kateblue222's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.5
- Helpful Votes:3,417
- Reviews Submitted:179
- First Review:May 6, 2014
- Most Recent Review:July 28, 2024
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Can you find and catch the notorious Sea Ripper?
Overall rating
3
/
5
19 of 22 found this review helpful
Buy CE or SE? To me, it's pretty boring and requires constant hint use, but you must decide for yourself.
PostedAugust 28, 2015
kateblue222
fromSecond star to the right and straight on 'til morning
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Word
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I reviewed the demo of the CE of this game, and my opinion has not changed. Basically, I found it boring. The game works perfectly and it's pretty, but I didn't like the music, the mini-games were too simple, and the HOS were mostly just word lists with cluttered piles of stuff. I am pretty darn tired of those.
The worst part is, I kept having to press the hint button repeatedly because I could not figure out what I was supposed to do, though I was only reduced to using the guide once. That’s the main problem. I guess it just didn’t seem logical. And therefore, it was not the immersive experience of a truly great game.
On one HOS, some objects, ones that appeared to be places where you might search, were actually located so far down on the screen that clicking on them made you leave the puzzle. So watch out for that.
CE or SE? All CE features are available. One feature I love is included—the ability to play the mini games over. Therefore, if you really like the game, I suggest you buy the CE because it has all the bells and whistles. But only if you really like the game or need a CE on a 2-for-1 deal.
It's passable, just not the greatest. I would definitely buy the SE as a daily deal, even though, to me, it's boring.
I recommend this game!
A mountain observatory is hiding a big secret!
Overall rating
1
/
5
27 of 38 found this review helpful
I was stuck WAY to often and it's illogical!
PostedAugust 27, 2015
kateblue222
fromSecond star to the right and straight on 'til morning
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Word
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
It's a beautifully drawn game
The music is great
It has a custom setting
The mini games are fun
It has all the bonus bells and whistles in the "extras" menu.
The music is great
It has a custom setting
The mini games are fun
It has all the bonus bells and whistles in the "extras" menu.
BUT
It seems slow to me
It's definitely illogical
I got stuck in the first HOP for way too long.
It's definitely illogical
I got stuck in the first HOP for way too long.
It's the lack of logic of the game, I guess, plus an inadequate Stategy Guide.
RE being illogical:
1) The guy tells you that you can't come in to the observatory at the top of the hill, but then he lets you break into the guardhouse, and steal from it, while he is standing right there!!
2) The guy that knocks out Sam left through the window, and Sam indicates you should follow him, but you can't get out the window, you just end up at the computer desk.
1) The guy tells you that you can't come in to the observatory at the top of the hill, but then he lets you break into the guardhouse, and steal from it, while he is standing right there!!
2) The guy that knocks out Sam left through the window, and Sam indicates you should follow him, but you can't get out the window, you just end up at the computer desk.
RE being stuck in the HOP:
I went to the Guide and it says "play it [the HOP] to get a handheld laser." But that's all the strategy guide says. There are no directions on how to get through the progressive HOP! I will spare you all the details of the ways I was stuck. I will just say, on one, the hint just kept taking me back to the same place without telling me what object I needed to progress. On the other, I would never have solved except it was apparently programmed to pretend that you figured it out if you clicked whole lot of times, like a hundred or two hundred.
I went to the Guide and it says "play it [the HOP] to get a handheld laser." But that's all the strategy guide says. There are no directions on how to get through the progressive HOP! I will spare you all the details of the ways I was stuck. I will just say, on one, the hint just kept taking me back to the same place without telling me what object I needed to progress. On the other, I would never have solved except it was apparently programmed to pretend that you figured it out if you clicked whole lot of times, like a hundred or two hundred.
Usually I love these new progressive HOPs because I am a mini game lover. But this one was impossible.
Developers, you must give hints and and/or skip buttons for the progressive HOPs because they are, in effect, mini games. I personally vote for a skip button for ALL HOPs. I mean, there's a skip button for mini-games, right? So why not for HOPs?? I am lobbying for a skip button for all HOPs, as of now!
I'm not buying this game now. I will wait for a walkthrough, then I will probably get it as a 2-for-1. Hard to rate it, though. I'm so aggravated with it, I guess I have to rate it low. Try it, though. It is beautiful.
I don't recommend this game.
Enjoy this beautiful adventure set in a unique interactive 3D Thailand! Complete mysterious puzzles and find hidden objects. Prepare for an unforgettable experience!
