sportygal2009's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.5
- Helpful Votes:8,859
- Reviews Submitted:221
- First Review:November 12, 2011
- Most Recent Review:November 28, 2015
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Play as Special Agent Nicole Bonnet as you investigate the gritty streets of New York on the trail of a heinous ritual murderer!
Overall rating
1
/
5
11 of 14 found this review helpful
A Great Game Ruined By A Random Solution Puzzle
PostedAugust 7, 2013
sportygal2009
fromSouth Bend, IN
Skill Level:Beginner
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This review is based on about 3 hours of game play.
Well I'll start by saying I'm pretty new to the large file games and the first one I completed was part of this series and that being Art of Murder: The Puppeteer. While this game was not an easy one and very challenging well I was able to finish it and yes I did consult the walk through about 4 times for the game and I rated that 5 stars so I was looking forward to playing the rest of the games in this series so I purchased this game here...
The demo while challenging for me I still found this to be an excellent game and I also didn't consult the walk through at any time during the demo play. I really loved the story line, graphics, characters and voice overs.
Where this game went down the hill for me was this "random" solution of flipping the light switches in the basement until you hopefully get them to come on. Oh and once you put in what you *think* the solution may be well then you have to "step back" away from the puzzle to see if it's correct or not because it won't just tell you and well I worked close to 2 hours just on this puzzle alone and way too much madness for me. I'm all for trying to figure stuff out but I won't spend anymore than this on just one puzzle. If this is some people's idea of fun spending hours on end trying to solve one puzzle and that's what makes a game long and great well more power to you. No I don't expect nor would want to spend just a few seconds on a puzzle but I'd say anymore than 5 to 10 minutes is too much madness. Oh and if I can't figure it out well there should be a solution for this in the walk through or strategy guide and you can also bet I've wrote into Big Fish Customer Service about this nonsense and to pass it on to every developer to have solutions for all the puzzles. I'm mean why bother making walk throughs and strategy guides for games if the solution to a puzzle isn't going to be there?
Overall sorry Big Fish and developer but this definitely gets the 1 star stop the madness, cut this off and pull the plug rating. I'm all for seeing more of these Art of Murder games but please put the solutions to puzzles in the walk through in case needed.
As always, give it a whirl and decide for yourself.
I don't recommend this game.
Guide a mother who pursues a terrifying apparition into a twisted reality to save her daughter.
Overall rating
4
/
5
36 of 43 found this review helpful
A Very Good Sequel I Enjoyed It - Review Of Completed Game
PostedAugust 7, 2013
sportygal2009
fromSouth Bend, IN
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This is the 2nd game in this series. The first being: Stray Souls: Dollhouse Story released as a CE February 2011 and as a SE March 2011. If you haven't played the first one it's not totally necessary but I'd recommend it if you want to get a better understanding of the story. This second one here uses different characters for this story however there is reference back to the first in this series.
Story: You take on the role of Rose who is out to look for her missing husband whose last known address is a very creepy motel room. When you have arrived to the motel from Hades, Julie (daughter) is suddenly carried off by her father through a portal. You meet up with a creepy looking hand puppet and you both enter a really bizarre world. A town of wooden life size puppets and a mad stalker clown who doesn't look exactly like Pennywise from Stephen King's IT however made me think of this clown all the while I was playing this game.
CHAPTERS: 14. The CE extras I've listed at the very bottom.
PLAY MODES: 2 Casual and Expert
.
In Casual mode, the hint button takes 30 seconds to refill, in Expert mode, it takes 2 minutes to refill and is helpful outside of HOS. You can change the difficulty setting any time during the game. I played Expert mode. There are no sparkles however black bar tips.
.
In Casual mode, the hint button takes 30 seconds to refill, in Expert mode, it takes 2 minutes to refill and is helpful outside of HOS. You can change the difficulty setting any time during the game. I played Expert mode. There are no sparkles however black bar tips.
WIDESCREEN: I had no problems here. Filled the 20 inch monitor just fine. No adjustments needed. Running on Windows 7 64 Bit no tech issues.
There is voice overs
JOURNAL: Holds some notes, puzzle clues and the map.
