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:
Return to the House of 1,000 Doors to save mankind from annihilation!
Overall rating
4
/
5
49 of 57 found this review helpful
The Cobras Are Taking Over - Review of Completed Game
PostedJuly 5, 2013
sportygal2009
fromSouth Bend, IN
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure which is the 3rd in this series. It is not necessary to play the other 2 in this series. This stands alone on it's own.
Story: You take on the role of Kate once again but this time you are saving the world from giant cobras that are turning the world into ashes. You're rescued by an unknown young man who takes you to the House of 1000 doors. He's unconscious however can still help you with a mental connection.
There is a widescreen/full screen option: I had to click the widescreen one for it to fill my 20 inch monitor and graphics were stretched just a bit
6 chapters plus 40 beyond objects
2 play modes - Casual/Expert: I played expert mode. No sparkles but there are black bar tips. Hint/Skip charge up in about a minute. Hint is also helpful outside of HOS.
Journal: Keeps track of notes along with some puzzle clues.
Map: Is transporter and shows where you are, where there are things to do and if there are any morphing objects in that location as you will see an "eye" on the map if there are any. Once found the "eye" will disappear.
Map: Is transporter and shows where you are, where there are things to do and if there are any morphing objects in that location as you will see an "eye" on the map if there are any. Once found the "eye" will disappear.
HOS: Some found by word list and some scenes you have to put the items back into the scene. I didn't always find these to be too easy as some objects look a bit like the background along with the "sun beam" light distraction . Some scenes a bit on the Sanford & Son junkyard pile side. I also found some of the "put back in the scene" a bit tricky. I did use a few hints here.
Puzzles: The usual run of the mill found in many games but just to name a few: Pull the ropes in the correct order, swap the pieces to form a picture, slider puzzle, etc. Level of difficulty varied for me. If you are a puzzle lover however will more than likely be easy for you. Skipped a few of these.
My overall impression:
I've played and purchased the CE and while I enjoyed the bonus chapter, it is not needed in my opinion. The main game here came to a satisfactory conclusion for me. The beyond objects are also part of the main game and none to be found in the bonus chapter.
This definitely seemed more adventure to me than HOS and puzzles but I really liked the balance. I also loved the map and so glad it was available to use.
I definitely could of done without the snakes (more like giant cobras) but they didn't really bother me too much as they looked giant cartoon type cobras. I still found the story very intriguing and played this straight through. I also liked the characters the usual ones Kate, Gabriel, Simon and the boy. The voice overs well done.
The graphics along with the cut scenes I thought could of been better as for me they were stretched just a bit to get the game to fill my screen. Then the sun beam light shining through even on some of the HOS. Not bad but definitely not great. If there are going to be anymore House of 1000 Door games which I hope but please improve this.
I do have one more criticism about this game and that is once a close up of the area has been completed (the magnify glass) to examine an area and/or use the inventory I wish it wouldn't of popped back up again. There is no need for that since there is nothing to do there. Sometimes it closed like it was suppose to and sometimes not. This should only pop up if there is indeed something to do. When it did close on it's own there was also a small delay in doing so.
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.
I recommend this game!
Travel to the mysterious village of Corpatros and investigate your father's disappearance!
Overall rating
4
/
5
31 of 34 found this review helpful
Excellent Game Until the End - What??? LOL Review Of Completed Game
PostedJuly 3, 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
5
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
HOPA (Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure) definitely more on the "adventure" side.
Story: You take on the role of Alice whose father, Frank Winters an archaeologist who discovered the Corpatros: The Hidden Village mysteriously disappeared and never returned home. On the 20th year anniversary of his disappearance she receives a mysterious letter so decides to try to find out the truth.
There is voice over.
WIDESCREEN: I had no problems here filled the 20 inch monitor just fine. Didn't have to do any adjustment. Running on PC Windows 7 64 Bit. No tech issues.
3D EFFECT: There is an option for 3D but that makes the screen move up/down. That was too weird for me. I had to cut that off and pull the plug on that within just a couple of minutes.
