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:
In a fading world devoid of color, the ghost of Nikola Tesla reaches through the Ether and invites you on an incredible adventure through time and space.
Overall rating
4
/
5
4 of 6 found this review helpful
Travel Through Time With Tesla - I Really LIked This Game
PostedMay 28, 2012
sportygal2009
fromSouth Bend, IN
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Card & Board, Mahjong
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This review is for the whole game.
The story: This is a Sc-Fi theme story where you take on the role of Marie and have to travel through time to correct the ether problem created way back in time leaving the world colorless and without music along with Tesla as you guide.
5 chapters
Voice Overs
1 play mode and there are no sparklies unless you have already clicked on a particular part where you need to do something and the HO scenes.
There is a journal which holds story, goals, some puzzles clues along with maps however can't use the maps to travel back/forth.
HO scenes all found by word list which are interactive and there are puzzles.
Hint/Skip take less than a minute for use. Hint is also helpful outside of HO scenes.
My overall impression of the game:
Well I'll start by saying this game definitely has A LOT of dialogue especially in the beginning but then kinda comes and goes. Usually this is a turn off for me especially if the game has no voice overs but this one does thank goodness. I was however drawn into this game immediately and didn't mind it at all. The voice overs are just excellent. Very well done here. The story was also very intriguing.
This game to me seemed to be more adventure with the traveling back/forth with the usual stand fare of inventory items with a few HO scenes and puzzles thrown in.
The graphics/artwork very well done here and didn't have any problems locating the items. No Sanford & Son junk piles in my opinion.
The puzzles: I'm not a fan of puzzles however some I found easy but skipped most of them cause I found them annoying, difficult or both.
As for game length: Took me about 5 hours however I did skip most of the puzzles so depending on your game play you may or may not get this much time.
Overall a very good game here in my opinion and I give it 4 stars. I knocked this down a star for the puzzles as I found most either annoying or difficult or both and a couple are repeated through out the game a few times.
Thanks Big Fish and developer for a pretty good game here.
As always definitely give it a whirl and decide for yourself.,
I recommend this game!
After crashing your car in the middle of nowhere, you stumble upon a mysterious town with a shady background. Solve a dark mystery!
Overall rating
5
/
5
9 of 19 found this review helpful
Just Phantastic This Game Just Rocked My Socks!
PostedMay 26, 2012
sportygal2009
fromSouth Bend, IN
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Card & Board, Mahjong
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This review is for the whole game in Challenge mode.
The story: After crashing your car in the middle of nowhere, you stumble upon The Drowned Dead Hotel, a lonely forgotten structure leaning from a cliff. Beneath lies a dark and cold lake that used to be a lively town. What secrets are buried at the bottom of the muddy waters? Who are the mysterious inhabitants of the hotel?
26 Chapters
There are 3 modes of play:
Casual, where there is no penalties and more help.
Challenge, where there is a clicking penalty and vague hints. There's also sparkles just for the hidden object scenes in this mode.
Extreme mode, where there is no help, no skipping puzzles, timed hidden object scenes, and a serious clicking penalty.
There is no map or journal as I found this game to have quite a few different locations traveling/back forth however down at the bottom there is a task button that you can click on to see what needs to be done. Also if you get stuck you can click on the hint button and it will tell you where to go.
HO scenes: You can either find the items like you normally would by a list of items or you can play match 3 by making matches to get the "golden eyes" to the bottom which will then automatically take the items off the list to find. You can also switch between the two at any time during the game. I did some of both while playing this game.
My overall impression of the game:
Well I purchased the CE awhile back which is well worth the extra money in my opinion and did submit a review for that but decide to submit a review for the SE version here.
I was hooked to this right from the get go as the story and characters definitely creepy and I mean that in a great way. A definite hit for the dark side type of game which is right up my alley.
The graphics, cut scenes, voice overs are definitely one of the best I've come across in a game. This game just as it all in my opinion.
I also thought it was pretty neat to be able to switch between finding by word list or play match 3.
