elaborate cuir bouilli breastplate instead of mostly mundane items, the kind found in the ordinary casual game office or garage with some amusing pseudo-scientific items and tasks thrown in, for example, mixing a liquid on the basis of color plus the presence or absence of bubbles and vapor. While getting Embrace of Ocean's back-story takes a few moments of reading, which some players may not appreciate, I don't mind reading in a game and would have liked more. In sum, Embrace of Ocean is one of the better offerings I have come across this year. Added delight: No annoying saturated pinks and purples.
I have been playing BF games for almost 10 years, and I think this is my first review. I am doing so because this is the sort of low key game that might go unnoticed.
I recommend this game!