roaming's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:2.1
- Helpful Votes:4,416
- Reviews Submitted:473
- First Review:April 23, 2013
- Most Recent Review:April 24, 2022
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Can you stop a past case from destroying the present?
Overall rating
1
/
5
19 of 27 found this review helpful
Boring Disappointment
PostedMay 31, 2019
I lasted 22 minutes of the demo. I kept thinking maybe I'm finding this boring because I don't feel well, or maybe it's the dark, dreary coloring of the scenes, or maybe it's doing all the same things I've had to do in too many other games like pick locks, find shaped keys, get rid of ants, use a magnet to retrieve something out of reach, and so on and so forth. Or maybe it's really because there was nothing to make me care about finding the missing characters or solving possible crimes. In 22 minutes there was no interaction with any other character beyond reading newspaper clippings, and the not-very-frightening monster who just went away after I hid in a shed.
I was hoping to find a pure mystery game without any of the elements of fantasy (other than the monster who I'm guessing will turn out to be no real monster) we've had to suffer in so many recent games. This one isn't the one. Sorry Elephant.
I don't recommend this game.
Follow Esther on a paranormal adventure in this classic hidden object game!
Overall rating
2
/
5
20 of 27 found this review helpful
Kitschiness Abounds
PostedMay 15, 2019
Big Fish isn't kidding when they say in the intro, "Find out in this classic hidden object adventure!.... Nostalgic, classic hidden object gameplay."
Graphic novel style graphics. Apparently the only voice acting is in the introduction. After that, you will have to read the conversation balloons (well, they're actually squares) while the characters stand stock still.
The story is that a bolt of strange lightening thrusts our heroine (you) 50 years into the future to 2018 and gives her the ability to see events in the past. Somehow she's been able to set herself up as a paranormal private detective in London with an office and everything. She's even made friends with a police detective named Jack who brings her five cases which you will solve one after the other as separate "chapters" in the game.
Maybe I'm being too cynical. Maybe I should up my rating to 2-1/2 stars. The graphics are actually pretty good. If they had moved, they would've been even better!
I recommend you at least give this one a try. If you're into kitsch, you might well like it.
Bring balance to different worlds endangered by chaos and help your partner, Seuss, find his lost love – Ariadna.
Overall rating
1
/
5
4 of 6 found this review helpful
Minus One Star
PostedMay 11, 2019
I will say the graphics were pretty good. However, it might have been one of the most boring things I've ever done, second only to filing numerical receipts.
I think an 11- or 12-year old might like it.
Unlock the secrets of the moor to save your niece from the banshee!
Overall rating
1
/
5
5 of 8 found this review helpful
Based on playing the entire demo
PostedMay 3, 2019
I don't even need to bother writing a review, because penmom36 and Granny_Gruff have already said everything I would say about this game.
Maybe if you're fairly new to the pond and haven't played as many HOPA games over the years as we have, you'll find this one interesting and fun to play, but as always, please try before you buy.
I don't recommend this game.
A couple's fixer-upper is haunted by a fierce creature.
Overall rating
1
/
5
5 of 9 found this review helpful
Now Way
PostedApril 30, 2019
Well, that was dreadful, pun intended. The dark, colorless, fuzzy graphics and puzzles embedded in HOS (or was it the other way around?) didn't make it any better.
The husband is a jerk. His wife has been terrified and wants to leave, but he wants to stay and spend the night. I'd have gotten the heck out after the wardrobe fell over all by itself blocking the bedroom door and trapping me inside. And who moves into the creepy old house they're flipping? Probably his idea.
I lasted 20 minutes of the demo.
Can you stop a crazed kidnapper in time?
Overall rating
1
/
5
7 of 10 found this review helpful
I Quit Before the Demo Was Over
PostedApril 30, 2019
I really have to agree with sjkmh45... not even the demo was any kind of fun.
The graphics are terrible... washed out, fuzzy, and primitive, as if the entire game was simply thrown together in a hurry. This is such a far cry from the excellence of the first Phantasmat, which won awards for best hidden object game, it hardly deserves the name.
The story... well, let me ask you this. If your daughter and three of her friends had been kidnapped and tied up and you know who the perp is and also have a memory stick with video, what would you do? Call the police or go charging off on your own in a boat left for your use by... wait for it... the kidnapper?
Also, please don't follow the example of using fertilizer in a bottle to make a smoke bomb, lighting the rag wick and then carrying it around for awhile while you fiddle around with gasoline. It won't end well.
I don't recommend this game.
Can you uncover the paranormal activity haunting the mall?
Overall rating
4
/
5
4 of 4 found this review helpful
Very Different and Intriguing
PostedApril 30, 2019
roaming
fromTexas
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
I thought this was a fantastic game, although I did feel a little confused right before the end of the demo when the owner appeared. Thinking about it after the demo, I'm pretty sure I have it figured out now.
I thought the graphics were awesome and just right for a spooky game set in today's technical age. In many ways, the story and graphics reminded me of something Rod Serling could have written for a Twilight Zone movie, especially the scene in the game room with the clown.
I don't buy CEs because the extras just aren't worth it to me, but I'll play the demo again when the SE comes out to see if any of the shine has worn off for me.
I recommend this game!
Can you recover an ancient underwater artifact in time?
Overall rating
2
/
5
4 of 4 found this review helpful
Bored and Frustrated
PostedApril 24, 2019
I played almost all of the demo before I gave up that this game would get any better. Initially I thought it held out some real promise, but it didn't take long before I was frustrated and bored. I think the boredom factor was a result of too much back and forth and needing to retrieve too many items, none of which did anything to move the story forward.
Can you stop a mad mayor and his destructive robots?
Overall rating
1
/
5
14 of 18 found this review helpful
Unoriginal and Boring
PostedApril 24, 2019
I have to give myself a pat on the back for completing the entire demo. I kept thinking it had to get better, but sadly, it didn't.
I agree with LunaNik: "This played like every other HOPA released over the past five years and included all the same silly elements that Elephant always includes...the broken zipper pull, the bees, something buried, etc. Gameplay was childishly easy, and the story line, while intriguing, unfolded at a glacial rate."
Games during the demo include the makeshift slingshot game and finding matching pairs to create handholds to climb up or down a cliff. In this case, the pairs were so obvious a two-year-old could have pointed them out.
Maybe it gets better during the rest of the game, but the demo didn't give me much confidence that it would. I'll pass on this one and give brave little Elf a pat on his back on my way out.
Be careful what you wish for... A deadly bargain has been made, and it's up to you to set things right before your nephew pays the terrible price!
Overall rating
3
/
5
0 of 2 found this review helpful
You've heard of The Never-Ending Story? Meet its first cousin, The Never-Ending Game.
PostedApril 23, 2019
roaming
fromTexas
Skill Level:Expert
There is a lot that's good about this game -- graphics, voice-overs, music -- until about the middle of it, when it starts to bog down and drag on and on. If you've been disappointed by the brevity and abrupt ending of some recent HOPAs, this is your game. As for me, I was thoroughly sick of it by the time it ended. Don't say I didn't warn you.