MAP: You will get this shortly into the game. This is transporter. The red triangle is where you are. Green areas are where there are things to do. Orange areas nothing to do at the present.
DOLLHOUSE: At the bottom there is also a dollhouse where you will add different "doll figures" throughout the game.
HOS; Not very many here. No I didn't count but only did 2 during the demo time. They are not interactive but you will have to "move" something to locate some of them. A couple on the Sanford & Son junkyard pile side however no problem. Pretty well done for the most part.
PUZZLES: Not very many here either but seemed to be more puzzles than HOS though and most the usual run of the mill: Rotate rings, get pieces from one side to the other, slider puzzle, get the bride & groom out of the maze, etc. Skip takes a couple of minutes.
The main game does come to a satisfactory conclusion in my opinion. The bonus chapter is not needed. I enjoyed it though but only bought the CE because it was on sale.
MAIN GAME LENGTH: 5 hours. May be more or less for you.
OVERALL IMPRESSION:
I've bought/played the CE version along with reviewing it so I'll keep this short. I didn't really find this to be a "challenging" game but I thought it was a very good sequel and while it doesn't have to be very challenging and I really liked the doll just like in the first game of this series but I thought it was a bit too helpful along with the black bar tips playing in expert mode. The doll should of just been used to get a hint if needed. I would also consider this a HOPA (hidden object puzzle adventure) but for me I thought the "adventure" was on the "light" side.
Overall 4 stars from me. Thanks Big Fish and developer for a very good game.
As always, give it a whirl and decide for yourself.
CE EXTRAS:
Bonus Chapter
Strategy Guide
12 Wallpapers
12 Concept Art
12 Characters - just shows all the characters in the game.
16 Mini games
12 videos
Bonus Chapter
Strategy Guide
12 Wallpapers
12 Concept Art
12 Characters - just shows all the characters in the game.
16 Mini games
12 videos
I recommend this game!
Nicole Bonnet is a young, but experienced, FBI agent. Help her track a dangerous serial killer across two continents!
Overall rating
5
/
5
11 of 11 found this review helpful
My First Large File Game - Very Thrilling/Engrossing- Review Of Completed Game
PostedAugust 6, 2013
sportygal2009
fromSouth Bend, IN
Skill Level:Beginner
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Large File
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
You take on the role of Nicole Bonnet, an American FBI agent and must track down a dangerous serial killer known as the "Puppeteer" that the FBI believes has moved from the USA to Paris, France.
This is definitely a true point/click adventure game but NO 360 degree movement (woo hoo as I don't like this). You won't find any HOS (Hidden Object Scenes) here. Lots of traveling back/forth and talking with people to get things accomplished. The hint system for me was a hit and miss. Sometimes I found it helpful and sometimes not as it just brings up question marks. You also have to combine items from the inventory to use them which I found to be done by trial and error. There's also a couple of parts in the game that are "timed" and you can't skip them along with one I would consider a puzzle. Other than that no puzzles. Also at times can't "pick up" items until they are actually needed. You also have to save the game as it's not done automatically.
OVERALL IMPRESSION:
WOW! What a rush! A totally thrilling and engrossing game. The story line right along with the graphics, voice overs and characters especially Nicole just excellent for me.
As my title says this is my first large file game I've played all the way through as the ones I've tried in the past were the 360 degree movement and well I can't play those and while I've played a lot of games here on Big Fish mostly HOG's and HOPA 's (Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure) I find this to be a bit different. My reason for putting myself as a "beginner." I was so happy to see this game isn't that along with a group play at the Big Fish and an excellent walk through in case needed which I've rarely consulted one for games but I did have to for this game about 4 times.
As for the game length this game was quite long for me. It took me about 12 hours to complete this. Most of it in one setting but not all of it.
While I ran into a few frustrating parts (the couple of "timed" parts along with the one puzzle) in this game well I can't help but rate this 5 stars as I found this to be way more fun than frustrating but it was definitely challenging and not an easy game for me. Thanks Big Fish and developer. I sure look forward to seeing more games like this and especially the Art of Murder series here but from what I've read this developer seems to be taking this to the HOG/HOPA level. I sure hope they decide to go back to 'adventure" for this series.
