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:
Can you and your friend escape death's clutches in time?
Overall rating
1
/
5
48 of 53 found this review helpful
No. Seriously, no.
PostedOctober 9, 2020
Granny_Gruff
fromI had to put gasoline in a skull bucket. Enough said.
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Marble Popper, Match 3
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
The game opens with a group wandering near a school bus. One person picks up a piece of glass? green rock? emerald?
Next they are on the bus. A black puff of smoke flits by the front of the vehicle and it seems to tilt.
Next they are on the bus. A black puff of smoke flits by the front of the vehicle and it seems to tilt.
Now you start the game.
Was there a crash? Maybe. Did anyone get hurt? Was there a miraculous escape?
I don't care. The two characters you start out with are as poorly presented as can be and both seem "off," like they are both half asleep, or should be.
Right from the start I was left wondering what Elephant Games was thinking. One of the first things you need to do is get a wrench untangled/untied from a rope hanging out of a tree - which you do with a fake jaw from a skeleton next to the store window of the shop your buddy runs.
Really?
Really?
I have an awful feeling that this may be the best Elephant Games can do now.
Try the Demo.
Try the Demo.
I don't recommend this game.
No one ever said being a Fairy Godmother would be easy...
Overall rating
2
/
5
26 of 31 found this review helpful
I'm Only One Powerup Away From . . . . .
PostedOctober 2, 2020
Granny_Gruff
fromForks to remove nails are apparently the new required game element.
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
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
Another Fairy Godmother Game has landed and this one reaches new heights of silly. If it were aimed at children, that might be acceptable. Unfortunately it is aimed at adults. It also reaches new lows in humor. Again children, maybe. Adults, not so much.
Red Riding Hood is reported kidnapped by her own godmother and our Fairy Godmother is called in to find her. During her investigation, she bribes a troll, meets the Woodsman, and discovers the three pigs have had some trouble with the Big Bad Wolf. Eventually the entire premise dies a not so amusing death by the Devs' own hands.
Good stuff: There are the usual game elements, some done competently. There is CE bling. There are lots of dark scenes and a magic wand to help you along. All you need to do to use the wand is to find three power ups and complete a puzzle to get whatever magic action you need from the wand - that is after you find the three shields hidden around Red's house that open its box the first time.
Bad stuff: So much of the game is badly conceived that I was wondering if it could be a colossal joke on all of us.
And then we reach the end of the Demo.
**SPOILER ALERT** Red takes our wand and uses it on us - except the Devs ignored their own script - she doesn't have any power yet as we discharged the last scrap on the Big Bad Wolf!
And then we reach the end of the Demo.
**SPOILER ALERT** Red takes our wand and uses it on us - except the Devs ignored their own script - she doesn't have any power yet as we discharged the last scrap on the Big Bad Wolf!
So Bottom Line: An inadequate story is sabotaged by its creators who were in a great hurry to get it to market and ignored their own premise, while using fairy tale fragments to try to cover their mistakes and lack of finesse.
Please try the Demo.
Please try the Demo.
Just do it.
At least that way you'll have some warning of what you are getting.
I don't recommend this game.
Can you and your daughter save your loved one's life in time?
Overall rating
1
/
5
48 of 57 found this review helpful
Oh. Help. Save Me.
PostedSeptember 25, 2020
Granny_Gruff
fromI am in a wash of tears. This is sad.
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
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
Anna Gray, five to six year old daughter Alice in tow, is called in to help sister-in-law Maureen Black when her life may be in danger. Daddy Richard is on vacation. (Isn't death a permanent vacation?) (And doesn't this carcass need all the humor it can get?)
Good stuff: It's a game.
Bad stuff: It has fair artwork if you don't mind varying levels of good, bad, and indifferent. The VO's are bland at best and unbelievably annoying at worst - Watch out for Alice's send-off to Mommy. As for the puzzles and story setup? I can only apologize.
Why? I Beta tested this turkey and actually apologized at the time for being too critical but explained that I wanted so much for its success that I wanted the Devs to get the message. And they did change some awkward translations and labels. Then they carefully ignored all of my survey except the word: Success!
Why? I Beta tested this turkey and actually apologized at the time for being too critical but explained that I wanted so much for its success that I wanted the Devs to get the message. And they did change some awkward translations and labels. Then they carefully ignored all of my survey except the word: Success!
So Bottom line: We've seen some awful additions to once-great series over the last couple of years, but this one takes the cake. The list of flaws is legion, but then, with two of the usual cheerleader reviewers MIA, we pretty much know there is a problem with the product. I could copy and paste the list of original flaws, but it is too late to fix them now.
Play the Demo.
And I'm sorry. Grim Tales has had some stellar earlier chapters.
Play an earlier one again.
Remember its glory days.
And I'm so sorry - for all of us.