Overall rating
4
/
5
7 of 7 found this review helpful
Needs a “Custom” setting, and though beautiful, it’s slow and clunky.
PostedAugust 26, 2015
kateblue222
fromSecond star to the right and straight on 'til morning
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Word
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Based on playing the demo as I have not bought it and may not for a while.
I really wanted to love this game. The art is gorgeous, and I will probably buy it with a coupon or as a two-for-one for that reason alone. But it is really hard to figure out what to do, so I am constantly hitting the hint button. Fortunately, on the easiest setting, the hint button resets immediately, which is nice.
The sound is OK. At least it did not bug me and I noticed it occasionally in a good way. The lip synching on the one character at the house was perfect. Usually it’s not, so kudos to the animators.
The story really doesn’t make any sense. I don’t know why I am in Asia or why I am so concerned about this boy I've never met when he probably just went to the library that he likes. But that’s OK, I am just ignoring it.
It’s very talky at times without really helping you fulfill and goals of the story. But you don’t dare skip because you don’t know what’s going on, really.
There are three difficulty settings, which is good, but there needs to be a custom setting because the difficulty of the mini games is affected. I would love to skip HOS sometimes and I want sparkles, but I want my mini-games to be difficult. They’re my favorite part. Here, if you play the easiest setting, the mini-games are easier, too.
Some reasons for my constant use of the hint button:
1) The cursor is a big, ugly white hand which does not change. There’s no change when you are hovering over an object you can use. There’s no direction arrow when the door to leave is in the middle of the picture somewhere (if you are supposed to go down, there’s a place to click).
2. Constant hints are also needed because objects are not clearly seen, or it’s not clear what to do with them, or once you have figured out what to do with them, it's not clear what to do next. Here’s an example. Two parts of a statute were invisible without using the hint button. Once you finish fixing up the statute, you are given something that obviously fits nearby, and you play a little game there. But that whole sequence did not seem to advance the story of the game at all. So then, I still had to use the hint button because I still didn’t have any idea of what to do next, or why. Though the little games WERE fun.
1) The cursor is a big, ugly white hand which does not change. There’s no change when you are hovering over an object you can use. There’s no direction arrow when the door to leave is in the middle of the picture somewhere (if you are supposed to go down, there’s a place to click).
2. Constant hints are also needed because objects are not clearly seen, or it’s not clear what to do with them, or once you have figured out what to do with them, it's not clear what to do next. Here’s an example. Two parts of a statute were invisible without using the hint button. Once you finish fixing up the statute, you are given something that obviously fits nearby, and you play a little game there. But that whole sequence did not seem to advance the story of the game at all. So then, I still had to use the hint button because I still didn’t have any idea of what to do next, or why. Though the little games WERE fun.
All in all, I guess, because I am having fun, I have to rate this game a 4. But if the hint didn’t immediately reset, I wouldn’t be having fun. I do suggest you at least play the demo, though. It's worth it just to look at the pretty pictures.
P.S. Finally, the mandatory English grammar note for the developers (all you BFG gamers can skip this): The line in the game dialogue was: “The young monk loves it’s library.” (Imagine a large buzzer sounding right now and me shouting . . . “Hey developers! Thanks for playing!) Here are the grammar rules:
--The word “it’s” is a contraction that means "it is.” It's not correct as it’s used in the game dialogue above.
--“Its” is a possessive pronoun. The line of dialogue is discussing the library that belongs to the temple, so “its,” no apostrophe, should have been used. Example: "Every dog has its fleas.”
A way to test for this mistake: Just ask yourself when you use “it’s”—does "it is" make sense in the sentence? You’ll never make that mistake again. It’s really not that hard, but, yes, English grammar sure has its quirks.
Sorry, I usually don’t bother with grammar mistakes, I make them too . . . but this is one of my pet peeves, along with “your" versus “you’re.” And why should you care, developers? Because for those of us who know English grammar, mistakes like this reduce the immersive quality of a game, thus making it less fun to play and us less likely to buy it.
--The word “it’s” is a contraction that means "it is.” It's not correct as it’s used in the game dialogue above.
--“Its” is a possessive pronoun. The line of dialogue is discussing the library that belongs to the temple, so “its,” no apostrophe, should have been used. Example: "Every dog has its fleas.”
