northswirl2's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.7
- Helpful Votes:106
- Reviews Submitted:31
- First Review:September 16, 2013
- Most Recent Review:July 7, 2021
- Featured reviews0
Can you save the kingdom from a crystal curse?
Overall rating
3
/
5
6 of 8 found this review helpful
So, So
PostedMarch 25, 2020
northswirl2
fromBritish Columbia Canada
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I gave the game 3 stars because it isn’t a total loss for beginners. My first thought was ‘nice graphics’, but, then again, I’ve always liked crystals. My second thought was ‘where is the Match 3 option for the HOS?’ - I am so tired of doing what seems like dreary housework to find objects in a pile of stuff. My third thought was ‘I don’t want movies playing and voices speaking to me every few minutes’. My fourth thought was ‘developers must think we don’t have brains’ -even on the hardest setting there were a lot of hints, and the puzzles and the game play -which is mostly find an object and put it in place - were too easy. Where are the games that make you think - like The Cabinets of Doctor Arcana? I am so discouraged that there aren’t many challenging games being developed, and that there isn’t a decent system for sorting through games for difficulty level. Why not have a beginner, intermediate, and expert sorting system? I spend a huge amount of time trying to find a decent game, and get interested when a poster mentions there are too many puzzles, but people’s opinions about what makes a good puzzle obviously varies a lot. Please, BF, start sourcing a few thinking games so we aren’t stuck with roll out one a day cookie cutter lookalikes that are tedious to play.
I recommend this game!
A vacation to India becomes a legendary adventure in the animal kingdom!
Overall rating
3
/
5
4 of 6 found this review helpful
Good Puzzles But...
PostedFebruary 16, 2020
northswirl2
fromBritish Columbia Canada
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
There is a glitch in this game, so I didn’t finish it - hence this posting is about the part I was able to play. This game has an OK and different story line and setting, but there are super saturated colours, there’s too much to look at that seems flattish rather than 3D, and there’s a lot of talking. For game play you are more or less spoon fed even on the hardest setting - the “I need something long and thin to open this” hints. Except for some very good puzzles, at least on the hardest game setting and the hard setting in the puzzle, this game ran tepid most of the time. It was the hope of more thought provoking puzzles that enticed me forward. Thank goodness there was a Match 3 option for the HOPS. The only puzzle I didn’t like was the move through the islands without running into them puzzle as there didn’t seem to be good manoeuverability. It was this puzzle that froze the game. I shut the game down without completing the puzzle and when I started the game again the next day the puzzle did not come back. The dolphin was at the dock ready to go but the winch handle and the nut holding the handle were gone. I changed the challenge level to the easiest setting and used hints to discover that every scene said there was ‘nothing to do there.’ There seemed to be nothing I could do to get to Crocodile Island. I wasn’t about to start the game over, so I just quit. Despite the freeze glitch, the eyesore colours, and the too easy game play, I still give the game a 3 because the puzzles were good and I could see how some people might enjoy the game play.
I recommend this game!
The case of an unusual death in a zoo leads detective Ashley Clark into the mysterious world.
Overall rating
5
/
5
Good One
PostedFebruary 14, 2020
northswirl2
fromBritish Columbia Canada
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Compared to so many of the simple games out there today, this game, despite its occasional flaws, was good to play. I played the game on Nightmare setting which has no clues. For those who played it and found it frustrating, the hardest setting forces you to slow down, search around, and use ingenuity, which is a helpful mindset. There are a few game glitches: the dialogue and words don’t always match, and the beginning of the game seems out of order. Most of the puzzles were good, but at times I did find myself thinking ‘this puzzle could have been made much more difficult.’ I’m not sure why there were arrow clues in the match 3 as it would have been much better without them. I found the musical puzzle really frustrating and ended up skipping it after about a dozen failed attempts. The HOS were OK, but there seemed to be too many of them, especially in one part of the game. The storyline was good, although it took me so long to play the game I sort of lost the plot at times. The graphics were good. A lot of posters complain about games with too many puzzles, but I’d rather have a very puzzle rich game that exercises the brain cells. I just wish there was a way to identify these games so I don’t end up wasting my money and time.
I recommend this game!
Help detective Ashley Clark uncover the truth behind a series of mysterious kidnappings, and reveal the secrets of the ruby pendant!