As for game length: Although this has 26 chapters not as long as it sounds but I got 5 hours out of the main game here (not including the bonus play) and definitely long enough for me as I enjoyed every minute of the 5 hours. I also didn't use a whole lot of hints and only skipped two of the puzzles. You may or may not get this much time depending on your game play.
Overall, oh lets forget the 5 stars as for me this game is a 10 for me as I have absolutely no complaints about this game. There is absolutely nothing I didn't like about this game. By far one of the best I've ever played. HUGE kudos to the developers here.
Thanks Big Fish for an awesome game here. This definitely ROCKS!
As always definitely give it a whirl and decide for yourself.
I recommend this game!
Travel to Red Lake Falls to track down the latest Dark Dimension!
Overall rating
4
/
5
95 of 125 found this review helpful
A Very Good Dark Side Game But Not Great Falls Short
PostedMay 25, 2012
sportygal2009
fromSouth Bend, IN
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Card & Board, Mahjong
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This review is for the whole game playing in advance mode:
The story: If you've played City Of Fog, this time you're saving it from wax where a haunting beauty queen begs you to save the town – but from whom? Is it her brother, last seen busting through a shop window in a jealous rage? Or his stalker girlfriend? For those who haven't played City of Fog, the sequel can stand alone; there are a couple of references to the earlier game, but the occurrences in that game are not vital to this one.
5 chapters
2 play modes: Easy and Advanced. Easy has sparkles, faster refill times and no miss click penalty. Advanced has no sparkles not even for the HO scenes, slower refills and miss click penalties.
There is voice overs with real live actors.
There is a journal however no map.
HO scenes: All objects found by word list and are interactive. The graphics for this area of the game while a little dark for some areas not bad as I didn't have trouble locating too much of anything.
Puzzles: While I'm not a fan of these I did most of them and found them to be pretty easy as I only skipped a couple of them.
Hint/Skip: Pretty quick on charge up. The hint is also helpful outside of HO scenes.
My overall impression of the game:
I thought the graphics/artwork was really well done here and I really liked the story for the most part. I also found the game to have a nice balance of HO scenes, puzzles and adventure. I also appreciated that this game didn't have sparkles everywhere not even the HO scenes.
Where this fell a little short for me and keeping it from being a "great" game is to start off with I usually don't comment on such things as I suspend all belief in games however the fax in the year 1918 is a bit over the top here. Really? A fax in 1918? LOL! This kinda distracted from the story a bit here for me. Yes I realize it's "just a game" but gee lets try to make it true to the time period here shall we?
I also usually enjoy the voice overs in most of the games I've played here at the Big Fish even the few with the real live actors but this game here they don't match the game's atmosphere or feel, and seemed to be real out of sync
Oh and thank goodness I didn't have to use that hint button too much as I didn't care for the big ole circle it had to do before it got to its destination of finding the items and the couple of times I got a little hung up on where to go/do next.
As for game length: 4 hours for me which was long enough for me. Depending on your game play you may or may not get this much time out of the game.
Overall I give this 4 stars as I found it to be a very good game overall but had to knock it down a star for the things I've mentioned here in my review.
Thanks Big Fish and developer!
As always definitely give it a whirl and decide for yourself.
I recommend this game!
Rescue a young girl from the Penumbra Motel. Solve puzzles, unravel a long standing mystery of death and disappearances in this heart-pounding adventure game!
Overall rating
3
/
5
15 of 22 found this review helpful
Started Out Rocking My Socks Then Went Flat and Frustrating
PostedMay 15, 2012
sportygal2009
fromSouth Bend, IN
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Card & Board, Mahjong
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This review is for about 2 to 3 hours of the game. I know it wasn't over 3 playing the "middle of the road" as far as difficulty.
The story: You're on a road trip and your friend's daughter is kidnapped by a mysterious man at the Penumbra Motel, the scene of murder and strange occurrences 50 years ago. Not only must you find the girl but unravel the town's secrets.
This is what I would call an adventure game. While you're not navigating a character like the Nancy Drew games however you are 'wandering around" as this plays like a HOG where you get inventory to move forward in the game however no HO scenes to this game.
5 chapters plus bonus chapter and extras locked until you play the whole game.
