Woodjay's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:4.4
- Helpful Votes:384
- Reviews Submitted:51
- First Review:November 12, 2011
- Most Recent Review:December 9, 2013
- Featured reviews0
Status:
After awaking from a century long slumber, Princess Sophia finds a world that is devoid of people! Help her find her friends!
Overall rating
4
/
5
Such a sweet game and fun too
PostedJanuary 24, 2012
Woodjay
fromWales, UK
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
This isn't a new game but I've only just played it as I bought in in Deal of the Week.
It's a really sweet game. After playing a lot recently where it always pours with rain/thunders and the general scenes are full of rusting pipes, decaying walls etc, it's so nice to have a game where there are trees and flowers and sparkling waterfalls. I do find the fairies rather twee, and there are rather too many 'put this object together' minigames (some of which are quite hard, actually), but in general it's a very gentle game to play with lots of other puzzles none of which are too difficult. And it's a decent length as it took me about 5 hours to play. In fact I kept thinking I was just about to finish when I found I had more to do.
Graphics: lovely. Music: fits the graphics very nicely and isn't irritating.
The speaking is only in text: perhaps it would have been nice to have proper voices. There are HO scenes, but there is also a lot of 'find 5/8/21 of these objects'. When you find cards, you have to look for a certain number of one object in them, which I thought was a nice touch.
Some time I will get the next one in the series too.
Relive the fantasy of Beauty & the Beast in this never before told story of magic and love!
Overall rating
4
/
5
3 of 4 found this review helpful
Worth playing
PostedJanuary 24, 2012
Woodjay
fromWales, UK
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
I really enjoyed the Phantom of the Opera, the previous "Mystery Legends", so I was looking forward to Beauty and the Beast. For some reason I didn't enjoy this quite as much, though that's not to say it's not a good game. I think there was more an element of 'what's going on?' in the other one which there wasn't here. Although the storyline was ok, I didn't find it quite as compelling as the Phantom.
The graphics are good and there are some slightly different minigames which are fun. There are HO scenes but the game is as much about finding objects which you have to use in different places.
I liked the way that you had to go right back to where you started from and do some things you hadn't been able to then in order to finish the game and I thought the ending was very satisfactory. It bugged me slightly that you could see the bonus area on the map when you knew that was only for the CE, but even so, the game finished in a way you didn't really need to have the extra bit.
Some niggles: the heroine's voice becomes really irritating. Does she have to say something each time she goes to search an area? And it's always pretty much the same thing she says (and exactly the same voice as in Phantom of the Opera). But no one else speaks; there could have been more voiceovers.
Still, I thought it was worth playing if not absolutely compelling (I stopped in the middle to play a newer game).
I recommend this game!
Guide Kate Reed as she solves four mind-bending mysteries that take her to worlds she's never imagined!
Overall rating
4
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
A very good game
PostedJanuary 15, 2012
Woodjay
fromWales, UK
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
OK so most of the other reviews have said a lot of the same thing, but let me add my bit.
The House of 1000 Doors has good game play and an intriguing storyline, which has you wondering what's going on to begin with. I am not sure about the the seance bit at the start as much of the plot seems to involve magic, and I don't care for seances anyway. However, apart from that, it's a great idea to have a house which appears in different locations for different times and has doors leading to different places. I say no more to spoil it for those who haven't yet played it.
I played this game in the advanced mode. You do get a map which shows you where you are and allows you to jump to places (saves all that backward clicking), but this also gives you a clue where you can do things, which I feel it shouldn't in the advanced mode. Still, I found that quite useful!
The minigames aren't difficult and many of the puzzles depend on you finding pieces and putting them in the right place. There were some good touches with this. Solutions were interesting: I particularly liked the bit with the toy train. I also liked the fact that there were things you spot at the start which weren't picked up again until the end. Often in games you progress and never go back to the initial scenes once you've done, but this was different.
A few slightly negative things:
1. the diary sometimes gave me information I hadn't actually already seen. For instance I went into one room and out again, then happened to check the diary and it was showing me something which I hadn't actually clicked on to see. I had to go back and find where that was.
2. The first two parts to solve I knew what I needed to do, but in the third (trying not to make this a spoiler) it wasn't obviously how it was going to work out. I think there should have been some comment about the way this was going to work beforehand.
1. the diary sometimes gave me information I hadn't actually already seen. For instance I went into one room and out again, then happened to check the diary and it was showing me something which I hadn't actually clicked on to see. I had to go back and find where that was.
2. The first two parts to solve I knew what I needed to do, but in the third (trying not to make this a spoiler) it wasn't obviously how it was going to work out. I think there should have been some comment about the way this was going to work beforehand.
HO scenes: combining and finding objects well done. My only niggle here was that when you came back to many of them you'd often find the thing I knew I'd just taken and used had been put back. But I like HO scenes where you have to do a bit of extra interaction, which this had. I also thought the scenes which showed you using some of the objects (peeling an apple, cutting grass with a scythe) were well done.
