pennmom36's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.7
- Helpful Votes:358,445
- Reviews Submitted:4726
- First Review:December 10, 2012
- Most Recent Review:July 21, 2025
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Step into the mystical and entrancing worlds of Howard Lovecraft as you complete unusual and challenging solitaire levels.
Overall rating
1
/
5
49 of 52 found this review helpful
SOUNDS LIKE A BROKEN RECORD BUT IT'S THE SAME GAME DIFFERENT TITLE AGAIN!
PostedSeptember 9, 2018
pennmom36
fromWho is Arkham? Where are Arkham's Spirits? Why does Arkham own Spirits? Does Arkham want to keep his Spirits? Do the Spirits have issues with Arkham?
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Ancient Tripeaks II
(4)Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
I realize my reviews for games by this dev sound repetitive, but that's because the games are recycled games. They sometimes change the backgrounds (I say sometimes because the Detective game last week had the same exact images that were offered in the first one, so they didn't even change that feature!) but basically, the only thing they change on all their games is the title.
The only mystery here is why they continue to offer the same style of Solitaire when there are so many to choose from, and why they continue to offer the least popular type? Like its predecessor, The Black Raven, Arkham's Spirits is just another cookie cutter version of all the other solitaire games by this dev. Once again, this is a Solitaire game where the game ends once all Gold Cards have been removed, I'm way too OCD for this feature, I want to be able to remove ALL of the cards on the board to receive a perfect score, not just some of them! I will play a level over and over until I achieve my goal of what I consider to be a perfect score. For the life of me, I can't understand why they can't make an adjustment to allow the option of continuing to play for points once all of the gold cards have been removed???
You can choose from 9 Mystery themed card backs, and 3 different face card fonts. You begin the game in Newbie mode, which allows you to replay any hand, the Professional mode only allows you to replay the entire pack of 10 levels. There are 12 different Packs, and each pack has 10 levels, you need to earn the specified amount of points to unlock the next pack, and the scoring is similar to bowling, in the event of a perfect score, the points of that level are added to the next.
Another feature I don't like in this devs games is that the tutorial makes you click another card off of the deck even though there are several more cards available on the board. I'm reluctant to skip the tutorial just in case they have added a new feature, which never happens, but one never knows, and I remain hopeful. I also hate that when you remove a Bonus card with a Gem it takes forever to explain what the card gives you, as it freezes continued gameplay to tell you what you won. Most of the time it gives you +499 extra points, but occasionally, a Joker, Mulligan or a Shuffle, finding two of these cards back to back is agonizing!
If you own or played any games by this dev, you've more than likely already played this one because you just can't tell the difference between them!
MYSTERY SOLITAIRE SERIES LIST
Title***Release Date***Average Rating
1-The Black Raven (October 31-2017) 4.4
2-Arkham's Spirits (September 9-2018) n/a
Title***Release Date***Average Rating
1-The Black Raven (October 31-2017) 4.4
2-Arkham's Spirits (September 9-2018) n/a
I don't recommend this game.
The next installment of World's Greatest Cities Mosaics is here with more colorful nonogram puzzles set in the greatest cities in the world!
Overall rating
4
/
5
20 of 22 found this review helpful
I LOVE THE NEW FEATURE!
PostedSeptember 9, 2018
pennmom36
fromCheck out the new feature, a cell length counter that can be turned off or on!
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I love the new Segment Length Checker feature! You can turn it on or off, but when it's on, it shows you how many cells there are in both the column and row (with directional arrows so you won't get confused) and it makes it so much easier, especially when filling in lengthy numbers. As I said, if you don't want the intrusiveness, you can always turn it off, or do like I did, just turn it on when there are large numbers of cells involved.
The filled-in cells on some of the Mystery Lands and Labyrinth style mosaics are very similar and I found it difficult at times to tell where one color left off and the other began, which caused me to make a couple of errors. You also get the option to choose between 10 different Tilesets in this version, but this has been a staple feature available for a long time. I can always count on these guys to bring something new to the table, which isn't really the case with other mosaic series.
The main features of this series are that they take you to the World's Greatest Cities and tell you some interesting facts about the city you are visiting, they also offer a custom difficulty mode, and they have interactive Mosaics with movements such as boats or turtles in the water. My only complaint is that they don't label the pictures after completion and some of the pictures are difficult to tell what they are.
