JustTheFacts's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.9
- Helpful Votes:33,148
- Reviews Submitted:681
- First Review:December 7, 2011
- Most Recent Review:June 4, 2018
- Featured reviews0
Status:
If you have enough courage to challenge the darkness, then you’ll manage to find out the mystery of the Rossolimo family.
Overall rating
4
/
5
96 of 105 found this review helpful
Looks Like A Winner To Me
PostedApril 19, 2013
JustTheFacts
fromRural Western Australia
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
BASED ON DEMO PLUS WALKTHROUGH
This game had me interested from the very first. From the classical Greek influence of the game interface, to the voiceover and intro cut scene, everything said top quality.
And it is.
Having played the demo and reviewed the walkthrough, I can tell you this is an interesting and varied game, with locations as diverse as the ancestral estate, village settings and underwater. There also seems to be a strong mechanical theme running throughout. Very steam punk.
This is not something I readily get into, but I found myself warming to it in this game because it was mixed with other more ‘picturesque’ scenes.
The two HOs that I did were misplaced items, with a heavy degree of interactivity. The best one was a board made up of miniature inventions which, when you have managed to replace the items pictured, and found and replaced a word list, is set in motion, and an item is eventually handed to you at the end. Think early MCF puzzle boards, but neater.
There are also standard list HOs further into the game.
HOs are outnumbered by puzzles, and I’ve already had to skip a couple, but that is normal for me. The Secrets Of The Dark series have original and above average difficulty puzzles. I’m still thinking maybe I should get the CE for the Strategy Guide.
There are no CE-style bells and whistles, no cute sidekicks, collectibles or achievements. What there is, is excellent gameplay in beautiful locations. And a story that has me intrigued.
Members of a brilliant family, two brothers were involved in creating inventions that would revolutionise life for Greece. Such as, free energy. One seems to have taken up with a darker power, and eventually his brother had to lock him up in an enchanted gadget of his own invention.
While investigating strange events at the ancestral estate of the brothers, you accidentally let this brother loose. Now it’s up to you to capture and control him again. That’s not going to be easy with harpies already out there protecting him.
Games in this series have an interesting twist - the world is different when viewed in the light or the dark. And the two worlds can affect each other. We are heading into a lunar eclipse in this game, when day becomes night, and this seems to have a bearing on our case.
Just what, I don't yet know but I'm anxious to find out!
I recommend this game!
Discover the secrets of your family’s past on a mystical island!
Overall rating
3
/
5
59 of 61 found this review helpful
Game Summary*** and Bonus Content Review****
PostedApril 18, 2013
JustTheFacts
fromRural Western Australia
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
CE GAME JUST COMPLETED
You’ve read other reviews, so you know by now that this game has all the expected beautiful graphics, fine music, and quality production values that come with a CE. Have you played the video? The characters’ eyes, aren’t they stunning?
The HOs in this game have a time travel portal that takes you to the same scenes, but with a different look. There’s the unique and marvelous word association game you can play to get those last stubborn items. It is what I like to call an inventory oriented game. Your time is spent finding, earning and using inventory items, your interactive jump map at hand.
And you know that, no matter how good the other components, this game falls short of the mark because of its confused and generally ignored story line. And an abrupt ending to the main game that is unconvincing and irrelevant to the story, such as it is.
I rate the main game 3 stars.
Bonus Content Review****
BONUS GAME 1
The extension of the main game is equally as confused in terms of plot. At first we seem to be back to searching for our parents, but within minutes we are back to simply pressing forward, no particular goal in sight. The bonus time was reasonable, and the gameplay was on a par with the rest, that is, good but directionless. The story was clarified just enough to keep you guessing about a sequel.
The extension of the main game is equally as confused in terms of plot. At first we seem to be back to searching for our parents, but within minutes we are back to simply pressing forward, no particular goal in sight. The bonus time was reasonable, and the gameplay was on a par with the rest, that is, good but directionless. The story was clarified just enough to keep you guessing about a sequel.
BONUS GAME 2
The second bonus game is 8 sets of paired HOs from the main game, which you play just as you did in there, but with 3 collectibles (meteorite artifacts) in each pair. The artifacts are basically sculptures or figures relating to the story. I’ve not tried it myself, but I suspect you could identify a few of these on the pages of the island history in the journal, which shows the island’s “art”.
The second bonus game is 8 sets of paired HOs from the main game, which you play just as you did in there, but with 3 collectibles (meteorite artifacts) in each pair. The artifacts are basically sculptures or figures relating to the story. I’ve not tried it myself, but I suspect you could identify a few of these on the pages of the island history in the journal, which shows the island’s “art”.
BONUS GAME 3
The third bonus is the word association game. You have a choice of 50 games of one word each. There is a sketch, and a group of letters, and it is up to you to create the correct word.
