Lolyta_IceWalker's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.8
- Helpful Votes:410
- Reviews Submitted:34
- First Review:November 19, 2011
- Most Recent Review:August 26, 2014
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Travel back in time to help stop a terrible fire that started Felicia down her evil path in PuppetShow: Return to Joyville!
Overall rating
4
/
5
19 of 22 found this review helpful
Better and better
PostedMay 21, 2012
Lolyta_IceWalker
fromGold Coast, Australia
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Large File, Strategy, Time Management, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Return to Joyville, part four and some are saying the final of the Puppet Show series incorporates the best elements of all its predecessors. Cutscenes are full motion with voice-overs, and the difficulty levels have been stepped up again with three varieties - hints and sparkles; slower hints and no sparkles; and yet slower hints, no sparkles and none of the tips that your detective likes to mutter to himself. They are changeable at any point in the gameplay. In addition, for the first time, you now have hints outside of HO scenes.
Sound and music are much the same as ever, setting the scene but not distracting from the gameplay. The imagery is one step down again in the macabre, but still delightfully creepy. Expect more of the exquisite scenery we're used to from this series.
HO scenes have evolved slightly, with more interactable items per list, and - hurrah - far fewer multiples of objects. Keep your brightness turned up a little notch, but for the most part they're nice and clear if you have a decent screen resolution.
Plenty of the great little mini-puzzles we've come to love in ERS games, some of which are hard enough to keep you thinking for a good few minutes without ever leaving you feel hopelessly stuck.
Plotwise we get nice and in-depth, first trying to help Felicia stop the fire and then discovering that there's someone working against us behind the scenes. If this is the last one, however, I'm sad that we didn't get to go into the whole lore of how the puppets seem so lifelike, and I didn't see one soul-crystal the whole game. So while this is a time-traveller, there's not a lot of back-story. Rather a whole new level to what we already knew.
Overall a terrific little game. Very fun and a good length, almost two hours playing in middle difficulty as I was in this for the story not the challenge. I really do hope, and not just because of the desire for more backstory, that this isn't the last we'll see of the Master and his amazing puppets.
Sound and music are much the same as ever, setting the scene but not distracting from the gameplay. The imagery is one step down again in the macabre, but still delightfully creepy. Expect more of the exquisite scenery we're used to from this series.
HO scenes have evolved slightly, with more interactable items per list, and - hurrah - far fewer multiples of objects. Keep your brightness turned up a little notch, but for the most part they're nice and clear if you have a decent screen resolution.
Plenty of the great little mini-puzzles we've come to love in ERS games, some of which are hard enough to keep you thinking for a good few minutes without ever leaving you feel hopelessly stuck.
Plotwise we get nice and in-depth, first trying to help Felicia stop the fire and then discovering that there's someone working against us behind the scenes. If this is the last one, however, I'm sad that we didn't get to go into the whole lore of how the puppets seem so lifelike, and I didn't see one soul-crystal the whole game. So while this is a time-traveller, there's not a lot of back-story. Rather a whole new level to what we already knew.
Overall a terrific little game. Very fun and a good length, almost two hours playing in middle difficulty as I was in this for the story not the challenge. I really do hope, and not just because of the desire for more backstory, that this isn't the last we'll see of the Master and his amazing puppets.
I recommend this game!
After discovering a new system of caves, the entire town is excited to explore, until Suzy is kidnapped by a mechanical beast!
Overall rating
5
/
5
5 of 7 found this review helpful
Lives up to expectations
PostedMay 20, 2012
Lolyta_IceWalker
fromGold Coast, Australia
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Strategy, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
The third in the Puppet Show series, Lost Town not only meets the standards of those before it, it exceeds them easily.
To start with, this is the first PuppetShow game where they've worked in motion graphics in their cutscenes and they have voice-overs for the story text. While not something I find necessary in a game, it does add something to the feel of the production value.
Like its predecessor, Lost Town has two difficulty levels which add or remove helpful sparklies and determine the recharge timer for your hints. It uses the same backing track music, so if you didn't like it, you'll want to turn on some music.
