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:
Uncover a conspiracy against the king!
Overall rating
3
/
5
19 of 28 found this review helpful
Do You Want to Hang Around to See What Happens?
PostedAugust 19, 2018
Granny_Gruff
fromI know the bad guys are in the house, yet I clump around upstairs finding the one piece of evidence they would like to have.
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Marble Popper, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
The two Ulmer brothers, returning to the capital with the king’s hunting party, are sent to lower a drawbridge retarding the progress of the king’s carriage. By the time they get back from making tools, cooking glue, patching a boat, and discovering a massacre on the other side of the river, everyone in the king's party has been killed and evidence has been left to show the brothers did it. They escape the bad guys waiting to kill them and separate to head home in different directions. Playing as one of the brothers, the player arrives home to find his father murdered, bad guys in possession of the house, and, at the end of the trial, the picture fades out as he is being hung by the bad guys!!!
Good stuff: The artwork is impressive. Most everything else is OK. There are large collectible coins that fade in and out of the scenes. There is CE bling. The VO's are well done. The rain sounds wet.
Bad stuff: The two brothers are under the bridge on which their party is stall for some time running back and forth to get that boat fixed, yet even when their rope falls to the ground after being cut, they do not wonder what is going on up above on the bridgehead. There are no sounds of the king and his party being killed.
Once you travel back to the capital to your home, things get dicier. The bad guys are guarding the front of the house but have left notes and keys at the back door for you. There are lots of red flags - lighting an oil lamp in pouring rain, the "extension" ladder from the river front, and letting the bad guys get the only proof of the hidden prince's birth all give you an idea of how little logic went into this game.
Bottom line: If you can ignore the logic lapses, you may want this game for the beautiful detailed artwork. Otherwise the game is average.
Please be sure to play the demo before you buy.
Good stuff: The artwork is impressive. Most everything else is OK. There are large collectible coins that fade in and out of the scenes. There is CE bling. The VO's are well done. The rain sounds wet.
Bad stuff: The two brothers are under the bridge on which their party is stall for some time running back and forth to get that boat fixed, yet even when their rope falls to the ground after being cut, they do not wonder what is going on up above on the bridgehead. There are no sounds of the king and his party being killed.
Once you travel back to the capital to your home, things get dicier. The bad guys are guarding the front of the house but have left notes and keys at the back door for you. There are lots of red flags - lighting an oil lamp in pouring rain, the "extension" ladder from the river front, and letting the bad guys get the only proof of the hidden prince's birth all give you an idea of how little logic went into this game.
Bottom line: If you can ignore the logic lapses, you may want this game for the beautiful detailed artwork. Otherwise the game is average.
Please be sure to play the demo before you buy.
Can you help stop an ancient evil in time?
Overall rating
2
/
5
49 of 61 found this review helpful
Another Mediocre Myths of the World Game Has Landed
PostedAugust 17, 2018
Granny_Gruff
fromOf the thousands of stories in the world's cultures, how did we end up with this mishmash?
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Marble Popper, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Just when you think the Devs have finally stopped crashing things to start a story, they do it again!
After your hot air balloon crashes on a reef near a island, you manage to finally put your spy glass together to get directions to get past the sharks and on to the nearby island. Apparently you are not worried about ever leaving as you abandon the pieces of your balloon in the water and get ashore. There you are met by Princess Hina of Raiatea. The Princess suspects you of being in collusion with Hiro, a thief who wants to marry her. Hiro will soon be attacking the village while you are imprisoned in a hut.
From the beginning of this "myth," little makes sense.
You are in a hot air balloon. The first manned hot air balloon flight was in 1783 and this is only a few years later and the other side of the world.
You pull out your matches(1816) to light a complex oil fired burner to stay aloft and then you crash anyway.
The natives luckily speak English.
You get out of the ropes tying your wrists by having a mouse chew through them!
You break out of the prison hut by cutting down a conveniently hung log tied up near the door ready to bust it open like a battering ram.
You drop the three bad guys attacking the village with Hiro with cleverly thrown coconuts and leave them to be tied up by the villagers.
You put out the fire at the bottom of a tree where the princess is hiding with a single bucket of water - are we sure Hiro wants to marry her if he's willing to rampage through and leave her in this predicament?
