Beeblebrox's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:4
- Helpful Votes:114
- Reviews Submitted:17
- First Review:May 28, 2015
- Most Recent Review:June 19, 2015
- Featured reviews0
Your brother is kidnapped during an air show. Search for him in a beautiful world where the sky is as wide as your imagination.
Overall rating
4
/
5
Great game with unusual optic
PostedJune 19, 2015
Beeblebrox
fromGermany
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Time Management, Adventure
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Completed in 5 hours on medium difficulty. Three difficulties that can't be customised are available. You can change your difficulty during the game. You get a map and you can rewatch cutscenes (which are also skippable).
Surface games all have real actors integrated into the story, mostly in the cutscenes. Not surprisingly, these actors are not exactly Oscar winners. For me, that adds to the charme and is sometimes even funny, especially in this one where the voice-over is not exactly lip-synced, either. If that's something you can't stand at all, then this is probably not the game for you.
But, you'd miss a game that is unusual, both in its visuals and its story.
Your brother has been kidnapped in front of you and you have to find and free him. During the game you not only find out why he was kidnapped but also details about his life and inventions. Also, you get to rescue a hamster who's wearing a pilot's hat. That has to count for something.
Your brother has been kidnapped in front of you and you have to find and free him. During the game you not only find out why he was kidnapped but also details about his life and inventions. Also, you get to rescue a hamster who's wearing a pilot's hat. That has to count for something.
The HOGs are all list-based and often you need to use something from your inventory to get at an item, so sometimes you have to come back to it. Mostly, the required items are close by, though, so I wasn't bothered by that. On the whole they were fair, not too difficult.
I quite liked the minigames. A few were too easy or just plain tedious but there were also quite a few really unusual and fun ones.
Overall, there was a good mix of minigames, HOGs, and environmental puzzles.
Overall, there was a good mix of minigames, HOGs, and environmental puzzles.
A good game that doesn't take itself too seriously, with a unique design and an engaging storyline.
After a group of young students go missing, the Mystery Trackers are called in to search the city of Raincliff!
Overall rating
3
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Older game that has lost a bit of its charme
PostedJune 19, 2015
Beeblebrox
fromGermany
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Time Management, Adventure
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Completed in 5 hours on medium difficulty. This game comes in three difficulty settings that can't be customised and can't be changed after you started the game. The hardest difficulty doesn't have any hints whatsoever. The game comes with a journal but w/o a map.
This is an older game (from 2011, I think) and it shows.
The HO scenes are all list-based junkpiles. Sometimes they even have a kind of a glare effect from lightsources to make it even harder to find anything. I do love a challenge but if I have to stop every so often because my eyes are burning then that's a bit much. On the plus side, HOGs aren't revisited.
There isn't a map, either, and towards the end you have to run around quite a bit. I don't mind some back and forth if it is necessary for the storyline or just makes sense but here I had the suspicion that they made you run from one end to the other just to drag the game out for a bit longer.
There weren't that many minigames. On the whole I enjoyed them, not too easy. But a few just required tedious trial-and-error. At the end I even skipped a couple because I couldn't be bothered, which I almost never do.
But, the game isn't all bad. I enjoyed the story, which is told mostly through letters or notes you keep finding. There are a lot of unique locations to explore and often you have to "work" on several problems in parallel, so you always have something to do. The atmosphere of the game is slightly creepy and a bit desolate, and they do a good job of generating a feeling of urgency toward the end that keeps you interested.
Even the SE version has achievements and you can collect frogs if you really want to (and who wouldn't?). Finding the frogs wasn't that challenging for which I was grateful since I already had lost my eyesight to the HOGs.
I don't recommend this game.
Track a mad man across time and investigate a gristly murder from the past!
Overall rating
5
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Great detective story with supernatural twist
PostedJune 15, 2015
Beeblebrox
fromGermany
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Time Management, Adventure
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I completed the SE version on hard in about 5 hrs. Three difficulty settings that are not customizable. You get a journal but no map.
I very much enjoyed this game. Graphics and sound are top notch, very good voice-over. The story was pretty good, but it was a bit drawn out in the beginning and felt a bit rushed towards the end in comparison. Still, they managed to keep it interesting and even give it a sense of urgency.
Despite this being the SE version there are two types of collectibles (one you need to fill up hints which you don't get to collect if you play on hard) and achievements.
I very much liked the minigames and HOGs in this game. Both were really well integrated in the storyline, even the HOGs. You not only get items you need to progress but you also sometimes find items that are relevant to your case, e.g. an empty ring box, and you hear an explanation which conclusions Angelica draws from that ("The victim didn't wear a ring and the ring box is empty - Took the murderer the ring as a trophy?"). In some games the HOGs take you out of the story, here they contributed to it - great!