PLAY MODES: There are 2 Casual and Expert. No sparkles but there are some black bar tips.
ADVENTURE: While there are some black bar tips there are some objects in the scenes that you will need that aren't obvious as you only come across them by randomly "clicking" on the screen. I found this to be a lot of traveling back/forth.
HOS: There are no word list. A picture of the object is put down below with a "blue outline" to them.. Some of them are interactive but not obvious and I found very tricky because the cursor doesn't change when going over a hot spot, you have to find those by yourself by clicking around. For me these were pretty well done for the most part but some I did find to be on the Stanford & Son junkyard pile side. I did have to use a couple of hints here.
HINT: Is only available for the HOS. Not too bad on charge up. Less than a minute. This is NOT helpful at all outside of HOS as it will only direct you to the map so pay attention to the map.
INVENTORY: There are a few objects that you have to combine to be able to use them. It will tell you for the first one you come across that needs combining but then after that you have to figure it out at least that's the way it went for me.
JOURNAL: There is a journal and holds notes and the map.
MAP: This is NOT transporter but shows where you are, if there is an item to find, game (puzzle), HOS, pop-up if there is something to read. The locations are marked (named) on the map.
PUZZLES: The usual run of the mill: Rotate rings, swap pieces to form a picture. slider puzzle, keep clicking until you get the board to light up, etc. The directions to the puzzles is down at the bottom of the screen. Skip is available in 5 minutes.
GAME LENGTH: This was 6 1/2 hours for me. May be more or less for you.
OVERALL IMPRESSION:
Wow! I must be playing a different game. I'm definitely going to rest my fish fins on the minority side of the Big Fish pond.
The graphics were really good for me. I had no problem with them. I also liked the long intro into the game and the voice overs along with the cut scenes. Very well done here.
What I really enjoyed about this game was the game play having to figure out on my own. Oh and I'll admit at times it wasn't easy as I had to really think and retrace my steps cause as I mentioned some objects that you will need aren't always obvious and then sometimes having to combine objects to use them. I wore out my sneakers on this game traveling back/forth.
Overall 4 stars from me. I knocked this down a star as I was really enjoying this and the story till I got to the end. I'm sorry to report but this "story" ending leaves much to be desired. This is by far one of the worst endings I've ever come across in a game. "Bumble, Bumble?" Are you kidding me?? OMG AND LOL!
Thanks Big Fish and developer. I really enjoyed this game overall but this developer definitely needs to work on their "story telling" a bit more. As I said the ending leaves much to be desired.
As for my "recommending" if you are one who really doesn't follow story and just in for game play then I definitely recommend this but story as I said the ending leaves much to desired in my opinion.
As always, give it a whirl and decide for yourself.
I recommend this game!
A doctor has mysteriously vanished from a psychiatric clinic, and it’s up to you, hypnotist Maya Anderson, to solve the mystery!
Overall rating
5
/
5
60 of 64 found this review helpful
Great Straight Adventure - Review Of Completed Game
PostedJuly 2, 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
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
You take on the role of Maya Anderson a psychiatrist who specializes in hypnosis and dreams. You must go to a private clinic to find out what happened to the doctor that mysteriously disappeared and left 5 patients behind to fend for themselves.
You must meet with them one by one and talk to them about their fears, hypnotize them, then enter their subconscious and get rid of their fears and solve their problems. To accomplish this you will be finding inventory items by going over the scenes very thoroughly and then using logic to use them.
Throughout the patients’ visits, there is a phobia battle mini game and there are quite a few throughout the game. You do have the option to skip these if you want. Depending how well you do you can earn as many as 3 stars and you also earn green crystals to buy power ups at the store to help you defeat them.
This is voice overs.
There is widescreen at least for me. Filled my 20 inch monitor just fine. Running on Windows 7 64 Bit. No tech issues. There is a delay between scenes at times and I believe this is only because it's an adventure game and not a tech issue.
NO HOS (hidden object scenes), NO MAP, NO GAME INSTRUCTIONS, NO JOURNAL. This is a wandering around type of game.
