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 reviews
    0
 
 
Status:
 
 
JustTheFacts's Review History
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Travel to South America to investigate a deadly cosmic force. Can you uncover the secrets of the missing research team?
 
Overall rating 
Liked it!
4 / 5
51 of 66 found this review helpful
Still, The Story Disorients Me!
PostedMay 3, 2014
Customer avatar
JustTheFacts
fromRural Western Australia
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor 
Good
4 / 5
Visual/Sound Quality 
Excellent
5 / 5
Level of Challenge 
Good
4 / 5
Storyline 
Awful
1 / 5
BASED ON DEMO
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
I thought, after the disappointing story treatment in the 2nd of this series, Meteorite, that at least this (presumably final) game would explain all. So far, I’m just more confused.
SIGHTS & SOUNDS
Excellent graphics. The cut scenes are particularly good. The intro is laid back because it is telling you the back story rather than introducing this game (and there’s confusion in there right away – who are we playing?), but it looks great and the voiceover of the narrator is one of the most natural I’ve ever heard. The characters are drawn spectacularly well. Really impressive.
Later into the game, the graininess of much of the textures – an artistic choice, not poor definition – makes what could be gorgeous become ugly in my eyes. But, HOP scenes are clear and very detailed. Although, some of the items are a bit small, and others are out of perspective. Music is light and pleasant, ambient sounds so far, very pretty. The other characters’ voices are all good too, and lip synched. One weird thing. This is first person, so we see out of the eyes of the protagonist, yet in a conversation with other characters, we can see ourselves.
WHAT’S HAPPENING?
Well, I don’t know if being familiar with the previous games is a help or a hindrance in this one, because I’m not getting it very clearly. In the first game, we played Monica, whose parents left her at age 5, along with an ancient pendant, on the mainland while her mother, Eve, conducted a dangerous experiment that involved a strange substance – cyan plasma. Twenty years later, she is persuaded to visit the abandoned city where her parents apparently died. She meets a stranger who ‘explains’ the situation to her.
In the second we play Daniel, whose parents dropped him at age 5 on a friend’s doorstep, with a note and map, and he too was induced to return to the island at age 25, where he meets a small girl, Gloria, who ‘explains’ a totally different backstory that involves cyan plasma. Finally, in this story we play Sasha, whose parents were hit by lightning when she was, you guessed it 5, and again, she had one thing from her parents. A golden homunculus (a kind of cross between a compass and a human figure). Twenty years later, she starts having nightmares about terrifying blue ‘stuff’ and follows the directions of the homunculus to a ‘restricted zone’ contaminated by cyan plasma. There she meets Daniel.
So, are the stories connected or not, apart from the big bad blue, cyan plasma? And this really annoys me. We have been given no explanation for our nightmare, so how do we know what Daniel is talking about when he mentions cyan plasma? And how do we know to ask about “a disease that covers skin in a blue net”? That isn’t what we see in our dream! Argh!
GAMEPLAY
The emphasis in this game is on the quest side of things, and although there are both HOPs and other mini-games, it is mostly about getting around and finding what you need to help you on your way. “Quest Items” are actually one of the achievements. Unfortunately, I don’t know the difference between a quest item and any other item needed for inventory. There is a well-drawn, though boring, interactive jump map that highlights active zones, a directional hint, a fun to look at journal that keeps a detailed record of the story and replayable videos, and a task list. All the better for you to be upon your way.
You also have the homunculus, which protects you from the big bad blue, but needs to be recharged after each use. It clears the way for a HOP scene. These are new and different, although similar to the HOPs in this series. Once the mist has cleared, the homunculus detects activity, and presents you with an interactive word list of items in the scene. There is also a blue ‘hot spot’. Clicking on it will take you a different time but the same place (same scene, just looks different), and there you will find a totally different list. Both must be finished to get your inventory piece.
There are few puzzles/mini-games, and I found the ones in the demo easy.
CE BLING!
Achievements, as mentioned. There are performance based, and while there is only 7 of them, they are graded with different levels, and are not all the usual ones. There are 35 collectible blue canisters. Easily recognisable, but not always easy to see.
The gallery items include (good) wallpapers (9), concept art (9), and music (5). The SG shows 5 chapters plus the bonus. The demo covered all of one and most of chapter 2, at best guess.
COMBINED IMPACT
If it wasn’t for the story confusion, this game would almost certainly get a 5 from me. I love the characters, they are just beautiful. I love that there is not so much emphasis on puzzles, because they’re my weak spot.
But I’m doing it all in such confusion, it takes a lot of the fun out of it. For those like me who are looking for a story-driven game that looks good and isn’t too, too difficult, this game will present a conundrum. (Well, you gotta admit it sounds like it belongs in an article with homunculus in it! *snigger*)
I recommend this game!
+36points
51of 66voted this as helpful.
 