Once again the artwork in the scenery is fantastic and the imagination that has gone into the puppet creations is admirable. Lots to look at in this one, and you'll even get to fool around with some machinery and have a puppet or two do your bidding!
Plot-wise, this one heads in the same direction that we've been seeing in the series, getting more detailed and involved. You start out looking for little Susie who's been dragged off by a puppet and slowly learn just how deep this particular mystery, and mine, goes. And that mystical crystal will make another appearance.
HOs are more intricate, in that you'll have to interact with some objects. No click and drag here though, just opening some cupboards and the like. The mini-puzzles range from easy to head-scratcher difficult, but are all very logical and workable.
Overall, this one is a definite recommend. If you haven't played the previous two, don't worry, you haven't missed out on so much plot that you won't be able to enjoy Lost Town. Crazy fun, and about the right length - roughly two hours on a speed run for me which is quite good. Pleasantly for those with younger computer-sharers, this one's also not as dark and macabre as we've seen before. There won't be many who'd regret trying it out.
To start with, this is the first PuppetShow game where they've worked in motion graphics in their cutscenes and they have voice-overs for the story text. While not something I find necessary in a game, it does add something to the feel of the production value.
Like its predecessor, Lost Town has two difficulty levels which add or remove helpful sparklies and determine the recharge timer for your hints. It uses the same backing track music, so if you didn't like it, you'll want to turn on some music.
Once again the artwork in the scenery is fantastic and the imagination that has gone into the puppet creations is admirable. Lots to look at in this one, and you'll even get to fool around with some machinery and have a puppet or two do your bidding!
Plot-wise, this one heads in the same direction that we've been seeing in the series, getting more detailed and involved. You start out looking for little Susie who's been dragged off by a puppet and slowly learn just how deep this particular mystery, and mine, goes. And that mystical crystal will make another appearance.
HOs are more intricate, in that you'll have to interact with some objects. No click and drag here though, just opening some cupboards and the like. The mini-puzzles range from easy to head-scratcher difficult, but are all very logical and workable.
Overall, this one is a definite recommend. If you haven't played the previous two, don't worry, you haven't missed out on so much plot that you won't be able to enjoy Lost Town. Crazy fun, and about the right length - roughly two hours on a speed run for me which is quite good. Pleasantly for those with younger computer-sharers, this one's also not as dark and macabre as we've seen before. There won't be many who'd regret trying it out.
I recommend this game!
Return to the PuppetShow in this spooky sequel! Solve new mysteries and uncover dark secrets in Puppetshow: Souls of the Innocent.
Overall rating
5
/
5
6 of 7 found this review helpful
Sucking you even deeper...
PostedMay 20, 2012
Lolyta_IceWalker
fromGold Coast, Australia
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Strategy, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Souls of the Innocent is a direct sequal to Joyville, not only in story but in terms of game development too.
Sound and music remained as chilling but quickly same-y as before, and once again we are offered our story and plot by way of text rather than voice overs - which is something I don't mind in the least.
Evolving from Joyville, Souls has two difficulty levels which boil down to with sparkles or without, and 'hard' slows down your hint timer.
The graphics and image quality remain as steampunk chic as before but take further steps into the haunting. There are definitely some images in here that would be considered non-kid-friendly. Those whose age is in single figures should have the full game pre-played by an adult who knows them, to see if there's anything going to upset little eyes. I for one, when I could look past the macabre, was stunned with the inventiveness that went into some scenes and the portraits scattered around the castle.
Plot has come a little way since the last game too. No longer are you single-mindedly searching for a person, only to discover a little plot right at the end. Rather you are investigating certain high-jinks that will slowly unveil to you Felicia's grand plan, and you must learn enough to attempt to foil her. Plenty of relatively easy HOs and some great but easy mini-puzzles. In a speed run I took a little under two hours, almost 30 minutes longer than Joyville.
