playinthewaves's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:4
- Helpful Votes:702
- Reviews Submitted:35
- First Review:November 19, 2011
- Most Recent Review:November 8, 2017
- Featured reviews1
Status:
An arsonist is burning down the Mountain Kingdom's forests!
Overall rating
3
/
5
4 of 4 found this review helpful
3.5 stars for me...it was an OK game, but not up to Dark Parables of old
PostedNovember 8, 2017
playinthewaves
fromDid your horse get out of the fire OK? Asking for a friend.
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Dark Parables used to be my favorite game series - it probably still is, but since Blue Tea got swallowed up by Eipix, the quality has slowly gone downhill. This is by far the bottom of the DP pack, beating out the Sand misadventure for my least favorite/least memorable of the series.
For starters, this is the worst-looking game in the series, without comparison. For those of you who think I'm just another whining game-player, go play the Frog Prince or Rise of the Snow Kingdom. You will see the obvious downgrade in quality as game designers are forced to work under tighter deadlines. In the past, several months might go by between DP games - now, it feels like it's four weeks and another mediocre sequel. This game, in particular, was riddled with glitchy or grainy graphics (used to be a morphing object in a CE, "flashes" across for brief start while the scene loads).
Nothing in this game felt super-compelling - the discovery of the villain arc was comically short. No one has a backstory besides "being a whiny, sadistic baby". The FROGs, normally my favorite segment of HO gaming, felt tedious because the graphics were SO low-quality that items normally beautiful looked gaudy and taudry while putting them together. The whole thing looked and felt a bit of a rushed mess - while this wasn't what I USED to expect from a Parables game, under stricter deadlines apparently this is the quality they expect gamers to be happy with. Don't get me wrong, it was OK - I'm not storming the Big Fish castle asking for refunds or anything - but when considering if I will renew my BFG membership or cancel it, the death of my favorite series is not a happy factor.
Please let these designers take a little more time and care with their games - I think the "new release every day!" business model is hurting the quality of our beloved HO/adventure franchises..
I don't recommend this game.
Can you save your young nephew from an unimaginable fate?
Overall rating
4
/
5
72 of 77 found this review helpful
Didn't feel very "Grim Tales" but was a decent stand-alone
PostedSeptember 1, 2017
playinthewaves
fromJust send your kids to public school...private education is not worth this ghost level
Skill Level:Beginner
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Other reviewers had really jumped all over this game when it came out as a Collector's Edition...I was hesitant to buy it with all of the mixed messages and waited until I had a coupon code to try it.
I was both glad I bought the SE, and glad I ONLY bought the SE. Let me share some specific thoughts:
The good:
+Felt like a decent length game. This game kept me entertained through about 3.5 hours of gameplay with minimal interruptions throughout. There have been longer and better (oh, how I miss the old Blue Tea-run Dark Parables!), but it was an OK length for an SE game, especially one I got from a bonus punch
+Good cinematics, special effects, and voice acting.
The bad:
-Brutal change to "flat" art style. Grim Tales has previously had some of the most technically beautiful art I've ever seen. Has anyone on this (assuming mostly new?) dev team ever interacted with a child before? Not to mention seen one up close to draw. If their eyes were any wider I'd be calling ET and asking him to phone home and pick his wayward relatives up. Just felt like this artist needed more practice with figure drawing, to be honest.
-Bleh storyline. The "twist" was cringe-worthy levels of obvious and slowly unlocking and exploring different rooms in this mansion-turned-boarding-school.
-Meh characters, minus one. The characters had very little screentime and what was there was not enough to endear you to them (or have the opposite effect). Only cool character was your ghostly helper - possibly he's a kleptomaniac with how often he keeps appearing to give you inventory items, but he felt like the only cast member with any brain cells to rub together. His VA also did a great job acting him - he hits just the right "creep vs friendly" factor for "weird dead relative whose skull you carry around and talk to".
Let's cap things off by saying this...I did enjoy the gameplay for the most part. Here's why I think people are upset, and maybe rightly so - this felt like a sudden scramble with a development team turnover, except it's a "trusted" series that people enjoy and anticipate. If this were a first game in a series of some brand-new indie developer we'd never heard of, I'd be pumped - there are things to improve upon but the gameplay is mostly solid. It's the fact that it is being marketed and sold with regurgitated characters who barely match their original counterparts that I think is upsetting people, and for all I try not to be negative and play each game as a stand-alone, I agree with other reviewers that it just doesn't hold up as strongly as other games in the series - something I think people have become sensitive to this year with some very lackluster deliveries in previously great series.
