Granny_Gruff's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:2.6
- Helpful Votes:22,850
- Reviews Submitted:883
- First Review:December 23, 2011
- Most Recent Review:November 23, 2022
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Whenever heroes gather, villains are sure to follow...
Overall rating
2
/
5
101 of 125 found this review helpful
Warning: This is Not A Great Follow-up To a Promising Serie's Opening
PostedMay 2, 2019
Granny_Gruff
fromRichard Gray's ghost was prominent in the recent Grim Tales game and it is jarring to see him so changed in this one. What Gives?
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Marble Popper, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Anna, James, and Agent Brown have decided to open their own agency.
(Some one is confused as to what that would mean. Instead of a small private agency to cater to private clients, what they have apparently opened is an off-shoot of Mystery Trackers. This is illustrated by the three alarm emergency at their office, manned by Agent Shade. While it is a reasonable set up to start the game, it does not support the opening premise. )
Agent Shade alerts all three detectives when the paranormal alarms go off in three different locations simultaneously. So each of the three agents picks a destination and heads out to investigate one of the three alarms.
(Who set up the alarms? And why?)
The detectives each come across references to Shrine in their location yet no one is curious about it and they all run into trouble.
(Some one is confused as to what that would mean. Instead of a small private agency to cater to private clients, what they have apparently opened is an off-shoot of Mystery Trackers. This is illustrated by the three alarm emergency at their office, manned by Agent Shade. While it is a reasonable set up to start the game, it does not support the opening premise. )
Agent Shade alerts all three detectives when the paranormal alarms go off in three different locations simultaneously. So each of the three agents picks a destination and heads out to investigate one of the three alarms.
(Who set up the alarms? And why?)
The detectives each come across references to Shrine in their location yet no one is curious about it and they all run into trouble.
Good stuff: You will take turns playing as each agent. There are several collectibles, like morphing statues and morphing objects included in the CE bling along with a barrage of shaped items to find in each location and enough running back and forth to max out a fitness tracker! You will have a piece of equipment that detects paranormal energy in the air. Find eight little sparks and move on.
Bad stuff: Start with the story. This is not story lite; this is story MIA. Our characters are not particularly curious about the "Shrine" name that appears at each location and as these three people are investigating something neither they, nor we, know anything about, there is not much to go on story-wise.
The use of multiple amulets to open things is constant and totally silly - James finds two watering cans to get bug spray for those ever present bees, to get them away from a horn to get a bird away from a light to repair the light's switch so we can unscrew the bulb, all while the resident malevolent spirit stands and watches us running back and forth in the room where it is "menacing" us from a few feet away. (And I so wish I was kidding.)
Agent Brown opens a locked trunk and it explodes, leaving him with a pile of skis,climbing equipment, electronics, and snacks to sort through.
When we catch up with Anna, her father's ghost speaks
S L O W L Y, very S L O W L Y. His skull now has buck teeth and his ghost has put on weight. How odd.
The use of multiple amulets to open things is constant and totally silly - James finds two watering cans to get bug spray for those ever present bees, to get them away from a horn to get a bird away from a light to repair the light's switch so we can unscrew the bulb, all while the resident malevolent spirit stands and watches us running back and forth in the room where it is "menacing" us from a few feet away. (And I so wish I was kidding.)
Agent Brown opens a locked trunk and it explodes, leaving him with a pile of skis,climbing equipment, electronics, and snacks to sort through.
When we catch up with Anna, her father's ghost speaks
S L O W L Y, very S L O W L Y. His skull now has buck teeth and his ghost has put on weight. How odd.
Bottom line: I can only recommend that you play the demo.
I was sorely disappointed in this game as the first Detectives United game held so much promise.
I was sorely disappointed in this game as the first Detectives United game held so much promise.
I don't recommend this game.
Can you uncover the paranormal activity haunting the mall?
Overall rating
2
/
5
14 of 19 found this review helpful
The Mall is Only Hiring Those Unable to Get ANY Other Job
PostedMay 1, 2019
Granny_Gruff
fromIt's not Scary. It's not amusing. It's not challenging. Why would I buy it?
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Marble Popper, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
To Qualify as a Mall Security Guard, you must be able to crawl through the ventilation system, lose any tool you find in under two minutes, and have an eagerness for fixing other people's mistakes. You will, of course, be expected to break into stores, safes, cash registers, and any container you may come across.