I reccomend playing it a lot slower than that first time through, though, and really immersing yourself in the artwork. The detail and thought that's gone into this shows.
Sound and music remained as chilling but quickly same-y as before, and once again we are offered our story and plot by way of text rather than voice overs - which is something I don't mind in the least.
Evolving from Joyville, Souls has two difficulty levels which boil down to with sparkles or without, and 'hard' slows down your hint timer.
The graphics and image quality remain as steampunk chic as before but take further steps into the haunting. There are definitely some images in here that would be considered non-kid-friendly. Those whose age is in single figures should have the full game pre-played by an adult who knows them, to see if there's anything going to upset little eyes. I for one, when I could look past the macabre, was stunned with the inventiveness that went into some scenes and the portraits scattered around the castle.
Plot has come a little way since the last game too. No longer are you single-mindedly searching for a person, only to discover a little plot right at the end. Rather you are investigating certain high-jinks that will slowly unveil to you Felicia's grand plan, and you must learn enough to attempt to foil her. Plenty of relatively easy HOs and some great but easy mini-puzzles. In a speed run I took a little under two hours, almost 30 minutes longer than Joyville.
I reccomend playing it a lot slower than that first time through, though, and really immersing yourself in the artwork. The detail and thought that's gone into this shows.
I recommend this game!
Uncover dark secrets, find hidden clues, and solve nefarious puzzles, in PuppetShow: Mystery of Joyville.
Overall rating
4
/
5
A good beginning.
PostedMay 20, 2012
Lolyta_IceWalker
fromGold Coast, Australia
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Strategy, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Mystery of Joyville, being the first in the series, is not everything that one might expect today from a game but it is, nonetheless, quite playable.
As to sound and music, well the speech is entirely done via text, with no voice over and the music, while fittingly haunting and eerie, has a very short playback and gets repetitive.
Graphics are nothing spectacular, with the expected dark steam-punk type scenes and junkpile HOs, however the individual characters you meet - Simon's mother, The Master and his daughter - are quite well rendered and beautiful in their own way.
The story is simple to the extreme. You are looking for Simon. This is the motive which drives you for the majority of the gameplay, right up until the endgame when you are trying to discover just what kind of foulplay has arisen.
Likewise the gameplay is simplistic. HO scenes are relatively easy - I tended to complete them in well under a minute each by looking for whichever item had multiples (4xhorses for example# and random clicking as I went. There are no difficulty levels, so you have sparkles indicating your HOs. Minigames are easy and fairly normal within the genre.
One thing of note - when looking at a scene, you do not look from the perspective of the door you just entered by, which would be the usual. Rather, that door is one of those you have in front of you. Rarely do you backtrack by clicking downscreen. It's something that can be disorienting at first and which I found slightly annoying.
Overall I would say that the game didn't have anything to make it majorly stand out from the crowd, but as part of the larger series it's definitely worth a playthrough to get a feel for the world you're in. Relatively short as it is #took me about an hour and a half, though naturally I was wizzing through intentionally. You might be more inclined to stop and smell the roses), it might be one to get with your stamp-collected freebie.
As to sound and music, well the speech is entirely done via text, with no voice over and the music, while fittingly haunting and eerie, has a very short playback and gets repetitive.
Graphics are nothing spectacular, with the expected dark steam-punk type scenes and junkpile HOs, however the individual characters you meet - Simon's mother, The Master and his daughter - are quite well rendered and beautiful in their own way.
The story is simple to the extreme. You are looking for Simon. This is the motive which drives you for the majority of the gameplay, right up until the endgame when you are trying to discover just what kind of foulplay has arisen.
Likewise the gameplay is simplistic. HO scenes are relatively easy - I tended to complete them in well under a minute each by looking for whichever item had multiples (4xhorses for example# and random clicking as I went. There are no difficulty levels, so you have sparkles indicating your HOs. Minigames are easy and fairly normal within the genre.