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 
Loved it!
5 / 5
169 of 208 found this review helpful
So Wonderfully Silly & Original!
PostedMay 1, 2014
Customer avatar
JustTheFacts
fromRural Western Australia
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Puzzle
Fun Factor 
Excellent
5 / 5
Visual/Sound Quality 
Excellent
5 / 5
Level of Challenge 
Poor
2 / 5
Storyline 
Good
4 / 5
BASED ON DEMO
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
I have had a copy of the beta survey for this game sitting in my pc for months, and somehow there was always something more appealing to play. Oh what a fool was I! But perhaps it was for the best. Fell in love with this clever and funny little gem before I’d played more than 10 minutes. Waiting until punchcard Monday is gonna drive me nuts, imagine my agony if I’d had to wait months!
SIGHTS & SOUNDS
The cartoon drawing, all whacky and surreal is reminiscent of Disney, in a deliberately tongue in cheek way. And top quality as well. The opening scenes with our wicked but lovelorn witch set up the style and feel of the game exactly. Throughout, everything looks and sounds crazy. And that is its appeal. The sheer over-the-top wackiness of the game. And if that prince doesn’t shut up his whimpering... Well, I’m just saying...
WHAT’S HAPPENING?
An attractiveness-challenged witch decides to bring her reluctant fiancé the Prince to the altar by magic. She turns him into a frog, and only a kiss from his fiancé can transform him back to life as a human. On offering her lips for a kiss, however, she is shocked that the frog prince refuses! And so she encloses him in glass and locks him up till he changes his mind.
You have been witnessing all this from hiding, but now the queen sees you and poof!, you are knocked out and come to in a cage. Eventually, you escape your cage, help the prince escape his, and set about getting outa here! The Prince seems to know what he’s doing, so you follow him through a portal to his true love’s castle, where he immediately gets himself in trouble again!
GAMEPLAY
The game would be merely one of curiosity value if all it had going for it is the unusual look and story, though. What it also has is original gameplay. The puzzles are some new and uniquely designed, others are similar to other mini-games but with a quirky twist. The HOPs are also new, a fragmented object puzzle with many objects to find and fit together, and a kind of mini-puzzle as part of it. These are new, but not at all difficult.
This game also follows with the sort of action that includes the making of potions. Little quizzical differences make up the rest of the fun and imagination of this game. The journal has the story, and the story achievements, of which there are 5 or 6 shown as playing cards. There is no map, but there is an eye symbol that identifies active zones, on the easiest of 3 levels of difficulty. The inventory is above, the black bar comments below. The location is often slightly bigger than the screen, so you must make sure to look up and down, and from left to right.
BLING!
As well as the achievements awarded within the game, you can win achievements that are recorded in the main menu only and these are fabulous! There are 4 glass display units – each for a different victim of the witch I assume. The first, at any rate, is the Frog Prince. You have 6 points of the story which yield a different animation of the frog. Bowing, for instance, or startlement. The really fun thing (for me, anyway, but I”m a big kid) is that you can save these little images as avatars. I am going to enjoy that.
COMBINED IMPACT
This game will not be for everyone (and boy, I think I’ve said that 3 times this week), but it is well worth a trial to see the funny side of gaming. Think Dark Parables meets Royal Envoy, and you’ll be heading in the right direction, but you’ve still got a way to go. *cheekiest grin yet*
I recommend this game!
+130points
169of 208voted this as helpful.
 
After searching for five years, Princess found her mother – only to have her kidnapped right before her eyes!
 
