dancemom1's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.6
- Helpful Votes:13,287
- Reviews Submitted:871
- First Review:April 15, 2012
- Most Recent Review:November 26, 2024
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Can you give Romeo and Juliet the happy ending they desire?
Overall rating
3
/
5
9 of 16 found this review helpful
A magic carpet in Romeo & Juliet?
PostedFebruary 26, 2017
dancemom1
fromYakima, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Family, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Word
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Hi all! Here we are with another addition to this series. As usual, I review mostly on the game play and leave the story to others who do a much better job than I. The graphics in this one are fairly well done. I did have to laugh at the face on the wounded soldier...such terrible pain, but then bandage his arm and up and away he goes. We need that kind of medicine! Not a game changer, but funny. Game play was very good, no problems during the demo. Colors are very bright, but not over-powering. You can switch players in this game, which was sort of fun. That way, you see the game from both sides and not just yours. Music just came in and out and was very quiet for the most part. There was very little character interaction during the demo, so not much in the way of voices either. What we did have, was done well.
HOPs are a nice combination of interactive lists, silhouettes and find the highlighted word. The scenes are fairly clear and items are not difficult to find. If you don't want to play the HOP, you can switch to a match 3. Wish the devs would come up with something other than a match 3. In the puzzles, you can switch from easy to difficult. In easy, they may be simple, but they still take time to complete. There is still some challenge. Hint system is very helpful and when you need to travel a long distance, the map opens up and you transport through that. I really like this type of map. Areas are clearly identified and marked and you can choose to also have it show you where a collectible is located. This helps in case you miss one.
Collectibles are many. To me, this is what makes or breaks a CE game. We need to find 11 masks, which can be a bit small but not hard to see. We also have 89 gold coins, which are not hard to see, but easy to miss. You use these coins to buy items for the boudoir...not exciting, but okay. There are also 13 scrolls of various sizes. These are very easy to miss. Collectibles are nicely done and do add a little challenge to the game.
When I beta tested this one, I wasn't too kicked out about it, but it looks like a few things were fixed. It is nowhere near as good as the last one, but it isn't a bad game at all. I don't remember there being a "magic carpet" in Romeo and Juliet, but I guess that's what is called "literary license." Hollywood does that a lot. For some unknown reason, I did like this game. Maybe it was the collectibles, because I know it wasn't the story. It is not all that challenging, but I found the need to keep playing anyway. Some will like this one and some will not, but I think I am going to add it to my collection.
As always, try it for yourself and see what you think. We all have different tastes and you may not care for this one at all. Thanks for the reviews.
I recommend this game!
Dark Parables: Requiem for the Forgotten Shadow Collector's Edition
A dark illness has befallen the townspeople of Anaben!
Overall rating
2
/
5
26 of 42 found this review helpful
Shadows...
PostedFebruary 23, 2017
dancemom1
fromYakima, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Family, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Word
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Hi all! Well, we have so many of these games in this series, that I've lost count. As usual, I mostly review on the game play and not the story, as others do a much better job of that than I. It's difficult to come up with something different to say for this series, they are all exactly the same, just a little change in the story line, but not much. The graphics aren't bad, but in most cases look like a drawing that has just been placed over the picture background. Not too bad, though. Colors are bright and clear. Game play was very good, no problems during the demo and the scenes fit my large screen very well. Again, there is very little character interaction and therefore, very little dialog, which makes for a somewhat boring game. The candle maker's voice did not match his face and age. Sound FX are only when something is about to happen. This leaves only the music, which is way to monotonous. This game is just way too quiet.
HOPs are the same as all the others, FROGs. I don't mind fragments, but not for the entire game. I did not see that you could switch to a match 3 or anything else. This got very boring very quickly, as the fragments are very small in most cases and either colorless or blend into the same color background. As in all the others in this series, scenes are quite cluttered. Definitely needs an upgrade. Hint system was helpful and it does transport to longer locations. This is a good thing, since you are constantly returning to the same locations. Puzzles were painfully simple and nothing new., but there were a couple that did provide some challenge. I don't remember previous strategy guides showing you where the parables were, but this one does.
Collectibles were the usual "signs", and there are 39 to find. Not sure where "signs" come from, as these are torch type candles that you must find and light when you click on them. These are extremely small and not easy to spot...eye strain. There are also morphing objects, which they call parables. When put together, 3 pieces in each, you get a story. These items morph very quickly and are difficult to catch. This was very disappointing. Definitely needed more in this area.