Overall rating
5
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Mind Melting Challenges
PostedJanuary 23, 2020
northswirl2
fromBritish Columbia Canada
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Similar to Crossroads Mysteries: The Broken Deal by the same game developer, this is a challenging game. Played on Nightmare setting there are a few mind melting challenges. The game play makes you tinker, look, and think, and instructions for the puzzles aren’t always clear. The HOS, for the most part, are logical and are OK to play - and I usually gag at HOS. What to do next or where to find something is not always obvious, so if you get stuck, which will happen, the hints you gather are handy. It was the first game where using a recipe was challenging - wow, I tried everything I could think of and was getting virtual tears from cutting all those onions. After trying 5 different (wrong) interpretations of the clues, I relented and went to a walkthrough. Interestingly I got information about the recipe later when I was in the cave but it was nothing new from the clues I got prior to completing the recipe so I think that was a glitch. I had to use a walkthrough to get the centre number for the fireplace counting puzzle because, whoa, that was a super hard puzzle. Even with the first number I had to use a sheet of paper to work out the combinations of numbers! The spoken dialogue was not always correct and did not always cover the written dialogue, so there is some reading to do. There is a puzzle that says you can rotate pieces, but you can’t. Despite a few oddities, and despite not figuring some things out myself, I loved the challenges in this game. It took a very long time to play, which was fine with me. Why aren’t there more of these types of challenging games! Please, Big Fish, give us some way to find the games that exercise your brains that are hidden among the deluge of glitzy, spoon fed, full of little things to do, hardly any substance games. Even the “if you like this - then you will like that” doesn’t separate them out well.
I recommend this game!
A journey into the mirror world unleashes a powerful villain!
Overall rating
3
/
5
8 of 8 found this review helpful
Lots of Little Things
PostedJanuary 6, 2020
northswirl2
fromBritish Columbia Canada
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This game has some amazing graphics and scenery - from brightly coloured story book style images, to what looks like real pictures, to smoothly moving characters. The storyline is okay. Although there are lots of puzzles, there are only a few that make you dig deep. The HOS are bearable, but so many aren’t needed in a game that has a lot other similar things to do. There is no HOS choice for Match 3, which would have been nice. The many character presentations and conversations distracted from feeling immersed as a first person player. The developers have taken much care and consideration in what they have presented, so it’s a bit difficult to understand some things - such as why leave the grain barrel open to potential rain, or why leave the water running at the pump, why break so many things to get what you need, or why do the underdressed young female characters head up the snowy mountain unprepared for the weather, especially when the dreadlocked male they encounter prior to this is wearing layers of warm looking clothes? I give the game a 3 simply because it bogged down due to too many small steps and too many small things to do. I don’t consider it a challenge or fun to figure out why I have a bunch of obscure items in my inventory. I eventually switched from the hardest setting to casual and used the map and hints liberally to plow through the minutiae. I recommend this game because some people will love it, but I prefer games that take a while to finish because they have good brain exercising puzzles, like The Cabinets of Doctor Arcana. Unfortunately, these types of games are few and far between.
I recommend this game!
A family reunion at the Sweet 18 hotel turns into a night of terror!
Overall rating
3
/
5
7 of 9 found this review helpful
Just Okay
PostedDecember 27, 2019
northswirl2
fromBritish Columbia Canada
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This game is okay compared to others that just seem downright childish or super easy. I played it on the hardest level. I’m not sure that was a good idea because, despite the potential of the story line and a fairly large variety of HOS and puzzles, on this level the game seemed to sometimes drag along and could be frustrating rather than challenging. Often the most difficult part was trying to figure out what to do with inventory items, which is not my favourite type of game play. Why couldn’t an ice knife (eventually used on something that wasn’t ice!) be used to get the object stuck in the window out? Also, at times the game lacked logic; for example, there are two pairs of scissors stuck in the mannequin but you have to find something else to cut her dress ruffle off. What is a potato peeler doing in the washroom? There is a large amount of obscure find this to do that or find this to open that which can make any game seem mundane. I did finish it and enjoyed some of the puzzles, especially the move the key up puzzle and the very last get rid of the blocks puzzle (which could have been made MUCH more difficult), but, overall, it wasn’t one of those games I could hardly wait to get back to. As mentioned earlier, playing on the hardest level is not a good idea - play it on an easier level because the hints/comments are needed to make the game flow along. I’d give the game a 3.5, but have to opt for 3.
I recommend this game!
Help a young woman dig up her past and face her fears in this hidden object adventure!
