Dr_Q's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3
- Helpful Votes:149
- Reviews Submitted:60
- First Review:May 5, 2013
- Most Recent Review:August 5, 2013
- Featured reviews0
Journey into the mythical Snowfall Kingdom and investigate the disappearance of children in Dark Parables: Rise of the Snow Queen!
Overall rating
3
/
5
Hackneyed storyline
PostedJune 4, 2013
Dr_Q
fromBaton Rouge, LA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Brain Teaser, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Yet another "grieving mother sacrifices all life on earth to save her dying child." SIGH! What I wouldn't give for a plain and simple female villain.
That being said, the HOS scenes are a cut above the usual "hunt for random objects on a junkpile" scenes. Each HOS is a hunt for the pieces of a needed object, and the scenes themselves are true to the theme. There is a nice mix of easy and hard to find pieces, so that the beginner will be encouraged, while the advanced player will still find a challenge. The objects themselves are quite stunning. A lot of time has been put into the graphics on this.
The puzzles, however, quickly become redundant. There are only two or three different types. Granted they become more difficult as the game progresses, they don't really add much to the game.
The map is useful in figuring out where to go next and how to get there. As with most of these games, at some point the flow is lost and all you can do is follow the map.
One question remains -- where is the child's father? Maybe that was explained in the parables, which I did not bother to read, but I found it more than a little creepy that we have Snow White, her father and her son, with no Prince Charming in the picture.
After your sister vanishes on her wedding day no one has any idea what happened to her, so it's up to you to find the truth!
Overall rating
3
/
5
Have to agree with those who say "Too many HOS!"
PostedJune 2, 2013
Dr_Q
fromBaton Rouge, LA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Brain Teaser, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Hours and hours of hunting through junk piles to get one object to go back and use to get another HOS to get one object to go back and use to get another HOS . . . I give it 3 stars because the first third or so was really quite enjoyable; the middle third was not too bad; but the final third is just tedious and repetitious.
I also had trouble figuring out what to do after awhile because the actions were not logical or coherent. One that stands out was gathering a bucket of snow for no apparent reason other than I had picked up a bucket and the snow was sparkling. Much later in the game, I found a fire with a hook that indicated that "something" could hang from the hook. So, I heated the bucket of snow on a fire, then took one mug of hot water out (that mug had been hanging around for awhile, too) and went back down a path that would have taken 15-20 minutes in reality, to use the "hot water" to thaw a cover that was frozen to a plate. A plate, I should note, that I had noted literally hours earlier.
That cup of water would have been ice cold by the time I got there. Who in their right mind would not have taken the entire bucket? It might have stayed at least warm.
And what did I find? A hunk of frozen meat that I had to take back to the lodge and put in the bucket of water hanging over the fire. If I'd taken the bucket with me in the first place . . .
I'd recommend it, but just barely.
The claim that the most difficult level allows you to play "like a real detective" made me laugh out loud. What "real detective" digs through junk piles for random objects that are in no way related to the case? What "real detective" starts out on a case without any tools or supplies of any kind? What "real detective," having found a general use tool such as a screwdriver or hammer, throws it away after using it once?
I only kept playing because of my need to finish what I start. Eventually skipped most of the puzzles, which were the tedious kind that don't require skill or logic so much as perseverance. Just keep sliding those tiles or rotating those dials until they line up.
I recommend this game!
Travel to Red Lake Falls to track down the latest Dark Dimension!
Overall rating
2
/
5
5 of 5 found this review helpful
If "Save us from the wax" doesn't make you giggle, then this is for you
PostedMay 27, 2013
Dr_Q
fromBaton Rouge, LA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Good beginning, spooky, creepy, mysterious, but, honestly, "Save us from the wax?" really destroyed it. I just couldn't take it seriously.
And, as with "City of Fog," the constant back-and-forth became tedious in the extreme. I lost count at one point as to how many times I went between the same two locations, picking up one item in one location to use to find one item in the other location to use in the first location to get an item to use in the second.
HOS are nearly all interactive, which I enjoy, and when you return to one (which you do numerous times!) most of the objects you found the first time are gone, so it's less cluttered. However, not only do you have to hit it just right to get it to work, there are -- as usual -- vocabulary issues, which becomes frustrating.