Again, this series either needs to be retired or updated big time. I haven't purchased any of this series for quite some time. I got bored with the same old, same old. I played to the end of the demo, but it didn't pick up at all. No challenge, moved slowly, too quiet. Geared more toward a real beginner. I'm not sure how anyone can honestly give this one 5 stars. There will be some who find this game fun, but enough already. The story wasn't even exciting. I try to find something good about a game, even if I don't care for it. That said, all I can say is that beginners who have never played any of the others in this series may like this one, so I will recommend it for them. Definitely not CE worthy. I often will find that the SE version makes a much better game than the CE, but this game does nothing for me. No buy for me.
As always, try it for yourself and see what you think. We all have different tastes in games and you may find this one to be exactly what you are looking for today. Thanks for the reviews.
I recommend this game!
A dark fog is taking over Bremen!
Overall rating
4
/
5
20 of 27 found this review helpful
Don't even try to control my mind!
PostedFebruary 16, 2017
dancemom1
fromYakima, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Family, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Word
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Hi all! Well, we have #5 in this series. As always, I review on the game play and not the story, even though I do comment on it. Others do a far better job on the story than I. This game has very nice graphics, very clear and bright, but not over-powering colors. We constantly have the purple "smoke" floating over the screen, which indicates there is an evil presence, but it does clear up when an objective is completed. The animation is very well done, with facial and body movements. Game play was excellent, with no problems during the demo and the scene fit my large screen very well. Voice overs are nice and are age and character appropriate, with some emotion, fear, urgency and not just someone reading a script, except for Theodore. He sounds a bit whimpy to me and a lot younger than he looks. Could have used a little more in the sound FX department, but what we have is nicely done. Music was soothing and unobtrusive. Nothing scary jumped out at me during the demo and I saw no real ghostly figures floating around. There were some shadows.
HOPs are nothing new and I didn't see that you could switch to something else if you get bored with them. We have interactive HOPs, and I only saw lists during the demo. Scenes are not junkpiles and items are easy to spot. Puzzles were not difficult at all. I didn't find the need to skip any and none took me any time to complete...quite simple. SG is the standard format. The hint system is very helpful, but it does not transport you to longer locations. Fortunately the map does jump and areas are clearly identified by name and picture and areas of interest are marked. It even tells you if there are collectibles to be found in a location. I did find that once all objectives were completed in a location, you could not go back to pick up the collectibles, so find them first and then proceed with the level. Hopefully you can go back and pick them up in the extras. Fortunately, you don't do a lot of long distance backtracking in this game, but there is some.
Collectibles are not many, e.g. 25 paper dolls, which are plenty large enough to see easily. They can be anywhere and any shape. You also collect 25 morphing objects. These objects morph fairly slowly, which makes it a little harder to spot them. You need to stare at the screen for quite some time to catch them. I was getting bored waiting to find them.
I beta tested this game in December and really I liked it. Everything about it was fairly nice. This game is not all that challenging, and the story was really nothing new, but I found myself being drawn into it fairly quickly. I think this will appeal to all levels of players. I am interested enough to want to find out where this story will lead me. Yes, I will add this one to my collection.
As always, try it for yourself and see what you think. We all have different tastes in games and you may not care for this one at all. Thanks for the reviews.
I recommend this game!
Can you stop these stone-cold conspirators in time?
Overall rating
4
/
5
17 of 23 found this review helpful
Did that statue just move!
PostedFebruary 12, 2017
dancemom1
fromYakima, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Arcade & Action, Card & Board, Family, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Hi all! Well, we have #4 in this series. Naturally, I have the other 3 and thoroughly enjoyed every one of them. As always, I review on the game play and leave the story line to others. I was at the end of my review when my computer decided to take a vacation and tossed me out. Hopefully, I remember everything I had written. That said, the graphics in this addition are very nice and very clear. Animation was very smooth and very well done. Colors are bright and true. Voices are well done and are age and character appropriate, except for Tristan. I thought his voice was about 15 years younger than he looked. Sound FX aren't many, which make the game a little too quiet. Music is soothing and unobtrusive, until something is happening or about to happen and then it picks up.
HOPs are a combination of interactive lists, silhouettes and highlighted word search. The scenes are fairly clear and items are not difficult to find. You are not overrun with HOPs, but have enough to break things up a bit. I found that some of the puzzles were challenging and I needed to use more brain power than usual. Nothing too difficult, but they did take some time to complete. Hint system is very helpful and it does transport to longer locations. You do a lot of back tracking, so this saves a lot of time. The game flows very well, so you don't really get tired of running back and forth. Because of this, I did not find the need to use the map.