Highly recommended and I think will be good in the CE version too as the ending is very satisfactory without the bonus chapter.
I recommend this game!
End a centuries-old war between the Guardians and the Clan of the Nine in 9: The Dark Side!
Overall rating
4
/
5
3 of 4 found this review helpful
A good game!
PostedJanuary 13, 2012
Woodjay
fromWales, UK
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
'9' has one of those basic story line which pretty much works every time: you're the person who has to save the world -- or in this case a town. Called Prague here but it could be a lot of places really.
I found the introduction a bit confusing but it doesn't affect the game and the story then develops well. My slight problem was with the title. Al the emphasis about defeating the 'dark side' has too many overtones of Star Wars! But there are no light sabres.
The visuals are very good. I liked the way that the HO scenes blend into the general scene when completed. Also, that they include objects you have to perform another action to get. However there are plenty of other things to find which help you on your way, so it's not just HO -- each of which you get to play just once.
One thing I didn't like was the background music. There was one particular extremely irritating theme with rising notes which eventually made me turn the music off. That's a pity, because one of the strengths of the game is that all the different people you meet (funny, there are 9 of them), have excellent voices, all different and appropriate to their characters.
The minigames are nicely placed and you don't have to wander round for ever looking for things (although I did go through the wrong doors of the hall several times).
I played on the 'advanced' mode (there are three but I can't be bothered with really hardcore, I want to have fun). All in all, a good game and fun to play. And, from the ending, this will be a good CE version too -- the extra is really extra and doesn't detract from the main game. I don't give it 5 stars because of the music and because a game has to be brilliant for me to love it.
I recommend this game!
After a group of young students go missing, the Mystery Trackers are called in to search the city of Raincliff!
Overall rating
5
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
A great game
PostedDecember 21, 2011
Woodjay
fromWales, UK
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
I really enjoyed the previous Mystery Trackers game so went straight for the CE of Raincliff when it came out. But played it before we could write reviews so I thought I'd catch up now...
The plot is intriguing and makes you want to keep going. I liked the use of short film clips to help things along too. The graphics are excellent and the music is ok (this is praise from me as often I can't stand the music in HO games). I thought that the mini-games fitted in well to the plot development and the various puzzles were fun to play. There were also some twists and turns in the plot which were unexpected.
I like games where it takes a bit to figure out what you're supposed to do next and how to use the various objects you pick up and this certainly did that. The bonus chapter for the CE version was worth it too and I'd recommend it for that.
HO object scenes were appropriate for where they were and the atmosphere of the whole piece was good. I don't really think there was anything I didn't like about this game, it was slightly different from many and very enjoyable to play.
I recommend this game!
Return once more to the haunted grounds of Ravenhearst Manor to uncover new details about this poignant saga. What you find could very well be the final chapter of this riveting story-if you escape.
Overall rating
4
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
My considered review
PostedDecember 21, 2011
Woodjay
fromWales, UK
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Reading the other reviews, this latest in the series has obviously divided players over the morphing objects. Having finally finished the game I think that these fit with the type of game it is, although I would have preferred some HO scenes as well (the one you do get is a real twist on the ordinary sort and quite challenging). The big advantage for a game like Escape from Ravenhearst is that you can come back to all the scenes and view them as a 'proper' scene, with other things to do in them apart from finding objects.
I did like the door tokens though - they could be viewed as a different type of hidden object and some of them were quite tricky to find.
Game play: challenging! I consider myself to be quite good at these games but had to resort to the Strategy Guide more times that I would normally do. At the start of the game (after the demo finishes) I had a patch where I couldn't work out what I was supposed to do next.
I don't agree that the picture format of the Strategy Guide was a bad thing; I thought it was quite useful. However what it doesn't do is show you how to do something you know you have to do but can't work out ( a couple of the puzzles I was forced to skip in the end) -- the picture format here being different from the typical walkthrough one.
Graphics: excellent as usual for this series (I've got all of them). However quite gross in a few places and as another reviewer commented it does make you wonder about the mindset of those who created it. However it is marked as a psychological and possibly disturbing game so you have been warned.
Sound: I found sound in some of the sections quite disturbing. Not to give anything away but through the third door particularly. Eventually I was wanting out of there quickly!
The storyline carries you along in a bizzarre way. I preferred Dire Grove and the 13th Skull but I would recommend this game -- not for new players or the faint at heart though.
Finally, this is the Collector's Version but there's no bonus chapter so I am trying to work out how the SE differs!
I recommend this game!
Discover the secrets behind a magical deck of cards in Haunted Legends: Queen of Spades! Find The Countess and stop her curse!
Overall rating
4
/
5
38 of 48 found this review helpful
Definitely worth playing
PostedDecember 16, 2011
Woodjay
fromWales, UK
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
I've only recently got round to buying and playing this game but it was certainly worth it. The storyline is good enough to make you want to keep playing and the HO scenes are well done. I much prefer scenes which after you've played them blend into the general background and have objects appropriate to where they are supposed to be (so, lots of cellar clutter in a cellar, or ornaments on a shelf). This game does that. The mini games were interesting and not excessively difficult.