Strategy Guide: Only shows first two chapters during the trial time. A total of 53 pages. Pages 1-44 is the main game. Pages 45-53 is the bonus.
3 play modes and you can switch modes at anytime during the game as I checked all of them out.. Easy mode lots of sparkles and text clues. The harder modes do have some text clues up at the top when you click on something to help you along for some areas of the game not all.
There is a diary which holds story/notes along with a goals tab which you have to hover your mouse over to see the goals.
There is no map.
There's also what looks like a tool box to me anyway down at the bottom which holds some puzzle pieces when you find them in the game and then when you come across a puzzle (some of the puzzles) that box opens up and places the pieces of the puzzle for you automatically.
There's also voice overs along with real live actors and some cut scenes.
The graphics dull and somewhat grainy.
Now for my overall impression of the game here:
I'll start off with what i liked:
Well I was drawn into this game immediately with the opening scene and the girl going into the store and not coming back.
What really had my attention is the story here as it made me think of the movie "Psycho." The out of the way gas station with a big house up the hill where the trouble begins. A suspicious family member who may still be lurking after all these years. The kid in the story even looks like Anthony Perkins/Norman Bates!
The voice overs, characters, cut scenes I found to be very well done here. Just excellent.
The graphics/artwork while not this developers usual nice, crisp and clear seemed somewhat dull, gloomy and grainy to me anyway but appropriate considering the surroundings (buildings) rundown.
All this held my interest along with game play, no hints/skips even as it's different from this developers usual work during the trial of the game so I purchased it immediately when the trial was over.
Now for what I didn't like and this game went flat for me and downright frustrating:
After the one hour trial while i ran into two characters the story seemed to go flat and I found myself basically just wandering around from place to place to get stuff to move forward in the game.
The music grated on my last nerve as it seemed to be about the same over and over.
Then we have this goal button here which at first I thought it was broke but by accident my mouse/cursor just happened to be in the right spot and it brought up the goals so you can't click on it like the diary have to hover over it.
I also didn't like the tool box as that about got on my last nerve as when I'd come to a puzzle it would open up and put the pieces in there but I didn't have all the pieces for the puzzle to even do it?? I found this annoying. When I finally did get all the pieces well way too many rotate the circle puzzles for me as I was find these downright boring and tedious and want to skip them. I did 2 or 3 of these then enough already.
Where this really went down the hill for me and I finally had to stop all the madness, cut this off and pull the plug:
When I want a hint/skip well I shouldn't have to wait until I finish my cigarette to get it. RIDICULOUS. I do like to figure out for myself is why I didn't play the easiest mode. i also don't like to refer to the guide too much so if I come to an area where there isn't a clue or I want to skip I don't mind waiting a minute or two but anything beyond that is RIDICULOUS.
Overall I give this 3 stars and the best I can do for this. It started out rocking my socks and then went flat and frustrating for me. I play games for fun and escape and not to be frustrated. When it gets frustrating well I pull the plug. I'm so glad I only paid about $7.00 for this instead of the usual $13.99 cause of the weekend sale on game credits. I have no desire to even finish this game. Since I'm a slow game player i probably still had about 2 hours left to complete it but just don't care. Sorry.
Thanks anyway Big Fish and developer of this game.
As always definitely give it a whirl and decide for yourself..
I don't recommend this game.
The Dark Piper unleashes infested rodents into the town of Hamelin! Defeat him before he leaves a trail of destruction all across Europe!
Overall rating
3
/
5
14 of 21 found this review helpful
A Good Game But Didn't Rock My Socks To Buy the CE
PostedMay 10, 2012
sportygal2009
fromSouth Bend, IN
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Card & Board, Mahjong
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This review is for the whole demo time as I was still in chapter 1 when time was up playing in normal mode but I'm a slow game player and take my time.
Warning: To those of you who have a rat phobia.
The story: You have been summoned to the town of Hamelin to defeat The Dark Piper and infested rodents.
6 chapters + bonus chapter
3 play modes: Casual, Normal, Hard
There is a widescreen (stretch screen) option.