Collectibles were not many, but nicely done. We need to find 28 morphing items. These morph quickly and are different shapes, so be on the lookout. I did not run across any that were too small to see. We also have 12 talismans of various shapes. These are not to small either, but can blend well into the background.
Normally, I only review on the game play, but I really liked this story line. Not so much because of the story, but the characters that are used. Something different for a change. However, the thought of statues coming to life does creep me out a bit. This game has a lot of good qualities, nice HOPs, challenging puzzles and interesting story. I think most all levels of players will find this one fun. Yes, I am adding this to my collection.
As always, try it for yourself and see what you think. We all have different tastes in games and you may not care for this one at all. Thanks for the review.
I recommend this game!
Cure a deadly virus that causes patients to suffer endless nightmares!
Overall rating
3
/
5
20 of 25 found this review helpful
Time to retire this one...
PostedFebruary 9, 2017
dancemom1
fromYakima, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Family, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Word
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Hi all! Wow, another Redemption Cemetery. This was was extremely short, so it was a little difficult to really get a feel for the game. They have upgraded it a bit over the umpteen additions in this series. Is it my imagination, or is this a different dev? This does have excellent animation and very nice graphics. The voices are very well done, especially the bad guy. This was the first game I have played that did not have sound when you picked up an item. The sound FX are really nice, a lot of storm sounds of course. This one is set in the same type of place as all the others. I didn't notice music, but I usually turn it way down anyway.
HOPs are upgraded, but nothing special. We just have interactive lists and I did not see that we could switch to something else when we got bored. The scenes are fairly clean and items were not difficult to find. Puzzles were painfully simple and took no time or brain power to complete. Help system does give you a hint, but it does not transport to longer locations. This would have been a nice feature to have in this one, as you do a lot of back tracking...a lot.
Collectibles were very disappointing. All we have are 12 statuettes of patients in the hospital, which also gives a little bio on each person. These are not difficult to find and are fairly large. Definitely needed something extra here.
Not sure how anyone could give this one 5 stars. I liked this series and have a number of the games, but not the last few. The story isn't too bad, but I found that I got bored running back and forth. There is no challenge to this game at all and the lack of nice collectibles makes it not CE worthy. I try to find something good in any game, even if I don't care for it, but I think it's time to retire this one. I'm sure there will be those who really like this one, but it is not for me. I will recommend this game to beginners.
As always, try it for yourself and see what you think. We all have different tastes in games and you may find this one to be exactly what you are looking for. Thanks for the reviews.
I recommend this game!
A malevolent monster is causing accidents in Universe City!
Overall rating
4
/
5
27 of 31 found this review helpful
Interesting story...
PostedFebruary 4, 2017
dancemom1
fromYakima, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Family, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Word
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Hi all! Been gone for a while, playing with our grandson. I see we have #2 in this series. As usual, I review mostly on the game play and leave the story line to others who do a much better job than I. Game play in this addition was very good, no problems during the demo and it fit my large screen quite well. Graphics are quite nice, with very sharp and clear colors. I really liked the animation, e.g. mouth and eye movements and I did not experience any lag or choppy movements. The one thing that stood out, was the dog. He had a black outline that made it look like he was added for an after-thought, but otherwise, quite good. Voices weren't too bad, but they could have used a little more emotion and urgency when something bad or upsetting was happening. Instead of a helper, we have a mystical bracelet. This bracelet points out mystical animals that require mystical items/animals to get rid of them. This bracelet is used a lot during the game.
HOPs are very simple and straight forward. Nothing but interactive lists. Scenes were fairly clean and clear and items were not difficult to find. I did not see that you could switch to something else if you got bored with the same thing all the time. Puzzles were very simple and took no brain power to complete...no time either. Still, they were too bad. The only thing I liked about the map was the fact that it did show where a collectible was missed. Hint system is helpful, but did not transport to longer locations during the demo.
The collectibles were a bit disappointing, in that we only had 44 masks to find. These are the challenging part of the game. They blend quite well and are more like an x-ray or film overlay, so are very hard to spot in most cases. Some scenes have one and others have two. A bar off to the left tells you how many you need to find in each scene. Definitely needed more collectibles.
This was not a bad game at all. Simple, yes, but the story took an interesting turn right at the end of the demo...naturally. I frequently like to get simple games, just for the relaxation of it all. I did get rather tired of using the bracelet so much. I found that because of the story twist, I have the need to see how it plays out. I think most levels of players would find this one interesting. Yes, I will add it to my collection.
As always, try it for yourself and see what you think. We all have different tastes in games and you may not care for this one at all. Thanks for the reviews.
I recommend this game!
The mind is a powerful enemy in this gripping thriller!