OBJECTIVES; These do pop up on the screen telling you what you need to accomplish.
HINT: I didn't need it but tested it out to see what it would do. If you are in a scene where there is something to do, you will be directed to it however if you are in a scene where there is nothing to do your character Maya here just shrugs her shoulders and you just keep going to a location until you are directed to something. There is no waiting for the hint to charge if you are trying to find an area where there is something to do. Just after you actually use the hint to do something. This I found to be very slow on charge up.
INVENTORY: There is no inventory bar at the bottom like most games to hold your items. You have to click on Maya and whatever is in inventory will "pop up" and then click on the one you want and put it in the scene where it goes.
SKIP: There is only a skip for the phobia fighting puzzles and no waiting on that.
STORE: The store features things varying from extra hints to clothes for the character to wear along with power ups to help you in the phobia fighting mini games. These things can be bought with the green crystals.
ACHIEVEMENTS: There's also 30 achievements that you can try and earn. These will give you 20 bonus green crystals for each one.
GAME LENGTH: I found this to be quite long for me. It was 7 1/2 hours however I rarely play this type of game so if you play these quite often then I'm sure you will finish it much quicker than I did.
OVERALL IMPRESSION:
Well just from reading the reviews this will be a love or hate type of game. Some may find it a bit repetitive. Definitely won't be for everyone. This will mostly be enjoyed by people who enjoy this kind of game play. Having said this... I must say I was quite shocked I enjoyed this game cause usually anything that has to do with navigating a character well that makes me nauseous however I didn't find this to be the case with this game and since it has to do with hypnosis, the subconscious, and dreams well I had to give this a whirl.
I was hooked to this from the get go and pretty much played this straight through. I really enjoyed the story and thought it was very well told. I also liked the characters and thought the voice overs were really good.
It did take me about a good 5 to 10 minutes to catch on to the game play but once I did I found it pretty straight forward. While I had to think about what to do and where to go next at times I never found it frustrating.
I will say it took me a bit to catch on to those phobia battle fighting puzzles as it took many tries. You can replay them. Once I got the hang of it I did earn 3 stars on quite a few of them, some only 2 or 1 star and I did skip a couple of these. This is what I meant early about being repetitive as some might find these downright annoying. I did at first but once I got the hang of these I liked it for the most part. I also earned 21 out of the 30 achievements which I thought was pretty good since I don't normally play this type of game.
Overall a 5 stars from me because it's a bit different from what I usually play. This kind of game is usually a no go for me but I really enjoyed this and thought it was a great game.
Thanks Big Fish and developer. I hope to see more like this brought to the site.
As always, give it a whirl and decide for yourself.
I recommend this game!
The Emperor’s son has a mysterious illness. As legendary healer Daiyu, you’re called to the palace to save him, but you end up having to save yourself!
Overall rating
4
/
5
94 of 102 found this review helpful
4 Stars For The Chinese Healer - Review Of Completed Game
PostedJune 29, 2013
sportygal2009
fromSouth Bend, IN
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Story: You take on the role of Daiyu, a legendary healer who has been called upon to save Jinhai The Emperor's son from a mystery illness.
7 chapters which includes 26 achievements and 41 cranes to earn/collect throughout the main game. Bonus chapter review at bottom.
WIDESCREEN: Filled my 20 inch monitor just fine. Running on Windows 7 64 Bit. No tech issues. Ran as smooth as silk for me.
There is voice overs
3 PLAY MODES: Casual, Challenge, Insane: All have sparkles for HOS along with black bar tips. Only Insane mode the hint/skip are disabled.You can also switch modes at any time during the game. I played Casual since there are sparkles and black bar tips on all modes cause I don't like for the hint/skip to be disabled. I like them to be available if I need them and as quick as possible. Hint/skip quick charge up. Hint is also helpful outside of HOS. If you are not in the correct area a portal box will come up. Just click on it and it will take you there.
JOURNAL: This is the scroll down at the bottom which holds your map, objectives, notes. Also objectives do pop up on the screen.