One thing of note - when looking at a scene, you do not look from the perspective of the door you just entered by, which would be the usual. Rather, that door is one of those you have in front of you. Rarely do you backtrack by clicking downscreen. It's something that can be disorienting at first and which I found slightly annoying.
Overall I would say that the game didn't have anything to make it majorly stand out from the crowd, but as part of the larger series it's definitely worth a playthrough to get a feel for the world you're in. Relatively short as it is #took me about an hour and a half, though naturally I was wizzing through intentionally. You might be more inclined to stop and smell the roses), it might be one to get with your stamp-collected freebie.
I recommend this game!
Stop a mechanical monster before it destroys an entire town in Depths of Betrayal! Uncover the truth and stop the terrifying machine!
Overall rating
4
/
5
3 of 3 found this review helpful
Interestingly Different
PostedMay 17, 2012
Lolyta_IceWalker
fromGold Coast, Australia
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This is a game that, while not overly impressive in some ways, makes up for it in gameplay.
The plot, firstly, is a little off-puttingly convoluted at times. Character names (like Dr Fake) seemed uninspired and yet it is necessary to keep them all in mind because we're taken through several different turns trying to figure out who the bad guy is, and several names which are presented as key turn out to be mostly superfluous. However, the twists and turns, if you can keep all those involved straight, will make you curious to play through to the end.
The graphics are much the same as usual except in how they relate to playstyle. The track is fairly unubtrusive, though your character's speech is very quiet compared to both the music and the in-game voice overs.
Playstyle ... this is where I was grabbed. Rather than the traditional come-across-a-HO that these games normally playby, in this game every scene IS your HO. In terms of graphics this can get a little wearisome as everything is, therefore, a junkpile. On the other hand, it's refreshing enough to be worth it. Each scene that you come across contains several objects to be 'unlocked' as it were, and to do so you must find usually four items within the scene. Some, with a red ring around their image, must be interacted with, with objects rewarded from other HO scenes or simply found lying around elsewhere. So, yes, there's a lot of traipsing back and forth through scenes, but the game is set up to make this easy. It is split into areas, each one conisisting of four or five scenes and at the completion of these scenes the plot brings you to the next area.
If you play for plot, this is not bad, though not terribly new. If you play for graphics and vistas, then this probably isn't for you. But if you're playing for a new experience, a variant take on the same-old same-old, then this one is definitely at least a try. Do yourself a favour and play the demo, because if you like it, you'll be sorely sorry to have missed out.
The plot, firstly, is a little off-puttingly convoluted at times. Character names (like Dr Fake) seemed uninspired and yet it is necessary to keep them all in mind because we're taken through several different turns trying to figure out who the bad guy is, and several names which are presented as key turn out to be mostly superfluous. However, the twists and turns, if you can keep all those involved straight, will make you curious to play through to the end.
The graphics are much the same as usual except in how they relate to playstyle. The track is fairly unubtrusive, though your character's speech is very quiet compared to both the music and the in-game voice overs.
Playstyle ... this is where I was grabbed. Rather than the traditional come-across-a-HO that these games normally playby, in this game every scene IS your HO. In terms of graphics this can get a little wearisome as everything is, therefore, a junkpile. On the other hand, it's refreshing enough to be worth it. Each scene that you come across contains several objects to be 'unlocked' as it were, and to do so you must find usually four items within the scene. Some, with a red ring around their image, must be interacted with, with objects rewarded from other HO scenes or simply found lying around elsewhere. So, yes, there's a lot of traipsing back and forth through scenes, but the game is set up to make this easy. It is split into areas, each one conisisting of four or five scenes and at the completion of these scenes the plot brings you to the next area.
If you play for plot, this is not bad, though not terribly new. If you play for graphics and vistas, then this probably isn't for you. But if you're playing for a new experience, a variant take on the same-old same-old, then this one is definitely at least a try. Do yourself a favour and play the demo, because if you like it, you'll be sorely sorry to have missed out.
I recommend this game!
Face your fears and unravel the mystery of the abandoned asylum!
Overall rating
5
/
5
1 of 2 found this review helpful
All that and more.