A way to test for this mistake: Just ask yourself when you use “it’s”—does "it is" make sense in the sentence? You’ll never make that mistake again. It’s really not that hard, but, yes, English grammar sure has its quirks.
Sorry, I usually don’t bother with grammar mistakes, I make them too . . . but this is one of my pet peeves, along with “your" versus “you’re.” And why should you care, developers? Because for those of us who know English grammar, mistakes like this reduce the immersive quality of a game, thus making it less fun to play and us less likely to buy it.
I recommend this game!
Play the part of Lucky Luke, the best gunslinger in the West. Win hundreds of missions in this challenging game based on physics and chain reactions!
Overall rating
1
/
5
12 of 12 found this review helpful
Prematurely tells you that you lose
PostedAugust 24, 2015
kateblue222
fromSecond star to the right and straight on 'til morning
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Word
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
I got to level five. It told me I lost, but I just sat there looking at the menu/replay screen because I could see, in the background, the boulder, tilting towards the remaining cans. And sure enough, it fell off the stump and rolled that way.
I won level five, but the game told me I lost.
Grr. Do not even bother to try this one.
I recommend this game!
Beyond the sky lies a thrilling adventure... and a deadly threat!
Overall rating
5
/
5
69 of 80 found this review helpful
CE or SE, definitely buy one or the other. It's a great game.
PostedAugust 23, 2015
kateblue222
fromSecond star to the right and straight on 'til morning
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Word
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I love this game. The CE version of this game made me lose track of time and run out the demo, which is the mark of a great game. After I wrote my CE review, it got too talky for a while, but still, I am still loving it.
So which to buy now that the CE and the SE are both out?
The art is great and the music is great. I will want to replay some of the music, so CE.
The game's sole flaw is poor instructions. There are details about poor mini game instructions in my CE review. Since then, I got stuck getting into the hospital and had to refer to the guide over and over. Just know that when you have objects you need to manipulate before you use can them, you are not done manipulating them until they make a sound and float back down into your inventory.
These troubles I had show that you might need the guide that's available with the CE. For getting into the hospital, though, the guide was not very helpful, so SE.
Now that I own the CE, I can report that there IS an ability to play the mini games and the HOS over. I was unable to report that during the CE demo period because of the way the extras menu worked. There are also other extras, like a jigsaw puzzle and a "making of" video.
To me, therefore, the CE is worth it. I'm loving this game and will want to play it as much as possible. But if you don't want to spring for the CE, buy the SE because this is one of the top three or four games I have played this year.
I recommend this game!
A carnival is no laughing matter when a murderer strikes.
Overall rating
4
/
5
25 of 30 found this review helpful
Dead to being played more than once, but still worth it once, I reckon.
PostedAugust 21, 2015
kateblue222
fromSecond star to the right and straight on 'til morning
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Word
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I bought the CE as part of a 2-for-1 sale the end of July at about the same time I wrote a review of it. Today (Aug 21), I decided I had to play at least a little of the SE before I wrote my usual review about whether to buy the SE or the CE.
Why did I decide I had to play the SE? Because I couldn't remember a darn thing about this game. I never went back to it after I bought it. As I said in my CE review, my main reaction was "Eh," even though game play was seamless. And, as I also said in my CE review, I'd rate it 3.5 if I could.
Basically, the forensics and questioning parts of the game are either boring, or confusing as to how to proceed, or both. I thought so the first time through, and I really thought so upon trying out the SE.
The art is ok, mini game instructions need improvement, and the music seems nice until it suddenly degenerates into weird atonality. I had to turn it off. Distracting.
But I do like the HOS (they had mini games inside them). Plus, what I call the procedural puzzles (puzzles you have to play to proceed through the game) are fun.
As to whether you should buy the CE or the SE, well, it has all the bells and whistles. Try it and see.
I recommend this game!
Can you solve the warlock’s puzzles and save the world’s good mages from a tragic fate? Complete 120 new griddlers in Magic Griddlers 2!
Overall rating
1
/
5
6 of 9 found this review helpful
Just like the first gridders game, too unforgiving.
PostedAugust 19, 2015
kateblue222
fromSecond star to the right and straight on 'til morning
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Word
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
As I said when I reviewed the first in this series three weeks ago: This game only allows two errors before you are out. That’s not enough.
I even have trouble with games where it's three strikes and you're out. Sometimes, on really big puzzles, I play in a window and take screenshots as I play because I can’t stand to start the whole thing over.