Strategy Guide: Main game pages 1 - 41 . Bonus game (The Midas Liar) - begins on page 42, but won't let you see the rest of it until you finish the main game. Only shows the first 3 chapters during the trial. All extras are locked until you complete the main game.
There is a journal which list your objectives/task that need to be completed.
There is also a map which is the compass down at the bottom and it has little squares that you have to "hover your mouse" over to see the names of the places. It will also show where you are, objectives and areas of interest.
Not much traveling back/forth during the demo time for me but I'm sure that would pick up the further along in the game.
HO scenes: Found by word list what I've played of this and are interactive. A little on the Sanford & Son junk pile side but not too bad in my opinion as I didn't have trouble locating anything as I didn't use the hint. The scenes in this area pretty clear for me.
Puzzles: I only came across a couple during the trial and considering I'm not a fan of the puzzles they were pretty easy as I didn't have to skip them.
Hint/Skip: Can't comment since I didn't use them but they are available of course.
20 morphing objects to find.
My overall impression:
I'm going to start of with what I liked:
The graphics/artwork along with voice overs is just excellent like the rest of this developer's games I've played. I also to my surprise still found the story to be good considering I have a mice/rat phobia. It didn't bother me as much as I thought it would.
Now for what I didn't like.
While I do like the finding by word list however when I'm looking for a change in the way of finding items I always look to this developer since their games are usually the FROGS (fragmented pieces). What I played of this there was none so if you are looking forward to playing a FROG game well you may be disappointed here in this regard.
I also didn't care for the journal AT ALL just popping up out of the blue right in the middle of my computer screen here every time it updates it with a new objective/piece of information as that REALLY startled me and I found it downright annoying.
The HO scenes: I also found it downright annoying that I was able to pick up stuff that had absolutely nothing to do with that HO scene at the time. I'm not sure what was up with that???
The Compass Map: Sorry but I didn't care for this map at all. In order to see where you're at, you have to "hover" over the little squares and you can't use it to travel back/forth if you wish.
I also didn't realize I had to find morphing objects as I didn't see anything listed about that until I just happened to stumble across one by accident.
Now the real kicker here and I will be putting this in my reviews every time I see this in a game:
Why does the stuff have a lock on it especially after a person buys the game? Why do they have to play the whole game before they can see the bonus and all the other extras? Sorry but once a person buys a game they should have access to everything in that game. Please tell this developer and all the other ones to stop the madness on this already. While I'm passing on this CE I still find this downright annoying and just not right. I know some others are annoyed with this as well just from reading the game forum.
Overall, I give this 3 stars as I still found this to be a good game although I do have a mice/rat phobia which I could of done without them. This game however just didn't rock my socks to where I just had to buy this CE. I will more than likely purchase the SE when that comes to the site.
Thanks anyway Big Fish and developer. While this CE version isn't my cup of tea I still recommend it after reading some reviews now that I've played the demo. I think most will just love this game. I know I'm in the minority with this game but oh well. This game didn't impress me THAT much.
As always definitely give it a whirl and decide for yourself.
I recommend this game!
Travel to Red Lake Falls to track down the latest Dark Dimension!
Overall rating
4
/
5
5 of 7 found this review helpful
A Very Good Dark Side Game But Not Great Falls Short
PostedMay 9, 2012
sportygal2009
fromSouth Bend, IN
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Card & Board, Mahjong
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This review is for the whole game playing in advance mode:
The story: If you've played City Of Fog, this time you're saving it from wax where a haunting beauty queen begs you to save the town – but from whom? Is it her brother, last seen busting through a shop window in a jealous rage? Or his stalker girlfriend? For those who haven't played City of Fog, the sequel can stand alone; there are a couple of references to the earlier game, but the occurrences in that game are not vital to this one.
5 chapters + bonus which all bonus content is locked until you play the main game.
2 play modes: Easy and Advanced. Easy has sparkles, faster refill times and no miss click penalty. Advanced has no sparkles not even for the HO scenes, slower refills and miss click penalties.