You can play in a Casual, Normal or Expert difficulty mode, or you can customize the difficulty mode by choosing if you want to play in a timed mode, if you want bonus points as a time bonus, whether you want numbers crossed off one by one or only when the entire row has been completed, and you can set the number of mistakes allowed from 1-5 and how long it takes for the hint feature to recharge from 30-120 seconds.
There are 3 different types of Mosaics offered in this version:
*Traditional (multi-colored) which has 3 different colors to switch between to help you solve the puzzle. In some of the puzzles, some sections may be locked, requiring you to complete a different color to unlock those sections.
*Mystery Lands which fills in each cell with 3 different kinds of pictures that when complete forms a beautiful scene, often with swimming fish, turtles, boats and even ants and bugs crawling around on the lawn.
*Labyrinth Game is similar to Mystery Lands, but after completing the puzzle, you guide a ball through the maze from point A to B by clicking on intersections of the maze.
*Mystery Lands which fills in each cell with 3 different kinds of pictures that when complete forms a beautiful scene, often with swimming fish, turtles, boats and even ants and bugs crawling around on the lawn.
*Labyrinth Game is similar to Mystery Lands, but after completing the puzzle, you guide a ball through the maze from point A to B by clicking on intersections of the maze.
WORLD'S GREATEST CITIES MOSAICS SERIES LIST
Title***Release Date***Average Rating
Title***Release Date***Average Rating
1-World's Greatest Cities Mosaics 1 (March 7-2016) 3.5
2-World's Greatest Cities Mosaics 2 (October 20-2017) 4.6
3-World's Greatest Cities Mosaics 3 (December 11-2017) 3.2
4-World's Greatest Cities Mosaics 4 (April 4, 2018) 4.6
5-World's Greatest Cities Mosaics 5 (May 30-2018) 4.4
6-World's Greatest Cities Mosaics 6 (June 20-2018) 4.3
7-World's Greatest Cities Mosaics 7 (September 7-2018) n/a
2-World's Greatest Cities Mosaics 2 (October 20-2017) 4.6
3-World's Greatest Cities Mosaics 3 (December 11-2017) 3.2
4-World's Greatest Cities Mosaics 4 (April 4, 2018) 4.6
5-World's Greatest Cities Mosaics 5 (May 30-2018) 4.4
6-World's Greatest Cities Mosaics 6 (June 20-2018) 4.3
7-World's Greatest Cities Mosaics 7 (September 7-2018) n/a
by: T1 Games
I recommend this game!
Face the fears in Sebastian's Cinema of Horrors!
Overall rating
4
/
5
98 of 117 found this review helpful
WELCOME TO THE THEATER OF HORROR - THE DEAD ARE WATCHING!
PostedSeptember 8, 2018
pennmom36
fromVeronica is a movie based on a true story & so scary most viewers can't finish it. After using a Ouija board in Madrid she suffered seizures & hallucinations for 6 mo. before she died, her house has been haunted since & verified by police reports!
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Welcome to Sebastian's Horror Cinema. In its heyday, you could watch some of the best horror-flix ever produced, starring Veronica Sullivan and Lenny Gilmore. Sebastian Fleming was somehow able to capture the true-to-life fear portrayed by the actors, but nobody ever knew his secret to success...until now...now that he's dead! The dead are watching you, so grab a seat and enjoy the greatest fearflix ever filmed, starring your very own fears!
Welcome to the year 2018 Mystery Tales! They have finally stepped out of the Ghostly Dark-Ages and into the Present-Age by dismantling the famous Mystery Tales Glasses and installing the lenses into a Smartphone! (actually, I broke them, my bad) I still find it rather amusing that we are finally equipped with a smartphone yet we still need an old-fashioned paper Map, and at one point I used a pad of paper and a pencil to copy down a clue. Is my smartphone a Jitterbug or did I forget I have a camera and a Maps app? Just when I uprighted my computer chair from all the excitement, I realize that for the first time in the past 9 games, (scroll down for the CE series list)I didn't lose my Notes to a rogue wind burst...SAY WHAT?! (well, it did constitute an extra star!)