In fact, why DO these puzzles make you start over at all? They’d be more fun without that. Maybe they could punish you in some other way, like taking away earned hints until you use them all up and THEN make you start over. I always forget to use hints anyway because I wouldn't have clicked on that square if I didn't think it was right! So I lose with available hints all the time.
As with the last time I reviewed one of these games, I now want to play a good one. Big Fish Games has many, of which my favorite is Arizona Rose and the Pirate’s Riddles. Try it, instead.
I don't recommend this game.
A magic bear summons you to help save the neighboring kingdom of Nypha.
Overall rating
4
/
5
10 of 10 found this review helpful
Too many frustrating features for five stars, but still fun! Try it.
PostedAugust 19, 2015
kateblue222
fromSecond star to the right and straight on 'til morning
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Word
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I’m really having a good time playing this, strangely. There are many things that are bugging me, but I still don’t want to quit. I have a couple of minutes left in the demo.
I agree with Jocasta1 that the game is too talky. All the characters talk talk talk at the heroine, and the heroine talks to herself constantly via black bar comments across the top of the screen. Annoying.
Also, some of the puzzles made no sense (for one, the vision interpretation), but were apparently really simple because I solved them by randomly clicking. The last one I had time for in the demo I had to skip, (a sword fighting thing, but I didn’t know she had a sword, only a shield). I couldn’t figure out what I was supposed to do.
I hate the noise it makes when you click on the wrong thing. And what's with the sheet of ice?
But I am sucked in. It is beautiful, some of the music is really nice, although some is just ok, and there is actually NO music sometimes, a nice change.
The CE features look good. Apparently there is a jigsaw puzzle, and you can play HOS and the matching puzzles over (though why you’d want to play the matching puzzles over is beyond me—there’s twenty better match puzzles on my iPad right now). The music might be worth listening to again.
The story cannot be what is sucking me in because I am not really totally sure what is going on. But sucked in I am. I still want to keep playing. So I guess I am buying it ASAP. Maybe I will wait for the SE, but I want the jigsaw puzzle extra feature.
Can’t give it 5 stars because too many things are frustrating. But I want to keep playing. Try it, you’ll like it.
I recommend this game!
Welcome to the ultimate arcade puzzle challenge! Enjoy eye-popping 2D graphics, simple point-and-click gameplay and dozens of exciting levels across seven chapters. Slingshot Puzzle offers hours of satisfying fun!
Overall rating
5
/
5
4 of 5 found this review helpful
Cute game. Try it.
PostedAugust 18, 2015
kateblue222
fromSecond star to the right and straight on 'til morning
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Word
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
The object is get your ball in a hole, but on the way, collect all three gems. There are various obstacles to deal with. It was fun.
I would have bought it immediately, but I can't. It made my elderly elbow hurt after 9 minutes. (10 boards.) The ball's aiming device works like the launching mechanism in video pinball, where you pull back with the mouse and then release. But here, you have to aim while pulling back (i.e., holding down the left mouse key and dragging).
I just can't do it. But if you have young elbows, go for it.
I will try again if it comes out for iPad and I don't have to click and drag.
I recommend this game!
Adventure into the unknown to save a city from evil!
Overall rating
5
/
5
4 of 4 found this review helpful
CE or SE? Good features say CE to me.
PostedAugust 16, 2015
kateblue222
fromSecond star to the right and straight on 'til morning
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Word
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
If I have not bought the CE and the SE has come out, I want to know which to buy. So here's my opinion.
I wrote a CE review and bought the CE. I have not changed my mind from when I said, in that review, "I will get the CE for this game because there is a bonus and also the ability to replay mini games and HOS. There don’t seem to be collectibles or morphing objects or achievements, but that’s OK with me because I don’t care about those things, anyway. The game is entertaining, and there are enough useful features for me to buy the CE."
Briefly, two other things:
1) If an object seems non-responsive and you can't let go of it, right click and it will go back to the inventory.
2) The story seems a bit confused to me, but just go with it. It's a fun game.
1) If an object seems non-responsive and you can't let go of it, right click and it will go back to the inventory.
2) The story seems a bit confused to me, but just go with it. It's a fun game.
I think the puzzles are great and HOS are different, so I really think that paying extra for the ability to play them over is a good value. Play the demo and see if you agree. I suggest that you buy one or the other, whatever you do.
I recommend this game!