Kkdoc's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.7
- Helpful Votes:582
- Reviews Submitted:35
- First Review:March 15, 2013
- Most Recent Review:March 19, 2018
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Sable Maze: Forbidden Garden Collector's Edition
Your parents always told you to stay away from the mysterious maze behind their house…. and you’re about to find out why.
Overall rating
4
/
5
13 of 16 found this review helpful
Not as bad as all that
PostedJuly 29, 2014
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I have seen much worse games out there than this one, and I know that isn't saying much to promote this particular game, but the demo doesn't do it justice. Most of the bad reviews came from folks who just looked at the trial and gave up. I really, really liked the HO scenes. They were interesting, interactive and fun to do for a change. No junkpile lists....I also never had an issue with when or how to use "mom". There were lots to do in every scene, and although easy at times ( I played advanced), I enjoyed it. Bonus chapter was ok, but these chapters are always too short for my liking considering that's why most people are forking over the double sticker price. I have no interest in any of the so--called "extras" in Collector's Editions. Who cares if I found 5 objects in 3 seconds or found all the morphing items? The one extra I do appreciate and most games don't do this is have a chance to replay the minigames (if they are any good. Wish these devs had done more than just the match 3). I felt that they worked very hard on this one. Yes, it is a fairy tale and a departure for them, but it wasn't as bad as I was expecting.
I recommend this game!
A strange and deadly pollen is spreading around the world, and you’ve been hired to track down its source. But the secrets you discover in the fabled kingdom of Floralia are much darker than you imagined...
Overall rating
1
/
5
29 of 43 found this review helpful
NOT FUN (COMPLETED GAME)
PostedJuly 1, 2014
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Once again, and I should have known before buying, that the game would not get any better after the demo. I really do not understand all the rave reviews! The storyline made no sense, the scenes were (as per Dark Parables' history) overdrawn, too busy and flowery, and that added to the impression that every scene looked alike. The worst part of this developer's tactic is to turn the cursor into a magnifying glass many times per scene, tricking the gamer into anticipating some cool interaction, when all you get is some mundane, useless commentary on nothing important. In one scene, I counted 8 magnifying glass cursor changes, but only 2 bona fide interactions. Terrible.
By now, there should be no excuse for not having a choice for custom difficulty. The "normal" level still had an occasional sparkle, the harder level did away with the hint button altogether as I recall. I HATE sparkles! The map wasn't transportable either. The HOGS were the repetitive, boring fragmented type....no innovation here. And the objects created and placed into your inventory were almost always unidentifiable globs of flowery statues and medallions with totally nonsensical names. I actually could not wait till the game was over.
By now, there should be no excuse for not having a choice for custom difficulty. The "normal" level still had an occasional sparkle, the harder level did away with the hint button altogether as I recall. I HATE sparkles! The map wasn't transportable either. The HOGS were the repetitive, boring fragmented type....no innovation here. And the objects created and placed into your inventory were almost always unidentifiable globs of flowery statues and medallions with totally nonsensical names. I actually could not wait till the game was over.
I don't recommend this game.
Free the frog princes from the clutches of an evil witch! Return them to their princess brides, and find out if the kiss of love can break the witch’s curse!
Overall rating
5
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
One of the Best Games Out There
PostedMay 30, 2014
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Yes, it is a fairy tale based game, and it does have cutsey frog princes that you interact with and help along the way, but don't let that fool you. After all the disappointing CE games out there, this game was a breath of fresh air. The music, the storyline, the challenge and the lack of junkpile HOS made it a huge hit for me. In fact, I didn't want it to end. (I played the expert difficulty level and had no problem ----no need for a map...the hint button was a great help and refilled fast enough). Wish all the devs out there would take good look at this game and read the reviews this gem is getting so there can be more out there like this. I always felt connected to the story because all the puzzles had a logical purpose and did not seem thrown in just to extend gameplay length, Great little adventure....well done.
I recommend this game!
Find your sister and escape from a terrifying haunted house!
Overall rating
2
/
5
8 of 10 found this review helpful
Fogettable
PostedMay 27, 2014
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
I had problems with the annoying sound effects not shutting off after leaving the scene that produced them. Not sure if anyone else experienced that issue....Other than that, I felt the game was short, not challenging (except for some of the puzzles which I had to skip (mostly because they were puzzles solved by chance, not by skill), and very disjointed. HOS scenes were prolific in the bonus chapter which I finished in half an hour. I have always felt that these scenes are thrown into games to artificially prolong game time. They certainly don't add to the ambience or the attempt to immerse oneself in the gameplay. Sometimes I get downright frustrated running into another HO scene when there are too many because the adventure is put on hold until it's over. (Especially if they are junk pile lists and no attempt is made to make them interesting.)
Would definitely not buy the CE. Very disappointed.
Would definitely not buy the CE. Very disappointed.
I don't recommend this game.
Dark shadows are rising, the spirits are restless and Lord Strix is back! Travel to his hidden lair and defeat him once and for all—but hurry; he grows stronger by the minute!
Overall rating
4
/
5
9 of 10 found this review helpful
Nice Adventure
PostedApril 30, 2014
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
After playing the entire game, I found it strange that there were so many poor reviews. But most of those reviewers didn't give it a chance, quit within minutes, and gave no honest helpful reasons that were understandable. True, it lacked the pyrotechnics and phenominal graphics of recent games, but I enjoyed the fact that HOS were not the predominant focus here, ie. no junkpile lists, a few "collect items to fill a pinwheel" (not sure of the specific name for these ). There were dragon collectibles, nice voiceovers, interactions with various characters, and the hint button on expert was not slow at all. No need for a map. It kept my interest because there was always something to do that followed a logical story. I enjoy finding usable inventory items that are somewhat hidden rather than sort through garbage to get them. That approach helps to immerse the player in the adventure, rather than fill game time with distractions. It isn't relaxing at all to have to rummage through trash. Doing that actually takes me right out of the story and into real life scenarios tackling house cleaning around kids. No thank you. I am always a proponent of new and better ways to handle HO scenes.