If at any time you decide to act rationally, you will be promptly fired. Welcome to your new job!
If at any time you decide to act rationally, you will be promptly fired. Welcome to your new job!
Good stuff: This game has all the expected attributes of an ordinary game with slight efforts at being scary/mysterious.
The collectibles are hard to find and every other game element is as run of the mill as you can get. You will run back and forth and back and forth in a badly lit mall where you are not alarmed to see two people wandering around the premises after the building is secured for the night.
The collectibles are hard to find and every other game element is as run of the mill as you can get. You will run back and forth and back and forth in a badly lit mall where you are not alarmed to see two people wandering around the premises after the building is secured for the night.
Bad stuff: If you are startled by store dummies and flashing lights, you will be afraid. Otherwise, never mind.
Bottom line: Everything you open, will need another key/amulet/combination to open another part of it. And then another after that. Did you fix the clogged drinking fountain?
Well, go get a spigot for it. And keep an eye out for the amulet that fits into the front compartment on the base.
Well, go get a spigot for it. And keep an eye out for the amulet that fits into the front compartment on the base.
Somewhere along the way to the end of the demo, you will be over any interest you may have had in the outcome of what is essentially a minimal story in a very plain wrapper.
Please play the demo.
Remember when Elephant Games were fun and inventive.
Play one of those old games.
Remember when Elephant Games were fun and inventive.
Play one of those old games.
I don't recommend this game.
Can you uncover the origins of a dangerous ancient artifact in time?
Overall rating
2
/
5
35 of 50 found this review helpful
Why, Just Why?
PostedApril 26, 2019
Granny_Gruff
fromI own many earlier H.E. games so I'll be playing one of them.
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Marble Popper, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
Why would Eipix want to further decimate the Hidden Expedition series?
Why not just not introduce a new game? Just walk away. It would be so much kinder to leave us our memories of Sam and the days when being part of the agency meant something.
Sigh.
This time the agency is not really mentioned. You play as an archeologist called in to help with a new find near Mt. Vesuvius. There are suggestions of an ancient threat left to three guardians and having to do with a trident of amethyst that is missing three decorations. This is story lite, so that's pretty much all you get to work on. Luckily your character is not shy and will not hesitate to help herself to whatever she wants/needs.
Why not just not introduce a new game? Just walk away. It would be so much kinder to leave us our memories of Sam and the days when being part of the agency meant something.
Sigh.
This time the agency is not really mentioned. You play as an archeologist called in to help with a new find near Mt. Vesuvius. There are suggestions of an ancient threat left to three guardians and having to do with a trident of amethyst that is missing three decorations. This is story lite, so that's pretty much all you get to work on. Luckily your character is not shy and will not hesitate to help herself to whatever she wants/needs.
So the good news is: So far nobody hates this game, they just dislike it.
Is that an achievement Eipix is going for?
Is that an achievement Eipix is going for?
Good news: All the expected game elements are included along with some recycling of artwork backgrounds from earlier games.
Bad news: Your collectible object is a turtle along with other CE bling. (Because?)
Bad news: Then again, Dr. Walters may be disrespected for her unprofessional behavior - everything from destroying museum exhibits to moving a huge suspended antique boat over the heads of a museum tour group while their guide was speaking to them.
Good news: You will quiver with suspense waiting for the good Dr. to work calculations to see exactly how much cable she needs to cut off for a rescue as Mt. Vesuvius is erupting in the background and one colleague is trapped in a hole under some ruins. (And, yes, I'm being sarcastic.)
Most of this game looks like someone's response to a quarterly push to reach production goals. There is a recurring childish puzzle to work each time you get a tool, lots of back and forth between two or three places in each location, and a story that has nothing going for it other than "suspense" over what the threat to the world is this time.
Please play the demo. Please, play the demo. Pretty please play the demo.
I don't recommend this game.
My Brother Rabbit is a beautifully drawn adventure set in a surreal world that mixes reality with a child’s imagination
Overall rating
2
/
5
106 of 142 found this review helpful
How Many Stars For Pretty vs. Terrible Game Play?
PostedApril 21, 2019
Granny_Gruff
fromThere is a reason most of the garden's inhabitants are sleeping!
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Marble Popper, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
If the BFG send up had not explained the premise, I wonder how many players would have "gotten" the idea? And while the game is beautifully drawn and has lovely background sounds, they do not compensate for what was, for me, a tortuous, overly long, simplistic, complicated Demo.