And I'm sorry. Grim Tales has had some stellar earlier chapters.
Play an earlier one again.
Remember its glory days.
And I'm so sorry - for all of us.
I don't recommend this game.
Can you save your world from magical beings bent on its destruction?
Overall rating
4
/
5
24 of 29 found this review helpful
A Very Dark Addition to The Edge of Reality Series
PostedSeptember 18, 2020
Granny_Gruff
fromHere in the Ohio Valley, we can smell smoke from the West Coast. Our prayers are with them and those in the path of the storms.
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
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
During your sister Catherine's 25th Anniversary celebration - they meant birthday - a package arrives, supposedly from your Grampa Robert. It contains a plea for help and most of an ancient amulet. Catherine has recurring nightmares that seem connected to the amulet and the two of you travel to Ireland to find Grampa Robert. Once there you are quickly entangled in more of a mystery than you bargained for as you find that Grampa has been keeping a lot of secrets from you both.
Good stuff: Some really clever puzzles, decent HOPs, two fairies and two objects hidden in each scene, and lots of mystery. You have the amulet to which you add beads, each time triggering a hunt for five runes that reveal something hidden. And you also have Grampa's dog to get into things for you on occasion. There is an assortment of CE bling. Grampa's many secrets could be very interesting, but there seems to be little challenge in pursuing the answers. The music is quite pretty - I left the volume up louder than I have in the past to enjoy it.
Bad stuff: I have never seen so much dark! Dark house, dark woods, dark town, dark church, dark dungeon - the only place that should have been this dismal!
Some day I will interview a game Developer. My first question?
Why are swarming bees, broken zippers and keys, and night flying daytime birds so alluring? Out of the millions of objects in our world, why do so few things keep recurring in every game? Do they have a stock of pictures to recolor for each game and use them repeatedly? As for the extended use of dark blue,gray, and black, does nothing ever happen in broad daylight? And why do the main characters seem to have such loose ethics? The girls open a package for Grampa Robert, from his mail box and proceed to destroy his new custom-made cane by jamming it in an animal trap on the front stairs. There were dozens of branches and lots of broken boards scattered about the front yard that could have been used instead.
Some day I will interview a game Developer. My first question?
Why are swarming bees, broken zippers and keys, and night flying daytime birds so alluring? Out of the millions of objects in our world, why do so few things keep recurring in every game? Do they have a stock of pictures to recolor for each game and use them repeatedly? As for the extended use of dark blue,gray, and black, does nothing ever happen in broad daylight? And why do the main characters seem to have such loose ethics? The girls open a package for Grampa Robert, from his mail box and proceed to destroy his new custom-made cane by jamming it in an animal trap on the front stairs. There were dozens of branches and lots of broken boards scattered about the front yard that could have been used instead.
Bottom line: There are some holes in the story, but I can see several ways they could be dealt with. I did find the story interesting and I liked the characters. I will give this new Edge of Reality game a place in my collection. I hope it wears well!
Please try the demo to see if you are interested too.
I recommend this game!
Can you uncover and stop a dangerous menace terrorizing new cadets?
Overall rating
2
/
5
21 of 25 found this review helpful
Broken Zipper - Yes. Angry Bees - No.
PostedSeptember 11, 2020
Granny_Gruff
fromThis is like trying to make cream cheese frosted carrot cake out of a banana split!
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
And no vehicular crash either.
A new Mystery Trackers has landed, or rather, plopped into our laps. It brings our friend, Shade, to teach a new set of cadets with us a a small camp in the woods. There only seem to be three cadets, with Shade and you being the staff. The students seem to have been here for a while as they have managed to explore, construct new gadgets, and get into trouble. If these kids - all looking as if they should be in high school - are the best the agency can do, it is in deep doggy d-- d--.
Good stuff: It's a game, folks. All the expected stuff along with a bit of CE bling.
Bad stuff: Elf is an after thought. He is along to give credence to the game being part of the MT series. The special goggles are a gimmick. The story is a weak effort. The characters are so young, I'm wondering if someone was intending to market the game to teens. The story starts as an effort to connect this new MT entry to MT: Watch Hill. Mostly it just feels like someone phoned the whole thing in, with little effort being put into the game elements or plot.
I did award an extra star for the incredible self control it must have taken to not fall into 'the bees swarming somewhere vital' trap, especially as the game is set in the forest. I just wish it were good enough to make me want to buy it.
It is not.
It is not.
Please try the demo.
I don't recommend this game.
Can your love survive the vampire’s curse?
Overall rating
2
/
5
31 of 39 found this review helpful
There Was a Nap....
PostedSeptember 4, 2020
Granny_Gruff
fromAnd yet it still made me tired.
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
2
/
5
I'd had a lovely nap this afternoon and was bright eyed and eager for a new game.