Like the HOGs the minigames fitted the story very well and were for the most part of medium difficulty. Some unusual ones as well that I hadn't seen before.
The rest of the game was entertaining as well and probably the only HO game I've played in which I didn't have to find an ornament to open a box even once. Instead there was a nice variety of things to do and find, from finding something to pacify a dog to repairing street lamps.
As I mentioned at the beginning, there is no map in this game, but I didn't miss one at all. The active areas aren't too large and if you manage to pick up all items in the first go there isn't much running around required.
Overall a very good game with a lot of fresh ideas, relatively long and with a good challenge level. Try the demo, it gives you a good feel for the game.
I recommend this game!
The Lost Lands are in danger again... There's only one brave soul who can face the four evil horsemen to save it – you!
Overall rating
4
/
5
10 of 10 found this review helpful
More adventure game than HOG
PostedJune 7, 2015
Beeblebrox
fromGermany
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Time Management, Adventure
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Completed the SE version in about 5 hours on the hardest difficulty, although I added map activity indicators at some point in the second half of the game. Three difficulty settings that can all be customised are available. You get an interactive map and a journal.
The game is visually stunning, you can adjust the resolution and on the highest setting everything is very crisp and detailed. Music and sounds are fitting and they have some nicely done voice-overs.
The storyline is not very elaborate. You are somehow transported in this other world that is threatened by evil horsemen and for an unknown reason you are supposed to defeat them. I don't think I'm spoiling anything when I say that you do in the end. That's the story. You get some additional lore through some manuscript pages you continue to find as well as through explanations by several people you meet but it didn't really grip me.
The HOGs without exception had you search for outlined objects which you then had to use in the HO scene to get to the next object. While I usually like this type of HOG they could have shaken it up a bit with a different type every now and then.
Minigames were on the easy side for the most part, but there weren't that many of them anyway. Often you'd find a hint how to solve them beforehand and then just had to press the buttons in the right order.
The thing I liked most about this game is paradoxically also what I liked the least. This is really an adventure game, so you encounter problems that you have to solve. I like that.
But in this game, you often don't have a clue what a possible solution could be or you do things because you have the item for it but you don't know why.
And my biggest issue: As the game progresses there are more and more locations open to you and in almost every one of them there is something left that you can't solve until much later. I kept forgetting where I had seen this lock/door/thing that I couldn't open/get and when I found a new item I had to search through several places just to find it again. At times it felt more like playing an elaborate game of memory than an adventure game.
I enabled activity markers on the map halfway through because I was so sick of running through the same locations again and again. That made it much more enjoyable but also took away most of the challenge.
But in this game, you often don't have a clue what a possible solution could be or you do things because you have the item for it but you don't know why.
And my biggest issue: As the game progresses there are more and more locations open to you and in almost every one of them there is something left that you can't solve until much later. I kept forgetting where I had seen this lock/door/thing that I couldn't open/get and when I found a new item I had to search through several places just to find it again. At times it felt more like playing an elaborate game of memory than an adventure game.
I enabled activity markers on the map halfway through because I was so sick of running through the same locations again and again. That made it much more enjoyable but also took away most of the challenge.
Still, there were a lot of things that I really liked, e.g. there were loads of locations to explore, it wasn't completely linear, there are a great variety of puzzles, definitely worth checking out.
I recommend this game!
A recently unearthed artifact proves a dark legend to be true! Follow the trail of a group of missing graduate students.
Overall rating
4
/
5
6 of 7 found this review helpful
A game that shows its age but still worth playing
PostedJune 6, 2015
Beeblebrox
fromGermany
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Time Management, Adventure
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
It took me over 5 hours to finish the game.
Dire Grove is a few years old and so some features you expect nowadays are missing. No difficulty settings, but you can change the style of comments you get when doing something wrong (snarky, motivational or normal). You get no map, you can't jump to locations, there are no hints outside of HOGs. The HOGs are all list-based, no interactivity, and they are hard. Items are tiny or only partly visible behind other objects, some very difficult to identify. You revisit most of the HOGs twice and they randomly reactivate, so if you are stuck, chances are that a HOG somewhere is now active again and you get the item that you need by solving it.
But there are also a lot of things that are great. The storyline is complex, there are videos with real actors that you can find throughout the game that tell you what happened and sometimes give you important information, too. Your journal collects clues, summarises the story for you and gives hints what you might need to do.
There is no pointless finding of ornaments that you need to open a box, only to find an item that you need to open yet another thing. Instead, you find an axe to chop wood to start a fire to get ashes. You actually have to think about what to do, there's almost no hand-holding. For the minigames you have to figure out for yourself what you need to do, there are no instructions.
I had to refer to a walkthrough on two occasions, once because you had to click on a thing a few times to make something happen which I didn't realise was an option, so be aware of that. Another time, I didn't realise that I wasn't supposed to click on an item in a minigame but hold and drag. Other than that I had no problems figuring out what to do next (eventually).