PostedMay 16, 2012
Lolyta_IceWalker
fromGold Coast, Australia
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
My first pleasant surprise was to see that this standard acts like a collector's edition - you get your built-in guide, wallpapers, and achievements. Very nifty.
Then I got into the gameplay. I had, from reading other reviews, notched my brightness up a level and still noticed I took longer to finish the first HO scene than usual, but once I got into the swing of things, I was fine, finding everything without using hints (for the achievement, of course, hehe#.
There are voice-overs to the text scenes and brilliant little cutscenes to start the story and to close it. Without giving spoilers, may I just say that the concluding sequence was somehow darkly satisfying in a big way.
To the actualy gameplay, there's a little bit of walking around, but for the most part it makes sense to be going where you're going and using what you're using. After some initial 'getting to the point' wondering around you hit the patient's room level and for anyone who's played Green Hall's Sanitarium #I've named it as my favourite so you can see what I'm talking about# it all gets a bit familiar.
I would warn the easily-startled or squamish that yes, during the first cutscene in each patients room, you zoom in quite suddenly #or they jump at you, which ever way you want to look at it# on the focus of the room. However I am usually pretty easily surprised #occasionally I jumped at the noise made when I find objects!# and this wasn't too bad.
Overall I'd have to say it's nothing new but for fans of the genre, or those new to dark HOs, this one is a definite must. Either as an introduction or to build on the creepy factor games we know and love, Chestnut Lodge will win you over.
Then I got into the gameplay. I had, from reading other reviews, notched my brightness up a level and still noticed I took longer to finish the first HO scene than usual, but once I got into the swing of things, I was fine, finding everything without using hints (for the achievement, of course, hehe#.
There are voice-overs to the text scenes and brilliant little cutscenes to start the story and to close it. Without giving spoilers, may I just say that the concluding sequence was somehow darkly satisfying in a big way.
To the actualy gameplay, there's a little bit of walking around, but for the most part it makes sense to be going where you're going and using what you're using. After some initial 'getting to the point' wondering around you hit the patient's room level and for anyone who's played Green Hall's Sanitarium #I've named it as my favourite so you can see what I'm talking about# it all gets a bit familiar.
I would warn the easily-startled or squamish that yes, during the first cutscene in each patients room, you zoom in quite suddenly #or they jump at you, which ever way you want to look at it# on the focus of the room. However I am usually pretty easily surprised #occasionally I jumped at the noise made when I find objects!# and this wasn't too bad.
Overall I'd have to say it's nothing new but for fans of the genre, or those new to dark HOs, this one is a definite must. Either as an introduction or to build on the creepy factor games we know and love, Chestnut Lodge will win you over.
I recommend this game!
In a house full of trap doors and secret tunnels and suspicious fires, one misstep means Nancy won't stand a ghost of a chance!
Overall rating
4
/
5
29 of 33 found this review helpful
An early attempt, but not bad at all.
PostedFebruary 21, 2012
Lolyta_IceWalker
fromGold Coast, Australia
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I'm not going to wax lyrical about the sound and music, however brilliant it may be, because others have done that. I see quite a few positive reviews, so I wanted to list some of the things that put me off a little.
The camera - in this early ND game, you play with a small screen, almost half taken up by your dialogue and item boxes. Also, the 'move' and 'look closer' actions have the same mouse icon. Which takes getting used to.
Not a lot of puzzles throughout, really just a couple at the end. It feels like you're not solving anything for long periods, just gathering a heck of a lot of clues towards your final puzzles, which does make the game feel less meaty. You also don't get help or instructions on these puzzles, but that's not too bad as long as you paid attention to the clues.
You have to re-unlock and re-unstick the doors and panels every time. You do get into the swing of this, though, and have your key or crowbar at the ready as you approach. It's just irksome.