As always, give it a whirl and decide for yourself.
I recommend this game!
Natalie has unwittingly embarked on a dangerous and exciting journey! Can she prevent ancient evil spirits from awakening?
Overall rating
2
/
5
17 of 25 found this review helpful
I Wanted To Like But Needs Work - Review of Completed Game
PostedJuly 31, 2013
sportygal2009
fromSouth Bend, IN
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Time Management, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Story: You take on the role of young Natalie here who is a writer and has had lots of misfortunes and ends up missing her ship back to America where she ends up meeting up with a captain who is heading her direction so she agrees to go with him. Little does she know though this doesn't come without a price of course.
GRAPHICS: I would definitely consider "dated" and "old school" and they are cartoon type drawn.
WIDESCREEN: None for me as I had to change my resolution setting but you can control the brightness and "screen movement" within the options. NO voice overs
2 PLAY MODES: Casual and Advanced. I really didn't see much of a difference between play modes as both have sparkles on them. Hint is a little quicker in Casual mode but not much. Hint/Skip charge up is slow. Hint is also directional outside of HOS however if you aren't in the correct scene to use it well you do have to wait for it to charge up again.
MAP: This has a total of 14 locations. This is not transporter. It does list all the locations and shows where you are but doesn't state if there is anything to do or not in the area.
HOS: There is a total of 11 scenes. This varied for me. Some I found to be quite clear, Some on the Sanford & Son junkyard pile side and some where the items were too small and/or too blended into the scene and a few just about off the screen. Yes a few hints here. Slight interaction of having to like "move something" but not much. Also a couple of items not named correctly.
INVENTORY: You also have to combine a few items however not made clear. You have to figure out on your own.
PUZZLES: There is 15 puzzles. Most the usual run of the mill however a couple of different ones that are timed as you have about 3 minutes and if you don't get it within that time you have to start over but this can be skipped. Oh and there is one that involves spiders and another rats so if you have a phobia. This is your warning. I also did all the puzzles but 1 and that was the rats as I have a mice/rat phobia so when they came up well I went on a cigarette/coffee break until I could skip that. LOTS of rats. The skip couldn't be available fast enough for this mini game/puzzle!
GAME LENGTH: This was about 5 hours for me. May be more/less for you.
OVERALL IMPRESSION:
Oh dear! I honestly really wanted to like this game and rate this better than 2 stars. This game really had a lot of potential and could of been great if the developer here would of put some more time and resources into this.
I'll start off with the graphics though. While they may be too dated for some I really liked the cartoon hand drawn graphics. There is a part of me that is into nostalgia I suppose when it comes to such things as this as I still love to watch the TV shows and movies done in black/white. Having said this well those TV shows and movies fill my big screen here at home and they are older than this game so should be in working wide screen. I paid for a 20 inch monitor not 15. I shouldn't have to change resolution to get the game to fill my screen.
The storyline I found intriguing and interesting itself and starting out but the more I moved along in the game well I'll have to agree with the review that stated dialogue was thin and the story seemed to have gaps in it and then the full plot was suddenly revealed within a few seconds. What little dialogue there was went by too fast. I also thought there could of been more character interaction.
I also don't mind going back/forth as that is what "adventure" is however some of this I found too tedious when it's clear that you will need something but oh no you can't pick it up just yet. The hint I also found downright annoying having to wait for it to charge up again.
Oh and then there is the map. Why bother having a map if you can't use it? This wouldn't of bothered me if the game play didn't end up being so tedious.
Sorry Big Fish and developer. I tried to be as nice and generous as possible rating this game but 2 stars is the best I can do. I honestly really wanted to like this but this needs work and sent back to the Big Fish attic.
As always, give it a whirl and decide for yourself.
I don't recommend this game.
A long-forgotten artifact has just resurfaced, and the race to claim it will cause a devastating war. The only thing strong enough to stop it is one woman’s promise to the man she loves.
Overall rating
4
/
5
98 of 122 found this review helpful
Oh How I LOVE Being In The Minority LOL - Review Of Completed Game
PostedJuly 27, 2013
sportygal2009
fromSouth Bend, IN
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Story: You take on the role of Catherine Taylor and must stop a devastating war over a long lost artifact that has recently resurfaced and uncover the truth of the Cobra's Eye and not only save your true love Daniel but the world from evil forces known as the Draugs trying to claim it.