Anyway, play the demo and make your own decision! I ultimately thought it was a decent game and worth the buy, but die-hard series fans will probably feel a little bit disappointed.
I recommend this game!
Become the hero of your own chapter in Tiny Tales: Heart of the Forest.
Overall rating
4
/
5
7 of 7 found this review helpful
Cute game, good for an afternoon. OK for a younger audience
PostedSeptember 1, 2017
playinthewaves
fromBaltimore, MD
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
A cute and serviceable little game. I have some additional things to say but I definitely recommend this game if you are looking for a light-hearted fantasy adventure that might be suitable to play with young'uns. I do not recommend it to reviewers looking for brain-cramping levels of challenge - I'm a casual player by choice and even for me it was maybe a little bit too easy.
+/- Cartoon violence only! I think I'm not the first reviewer to say that, as much as the blood and gore is occasionally exciting, the HO genre tends to be saturated with fairly grisly murder cases. I'm a big fan of grisly murder cases, but I'm also a big fan of the softer games and I like playing my way through something friendly. (No murder cases for me after 9PM. I like sleeping through the night!) I think this isn't very scary and would be good if you have a small friend (child, babysittee, grandchild, niece/nephew, whomever) to play with.
+/- Black and white storyline. The good characters are good, and the evil characters are evil. No tawdry business or "cool motive, still murder" here - the baddies are bad and the good guys are good. Only one character breaks this mold a tiny bit - I won't tell you who, because spoilers - but it felt a little bit clumsy to me while the rest of the story was so...simple. I personally felt this was a minus, but to those reviewers playing with little ones, I think it's probably a plus.
- Here is my only real, solid complaint - the graphics and sound are 99% awesome. The HO scenes are actually fun (I like Match 3 options and adventure-style mini-games better, sue me). My singular problem with them is that, when you were in a scene that asked you to find multiples of an item (eg 11/11 bottlecaps to find), the game was a little bit slow to respond in crossing items off of your "found" list. I have two laptops, including a souped-up gaming laptop with a very high processing speed, so I think this is just a mechanics thing. I found it to be minorly annoying but it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the game much; just gave me a little moment of pause occasionally when I was looking around for an item I'd actually already gotten.
-Tiny bit short. Again, because of the challenge level, this was not a crazy-long game. I think it took me about three and a half hours to finish, but only because I was multi-tasking - I think if I'd sat down and played it in one go I could've finished it in two.
I recommend this game!
A dark fog is taking over Bremen!
Overall rating
5
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Liked it a LOT, but the CE bonus game was AWFUL. Do SE!
PostedAugust 9, 2017
playinthewaves
fromBaltimore, MD
Skill Level:Beginner
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Others have noted their opinions about the game, most of which I agreed with wholeheartedly. Generally, I liked it very much. The story was great, there were a few little twists and turns, and - interestingly for this series - it wasn't super romance-y. I am actually a sucker for the romantic nonsense, but they focused on familial relationships instead - and they did a good job with it.
AND THEN WE GET TO THE BONUS GAME. Ohhhhh, the bonus game. I'm not much of a puzzler or a musician and I don't really go for the artwork, so the bonus game content is pretty much the only reason I would ever buy an "extension" of my gameplay. For double the price, it has to be a pretty great story to hook me in, but I loved the Beasts and was curious about what they could do with more Bremen!
UUUUUUUUUUGH. I have regrets. I have so many regrets. What a trite piece of trash the bonus was compared to the main game. Didn't feel like half a hoot was given at all. (Maybe that's because they didn't have any beastly owls involved.) A half-baked and sorry """romance""" plot they try to get you to buy for all of 0.01 seconds (and then gets weird and creepy), with an atmosphere that doesn't match the main game and makes no sense. Just felt like recycled content. YUCK! I would be disappointed no matter what series this was produced from, but I'm extra-disappointed because normally the LL team is great.
Do not go in for the CE if you love yourself. Standard will suit you just fine and you will have a better time!
I don't recommend this game.
Warriors of darkness have just attacked your people. Now you alone can defeat them and save your fellow Healers!
Overall rating
3
/
5
3 of 3 found this review helpful
Catch of the Week this week - dated but ok for 3 bucks
PostedAugust 9, 2017
playinthewaves
fromBaltimore, MD
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Bought this while it was on sale and it was a decent game. I think the positive reviews are closer to its original release date since everything about the game is dated at this point - graphics are slow and clunky and come with horrible lag, and while there is OK voice acting the characters don't actually have enough animation to, y'know, move their mouths. Telepathy is cool, I guess.
