matai9's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:4.6
- Helpful Votes:233
- Reviews Submitted:17
- First Review:November 26, 2011
- Most Recent Review:October 21, 2021
- Featured reviews0
Return to your hometown to save your father and uncover Midnight Castle’s secrets!
Overall rating
5
/
5
27 of 32 found this review helpful
Storm the castle for mystical adventure!
PostedSeptember 20, 2015
matai9
fromAnderson, MO
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This game offers something for everyone who loves adventure with a combination of spooky scenes and magical elements. Although the game was fairly short, I felt there was an adequate mix of puzzle, HOGs and role playing to keep me busy.
Players have two animal helpers. The main game features an adorable bat to assist Anabel in her quest to save her father from the evil chamberlain and save the kingdom.
This "save the kingdom" tale has been done to death, but if you're a fan of the HOG Midnight Castle, this shouldn't be a concern.
A falcon flies to the rescue as you switch roles in the bonus chapter as Calum on a mission to save Anabel. A little effort is required here to feed your helper, or else he will turn his face around and not assist until he gets seeds or grain! The bat is not so demanding, but does require a strength potion once to battle possessed gargoyle/griffins at a gate entrance.
Artwork and voiceovers are fantastic, especially the dragon's deep tone reminiscent of Smaug in The Hobbit.
I enjoyed most of the puzzles, especially one where characters are rotated to line up with tangled lines and then selected to move along to their proper places. Other standouts for me were a mini game of steering a boat through rough waters with sharp craggy rocks in an underground lair. I had to do this one several times because I didn't see a turn coming.
A few find the pair HOGs are interspersed with traditional lists and unfolding stories where the hidden object is listed within the text in all caps.
I think the best of these was a traditional list scene where all the objects were in stone. Five crescent moons and five suns are required to open the rest of the list. This was really challenging, as all items looked like real stone surfaces.
Extras include 29 morphing objects, 12 collectible animal characters such as a witch mouse stirring a cauldron, and 32 stained glass pieces that complete a leadlight image with sun rays moving through. It really does look like a stained glass piece. Too bad it wasn't offered as a screen saver.
Achievements create incentives to find 3 objects in 3 seconds or 10 in 10 seconds, among several others. A soundtrack with four songs is also included, along with about a dozen wallpapers and concept art. There is a secret room with 13 replayable mini games and 16 HOGs. I didn't enjoy this secret room as well as others by Elephant Games because it was more of the same, even though you do get to earn additional "secret room" achievements. I loved the timed morphing hidden objects they have offered in other games with secret rooms.
Great fun with a wonderful atmosphere. I hope to see more Midnight Calling games.
Players have two animal helpers. The main game features an adorable bat to assist Anabel in her quest to save her father from the evil chamberlain and save the kingdom.
This "save the kingdom" tale has been done to death, but if you're a fan of the HOG Midnight Castle, this shouldn't be a concern.
A falcon flies to the rescue as you switch roles in the bonus chapter as Calum on a mission to save Anabel. A little effort is required here to feed your helper, or else he will turn his face around and not assist until he gets seeds or grain! The bat is not so demanding, but does require a strength potion once to battle possessed gargoyle/griffins at a gate entrance.
Artwork and voiceovers are fantastic, especially the dragon's deep tone reminiscent of Smaug in The Hobbit.
I enjoyed most of the puzzles, especially one where characters are rotated to line up with tangled lines and then selected to move along to their proper places. Other standouts for me were a mini game of steering a boat through rough waters with sharp craggy rocks in an underground lair. I had to do this one several times because I didn't see a turn coming.
A few find the pair HOGs are interspersed with traditional lists and unfolding stories where the hidden object is listed within the text in all caps.
I think the best of these was a traditional list scene where all the objects were in stone. Five crescent moons and five suns are required to open the rest of the list. This was really challenging, as all items looked like real stone surfaces.
Extras include 29 morphing objects, 12 collectible animal characters such as a witch mouse stirring a cauldron, and 32 stained glass pieces that complete a leadlight image with sun rays moving through. It really does look like a stained glass piece. Too bad it wasn't offered as a screen saver.
Achievements create incentives to find 3 objects in 3 seconds or 10 in 10 seconds, among several others. A soundtrack with four songs is also included, along with about a dozen wallpapers and concept art. There is a secret room with 13 replayable mini games and 16 HOGs. I didn't enjoy this secret room as well as others by Elephant Games because it was more of the same, even though you do get to earn additional "secret room" achievements. I loved the timed morphing hidden objects they have offered in other games with secret rooms.
Great fun with a wonderful atmosphere. I hope to see more Midnight Calling games.
I recommend this game!
Haunted Legends: The Dark Wishes Collector's Edition
Restore the threads of Fate, before they cause a disaster!