Integrated Strategy Guide: A total of 65 pages. Pages 1 - 52 is the main game. Pages 53-65 is the bonus. Doesn't follow you along as you play however stays where you left it.
There is voice overs with real live actors.
There is a journal however no map.
HO scenes: All objects found by word list and are interactive. The graphics for this area of the game while a little dark for some areas not bad as I didn't have trouble locating too much of anything.
Puzzles: While I'm not a fan of these I did most of them and found them to be pretty easy as I only skipped a couple of them.
Hint/Skip: Pretty quick on charge up. The hint is also helpful outside of HO scenes.
My overall impression of the game:
I thought the graphics/artwork was really well done here and I really liked the story for the most part. I also found the game to have a nice balance of HO scenes, puzzles and adventure. I also appreciated that this game didn't have sparkles everywhere not even the HO scenes. The bonus I also found enjoyable as you do visit some new areas while revisiting some of the main game.
Where this fell a little short for me and keeping it from being a "great" game is to start off with I usually don't comment on such things as I suspend all belief in games however the fax in the year 1918 is a bit over the top here. Really? A fax in 1918? LOL! This kinda distracted from the story a bit here for me. Yes I realize it's "just a game" but gee lets try to make it true to the time period here shall we?
I also usually enjoy the voice overs in most of the games I've played here at the Big Fish even the few with the real live actors but this game here they don't match the game's atmosphere or feel, and seemed to be real out of sync
Oh and thank goodness I didn't have to use that hint button too much as I didn't care for the big ole circle it had to do before it got to its destination of finding the items and the couple of times I got a little hung up on where to go/do next.
As for game length: 4 hours for the main game and about 1 1/2 for the bonus which was long enough for me. Depending on your game play you may or may not get this much time out of the game here.
Overall I give this 4 stars as I found it to be a very good game overall but had to knock it down a star for the things I've mentioned here in my review.
Thanks Big Fish and developer!
As always definitely give it a whirl and decide for yourself.
I recommend this game!
Help Ashley escape with her life in The Book of Desires!
Overall rating
4
/
5
6 of 6 found this review helpful
A Short But Good Game - Be Careful What You Wish For
PostedMay 9, 2012
sportygal2009
fromSouth Bend, IN
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Card & Board, Mahjong
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This review is for the whole game playing in expert mode
The story: A little girl who has the desire to change the past after she overhears her parents arguing finds herself trapped in a dreamworld ruled by some mysterious character and his Book of Desires
3 chapters
2 play modes: Normal/Expert - Expert has sparkles just for the HO scenes
No voice over - Text to read which some comes up in a "balloon" style over the skeletons and other characters.
No map or journal. You meet up with characters whose wishes have gone terribly wrong and you have to perform a task for them to move forward in the game. To get the task you just click on them and a "balloon" type style of text comes up on the screen with the task. If you forget it, you can always go back to them.
HO scenes: All found by word list. They're not interactive. Scattered about as they're not one right after the other. Some I found pretty clear with no difficulty didn't even have to use a hint while some I found pretty dark. There is also an over click penalty as the edges of the screen will turn a "blue" color for a few seconds. A few of the scenes I found to be a little on the Sanford & Son junk piles side but not too bad.
Puzzles: Quite a few puzzles to this game and considering I'm not really a fan of the puzzles I did them all but two so pretty easy.
Hint/Skip: Take a minute to charge up and ready for use. Hint is also helpful outside of HO scenes.
My overall impression of the game:
Well I really liked the story and was drawn into the game immediately and held my interest to the very end.
The graphics/artwork is really good however some of the HO scenes i found a way bit too dark to try and locate a few of the items.
I also found the game to have quite a bit to do and places to go considering it's only 3 chapters. While the game play is pretty straight forward for the most part, I did find myself at times having to think where to go/do next but far from frustrating. A nice balance of HO scenes, traveling back/forth and even the puzzles considering I'm not a fan of those. Well spent time in my opinion.
As for game length I completed the game in 3 1/2 hours. You may or may not get this much time out of this game.
Overall I give this 4 stars as I knocked this down a star for a few of the HO scenes being so dark.