Overall rating 
Loved it!
5 / 5
110 of 147 found this review helpful
Become The New Lord Of Statues!
PostedMay 1, 2014
Customer avatar
JustTheFacts
fromRural Western Australia
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor 
Excellent
5 / 5
Visual/Sound Quality 
Excellent
5 / 5
Level of Challenge 
Excellent
5 / 5
Storyline 
Excellent
5 / 5
BASED ON DEMO
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
It’s a good opening. Young girl running through the dark woods. Stops, stares, ”Mother!”, reaches for the woman she has been searching for, for 5 years... and she is snatched away. This sequel to the fabulous Lord Of Statues promises to be as least as good.
SIGHTS & SOUNDS
I have run out of words to describe the awe-inspiring artwork we are seeing these days, especially from this developer. So I won’t try to say more than it is truly magnificent, as you’d expect, and there is no down side. The music is also breathtakingly lovely. In particular, one track with a piano lead that sounds like a love song waiting for lyrics. The background sounds are wonderful too. Voiceovers, superb. I am particularly fond of the skull’s echoing and resonating tones.
WHAT’S HAPPENING?
You don’t have to have played the first game of the Royal Detective series, Lord Of Statues, but the game assumes you have. You have received a cry for help from Princess, who you last saw in that game, then aged maybe 7 or 8 years old. It is 5 years later, and the teenager has finally found her mother, who has now been kidnapped. You meet her at a strange and magical city, and are greeted by a skull. He is the spirit of the city’s keeper, and your new hint.
Princess herself has a good grasp of magic these days, and a fair idea where her mother might have been taken, so you follow her lead. Then some.. thing... attacks her in the forest. This is shaping up to be a dangerous case. It is also a much darker story than the first, where skeletons and war and evil magic abound.
Back story is delivered in mini-game format. The first requires you to paint (by code) an image. The second is a panorama-style game where you must get your hero from home to the castle past many obstacles. The third has you playing a series of align the parts of the image game – usually used to define star constellations. Each time you progress, another piece of the story is revealed.
GAMEPLAY
The gameplay is the familiar: HOPs searched by interactive list, and an array of puzzles both known and unknown, varying degrees of difficulty. There is no journal but there is an interactive jump map that gives you active tasks, and a hint system that tells you your next move and takes you there. There are 4 levels of difficulty, and 6 chapters, of which the demo covers 2.
There are also some differences. For example, we get a fire dagger early on, which so far we’ve been able to keep. Likewise, we receive a magic book, and a magic gauntlet, both of which will be used many times during the game. (I believe, based on the evidence of the demo). We receive magic items that can gather hidden objects within the locations that have been previously indicated (I feel a ghostly presence here), but invisible. These mini-collections are small, 5-7 objects, and the vessel disappears once it’s been used. There is a significant amount of this sort of activity.
CE BLING!
The gallery items include: wallpapers (good, not just screenshots) x12, concept art (saveable and some really fine looking samples) x14, music x 5, screensavers x3.
There are roughly 20 achievements, all performance based. There are also 25 collectible “little dragons”. In the collectibles room, there is also an album with 12 spots for something I didn’t identify in the course of the demo. No replayable mini-games or HOPs. Bonus chapter and Strategy Guide.
COMBINED IMPACT
Wonderful! Magical! Loved it! A worthy successor to "Lord Of Statues", though darker.
I recommend this game!
+73points
110of 147voted this as helpful.
 
Professor Ashmore, the same man who so kindly took you in and raised you as his own has been murdered. It’s up to you to find out why, but are you prepared for what truths may be uncovered?
 