MAP: This is transporter and you can access it either through the journal or there is a compass at the bottom. Accessing it through the compass is one step quicker. The ? marks are areas where there are active objectives and the ! are areas where there are things to do.
HEALER KIT: Shortly into the game you will get one of these. It's a little box which will be located down at the bottom of the screen by the compass. You use it to make potions and it's one of those "click when the arrow is in the green area" games.
HOS: Two types here: Interactive word list and silhouette. There are quite a few scenes however I thought they were spread out pretty evenly so you're not doing one right after the other. I thought these were well done. If you don't feel like finding objects you can switch to Mahjong and you can switch back/forth at any time during the game.
Puzzles: The usual run of the mill. Just to name a few: Rotate the rings, slider puzzle, move weights so each column adds up to numbers below, etc. These also have a ? mark for directions and some have a reset button.
Main game does come to a satisfactory conclusion. The bonus chapter is not needed.
Bonus Chapter: This is a new story. You must track down Master Lei and destroy him once and for all. All new locations from the main game. HOS are still the two types word list and silhouette. There's puzzles of course. You can also switch between finding objects and playing Mahjong. The map is also still available. The reason I say this is because on one game I played here recently for the bonus chapter no map.
CE EXTRAS:
Strategy Guide: Shows 7 chapters (only first 2 in demo), bonus chapter, collectibles locations.
Bonus Chapter
20 HOS
3 Bonus HOS
21 Puzzles
Making Of
Wallpapers and other fluff
Strategy Guide: Shows 7 chapters (only first 2 in demo), bonus chapter, collectibles locations.
Bonus Chapter
20 HOS
3 Bonus HOS
21 Puzzles
Making Of
Wallpapers and other fluff
GAME LENGTH: Main game 3 hours and 45 minutes. Bonus Chapter 1 hour.
OVERALL IMPRESSION:
Well I must say I was hooked to this from the get go and didn't stop playing until I got to the end. While the save a person theme has been down many times before I appreciated a different setting (Chinese) than usual.
The graphics and cut scenes are by far one of the best for me that I've come across in a game. The characters, voice overs are just excellent. I loved the music as it's very fitting to the theme here. I thought the healer kit was a really neat thing to add to the game. Some however might find it annoying.
This also had a nice balance of HOS, puzzles, and adventure with lots to do and places to go. I also liked the map. The crane collectibles for me those started out pretty easy to find but once I got more into the game not so easy but I did locate them all. Trying to earn the achievements was fun. Didn't get them all but most. I also loved playing Mahjong as well cause I switched back/forth.
I will say however I was quite surprised actually shocked I completed the main game in 3 hours and 45 minutes. I didn't use the hint/skip any more than I usually do in a game. I usually spend about 5 to 6 hours minimum on the main game BUT it felt like I played it for 5 to 6 hours. The bonus chapter that is usual for me about an hour so no complaints on game length from me however this MIGHT be too short for some cause I know some get through games faster than I do.
Overall 4 stars from me. I really enjoyed this game A LOT however I knocked this down a star as I do have one criticism about this game and that is: I don't understand the purpose of having 3 play modes if the developer here is going to put sparkles and black bar tips on all the play modes? I usually play the middle of the road mode. Here's an idea and not just for this developer but all developers: Why not have one play mode called CUSTOM? I know this can be done cause I've seen it in some games and let the game player decide if they want sparkles, black bar tips, hint/skip quick charge up or have them disabled? Oh and then when we choose the options we want have them apply. If we say no sparkles and black bar tips for example well we don't want these things. I'm not one of them but especially the people who like to play the hardest mode with no help why do you have sparkles and black bar tips on those?
Thanks Big Fish and developer for a great game here. I look forward to seeing more from this developer however stop the madness on the play modes. Improve this please.
As always, give it a whirl and decide for yourself.
I recommend this game!
Gather evidence, interview witnesses, recreate the crime and catch the killer!