Overall rating
5
/
5
10 of 14 found this review helpful
Strange Magic
PostedMay 8, 2015
matai9
fromAnderson, MO
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
The latest installment of Haunted Legends is the most satisfying since Haunted Legends: Queen of Spades. I loved the artwork, soundtrack and magical special effects. The creepy dwarf SG seeks immortality and power once again at the expense of Roberto and Lucia, university students in possession of the philosophers stone. You play their professor, who is also a mage and capable of battling evil. The only action I didn't enjoy in the game was the use of a magic staff, which takes the place of a journal or diary. You read a paragraph with a clue word in all caps and then select it from a small hidden object scene. Finding these objects charges your staff. It is not at all challenging, so I would rather go back and read details in a journal. This game is much more gore-filled than others, which lends a more dramatic air to the story. A wraith-like woman is one of the main characters to interact with. She requires you to find different colored yarn balls for her to continue opening portals to different sections of Florence, Italy. The landscape artwork is stunning! Water effects on a washed out bridge and the character's realism certainly added to the story, especially SG. I could actually see his facial hair -- his face is that close to yours! I am a fan of the traditional list hidden objects scene, and this game offers several stunning scenes, like a wild boar in a shop window who squeals when you click on his snout. Another is a drawer opening with a skull drawing. Several items are more difficult to find in this illustration. A couple of highlights for the mini games are a realistic version or rock, paper, scissors, which was fun to play with a random solution, and a game where you collect several pearls that are later placed in a crypt mural. These pearls must be used to touch several other items like in a spider web design. This one took me a while to complete. The game is not particularly long with six medium-length chapters, but the bonus chapter adds enough game play for me.
Extras include: 18 replayable mini-games, 12 HOGS, 5 photos of game designers immersed in different scenes, 10 "movies" cutscenes, 3 songs, concept art, 8 wallpapers, and 4 screensavers. There are 16 pigeons hidden through the game, none in the bonus chapter. You have a pigeonry where you can click on individual birds and learn little factoids about them. This is preferable to a random collection of items. Your achievement room is a magical display of everything from a flower stem with a blue eyeball to a rug. Accolades are given for something easy like listening to all the dialogue, to finding 3 objects in 3 seconds. Really a standout game, great actors for voiceovers, artwork, music. It all came together for a magical yarn that promises to be an intriguing continuing series for ERS.
Extras include: 18 replayable mini-games, 12 HOGS, 5 photos of game designers immersed in different scenes, 10 "movies" cutscenes, 3 songs, concept art, 8 wallpapers, and 4 screensavers. There are 16 pigeons hidden through the game, none in the bonus chapter. You have a pigeonry where you can click on individual birds and learn little factoids about them. This is preferable to a random collection of items. Your achievement room is a magical display of everything from a flower stem with a blue eyeball to a rug. Accolades are given for something easy like listening to all the dialogue, to finding 3 objects in 3 seconds. Really a standout game, great actors for voiceovers, artwork, music. It all came together for a magical yarn that promises to be an intriguing continuing series for ERS.
I recommend this game!
Redemption Cemetery: The Island of the Lost Collector's Edition
You crash-land on an island populated by ghosts. Like them, are you trapped here forever?
Overall rating
5
/
5
9 of 16 found this review helpful
Doomed island sets scene for ghost hunting
PostedMarch 6, 2015
matai9
fromAnderson, MO
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Help a cursed man turn back time for souls trapped on a lost island inhabited by a Pan's Labyrinth Pale Man inspired necromancer. I felt immersed in this gloomy, haunted environment. My only complaint in the artwork is that during closeups the characters are not quite as well drawn as in previous games or as realistic. HOGs varied between traditional lists and a couple of fragmented scenes. Puzzles were not too difficult. One of my favorites was collecting portraits of the victims and placing them on headstones, and then selecting letters that kept moving like a shell game to spell out their names. I didn't use the map too often, as most inventory items were used quickly. Several story pieces are hidden throughout the game. These pieces unlock several books, but I didn't read any new information that you wouldn't understand from the storyline. Extra gameplay is similar to Bubble Witch saga, where a couple of skeleton hands shoot out colored balls to match up. Soundtracks, wallpaper, several screen saver choices and a quiz to determine which game character you most closely resemble round out the CE extras.
I recommend this game!
Christmas Eve: Midnight's Call Collector's Edition
Do you have what it takes to save Christmas?