The Hidden Object Scenes were just mediocre. Because the Ghostly Glasses have finally been replaced with a Smartphone, the first HOS looked promising, but they didn't continue with that concept. That particular HOS required you to investigate the ghostly scene for clues, and as you found the items on the scene, a sentence would appear briefly to clarify the clue such as Veronica looks tired, was Sebastian overworking her? Why didn't they continue with this style is beyond me, it was a cool way to "investigate". There are also Silhouetted Shape finds, Keywords in Sentence finds, Multiple Item finds, and smaller zoom zone finds, all of which usually have several interactions available, some even have puzzles to solve. There is an optional Match 3 game to play instead of the HOP as well.
The Mini-Games are decent although so far nothing new has been presented (half-way through) Most, not all puzzles and mini-games are available in an Easy or Hard difficulty mode. In the Custom Mode, whichever mode you choose will be presented that way for each game, however, you can still opt for the opposite if you choose. I love this feature, but it would be really cool if they had the option to complete them in Both Modes so you could complete the game in the Easy Mode and then try your hand at the Hard Mode if you wanted! Below are brief descriptions of some of the games you'll encounter during the demo:
1-Navigate the maze finding & using items to overcome obstacles.
(Hard Mode: navigate the maze in the dark with a flashlight beam)
2-Press buttons up & down to turn the correct ones green per clue.
(Hard Mode: Clicking one button may affect other buttons)
3-Click lock tumblers to match the clue shown.
4-Change the color of tokens to match the hints on the sides.
(Hard Mode: Clicking one token may affect others)
5-Turn radio knobs to align the red and white waves.
6-Place the correct symbols in each row and column.
7-Place torn fragments correctly to restore each photograph.
(Hard Mode: navigate the maze in the dark with a flashlight beam)
2-Press buttons up & down to turn the correct ones green per clue.
(Hard Mode: Clicking one button may affect other buttons)
3-Click lock tumblers to match the clue shown.
4-Change the color of tokens to match the hints on the sides.
(Hard Mode: Clicking one token may affect others)
5-Turn radio knobs to align the red and white waves.
6-Place the correct symbols in each row and column.
7-Place torn fragments correctly to restore each photograph.
This Collector's Edition has 10 Wallpapers, 10 Concept Art pictures, 5 Music Soundtracks, 15 Movie Video Cutscenes, 33 Achievements to earn, 19 re-playable Hidden Object Scenes, 18 re-playable Mini-Games, 15 Cinema Artifacts & 11 Movie Posters to collect, 56 hidden Cinema Tickets which allows you to restore Sebastian's Horror Cinema with 13 Audience Hall items, missing Journal Pages to find, 8 main Chapters +Bonus Chapter and a built-in Strategy Guide, enjoy!
MYSTERY TALES SERIES LIST
Title***Collector's Edition Release Date***Average Rating
Title***Collector's Edition Release Date***Average Rating
1-The Lost Hope (January 25-2014) 4.0
2-The Twilight World (January 24-2015) 3.5
3-Alaskan Wild (August 29-2015) 3.9
4-Her Own Eyes (February 18-2016) 4.1
5-Eye of the Fire (September 29-2016) 3.4
6-The Hangman Returns (January 26-2017) 3.8
7-The House of Others (June 29-2017) 3.9
8-Dangerous Desires (October 14-2017) 3.1
9-The Other Side (March 17-2018) 3.0
10-Reel Horror (September 9-2018) n/a
2-The Twilight World (January 24-2015) 3.5
3-Alaskan Wild (August 29-2015) 3.9
4-Her Own Eyes (February 18-2016) 4.1
5-Eye of the Fire (September 29-2016) 3.4
6-The Hangman Returns (January 26-2017) 3.8
7-The House of Others (June 29-2017) 3.9
8-Dangerous Desires (October 14-2017) 3.1
9-The Other Side (March 17-2018) 3.0
10-Reel Horror (September 9-2018) n/a
by: Domini Games
I recommend this game!
Can you recover an ancient underwater artifact in time?
Overall rating
5
/
5
158 of 199 found this review helpful
WHAT COULD BE BETTER THAN A MYSTERY TRACKERS GAME? HOW ABOUT A MYSTERY TRACKERS GAME ABOUT ATLANTIS!
PostedSeptember 6, 2018
pennmom36
fromScientists discovered a sunken ancient civilization from volcanic eruptions on the island of Thera in Crete with luxurious palaces, temples & waterways matching the descriptions as told by Plato. Has Atlantis been found or does it still await our arrival?