Overall rating
4
/
5
44 of 56 found this review helpful
Interesting and challenging...
PostedJanuary 26, 2017
dancemom1
fromYakima, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Family, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Word
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Hi all! Well, we have #6 in this series. As usual, I review mostly on the game play and leave the story to those who do a much better job than I. The graphics in this game are quite good, except for the blur you have when going in and out of a close up scene. This is a constant complaint with this series, not sure why they can't fix it, but not a deal breaker. Colors are bright and true. As always, this series has wonderful voices with emotion, excitement, fear, etc. I do love a good accent. You can click through the dialog if you read faster than they speak, without missing any hidden clues. Game play was excellent, no problems during the demo. Animation was quite nice and had fairly smooth movements. The music was better than most. During the beta, it was quite over-powering, so they obviously actually read some of the reviews and fixed it. Yes, murder and mayhem, but a little comedy too. Not sure they really meant for the comedy, but had to laugh when the police office got shot and said "Oh, that hurt!" Really?
HOPs are very well done. You have a combination of interactive lists and interactive silhouettes. The scenes are fairly clear and items are not difficult to find, but some you do have to move things to find. These are well done. You can switch to a match 3 if you get tired of the HOPs. Puzzles are not all that difficult, but some are quite challenging. You need to use some brain power now and then. Nicely done. I really do like the map in this series, very clear and easy to follow. It also shows you where you have missed a collectible. You do a lot of back tracking, but you don't seem to get bored with returning to the same room or area. There is a transport feature. We used, the map automatically opens and shows you where to go. Hint system is quite useful and doesn't just tell you to move on.
Collectibles are many in this game. We need to find 8 pets, which are quite easy to spot; 15 cursed items, did not see that they morphed, some are quite small and easy to miss; 25 puzzle pieces that are not puzzle shaped, but a square of a puzzle, also not easy to spot; and 18 ghostly pounds...not sure what that is, but what I found were symbols carved into various objects, different sizes and shapes, and quite easy to miss. Collectibles are nicely done and somewhat challenging to find.
You have glasses that allow you to see things from the past, which gives you insight into what is happening and why. The story seemed to move a bit slowly, until we got to the why, then picked up nicely. You can actually reach into the "past" scene and get useful items for the inventory. I found this story to be interesting and the game challenging enough to make me want to buy it. When I beta tested this one in November, I gave it a 4.5 on my beta scale. Unlike others, I do not give 5 stars to every game I play and I do not give them unless a game is truly exceptional in all fields. This one was not, but was a very nice game all the same. I think all levels of players will find this one worth the CE price. Yes, I am adding this to my every growing collection of CE games.
As always, try it for yourself and see what you think. We all have different tastes in games and you may not care for this one at all. Thanks for the reviews.
I recommend this game!
Can you uncover the cause of the cool down?
Overall rating
4
/
5
22 of 26 found this review helpful
Well worth the CE price...
PostedJanuary 19, 2017
dancemom1
fromYakima, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Family, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Word
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Hi all! As always, I review mostly on the game play and leave the story line to others. This is #3 in this series and by far the best. Graphics are quit good, even though the characters look a bit cartoon-like up close. Features are just a bit too chiseled. Colors are really nice, even with a little purples here and there. For the most part, very clear and nice. I really loved the voices in this one...quite well done, with emotion and not just someone reading lines. Sound FX are throughout the game, so between that and the soothing music, there is no dead air time. Game play was exceptional, of course, with no problems during the very short demo. We do have a little helper bird who only makes noise when he needs to be used. He whistles, which gets quite annoying. Otherwise, he is very quiet. We also have a bit of time travel, which is always fun.
HOPs are a very nice combination of silhouettes, interactive and straight lists and finding pairs. I did not see that you could switch to something else. The scenes are clean and uncluttered and items are not difficult to find. I did find that the puzzles were very simple, and not a lot of them. There seems to be more action and doing, rather than puzzles. Help system is helpful and it does transport to longer locations. There is a jump map that indicates where a collectible may have been missed.
Collectibles are many and very well done, which makes this one CE worthy in my book. We have to find 32 glass shards that can be anywhere. These really aren't difficult to find. We also have the 12 Zodiac signs to find as well. Not sure what this does yet, but I will find out. Naturally, we have morphing objects. These morph fairly quickly and some can be a bit small, so be on the lookout for them.
This game is not really challenging, but I found that I was disappointed when the demo ended so abruptly. The story is nothing new, but it was interesting and kept you moving. There is just something about it that makes me want to keep playing. Do I think it is worth 5 stars...no, but I don't give them easily either. This game is well done, interesting, very nice collectibles and flows extremely well. I think all levels of players will find this one worth getting, for one reason or another. Yes, I am adding this one to my collection.