Now that I've said that, however, check out the star-rating. 4. It could have been a 5 but for those niggles. This game played very enjoyably. Granted, not a lot of thinking required puzzle-wise, but a decent plot and something interesting to do to while away a little time. A pleasant way to spend an evening. While not as invigorating as others in the series, I'm still going to say that if you're a fan of the series, or just want a more relaxed, point-and-click, talk-and-explore type mystery solver, this one will fit the bill quite nicely.
The camera - in this early ND game, you play with a small screen, almost half taken up by your dialogue and item boxes. Also, the 'move' and 'look closer' actions have the same mouse icon. Which takes getting used to.
Not a lot of puzzles throughout, really just a couple at the end. It feels like you're not solving anything for long periods, just gathering a heck of a lot of clues towards your final puzzles, which does make the game feel less meaty. You also don't get help or instructions on these puzzles, but that's not too bad as long as you paid attention to the clues.
You have to re-unlock and re-unstick the doors and panels every time. You do get into the swing of this, though, and have your key or crowbar at the ready as you approach. It's just irksome.
Now that I've said that, however, check out the star-rating. 4. It could have been a 5 but for those niggles. This game played very enjoyably. Granted, not a lot of thinking required puzzle-wise, but a decent plot and something interesting to do to while away a little time. A pleasant way to spend an evening. While not as invigorating as others in the series, I'm still going to say that if you're a fan of the series, or just want a more relaxed, point-and-click, talk-and-explore type mystery solver, this one will fit the bill quite nicely.
I recommend this game!
Play as Nancy Drew and do double duty as a maid and detective as you clean for clues.
Overall rating
3
/
5
13 of 20 found this review helpful
Started off well, but lost me.
PostedFebruary 9, 2012
Lolyta_IceWalker
fromGold Coast, Australia
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Like with the other ND games I've played, this one looked to be absolutely perfect in every regard. Unlike the others, however, it wasn't.
Good music, dialogue and great locations - that all worked out really well.
Minigames... for the most part okay to good, until getting nearer the end. One game "Fox and Geese" (a game with many incarnations) particularly frustrated me on a couple of early playthroughs, but then I had to spend an hour playing it, not just to win, but to win in a specific way. There's no skip button and I nearly cried with frustration, because I knew I was too close to endgame, and had already spent too much time, to give up. Another late-stage puzzle offers no clue what you're meant to be doing - following or catching up to your persuee - and takes a little while to pan out.
But perhaps I could forgive the one frustrating game if it weren't for the place this really fell down - travel. What I love about ND games is a nice big area to get to know, to travel around. Quickly, once you know what's where. Not so in WWIC. Once outdoors there are travel 'cutscenes' that you must experience EVERY TIME you travel certain ways, sometime two or three in immediate succession, and given the nature of the game, you travel them a LOT. I added at least 40 minutes to my playtime because of these things, easy to forgive in the beginning, between 5 and ten seconds each, some a little longer, but after getting confused a couple times, lost a couple times... by the end of it I was spacing out and just staring at the screen hoping for it all to end.
A good playthrough, a decent if incredibly obvious plot, but I couldn't give this better than 3 stars after how frustrated and bored I got trying to reach the end.
Good music, dialogue and great locations - that all worked out really well.
Minigames... for the most part okay to good, until getting nearer the end. One game "Fox and Geese" (a game with many incarnations) particularly frustrated me on a couple of early playthroughs, but then I had to spend an hour playing it, not just to win, but to win in a specific way. There's no skip button and I nearly cried with frustration, because I knew I was too close to endgame, and had already spent too much time, to give up. Another late-stage puzzle offers no clue what you're meant to be doing - following or catching up to your persuee - and takes a little while to pan out.
But perhaps I could forgive the one frustrating game if it weren't for the place this really fell down - travel. What I love about ND games is a nice big area to get to know, to travel around. Quickly, once you know what's where. Not so in WWIC. Once outdoors there are travel 'cutscenes' that you must experience EVERY TIME you travel certain ways, sometime two or three in immediate succession, and given the nature of the game, you travel them a LOT. I added at least 40 minutes to my playtime because of these things, easy to forgive in the beginning, between 5 and ten seconds each, some a little longer, but after getting confused a couple times, lost a couple times... by the end of it I was spacing out and just staring at the screen hoping for it all to end.