Overall rating
5
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Exercises those brain cells
PostedDecember 10, 2019
northswirl2
fromBritish Columbia Canada
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This is an old style game that has challenging puzzles. The story is engaging – I definitely wanted to know what happened. The graphics are realistic and a bit misty which suits the mood. Not sure about the music as I always turn it off. I played the game on the hardest setting, aptly called ‘Nightmare,’ where extremely little is handed to you. It took me a long time to play the game, but that was a good thing. To be successful you must look all over and, in many instances, be able to think about how something might work to achieve what you need to do. There is a lot of mouse clicking, but, somehow, it didn’t seem random – just like searching around your house for those lost keys. There is a bit of reading to do, but nothing that slows the game. The puzzles have explanations, but you must still be able to put what you read and what you see together. Some of the puzzles have very similar colours that you need to match, or distance sizes that are very close such as in the gears puzzle. There was no way there was enough time for my brain and hand to do the timed, turn blocks puzzle all the way through, so, after many tries, it was the only game I skipped. The HOs items, which match the theme of the game, were fine, and that says a lot because I usually dislike HOs. You gather game hint points by finding crosses, or badges when at the lighthouse. I don’t know if I found all the hints, but accumulated a lot as I enjoyed the challenge of not using them. If you enjoy not knowing what to do and having to think, search, tinker, and make decisions to figure it out then you will like this game. I lost the last game and didn’t understand the ending at all but that didn’t take much away from the great challenge of getting there.
I recommend this game!
The Seven Chambers
Piece together past lives through an intriguing narrative while solving challenging and cleverly crafted puzzles!
Overall rating
4
/
5
3 of 3 found this review helpful
Almost There
PostedNovember 26, 2019
northswirl2
fromBritish Columbia Canada
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Thinking and paying attention are required for this game, not necessarily for many of the mini-games, but definitely for a lot of the steps you need to do next and where you need to go. The game is interesting enough that I was intrigued and kept going despite the need to use the hint button a few times just to find out where I should be. At times progressing along in the game seemed to be more random than it needed to be. When logic failed it came down to looking all over, and trying some item where I thought it might work, which again speaks to things being more random than they needed to be. There were a few times where item placement was problematic because it took a few tries: either I didn’t hit the exact sweet spot to place the item, or the game didn’t recognize the item right away. The plusses of the game are: there are very nice graphics (just stop and look at all the detail in the apothecary!), a decent storyline, nothing I’d call the usual HO (yeah!), and really nice voices. I always turn the music off, so no comment on that. I gave the game 4 stars, but would say 4.5 is more like it. So, why not 5? I can’t pin-point it exactly, but gameplay could have been “tightened” slightly. As mentioned, there just seemed to be more randomness than necessary. Also, some items just didn’t quite match expectations; for example, the gold flower petals I looked for in vain. I didn’t miss a map, but I could see how some players would.
I recommend this game!
When the game worlds collapse, help can only come from one place. The real world!
Overall rating
3
/
5
5 of 6 found this review helpful
Worn out mouse
PostedNovember 15, 2019
northswirl2
fromBritish Columbia Canada
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
The game is promising in so many ways, but it moves along in a sometimes tedious blur of finding this and moving that and putting this there and opening that thing. There were a couple of mini games that tickled the brain cells, but the bulk of them were pretty easy. I know there is a way to make a mini game harder or easier just before you play it, but I think it was available only once – not sure as there were so many mini-games. There are obviously many different opinions on what makes a good game. I’d rather spend a good chunk of time on a challenging mini game instead of wearing out my mouse and not thoroughly exercising my brain on a bunch of easy or obscure ones, especially when they are spread all over the place and make little sense to the storyline. I always turn off the music, so I don’t know what it was like. The graphics are OK. A choice of good Match 3 instead of the dreaded HO and picture puzzles would have been a great improvement. I mentioned good Match 3 because there are some Match 3 elsewhere in the game but they seemed really simplistic. I skipped the fight mini games. There’s much to be pleased with in this game, but I kept changing my mind as to whether I liked it or not because it just devolved into being monotonous at times.
I recommend this game!
Adera
Jane Sinclaire faces her greatest challenge in the mysterious city of Adera. Solve puzzles, collect artifacts and unlock its secrets!
Overall rating
2
/
5
6 of 9 found this review helpful
Back in Kindergarten
PostedNovember 4, 2019
northswirl2
fromBritish Columbia Canada
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I quit in frustration after playing just a short time. Why all the hand-holding sparkles and comments/hints showing every single step of the way (that can’t be adjusted)? Why the annoying music that can’t be turned down when playing the HO or puzzles, but can be turned down during the rest of the game? What a waste of great graphics and a really promising storyline. I may play it sometime, but after having just finished the games Safecracker and The Cabinets of Doctor Arcana, I felt like Adera put me back into Kindergarten.
I don't recommend this game.