The storyline is convoluted. It is different from the same old "unrequited love," but there are just so many characters and subplots that I lost track. It also makes it difficult to figure out what to do next -- I would remember that I'd seen something or read something, but could not remember what or where.
The developers appear to be more interested in creating a twists and turns than in developing a coherent and consistent plot. In one scene, I was told that I could not use an oven mitt (which I had) to pick up a hot coal, because it would set the place on fire. I had to go find tongs (which they called "forceps"). Then I later used the oven mitt on a red-hot metal handle. Huh? What about the danger of fire?
I also dislike the way that tools are discarded on use, and you have to later find another tool or a second one of the same type.
I was playing it through the streaming service, and I hit a point where it failed to save when I exited. After starting over at the exact same point twice, I quit. I don't know whether to blame the game or the server, but it just wasn't worth the effort to find the time to finish it. I saw how much was still left, in the walkthough, and it just made me tired.
I don't recommend this game.
Search for a town consumed by fog! Unlock forbidden doors and uncover mysterious items!
Overall rating
2
/
5
2 of 4 found this review helpful
The absolute worst backtracking of any game I've played
PostedMay 25, 2013
Dr_Q
fromBaton Rouge, LA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
The graphics are very good quality, although the developers should either do their research or not set their games in 1896. All of the clothes and hairstyles were extremely modern, which was confusing when ghosts popped up.
The puzzles are average and pretty typical of this kind of game. They aren't hard so much as tedious; dragging and dropping or swapping tiles, etc. One math puzzle; no word puzzles that I can recall.
The storyline kept me playing well after the backtracking had me bored to tears, and the resolution was almost worth it. If you are bothered by witchcraft and black magic, you'll want to avoid this.
But the backtracking! I can't think of one time, except at the end, that I had what I needed when I got to a location. Literally, go to a place, note that you need an item; head to another location, find that item, note that you need an item for this location; head off to another location, find that item, note that you need an item for this location. Only toward the end do you actually pick up several items in different locations that are then used in one location.
The progression is not logical, either. There are cues in the beginning, but after awhile, it feels almost random. I finally resorted to the walkthrough to avoid wandering around, hoping to figure out where I should be.
In most games, if you find an item you need, you go back and use it; if you head off to look for something, that's what you do. Not this one. You can't get in the train station, so you go around to the back -- except that now you're at the cemetery, so you go in the cemetery, and take note of items you need in the cemetery, then you go out of the cemetery and over to a fountain, then you go down the road to a farm, then you go back into the city and head down a side street to a house you've never been to before. And back to the farm -- and back to the cemetery -- and back to the house -- and back to the farm -- and back to the fountain -- and to the doctor's office -- and back to the farm -- and then to the house -- for literally hours, until you FINALLY get to the train station, but not the way you think.
I recommend this game!
Help Cassandra find her missing ring and unearth the strange secrets of her family`s heritage with magic tricks and fortune-telling wisdom!
Overall rating
3
/
5
3 of 4 found this review helpful
Maybe for someone much younger or a beginner
PostedMay 25, 2013
Dr_Q
fromBaton Rouge, LA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
There's very little challenge in this game; lots of match-3, jigsaw puzzles, HOS, and "find the difference" puzzles. It moves fairly quickly and easily, so is good for a beginner or for just passing time without too much stress. Finding jewels that can be used to purchase additional hints also makes it good for the beginner.
The storyline is rather cheesy, with far, far too much dialogue to click through. What's really missing is any sense of atmosphere. The description promises "strange secrets of her family's heritage," but I can't remember a single one.
The "magic" games are basic math tricks; it would have been more interesting if they had explained the math behind them.
Usual issues with vocabulary -- developers of all games need to learn the difference between a "teapot" and a "tea kettle." A dress form is not a "dummy."
I don't recommend this game.
Susan Anderson is back, following the clues of a mysterious benefactor, searching the world for the treasures of legend.
