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:
Characters from classical literature are coming to life!
Overall rating
4
/
5
9 of 11 found this review helpful
MM returns to cheers
PostedJanuary 3, 2015
Granny_Gruff
fromLouisville, KY
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Marble Popper, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I love the Midnight Mysteries series, so a new installment is a real New Years' treat.
I could quibble about several points, but I wouldn't discourage anyone for the world.
As with the other games, there are collectibles, engaging storyline, beautiful locations, lots of mini-games, HOPs, and four levels of game play.
There is something strange going on and you will have to figure out where two famous writers have disappeared to and, hopefully, rescue them. Some evil force is trying to thwart your investigation but you press onward, in spite of the danger.
Relax, enjoy this as a holiday present, and be glad to start the New Year with a good game!
I could quibble about several points, but I wouldn't discourage anyone for the world.
As with the other games, there are collectibles, engaging storyline, beautiful locations, lots of mini-games, HOPs, and four levels of game play.
There is something strange going on and you will have to figure out where two famous writers have disappeared to and, hopefully, rescue them. Some evil force is trying to thwart your investigation but you press onward, in spite of the danger.
Relax, enjoy this as a holiday present, and be glad to start the New Year with a good game!
I recommend this game!
Save your friends and escape from a deadly game!
Overall rating
4
/
5
9 of 13 found this review helpful
You Said It, Brother!
PostedDecember 28, 2014
Granny_Gruff
fromLouisville, KY
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Marble Popper, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Yes, this is Jumanji on steroids for sure - but that is a good thing.
There are four levels of play, lots of mini-games, HOPs, and a storyline that may deliver.
I played the demo in less than half the allotted time and suspect this will not be a long game.
But I've enjoyed the other "Surface" games and will buy this one also, as an SE.
There are four levels of play, lots of mini-games, HOPs, and a storyline that may deliver.
I played the demo in less than half the allotted time and suspect this will not be a long game.
But I've enjoyed the other "Surface" games and will buy this one also, as an SE.
I recommend this game!
Search a magnificent garden on a huge property to uncover the secret to your inheritance!
Overall rating
2
/
5
10 of 14 found this review helpful
zzzzzz...
PostedDecember 20, 2014
Granny_Gruff
fromLouisville, KY
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Marble Popper, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
You have just inherited your Aunt Selma's estate. From that point on, we are in a game that is antique at best.
Every window must be closed with an X. There are LOTS of HOPs and reading, but not much else. You collect pages of your aunt's journal along the way, unfortunately not in order. This means that any storyline is fragmented. The music is extremely generic.
You can zoom into the HOS with a magnifying glass, which you WILL need. There is a cute dog to give hints. You move by looking down at the available locations and picking one. It will be a HOS that you can pan around.
The best I can suggest is you try this with a child. They might be amused.
Every window must be closed with an X. There are LOTS of HOPs and reading, but not much else. You collect pages of your aunt's journal along the way, unfortunately not in order. This means that any storyline is fragmented. The music is extremely generic.
You can zoom into the HOS with a magnifying glass, which you WILL need. There is a cute dog to give hints. You move by looking down at the available locations and picking one. It will be a HOS that you can pan around.
The best I can suggest is you try this with a child. They might be amused.
I don't recommend this game.
Venture inside the beautiful hidden world of Japan, as a young apprentice Geisha. Discover mysterious secrets, ancient arts and heart-breaking love.
Overall rating
2
/
5
8 of 13 found this review helpful
Snore
PostedDecember 17, 2014
Granny_Gruff
fromLouisville, KY
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Marble Popper, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
You are being sent to the city as an apprentice by a man you had thought of as your father. You decide to go to a geisha tryout instead in hopes of looking for your mother from whom you were kidnapped as a baby.
There may be some potential here - until it's ruined by actually playing the game.
Minimal storyline, flat cartoon drawings, incremental game-play to the point of insanity (every step must be done - find your clothes and a basket, pack your basket, get the cart ready, yoke the ox, do each chore, just to get to the train to start the story.) Also four levels of game play, appropriately oriental music, and voice overs. By the time I got to the city to start the adventure - again taking each tiny step forward - I was beginning to doubt my grasp of reality and wanted to tank this loser. I hung on long enough to get an outfit together and eventually all the parts of a tea service. Along this journey, the story advanced only minimally.
Then I quit.
Folks, I know they use different things to make game play last longer, but this was torture.
Try it if you must, but you've been warned.
There may be some potential here - until it's ruined by actually playing the game.
