lmaddison's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:4.2
- Helpful Votes:16
- Reviews Submitted:6
- First Review:July 15, 2017
- Most Recent Review:May 4, 2019
- Featured reviews0
lmaddison's Review History
An earthquake reveals a hidden palace full of deadly secrets!
Overall rating
5
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
A pleasure from start to finish
PostedMay 4, 2019
lmaddison
fromSouthern California
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I've played and generally enjoyed all the Hidden Expedition games over the years, and this one shows an impressive ongoing evolution of quality and design.
Here is an engaging story line with interesting characters to encounter as you make your globe-trotting and problem solving journey. There was even an unexpected twist to the story I won't reveal. The plot made sense, insofar as game stories are concerned, and made excellent use of ancient history. Why not learn something while we play? The fact cards are among my favorite extra features of HE games.
Some reviewers have said it started off slowly, and perhaps it did, but the story unfolded at a steady pace and with lots of adventures and tasks along the way. Those tasks had a point and contributed to the progress of the story, which took a nice long time to complete. This game felt fully developed, and packed full of content to enjoy. Even the additional Bonus Scene was detailed and long enough to demonstrate that as much thought and care went into it as the rest of the game. So often, these extra chapters seem more like an afterthought without much substance. I definitely did not want this game to be over.
Artwork was beautiful and detailed. HOPs were varied and interesting in design. The puzzles ranged from moderate to high difficulty, though I'm not a fan of puzzles and skip ones that become frustrating. (The instructions-INFO-could definitely use some extra work to make them more clear.) The dialogue was pretty well written and contained very few spelling or grammar errors, which I appreciate. Having characters reveal backstory through the dialogue is always a nice touch.
I would not hesitate to highly recommend this installment of Hidden Expedition.
I recommend this game!
A deadly secret lurks in the woods of Dire Grove!
Overall rating
5
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Best games I've played in a long time
PostedNovember 28, 2017
lmaddison
fromSouthern California
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I really can't say enough positive about this game. I know it's been out for a while, but I just got around to it, and it was well worth the price. The graphics are, of course, beautifully rendered. The animation of characters speaking is also non-jarring as in some games, the movement looks awkward. The characters themselves are realistic and their costumes creative and fitting to their roles.
The plot is well conceived and detailed, particularly in the context of a computer game. The story line takes some twists and turns, with a few false leads thrown in for good measure. I found that I actually wanted to know who was behind the conflict. The dialogue is pretty well written, with very few grammatical or spelling errors which I personally find distracting. The voice overs are very well done with appropriate accents for the characters.
I have sampled some of the company's latest games, e.g., Revenant, but was not engaged by the plot anywhere near as much as in Dire Grove, Sacred Grove. In the collector's edition, there are extras such as finding jigsaw puzzle parts and then assembling each of several puzzles. Of course, the CE also includes a bonus chapter, which adds a whole new dimension to the plot. The various activities make sense in terms of carrying out the Master Detective's goals. I really enjoyed that the game was divided into segments of investigation, and as each was completed, a new question arose based on the previous conclusion.
The game was also lengthy, allowing for a lot of enjoyment. Even the bonus chapter, which from some creators is pretty brief, was a story all in itself. I kept expecting it to conclude, but was pleased to see that I was being led to yet another investigative chapter. The puzzles within the game are intricate and a bit challenging, at least for me, thus I resorted to the strategy guide more than once. But they are very well thought out.
I don't want to give away the plot, but this game (the Collector's Edition specifically) ties into Dire Grove's history in a pleasingly unexpected way.
I recommend this game!
Explore the streets of Paris as you track down the Strangler!
Overall rating
4
/
5
2 of 3 found this review helpful
Loved everything but the voice over talent
PostedSeptember 6, 2017
lmaddison
fromSouthern California
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Time Management
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Fascinating storyline and beautifully rendered scenes. Challenging without being frustrating. So what's not to like?
Well... surely when creating a game that takes place in Paris, one would use people who could at least mimic a French accent to speak the dialogue. It isn't all that hard to accomplish since players don't expect the characters to SPEAK French (though that would be kind of fun, too, in a couple of situations). But very few voices managed to sound French. Some sounded German, others hard to categorize, and the cabdriver -- A FRENCH cabdriver, sounded like he was straight out of New York City--maybe Brooklyn.