Overall rating 
It was OK.
3 / 5
50 of 63 found this review helpful
Science & Magic Collide
PostedApril 30, 2014
Customer avatar
JustTheFacts
fromRural Western Australia
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor 
OK
3 / 5
Visual/Sound Quality 
OK
3 / 5
Level of Challenge 
OK
3 / 5
Storyline 
OK
3 / 5
BASED ON DEMO
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Well, it includes all the extras of a CE game for a SE price, so it can’t be all bad. And it’s quite good. A little slow to get started, but it picked up towards the end of the demo.
SIGHTS & SOUNDS
Initially, I was unimpressed with the production quality of this game. The graphics ranged from cartoony to grainy and pixelated. But, past the introduction, this was not the case at all. The game itself looked and sounded just fine. It’s just some of the cut scenes that are poorly made. There is quite a lot of darkness, but the items you need to find usually stand out reasonably well in locations and are quite clear in the HOPs.
The voiceovers are good. An attempt has been made to pay lip service (sorry, couldn’t resist) to lip synching, with a vague, small movement of the mouth. Looks fine to me. The music is light and airy, strange in such a dark game, but very pleasant. It gets a bit repetitive after a while. Ambient sound is great, loads of toads and birds and burbling.
WHAT’S HAPPENING?
Your saviour and mentor Prof. Ashmore has been murdered. But you know there’s more to it than that. You head off to the island retreat you grew up on in order to find out the truth. In particular, you are looking for the prof’s assistant, who has been missing since the death.
GAMEPLAY
Very much a HOP-dominant game, it still has plenty of puzzles as well. The HOPs are interactive lists, with a twist. One or two items will be morphing, and you can only click on them when they are in the state given in the word list. It does make it a bit more interesting and challenging! These scenes are each visited twice.
The other puzzles are nothing particularly exciting, but good enough to hold my interest. They are not too hard so far. Adventure gameplay is logical and simple and generally obvious. Hint is directional and the map is an interactive jump map. There is also a journal.
CE BLING!
The only thing this game lacks to qualify as a CE is the SG, and perhaps a little more in graphics quality. Everything else you’d expect from a CE is here. Gallery items, Bonus chapter, Achievements and Collectible, Replayable puzzles and HOPs.
COMBINED IMPACT
I can’t get worked up about this game, despite its good qualities. Perhaps I am just tired. But I wouldn’t be rushing out to get this game right this instant. It will be on my wish list, but I can wait for a sale.
I recommend this game!
+37points
50of 63voted this as helpful.
 
Select the right pieces to complete pictures set in the world of Deponia
 
Overall rating 
Loved it!
5 / 5
51 of 59 found this review helpful
No, No, Don’t Give Up On It Yet!
PostedApril 29, 2014
Customer avatar
JustTheFacts
fromRural Western Australia
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor 
Excellent
5 / 5
Visual/Sound Quality 
Excellent
5 / 5
Level of Challenge 
Excellent
5 / 5
BASED ON DEMO
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Well, okay, if you only play HOPA games, and you hate timed-only games, give up. This is NEVER gonna be okay for you. But if you can tolerate a little time pressure, love puzzles where visual acuity is a must, and have a calm cool head in a crisis, this could be the game you’ve been looking for!
I used to love jigsaws, but am tired of them now, when there is so much variety and complexity to be had in all puzzle games. They’ve just become old hat. Which this game most certainly isn’t. If you enjoy Patricia’s Quest For The Sun, this has a similar feel. Patchworkz fans will also be more comfortable than most with this.
GAMEPLAY
Here’s how it works – to the extent that I could it figure out – there are no instructions. But who needs instructions for jigsaw puzzles, right?
You are given a single (square – they are all square) piece of the puzzle. An adjacent square will be outlined. There is a group of 6 or more (they increase rapidly as you progress) random pieces from which you must choose the correct one, click it, and it fits in. Next piece, and so on until the puzzle is completed.
Each correct choice moves you up on the slider which acts as a multiplier. Each error sends you down. Four errors in a row and you are finished, four correct choices and you score bonus points for the level. [And a very pleasant voice says “terrific!” lol]. The time penalty works by you losing a piece as a “wrong click” after a certain time passes without a click. There is NO UNTIMED mode.
There is a strange but kinda fun ability in the puzzles to change the perspective of the images and flip and rotate. In the early part of the game, I saw no use for it, but as I progressed I discovered its value. If you are stuck on a spot, flip the pic, the other side may well have a much easier image to find. In fact, the higher I went, the more essential I found this tool.
The scoring is a bit confusing. You get points for the level based on your slider/multiplier, to which is added 25 points per puzzle piece. Then 100 points per chain of 4 or more correct clicks. And 25 points for each time you hit the top (4 star) speed. There are 3 stars necessary to be “expert” (not needed to progress), and they appear to be gained by the total number of points for each level, and are different for each. A perfect play (no errors or lengthy hesitations) is not needed to gain all 3 stars.
As for the “levels of difficulty” and game modes, haven’t found them yet, and I ran out of time at level 12, just as the images changed shape from square to circle, and in the process changed the strategy of the gameplay.
Now for the ‘other’ stuff that makes a game.
Options are available for music and effects. You might want to turn off the effects, since there is this really anxiety-producing tick tock if you are going too slow.
SIGHTS & SOUNDS
You would be forgiven if this game gives you a sense of déjà vu. It is the artwork and world of a non casual game. But ONLY the artwork – well, the weird mind set too. And it is unique. Quirky. Not-of-this-world. All the better to make it harder for you to figure out the puzzle. Also excellent and top quality. But you must like cartoon to really appreciate it.
I love the music. It is really soothing but remains interesting, if you stop to listen to it, which of course, you can’t if you want to finish the level.
WHAT’S HAPPENING?
Well, there’s no story, no voiceover (except ‘terrific’), no instructions, no hint, no help, no SG. So, the answer to “what’s happening?” is “haven’t a clue”, but it doesn’t matter. There are 6 locations with 15 levels each, which tells me that whatever we are doing is gonna take a long time.
COMBINED IMPACT
Are you one of the people tired of ‘same old, same old’ HOPAs? Perhaps one of the many experts who are frustrated by the easiness of the puzzles in HOPA games? Well, get those punchcard coupon codes that you all have too many of ready, because this is right up your alley!
For most players, this is a strictly niche market game, I think. You might want to demo it just to see what’s all the fuss about, but it’s not likely to appeal to you. Me, I hate timed games usually, but I might just get this out of pure stubbornness. Having got into it a bit, I find myself itching to see just how far I can manage to get – before my head explodes!
I recommend this game!
+43points
51of 59voted this as helpful.
 