Overall rating
5
/
5
69 of 72 found this review helpful
Wow! Need More Whodunit's Like This - Review Of Completed Game
PostedJune 27, 2013
sportygal2009
fromSouth Bend, IN
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This is quite different from the usual games offered here at the Big Fish. I would consider this an adventure light type of game. You do have to locate objects in the scenes but there are NO HOS like word list, NO puzzles, NO map, NO journal, NO voice overs, and NO widescreen as I had to change resolution for it to fill the screen.
This isn't like other games. You can choose what order you wish to play the game in! The game description says 12 cases but there are only 11.
HINTS: You start out with hints and you get more as you "pick up" evidence items. They are randomly distributed. Using the hint will show you an area of where the target item will be. You get only one HINT per witness, but they do accumulate if you don't use them and to use a hint they are at the top of the screen and there is no wait for charge up.
There are 11 boxes and you can click on the box the case you want to start. Once you do that there will be 5 locations displayed in front of you and you can chose the location you want to start. No particular order here. You have to question the last 5 people (witnesses) who saw the victim alive.
You can skip a statement and come back to it later, if you wish. Once you've collected the evidence, you use it to double check the witness' story. You'll get a more detailed account once you finish reviewing.
You will see the same piece(s) of evidence in multiple witness' stories, but this will definitely help you solve the crimes when you get different accounts from different witnesses.
When you've interviewed everyone, you will be asked to catch the culprit. Just mouse over the location for each suspect to read their statements, and be sure you don't click until you think you've found the right person. Once you have the right person you also have to fit the items back into the scene and you are shown a reenactment of the murder. You also earn little badges after solving each case and as many as three.
As for the game length this was about 4 hours for me as each case was about 20 minutes give or take a bit.
My overall impression:
Well I must say I almost missed this gem of a game as it was listed under the soft releases and I almost didn't try it because it was listed under the brain teaser genre but when I read the game description and saw it was a "whodunit" type of game well I just had to give this a whirl and so glad I did.
The graphics are definitely nothing high tech and dated along with no voice overs but it didn't take away from my enjoyment of this game and I still found them to be quite clear. I didn't have much trouble at all locating anything.
The only criticism I do have about this game is no widescreen. I had to go in and change resolution for it to fill the screen. I see this is this developers 4th game. Sorry but still no excuse for no widescreen. The year here is mid 2013. Shouldn't have to change resolution settings. These widescreen monitors have been around for a few years now.
Overall 5 stars from me. I'll be honest here. I was going to knock this down a star for the no widescreen having to change resolution to fill the screen but since this is the first developer who has brought me a different kind of game play without boring, annoying, frustrating puzzles that I have to wait for the skip the charge up well this was a breath of fresh air. No not everyone here enjoys puzzles. Has nothing to do with being too hard or too easy. I just don't like them for the most part so THANK YOU! I hope to see more games like this brought to the site and from this developer but please do address the widescreen monitors in your next game offering.
Thanks Big Fish and developer for a GREAT game here. Yes I'm going to be in the minority on this one.
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
28 of 36 found this review helpful
It's Definitely Different - Review Of Completed Game
PostedJune 23, 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 along with collectibles: 26 skulls and 16 papers. 20 achievements all a part of the main game.
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:
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:
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.
The main game doesn't come to a satisfactory conclusion in my opinion. You need the bonus chapter to find out what happened to one of the missing characters. I won't say which one.
The bonus chapter: This is all new areas and had a nice balance of HOS (Sanford & Son here), puzzles and adventure however I thought the story here was pretty lame but it does address the "one missing character" as I mentioned. The map is also not available here at least it wasn't for me. I honestly couldn't wait for this to end.
CE extras:
Strategy Guide
Music
Wall papers
2 printable 3D projects to fold
Strategy Guide
Music
Wall papers
2 printable 3D projects to fold
Main game: 5 hours. Bonus Chapter: 1 hour. Your time may be more/less.
Overall 3 stars from me. Started out really great and ended not so great. I also don't recommend this since you don't get a complete story with the main game. Need the bonus as I mentioned. Thanks though Big Fish and developer.
As always, give it a whirl and decide for yourself.
I don't recommend this game.
Can you stop a puzzle-loving killer before he strikes again?