Overall rating
5
/
5
25 of 28 found this review helpful
Christmas with a twist
PostedDecember 15, 2014
matai9
fromAnderson, MO
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
A black swan attacking people in a mostly cheerful snowscene provides great visuals, and the mini games are wonderful. I felt as if I were truly an elf helper, performing all sorts of tasks from assembling toys to crafting a hacksaw crusted with diamond powder. Very imaginative games and fun HOGs, which were a mix of traditional lists and finding differences, which was challenging. The story involves a sibling who opens Pandora's box and eventually tries to overtake the world. Surprisingly, this gothic tale was interwoven nicely into a pristine snow covered landscape. The map was greatly appreciated, since there is a fair amount of tasks and inventory items. Indicators point out where you have completed a scene. An adorable snowman helper performs several actions, mostly by hurling snowballs at items out of your reach. Collectibles are various packages found throughout the game. These presents open up different extras such as wallpapers. A few mini games are easy, but most made me think, like a game where cubes are half red and gold dragons that must all be turned to gold to advance. Overall, this game offers a spirited and imaginative adventure.
I recommend this game!
Is Martha really a werewolf - or has she been wrongly accused?
Overall rating
5
/
5
7 of 15 found this review helpful
Satisfying story with bite!
PostedJune 6, 2014
matai9
fromAnderson, MO
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
The latest installment of Shadow Wolf Mysteries was fast paced and fun to play. I finished in in about 3 hours, so my only complaint is that it seemed a little short.
Even though fans of ERS games will most likely miss the voice animation, cut scenes and interaction with the different werewolf-like animals was fantastic, even jolting at times.
The story line is well-developed and is enhanced by looking for clues on each character through a magnifying glass.
HO scenes were a mix of traditional list, reverse HO and HOP. Great puzzles, not too hard but creative. Collectibles are tidbits of werewolf trivia.
Achievements, once met, are hidden behind shields that are accessed by clicking on silver bullets at the start screen. It was a fun twist on collecting them, shooting the covers and viewing what achievement was underneath.
Overall, a great game.
Even though fans of ERS games will most likely miss the voice animation, cut scenes and interaction with the different werewolf-like animals was fantastic, even jolting at times.
The story line is well-developed and is enhanced by looking for clues on each character through a magnifying glass.
HO scenes were a mix of traditional list, reverse HO and HOP. Great puzzles, not too hard but creative. Collectibles are tidbits of werewolf trivia.
Achievements, once met, are hidden behind shields that are accessed by clicking on silver bullets at the start screen. It was a fun twist on collecting them, shooting the covers and viewing what achievement was underneath.
Overall, a great game.
Stop the disaster caused by the Sky Kingdom and save the day!
Overall rating
1
/
5
7 of 10 found this review helpful
Felt like a chore
PostedFebruary 16, 2014
matai9
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Most scenes were too busy, especially the HOGs. Some pieces were distorted in shadow and the items that required an extra step were hard to locate.
Puzzles were easy and repetitive, like the flower puzzle, which seemed to appear over and over.
Also, I couldn't finish chapter 10 because I didn't have the angel arm band, which never made it to my inventory. So I didn't finish, but it is so boring and repetitive -- I'm not even interested.
Puzzles were easy and repetitive, like the flower puzzle, which seemed to appear over and over.
Also, I couldn't finish chapter 10 because I didn't have the angel arm band, which never made it to my inventory. So I didn't finish, but it is so boring and repetitive -- I'm not even interested.
I don't 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
Third Ravenhearst A Challenge
PostedNovember 26, 2011
matai9
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
The third installment of the MCF Ravenhearst series was the most challenging, but Return to Ravenhearst has yet to be equaled in terms of scenes and the soundtrack.
The graphics were superb, although I did have to use a hint once in the ruins of the original mansion (it was hard to see in the shadows).
I would have enjoyed a few more traditional HOG scenes. I thought the extra gameplay in this collector's edition was really challenging, and I especially enjoyed matching the door pieces to scenes I had already played.
My one complaint was the strategy guide. The pictures usually worked, but in the case of the dynamite chore, I couldn't get it to work and had to exit the game and go to the forum to read about the missed step that was not in the strategy guide.
Also, I enjoyed most "doorways" but there was a little too much of the mental ward scene combined with the asylum. I thought maybe the dripping caverns behind Charles' childhood home would be another world to explore.
My favorite door was with the boat ride and gazebo.
I look forward to playing more MCF games and seeing what twists and turns the game developers' imaginations can create!
The graphics were superb, although I did have to use a hint once in the ruins of the original mansion (it was hard to see in the shadows).
I would have enjoyed a few more traditional HOG scenes. I thought the extra gameplay in this collector's edition was really challenging, and I especially enjoyed matching the door pieces to scenes I had already played.
My one complaint was the strategy guide. The pictures usually worked, but in the case of the dynamite chore, I couldn't get it to work and had to exit the game and go to the forum to read about the missed step that was not in the strategy guide.
Also, I enjoyed most "doorways" but there was a little too much of the mental ward scene combined with the asylum. I thought maybe the dripping caverns behind Charles' childhood home would be another world to explore.
My favorite door was with the boat ride and gazebo.
I look forward to playing more MCF games and seeing what twists and turns the game developers' imaginations can create!
I recommend this game!