Overall, I enjoyed the game a lot with the exception of the HOGs. It is just lazy to reactivate them for no rhyme nor reason and compared to the variety of different HOGs we've come to expect one list-based HOG after the other just seems boring. I wasn't too much bothered by the absence of a map, if you look systematically for items and things to do you don't have to run around that much. Still, there is a bit of going back and forth required.
This game is not for everyone but if you like a challenge, aren't bothered by having to run around a bit, and have an attention span longer than a few seconds then you should check out this game!
I recommend this game!
The lighthouse fails and darkness invades Willow Ridge. Your husband runs into the forest for answers, unaware of the shadow hunting him.
Overall rating
3
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Started great but lost steam
PostedJune 5, 2015
Beeblebrox
fromGermany
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Time Management, Adventure
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I played the SE version on the highest difficulty setting, completed in 5 hours. There are three difficulty settings plus custom settings available. You get an interactive map, a journal, an amulet that gives you an additional ability, and a little helper as an inventory item.
Child of the forest starts promising. Somehow, the forest is attacking people and the city you live in and only light keeps it at bay. Your husband for some reason entered the forest and is now missing and the lighthouse that protects your city is on fire. Your mission is clear, save the lighthouse, save your husband, save the day.
There's a good mixture of environmental puzzles, minigames that are well-integrated in the storyline, and some HOGs that are not too easy. There is a bit of thinking required, some not so obvious things to do; not overly challenging but fun.
That is, during the first 30% of the game. After that it becomes increasingly repetitive.
Environmental puzzles for the most part become 'find an item to open a container to find an item to open a door', rinse and repeat.
The story progresses by cutscenes, which are interrupted by little scenes in which you have to find items that are not in the right place and put them back where they belong. 3-4 times each cutscene, and there are several cutscenes throughout the game.
There are some 'action scenes' in which you have to either find one item that doesn't fit the rest or find matching items. Also repeated several times.
The overall level of challenge goes markedly down and because you more or less breeze through the rest of the game you get the feeling that you spend most of your time with HO scenes. I *like* HO scenes. But by the end of the game I was actually bored by them.
I did want to know the conclusion of the story, so I played till the end, but it felt a bit like a chore.
Environmental puzzles for the most part become 'find an item to open a container to find an item to open a door', rinse and repeat.
The story progresses by cutscenes, which are interrupted by little scenes in which you have to find items that are not in the right place and put them back where they belong. 3-4 times each cutscene, and there are several cutscenes throughout the game.
There are some 'action scenes' in which you have to either find one item that doesn't fit the rest or find matching items. Also repeated several times.
The overall level of challenge goes markedly down and because you more or less breeze through the rest of the game you get the feeling that you spend most of your time with HO scenes. I *like* HO scenes. But by the end of the game I was actually bored by them.
I did want to know the conclusion of the story, so I played till the end, but it felt a bit like a chore.
Other than that it is a well-made game with an appealing art style. Although in scenes with voice-over they strangely didn't animate the faces of the people who talked to you. Instead, they kind of gesticulated with their whole body which looked a bit weird.
If you want to try out this series I'd play Rite of Passage: Hide and Seek instead. I liked it much better than this one.
I don't recommend this game.
What if everything you knew about your life, everything your family ever told you, turned out to be a lie?
Overall rating
5
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
I'm not really sure I want to go in the cellar...
PostedJune 5, 2015
Beeblebrox
fromGermany
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Time Management, Adventure
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I completed the SE version on 'advanced' in over 5 hours. Three difficulty settings are available, no custom settings. You get an interactive map and a journal.
If you've read other reviews you'll probably already know that Forsaken Souls is only the first part of a two part story. I tried to find out when the second part will be published but I could only find a Facebook page for the game which was last active in November 2014. So, be aware if you play this that you will probably never know the ending.
But enough of that and on to what you'll actually get if you purchase the game.
But enough of that and on to what you'll actually get if you purchase the game.
The storyline: You get a letter from your sister who disappeared from your life 10 years ago. She hints at some family secret and wants to meet. So, you drive over to the provided address just to find the house abandoned, probably for years, so you start to investigate.
Everything is very mysterious, definitely creepy, and you can't know whether what you see is real or just your imagination.
Everything is very mysterious, definitely creepy, and you can't know whether what you see is real or just your imagination.
The game does a good job of keeping up a suspenseful atmosphere both through the sparsely used music and the sounds you constantly hear. When I got to a boarded-up door to the cellar, my first thought was that I don't particularly want to go down there. That being said, it is still a HO game where you wander through a series of static locations, so don't expect to actually be freaked out. Still, for this type of game they did an impressive job.
