Lauradelenn's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.5
- Helpful Votes:171
- Reviews Submitted:6
- First Review:December 27, 2011
- Most Recent Review:March 14, 2012
- Featured reviews0
Lauradelenn's Review History
Uncover a dark scheme in Entwined: Strings of Deception and solve an elaborate murder mystery!
Overall rating
2
/
5
14 of 20 found this review helpful
The year 2005 called, and it wants it's game back......
PostedMarch 14, 2012
Lauradelenn
fromTexas
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Family, Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Wow. I really wanted to like this game - it had some of my favorite elements in it. I like detecting, puzzles, figuring out whodunit....exploring a mansion. Questioning suspects.
This game could have been really good, but a combination of graphics and game play that are reminiscent of games YEARS old really spoiled it. The graphics could have been forgiven if the game play had risen above mediocre, as fun game play will trump pretty graphics any day...but there were neither of those things here.
The voice acting left something to be desired as well; most of it was ok, but the main protagonist - your character, the one you have to listen to the most - was downright terrible. She sounded as if she were reading straight from the script, rather monotone and even bored sounding.
There were also some out of time objects - this was supposed to have taken place in 1970, but things like a razor scooter were in the hidden object scenes. That's just lazy!
This is a no buy for me, not even if it were a daily deal.
I don't recommend this game.
Murder, She Wrote
Help the world-renowned author, Jessica Fletcher, solve murders! Piece together the clues to crack cases in Murder, She Wrote!
Overall rating
3
/
5
10 of 16 found this review helpful
Could have been better
PostedJanuary 16, 2012
Lauradelenn
fromTexas
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
I am a longtime fan of the original television series that this game is based upon, so perhaps my sights were set a little higher than they should have been....
The graphics are clean and colorful enough. The HOG scenes are of easy to medium difficulty; the stories of each individual chapter do stand alone and are reminiscent of the original series - but they are a tad simplistic.
The gameplay is pure HOG; there's really no interactivity and everything is quite static. If you're a fan of the older HOG-only games and also a fan of Jessica Fletcher, you'll probably enjoy this game - otherwise, there are better hidden object games to be played for your money.
I don't recommend this game.
Track down the terrifying and menacing Phantom of the Renaissance Faire in this exciting Hidden Object Adventure
Overall rating
3
/
5
26 of 28 found this review helpful
Beginner's Hidden Object Game
PostedJanuary 16, 2012
Lauradelenn
fromTexas
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
GHOST Chronicles: Phantom of the Renaissance Faire is a middling offering of the hidden object genre; the upside is that a Renaissance Fair is a novel place for a game to take place, and probably the best thing about this game.
The puzzles range from easy to moderately hard. The hidden object scenes were sometimes a bit difficult for my middle aged eyes, with some objects simply too small to easily see. There was the usual back and forth travel, to gather items needed to unlock the next puzzle or area.
The graphics were overall fairly nice and colorful. The storyline was easy to follow and made sense. Obvious to anyone that looks at the title, there are paranormal aspects to the game, but no blood or gore.
Overall, a light and easy game that is a good game for beginners or a pleasant few hours for a more experienced hidden object gamer.
I recommend this game!
Help Arok navigate an underground maze filled with tribal magic and ancient denizens so he may fulfill his destiny.
Overall rating
5
/
5
90 of 97 found this review helpful
Old School Adventure Gaming At It's Best
PostedJanuary 16, 2012
Lauradelenn
fromTexas
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
This is another excellent adventure by Kheops Games; they seem to specialize in historic games, or else games different enough that set them apart from run of the mill game developers.
Echo: Secrets of the Lost Cavern is a wonderfully imagined story that features a young man coming into manhood during prehistoric times. As he learns things about life and his environment, so do you. As for the game itself the artwork is very good, colorful and believable; the puzzles are moderately difficult, all of them cleverly appropriate to the age in which this story takes place. When you walk through a valley or a cave here, you feel as if it's very immediate and you're there.
The storyline is logical, well thought out and developed. It absolutely fits the character and the era, and is engaging and interesting. The graphics are lovely, with deep colors and shading.