A good playthrough, a decent if incredibly obvious plot, but I couldn't give this better than 3 stars after how frustrated and bored I got trying to reach the end.
I don't recommend this game.
Go undercover at a prestigious girls’ boarding school to discover the culprit behind threatening notes and dangerous accidents!
Overall rating
5
/
5
37 of 41 found this review helpful
Exceeds Expectations
PostedFebruary 8, 2012
Lolyta_IceWalker
fromGold Coast, Australia
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Given that it's based on a kids' character, I didn't expect too much from this, but the reviews convinced me to, reluctantly, give it a go. Boy am I glad I did.
The visuals and sound are terrific. The game's a fairly big file #almost a gig if memory serves# but you can see why in the graphics. Stunningly unique human characters, great cutscenes, well-designed areas. The voice-overs are well-done, though I did get tired of not being able to skip at times #that I figured out anyways# because, yes, it IS possible to go horribly wrong, but the game autosaves plenty so there's not too much repetition.
The game fell down only a tiny bit because of the lack of clear instruction - I either didn't read or simply forgot that the cell phone alarm is how you sleep #setting it causes you to nap til it goes off# and spent my entire first night awake, setting myself back a fair few demerit points by wandering aimlessly around. But a quick glance at a walkthrough enlightened me. I had to use said walkthrough a couple time, but not enough as to make it a pain.
The minigames are SO much fun :D I spent over an hour manning the snack shop just because I was enjoying myself so much.
The puzzles are doable, but do offer a challenge. On occasion you are timed doing them, but for the most part you can work them out at your leisure - and I was overjoyed to see a variation of Einstein's riddle in there, one of my favourites!
Personally, I keep a small notebook by my computer for various game-related notes and for this game I suggest the same for everyone. I took quite a few, most of them just to keep from having to open #and pick the right document out of# my backpack so often. Your important details are recorded somewhere, but I advise organising them yourself.
As to length - like I said, I got lost a few times, and spent a long while playing minigames, but I got about six hours of play. And frankly, I'd jump right back in a replay it immediately, if I didn't have a credit that I'm going to spend on another in the series, hehe. You can really take as long as you want playing this, or you can get through it quite quickly, which is a really lovely change.
Frankly, I think I have a new favourite series with these, if the others are even remotely as fun as this. Absolutely wonderful, I loved everything!
The visuals and sound are terrific. The game's a fairly big file #almost a gig if memory serves# but you can see why in the graphics. Stunningly unique human characters, great cutscenes, well-designed areas. The voice-overs are well-done, though I did get tired of not being able to skip at times #that I figured out anyways# because, yes, it IS possible to go horribly wrong, but the game autosaves plenty so there's not too much repetition.
The game fell down only a tiny bit because of the lack of clear instruction - I either didn't read or simply forgot that the cell phone alarm is how you sleep #setting it causes you to nap til it goes off# and spent my entire first night awake, setting myself back a fair few demerit points by wandering aimlessly around. But a quick glance at a walkthrough enlightened me. I had to use said walkthrough a couple time, but not enough as to make it a pain.
The minigames are SO much fun :D I spent over an hour manning the snack shop just because I was enjoying myself so much.
The puzzles are doable, but do offer a challenge. On occasion you are timed doing them, but for the most part you can work them out at your leisure - and I was overjoyed to see a variation of Einstein's riddle in there, one of my favourites!
Personally, I keep a small notebook by my computer for various game-related notes and for this game I suggest the same for everyone. I took quite a few, most of them just to keep from having to open #and pick the right document out of# my backpack so often. Your important details are recorded somewhere, but I advise organising them yourself.
As to length - like I said, I got lost a few times, and spent a long while playing minigames, but I got about six hours of play. And frankly, I'd jump right back in a replay it immediately, if I didn't have a credit that I'm going to spend on another in the series, hehe. You can really take as long as you want playing this, or you can get through it quite quickly, which is a really lovely change.