There is widescreen at least for me. I had no problems here along with no tech issues.
There is voice overs.
6 CHAPTERS (bonus review at the bottom)
2 play modes: I played Advance mode the hardest mode. No sparkles however black bar tips. Hint/Skip about a couple of minutes for charge up. Hint is also directional outside of HOS.
JOURNAL: Holds objectives which also pop up on the screen along with notes.
MAP: This is transporter with a total of 32 locations and it indicates where you are by a "yellow glow" to the circle. Areas with ! there is something to do in these areas.
HOS: There are quite a few of these however I didn't find myself doing them one right after the other and there are a couple on each list that are interactive. Some scenes for me a little on the Sanford & Son junkyard pile side however most nice and clear. Oh and yes you will visit a few scenes more than once.
INVENTORY: Sometimes used right away but at times I had quite a bit in the inventory.
PUZZLES: These are widely varied in difficulty and type - and there are a great many of them. Yet another to my surprise I found myself enjoying most of them.
The main game here came to a satisfactory conclusion for me. Bonus chapter not needed.
BONUS CHAPTER: This is a new story that has to do with a lady from Catherine's past who is out to seek revenge and getting more back story on the Cobra's eye. This has 10 locations which are all new and none from the main game. A nice balance of HOS and puzzles here as well. This also came to a satisfactory conclusion for me with no kind of cliff hanger.
MAIN GAME LENGTH: 6 hours
BONUS CHAPTER: 1 hour
BONUS CHAPTER: 1 hour
May be more/less for you!
CE EXTRAS:
Strategy Guide
3 Bonus Movies
12 Wallpapers
12 Concept Art
4 Original Score
Strategy Guide
3 Bonus Movies
12 Wallpapers
12 Concept Art
4 Original Score
OVERALL IMPRESSION:
Oh dear! Oh my and LOL! I just finished reading some reviews now that I've completed this game and I see as of right now outside of a couple of people I'm in the minority as well when it comes to this game. Well I really enjoyed this game and have no problem saying so.
I had no problem with the graphics. They were nicely done for me. I also liked the characters as I liked Catherine's sense of humor throughout this game and I definitely agree with the review that stated the two male characters are total hunks here on the main page reviews (LOL) and I also thought the voice overs were really good but I think their mouths should of been moving and I also enjoyed the story. I'll even take this a step further and say I have one of the screen savers of one of these hunks saved on my desk top!
This for me just had a lot to do and places to go and with the exception of the black bar tips this was just the right amount of challenge for me. Oh and no I'm not a beginner as I see it's said this game is for beginners only. Some of us just like more relaxing games is all. I play games on here for fun and to relax, not to be frustrated.
Overall a 4 stars from me. What keeps this from getting 5 stars is the lack of bells and whistles: achievements, collectibles and morphs for this being a CE cause this definitely would of added more to this game. Should also be there for a CE.
Thanks Big Fish for the sale (my reason for purchasing the CE) and to the developer here for a very good game and the eye candy to look at throughout this game the two hunks. The SE when that gets released will receive 5 stars from me!
As always, give it a whirl and decide for yourself.
I recommend this game!
Nightmares from the Deep: The Siren's Call Collector's Edition
Face off against Davy Jones and his nightmares from the deep!
Overall rating
5
/
5
30 of 33 found this review helpful
Well Rock My Socks Big Fish - This Is AWESOME - Review Of Completed Game
PostedJuly 26, 2013
sportygal2009
fromSouth Bend, IN
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Current Favorite:
Nightmares from the Deep: The Siren's Call Collector's Edition
(114)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
If you haven't played the first in this series Nightmares from the Deep: The Cursed Heart while this game does reference back to this, I think this game stands alone on its own quite well and not necessary.
STORY: You once again take on the role of Sarah Black and must once again face off against the notorious Davy Jones but this time he has an evil accomplice Mayor Murray who you are trying to help to keep the siren, Calliope, from this evil mayor who is half human and half fish and also turning the townspeople of Kingsmouth into sea creatures.