Thanks Big Fish and developer for a pretty good game here.
As always definitely give it a whirl and decide for yourself.
I recommend this game!
Guide Kate Reed as she searches for the artifacts that can break the power of a cursed gem in House of 1,000 Doors: The Palm of Zoroaster!
Overall rating
5
/
5
76 of 102 found this review helpful
Excellent Sequel Absolutely Loved It!
PostedMay 8, 2012
sportygal2009
fromSouth Bend, IN
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Card & Board, Mahjong
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This review is for the whole game playing in expert mode.
* There are 8 chapters
* 2 play modes: Casual & Expert
* Expert mode no sparkles not even for HO scenes.
* Voice Overs
* Journal
* Map
* H0 scenes all interactive.
* Hint button, refills quickly in expert mode, useful outside H0
* Skip button also refills quickly in expert mode.
* Mini games/puzzles
* There's also 46 "beyond morphing objects"
* 2 play modes: Casual & Expert
* Expert mode no sparkles not even for HO scenes.
* Voice Overs
* Journal
* Map
* H0 scenes all interactive.
* Hint button, refills quickly in expert mode, useful outside H0
* Skip button also refills quickly in expert mode.
* Mini games/puzzles
* There's also 46 "beyond morphing objects"
My overall impression of the game
:
Well for playing in expert mode I found the game pretty easy but I definitely found this to be an excellent sequel. I was hooked to this right from the get go.
:
Well for playing in expert mode I found the game pretty easy but I definitely found this to be an excellent sequel. I was hooked to this right from the get go.
This story just flowed very well as I like the way they are presented as individual short stories, free one spirit and go on to the next.
The graphics, cut scenes, characters and voice overs I can sure tell there was some time spent on this by the developer. Very well done. Just excellent. Perfect. The music is also fitting and not intrusive.
I found this to have a nice balance of "adventure" the traveling back/'forth and HO scenes. I did appreciate that there are no sparkles even the HO scenes in the expert mode.
I also didn't have trouble locating much at all as I only used 2 hints. I also never got "lost" in the game but just used the hint once just to see how "helpful" it was and it is useful outside of the HO scenes as I mentioned.
The journal mostly keeps track of story however gives some clues on how to solve some of the puzzles.
The map is also very helpful as it will show where you are currently and where there are things to do. Areas with things to do have green exclamation point(s). You can also use it to travel back/forth locations which I did use the map.
The mini games/puzzles: I found most to be easy considering I'm not a fan of the puzzles however skipped the "repeat the sequence" one.
Oh and those 46 beyond morphing objects well I'm never too good at finding those but to my surprise I located 40 out of 46 which is pretty good for me. Once you start the next chapter can't go back and try to find ones you missed.
As for game length: About 4 hours for me. You may or may not get this much time out of the game here.
Thanks Big Fish and developer for an excellent game here!
I recommend this game!
Shaolin Mystery: Tale of the Jade Dragon Staff
Travel across ancient China and help Yu as she searches for the mythical Jade Dragon Staff. Save your wrongly imprisoned friend!
Overall rating
5
/
5
37 of 38 found this review helpful
OMG! To Think I Almost Didn't Play This Awesome Game
PostedMay 6, 2012
sportygal2009
fromSouth Bend, IN
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Card & Board, Mahjong
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This review is for the whole game.
The story: You take on the role of Yu and travel across ancient China to search for the mythical Jade Dragon Staff and help save her friend who has been wrongly imprisoned.
7 chapters
1 play mode that does have sparkles to it. Also brings up a "magnify glass" for areas of interest.
There is some voice over to this game.
No map or journal however down at the bottom of the screen it will list your task, how many and how many have been completed.
Ho scenes: Some are found by word list. They are not interactive however may have to "move something" to get to a few of them. You also find some by circle placement (pieces of the items). I didn't find these to be on the Sanford & Son junk pile side. Most pretty easy to locate however some are obscure, small and blended into the scene pretty good.
The hint is also helpful outside of HO scenes. Also quick on ready for use. Under a minute. Along with the skip for puzzles.