You stop to feed the chickens after a search for grain to give them - you know how vicious those birds can be and you want an item in their enclosure!
You acquire a sacred shell from the princess to help you hunt for Hiro. The shell lights up and a wind spirit assures you that he can not interfere in human problems - but he'll get you to the island where Hiro is hiding if you fix a boat.
You are in a hot air balloon. The first manned hot air balloon flight was in 1783 and this is only a few years later and the other side of the world.
You pull out your matches(1816) to light a complex oil fired burner to stay aloft and then you crash anyway.
The natives luckily speak English.
You get out of the ropes tying your wrists by having a mouse chew through them!
You break out of the prison hut by cutting down a conveniently hung log tied up near the door ready to bust it open like a battering ram.
You drop the three bad guys attacking the village with Hiro with cleverly thrown coconuts and leave them to be tied up by the villagers.
You put out the fire at the bottom of a tree where the princess is hiding with a single bucket of water - are we sure Hiro wants to marry her if he's willing to rampage through and leave her in this predicament?
You stop to feed the chickens after a search for grain to give them - you know how vicious those birds can be and you want an item in their enclosure!
You acquire a sacred shell from the princess to help you hunt for Hiro. The shell lights up and a wind spirit assures you that he can not interfere in human problems - but he'll get you to the island where Hiro is hiding if you fix a boat.
While the story makes little sense, the game play is decidedly average. There are collectible signs and morphing objects and an assortment of CE bling. The artwork is nicely done.
Somehow I find it difficult to become immersed in silly stories and their game play. The goofiness is too distracting.
Please try the demo for yourself.
Please try the demo for yourself.
You are sent to a remote island to solve a simple case that quickly turns into a cat and mouse game between you and the culprits.
Overall rating
2
/
5
20 of 37 found this review helpful
Leave the Bradfords, Their Guests, and Employees on the Island and RUN
PostedAugust 12, 2018
Granny_Gruff
fromFirst time I've wanted to delet the collectibles!
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
The Bradfords - brothers Henry and Edward, and Henry's wife, Patricia - live on a private island in a castle that Henry has fixed up with lots of authentic medieval items as well as modern conveniences. The body of their security guard, Mark Spector, has been found on the beach. Is it murder? Suicide? Accident?
Good stuff: All the usual game elements, decent VO's, and an assortment of CE bling including collectible dolls.
Bad stuff: Let's start with those collectible dolls. I cannot, in my wildest imagination, reason out why large Aborigine type dolls would be a collectible in a murder mystery HOPA set in a castle on an island. Why not any other object? These dolls are so large and out of place that they are impossible to miss and left me wondering why the Devs bothered to include them in the game.
Then there are the occasionally rocky descriptions - A spool of yard called wire; a ball called a "silicon utility pole." (That's what you make the ball into with a small handy blow torch!)
You have a small "instant" camera to take pictures of evidence. You are prompted to use it quite often. You will be sick of it even faster!
You will organize the evidence you collect periodically. you will run back and forth endlessly. You will tire of all of this much faster than expected.
Then there are the occasionally rocky descriptions - A spool of yard called wire; a ball called a "silicon utility pole." (That's what you make the ball into with a small handy blow torch!)
You have a small "instant" camera to take pictures of evidence. You are prompted to use it quite often. You will be sick of it even faster!
You will organize the evidence you collect periodically. you will run back and forth endlessly. You will tire of all of this much faster than expected.
Bottom line: There's not much to recommend this poor little game. All of its potential was left on the drawing board.
Please play the Demo. It's not a good sign when even the usual cheerleaders find nothing to cheer.
I don't recommend this game.
Work with new puppet allies to uncover the true puppet master!
Overall rating
2
/
5
21 of 28 found this review helpful
Hardly Enough Story For an SE
PostedAugust 11, 2018
Granny_Gruff
fromToo dark for the grandkids, too simple for the adults.
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
Your friend, Miriam, has sent you an invitation to her home. Her letter was barely coherent and you are worried about her.
Before you can even enter the house, you have to solve puzzles and collect masks to get through the door. Your troubles have only just begun.