8 CHAPTERS (bonus review at bottom)
3 PLAY MODES: I played the hardest mode which is Expert and this mode has black bar tips but no sparkles. Hint/Skip slower on charge up but didn't seem that long to me. Hint is directional outside of HOS.
JOURNAL: Holds objectives (also pop up on screen) along with notes.
MAP: Is transporter but doesn't show active locations on the map. I didn't use it at all. Just checked to see if it was transporter or not.
Displayed just superb in widescreen for me. No tech issues.
There is voice overs
HOS: These are interactive and found by word list, objects listed at bottom where you find one, put back into scene that will lead you to finding another one along with silhouettes of items. There's also a "mini game" in some of these. It was stated in reviews that you could switch back/forth between doing this or playing Mahjong. My downloaded version of this game doesn't have Mahjong??
PUZZLES: The usual run of the mill but some with a new twist on them and there's quite a few.
OVERALL IMPRESSION:
WOW! What a rush and intense game. Lots of drama/action going on here. There were a couple of scenes in this game that actually startled me and about made me jump out of the chair. As of today this is by far the best game I've played here at the Big Fish.
I loved the storyline. The cut scenes and graphics to me are just superb right along with the characters and voice overs.
This was also the right amount of challenge for me. Not too hard or too easy though I still wished there were no black bar tips. At first inventory used pretty much right away but more into the game there was some back/forth to this. A nice balance of HOS and puzzles as well. To my surprise since I'm not really a fan of the puzzles but since I enjoyed this game so much I found myself enjoying most of these as well. This just had a lot to do and places to go. The main game here also came to a satisfactory conclusion for me.
BONUS CHAPTER: This is an adventure featuring the praetorians where you have to find the book of Davy Jones. I thought this was very well done. Some locations are from the main game but some new ones. There's still the different types of HOS here along with some puzzles of course. This ended and wrapped up quite nicely but does seem to hint at another sequel which I sure hope so and would definitely welcome.
CE EXTRAS:
Bonus Chapter
Strategy Guide
11 Achievements
Objects to find:
19 Golden Octopi
18 Silver Parrots
7 Brass Sea Horses
Other extras:
8 Concept Art
24 Cut Scenes
9 HO Puzzles
6 Music
10 Wallpapers
Bonus Chapter
Strategy Guide
11 Achievements
Objects to find:
19 Golden Octopi
18 Silver Parrots
7 Brass Sea Horses
Other extras:
8 Concept Art
24 Cut Scenes
9 HO Puzzles
6 Music
10 Wallpapers
MAIN GAME LENGTH: Close to 7 hours
BONUS CHAPTER LENGTH: Close to 2 hours.
BONUS CHAPTER LENGTH: Close to 2 hours.
May be more/less for you. I will say though while I'm not one to rush through my games but I did spend some extra time on this one as I can tell the developer here put some time, thought and work into this game.
Thanks Big Fish and developer for an awesome game here. A definite 5 stars all the way from me. As my title says: This game just rocked my socks. This is AWESOME. I hope to see more like this brought to the site here!
As always, give it a whirl and decide for yourself.
I recommend this game!
Giant mutated plants have sprung up across the city! It's time to save the day!
Overall rating
4
/
5
37 of 39 found this review helpful
What A Riveting Story - Liked It - Review Of Completed Game
PostedJuly 24, 2013
sportygal2009
fromSouth Bend, IN
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This is a Sci-Fi story. You take on the role of Iris and must save your daughter Lily, husband and the city from the mutated plants that have sprung up and taken over.
2 play modes: I played Expert mode. The hint/skip take a couple of minutes for charge up and the hint is directional outside of HOS. There are some black bar tips however some things don't have them and there are NO sparkles on anything. This also has a click penalty where the game will "freeze up" for a couple of minutes.
JOURNAL: Holds some story, notes, and a few puzzle clues.
There is widescreen at least for me. No problem here.
There is voice overs
There is no map.
HOS: Found by word list and slightly interactive and definitely on the Sanford & Son junkyard pile side. You also visit each scene twice but you're not doing them one right after the other. There were a couple of scenes where a couple of items were barely visible and this is where I encountered the "click penalty." Other than that no problems here. I also enjoyed decorating Lily's birthday cake. I thought that was fun. I see some didn't much care for this. I mean after all it is her birthday! LOL!
