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:
Stop the evil Princess of Hearts and discover your true destiny!
Overall rating
4
/
5
17 of 18 found this review helpful
COULD have been GOTY...but story left me cold at finish line
PostedAugust 6, 2016
playinthewaves
fromBaltimore, MD
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
It seems like the big gaming companies go through trends, and this year's 'focus fairytale' was Alice in Wonderland. This was the first one where I felt like the story was really 'its own', and not a weak derivation of the wacky original.
Unfortunately, for me it was one of those cases where the story was INCREDIBLE through the demo...and then left me very, very cold at the finish line. It's difficult to say what went wrong without spoiling too much, so I will simply say this--do NOT expect to understand the characters' motivations--or, frankly, like any of them--by the end of the story. There's a betrayal that makes zero sense, a heavy dose of 'Stockholm Syndrome gone wrong', and one hideous job of adoptive parenting that spills over into the bonus chapter as well.
And while the gameplay was stunning, music/voices/art phenomenal, some of the best I've ever seen...the climax, resolution, and prequel bonus game's tie-ups left me so abruptly cold that it completely ruined my warm 'end of game' fuzzies.
Minus the weird story 'twists,' the game was enjoyable enough, I think. But by the end of the game I definitely felt like our main character Alice. Get me out of this story!!
I recommend this game!
It’s up to you to save the Swan Princess’s kingdom!
Overall rating
4
/
5
6 of 6 found this review helpful
Four stars across the board. I miss Blue Tea...
PostedJuly 18, 2016
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I love the Dark Parables series so much that I usually immediately spring for the CE as soon as they become available. Thought, so far so good, a new DP and I have the weekend off to enjoy it!
While it wasn't my favorite game of the series (Rise of the Snow Queen still holds my heart for that), it wasn't my least favorite either (looking at you, Queen of Sands). Definitely listen to reviewers before you decide if it's the right buy for you.
Most of my problem was the ability to find the Parables hidden-in-scene objects. Other people have complained about the tiny little acorn in-scene collectables, and I agree, but at least you have a chance to go back and find those in the Extras section after you finish the game.
Here is why my bigger problem is with the Parables:
-It's floral imagery--and when I say 'floral', a freaking FERN (identical to the twenty million other ferns in the scene) was hiding one of the Parables tidbits. Nothing says 'swans' like 'flowers', am I right? -_-
-Normally when DP does the parables, they're a little summary of what you already know playing the game. In this one it seemed like they were either critical to the story, or they were the same as before but the premise of the game just stank. ***SPOILER*** Why in the heck would the Swan Princess betray her patron goddess?? She's the most powerful in the land already?! I sure hope that was explained in the extra content because I felt no love from the main OR bonus game there.
I also felt similarly to other reviewers as well that some of the puzzles were WAY too difficult--not intriguing difficulty, but multi-step difficulty. (The strategy guide had a full paragraph dedicated to the solution of a single puzzle.) Lots of other games have step-ups and step-downs in terms of puzzle difficulty--DP should take a hint from them.
Cosmetically, this was a very pretty game, minus the few flaws. The voice acting was good and the return of two old friends (one in the main game and one in the bonus) was great. I just wasn't AS impressed as I've been in the past with the series.
A young woman joins the Order of monster hunters and discovers its dark secrets.
Overall rating
5
/
5
17 of 23 found this review helpful
WOW. Never given a game a perfect score before. This is a first for me!!!
PostedJuly 17, 2016
playinthewaves
fromBaltimore, MD
Skill Level:Intermediate
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Game of the year for sure. AM has made some amazing games--they take their time and make sure they get some amazing quality. Felt like playing a $40 video game.
My singular knock is that there were a few typos in the written dialogue...but the voiceovers were so good that it really didn't matter.
The CE was worth every penny too. WOW!!!!
I recommend this game!
Dreampath: Curse of the Swamps Collector's Edition
A mystical rain is turning everyone into frogs! It's up to you to find the cause of this wicked weather and save your loved ones.
Overall rating
4
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
We really need half stars...Would buy again, but I'd go for the SE instead!
PostedJuly 15, 2016
playinthewaves
fromBaltimore, MD
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I love princess-themed games--my absolute favorite to play--so I was delighted when I discovered the Dreampath series. The Two Kingdoms is the first in the series and still holds up with more 'modern' games, and Curse of the Swamps is a good cousin!