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 
Liked it!
4 / 5
46 of 59 found this review helpful
Fun ADVENTURE Game
PostedApril 28, 2014
Customer avatar
JustTheFacts
fromRural Western Australia
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor 
Good
4 / 5
Visual/Sound Quality 
Good
4 / 5
Level of Challenge 
OK
3 / 5
Storyline 
Good
4 / 5
BASED ON DEMO
We are used to HOPAs, the occasional puzzle/adventure lite and purely HO games. Rarely do we see this kind of game on Big Fish – a near enough to pure adventure, so it is easy to be disappointed because this game does not fulfil our expectations. But measured against its own genre, this is a wonderful little adventure lite game with puzzles and easy gameplay.
This game has good (HD optional) graphics, very well done of their type, which is also unlike the usual way HOPAs are animated. I never know what to call the distinctive graphic style. I personally don’t like it, but the game is bright and colourful, varied engaging enough for me to overlook it.
The characters are pure chatterboxes, and although you can skip them, these little dialogues are a large part of the game experience and are at times quite amusing. They are also very well acted and lip synched. The background noises are delightful in the locations seen so far, and the music is unobtrusive.
In all these ways it is not a HOPA game, but there are occasional HOP scenes, of the type where a ring of silhouettes encircles the item you will need to use these objects on, and a couple of pseudo-Frogs (fragmented objects, in this case in only 2 or 3 pieces).
There are a total of 30 mini-games, according to the game stats, and unusual for this type of game, there is a fast skip (on level 1 of 3 difficulties). The puzzles are in some cases arranged into 3 or 4 layers needed to open the lock, each one slightly harder than the one before.
The journal is a necessary and useful item, and holds the safe codes etc. that you will need. It also has a section for achievements, game statistics (including things like how many puzzles you have completed from the total, and a game timer), and a help section with basic interaction instructions covered in the tutorial. It seems designed with those who are not normally adventure gamers in mind.
There is a symbol of walking feet on the left of the (lockable) inventory bar, which toggles exit indicators. There appear to be at least 3 worlds that we will be exploring, and no map in sight. Hint is directional.
One of the achievements is for collecting all 20 of the stone dragons hidden in the locations. One frustrating thing with this game is that there are sometimes stone dragons as part of the location, not the collectible ones. Annoying.
This is a sequel to the original Tales Of The Dragon Mountain: The Styx, which I have not played, but it would seem this is a direct follow on. I haven’t seen anything that suggests you’d need to have played it, except that the characters and story are not familiar to us.
An evil sorcerous-looking guy called Lord Stryx is putting together an army to go up against our character, Mina. Which makes me wonder just how powerful ARE we? Our elfin companion seems to be light entertainment rather than actually useful, but maybe he is useful later on. I finished the trial – unexpectedly, always a good sign – with him whimpering about the giant spider.
COMBINED IMPACT
I don’t know if this game is really me, but it would certainly be an excellent starting point for anyone wanting to improve their adventure and puzzle skills. It is simple and pretty and involving. I recommend it for those who like their adventures easy, or who want to play something OTHER than HOPAs for a change.
I recommend this game!
+33points
46of 59voted this as helpful.
 
Can you defeat the mist and find your lost brother?
 