A few of the puzzles however are quite difficult; they're time consuming and (frustratingly to a gamer that is long since accustomed to modern hidden object/adventure games) non-skippable. A walk through is helpful for portions of the game, though some of the puzzles simply take your own effort and trial and error, because the moves needed to complete the puzzle change each time.
The game hearkens back to an earlier era of adventure games; you can do a bit of exploring around each level, though the game is more linear than the oldest of the original adventure games, it still allows a bit more freedom than most of the newer titles. You aren't going to be spoon fed the answers, and will have to work for a desired outcome. Be prepared to think logically and intuitively, and for the most part you'll be all right without having to resort to a walk through.....trust me, this game is well worth the extra effort.
An outstanding effort from a company that is known for imaginative and original games, and well worth the time and patience invested in it.
I recommend this game!
Called into a small city from the capitol, you have been put in charge of solving a string of mysterious murders!
Overall rating
4
/
5
4 of 5 found this review helpful
Enjoyed the Werewolf Twist
PostedDecember 28, 2011
Lauradelenn
fromTexas
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Shadow Wolf Mysteries was one of my favorite games from this year (2011); the fact that a werewolf was a character made it a bit different than your usual HOG/adventure game was one of the main reasons for liking this game.
The graphics were well done and fairly colorful, with few of the dirty gray scale HOG scenes that are the bane of my middle aged eyes. The music was nice - it complemented the game without being too obtrusive; the voice acting was capable if nothing too exciting (with the exception of the gypsy, whose voice acting was quite subpar).
The plot was fairly good, and indeed included a few twists and turns that kept it interesting, particularly who the werewolf was. The puzzles were of moderate difficulty.
Parts of the game did drag on, and I utilized a walkthrough simply to hurry those parts up, but overall this was a fun and satisfying game. I'd play another game by this developer and would also play the sequel, if any were to be made.
I recommend this game!
Help Sam rescue his love Anna in Brink of Consciousness: Dorian Gray Syndrome, an incredible Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure game!
Overall rating
4
/
5
27 of 28 found this review helpful
Well worth your time!
PostedDecember 27, 2011
Lauradelenn
fromTexas
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Brink of Consciousness: Dorian Gray Syndrome Collector's Edition is my first game from this developer, but it won't be the last.
This is an above average Hidden Object/Puzzle Adventure that holds your attention from start to finish, with overall well drawn art and good voice acting - the majority of the voice acting is the antagonist, which was quite well done in my opinion - he sounded vaguely like Vincent Price, which I thought was an excellent choice for this type of game.
The location art is wonderfully rendered; the static scenes where the Hidden Object Scenes are contained are unfortunately often dark/grey scaled with a few quite hard to find objects; this would probably be my largest complaint, as I'm middle aged with some vision issues. There were no brightness or color controls to make this easier for those of us who might have needed it, unfortunately.
The puzzles were mostly intuitive and either easy or moderate in difficulty. I did skip a few towards the end, more in the name of completing the game before I had to return to work, than as a function of difficulty! A few seemed to be unique to this game, or at least I've not run across them before - I found that refreshing.
There are 7 chapters, plus a bonus chapter for the CE - it took me about 6-8 hours to complete them all, playing casually with some interruptions; I'd consider myself at least an intermediate player of this genre, if not better.
The music and sound effects were very well done; I occasionally found them intrusive, but you are handily able to adjust these from the menu options, so that shouldn't stop anyone from playing the game.
For those that are concerned about these things, there were no magical or mystical overtones, but (as you would expect) there were macabre and possibly to some, disturbing images and themes.
Was this worth the extra money for a Collector's Edition? Normally, I'd say no, but the bonus chapter was well done, if a tad shorter than the regular chapters. I enjoyed it, and found that while it's certainly possible to play the SE and feel satisfied, I liked the extra twist that the bonus chapter gave at the very end. The bonus chapter didn't feel hastily thrown together, but well thought out and executed.
There were also the standard wallpapers, music and concept art, as well as a few humorous art pieces as well. I'd recommend not only this game, but the CE version of it as well.
I recommend this game!