The cutscene drawings were a little simplistic--though that may just be because they aren't my preferred style, I prefer more realism and I think Mystery Trackers has the world beat there.
What really knocked this game down to 4 stars (still a great game!) for me was that the plot was kind of lame--I thought it was well-executed in terms of gameplay, but Mary Su--er, Daniela, the princess du jour--left me a little cold. (If I'd been the antagonist, I would've scoffed at the shrill, bossy 'friendship speech'!) The resolution was a little too clean, and the bonus game (which, by the by, was weird, and had no real tie into the story of the main game, aside from some repeat characters) just made it worse. Felt like someone trying to force a CE on a game that could have been a standalone, great-quality SE.
I would absolutely recommend it as a way to spend the afternoon--I would just wait for the regular edition.
I recommend this game!
A magical egg is about to turn one girl's world upside-down.
Overall rating
5
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
This girl is on fire!
PostedJuly 3, 2016
playinthewaves
fromBaltimore, MD
Skill Level:Beginner
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Most of the top reviewers have already covered the nooks and crannies of this game. My two comments:
1) The storyline was very, very different, with a surprising twist at the end. I can't wait for the sequel!!
2) The graphics were good but the voice actor of the main girl had an incredibly grating voice. She was trying to sound childlike and I think she missed the mark there. Other than that everything was fabulous!!
I recommend this game!
Take a journey through an isolated research facility in the Antarctic and discover the secrets of its past.
Overall rating
5
/
5
15 of 18 found this review helpful
WOW. Don't let fear keep you from getting this game
PostedMay 19, 2016
playinthewaves
fromBaltimore, MD
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Adventure
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
AHHHHH. This game was so, so, so good. The artwork is beautiful, the music is sad and (if you'll pardon the pun) chilling, and the story kept me guessing what was going to happen next right up until the literal last moment.
As I think other reviewers have echoed, I have been craving some more true 'adventure' style games WITHOUT them being blended with Hidden Object style games--this was exclusively "use inventory items to proceed" (for this game, all sensible stuff and located in logical places) and then a feeeeew minigames just to break up the action. (Which, by the way, was tremendously well-paced).
I almost didn't get this game because 1) I don't like asylum type games, generally and it seemed from the title that this was what that might be and 2) other reviewers said that there was very little hand-holding from the hint button system. I am a casual gamer by choice; I play to unwind so I don't like anything too intense, I just like to walk through a new story every once in a while.
Thankfully I downloaded the free trial, just to get a taste of it--the reviews were so shockingly good (and from dedicated reviewers, no less) that I felt like I couldn't pass it up.
So 1), it's a research facility, not an asylum facility (those might've been facilities 1-46, haha)--it is a little creepy in places, but it's more lonely and sad than truly scary, and has none of the sort of 'gimmicks' I can't stand of super-gory bodies or jump scares.
2) The hint button was titrated JUST right. (Phew!) You didn't NEED a lot of hand-holding because there were very few things that weren't obviously task-oriented (and, at least for me, once I READ the hints I was like.......ohhhhhhh, yeah, I forgot about that room), and then they provided step-by-step pictoral solutions to the puzzles, so you still had to finish each puzzle technically but it was very easy to do the bare minimum if you didn't feel like digging into that particular one.
I bought it before my 60 minutes was up, and didn't regret a second. Every bit was phenomenal. DON'T MISS OUT ON THIS GAME! (And oh, hey, Big Fish and game devs.....can we have more like this, please? Just like this. :) )
I recommend this game!
Who is the Crimson Thief? Can Mortimer piece together the clues to finding all the stolen items? There is much more to this new mystery than meets the eye.
Overall rating
4
/
5
7 of 9 found this review helpful
Could do with some dusting-off, but hey, it was made in 2011 and still manages relevance.
PostedMay 13, 2016
playinthewaves
fromWait, you have to--OHHHHHH.
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
The simultaneous best and worst thing about this game is its unique interface. I liked it once I gave it a chance because it was just so nice to have something fresh, but at the start of the game it was very frustrating.
Rather than having a blank inventory which you fill items into, Mortimer Beckett is apparently psychic and knows exactly which items he'll need at every new destination. And, rather than having "pockets" of hidden-object locations that take you out of the main scenery of the adventure, as most games today do, Beckett's inventory items are hidden /within the main scenes themselves/.