Overall rating
5
/
5
17 of 20 found this review helpful
My kind of game
PostedMay 24, 2013
Dr_Q
fromBaton Rouge, LA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Yeah, it's dated, and some of the scenes are too dark, so you have to use the hints to find some of the items, but overall, it has everything I'm looking for in a game. No HOS junk piles. A few tools that are used throughout the game, and some items that are found and used in specific scenes. No back tracking. A variety of different locations, where the setting and the items (for the most part) fit the theme. A storyline that is pretty straightforward and does not involve rescuing grandpa from the supernatural. Puzzles that can be solved using logic and perseverance, and none of them repeat. I also appreciated the chapters, so that I could finish one, then get back to my real life, and pick it up again without having to try to remember where I was.
I recommend this game!
Who is this Woman in White and what is her secret? Explore Victorian mansions, search for clues, and discover the truth!
Overall rating
3
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Based on the Wilkie Collins' novel of the same name
PostedMay 22, 2013
Dr_Q
fromBaton Rouge, LA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
He also wrote "The Moonstone." The plot follows the original fairly faithfully.
Rather clunky. Old-style graphics. The off-set pointer made it difficult to know exactly what was being examined or picked up. Not too much backtracking. Puzzles were not at all difficult; in fact, some were almost insultingly easy. The fishing game -- I never could get the hang of that, and it felt out of place, as if the developers had a routine they didn't know what to do with, so they threw it in here.
The ending is abrupt, even for these kind of games.
What kind of drawing teacher goes around smashing and breaking and dissolving half the house?
Might be a good game for a beginner.
I recommend this game!
Strange figures have taken over a small town in Hallowed Legends: Templar! Stop the Knights of the Templar!
Overall rating
4
/
5
A bit bothered by the negative presentation of the Knights Templar
PostedMay 21, 2013
Dr_Q
fromBaton Rouge, LA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Yeah, I know it's a game, and I played it, but still . . . couldn't they have created a fictional order? And those were some pretty chunky knights.
A good, solid game; pretty much what you expect from an HOS adventure. Nothing stands out as exceptionally good or bad. It had the usual positives and the usual negatives.
A lot of backtracking. Puzzles were rather tedious. Vocabulary issues -- it's clear that a lot of the terms come out of a dictionary. There is a great difference between "nitrogen" and "liquid nitrogen." Toward the end, especially, I just had to randomly try out different items to figure out what to do next, and when I did, it made no sense. Doesn't every priest keep a can of gas in the confessional? A diver's helmet is no good without a source of oxygen, to say nothing of the rest of the suit. Of course I'd chop the head off of a wooden statue; makes sense to me. And who wouldn't blow up a couple of barrels of fuel, rather than just walk around them?
I recommend this game!
Save the souls of prodigy children and their caretaker who disappeared during the fire in The Agency of Anomalies: Cinderstone Orphanage!
Overall rating
4
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Very enjoyable overall
PostedMay 20, 2013
Dr_Q
fromBaton Rouge, LA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
To get the negatives out of the way, there is far, far too much backtracking, and no map. I got lost more than once trying to get back to a specific room. There is no way to get from the first to second floor within the house, so you have to go out and around every time. Also, out of 5 children, only one is a girl. Why? As is usual, there are vocabulary issues which cause confusion -- I wasted a hint trying to find a hacksaw, when what was meant was a hand saw; that was later used to saw through a metal pipe, which would not really work. Now, to the positives -- this game has a fun twist on the usual HOS. After picking up items in one scene, you'll be required to replace them in a different scene. So, if you pick up a hair bow in one scene, you'll place it on a doll's head in another. You get "superpowers," which is fun, but you aren't always allowed to use them; who wouldn't use telekinesis to move a electrified lever rather than hunt for a rubber glove? The ending -- well, the developers obviously have seen X-Men Two.
I recommend this game!
Overall rating
2
/
5
Not as scary as it wants to be; extremely predictable
PostedMay 19, 2013
Dr_Q
fromBaton Rouge, LA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Brain Teaser, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
I have to admit that I did not finish this game. As others have noted, you are told to play in the dark with the sound on, to get the full effect, but it's neither that frightening nor that camp.It is, however, yet another "mad doctor" plot that is extremely derivative and predictable. I worked out the ending in the first 10 minutes. I found it extremely difficult to know what to do next, and finally quit when the walkthrough explained that I needed to flood the cell so that the bottle of cleaner would float toward the door. Really? This was after I had repaired a cart that was then not used for anything.
I don't recommend this game.