PUZZLES: The usual run of the mill found in many games. There are many of them once you get more into the game. I didn't come across anything new here. I'm not a fan of these but most I found pretty easy. Skipped a couple of them.
OVERALL IMPRESSION:
If you haven't played the first in this series which is Natural Threat: Ominous Shores I don't think it's necessary as this game stands alone on it's own. Granted I only played 1/2 hour of that game as I just couldn't get into it but I didn't feel like I was missing anything not playing that to completion.
I will say I was hesitant to download this and play since I wasn't that impressed with the first one in this series but I was pleasantly surprised especially since I'm not really a fan of the mutated plant theme but thought I'd give it a whirl anyway. I was hooked to this right from the get go and held my interest to the very end. I didn't stop playing until I got to the end.
The story to me is definitely far fetched and "out there" but I liked it. The opening cut scene is what really drew me into the game.
The graphics while they may be outdated to some but I thought they were very clear and nicely drawn outside of a couple of HOS as those could of been more clear. Definitely eerie.
What I really liked about this game was the sounds. This I found to be very intense. The screams as they sounded so real especially in the early cut scenes of this game.
I also liked the balance of HOS, puzzles, and traveling back/forth. At first inventory used pretty much right away but once I got more into the game there is some back/forth to this game especially towards the end as you have to go back several scenes to do stuff. I just found this a lot to do and places to go.
As for the game length this was about 5 hours for me. May be more/less for you.
Overall a 4 stars from me. I really liked this game but I knocked it down a star as I didn't like the click penalty as it will freeze up the game for about a couple of minutes and the inventory bar got in the way when trying to go back to a previous scene in the game as I didn't come across anyway to lock/unlock it. I also thought all black bar tips should not of been there on Expert mode.
Thanks Big Fish and developer for a very good game here. This was sure good use of my punch card coupon code but please stop the madness on the black bar tips and especially the click penalty. Sorry but I don't get the purpose of the click penalty??
As always, give it a whirl and decide for yourself.
I recommend this game!
Work as a Park Ranger in a beautiful National Park!
Overall rating
3
/
5
11 of 16 found this review helpful
Definitely Not A Bad Game Put I'll Pass - Review Based on Demo
PostedJuly 23, 2013
sportygal2009
fromSouth Bend, IN
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
This is a HOP (Hidden Object Puzzle) and this isn't timed. There is no timed option at least I didn't come across one.
2 PLAY MODES: Casual and Challenge. I just played Casual since the only difference was the hint/skip charge up time. There are no sparkles on anything.
In Casual you have to take the tutorial. Hint/Skip charge up pretty quick.
In Challenge mode there is no tutorial, but the hint and skip button recharge slow.
There is widescreen at least for me. I had no problems here.
No voice overs
Shortly into the game you have to do a jig saw puzzle putting together a map which shows you the way through the park, or rather where you have been already. It also shows you which color star you have achieved on each level. Depending how well you do you can earn a gold, silver, or bronze star and you can also replay the level if you want.
For completing a level you get a bronze star.
For finding all Lost & Found objects OR all of the recycling in one scene, you get a silver star.
For finding all Lost & Found objects AND all recycling in one scene, you get a gold star.
The Lost & Found objects are found by silhouette and the recycling is picking up cans, bottles, etc. You also earn bonus points for these along with if you find all the items in the scene without using the hint there is a "special eagle eye" bonus points.
HOS: Found by word list. Objects listed in red are hidden behind or inside of something. Objects in purple color you have to find fish to put in the bucket just for an example here.
PUZZLES: Jig saw, spot difference, etc. Nothing hard here.
OVERALL IMPRESSION:
If you like the Big City Adventure or Mystery PI games well you should enjoy this. I like to play these as well every once in a while however what keeps me from purchasing this is while the graphics are very well done and clear on the surface but when it comes to "finding" objects some of the objects are a bit too small and/or too well hidden meaning too blended into the scene such as a brown star on brown background for me. Some of the silhouettes to find I had a hard time making out what they even were as it just looked like a black blob. I also tried hovering my mouse over the objects like in some games it will give you the name of the object to find but not here.