The third bonus is the word association game. You have a choice of 50 games of one word each. There is a sketch, and a group of letters, and it is up to you to create the correct word.
STRATEGY GUIDE is available both from the main menu and within the game. There is also CONCEPT ART, WALLPAPERS, and MUSIC.
I think all the bonuses are pretty good, but I also think you could enjoy the SE version just as much. My only hesitation there is that tiny bit of a clue about the story that is only available in the bonus game. But I’m in it mostly for the story, and this item may not be so important as to warrant the CE price.
So, despite my criticisms ...
I recommend this game!
Find the woman who disappears in the Hall of Mirrors. Investigate two worlds: the Carnivals of Good and Evil!
Overall rating
3
/
5
44 of 49 found this review helpful
Walt Disney Meets Salvador Dali
PostedApril 17, 2013
JustTheFacts
fromRural Western Australia
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
GAME JUST COMPLETED
I think this is just about the most creepy and surreal cartoon animation-style carnival game I’ve seen. And there are a lot of them.
This game is pretty much what you’d expect from the description. Finding the missing woman involves game play in this world and a bizarre and grotesque universe in which the carnival is distorted and freakish.
It’s pretty good for what it is, and I spent an enjoyable few hours playing it. It is HOs heavy, with easy puzzles and mini-games. There are achievements, so there’s an incentive to make the effort with them.
As an alternative to the HOs, you can play a card game called Monaco, which I am not familiar with, but seems very simple. I like having the choice, even if I don’t use it.
Another attraction is a cheeky little monkey who helps you out along the way. There are few other characters to meet, but there’s plenty of interesting clues about what’s going on.
You have maps for both the real and the surreal worlds, but I found it easy enough to get around without them. You also have objectives to meet, and a diary.
Never going to set the world on fire, this game is an agreeable HO game without pretenses.
I recommend this game!
After leaving something in your car, a hitchhiker vanishes! Track her down and return her things in Shiver: Vanishing Hitchhiker!
Overall rating
4
/
5
36 of 42 found this review helpful
Chilling
PostedApril 16, 2013
JustTheFacts
fromRural Western Australia
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
GAME COMPLETED A FEW TIMES
From the opening segment you know you’re in for something mature, sophisticated and professional. Also bleak, gritty and eerie. This is a HOPA thriller that takes itself seriously, and delivers top quality performance all the way.
The visuals are 'grotty' realism, dark, misty, sinister. Ugly. Personally, I kept hoping we’d go somewhere more cheerful, but this is just not that kind of game.
The audio track increases the creepy feel of the game, and includes some really good music as well as some really freaky ambient noise and great thunder claps.
The gameplay is dominated by HOs, which are visited twice. They are interactive and interesting. There are dozens of locations in this game, and a lot to do. The game covers an amazing amount of ground for a game without a map. It’s not essential, though, as the to and fro is usually within the nearest locations.
There's less puzzles than most HOPAs have and most of them very easy.
One nifty gimmick was a camera that, if you snapped off a quick shot when it started jumping and flashing, gave you a hint in picture form. Neat. Also good was a flashlight. Which was needed extensively.
Hitchhiker won Creepiest of the Year 2011, and it is not at all surprising, once you’ve seen it.
The one thing I didn’t like was the ending, which set us up for the CE, I think. If it was for a sequel that would be okay, because we'd anticipate the next story, but we SE buyers aren't about to go off now and buy the CE, just for the last chapter, so we're left feeling as though we've missed out.
I recommend this game!
After inheriting a manor in England, you begin to explore the Kangale Estate and discover its history!
Overall rating
5
/
5
65 of 72 found this review helpful
Stand Out Thriller
PostedApril 16, 2013
JustTheFacts
fromRural Western Australia
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
GAME COMPLETED TWICE
How quickly we forget. I last played this game a year ago, and had forgotten all the best bits. This really is a spectacular HO Adventure. Notice I didn’t say Puzzle, because there are precisely 4 (easy) puzzles in the whole game.
But it is certainly as good as any HOPA out there, and for “immersive gameplay” it leaves most behind. Personally, I was happy to scratch my head over where to get a shovel rather than pushing buttons aimlessly trying to make them all stay down.
Leaving the sound on is a must for this one. Between the sudden crash of thunder, and the abrupt starts and finishes to short musical pieces, to the hollow ringing of your shoes on the pavement, sound really makes this the true thriller it is.
It is also a mature, professional and well crafted game. First class production values all round. Top quality graphics, and a very involving story.
You inherit an estate in England, complete with creepy butler and ghost, and from the start it’s clear you’re not welcome. The manor and its grounds are huge, with hidden rooms and royal ancestry all wrapped up in a love story gone wrong. Slowly, you piece together what has gone before and work to appeasing your poltergeist.