Overall rating
4
/
5
69 of 71 found this review helpful
Enjoyed Game But Need To Turn On The Light - Review Of Completed Game
PostedJune 17, 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 a detective that has been assigned a case of a fashion model with a drug habit who has been murdered and you have to try and stop the puzzle-loving killer before he strikes again. Was it a drug deal gone bad?
CHAPTERS: 9
2 play modes: Both modes have sparkles and black bar tips. Hint/Skip take about a minute or so for charge up. Hint is not helpful outside of HOS as it will say "Nothing to do here check elsewhere."
WIDESCREEN: I had no problems here. Filled my 20" monitor just fine and didn't appear to be stretched. No tech issues.
NO VOICE OVERS. Subtitle boxes that you read/click through.
JOURNAL: You will find tasks that need to be completed and are checked off as you complete them along with some clues on how to solve some of the puzzles. The tasks also pop up on the screen.
NO MAP
GAME PLAY: This is divided into chapters. You start off with just a few scenes however once you get what you need and more into the game does open up to new locations Lots of traveling back/forth. HOS are heavy lots of HOS, puzzles are few and far between. You also have to be sure to check over the areas pretty thoroughly as things can be missed as many inventory items are behind, under, or hidden in some way.
HOS: All found by word list. They are not interactive however may have to move things or open things to find objects. You also revisit the locations several times. I wouldn't consider them Sanford & Son junk piles however some scenes very dark and objects on the small side at least for me.
PUZZLES: These I found to be different than the usual run of the mill and very few thank goodness. I found these more annoying than the usual run of the mill and not making much sense even with the "puzzle clues" like the deciphering of the codes. I did some but some I found too hard for me so I skipped them. If you've read any of my other reviews then you will know I'm not a fan of the puzzles for the most part. If you are a puzzle lover however may be easy for you.
My overall impression:
I really did enjoy the story and was hooked from the get go and held my interest until I got to the end. I also found it to be a bit creepy/eerie. An excellent murder mystery story.
I also enjoyed the game play and was glad there weren't very many puzzles. Sorry but I didn't much didn't care for these at all. I'll even admit I got hung up a couple of times and had to refer to the walk through. I do wish this would of had a transporter map. I love maps that let you travel back/forth and also let you know if there is anything to do in the area or not.
The graphics nice, crisp, and clear for the most part except for the HOS. As my title says turn on the light as some areas for me were quite dark along with small items and some hidden in these dark areas.
As for game length this was about 6 hours for me as I found the game to have quite a bit to do even with skipping of puzzles. Your time may be more/less.
Overall a 4 stars from me. Thanks Big Fish and developer for a very good game here. I hope to see more from this developer but please work on the HOS and turn on the lights for those. Also provide a transporter map. You can also make the puzzles as hard as you want as long as I have the option to skip them which I always do have this option so life is good.
As always, give it a whirl and decide for yourself.
I recommend this game!
Save the kingdom and reunite Princess Isabella with her prince in the exciting conclusion to the Princess Isabella trilogy!
Overall rating
2
/
5
38 of 48 found this review helpful
My Opinion Definitely Hasn't Changed - Cure For Insomnia - Review Based On Demo
PostedJune 16, 2013
sportygal2009
fromSouth Bend, IN
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
7 chapters
Widescreen: This did fill my 20 inch monitor just fine as I didn't have to adjust anything but some people just from reading reviews have the black bars.
There are 3 game play modes: Casual, Advanced, Custom (in which you can change the refill speed of both the Skip and Hint buttons but not the glints). You can also change at any time during the game. I played custom.
There is voice overs.
There is a journal however no map.
There is also a magic wand that is in between the inventory and the hint button. It can help you to do certain things you can't do by yourself.
You will get a Dragon Flute shorty into the game that you use to get help from the dragon.
HOS: Found by word list or find so many of any item. Not interactive.
Puzzles: The usual run of the mill found in many games. Just to name a couple: Stack the flutes in the center biggest to smallest and rotate the rings.
Hint/Skip: Charge up very quick.
My overall impression:
I've played the demo of the CE and that far from wowed me and my opinion definitely hasn't changed now that the SE version is here.