Oh and what you actually do with the points you earn well I didn't come across anything during the hour demo of spending them on anything. It might come later or you just simply earn to see how well you do like in the Big City Adventure and Mystery PI games.
Overall a 3 stars from me. Definitely not a bad game but I'm not into eye strain. Thanks though Big Fish and developer. I still recommend it however as I'm sure some will love this and have little to no difficulty finding the objects but not for me.
As always, give it a whirl and decide for yourself.
I recommend this game!
Hop aboard to cross the border between life and death!
Overall rating
3
/
5
42 of 50 found this review helpful
Started Out Great Ended Not So Great - Review of Completed Game
PostedJuly 21, 2013
sportygal2009
fromSouth Bend, IN
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Story: You take on the role of Alan who has asked his girlfriend Catalina to marry and she says yes but must get her father's blessing so off the two of you go to meet her father at the train station but he's not there Then she is kidnapped on the day of the dead !! Up to you to save her, find the father, and deal with the deads' world and if possible remain alive. You also meet up with a talking book whose name is Guide to help you along.
CHAPTERS: 7
3 play modes: Casual, Advance, Hard. I played advance mode has sparkles along with black bar tips. Hint which is the "Guide" book is slow in this mode. Takes more than a couple of minutes. As for being helpful outside of HOS if you are not in the area where something can be done it will tell you where you need to go and direct you there.
WIDESCREEN: There is an option for this however didn't work for me. I had to change resolution for it to fill my screen.
There is voice overs
JOURNAL: This is the talking book named "Guide" which holds the map, shows your skull collection and achievements along with some story.
MAP: This is transporter and has a "green glow" indicating where you are and the areas with exclamation points are the areas where there are things to do.
HOS: Found by word list. These are mostly Sanford & Son junkyard piles to me but I got through them with little problem. Just a couple of hints here.
Puzzles: Some of these are like an "arcade" type style along with some the usual run of the mill. The skip is also slow. Some I found kinda fun. Most downright annoying and frustrating. The skip couldn't charge up fast enough especially the first puzzle a lock picking type puzzle. Definitely if you have arthritis which I do.
My overall impression:
I have played and reviewed the CE.
This started off really great. I was very intrigued by the story and all the way to the end of the main game. While the kidnapped fiancee story has been done many times however I found this to be quite different with some humor in there while quite cheesy and silly.
I really liked the graphics as they are quite cartoonish along with most of the characters and voice overs.
The game also has a nice balance of HOS, puzzles and adventure. Quite a bit to do and places to go. I loved the map.
Now for where this went down the hill for me:
No working widescreen. The year is mid-2013 no excuse for this. Shouldn't have to change resolution. This has been around for quite some time now. I deducted one star just for this.
The robot voice overs I found downright annoying.
The music after awhile grated on my last nerve so I had to turn that down as that just went in a continuous loop.
Some of the scenes I noticed when it was a magnify glass usually that's a scene where you have to view something but instead there was something to actually do with inventory. Usually it's when "gears" come up you use the inventory. Also some scenes didn't auto close when I was done doing what I had to do and nothing else to do. I had to click on the X to get it to close.
There was also one scene with downright annoying noises like somebody sawing. This was loud and obnoxious.
The main game here didn't come to a satisfactory conclusion for me. The bonus chapter needed to find out what happened to one of the characters but I won't say which one. The bonus chapter did address this for me but I wasn't impressed by the story at all and honestly couldn't wait for it to end.
MAIN GAME LENGTH: 5 hours. Bonus Chapter: 1 hour. Your time may be more/less.
CE EXTRAS:
26 Skulls and 16 papers to find.
20 achievements
Strategy Guide
Music
Wall papers
2 printable 3D projects to fold
26 Skulls and 16 papers to find.
20 achievements
Strategy Guide
Music
Wall papers
2 printable 3D projects to fold
So overall a 3 stars from me and sorry Big Fish and developer but no recommending from me.
As always give it a whirl and decide for yourself.
I don't recommend this game.
The mysterious League of Light has chosen you as their newest member. Are you up to your first assignment?