Good stuff: There are puzzles galore, a bit of variety in the HOPs, the usual artwork we expect from this series, and minimal story. At least they kept this new PS as an SE.
Bad stuff: There will be the usual bits of confusion that seem to pepper these games along with the expected plot twist that also seems to run to the mundane.
Bottom line: You will have a very good idea of where you are headed by the end of the Demo. At that point you just need to decide if you want to follow through or retire to the sidelines.
I wasn't impressed with anything I saw in the game. It is barely mediocre for an SE.
I pass.
Before you can even enter the house, you have to solve puzzles and collect masks to get through the door. Your troubles have only just begun.
Good stuff: There are puzzles galore, a bit of variety in the HOPs, the usual artwork we expect from this series, and minimal story. At least they kept this new PS as an SE.
Bad stuff: There will be the usual bits of confusion that seem to pepper these games along with the expected plot twist that also seems to run to the mundane.
Bottom line: You will have a very good idea of where you are headed by the end of the Demo. At that point you just need to decide if you want to follow through or retire to the sidelines.
I wasn't impressed with anything I saw in the game. It is barely mediocre for an SE.
I pass.
I don't recommend this game.
Three legendary detectives join forces to solve a horrible crime!
Overall rating
3
/
5
32 of 51 found this review helpful
Why all the Anomalies?
PostedAugust 10, 2018
Granny_Gruff
fromAnna, James, and Dorian make an interesting team.
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Marble Popper, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Three famous sleuths from three popular game series, Anna Gray, James Blackthorne, and DorianBrown, will investigate thefts of artifacts that can be used to recreate a device called the Reality Cube. The thief, the Collector, is trying to recover his family after they were killed in the past.
Good stuff: The artwork, VOs, and basic game play are fine. The collectibles and CE bling are also OK.
Bad stuff: Why doesn't anyone edit their game stories? After the queen calls in Dorian Brown, he comes upon James Blackthorne in the royal bedroom. So the royal secutiry detail leaves two people wandering around the royal apartments and ignores the rock thrown thru a window of her majesty's bedroom window and then a helicopter landing on palace grounds? From that point on, I lost interest in the story while trying to imagine the thought process that lead to the creative choices that bog down the game/story.
Bottom line: I'm happy that a new series has appeared but frustrated by the lack of attention to detail.
Please play the Demo and see what you think.
Good stuff: The artwork, VOs, and basic game play are fine. The collectibles and CE bling are also OK.
Bad stuff: Why doesn't anyone edit their game stories? After the queen calls in Dorian Brown, he comes upon James Blackthorne in the royal bedroom. So the royal secutiry detail leaves two people wandering around the royal apartments and ignores the rock thrown thru a window of her majesty's bedroom window and then a helicopter landing on palace grounds? From that point on, I lost interest in the story while trying to imagine the thought process that lead to the creative choices that bog down the game/story.
Bottom line: I'm happy that a new series has appeared but frustrated by the lack of attention to detail.
Please play the Demo and see what you think.
Turn back the hands of time to free the Lost Lands!
Overall rating
2
/
5
7 of 14 found this review helpful
Ashes to Ashes....
PostedAugust 9, 2018
Granny_Gruff
fromInternet back up and I'm running!
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
Another Lost Lands game has landed. I own two of the earlier games in the series, bought before I realized that there would be books of maps and overly convoluted stories, both of which would leave me punching the hint button often.
This time Susan is summoned by the great grand-daughter of the wizard, Maaron. A powerful sorceress, Cassandra, has taken over the Lost Lands and imprisoned Maaron. Susan, armed with a time machine powered by the cremated ashes of "ancestors," travels across time to try to set things right.
Stuff: Puzzles, puzzles and more puzzles along with puzzles HOPs fill the time between bits of story. You have a diary that actually gives you more info about the start of this game than the game itself. There are sets of maps, between four and eight individual maps per set, to keep you disoriented. There are morphing objects as well as sets of collectibles - just click on a bright patch or misplaced item and you will discover a part of a collection.
Bad stuff: -Just don't ask what the collectibles are. On my thirty two inch screen, most of the collectibles I found were about an eighth of an inch square and unidentifiable!