I did find though that the plot wasn't always that obvious and you have to consult your diary -- not so much to know what to do next, but why you've doing it. Also, at one point you look at a table and it says something about what you'll be doing on it later. Since I had no idea I needed to do anything of the kind this was a bit odd and at the time not a helpful hint. Still, the game was fun to play.
I also liked the fact that while you're supposed to pick up the pack of cards throughout the gameplay, if you miss any, you do get the chance to go back and find missing ones. And that's not a plot spoiler either, more a reassurance.
What I couldn't stand was the really, really irritating music. I usually turn down music in games but in this case I turned it off completely. It has a rising note which is just dreadful once you've heard it about twice. I think it's in another of the same company's game and it's time they did something differennt!
I recommend this game!
Journey into the mythical Snowfall Kingdom and investigate the disappearance of children in Dark Parables: Rise of the Snow Queen!
Overall rating
5
/
5
37 of 55 found this review helpful
Not a full review yet
PostedDecember 1, 2011
Woodjay
fromWales, UK
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
I didn't have to try the sample or watch the video for this one, I just had to buy it right away. The previous two games were excellent and I recently replayed the Frog Prince and confirmed how good it is. The CE version was definitely worth it for the extra gameplay in Frog Prince and I expect it to be the same for the Snow Queen.
I haven't got too far with this one (only in ch 1) but want to report that the graphics are as good as the previous game, with the video bits well integrated and working well. What I really like about the Dark Parables is when you find all the pieces in the HO scenes which make up an object, that object is so beautiful. And they are quite challenging to find -- very much so in this game. There are various tokens to find which when completed enable you to read a story. I wait to see what happens when you do.
The storyline is working well and I am feeling cold already... Haven't checked the strategy guide but the previous one worked fine and I don't suppose that's going to change for this game. I used the map quite a lot in Frog Prince and it looks like it will be used again as I get into the game.
I recommend this game!
Save your sister from Bluebeard’s Castle in this incredible Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure game!
Overall rating
5
/
5
Different and interesting
PostedNovember 20, 2011
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
I really appreciated that this game was a little different from others. I wondered about it at first as there didn't seem sometimes to be clues as to what to do, but in fact that made it better, and there are clues if you look.
Visually it was interesting (that apple tree!) and I didn't have to turn off the music on the grounds it irritated me, as I do in some games. I'm only not giving it excellent because it places I felt the graphics were a bit too dark.
As someone else has commented, somethings in the HO scenes you'd find the thing you were looking for looked like something else, but I think that's a minor thing.
I enjoyed all the puzzles and they were hard enough but not so hard you wanted to skip them. It's a very atmospheric game and I wanted to keep playing. In fact I first of all tried the demo and then just had to buy it.
I recommend this game!
Investigate the disappearance of the chancellor's daughter and uncover the long lost kingdom of the exiled Frog Prince!
Overall rating
5
/
5
47 of 54 found this review helpful
an excellent hidden object game
PostedNovember 12, 2011
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
So glad Big Fish is allowing us to review as I've just played this for the second time and enjoyed it all over again. In a way it's a standard plot of 'girl has disappeared in mysterious forest and you are the detective investigating'. But actually the story, which involves the Frog Prince and a number of princesses, is done in a fresh way which makes it really interesting.
The great thing about this game is the graphics. The HO scenes have you looking for little bits of objects, which go to make up bigger parts which eventually combine to make larger objects (keys, jars etc) -- but incredibly beautiful and intricate objects. Visually the world is extremely well done and there's a helpful map which shows you where you are.
When you play second time round you're on 'Hard' mode where you don't get any help. Ouch. I did have to consult the strategy guide a few times to find a last piece.
The other fun bit is the 'cursed morphing objects' which turn up in most scenes. No I'm not saying more. If you've played games like this you know what they are, otherwise you'll have to play it and find out!
A really good game with a lot of interest and even music I can tolerate without turning off the sound. The CE version is worth it for the extra gameplay (though I couldn't do this in the hard version for some reason).
The great thing about this game is the graphics. The HO scenes have you looking for little bits of objects, which go to make up bigger parts which eventually combine to make larger objects (keys, jars etc) -- but incredibly beautiful and intricate objects. Visually the world is extremely well done and there's a helpful map which shows you where you are.
When you play second time round you're on 'Hard' mode where you don't get any help. Ouch. I did have to consult the strategy guide a few times to find a last piece.
The other fun bit is the 'cursed morphing objects' which turn up in most scenes. No I'm not saying more. If you've played games like this you know what they are, otherwise you'll have to play it and find out!
A really good game with a lot of interest and even music I can tolerate without turning off the sound. The CE version is worth it for the extra gameplay (though I couldn't do this in the hard version for some reason).
I recommend this game!