As always, try it for yourself and see what you think. We all have different tastes in games and you may not care for this one at all. Thanks for the review.
I recommend this game!
Can you save a group of students before it’s too late?
Overall rating
4
/
5
37 of 42 found this review helpful
Perfect game for a lazy day...
PostedJanuary 14, 2017
dancemom1
fromYakima, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Family, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Word
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Hi all! As always, I review mostly on the game play and leave the story to others to review. We have #5 in this series. For some reason, I only have 3. This game has fairly nice graphics, but could be a bit clearer, not a deal breaker by any means. Game play was excellent. Place was perfect and the game flowed very well. Colors are quite nice and bright, very true. Voices are age and character appropriate, with emotion for a change. Animation is excellent. Facial features fit whatever is happening at the time, movement are very smooth. Music is soothing until something is either happening or about to happen, then it cuts loose.
HOPs are varied interactive lists and interactive silhouettes. The scenes are fairly clear and items are not difficult to find. Set up is done quite nicely. Puzzles are simple and don't take any brain power to complete, but done well. I actually didn't skip any. We don't really have that many HOPs or puzzles in this one, but enough to keep you from getting bored with the story and play. Each game in this series has a little different story line and they have all been interesting. I'll have to figure out why I didn't get the one in this series. Yes, we have spirits, but they really aren't scary. Hint system is quite helpful and we do have a transport feature for longer locations. The jump map is also helpful, but I didn't really find the need to use it for this game. As I said, the game flowed quite well and is very easy to follow.
Collectibles are not many, but enough. We have character figurines, which are not in every scene, so watch for them. They can be anywhere. We also have 41 morphing items, so far one in each scene. They morph quit slowly, so it is easy to miss one if you are in a hurry to move on. The SG, of course, tells you where they are.
I found this game surprisingly fun and interesting. I really got into the story when the demo ended. I beta tested this a while back and I see that they did make some very nice changes to the play. No, not much challenge, but occasionally it's just nice to have a fun and relaxing game to play. This is one of them. I think all levels of players will find this one fun for one reason or another. Yes, I am adding this one to my collection of CE games.
As always, try if out for yourself and see what you think. We all have different tastes in games and you may not care for this one at all. Thanks for the reviews.
I recommend this game!
Can you stop evil forces from taking over the kingdoms?
Overall rating
2
/
5
12 of 16 found this review helpful
Could be okay with a fix...
PostedJanuary 12, 2017
dancemom1
fromYakima, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Family, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Word
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Hello friends! Well, we have #7 in this series, I believe. I only have 5 of them and not all are CE games. The graphics and animation in this game is very well done, with bright true colors. Game play was pretty good, with much better animation than in the last game in the series. They seem to have fixed the problem they have had with long lags between scenes as well. The game does flow, although a bit slowly. Music was not bad, but annoying after a while. Voice might have been good if they had been clear. The sound was very grainy and fuzzy. Thought it odd that no other reviewer noted this, but most all gave this one 5 stars too. Sound FX aren't bad when you have them.
HOPs are nothing new, and I only came across interactive lists. They were a bit cluttered but items are not hard to find. Puzzles were very simple, no challenge and no brain power used to complete them. I did not run across a transport feature in this game, so I had to do a lot of back-tracking. Yes, you have a jump map, which they also cleaned up a lot and is nicely done. It even shows you where you missed a collectible. SG is helpful, but not really needed, except to make sure you find all of the collectibles. Hint system is helpful.
The only real collectibles are 20 crowns of various size and shape. These are fairly easy to spot, but you still need to look for them. The SG and other reviews stated that we also have portraits of characters, I found a couple during the demo; cats which I have not seen yet..not sure what they do for you; and moons which when all are collected, open a horoscope for you. Collectibles are okay.
I like this series, but I'm not really sure this one is CE worthy. This game is not challenging at all, and the sound problem really put me off. The beta worked much better than the demo. This is not a bad game, they just need a little more quality assurance before they put them out for purchase. Maybe I'm just getting tired of the same game all the time. They never seem to change it up or give you anything new or extra, but I think a lot of players would like this one, if they fix the sound problem, so I will recommend the game when fixed. I will put this one in my puddle and see if we get a fix. If we do, I will get this game in the CE version...I seem to have a need to find those silly cats!
As always, try it for yourself and see what you think. We all have different tastes in games and you may find this one to be exactly what you are looking for. Thanks for the reviews.
I recommend this game!