The great thing about this is that you are never wasting time finding objects that you won't end up using, unlike games that give me a whole laundry list of random items when it takes me two seconds to find the one item I'll leave the HOG pocket with and eight years to scratch off every other item in the randomized list. All of the items are also used in fairly sensible ways, as well--there were only a few instances of 'oh, you have to use the SCISSORS to cut that square, you can't just use the knife you already have in your pocket.' So the build of the game was thoughtfully conceptualized.
The other tiny item I love that they included is the ability to get a hint about what an item in your inventory is supposed to actually DO. In a lot of other games I'm like, okay, I know you are trying to subtly guide me to this location in this scene, so I guess I'm gonna try random inventory items until I find one that works. Instead, they've built both item-hints AND location-hints in--you can use the small red '?' in the corner of your inventory items to get a clue about what you're supposed to do with them, whereas your magnifying glass large hint button will guide you to a particular location. TAKE NOTE, CASUAL GAME-DESIGNERS! This is something I wish had been more thoroughly executed in modern games.
My problem comes in with the execution of said style--if the art were clearer or the game came with more 'modern' options like active-item sparkles, I feel like the items and action places would've been easier to find. That said, if you come in knowing that this is from 2011, you can lower your expectation re: the other game's minor flaws. There are no fancy voice-overs, the art is pretty hokey (maybe stylistic, but sometimes makes it tough to find items in-scene), and as some other reviewers have mentioned, occasionally Mortimer breaks a few laws to make an omelet, and ****very minor spoiler**** at the end of the game we STILL don't know who in the world Carmen Sandiego is.
My last reason for leaving a high recommendation is that--this game is so /clean/. It's not at all scary and I could absolutely see playing it with a younger relatives. A lot of games have gotten 'gritty' and have lost their humor and charm--Beckett is charming and self-deprecating, and when all else fails, there's a hint button which is very, very useful.
I had a good time and was happy I spent a credit on it. It was a lengthy game that got better as it went along--something that's rare with non-CEs these days.
I recommend this game!
Two serial killers are back from the dead. What is their connection to an infamous vampire, and how can you stop them?
Overall rating
2
/
5
17 of 19 found this review helpful
Want a ticket to the hot-mess express? Try this game. (By which I mean, save your money and don't get it.)
PostedMay 10, 2016
playinthewaves
fromThanks for leaving me my hand-cart while I was kidnapped.
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Adventure
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
This is a weird game to try to leave a sensible review for. The things that are wrong with it are serious quality issues, but not (as with other games) in art or gameplay.
It is hard for me to dislike a game with decent art, cutscenes and voice acting. I am very disappointed and frustrated to leave this review, and it's very rare that I don't actually recommend a game from BFG, but I'm stunned and disappointed that this game somehow made it through.
The art is fine--a mix of hand-drawn art and photomanips, which I'm totally okay with. The game is set in New Orleans, and this is where it starts to go downhill....
There are a couple little anachronisms in the game that make you shrug when you notice them. Could've been better but not terrible.
Unfortunately, this is only the real icing on the cake. Here is my real issue: the game doesn't flow in a sensible way. And I'm not talking about the "wow, good thing you had your camera on you at exactly the right time" kind of sense; I don't really mind that from a game with an otherwise good story.
1) The 'darkness' of the storyline varies wildly and is not consistent.
The storyline revolves around a series of fairly grisly murders and following supernatural phenomena after the killers were caught, at times treated with shock and horror and at times treated like a big fancy party. The disconnect was jarring. I love scary vampire stories but this one didn't hit the right notes.
2) Care was not taken.
You think I'm kidding about the hand-cart. No, don't pick that thing up; it will stay in your blasted inventory while you scratch your head about what you need it for. SURPRISE! YOU CAN FINISH THE GAME WITHOUT IT. Arrrrrrrrrrgh!!
3) Camera? Good concept, terrible execution.
I actually may be in the minority as someone who kind of liked the concept of taking pictures then developing and using your photos to further the story along. Here are my problems with it here:
1- If you do what the game appears to have intended you do, you can quickly teleport back and forth from your current location to the darkroom. (You do this by clicking the little red lightbulb in the lower right corner of the screen, and then after you are done and have your photo, backing out using the movement arrow.) I've got nooooo problem with this method--my problem is that it is NOT MADE OBVIOUS that that is what you need to do and how you need to do it. The darkroom is also marked as a discovered location on your map, but if you click on it through the map, backing out doesn't let you teleport to your previous destination--backing out takes you back to the hotel room physically adjacent to the bathroom darkroom, in which you begin your journey. So it's an extra and unnecessary step.