This game may look like it is aimed at children, but only if you don't like them. The items you need to find are hidden in diabolical ways, including camouflaging their colors, size, and shape, as well as locking up the last item of a group with another group of items to be found before you can use those you have collected. As I slogged along finding six of this, eight of that, two of these, some items appeared after you had returned to a scene.
You should also be aware that this CE has no collectibles and minimal CE bling accompanying that baby story and endless items to collect. Since you cannot pick up items you find till you need them, you will travel back and forth through the opening group of scenes more times than I want to think about. The few mini-games/puzzles I came across were familiar and needed more groups of items found before you could play them.
I was sure the time would run out before I reached the end of the demo as I felt I had been playing FOREVER. Surprise! I still had more than a third of the time left.
I'm glad that some players enjoyed this game. I found it tedious and slower than slow. I'm too old to be amused by a rabbit taking a flower to the doctor. And I'm too young to want to wait around to see if this glacially moving game will get anywhere.
Please try the demo. Beauty is easy to behold, but patience may be a virtue that is lacking.
Can you stop a mad mayor and his destructive robots?
Overall rating
4
/
5
36 of 66 found this review helpful
If Only The Required Actions Weren't So Absurd . . . .
PostedApril 19, 2019
Granny_Gruff
fromI'm suggesting a ban on broken zipper pulls, angry bees, and locking up trash.
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Marble Popper, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Our seventeenth Mystery Trackers Game has arrived. We play as a new agent sent, with Elf, to look for Agent Redford who has been missing for some time. Elf and I parachute into his approximate location after our plane crashes near Iron Rock. All is not as it should be in this town built to support a mine. A tragedy killed most of the local citizens and the few that are left seem to be prisoners in their own town.
Good stuff: All of the usual game elements are here along with a variety of collectibles and CE bling. As an Elf fan, I consider his presence a definite plus as the only non-cloying, not-overly-cute animal helper around.
Bad stuff: I am seriously over broken zipper pulls, angry bees, convenient lock picks, random grind stones,and skeletons with amulets and tools still clutched in their fingers.
Bottom line: The story holds promise and I am going with that thought. The last few MT entries were way too average and this one seems to rise above that lowest common denominator with a fresh mystery story with better characters. The story of Iron Rock seemed to offer adventure and promise.
Please try the Demo. I hope you find what you are looking for too.
I recommend this game!
Can you stop an ancient legend from coming to life?
Overall rating
1
/
5
42 of 66 found this review helpful
At Least the Artwork is More Attractive Than the Game!
PostedApril 11, 2019
Granny_Gruff
fromSo your one room apartment has no kitchen or bathroom? Hey, there's a vending machine outside and, hopefully, a gas station in walking distance!
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Marble Popper, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
You daughter, Willow, used her own savings to build an animal shelter in her town. She is nominated for an award for this good deed. You arrive too late for the ceremony and go straight to her apartment. A dog is the sole occupant, hiding under her bed.
That is as lucid as this game gets. From the beginning you are in a horrid downward spiral as this game devolves into chaos and down right silliness.
Good stuff: Well, there's that nice artwork. There are the usual game elements. There are collectible see-through puffins and morphing objects in most scenes.
Bad stuff: The story, actual game play, and the HOPs and mini-games are woeful. Willow's single room apartment has a backdoor lock so wonky you will push the broken key through the key hole to the outside before inserting the spare key you found! The animal hunter, Simon, is waiting just outside that door to grab the dog. He will then stand around waiting for you to catch up and rescue said dog by robbing a public fountain for coins to buy pepper spray. There's way more of the same, like from second to second, but finding all the bad stuff is the most fun you'll have with this game.
Suffice it to say, that bad stuff is legion!
Suffice it to say, that bad stuff is legion!
Bottom line: I would not recommend this for a beginner as the whole game is embarrassingly sad. Intermediate and expert players will be forced to find something besides the game play to entertain themselves for the length of the demo - we could start a contest to see who can find the most silly moments in the demo.
I usually wind up with a recommendation that you try the demo. I can't be that cruel on this lovely spring day.
I don't recommend this game.
Your friend was taken. Are you brave enough to find him?
Overall rating
2
/
5
32 of 53 found this review helpful
Awful Story Meets Worse Characters and Collapses Over Dumb Details!