The characters are not as well done as in earlier games in the LL series and the story seems to be a stretch in the wrong direction. While most tasks were more original than in current CEs, burning bodies is not high on my list of things to do. Unfortunately the time machine that Maaron invented runs on "Ancestor's ashes." Lucky players will be keeping an eye out for the next set of ashes or body to burn to pour into the machine.
The characters are not as well done as in earlier games in the LL series and the story seems to be a stretch in the wrong direction. While most tasks were more original than in current CEs, burning bodies is not high on my list of things to do. Unfortunately the time machine that Maaron invented runs on "Ancestor's ashes." Lucky players will be keeping an eye out for the next set of ashes or body to burn to pour into the machine.
Somehow this LL entry seems like a different series - except for the overwhelming number of maps.
I pass.
I don't recommend this game.
Can you save escaped magical creatures before it’s too late?
Overall rating
3
/
5
11 of 16 found this review helpful
Good and Evil Average Out!
PostedAugust 6, 2018
Granny_Gruff
fromJust back from vacation and ready to leave again!
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
3
/
5
Uncle Abe is dead and his will leaves his island lighthouse to his niece, Julia.
We play as Julia.
Julia heads for the small lighthouse where Uncle Abe lived in hopes of finding some explanation for his bequest. She finds more than she bargained for in evil cousin Triss, a magical monster hunting corgi named Ash, and Uncle Abe's friend, Casey, a comic book writer.
We play as Julia.
Julia heads for the small lighthouse where Uncle Abe lived in hopes of finding some explanation for his bequest. She finds more than she bargained for in evil cousin Triss, a magical monster hunting corgi named Ash, and Uncle Abe's friend, Casey, a comic book writer.
Good stuff: There is an assortment of mini-games and HOPs, along with a repeating puzzle to capture the strange creatures you come across. There is also CE bling, including two collectible eggs in each scene - they will be large and easily found. You will have a walkie-talkie to talk to Casey back on the island so he can feed you clues and information. You will have a magic cube to hold the beasts. Each use will involve the repeating puzzle and you will gain an ability to use once.
Bad stuff: There are some editing snafus, although its hard to tell if they are due to bad translating or bad editing. The story had more potential than is realized in the game.
Mostly this is an average game with enough good to attract some players and enough bad moments to aggravate others. Which side you are on may depend on your feelings about gimmicks and cute animal helpers.
Try the demo and decide for yourself.
Can you and your beloved escape a mad composer in time?
Overall rating
3
/
5
30 of 43 found this review helpful
Not The Phantom Of The Opera
PostedJuly 27, 2018
Granny_Gruff
fromWhatever....
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
I'm a little confused about the comparisons to "The Phantom of the Opera." There is no infatuated misfit chasing his dream girl and training her voice. There is a maniacal director, well versed in magic, striving to populate his new opera with the ghosts of performers he has killed after capturing them and dragging them down to a theater that sank into the ground.
So, as a huge ALW fan, I found the story lack luster.
Beyond that, the artwork is over saturated in jewel-toned colors - odd since you are supposed to be viewing everything by candle light in the underground theater. There are three different collectibles, a Match-3 alternative to HOPs, mini-games, the ability to switch characters, and an assortment of CE bling.
The game was OK. You will find tools and keys and endless pieces to fit in endless locks, doors, drawers, boxes, and to repair a constant barrage of stuff you will use once.
Please play the Demo.
So, as a huge ALW fan, I found the story lack luster.
Beyond that, the artwork is over saturated in jewel-toned colors - odd since you are supposed to be viewing everything by candle light in the underground theater. There are three different collectibles, a Match-3 alternative to HOPs, mini-games, the ability to switch characters, and an assortment of CE bling.
The game was OK. You will find tools and keys and endless pieces to fit in endless locks, doors, drawers, boxes, and to repair a constant barrage of stuff you will use once.
Please play the Demo.
Find the double agent in H.E.L.P. before it’s too late!
Overall rating
2
/
5
84 of 104 found this review helpful
My Kingdom For a Bit of Logic!!
PostedJuly 21, 2018
Granny_Gruff
fromAfter all these years of playing HOPAs, I am appalled.