Overall rating 
Liked it!
4 / 5
32 of 40 found this review helpful
Dark Fantasy – Imaginative Critter Sightings!
PostedApril 27, 2014
Customer avatar
JustTheFacts
fromRural Western Australia
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor 
Good
4 / 5
Visual/Sound Quality 
Excellent
5 / 5
Level of Challenge 
Excellent
5 / 5
Storyline 
Good
4 / 5
BASED ON DEMO
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
From the start this game pulls at the heart strings. Our adorably cute little brother is sketching fairies, when an evil mist grabs him and takes him away. The intro graphics are great, and the tension and sense of adventure is immediate. You also get a good taste, even in those few minutes, of what the game will be like. There are large dollops of both cute and creepy right from the start.
SIGHTS & SOUNDS
The graphics are excellent. Darkish, but still easily seen, nice artwork, and imaginative rendering of the many critters and creations in the world of the mist. The sounds are also good. I enjoyed the early voiceovers, but they do not extend much past the introduction. They crop up again near the end of the demo. For cinematic effect. The ambient noise is good too, although dominated by the ceaseless rain. I also liked the music.
WHAT’S HAPPENING?
It’s 20 years since Bro was dragged into the mist, and you now work on solving inexplicable phenomena, while you await your chance to enter the mist. Yes, it was long ago, but if you can just find a way in, maybe you can save him from whatever fate has kept him away for so long.
The time comes, the omens and augers or whatever say that now is the time to enter the mist’s world. With the help of a fairy and a scientist, you finally get inside. There you meet many cute critters, and a lot of not-so-cute creatures.
In this world, ‘drawings burnt in the mist become real’. And it is for his artistic talent that your brother has been imprisoned and enslaved in this world. Obviously, you must rescue him. But how?
GAMEPLAY
There is a good mix of HOPs, puzzles and adventure gameplay. The HOPs are interactive lists, or progressive silhouettes. The puzzles are original and charming, and not really difficult. There is also a journal with objectives, notes and replayable movies with any clues on them.
I had no problems getting around and figuring out what to do next, but I did have the benefit of an interactive jump map that indicates available tasks (on lowest of 3 difficulty levels plus a custom level). The map shows 5 localities, and the demo covered only the first, which is a promising indicator of a long game – hopefully!
An added feature is a cardboard-like picture tube where rolled up pictures are carried. You find pieces of the drawings that make up the world around you, and piece them together using jigsaw-like puzzles. At which point you can burn them to replace the twisted image/creation with the original. A feature I kinda like, just for the info it provides, is a game timer. Not a timed game, you understand, just a keeping track of how long it takes to play the game.
COMBINED IMPACT
Quite a pleasant game. Dark, combined with so much cuteness, may not appeal to everyone. And I don’t think it’s an award-winning production, but it is an enjoyable and involving game – and I love the critters!
I recommend this game!
+24points
32of 40voted this as helpful.
 
Destroy artifacts in the past to preserve the world’s future!
 