PostedApril 7, 2019
Granny_Gruff
fromKeep an eye out for the thieving squirrel.
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Marble Popper, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
Agatha's brother, Hans, disappeared when you were all children. Now many years later, she has written you asking to help her save Hans from the Nightmare Realm, where Hans has invented the wireless. You hurry to the rescue, eager to destroy antiquities and plunder museums as well as practice doing magic tricks.
Good stuff: There are the usual game parts: HOPs, mini-games, CE bling, as well as good background artwork, odd characters, and a barrage of silliness.
Bad stuff: I have a list but will spare you most of it. Just know that this adventure starts with a train conductor forced to stand and wait as you retrieve twelve box top parts inside your locked suitcase to get to your train ticket. Shortly you will be cutting up a leather bag on a bicycle to steal items out of it. You will perform magic as you collect three different light bulbs of varying wattages and sizes to insert into a string of tiny Christmas tree type lights in Angela's room to get the number you need to tune in a radio to get a message from Hans in another realm. (And I bet you didn't know they keep radio parts and manuals in other worlds for just such occasions.) You will travel to a castle and destroy the front portal and scavenge the castle's museum for an antique shield to use as a wheel on an old cannon. Eventually you will travel to that Nightmare Realm, in time to see Agatha held at gun point.
All of this is made possible in a game that has a tutorial that fails to mention the HOP alternative Card Matching game or the collectible dolls and includes a story that is in tatters from the beginning of the game.
The most I can do here is to strongly recommend you play the Demo. It's free and will save you hours of frustration.
Good stuff: There are the usual game parts: HOPs, mini-games, CE bling, as well as good background artwork, odd characters, and a barrage of silliness.
Bad stuff: I have a list but will spare you most of it. Just know that this adventure starts with a train conductor forced to stand and wait as you retrieve twelve box top parts inside your locked suitcase to get to your train ticket. Shortly you will be cutting up a leather bag on a bicycle to steal items out of it. You will perform magic as you collect three different light bulbs of varying wattages and sizes to insert into a string of tiny Christmas tree type lights in Angela's room to get the number you need to tune in a radio to get a message from Hans in another realm. (And I bet you didn't know they keep radio parts and manuals in other worlds for just such occasions.) You will travel to a castle and destroy the front portal and scavenge the castle's museum for an antique shield to use as a wheel on an old cannon. Eventually you will travel to that Nightmare Realm, in time to see Agatha held at gun point.
All of this is made possible in a game that has a tutorial that fails to mention the HOP alternative Card Matching game or the collectible dolls and includes a story that is in tatters from the beginning of the game.
The most I can do here is to strongly recommend you play the Demo. It's free and will save you hours of frustration.
I don't recommend this game.
Can you stop a dangerous game from taking more lives?
Overall rating
3
/
5
26 of 41 found this review helpful
Bad Overused Story Trumps Interesting Game Elements
PostedApril 5, 2019
Granny_Gruff
fromOn Spring Break and looking for fun!
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Marble Popper, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
William Gladstone, our protagonist, owns a luxury gambling boat and your friend, Victoria, was invited on a cruise. You, as a paranormal investigator, have been invited to accompany Victoria. You quickly discover that passengers have been disappearing from the boat and an evil Joker is gathering their souls through William as he defeats each player at poker. William is hoping to resurrect his wife by gathering enough souls for the Joker.
Good stuff: There are morphing cards, cocktails, and chips to collect among the CE bling. The HOPs and mini-games were well done and interesting. The artwork was over-colored, but well-drawn.
Bad stuff: The characters were one dimensional. I cold live with that lack if the story was at all innovate. The only question at the end of the Demo was how many souls William needs and how many times you would use your psychic phone before the end of the game.
I enjoyed several of the many puzzles, but being average is not a reason to buy a game - at least for me. I'll keep looking for a good story with good puzzles and HOPs. With the hundreds of really well executed games in my collection, I see no reason to "settle."
Please try the Demo for yourself.
Good stuff: There are morphing cards, cocktails, and chips to collect among the CE bling. The HOPs and mini-games were well done and interesting. The artwork was over-colored, but well-drawn.
Bad stuff: The characters were one dimensional. I cold live with that lack if the story was at all innovate. The only question at the end of the Demo was how many souls William needs and how many times you would use your psychic phone before the end of the game.