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Marble Popper, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
My old partner, Sam, and I start out in the jungle, sent by H.E.L.P. to protect artifacts at a newly discovered ancient site. Things rapidly go south as we are fired upon and Sam urges me to run for it. I see what looks to be Sam's murder by one of the bad guys and I high tail it out of there. I show up next in Montana to help Agent Walker deal with a group called "The Noble Scoundrels." This entails washing an engine with degreaser, modifying a model car, and climbing a stack of old tires. I escape into town only to spend precious time finding a heart for a mime and then plunging into the train station to be ambushed.
Good stuff: The artwork is well done.
Bad stuff: My partner is killed and an ancient site compromised so I run?!? I decide to meet another agent in Montana on my own without checking with headquarters?!? I waste time cleaning an engine to get a part off of it to keep an old car hood up - why not use the rope I end up cutting off that stack of tires?!? And, as this was the first time I've ever been in this garage/junkyard, why would I climb on top of a falling-down garage to escape?!? Now that I'm running for my freedom, why would I stop to play with a mime?!? I go through the gate to the trains and I'm in a dead end hallway?!? So I didn't notice there were no tracks?!?
Bottom line: I have twelve of the HE games and have enjoyed playing them, but this one has no discernable logic and not much else to recommend it. The early HE games were lengthy, full of content, and evolved as the genre advanced.
Please try the demo before you buy. When we settle for short, unworthy games, we tell the Developers that they can play to the lowest common denominator. Don't let them win!
I don't recommend this game.
The killer from an unsolved case returns for more blood!
Overall rating
3
/
5
25 of 29 found this review helpful
Let's Talk About The Elephant In The Room...
PostedJuly 20, 2018
Granny_Gruff
fromDaddy's ghost is mildly amusing, but I don't want to fix another zipper or find one more emblem/key.
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Marble Popper, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Anna Gray is once again called to rescue a relative, this time her niece, Jackie. Jackie was murdered and her father, Alexander, a police detective has asked for Anna's help. As is now SOP in the Grim Tales games, Anna will cart along her father's skull and flit in and out of time and space in her efforts to catch a killer and save his victims.
Good stuff: All the usual game elements are present, along with collectibles that include morphing items, screen saver pieces, and pictures of some of the Gray family. The artwork is good. The music is tolerable. There is a mystery.
Bad stuff: Aside from several lapses in editing dialogue or information on screen, some of the mini-game instructions were woefully bad.
More disappointing to me were the logic fails.
Alexander sends Anna a picture of his office in the letter asking for her help. While it provides the transition for Anna getting there, it also left me confused as to why he would do that.
The key fob for the police car at a crime scene is pulled out of a sewer by Anna as the two policemen argue nearby.
Anna opens the locker belonging to a victim in a snack shop by entering three lines of five digits each after fixing the lock.
The missing policeman has a rattle snake in his house. Anna plays a recorder to calm it.
There's lots more, but you get to find them for yourself.
Bottom line: Little care went into the making of this latest entry in the Grim Tales series. I don't want to stumble through the mini-games while being irritated by the illogic of the story and situations and the many overused cliche game chores.
Please try the Demo before you buy.
Good stuff: All the usual game elements are present, along with collectibles that include morphing items, screen saver pieces, and pictures of some of the Gray family. The artwork is good. The music is tolerable. There is a mystery.
Bad stuff: Aside from several lapses in editing dialogue or information on screen, some of the mini-game instructions were woefully bad.
More disappointing to me were the logic fails.
Alexander sends Anna a picture of his office in the letter asking for her help. While it provides the transition for Anna getting there, it also left me confused as to why he would do that.
The key fob for the police car at a crime scene is pulled out of a sewer by Anna as the two policemen argue nearby.
Anna opens the locker belonging to a victim in a snack shop by entering three lines of five digits each after fixing the lock.
The missing policeman has a rattle snake in his house. Anna plays a recorder to calm it.
There's lots more, but you get to find them for yourself.
Bottom line: Little care went into the making of this latest entry in the Grim Tales series. I don't want to stumble through the mini-games while being irritated by the illogic of the story and situations and the many overused cliche game chores.
Please try the Demo before you buy.
I don't recommend this game.