So even though I was very pleased with most aspects of the game, I was constantly distracted by spoken dialogue that tended to destroy any sense of ambiance. I mean, throw in a mademoiselle or madame or monsieur every now then, or a French exclamation. That would tie it all together neatly.
I recommend this game!
This may be the Amazing Garibaldi Brothers’ final performance!
Overall rating
3
/
5
3 of 3 found this review helpful
Not quite up to the Dead Reckoning standard
PostedAugust 15, 2017
lmaddison
fromSouthern California
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Once again we find the fabulous graphics and attention to detail for which Eipix is so well known. However, I regret that I decided to spring for the CE of Sleight of Murder.
I so enjoyed Brassfield Manor and Between the Lines. But this story, though it had great potential, just didn't live up to its promise. There was too little interaction with the few characters and none of the characters was particularly likable or sympathetic. The plot was disjointed and the actual number of scenes (locations) was notably fewer than in other Eipix games.
Somehow the story felt more dead than alive (no pun intended). The detailed fictional elements, well developed storylines and plot-driven dialogue present in other games like Between the Lines and Brassfield Manor were absent. The central theme of magic tricks was intriguing, but there were actually very few of them and they didn't relate closely to the experience of playing the game.
No morphing items in HO scenes; the only special items to find were rather silly looking rabbits--not hard to locate. The find-an-object-to-open-an-object process just got tedious, with many of them unrelated to the story or just having no particular logic to them.
All in all, this particular Dead Reckoning felt half-hearted, as if it was thrown together too quickly and without the amount of work and creative thought that has gone into others. As a matter of fact, I didn't even care to continue on to the bonus chapter, because it held no appeal.
I don't recommend this game.
A sudden murder overshadows the writing opportunity of a lifetime.
Overall rating
4
/
5
2 of 3 found this review helpful
A very clever and creative episode of Dead Reckoning
PostedAugust 4, 2017
lmaddison
fromSouthern California
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Thanks to all the game creators for a highly enjoyable few hours. Being an author, I was delighted by the storyline of this installment of the Dead Reckoning series. As usual, the graphics and ambient sound effects were of high quality. The dialogue could perhaps have been a little better, but it effectively supported the plot. Using other game series as elements in this story was an exceedingly clever concept, and the guest rooms assigned to each author furnished with props appropriate to their respective series storylines were beautifully executed.
The story started briskly and the backstory filled in as the plot unfolded. I was a bit disappointed that the interaction with characters was very sparse after the initial meeting of all the authors in the main hall. I would have preferred more encounters and interactions sprinkled throughout the progression of the story rather than long intervals of just finding needed items and going back and forth from room to room, plugging in this key here, and that piece there.That can get tedious. But overall, I loved the concept of this game and look forward to even more intricate plotting, dialogue and perhaps even something along the lines of Agatha Christie style stories where there are several good suspects from whom to choose.
There were a couple of twists to the story that I enjoyed from a mystery plot perspective, but I don't want to include any "spoilers" for those who haven't played the game yet..
Lastly, as someone who isn't terribly good at difficult puzzles, I really appreciate having the option to customize the settings for recharging and skipping before beginning the game.
Lastly, as someone who isn't terribly good at difficult puzzles, I really appreciate having the option to customize the settings for recharging and skipping before beginning the game.
I recommend this game!
The flutist returns to Hamelin, but he’s back for revenge!
Overall rating
4
/
5
7 of 7 found this review helpful
Many positive features, and yet...
PostedJuly 15, 2017
lmaddison
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This is my first League of Light game and I probably will sample some others. Although the quality of graphics is outstanding, and the puzzles challenging, the "find something to unlock something" got extremely tedious after a while. I would have preferred several more hidden object scenes as the ones in the game were generally creatively designed and challenging. They required some deduction and knowledge. Lastly, I enjoy games that include a "helper" of some sort, but the little scarecrow person, instead of being cute, is quite creepy, mostly due to the glowing eyes--like something out of a horror movie starring an evil doll. But again, high quality graphics and an intriguing story line.
I recommend this game!