I enjoyed several of the many puzzles, but being average is not a reason to buy a game - at least for me. I'll keep looking for a good story with good puzzles and HOPs. With the hundreds of really well executed games in my collection, I see no reason to "settle."
Please try the Demo for yourself.
Can you find out who’s kidnapping jurors before it’s too late?
Overall rating
1
/
5
6 of 14 found this review helpful
Run, Run Away
PostedApril 2, 2019
Granny_Gruff
fromWe must protect our fire extinguishers. What fiend may try to get them?
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Marble Popper, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
Dupin has been called in to investigate as jurors from an old court case are disappearing. Could Dr. Brian, the magician, quickly executed after his trial, be responsible?
In the opening scene of this turkey, you will find the missing amulets to open a locked cage in the front yard of the house you are trying to enter. As you start the HOP inside the cage these words appear: "Someone has locked up the fire extinguisher to keep it from falling into the wrong hands."
I'd already taken note of the dark artwork, the sorry mini-game at the window, and the story setup that left a great deal to be desired.
Somehow that locked and chained fire extinguisher was symbolic of the game before me. As I trudged through more of the Demo, I found that the story and game play were just dim shadows of a once popular series.
Please play the demo.
Read the reviews.
Do something more fun, like spring cleaning!
Read the reviews.
Do something more fun, like spring cleaning!
I don't recommend this game.
A series of museum robberies leads to a shocking discovery!
Overall rating
3
/
5
31 of 48 found this review helpful
Fence Sitting Once Again
PostedMarch 28, 2019
Granny_Gruff
fromFencing sitting is best done on a large thick wall that allows for a comfortable position rather than a tall thin chainlink fence with pointed tips.
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Marble Popper, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Anna, accompanied by her father's ghost and his skull once again, has been contacted by a family member with a problem, again. This time it is her sister, Louisa, with a mysterious robbery at the museum where she works. The museum is closed, and Louisa wants Anna's help as the police seem to have no clue (pun intended).
Good stuff: The story digs up a new family member for Anna and brings back her Father's droll sense of humor - at least I'm willing to take his comments as such. There are HOP's, mini-games and puzzles, collectible statues, morphing objects, and collectible jigsaw pieces and an assortment of CE bling.
Bad stuff: I am totally confused by a museum that has ONE artifact stolen in a robbery and closes its doors. Then I was further flummoxed by the safe handle – a large round item that looked like it belonged on a water main - that the thief apparently took the time to stash in the locked-with-four-magnets employee room. Players may find comfort in the usual rusted zipper, locked door to open with ruler, coin as screw driver, as well as other over-used game ploys. There are countless things locked up with untold numbers of shapes/amulets and lots of keys, which luckily have names and charm on their accompanying key chains to match the names - gear charm on the gear key chain, nut on the nut key chain.
So I'm left with a somewhat interesting story, surrounded by overly familiar tasks and general silliness.
I can't recommend the game but cannot "not" recommend it either. I will probably sit on the fence till the SE comes out and revisit my decision, or lack thereof.
In the meantime, I urge you to try the Demo. Make your own informed decision. How much story will out-weigh how much repetition in game play?
Good stuff: The story digs up a new family member for Anna and brings back her Father's droll sense of humor - at least I'm willing to take his comments as such. There are HOP's, mini-games and puzzles, collectible statues, morphing objects, and collectible jigsaw pieces and an assortment of CE bling.
Bad stuff: I am totally confused by a museum that has ONE artifact stolen in a robbery and closes its doors. Then I was further flummoxed by the safe handle – a large round item that looked like it belonged on a water main - that the thief apparently took the time to stash in the locked-with-four-magnets employee room. Players may find comfort in the usual rusted zipper, locked door to open with ruler, coin as screw driver, as well as other over-used game ploys. There are countless things locked up with untold numbers of shapes/amulets and lots of keys, which luckily have names and charm on their accompanying key chains to match the names - gear charm on the gear key chain, nut on the nut key chain.
So I'm left with a somewhat interesting story, surrounded by overly familiar tasks and general silliness.
I can't recommend the game but cannot "not" recommend it either. I will probably sit on the fence till the SE comes out and revisit my decision, or lack thereof.
In the meantime, I urge you to try the Demo. Make your own informed decision. How much story will out-weigh how much repetition in game play?