I loved playing this game, but I must point out one gripe. The ending is designed to hook you for the CE. What is the point? We’ve bought the SE, we’re stuck with it. Those last 30 seconds just frustrate.
And so I am left with just one thought – Did the butler do it? I’ll never know, I bought the SE.
I recommend this game!
Embark on a mysterious journey to the heart of Transylvania and investigate a series of nocturnal kidnappings bringing unrest to Eastern Europe.
Overall rating
2
/
5
112 of 152 found this review helpful
Okay, This Is ... Different
PostedApril 16, 2013
JustTheFacts
fromRural Western Australia
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
BASED ON COMPLETED DEMO
Actually the graphics quality is perfectly fine, I have reviewed two big name games (one a new release) just this week with worse graphics, and this game gives you options for adjusting graphics to suit yourself. I managed to get a mix I could live with.
The problem is the style is seriously dated photo realism. Also, the artists can’t draw faces to save their lives.
Having said that, this is an extremely odd little game in other ways.
And once again, not a HOPA but a HO game.
Let’s walk it through.
I really liked the opening cutscenes, which told the story of Vlad Tepes, the real life historical figure some allege to have been a vampire. Concept art-style sketching is done for this and I think it looks great. The story is set 500 years later, when presumably Vlad comes back looking for his long dead wife.
The main menu offers three slider options to adjust the graphics: quality, brightness and sharpness. I found lowering the sharpness eased the brittle quality a bit. As I said, photo realism. In bright, light, pleasant rooms. Not exactly candy for the eyes, but not sand paper either.
Now the game play, which is what kept me going to the end of the demo. Trying to work it out.
“We” appear to be a young peasant girl (with an appalling voiceover) getting ready for work at the castle. The room we find ourselves in is the HOs. We have a list of named items, followed immediately by a list of silhouettes, all for the same scene. As well, items in blue trigger mini-games within the scene.
I played a ‘hit the hammer at the right moment’ one, identify shoes by shape, restock the shelves with books, and a HOs within the first. And one of those great mirror pieces ones where the image changes when you move the piece. They did a very good job at that.
We have some extra resources in this one. We can zoom in, pan around, and see a mini-map to show us where we are in the scene.
The HOs are tricky, because they are very well hidden, nothing to do with the graphics. The puzzles are easy.
As soon as this scene is complete, we are magically transported to the next, where the same procedure is followed. There is a hint that the gameplay may increase in complexity and difficulty as we play.
The screenshots flashed at the end of the demo (which took me 35 mins for two completed locations) suggest the colour and brightness continue throughout the game.
Giving this game two stars is generous, I certainly can’t recommend it, but I hope the developers will keep trying. They have made something different here, and in a world swamped with cookie cutter HOPAs, that’s worth something.
I don't recommend this game.
Vivien Ambrose has just discovered how to travel through time! Set off through history in Time Mysteries: Inheritance!
Overall rating
3
/
5
30 of 32 found this review helpful
Pleasant Surprise
PostedApril 15, 2013
JustTheFacts
fromRural Western Australia
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Story: Vivien Ambrose has just discovered how to travel through time! After an evil time traveller kidnaps her father, it’s up to Vivien to follow them to the past. Using a mysterious crystal ball, visit the past, and meet Vivien’s ancestors. Collect seven magical rings to power up the crystal ball and rescue her father.
Release Date: Oct 2010
Bling!: Talking Crystal Ball?
Having enjoyed Time Mysteries 2, and bought TM 3, I grabbed this on a DD, expecting to hate it, but wanting the full set.
I was in for a surprise. Sure, the graphics are 2010 graphics, but good enough not to interfere with game play, and the story was just plain fun. With the help of a talking crystal ball and family magic you had no idea you had, you set out for adventure into 10 (!) different centuries.
Now I’ve no idea how historically accurate the game details were, but there were no telephones where there shouldn’t be. Same goes for the music. Each century had its own soundtrack, and they felt right to me.
Obviously, each adventure is short, but again with the fun.
The emphasis was on HOs, which is fine by me, but there were some easy (also fine by me) puzzles and mini-games as well.
Altogether, entertaining.
I recommend this game!
Get tips and hints from our handy Strategy Guide! Follow our crystal clear instructions and helpful tricks to succeed!
Overall rating
4
/
5
3 of 6 found this review helpful
Very Good
PostedApril 15, 2013
JustTheFacts
fromRural Western Australia
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
BASED ON USE IN CE
Ironically, with a game as bad as this one is, the strategy guide is actually very good.
Its images could be clearer of course due to the older graphics technology, but the instructions are clear and detailed. Unlike the instructions in the game itself where “press buttons in the right order” is all you get.