Overall rating 
Loved it!
5 / 5
142 of 187 found this review helpful
All-In-One Package!
PostedApril 26, 2014
Customer avatar
JustTheFacts
fromRural Western Australia
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor 
Excellent
5 / 5
Visual/Sound Quality 
Excellent
5 / 5
Level of Challenge 
Excellent
5 / 5
Storyline 
Excellent
5 / 5
BASED ON DEMO
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Was never much keen on the first two of this series, the graphics in particular were just not me. But this one, wow! It’s got it all – and actually makes it work! Present day sci-fi, time travel, dark and eerie, ominous atmosphere, with a cute companion and fantasy creatures. Yes, honestly, it does work! All together in an exciting adventure with challenging game play and excellent production qualities.
SIGHTS & SOUNDS
The artwork is wonderful. After the last two games in the series, I really didn’t expect to like this at all, but from the dramatic and engaging opening scenes, I was hooked. The graphics are beautiful (close ups have delightful artistic feel reminiscent of Boom Zap), the cut-scenes awesome in their quality, the music ominous and exciting by turns, with that chanting that so creeps me out. A bit repetitious though. The voiceovers are excellent and lip synched well, or you can mute them separately. And the special effects are... special!
WHAT’S HAPPENING?
The intro makes it clear there is a dense back story behind this one, and it certainly makes it appealing to check the others out, but I don’t think it is really necessary to have played them in order to enjoy this game.
After saving the world twice in previous games, you deserve a rest. Not much chance of that though. Your Dad calls with the bad news that the ‘artifacts’ are behaving wrongly and something is definitely up, which is never good for the rest of the world. As members of The Secret Order Of Griffins, your oath to protect the powers of good demands you again travel back in time to right the past and save the present – and your trapped father along with it!
GAMEPLAY
There is a challenging range of puzzles and mini-games in this game. They are twists on known ones, with additional difficulty built in, and some ingenious new ones. The HOPs are interactive lists, with some slightly skewed ideas at times, and occasional FROGs (fragmented objects). As an alternative, you can play a harder-than-most mahjong game.
It is not always obvious what you need to be doing next, and the directional hint and interactive jump map help. The map is a bit awkward to use, as the symbols are not precisely on the location they indicate. The journal keeps your notes and task list.
It is fun to need to find and activate the flower that is the directional hint. There is also a ‘golem heart’ to acquire, which can animate stone. And of course, where would a game be these days without a companion? In this case, we adopt a baby griffin, who doesn’t look nearly as gorgeous as I would have liked him to, but is helpful indeed.
CE BLING!
There are the usual gallery items, wallpapers, concept art, movies, music. Plus SG and bonus chapter. As well, there are mini-games and HOPs which can be replayed.
As well, there are 3 types of achievement, separately displayed. There are performance-based trophies and story-based medals. And statues for 3 types of collectible – gold dragons (12), amethyst griffins (12), and turquoise unicorns (12). Once you see one, it seems you would naturally have seen it easily, but in fact, many are quite easy to miss.
Finally, there are 6 runes to find, and 5 achievements to unlock after you have played the main game.
COMBINED IMPACT
I really was taken aback by how impressed I was with this game. I will definitely be rethinking the earlier ones. Hey, maybe I’ll even be able to take advantage of the bundle sale, for the very first time!
I recommend this game!
+97points
142of 187voted this as helpful.
 
Escape the cold incarceration of Davy Jones' brig and discover the otherworldly origins of his galleon in this thrilling Hidden Object adventure!
 
Overall rating 
Loved it!
5 / 5
27 of 31 found this review helpful
Mum Walks The Plank!
PostedApril 25, 2014
Customer avatar
JustTheFacts
fromRural Western Australia
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor 
Excellent
5 / 5
Visual/Sound Quality 
Excellent
5 / 5
Level of Challenge 
Excellent
5 / 5
Storyline 
Excellent
5 / 5
BASED ON COMPLETED GAME
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Delightful! We are immediately immersed in the continuing story of Davy Jones and the woman who has been determined to dig up the evidence of his existence as a true historical figure. It is her presentation on the subject that Davy Jones himself interrupts in typically overwhelming fashion. The early cut scenes are splendid! I started to get vertigo, swooping like that!
If you’ve not played the previous Nightmares Of The Deep games, you’ll have no reason to know why this particular woman is making this particular speech, but it matters not at all. Our battle with Davy this time is direct and immediate. Of course, if you have played those games, you’ll know this is not the first time we have interfered in Davy’s business.
SIGHTS & SOUNDS
Amazing colours, sounds and special effects characterise this game. I love how colourful everything is, despite the darkness of many locations. Sea urchins that are almost iridescent. Glowing seahorses. Flowers of such rich and vibrant shades you’d never be able to name them all. Heck, even the skeletons looked cute! And very clearly detailed HOP scenes. Which is important because some of the scenes are quite dark.
The music is wonderfully ominous and foreboding. Mostly quiet, it is subtle and often consists of single, wide-spaced notes. There is a piano track that is particularly nice. The background noises are what you’d expect, wind and rain, sounds of the waves and the creaking of wood when on board. The voiceovers are tremendous, very appropriate, excellent acting, and lip synched!
WHAT’S HAPPENING?
We are the museum’s expert on Davy Jones, a reputation earned in the first two Nightmares of the Deep games, through our adventures. Still, no one living has set eyes on him, and many still say he is mere myth and legend.
You are about to make your speech, in which you present the evidence of his historical existence, when what do you know?! The legend himself arrives in a high dudgeon, demanding that we keep silent about his personal business. Guess that is a pretty persuasive piece of evidence for our theory!
Unfortunately, our “theory” kidnaps us (and our daughter), throws us in the brig, and starts for home. Despite an ingenious escape, we are soon recaptured and Davy Jones tricks our daughter into signing the fateful pact, like thousands of others before her, and now she cannot escape him unless the contract is fulfilled. But even Davy has long since forgotten what it was that fulfilled the contract!
We learn the somewhat confused and confusing story of David Jones’ good luck and dire curses through the means of ancient “guardians of Davy’s memories”. What they will reveal to you, through a sepia toned cartoon, is the true reason for the rampage and evil that Davy has wrought across the centuries. This gets more convoluted as the game progresses and I wish it had been better told.
GAMEPLAY
Plenty of variety here. There are several types of HOP, including progressive silhouettes, interactive word lists, and fragmented object searches. Some scenes are visited twice, but using a different search pattern.
Also, there is a straightforward mahjong game that you can use as an alternative. The mahjong annoyed me a bit, because in order to get the last item on the list, you had to find the golden pair of tiles that are chained up until all other tiles are used. That would be fine, except, if you swap partway through the list, you must start from the first tiles. Consequently, you really can’t, from an efficiency point of view, find that last object that is always the hardest to find. You know the one I mean, there’s always one.
There are a bunch of mini-games and puzzles. They range in difficulty from delightfully easy to frustratingly hard. I was unhappy that I had to skip a couple of them, because I just couldn’t make head nor tail of them The adventure component is the focus of the gameplay, and I had a lot of fun with it. You have an interactive jump map, a directional hint, a journal I found basically useless, and a task list.
COMBINED IMPACT
I loved this game. The colours and the characters in particular impressed me. This is my favourite of all the Nightmares of the Deep games. Although, you couldn’t go wrong with any or all of them.
I recommend this game!
+23points
27of 31voted this as helpful.
 