Storyline also was predictable and boring - the only cool gimmick was having the character(s) be shapeshifting healer-wolves - but even that wasn't explained well...they have magical bracelets but rely on medieval chemistry to work their healing anyway??? Hmmm.
I don't know if we're there in the game cycle yet, but this might be a game that could do with a bit of a reboot graphically and story-wise and could still shine if it were remade into something a little fresher.
Still, for $3 I couldn't pass the franchise tag up, and it WAS a decent HO/puzzle game (though, as prior reviewers have mentioned, not connected to the original EoTP characters to speak of). I think fans of classic HO games with lots of HO scenes (with riddles! yay riddles!) and few, more or less easy puzzles would like it. My only complaint with some of the puzzles is that, again, any time you have a dated interface some elements of the puzzles were a little difficult to interact with - I skipped two puzzles purely on that basis.
I would suggest HO veterans to pass this one up, but it might be good on sale as it is or for a first-time gamer. There are simply better games out there at this point, though.
I don't recommend this game.
Overall rating
5
/
5
6 of 6 found this review helpful
Loved it across the board! Lots of twists, innovative story.
PostedAugust 8, 2017
playinthewaves
fromBaltimore, MD
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 really enjoyed this game! The only thing I found a little odd - that it was filed under the Rite of Passage series...which normally is children dealing with strange rites of passage in their hometown. I prefer that over the traditional "desperately looking for lost love" storyline, but I still found this game to be a ton of fun. Proves that you don't need a fresh tale to have a great game - only a fresh and well-executed new take on the same. Read Tikatoy's excellent review if you'd like a hint about what to expect - otherwise I think the demo will induct you and give you everything you need to know.
I recommend this game!
Can you uncover who’s after your dance troupe?
Overall rating
1
/
5
10 of 12 found this review helpful
Maybe I'm the Banshee, because this game made me want to wail and scream
PostedAugust 8, 2017
playinthewaves
fromBaltimore, MD
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
I am a fan of the Danse Macabre series. I am not a fan of this game and I deeply regret this purchase.
The very depressive and melodramatic storyline (even for Danse Macabre) was BUTCHERED by the female voice actor for our main character. Her bubbly and cheerful narration did not at all fit the tone of the story - not that there was much of a strong plot to begin with. Deep villain had no motivation aside from "heartless waste product", and the sub-villain gets a redemption arc that falls TOTALLY flat. Every character is a jerk and made me regret slogging to the finish line. From the voice acting to the story, everything but the art felt sloppy and rushed - and even the art wasn't anything special, it was about average for a 2017-released game.
I'm pretty angry that this game was released under this series name and someone thought it was OK to waste our time with this. This has been happening to tons of my favorite game series lately and it seems like Danse Macabre is no exception.
If Big Fish is OK with games that are continuing to be produced in this fashion ("make a successful franchise with 2-3 games and run the rest into the ground with less experienced staff") I don't see any point in extending my membership. Please take action and let the devs know that your customers are unhappy.
I don't recommend this game.
Uncover a secret from the past to save your dying father!
Overall rating
5
/
5
9 of 10 found this review helpful
Been a while since I played a five-star game...this was fun! SEQUEL PLEASE?
PostedAugust 8, 2017
playinthewaves
fromBaltimore, MD
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Finally a game that doesn't cut corners or pull its punches! This was a terrific little game and, based on how quality the game was, I wish now that I'd bought the CE instead of the SE.
Here are some things other reviewers mentioned that I'll comment on as well:
*Level of challenge: I feel like it really suited me, but I'm a casual player - I think more hardcore players would've wanted tougher mini-games. That said, there are a billion games out there with tough mini-games even on casual levels of play, so I was happy to have one where I didn't feel like I was bored and reaching for the skip button.
*One reviewer complained about Match-3 being involved in the games. I actually like when it's mixed in as a puzzle or as an option to skip some laborious HO scenes, so this didn't keep me from purchasing the game. That said, I think they didn't clarify very well - the "Match-3" is a gameplay aspect more like a traditional mini-game puzzle and not the Eipix-style Match-3 that is found in some HO games these days. You MUST clear the screen with no stones left over, and it's not the kind where you match over and over again.
