I usually enjoy lots of the fantasy games and this one is certainly "fantastic" ( and I don't mean great by using the term ). For lots of reasons this game just does not hold any appeal for me. The story line has been seen many times. We have yet another saga wherein there is a duality factor, in this case being 2 Londons. One is for humans while the other is the realm of 3 beings. There are the Lakrians who have 4 hands, the Yokuns who are blue skinned giants and the 3rd species ( I forgot their genus ) are dwarves who though in London speak with a decidedly German accent. Then we have a human bad guy who is collecting souls so that he can assume full command of all he desires. YAWN !!
To its credit, Domini Games has given players enthralled by Secret City some excellent HO segments and some tricky puzzles. For me it's too bad the story is as lame as lame can get. Otherwise I would relish the game play itself.
Those players familiar with my reviews realize that if the story is in my opinion lacking then it is a no sale. I won't read a book I dislike, likewise I will not play a game whose story does not grab my attention. I have the feeling players will either love or detest London Calling. I am not at all hearing the call.
The initial FM game I bought was FM2 which was on 6/4/14. This means on average Match Gems has released 7 of its mosaics games annually. I have long thought this is way too much and have opined as such for a couple years.
I understand some players cannot get enough of these and to its credit Match Gems is unmatched in what it does. This developer was the first to introduce multiple color grids and later on was the first to provide its fans with 6 color grids which is all well and good. My problem is getting tired of all the teddy bears, kittens and cats, birds, buildings of various sorts etc. and infinitum.
I have also bought 10-12 of these griddlers so I have reached my saturation point. Why should I pay more for the very same thing?? Whenever I have an urge to complete mosaic puzzles I have an abundant stack of repeatable games at my disposal.
I do recommend all FM games since they are the best of its genre. If and when Match Gems adds something unique to its repertoire I will certainly consider . As matters stand now I have long ago bought my last in the constantly expanding FM series. If you cannot get enough of these, then have a blast with #28 even though you will be playing the same as #27, #26, #25 and so on.
Favorite Genre(s):Brain Teaser, Hidden Object, Word
Fun Factor
3/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
4/ 5
Level of Challenge
4/ 5
Storyline
2/ 5
Mystery Trackers has always been among the better series available in part because of ELF; however having just finished another game that includes a corgi I just could not deal with another doggie helper so he's on a much needed vacation. Mist over Blackhill offers nothing new in the story. We have yet another saga of a mysterious scientist ( in this case Xiao ) who has found the means to enter an alternate universe. In the offing Xiao has released into our world alien fog monsters which for some reason are after Xiao's genius niece. How many 100's of times have we been subjected to similar if not the identical scenarios? The game looks good on the eye, then again most games have at least eye appeal.
During game play itself the detective must of course find and use certain items to further the quest. The player gets to locate and use all of the objects seen in every HOPA known to man. Included are keys, rust remover, lighters, dials, specific shaped items which must be placed in a particular object, etc. etc. etc. I am still awaiting the day when one developer thinks of and uses just ONE NEW ITEM.
The HO segments and puzzles are all routinely seen in most games and there are morphs and collectible paper fragments to gather up.
My awarding 4 stars is primarily due to my general affinity to Mystery Tracker games. Blackhill is not the best nor the worst in the series. I won't buy this edition since there is nothing compelling me to do so.
I am pleased that BFG is offering a BOGO today in that there are 2 or 3 other games in the past couple weeks that have piqued my interest. For me this would be a 3 star game if I did not get the chance to send ELF on holiday.
I now approach every new game with some trepidation since almost all have rehashed stories. Available to us are a plethora of haunted houses, creaky mansions, cemetaries etc. that house demons, fairies, damsels in distress, etc. and almost always a female main character that must save if not the entire world as we know it but at least the day. Much to my surprise Fatal Luck rises above the ordinary and succeeds somewhat in providing a much needed twist insofar as the story evolves. The innovation is GAMBLING. There have been some other games where trying ones luck has some elements in them. I cannot recall any game where GAMBLING is the essential plot theme and it is indeed welcome as a novel plot. We have dice games and cards during the demo and I am sure other games of chance are in the offing as Edge of Reality evolves.