The HOGs in this game are for the most part list-based, but they were done very well, difficult, but not unfair. Although some objects are on the small side which might be a problem on smaller screens or if your eyesight isn't that good. Most HOGs are revisisted once. Minigames were nothing new for the most part, but sometimes with added difficulty, which I liked.
But honestly, this game is more of a true adventure game than a HOG, anyway. Most of the time you'll have a full inventory and you have to find out how to use it to progress.
This game is not strictly linear, either, so there'll be a number of things you can do or try, there is no spoon-feeding of solutions here. If you don't like running around and trying to figure things out than this is probably not the game for you (even though you could use the map to see locations with active tasks).
This game is not strictly linear, either, so there'll be a number of things you can do or try, there is no spoon-feeding of solutions here. If you don't like running around and trying to figure things out than this is probably not the game for you (even though you could use the map to see locations with active tasks).
A lot of work and thought went into this game so it is really a shame that there is no second part out yet. The game just stops. There is a logical break at that point since you are planning to continue your investigation at a different location, but story-wise you just get the feeling that everything starts coming together, so you will be disappointed that you can't continue even if you know it's coming. But what is there is well worth your time.
I recommend this game!
A simple job protecting a bumbling professor becomes a nightmare when a masked figure threatens to kill him!
Overall rating
3
/
5
27 of 29 found this review helpful
Too short, too easy.
PostedJune 3, 2015
Beeblebrox
fromGermany
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Time Management
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I completed the SE version on 'hardcore' in about 3 hours. You get an interactive map. Three difficulty settings and custom settings are available.
This is a well-made game with good voice-overs and fitting musics and sounds. I liked the look of it, too, a bit gritty, mostly greyish-blue colours that contributed to the doom and gloom atmosphere of the game.
The story is a bit science fiction-ish which is a nice change, although I'm still waiting for a real sci-fi storyline. Where are the aliens and UFOs in HOGs? Anyway, the story didn't really grip me, and the end was rather aprupt and left me a bit disappointed.
The minigames and HOGs were with few exceptions very easy, but there are a lot of them and a good variety, too. I quite enjoyed what I'd call the "adventure-style" puzzles where you have to find a way to e.g. repair a tv. There wasn't much running around required, either, which is always a plus.
If you are a fan of the series, if you don't mind the short duration, or if you like less challenging games then you might enjoy this one.
I don't recommend this game.
Enter Ravenwood Park and discover the secrets hidden in the mists...
Overall rating
5
/
5
4 of 4 found this review helpful
Fantastic game!
PostedJune 2, 2015
Beeblebrox
fromGermany
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Time Management
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I played the SE version on expert, took me over 5 hours to complete. You get an interactive map, a journal and an evidence board for collecting clues about your investigation.
I bought this game together with the first Enigmatis game because I had played the demos of both and thought they looked interesting. Then I played the first one and it was terrible. The only thing I liked about it was the evidence board. So, I wasn't really looking forward to playing this one, but am I glad that I did! They improved just about everything and they kept the evidence board, which continues to be my favourite part.
You are a detective who stumbles over a seemingly abandoned trailer on the middle of the road. In it, you find a child who tells you that a monster took her parents. So, you start investigating. During your investigation you collect clues. These are added to your evidence board. You are then tasked with organising these clues to groups to answer specific questions. If you have found enough clues for a question and grouped them correctly, a deduction is made which may lead to new questions.
I liked everything about this. It makes you really think about "your case" and allows for a really complex story to be told. And the story is fantastic!
The game has a nice level of challenge. Minigames and HOGs range from easy to difficult. An unusual feature is that you could remove items from the list of some HOGs by playing a matching game. If you like me don't want to use hints but just can't find this last item then you'll appreciate this feature, too!
There is almost no running around required and while you obviously have to open doors or containers sometimes you for the most part actually have to think about how to accomplish that, not just find a fitting key or ornament.
I don't have a single criticism about this game, I can't even complain that it is too short because it is longer than average. If you prefer a bit of a challenge in a game, this is the one for you!
Solve the mystery that spooked a young girl into silence!
Overall rating
4
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Solid game, not exceptional, not bad, either.
PostedJune 1, 2015
Beeblebrox
fromGermany
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Time Management
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I played on hard, completed in under 4 hours.
You are a detective who has to find two people that mysteriously disappeared from an old castle and you soon realize that something spooky is going on... The story didn't provide many surprises but was well presented.
Nice variety of HOGs and minigames of easy or medium difficulty. The rest of the game was mainly finding the right key/item/puzzle piece to open the next lock/box. And there were a lot of those!
Not much challenge in this and therefore a bit on the short side since you can basically breeze through the game. Still, a solid game that kept me interested, with nice visuals and music/sounds that added to the slightly creepy atmosphere.
If you are looking for something to spend some time on but not much thought, this is the game for you!
I recommend this game!