Overall rating
4
/
5
49 of 59 found this review helpful
Yet Another Nice And Relaxing Game I Enjoyed This - Review Of Completed Game
PostedJuly 20, 2013
sportygal2009
fromSouth Bend, IN
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Story: You take on the role of a detective and have been chosen as the newest member of The Order of Light and must travel to Sorrow's Well to meet with the town elder Elton Finch to save his daughter Penelope who has been kidnapped by the Dark Lord.
9 CHAPTERS: Bonus review at the bottom.
WIDESCREEN: Filled my monitor just fine. No tech issues.
There is voice overs.
There is a journal but I didn't pay any attention to this and didn't need it for any of the puzzles.
3 PLAY MODES:
CASUAL: Has sparkles, fast refill for hints and skips. Has a transporter map that shows all locations and active tasks.
ADVANCED: Has no sparkles, longer refills, and the map "shows active tasks after you use a hint." I'm not sure what this means, since the active tasks are marked when you open the map? This is transporter.
HARDCORE: Has no hints, no skips, no sparkles, no map indicators.
I played Advance mode. I can't comment on its helpfulness outside of HOS as I didn't use it.
HOS: There are two different kinds.
SILHOUETTE: You have to find the objects at the bottom. Finding one will lead you to another as you have to place them back into the scene. Very interactive here.
WORD LIST: The ones in a different color are the interactive ones.
There's also like a "mini-game" puzzle in some of these. I had no problem here. Didn't need to use the hint.
PUZZLES:The usual run of the mill found in many games. I didn't come across anything new. Most are repeated throughout the game but I found most of them doable. I did skip a couple of these. The skip seemed pretty quick for me. There is also an info button to get directions on the puzzles and some have a reset button.
The main game here for me didn't come to a satisfactory conclusion as I felt the bonus chapter was needed.
MAIN GAME LENGTH: Close to 6 hours for me but I really took my time on this. I poked along to stop and smell the roses so to speak.
BONUS CHAPTER:
This seemed to be a completely different story to me but there was some stuff in it to complete the main game. This is also all new areas. Still have your transporter map if needed. I liked the balance of HOS, puzzles and traveling back/forth. I enjoyed this with the exception of needing it to complete the main game.
BONUS CHAPTER LENGTH: 1 1/2 hours but once again I poked along here.
CE EXTRAS:
Bonus chapter
STRATEGY GUIDE: Pages 1-50 is main game 51-68 is bonus chapter.
34 OWLS and 11 BESTIARY SCROLLS to find.
FRESCO PARTS, which can be put together if you find them all.
ACHIEVEMENTS which includes 20 trivial questions about the game which I thought was pretty neat as I've never seen this before.
WALLPAPERS
CONCEPT ART
MUSIC
Bonus chapter
STRATEGY GUIDE: Pages 1-50 is main game 51-68 is bonus chapter.
34 OWLS and 11 BESTIARY SCROLLS to find.
FRESCO PARTS, which can be put together if you find them all.
ACHIEVEMENTS which includes 20 trivial questions about the game which I thought was pretty neat as I've never seen this before.
WALLPAPERS
CONCEPT ART
MUSIC
OVERALL IMPRESSION:
I must say I was hesitant to download this but thought I'd give it a whirl and so glad I dd as I was hooked from the get go and held my interest to the very end.
I thought the graphics and especially the comic style art work for the cut scenes which told further back story to the story being told was just awesome. I also liked the characters and the voice overs a well done here.
While the game play overall wasn't very challenging as the inventory was pretty much used right away or I didn't have to travel too far to use it I still enjoyed a lot especially the HOS scenes and the puzzles while I'm not a fan of these for me were doable, I still found this a lot to do and places to go.
Overall a 4 stars from me and the reason I knocked this down a star is because I felt the bonus chapter was needed to complete the main game and while there were no sparkles on the Advance mode but there were still black bar tips. Please do future games where I can chose to have no sparkles/black bar tips and keep the hint and skip available in case needed.
Thanks Big Fish for the buy 1 get one sale this weekend and to the developer here for an overall very good game.
As always, give it a whirl and decide for yourself.
I recommend this game!