Minimal storyline, flat cartoon drawings, incremental game-play to the point of insanity (every step must be done - find your clothes and a basket, pack your basket, get the cart ready, yoke the ox, do each chore, just to get to the train to start the story.) Also four levels of game play, appropriately oriental music, and voice overs. By the time I got to the city to start the adventure - again taking each tiny step forward - I was beginning to doubt my grasp of reality and wanted to tank this loser. I hung on long enough to get an outfit together and eventually all the parts of a tea service. Along this journey, the story advanced only minimally.
Then I quit.
Folks, I know they use different things to make game play last longer, but this was torture.
Try it if you must, but you've been warned.
I don't recommend this game.
The old historic mansion in Istanbul is being renovated into a hotel and when the owner summons you to fix the grand clock you discover that there are dark secrets contained within.
Overall rating
1
/
5
0 of 2 found this review helpful
Bedtime Game
PostedDecember 17, 2014
Granny_Gruff
fromLouisville, KY
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Marble Popper
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
Trust me, this game is so slow and game-play so stilted, you'll be asleep before you know it.
Oh, wait - that's not why you buy games, is it?
Never mind. That's how this one works.
The storyline may be great, but we see only the barest outline before plunging into cartoonish scenes with massive quantities of HOPs and a few simplistic mini-games. The English translation is only fair. The music is just bad. All the problems already reviewed are only too real.
Skip this one.
Oh, wait - that's not why you buy games, is it?
Never mind. That's how this one works.
The storyline may be great, but we see only the barest outline before plunging into cartoonish scenes with massive quantities of HOPs and a few simplistic mini-games. The English translation is only fair. The music is just bad. All the problems already reviewed are only too real.
Skip this one.
I don't recommend this game.
Escape from the clutch of the spiteful innkeepers! Can you help Cosette have a better future?
Overall rating
1
/
5
2 of 3 found this review helpful
Rewrite Victor Hugo?
PostedDecember 16, 2014
Granny_Gruff
fromLouisville, KY
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Marble Popper, Puzzle
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
Where can I start with this debacle?
Cosette has been left in the country at the inn. Her mother sends money for her keep, which the inn keeper keeps for himself. The child is ill treated. The story opens with the inn keeper telling her to finish her work and simultaneously ordering her to her room after she is present when a plate is broken. She goes to a room that actually looks quite pleasant and then goes downstairs to a dirty kitchen immediately.
And we're off.
Imagine yourself back ten years ago and you've just found this game. It would have been outdated then, too!
There is a single level of play. There is either music and sounds or not: there is no sound level adjustment. (And the music has strange moments when it sounds like bombs going off somewhere near and then wolves howling.) The HOPs have to be seen to be believed. The puzzles are elementary.
There are no VOs. There is lots of reading.
There is no logic here.
I threw this turkey back very quickly. You will too.
Cosette has been left in the country at the inn. Her mother sends money for her keep, which the inn keeper keeps for himself. The child is ill treated. The story opens with the inn keeper telling her to finish her work and simultaneously ordering her to her room after she is present when a plate is broken. She goes to a room that actually looks quite pleasant and then goes downstairs to a dirty kitchen immediately.
And we're off.
Imagine yourself back ten years ago and you've just found this game. It would have been outdated then, too!
There is a single level of play. There is either music and sounds or not: there is no sound level adjustment. (And the music has strange moments when it sounds like bombs going off somewhere near and then wolves howling.) The HOPs have to be seen to be believed. The puzzles are elementary.
There are no VOs. There is lots of reading.
There is no logic here.
I threw this turkey back very quickly. You will too.
I don't recommend this game.
Reveries: Soul Collector Collector's Edition
Your wedding day gets interrupted when your fiancée is kidnapped!
Overall rating
3
/
5
7 of 11 found this review helpful
Another Game
PostedDecember 13, 2014
Granny_Gruff
fromLouisville, KY
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Marble Popper, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
The princess sets out to save her groom after the villain kidnaps him just before the wedding.
There are HOPs, mini-games, a used story (save my groom),
characters, and four levels of game play. A lot of this, if not all of it, you have seen in a dozen other games. None of it is intrinsically bad, just average, really average.
Your little helper is not a cute animal. We all just wish he was.
I'm not sure what he is, but at least a little animal would not hurt your eyes.
There may have been music, but I was so annoyed by the ambient sounds, I did not hear any music.
Clicking on the hint button most often returned me to my windows screen and I had to go back into the game.
Bottom line here is, I invested 27 minutes in finishing the demo and want my minutes back.
There are HOPs, mini-games, a used story (save my groom),
characters, and four levels of game play. A lot of this, if not all of it, you have seen in a dozen other games. None of it is intrinsically bad, just average, really average.
Your little helper is not a cute animal. We all just wish he was.
I'm not sure what he is, but at least a little animal would not hurt your eyes.
There may have been music, but I was so annoyed by the ambient sounds, I did not hear any music.
Clicking on the hint button most often returned me to my windows screen and I had to go back into the game.