The story offers nothing new in the fact that the main character is tasked with saving someone and I'm OK with that since the means to the end ( GAMBLING ) is new. The HO segments are quite interactive and lots of to be found items are cleverly hidden. There is an interesting maze puzzle during the demo while other puzzles are of the ilk often seen in HOPA. There are jester scepters to collect and we do have an animal helper, a rather cute Corgi. I generally detest assistants in games but this pooch sort of grew on me.
I guess players with an aversion to gambling will shun Fatal Luck. Those of us who occasionally relish rolling "dem bones " or a seat at a card table or even just sitting at a one-armed bandit should find this game very interesting.
Kudos to 4 Friends for introducing originality in this game as we all know there is generally a dearth of so-called new games. A HEARTY recommendation to Fatal Luck.
Favorite Genre(s):Brain Teaser, Hidden Object, Word
Fun Factor
5/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
3/ 5
Level of Challenge
5/ 5
Storyline
4/ 5
I was extremely pleased to see the 3rd installment of Zombie Solitaire. The opening cut scene illustrating the player as a patient in a hospital reminded me of season one's opener of the great TV show The Walking Dead where the main character Rick Grimes is introduced in a similar fashion to have him learn of a zombie apocalypse.
As to the game itself, I am not generally a fan of solitaire games. What sets ZS apart from most in the genre is the tremendous amount of tongue in cheek humor that pervades each installment in the series. Giving the player a respite from continuous card games by including a zombie killing Match 3 is a nice touch.
There are "helper " cards to obtain including zombie blasters, zombie killers, jokers, wild cards and occasionally an extra figurine is presented which becomes important later in the game to buy more weapons.
Even though there is nothing reminding the player of anything remotely associated with Egypt, the background music is definitely reminiscent of that locale.
I got to level 20 when the demo ended. Got to go now since I must acquire this very fun game. So if you are a fan of solitaire games and even if you hate them give ZS 3 a try. It will not disappoint.
Favorite Genre(s):Brain Teaser, Hidden Object, Word
Fun Factor
3/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
3/ 5
Level of Challenge
2/ 5
Storyline
2/ 5
Endless Fables: Dark Moor is I think a new game since I do not remember any prior game in an Endless Fables series. The opening cut scene tells us that a group of villagers had an idyllic life until some event caused the release of a banshee and folks were being dispatched rather quickly. A father in the MacConnell clan has his daughter ( NORA ) abducted and as usual the player is responsible for her saving and ridding the town of the evil doers. So much for original story line here as there is none. The characters are way too wooden in appearance so that's strike one. The items needing gathering involve all of the clichéd mechanisms ( rust removal, ladder making, finding keys, feeding an animal, etc. ) so that's strike two. The hidden object segments and particularly the puzzles are all way too easy so that's strike three. For players who cannot get enough of morphs and collectibles there seem to be lots of them in Dark Moor.
This game is not an absolute dud yet there is not enough within to make it compelling. Veteran HOPA players more than likely will stay away but beginners might have some appeal for it.
Favorite Genre(s):Brain Teaser, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Word
Fun Factor
3/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
4/ 5
Level of Challenge
3/ 5
Storyline
4/ 5
It is always nice to have a new series debut since there is a promise of some originality. Alas chapter one of The Andersen Accounts fails on many levels. The story line offers only one thing partly novel in that there is an involvement of tattoos with some magical exotic ink. The ink is the new wrinkle as there have been lots of games involving tats. Other than that we have yet another story about a girl with strange powers who is abducted and someone ( CHRIS ) must determine the goings on and solve the mystery. It becomes obvious early on that werewolves will play a part in chapter one of these accounts. The red riding hood collectibles are but one of the hints and other elements in gameplay lead to this conclusion.