The first "Princess Isabella" is still one of my all time favorites, while I thought the second one was disappointing. I was however very anxious to see what this one might be like. Unfortunately I found this one to be very disappointing.
To start with the graphics I found to be very subdued especially the HOS however I didn't find them to be Sanford & Son junkyard. I'm also pretty much into cut scenes but this game had far too many.
The game play is similar to the other 2 "Isabella" games (portraits, break things, etc.) which is OK if you're into nostalgia, I suppose. However I would think they would try to come up with something new here.
The voice overs I found to be good as they seem to fit the game here.
The black bar tips/hints well they are not hints or tips, but instructions on what to do, where to do it, what to use, etc. I'm not sure about the harder mode but the custom no way to turn these off. I thought this was the whole purpose of a custom mode to set the game as you want?
Sorry Big Fish and developers. Two stars is the best I can do for this game. I'm afraid it's a no go for me. This was too childish, boring, and even too easy for my taste. I had all I could do to stay awake and make it through the demo time of this so I definitely won't be buying the SE version here.
As always, give it a whirl and decide for yourself.
I don't recommend this game.
Confront an ancient evil and uncover your true! After a startling revelation changes your world forever, you must embark on an epic journey to save mankind.
Overall rating
3
/
5
84 of 115 found this review helpful
I Liked It But For A CE Only 3 Stars - Review Of Completed Game
PostedJune 15, 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
3
/
5
(Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure) - More on the adventure side. Bonus review at bottom.
Story: You take on the role of Aarya and are the fabled Descendant of the Sun, rightful heiress to the most powerful artifact in the world! You set off in search of 4 talismans to save mankind.
Widescreen -- Deselect aspect ratio in options. This did work for me and filled my 20" monitor just fine and didn't appear to be stretched for me. This may or may not work for you.
Casual/Expert Mode - I played expert mode. There are sparkles and black bar tips on both modes. Hint/Skip take 1 minute for charge up on Casual and 2 minutes on Expert mode. I also didn't need the hint as far as getting lost or what to do in the game but tested it out to see what it would do and it is helpful outside of HOS as it will direct you in the location you need to be going if you are not in an area where something needs to be done.
Journal: You will get this shortly into the game as this keeps track of story.
Map: A total of 25 locations. This is transporter and shows where you are as there are circles on the map and the one with "yellow" is where you are. Areas with "green" exclamation points are areas where there are things to do.
HOS: Not a whole lot scenes in my opinion. All found by word list and some on the list are interactive. I didn't find these to be on the Sanford & Son junkyard pile side. I also had little to no difficulty here. Just used a couple of hints.
Puzzles: At first not too many but then more as you move along and the usual run of the mill such as: slider, rotate rings, repeat sequence, etc. I did skip a few of these. The rotate the rings and repeat sequence with the mole got on my last nerve.
My overall impression:
Well I'm gonna start off with the positive at least for me anyway. I really welcomed a different location and culture as this game is oriental themed. I found this refreshing and different from what I usually play.
The graphics for me were quite well done. I had no problem with them. Are they the best or one of the best I've ever seen in a game? No but liked them.
I also liked the balance of HOS, puzzles, and adventure though I will say I didn't find it very challenging as far as the HOS and getting lost in the game on what to do/go to next which was just fine for me today cause I wasn't looking for something very challenging. The game play was smooth for me. I didn't encounter any clunky game play. I also loved the map.
The ending of this game comes to a satisfactory conclusion. The bonus chapter is not needed.
Now for where this developer could improve:
I'll start by saying if Big Fish didn't have their buy one get one sale while I enjoyed this game for the most part I would of skipped the CE and waited for the SE and the reasons?
I rarely refer to a strategy guide in a game and I didn't need it for this game but if I did I'm sorry to report but this one is a mess. This doesn't list any chapters and the print is so tiny best get out the magnify glass.
Play modes: On the harder mode shouldn't be any sparkles or black bar tips. Should only see this on the casual mode.