This new Dark Romance starts with a vehicle crash - just like the hundreds we endured in earlier games. Hanging by one hand in mid-air over the edge of a cliff, our hero will manage to tie a rope on a convenient sign post above him and climb to safety.
And our adventure has begun.
From that point on we will travel down a road so familiar that the Devs of this rehash should be embarrassed to attach their names to it.
All the usual silliness is present and, occasionally, so outrageous that I wondered if they were going for a new game type - comical!
Our heroine, Sabrina, locks herself in her room and has to find the key, find the window handle, and catch fireflies under the full moon during a snow storm.
The most innovative item in the Demo is the fancy cover on the ax Gabriel uses on a fallen tree - which you have to find three pieces of a shield to open.
Everything in this game speaks of the cut and dried automation that passes for creativity this year. With fewer distractions and time on their hands, I looked for some spark that would renew our interest in HOPAs.
I have almost given up on that hope.
Please play the demo.
I don't recommend this game.
A serial killer has resurfaced, and he’s calling you out!
Overall rating
2
/
5
19 of 20 found this review helpful
Did You See What I Saw?
PostedAugust 30, 2020
Granny_Gruff
fromNow harvesting tomatoes and I have ideas about the over-ripe ones!
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Marble Popper, Match 3, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
The Master, a serial killer, is on a rampage and has demanded that you, Detective, be called to work on the case. You are visited by two members of the FBI playing "Good Cop, Bad Cop."
You manage to arrive at the scene of the next killing in time to rescue the intended victim. The killer takes off and you stay with the victim, Anne. After she is driven away in an ambulance, you head to the next location for possible evidence.
Did anyone notice:
The killer threw a letter into my living room through a french door he opened and I left it open.
I had to repair the key to my locked study so I could walk through to my patio where I carelessly left my laptop on a table across from the opening into the street.
I had to cut open the glass on a cabinet in my own study - was that security or stupidity?
The victim handed me a possible piece of evidence, a bullet, which I loaded into a gun and shot it into the library door to get inside.
The victim was taken away in that ambulance, leaving her purse behind on a bench.
The growling Rottweiler was on a long leash but I got right up next to him to get items out of a cache well within reach of his teeth.
I stole a five dollar bill from a crime scene to pay for a single plain hot dog to feed the Rottweiler so I could pick up stuff on the ground next to the first cache.
There's more, but I'll leave a bit to amuse you as the game won't.
Along with all the insults to our intelligence, there are serious threats to your eye sight. Most scenes are predominantly blue. One or two tip wildly to the red spectrum - those must be the ones colored while someone ran for more blue ink!
Am I less than enchanted with this game?
You bet.
The Devs put little effort and less intelligence into this game. They managed to create a game that fails on many levels, when they had an opportunity to build any world they wanted.
Please try the demo.
You manage to arrive at the scene of the next killing in time to rescue the intended victim. The killer takes off and you stay with the victim, Anne. After she is driven away in an ambulance, you head to the next location for possible evidence.
Did anyone notice:
The killer threw a letter into my living room through a french door he opened and I left it open.
I had to repair the key to my locked study so I could walk through to my patio where I carelessly left my laptop on a table across from the opening into the street.
I had to cut open the glass on a cabinet in my own study - was that security or stupidity?
The victim handed me a possible piece of evidence, a bullet, which I loaded into a gun and shot it into the library door to get inside.
The victim was taken away in that ambulance, leaving her purse behind on a bench.
The growling Rottweiler was on a long leash but I got right up next to him to get items out of a cache well within reach of his teeth.
I stole a five dollar bill from a crime scene to pay for a single plain hot dog to feed the Rottweiler so I could pick up stuff on the ground next to the first cache.
There's more, but I'll leave a bit to amuse you as the game won't.
Along with all the insults to our intelligence, there are serious threats to your eye sight. Most scenes are predominantly blue. One or two tip wildly to the red spectrum - those must be the ones colored while someone ran for more blue ink!
Am I less than enchanted with this game?
You bet.
The Devs put little effort and less intelligence into this game. They managed to create a game that fails on many levels, when they had an opportunity to build any world they wanted.
Please try the demo.
I don't recommend this game.
A small-town murder case hides a revelation that will shake the agency to its core!
Overall rating
2
/
5
46 of 56 found this review helpful
Not Your Mother's MCF
PostedAugust 21, 2020
Granny_Gruff
fromHome. Is there anywhere else safe?
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
James is dead. You are sent to investigate by the Queen as several words and people related to your old cases have popped up in this new case. But is there a case? There are files, a semi-competent policeman, and friends/not friends of the deceased to interview. The rest I'll leave up to you.