I did enjoy some of the HO segments as some objects are cleverly concealed. A couple of the puzzles during the demo also offer some challenge. Other than that I found nothing compelling enough to want to continue after the rather short demo finished.
Perhaps this game might get its legs under itself if perchance the series continues. Unfortunately these accounts are not off to a good start.
Favorite Genre(s):Brain Teaser, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Word
Fun Factor
3/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
4/ 5
Level of Challenge
3/ 5
Storyline
3/ 5
I am a bit late to the gathering insofar as reviews go so I'll make this rather short and somewhat sweet. Originality: not much as this is yet another story wherein an earthling ( Isaac ) is abducted by alien forces and in this case he must be rescued by Uncle Harold and of course the bad guys need defeating. Game Play: not much new here either as all of the HO segments and puzzles are oft seen offerings. There are collectible Mad Head symbols and morphs to gather. I am not too keen on the sci-fi games so I won't be buying this game. For those players who relish the genre Moonsouls is better than lots previously released. In reading the title I originally thought this game might be another of the great Echoes of the Past developed by Orneon. It has been way too long since we have been afforded another of those echoes.
Favorite Genre(s):Brain Teaser, Hidden Object, Word
Fun Factor
3/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
4/ 5
Level of Challenge
3/ 5
Storyline
4/ 5
When Darkheart started I felt it was a real stinker. A dark mage sends harpies to capture humans from a village for his nefarious purposes. They abduct the parents of the main character rather quickly. The protagonist ( man or woman ??? ) picks up a huge stone and throws it and strikes a harpy who then gets ticked off and grabs said main character who is then bound by the legs and is being carried off. He/she uses a knife to cut the bonds and then drops a great distance, crashes thru some boarded up contraption and arises totally unharmed. I nearly quit the demo at this point and still don't know why I continued. Next in line is the rescue of a rather powerful druid being accosted by a werewolf. The player needs to find parts of a bow and arrow set and wound the monster. Next we get to return the druid to his cottage and find products necessary to heal druid wounds. This is accomplished by routine means seen countless times before, gathering magical items to provide a healing bandage to make the druid like new again. I was again asking myself why I was still involved with the game. Next we get to wake up a talking tree, which is sort of like the ENTS in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. The tree guy via a good maze puzzle leads us closer to the realm of the super bad dude. The player's character is then captured by a manticore which is a lion with bat wings and the demo ends. By this time I'm somewhat more interested for a couple of reasons. One is that the game is superbly drawn with lifelike entities. Second is I am a sucker for this sort of fantasy game. Some of the HO segments are interesting while all of the puzzles save the aforementioned maze are way too easy. There are morphs and collectible hearts to be gathered. Flight of the Harpies does not rise to the top echelon of fantasy HOPA, yet it appears to have its good moments. For me, the game is worthy of using a free game code or buying the SE version when one of the better sales comes along. Overall I see the game as one that other players will either love or hate and there isn't much in between. I'll give it a lukewarm recommendation.
Favorite Genre(s):Brain Teaser, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Word
Fun Factor
4/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
4/ 5
Level of Challenge
4/ 5
Storyline
3/ 5
As stated in a recent review I will grant 5 stars only when a game completely bowls me over. This game comes close on many levels yet it is not quite a superb effort. For starters the story has been told thousands of times and it becomes an annoyance when developers either cannot or will not attempt even a hint of something novel in the story line. Other than that Black Lotus has many fine points.
The game is nicely drawn and characters look lifelike. All parts of the scenery are likewise well appointed. As to game play some of the hidden object segments offer some challenge in that a degree of interactivity is required to complete a segment. I cannot say the same for the puzzles ( demo only ) as they are all way too easy. Generally collectibles are not worth the extra money spent yet in this game the phoenix symbols are often obscure and need a sharp eye to find them. I like that there is a clue in each scene indicating how many phoenixes are to be located.For players who have not become as demanding as I have regarding originality many will find this edition of Immortal Love a superb effort. I own too many outstanding games which provide enjoyment in replay to give BFG more of my $$$ when not enough others demand increased quality.