Frankly, I think I have a new favourite series with these, if the others are even remotely as fun as this. Absolutely wonderful, I loved everything!
I recommend this game!
Alice in Wonderland
Explore a new world as you meet your favorite characters, and hunt for clues to free Alice and decide the fate of Wonderland!
Overall rating
1
/
5
59 of 69 found this review helpful
Such a pity
PostedDecember 3, 2011
Lolyta_IceWalker
fromGold Coast, Australia
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
So, there's two good things about this game - the art is really rather pretty. And there's some good humor in the conversations with the characters.
Unfortunately, the bad things really mount up in comparison. For a start, the makers seem to have known that their art was going to be their selling point because they have stuck in several almost completely superfluous 'scenes'. Maybe they also felt that they didn't have an awful lot of scenes, too, as there is a shortage, but the extra just make knowing where to go harder.
Gameplay-wise - the mouse movement is very sluggish. Add to this the fact that on many occasions you must find something, that you're not even really aware you're looking for #or what it looks like sometimes# but there's no cursor change for active objects, and this leads to some very frustrating and slow random-clicking of scenes. I did a lot of this to being with before I realised that my normal new-scene-search-for-useful-objects process was unnecessary - objects only become clickable when you've been told to search for them, and you need shockingly few objects to process through the game. Not at all like a traditional HOG, which the game certainly isn't - the search scenes are more like the find-a-picture handouts I remember from primary school, and there aren't a lot of them. Mostly you are required to find as few as one, as many as five objects in each scene you visit. There are also a handful of spot-the-differences and release-the-key puzzles, and a number of make-all-the-gears-rotate puzzles. There are a few simply awful #I found# jigsaws, not so because they were hard but rather because the pieces moved and re-arranged themselves without my having clicked them. Most irksome.
There are no difficulty levels, only the base game. This means no option to turn on the non-existant sparklies. Thankfully the hint timer recharges at an 'easy' level, because I needed it an awful low more than I would have liked. It becomes de-charged even when you use it to find out that you need to leave the room - though you may need to continue travelling after you do so, with no more idea where to. As to the travel areas themselves - sometimes these places you click to change scenes are inescapable and get clicked unintentionally. On other occasions, they are tiny - at one point I used a hint just to find it. Another issue witht the hints - sometimes when I get down to two objects that I've had trouble finding, I will search down one and simply use a hint for the other. Occasionally, the hint would direct me back to the one I just found.
It is entirely necessary to read all the text - despite the fact there is a skip option. Only once did I accidentally click past a quote, and thereafter I was paranoid not to, because info, such as the room you need to go to, is containted therein and then does not appear anywhere else afterwards.
Something I find important - story. Sadly, I have to ask - what story? This was unrelated to Alice in Wonderland besides using the characters' appearances. That is they looked, but did not act like the characters. Then there is the actual game story. Apart from the main arc - find some missing girls - we are given nothing. No idea who our character is, no back story, no twists or any real plot at all. Add in [SPOILER] there are ten girls missing. You free two individually, another two who are together, and then the other six are merely released incidentally as you continue. There's a feeling that the writers simply ran out of steam and closed the game up very, very early. In this sole case, I can't complain #having read the other ratings, I bought the game on sale for three dollars#, and being short frankly puts the game out of its misery, but the whole thing took me less than an hour. Not because of ease - it's certainly not a kids' game with some of the objects truly hard to find, and some challenging puzzles - but because it was so incredibly short. There was no sense of 'getting into' or 'getting used to' the game at all.
As to the music - there was maybe a one-minute long loop that played constantly.
To sum - a short, brutal, unimaginatively created game that, while quite pretty to look at, does nothing for the gamer besides irritate and annoy. I was glad to get to the appalling early ending. I do however hope that the creators learn from this and move on, because the artwork really was stunning, and the idea behind the game was novel and interesting, just not terribly well executed.
I don't recommend this game.