The SG actually details the rules pertaining to the puzzle, so you can go from there to solve it yourself, or copy the solution offered. This is exactly what is needed in a SG.
It is very clear too, on what goes where in the misplaced items HOs.
All up, one of the best SGs I’ve seen.
I recommend this SG!
I recommend this game!
Restore the royal amulet to break an ancient curse and stop an evil witch from regaining her terrible powers!
Overall rating
1
/
5
34 of 38 found this review helpful
Awful, Awful, Awful!
PostedApril 15, 2013
JustTheFacts
fromRural Western Australia
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
GAME COMPLETED A COUPLE OF TIMES
(although I’ve no idea where I got the patience, didn’t last the distance this time)
Why do I hate this game? Let me count the ways...
Absolutely appalling graphics. Even without the problems of low definition due to the age of the game, the visuals are ugly. And there were these ugly shimmery patches wherever an item was needed, in the shape of the item. So a missing handle showed as a shimmery handle. Yuck! It looked ghastly.
Really slow game play. Each move requires multiple mini-games, puzzles or HOs. Nothing is logically apparent, so it is a constant struggle to figure out what comes next.
Hardly any of the puzzles come with specific instructions, it’s all “press the buttons in the right order” kind of stuff.
Hint is useless bordering on offensive. “This is the door to the tavern” – well, I know that you idiot!...
The categorically worst thing about this game is the fact the SG is in the main menu. You have to leave the game to look it up!! What a waste of money, I can do that with the standard game.
Which is another thing. I wrote a very disparaging review of the SE of this game based on a demo a year ago, how the heck did this get on my desktop? I’m thinking evil magic! Lol
It does have a couple of redeeming features, particularly for such an old game.
It uses three different HOs – slightly interactive lists, multiples and misplaced items. I particularly liked that the misplaced items were indeed actual items I had picked up in an earlier scene.
There are a lot of locations and close up scenes, complex enough to have needed a map, which unfortunately we didn’t get. But the exploring through all the many castle rooms was fun.
Still, not enough to justify buying this, at any price.
I don't recommend this game.
There's a dark force at work in Pilgrim's Hook. Return to your childhood home and save your twin brother from the evil that lives beneath the sea.
Overall rating
5
/
5
101 of 128 found this review helpful
Bonus Content Review*****
PostedApril 15, 2013
JustTheFacts
fromRural Western Australia
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
BASED ON COMPLETED GAME AND BOTH BONUSES
If you’ve made it this far, you don't need me to tell you that this game is one of the best. Definitely a Must Have for just about everyone.
So I’ll only add that it was the interesting characters, excellent voiceovers and doable puzzles that I liked most. And the creepiest sea monster I’ve ever seen.
BONUS CONTENTS
BONUS GAME 1
An all new underwater HOPA about the origins of Castour. Interesting, colourful. It had new puzzles, game locations and characters. Felt like a standalone mini-HOPA. It took me about an hour, which isn’t all that long but it was fun.
An all new underwater HOPA about the origins of Castour. Interesting, colourful. It had new puzzles, game locations and characters. Felt like a standalone mini-HOPA. It took me about an hour, which isn’t all that long but it was fun.
BONUS GAME 2
The second game was a kind of scavenger hunt. You must find 80 whalebones scattered throughout the island. Most were easy enough, and I managed to pick up a couple of Castour’s Creatures along the way, aiming for that one last trophy. But there is no hint. You are expected, as the game told me firmly, to do it on your own.
The second game was a kind of scavenger hunt. You must find 80 whalebones scattered throughout the island. Most were easy enough, and I managed to pick up a couple of Castour’s Creatures along the way, aiming for that one last trophy. But there is no hint. You are expected, as the game told me firmly, to do it on your own.
ARTHUR’S DIARY
Mildly interesting look at a mind descending into madness. Not sure why this is here.
Mildly interesting look at a mind descending into madness. Not sure why this is here.
CASTOUR’S CREATURES
The 25 morphing creatures you spotted throughout the game are displayed here alongside the ones you missed. They’re pretty cool.
The 25 morphing creatures you spotted throughout the game are displayed here alongside the ones you missed. They’re pretty cool.
WALLPAPER, CONCEPT ART
Better drawn and more interesting than usual. In particular I liked seeing how a creature was sketched when it was dormant and when it was awake.
Better drawn and more interesting than usual. In particular I liked seeing how a creature was sketched when it was dormant and when it was awake.
STRATEGY GUIDE
Pretty good. The screenshots were a little blurry. Shows the locations of the Creatures and the Bones at the end.
Pretty good. The screenshots were a little blurry. Shows the locations of the Creatures and the Bones at the end.
Easy choice for me - CE vs. SE - CE well worth the extra $$
I recommend this game!