Puzzles/Mini games: Quite a few different kinds of puzzles. Some I found pretty easy and some I skipped.
My overall impression of the game:
Wow! To think I almost didn't play this but I saw it was listed as the daily deal so I thought I'd "give it a whirl." I'm SO GLAD I did. Oh and what a deal it is for $2.99. WOW!
I was drawn into this game immediately with the opening cut scene and held my interest to the end. Just WOW! I can sure tell there was some time and thought put into this game. Usually the sparkles kinda annoy me in most games but not this one.
The graphics I'd consider one of the best I've come across in a game along with the voice over. Just superb here. Very well done. Also several cut scenes throughout the game. I also LOVED that it tells you what chapter you're one.
I found this game to just have so much to do and places to go. Just about everything was fitting to the "traveling across China" along with the music. A very nice variety here of how to find things to help you move forward in the game.
I also really enjoyed the story and so glad it's going to be continued and hopefully don't have to wait too long.
Overall I definitely give this 5 stars. By far one of the best I've played. Thanks Big Fish and developer for an awesome game here. This ROCKS!
As always definitely give it a whirl and decide for yourself.
I recommend this game!
Travel to Urami Island to find Victoria's missing sister.
Overall rating
1
/
5
41 of 57 found this review helpful
Far From Wowed Me - Hey Big Fish Cut This Off
PostedMay 6, 2012
sportygal2009
fromSouth Bend, IN
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Card & Board, Mahjong
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This review is for 45 minutes of the trial.
The story: You take on the role of Victoria and travel to the Urami Island to find missing sister Emily.
5 chapters
1 play mode - has sparkles
No voice over
1 play mode - has sparkles
No voice over
There is a diary along with a map however the map you don't get right away. The map only shows the places where you have been, but there is no text, it doesn't show you where you are, and you can't use it to travel back/forth.
HO scenes are interactive. Items found by word list. No Sanford & Son junk piles what I've played of this. I didn't have trouble locating much at all. Used 2 hints.
Hint is also helpful outside of HO scenes. Takes a minute for it to be ready to use along with the skip button. There's also a robot called Boilerplate that will move/lift things.
Most of the items in the inventory that have a + next to it. Those items can be combined. A box will come up on the screen and then you have to put the items in the box.The ones I came across in the time I've played this, always needed 3 items to be combined to make one.
Puzzles: What I played of this the mini games I had to skip as they are the kind I don't like, move this piece which makes another piece move etc. And make the picture/slider thing but you only have one free space, etc.
My overall impression of the game:
Well now that I've played most of the demo as 45 minutes was just about all I could cope of this game, the Big Fish here must of given me a different version of this game that the majority of the reviews I've read for this game The version I got? Well I think this would cure insomnia. I had all I could do to stay awake during this game.
While I didn't have trouble locating too much at all, the graphics far from wowed me as I've seen way better in other games. These are dull and grainy.
No choice in level of difficulty here. Way too many sparkles and hand holding so to speak in my opinion.
The story line I found to be OK. Yes another missing person case here folks. Usually I don't mind these but this Emily will just have to stay missing as far as I'm concerned.
I do prefer voice overs in games but a SE version such as this isn't a deal breaker for me. I really do think it would of added to the game. Kinda surprising no voice overs but yet the constant annoying laughter in this game. Sorry but I didn't find the necessity of that;.
What I played of this not too much back/forth however I didn't understand the purpose of a map as I think it would be about useless to someone who did need it. As I mentioned it only shows places you've been, not where you are, no text on it, and can't use it to travel.
I'm sorry Big Fish and the developer of this game but this far from wowed me. This would cure insomnia. Not enough action going on here to keep my interest so I'm gonna have to give this the one star: Stop madness, cut off and pull the plug already. This could of been a great game and from reading Mudrock's weekly listing of games well I was expecting A LOT more from this game but really lacking things that I've mentioned in my review here that I've seen in other games. Oh but I did like the robot helping out moving/lifting things. So the 1 star goes to the robot here.
As always definitely give it a whirl and decide for yourself. Most have seemed to enjoy this game but definitely not for me.
I don't recommend this game.