I thought the voice overs were really good except for one lady and the few animals I found downright annoying and glad they didn't last very long. Oh but no fellow fish in the pond if you are not into the "dress up" of animals well you can relax no "dressing up" animals here.
The story started off very intriguing but was getting way too "out there" for me when the talking animals started popping up. This could of been worked on some more.
Widescreen: While I didn't have any problem with this but just from reading some people still had the black bars down the side and well the year is mid 2013 - no excuse for this. This widescreen has been around for quite some time now.
Last but not least, for a CE no collectibles, achievements, morphing objects.
Bonus Chapter: This is a new story. A total of 9 locations all new ones. Different from the main game. This seemed to be more puzzles and adventure. Not very many HOS.
To get to the bonus chapter however at least for me this is how it worked. I clicked on bonus chapter but it stated I had to complete the main game first which I already did. I'm inserting that alien emoticon here from the Big Fish pond. In order for me to get to the bonus chapter, I had to go to the main menu like I was starting the game for the first time, click on play and then the bonus chapter.
To get to the bonus chapter however at least for me this is how it worked. I clicked on bonus chapter but it stated I had to complete the main game first which I already did. I'm inserting that alien emoticon here from the Big Fish pond. In order for me to get to the bonus chapter, I had to go to the main menu like I was starting the game for the first time, click on play and then the bonus chapter.
CE content:
• Strategy Guide
• Bonus Chapter
• Music
• Wallpapers
• Concept Art
• Strategy Guide
• Bonus Chapter
• Music
• Wallpapers
• Concept Art
Main game:4 hours.
Bonus chapter: 1 hour
Bonus chapter: 1 hour
Overall 3 stars from me. I really appreciate the developer's effort here and this is a good game overall but could of spent some more time on this one. I hope to see more from this developer and with some improvements as I mentioned. Thank you Big Fish and developer.
I'll still recommend the game because what's important to me as a CE may be things you don't care about so at least give the demo a whirl and decide for yourself.
I recommend this game!
Search for thousands of cleverly hidden items around the historic sites of Tokyo. Play a bunch of fun mini-games too.
Overall rating
4
/
5
17 of 20 found this review helpful
Postcards From Tokyo - Review Of Completed Game
PostedJune 12, 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
4
/
5
This is number 7 in the series of the Big City Adventure games and pretty much the same as the others in this series but just in case you haven't played any of these:
2 play modes: Time and Relaxed. I played timed which gives you anywhere between 7 and 15 minutes to complete each scene as it varies from level to level and there are 60 levels.
Game Play: 1 HOS (hidden object scene) followed by 1 mini game. Rinse and repeat as they say. There are several different mini games that are repeated throughout the game.
The game starts you off with 3 hints (coins). You can get more hints by finding coins in each HOS. You are only allowed to have 5 hints at a time.
HOS: All objects found by word list. The objects in blue color are in "zoom-in locations" as a magnify glass will come up once you come across the spot they are located.
In the "Options" section you can check or uncheck the box "Show Zoom Locations Always". If you have it checked, sparkles will show you where the zoom-in locations are.
Coins: There are different kinds as some give you hints, skip for puzzles, find multiple items at a time, add to your time if your play timed mode, or add to your score.
There are also 20 Gears to be found in the HOS which you will need later on in the game.
There are 12 achievements.
My overall impression:
I really liked this game overall as I have the others in this series. Just a nice game if you want to relax and you like a lot of HOS with some simple puzzles. I also always enjoy the postcards that come with these games and reading about Tokyo in this one. I completed the game in about 6 hours as I pretty much played this straight through.
Overall 4 stars from me. I knocked this down a star as I'll have to agree with the reviews I've read about the items being too small and/or blended into the scene really well. I did quite a few without the hint but not without some eye strain and there were a couple of scenes I used up all of my hints but thank goodness for the coins to add time which I had to use a couple of those. I didn't skip any of the mini games.
Thanks Big Fish and developer for a very good game here. Hope to see more of the Big City Adventure games. Please work on them small items though.
As always, give it a whirl and decide for yourself.
I recommend this game!