Stuff: There are all the expected game elements, minus those truly wicked multi-step puzzles in earlier MCF games. (There are puzzles that would like to be those puzzles - when they grow up!) There are tarot cards and puzzle pieces to find, along with an assortment of CE bling. And you have a tool to help you with sudden surges of energy. Each time you deploy this item, there will be a different mini-game. The artwork is well done. (Is it brighter than previously? Not appreciably.)
Not so nice stuff: Most of the game play seems geared to a juvenile audience, or at least players that want to check their brains at the door. A goodly portion of the demo seemed to be designed to mystify players without benefit of facts or information.
Bad stuff: During the demo, there seemed to be a path that the Devs were following. Start with this type of scene, go to a puzzle, introduce a character here, now a HOP, another mini-game, now a multi-step puzzle, etc. Along the way, our master detective has no problem with searching through things right in front of their owner - or sometimes right behind them - and picking up/stealing/borrowing without returning - all kinds of items that may eventually be needed. (But how did we know that?)
Bottom line: I would have liked a game for intelligent players that had enough intrigue, plot, and likeable characters to win my interest and money. Maybe next time....
You will want to play the Demo. The reviews are scattered across the spectrum and many players see something different than the others.
I don't recommend this game.
Can you save an old friend from a deadly legend in time?
Overall rating
2
/
5
21 of 26 found this review helpful
And the Answer is . . . . . . . .
PostedAugust 8, 2020
Granny_Gruff
fromI've found a new way to grab a nap.
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
2
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
Nothing, as in this game has absolutely nothing in common with Poe's short story. Of course that fact has never stopped these Devs in their attempts to grab hold of Poe's coat tails before.
So long as you expect nothing more when you try this game than an average game without a lot of thought going into it, then you may consider that they have succeeded.
I want a decent story, a nice mix of HOPs and mini-games/puzzles and some engagement that makes me wish to solve the mystery.
Instead I have a game that put me to sleep.
I gave it one star for it's own merit and another for the nap as I've been suffering from insomnia and appreciate the rest!
If you read through the reviews and notice the reviewer who was surprised by the roar of a car engine in a game set in a time well before automobiles, you will have discovered one of the many things I pointed out when I played the beta version of this game back in April.
As nothing makes any impression on those responsible for another assault on the works of E.A.P., I just throw up my hands and wish you would try the Demo for yourself.
Please just try the demo.
Consider it on its own merits.
Hope they run out of E.A.P.'s works to bungle into a story.
So long as you expect nothing more when you try this game than an average game without a lot of thought going into it, then you may consider that they have succeeded.
I want a decent story, a nice mix of HOPs and mini-games/puzzles and some engagement that makes me wish to solve the mystery.
Instead I have a game that put me to sleep.
I gave it one star for it's own merit and another for the nap as I've been suffering from insomnia and appreciate the rest!
If you read through the reviews and notice the reviewer who was surprised by the roar of a car engine in a game set in a time well before automobiles, you will have discovered one of the many things I pointed out when I played the beta version of this game back in April.
As nothing makes any impression on those responsible for another assault on the works of E.A.P., I just throw up my hands and wish you would try the Demo for yourself.
Please just try the demo.
Consider it on its own merits.
Hope they run out of E.A.P.'s works to bungle into a story.
I don't recommend this game.
Someone in Fairy Tale Land is selling wishes, but at what cost?
Overall rating
1
/
5
22 of 25 found this review helpful
Please Stop Repeating.....
PostedJuly 27, 2020
Granny_Gruff
fromDerby-less Derby City, blue grassless Blue Grass State.
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
If you play the demo till you hit the first rough spot, you will only be playing the game for about 30 seconds. That is how quickly this game hit the skids.
You meet Detective Goodwin outside a small cafe where your goddaughter, Gerda, is sitting on the curb in the ice and snow. She is weeping. The detective hands you his spare hat because it looks like rain and goes for a walk while you deal with Gerda.
If you see nothing wrong with the opening scene set-up for this game, it may be the game for you. If you enjoy finishing the same tasks over and over again, you have absolutely found your game, especially if you are fond of silliness, confusion, and being treated like a small child.
If you see nothing wrong with the opening scene set-up for this game, it may be the game for you. If you enjoy finishing the same tasks over and over again, you have absolutely found your game, especially if you are fond of silliness, confusion, and being treated like a small child.
Please, take a look at the demo for this poor little game. The good detective is standing in a cold street, icicles hanging from the wires, and hands over his "spare" hat to a woman in case of rain. Luckily you need that hat to blow steam off of a nearby table in the next ten seconds. And then you ditch your partner's spare hat and chase around a corner to see a person you have never actually seen before disappearing down the next alley. This must be the villain even though Gerda’s description was weak and he should have fled long ago. The game goes downhill from there.
The story is so sparse as to beggar any right to the designation, "story." The barrage of cliche actions is overwhelming. And I am bailing out of the demo.
There is nothing to see here, folks. Just keep moving.
I don't recommend this game.