Summer camp: a place for good memories, new experiences and… ghosts? Capture the spirit of a dead witch before she claims another victim!
 
Overall rating 
It was OK.
3 / 5
34 of 42 found this review helpful
Enjoyable, But Basic
PostedApril 22, 2014
Customer avatar
JustTheFacts
fromRural Western Australia
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor 
OK
3 / 5
Visual/Sound Quality 
OK
3 / 5
Level of Challenge 
OK
3 / 5
Storyline 
Excellent
5 / 5
BASED ON DEMO
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
This is another no frills standalone SE. There are no exciting intros, no voiceovers, no fancy graphics or multiple and varied HOPs. It is just a very ordinary, easy game, with an emphasis on HOPs, and an intriguing story line.
SIGHTS & SOUNDS
Graphics in the locations and cut-scenes are low definition and poor quality. Scenes are blurry. I can see the edges where items have been copied and pasted in. The HOPs are much better, but the art style is still very rudimentary and lacking in detail.
The music I really like. It is set down low and consists of fairly simple pieces that seem to waft in and out. As an atmosphere-creator it is excellent. The ambient sound works in much the same way.
WHAT’S HAPPENING?
Missing children, a mysterious and sometimes fatal epidemic at summer camp, a black cat that morphs into a witch-like old woman, what do they all mean? Well, you’ve been hired by the mother of one of the missing kids to find out.
The camp is deserted, and so you must break in, find your way around and get some answers. You watch some totally inexplicable piece of vintage film (if it’s meant to hold backstory, I can’t make out what). Then, you see your first ghost.
GAMEPLAY
Strictly limited HOPA. Most of the game is wandering around picking up inventory items for puzzles and doors (many more of the latter than the former), particularly by way of HOPs.
These are standard word lists, no interaction and no animation. There are some that are a little dark, and some where the item hot spots were so particular, it almost drove me nuts. Some are also visited twice.
But they are clear, and while occasionally an item is hidden behind another, at least the front one will be on your list too. The items are quite large and the scenes not overly junky. Note: there is a misclick penalty!
The other puzzles are fairly rare and fairly easy. So is getting around. There is no map except the most basic giving you the layout of the camp, and it is in the journal. Hint is directional, but watch out! It drains your meter and you must wait for a refill. I found the game sufficiently easy that it was not a major handicap. There are 2 levels of difficulty.
COMBINED IMPACT
Definitely the kind of game we used to see more often in the past, it is almost a HOG, but there’s just enough adventure gameplay to make it more interesting than that.
Although dark in theme and look, it is not really spooky or even eerie. I found myself enjoying the game nevertheless, and on sale, I will pick it up in a heartbeat.
I recommend this game!
+26points
34of 42voted this as helpful.
 
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