2- It is not made immediately obvious how you are intended to USE the photos.
Your first two photos you receive need to be fully explored and then combined in your inventory before you can use them further. I didn't figure out what the purpose of the first photo was until I got the second, and even then I was totally scratching my head as to how it would 'reveal something new' like the second one did. (SPOILER: It didn't, by the way, it was a convenient vehicle for a secret message and nothing more. U G H.)
I absolutely get why the beta tester who reviewed was upset. This is a game where, if they had taken some suggestions into account earlier, it feels like it could have been a real knockout. However, they did not and my disappointment is huge--it's not the worst game I've ever played, but it's definitely the worst I've seen slip through BFG's cracks in a while.
I don't recommend this game.
Help Meredith retrieve the ancient tomes and stop the Wizard’s wrath in this hidden object adventure!
Overall rating
2
/
5
2 of 3 found this review helpful
Not bad, but definitely some room for improvement
PostedJanuary 14, 2016
playinthewaves
fromBaltimore, MD
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
From the stellar reviews, I had hoped this game would really wow me, but I just wasn't feeling it. However, I still thought it was worth picking up on a sale, and I think they're a new developer (with the game hinting at a potential sequel?)--so I would be interested to see what they do in future.
The good stuff:
-Collectables
I think it's interesting that they chose to include a feature that's normally CE content into an SE game, and I do think it added a bit of depth--made up for some lacking areas.
-Music/cutscenes
The soundtrack was pretty good and not horrifically repetitive, and the cutscenes were quite well-done. The art of their characters was cute, too.
-Minigames
I thought the mini-games were superb--not too difficult or out of the ordinary, but nothing crazy-easy either.
The 'eh':
-The storyline
The plot was pretty thin and boring--not terrible, and I can see where it could be a good set-up for future games in a series, but I started out hooked and ended up 'bleh'. I finished the game but it felt anti-climactic and stale by the end (probably due to the massive amounts of repetition).
The 'downright horrible please save me':
-The HO scenes
Many of the HO scenes were canned and repeated, with art that wasn't nearly as pretty or well-cared-for as the character art or scenery. Now, sometimes a bit of repetition can be done gracefully, but after going back to the SAME EXACT toolshed with the same ugly, awkward-looking items no fewer than four times in a row, you could definitely say I'm bored of that area. SNORE.
While this is bad enough, I was left seriously scratching my head (and not in a good way) over many of the "find the item matching a specific silhouette." I actually usually really like those, but they were done really poorly here. Most of the items in those scenes had near-identical silhouettes (yes, I'd like to see you pick out a stack of coins versus an orange versus a ball versus a round gem versus the cap of a rather round mushroom...)
In the end, I think the repetition and the ambiguity was what killed an otherwise decent game for me. Definitely not a game I'll come back to and play again.
I don't recommend this game.
You’re the only one who can save Taleworld from an evil queen.
Overall rating
5
/
5
7 of 8 found this review helpful
So...I might have a new favorite game. LOVED IT!!
PostedJanuary 13, 2016
playinthewaves
fromBaltimore, MD
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
What an AMAZING conclusion to the Nevertales series!! Now I wish I'd gotten the CE; I would've loved to see the extra content.
I've followed the Nevertales series since the beginning, and I think this is a perfect way to wrap up (? I assume) the series, with little Alice all grown up and ready to kick some butt in her very own story. I had a BLAST all the way through--I think it may be the first game EVER where I didn't skip a single puzzle. I also didn't need to rely on hints; the game had incredible flow.
To those who said that the story didn't make a lot of sense or felt disjointed--this is definitely NOT meant to be played as a stand-alone game, and I don't think the developers should apologize for that. Go and play the previous games if you feel lost! My eyes weren't dry at the finish line, because I've followed the series all the way through (and know how much and what these poor people have already been through)!
I think they're about due for a good old family vacation...hopefully with no dark events following them this time! (But maybe Alice should get used to carrying a mirror in her purse. Just in case.)
I recommend this game!