For me, this game was a very good choice for a casual afternoon free game credit.
For me, this game was a very good choice for a casual afternoon free game credit.
I recommend this game!
Discover a story of mysterious kidnappings of both children and mafiosi.
Overall rating
5
/
5
120 of 131 found this review helpful
REVIEW OF COMPLETED GAME
PostedApril 20, 2014
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Finally, gameplay that has it almost just right. Music, voice-overs, and graphics all very good. The most refreshing aspect is that this developer offered absolutely no list junk pile HOS. Instead, interesting scenes were presented where the player found one or two objects that logically interacted with others until the final item was found---so much more intriguing and thoughtful. Difficulty was custom tailored, map was transportable, and you could even set it to show you where the collectibles were that you missed. Bonus chapter about two hours, and not stuffed with HOS. Extras include the minigames, which I greatly appreciate. I like to replay some of the more difficult puzzles after the game is over. Don't care at all about achievements (unless it unlocks more gameplay), nor do I care about screensavers or wallpaper, so the bonus game needs to be worth the money. Unfortunately, no developer has understood this as yet. Although not too sure about the story-line being believable, I think most everyone will enjoy this game.
I recommend this game!
A famous actor has literally stepped off the screen to kidnap your niece. Now you must find a way into the dangerous and exciting world of the film to save her!
Overall rating
3
/
5
6 of 8 found this review helpful
Same Old Stuff Demo Only
PostedApril 10, 2014
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Wish the devs would crank it up a notch with the gameplay. Granted, I only did the demo, but within 15 minutes I ran into the second same old, same old boring noninteractive junkpile. There are voiceovers, collectibles, and a locking inventory, but this has been done before. The better games out there have been more innovative. No reason on earth not to be able to customize difficulty and why do the black bar comments take all the challenge away? Anyway it looks like the garbage scenes are fairly frequent here. Although just a demo experience, and therefore skewed, it seems that the graphics and gameplay are rather old school. It makes me wonder if this sequel wasn't made awhile ago and just introduced now out of order.
A serial killer nicknamed “the Toymaker” is wreaking havoc on a sleepy town. Can the lead detective piece together clues left at the scene and stop him before he sets his sights on her?
Overall rating
1
/
5
20 of 24 found this review helpful
One Hidden Object Scene after Another
PostedMarch 19, 2014
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
What happened to well thought out adventure games? So tired of devs trying to milk the HO genre with junk piles, I am becoming totally disillusioned. Although voiceovers aren't bad, there is no real merit in playing this game. No challenge, no fun, especially when every 3-5 minutes, you are forced to go to the map, then pointed to the next location, and surprise, surprise, another avalanche of rubble to sort through!
Big Fish, as a plea to you, hire somebody to search out decent adventure games that we can use our free coupons on...the coupons expire long before anything is provided that's worth playing.
Big Fish, as a plea to you, hire somebody to search out decent adventure games that we can use our free coupons on...the coupons expire long before anything is provided that's worth playing.
I don't recommend this game.
Something pulled your son into a shimmering portal. Dive into a magical world to find him!
Overall rating
5
/
5
5 of 6 found this review helpful
A VERY GOOD GAME
PostedFebruary 28, 2014
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Ok, just finished the game, and I must say I really enjoyed it. The graphics were awesome and there were many places to explore. Whenever you saw a cursor change, there was actually something interactive to do instead of just reading useless black bar comments about the scene as some developers provide to make you think you're having fun. Each scene offers at least 3 or more interactive areas. The hidden object scenes do not dominate the adventure (thank God), and are somewhat varied. There are several special hidden items to find throughout, and I really appreciated not having to find 89 parts to one inventory piece ( number slightly exaggerated). The difficulty level is totally custom, which all games should be these days, the inventory locks, the map is extremely helpful and transportable, and there is enough difficulty level to make it interesting. The bonus game is long enough, and for those who are waiting for the SG, you'll be glad to know that there are no hidden items in the bonus section, so you don' miss out on any achievements. The game was actually better than I thought it would be after reading some of the negative reviews, and I am not the kindest critic.
I recommend this game!
A series of robberies takes a deadly and supernatural turn!
Overall rating
4
/
5
9 of 13 found this review helpful
Review of Completed Game
PostedFebruary 15, 2014
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Storyline reasonable, great flow with cutscenes strategically placed. HOS varied and most items on the list are interactive. Only one visit to each HO Scene, and there are not too many of them. some puzzles easy, others more difficult.
PROS: Custom difficulty, which everybody should offer these days. Hate overclick penalties with a passion. I found it more fun to play without blackbar tips, without the sparkles (always), but still keep a reasonable recharging time for the hint and skip options. There is a transportable map which is necessary because the play is not always linear and there is backtracking: locking inventory; masks to find; decent graphics, music and voiceovers. Nice game length.
CONS: wonder when devs will shake it up a little and rely less on list HOS, although I was not particularly annoyed with them here. Actually, they did succeed better than most, because some inventory items needed had to be created in a jewel box. That was refreshing. So I really don't have too much to complain about here.
I enjoyed it....you should at least try the demo and see for yourself.
I enjoyed it....you should at least try the demo and see for yourself.
I recommend this game!