(NOTE: If that is a turn-off to you, it does come up several times during gameplay - any time you upgrade your grappling hook, which I felt added an element of world-building to the story and was a useful tool. Some people felt like it was too repetitive - I thought it was refreshing to have something you use to make progress on the map, but also occasionally use more like a standard inventory item, so YMMV.)
With that out of the way, let me talk about the game a little bit, which I am thrilled to do because it's very clever. The story crew they assigned to this one had their coffee first - mixing traditional fantasy elements (elves and dwarf, singular) with post-apocalyptica. I don't know that it's a blend I've seen before, and it allowed them to do some great things with the HO scenes without feeling like they were super-far out of place.
MY sole turn-off was that the story felt a little preach-y, especially towards the climax. I'm here to play a short game with a cute little romance (I won't spoil it for you, but there's one little flirty bit that happens that is accompanied by adorable voice acting......SUPERB!!! Where is the subtle bloom of interest in my other games?!) and beautifully illustrated scenery, not get a lecture on the merits and drawbacks of nature vs civilization. I think they were trying to induce the audience to understand, if not empathize with the villain's motives, and I don't know that it worked very well.
Overall I am really happy with the experience and would definitely recommend this game very highly. And here's the final reason I'm so complimentary - this game has come out as a fresh face in what feels like a brutal slog of my favorite game universes being driven into the ground by large(r) gaming companies with tight deadlines. The devs assigned to this game were excited to tell their story, and any time that happens I think it's contagious - your players can really feel it.
There seemed to be a couple questions left unanswered (for sequel potential, I hope?) so I am really crossing my fingers that the same team will give us another excellent game in this line.
I recommend this game!
Act as Adam Wolfe, an investigator of the paranormal. Discover an occult world hidden in modern San Francisco!
Overall rating
3
/
5
6 of 6 found this review helpful
Misleading reviews on first page...this is only 2 of 4
PostedJuly 23, 2017
playinthewaves
fromBaltimore, MD
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
It seems like, based on the game's popularity, since the earlier reviewers got to play the game, Adam Wolfe was split up into two different games, Flames of Time and Blood of Eternity. I thought two case files felt really short, and because it seems like it was supposed to have been all four cases together originally, the story was disjointed unless you got both games and played each case file in order. That was what I did, and I did enjoy them - the voice acting was really pretty good for HO games, and the poses in some of the cutscenes left something to be desired, but for the most part the art was good.
I think this would at least have been a four-star game for me if they hadn't been split up. I felt a little mislead by the original reviews noting that there were four cases to solve.
Maybe not worth full price, but good games worth spending a coupon on.
I recommend this game!
The head of the Maybard family has been murdered!
Overall rating
4
/
5
30 of 32 found this review helpful
Nice little game. SE was a good purchase
PostedAugust 10, 2016
playinthewaves
fromBaltimore, MD
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
After reading some negative reviews of the CE, I decided to wait for a credit and then try out the SE. I think that was a good call. I liked the game, the story was pretty solid, but there were a couple small gameplay issues from time to time.
The pros:
-Game plays like a Nancy Drew, which I like--struck a good balance of questioning suspects (of which there are many), presenting evidence, and proceeding.
-Game plays like a Nancy Drew, which I like--struck a good balance of questioning suspects (of which there are many), presenting evidence, and proceeding.
-Wasn't a hideous amount of backtracking, which I appreciated--but that was good as I didn't find the map to be particularly useful.
-I got stuck once or twice and the hint system was helpful, but wasn't getting stuck so often that I was relying on it. Game had a logical 'flow'.
-Voice-overs were really good. I would've liked to have the male and female detective get voices too, but the ones for the suspects were well done.
-Art was pretty. Objects were easy to find in the HO scenes.
-Good length. I felt like I was getting my money's worth without the story dragging too much.
The cons:
-There were a lot of 'click and drag' puzzles where you had to move elements within a mini-game that did NOT play well with my laptop trackpad.
-There were a few mistakes right towards the end of the game that made it seem rushed. The last puzzle before you catch your person is a 'find the pairs' puzzle..........which....didn't...have a pair to find? All four matching objects were different. RIP. Thankfully the skip button got me through.
Anyway, decide for yourself, but I definitely enjoyed it and was perfectly happy to have spent a credit on it. Not the kind of thing that makes me disappointed I went for the SE, though. I've seen some increasingly impressive games from the folks at Daily Magic, so I hope they're listening to feedback and using it to improve further!
I recommend this game!