Bottom line here is, I invested 27 minutes in finishing the demo and want my minutes back.
I don't recommend this game.
Christmas Eve: Midnight's Call Collector's Edition
Do you have what it takes to save Christmas?
Overall rating
4
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Demo was...Good
PostedDecember 11, 2014
Granny_Gruff
fromLouisville, KY
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Marble Popper, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This is based on completing the Demo.
A sinister poem introduces us to the game. Cold winds howl as the words are read. Once more it looks like we are rescuing a child, this time one who went under the ice many years ago. Along the way we will be saving the world again. I won't say anything else except I'd be vastly surprised if you didn't see where this is going in the first ten minutes or so.
There are four levels of play, including the custom level. The artwork is crisp and the animation good. Everything looks appropriately cold and snowy for our adventure at Christmas time. There are some HOPs, good background sounds, unobtrusive music, and decent mini-games, some with both casual and hard levels. There are Christmas packages to collect. Once you've completed the game, you will have unlocked the bonus content which looks to be the usual stuff.
Of course it is all very nicely done.
But we've been down the road to rescue a child before, not to mention save the world. And there is nothing here that makes me want to purchase the game in the midst of the Christmas rush. Since I have almost an hour of demo left, I'll revisit this one in the new year using another name.
Try the demo and see what you think.
A sinister poem introduces us to the game. Cold winds howl as the words are read. Once more it looks like we are rescuing a child, this time one who went under the ice many years ago. Along the way we will be saving the world again. I won't say anything else except I'd be vastly surprised if you didn't see where this is going in the first ten minutes or so.
There are four levels of play, including the custom level. The artwork is crisp and the animation good. Everything looks appropriately cold and snowy for our adventure at Christmas time. There are some HOPs, good background sounds, unobtrusive music, and decent mini-games, some with both casual and hard levels. There are Christmas packages to collect. Once you've completed the game, you will have unlocked the bonus content which looks to be the usual stuff.
Of course it is all very nicely done.
But we've been down the road to rescue a child before, not to mention save the world. And there is nothing here that makes me want to purchase the game in the midst of the Christmas rush. Since I have almost an hour of demo left, I'll revisit this one in the new year using another name.
Try the demo and see what you think.
An unexpected invitation sends you to research mythical standing stones in Brittany.
Overall rating
3
/
5
10 of 19 found this review helpful
Been Here, Did This
PostedDecember 9, 2014
Granny_Gruff
fromLouisville, KY
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Marble Popper
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Okay, that may not be strictly true but it is all too familiar to be comfortable.
Once again we are saving the world from a demon. Once again we are too stupid too survive, but I won't divulge any spoilers.
There are the usual HOPs, mini-games, two different collectibles (a plus in an SE), a decent storyline, good artwork and animation.
Will I buy it - most likely with a coupon - only because of the added collectibles and a fairly decent story.
But I will suggest you try this for yourself - if only because you may have gone down this path one too many times already!
Once again we are saving the world from a demon. Once again we are too stupid too survive, but I won't divulge any spoilers.
There are the usual HOPs, mini-games, two different collectibles (a plus in an SE), a decent storyline, good artwork and animation.
Will I buy it - most likely with a coupon - only because of the added collectibles and a fairly decent story.
But I will suggest you try this for yourself - if only because you may have gone down this path one too many times already!
Another bloodcurdling tale ripped from the pages of history. This time, the horrifying legend of Elizabeth Bathory is yours to discover!
Overall rating
5
/
5
16 of 30 found this review helpful
Great Demo!
PostedDecember 6, 2014
Granny_Gruff
fromLouisville, KY
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Marble Popper, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Mechanics first - Various HOPs, good mini-games, excellent mysterious storyline, beautifully detailed artwork, nicely done characters. Add to that four game play levels including the evermore popular custom setting and we have a winner!
A beloved daughter has gone missing under mysterious circumstances after going on a visit to the countess. As a "Finder" you set out to locate and, if necessary, rescue her. Along the way you grow herbs, mix potions, have visions of disturbing past events, and surmount obstacles.
As usual, it is the great storyline that grabbed me. I'm not fond of horror stories, but this is very finely done and gets most intriguing. I'm excited to purchase the game and see where we go from here.
Try this one for yourself and see if you agree with me.
A beloved daughter has gone missing under mysterious circumstances after going on a visit to the countess. As a "Finder" you set out to locate and, if necessary, rescue her. Along the way you grow herbs, mix potions, have visions of disturbing past events, and surmount obstacles.
As usual, it is the great storyline that grabbed me. I'm not fond of horror stories, but this is very finely done and gets most intriguing. I'm excited to purchase the game and see where we go from here.
Try this one for yourself and see if you agree with me.
I recommend this game!