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Your mission, should you decide to accept it (do I get a choice?) is to locate Russell Jackman who suddenly went mia shortly after discovering what is believed to be the legendary city of Atlantis. The Order of the Dark Trackers organization is desperately trying to steal the Atlantean Tesseract which gave the Atlanteans the power to control the sea. I have just one question, did anyone know there was an anti-Mystery Trackers Agency?
My little Min Pin has returned to steal the show. I've told the Elf story before, but since it's an interesting story and some may be new to the series, I'll tell it again. Originally, Elephant was developing a dark Fairy Tale with no Hidden Objects, but about 70% through they realized their mistake and scrapped it. Eventually, Mystery Trackers: The Void was created but it didn't include Elf until Black Isles! One of the team members saw a Mini Pincher and did some research and found that they were often called Elves because of their large pointy ears. That little Elf has been a vital component of Mystery Trackers ever since, in fact, I don't believe I would purchase a MT game in the future if it didn't include my beloved crime-fighting partner Elf!
The Hidden Object Scenes are typical for Elephant Games with mostly Interactive List finds, but many of the scenes are multi-layered. There are Silhouetted Shape Finds, Morphing Object Finds, Replacing Misplaced Item Finds and several Zoom Zone Hidden Object Scenes available. In the game itself, there are more Mini-Games than HOP's but more HOP's offered than Mini-Games in the Secret Room re-playable section.
Some of the Mini-Games are simply fantastic. I particularly enjoyed the Fish puzzle (they look like snakes?), the Star and Hook puzzle and the Gears puzzles. Below are brief descriptions of some of the games you'll encounter during the demo:
1-Move triangles along tracks until they fit into the slots.
2-Arrange fish so they aren't touching each other.
3-Drag sphere along tracks through all gears to open portals.
4-Rotate triangle sections to match the picture clue shown.
5-Rotate square tiles to connect all lines continuously.
6-Rotate hooks to grab Stars and arrows to move the hooks.
7-Click when the arrow is in the green zone to catch a fish.
This Collector's Edition has 8 Wallpapers, 8 Concept Art pictures, 3 Music Soundtracks, 18 Achievements to earn, a Secret Room with 16 re-playable Hidden Object Scenes & 12 re-playable Mini-Games, an Aquarium with 12 Collectible Sea Critters, 27 Morphing Objects, 32 Hidden Jigsaw Puzzle Pieces (automatically assembles the puzzle, why?) 3 Main Chapters +Bonus Chapter and a built-in Strategy Guide, enjoy Atlantis!
2-Arrange fish so they aren't touching each other.
3-Drag sphere along tracks through all gears to open portals.
4-Rotate triangle sections to match the picture clue shown.
5-Rotate square tiles to connect all lines continuously.
6-Rotate hooks to grab Stars and arrows to move the hooks.
7-Click when the arrow is in the green zone to catch a fish.
This Collector's Edition has 8 Wallpapers, 8 Concept Art pictures, 3 Music Soundtracks, 18 Achievements to earn, a Secret Room with 16 re-playable Hidden Object Scenes & 12 re-playable Mini-Games, an Aquarium with 12 Collectible Sea Critters, 27 Morphing Objects, 32 Hidden Jigsaw Puzzle Pieces (automatically assembles the puzzle, why?) 3 Main Chapters +Bonus Chapter and a built-in Strategy Guide, enjoy Atlantis!
MYSTERY TRACKERS SERIES LIST
Title***Collector's Edition Release Date***Average Rating
Title***Collector's Edition Release Date***Average Rating
1-The Void (October 14-2010) 4.3
2-Raincliff (May 5-2011) 4.5
3-Black Isle (March 11-2012) 4.5
4-Four Aces (October 14-2012) 4.6
5-Silent Hollow (July 18-2013) 4.6
6-Raincliff's Phantoms (February 13-2014) 4.5
7-Blackrow's Secrets (August 28-2014) 3.6
8-Nightsville Horror (March 26-2015) 3.7
9-Winterpoint Tragedy (August 8-2015) 3.5
10-Paxton Creek Avenger (January 28-2016) 3.6
11-Train To Hellswich (July 28-2016) 3.4
12-Queen Of Hearts (December 10-2016) 3.2
13-Memories of Shadowfield (June 22-2017) 3.6
14-Mist Over Blackhill (April 21-2018) 3.0
15-Darkwater Bay (September 6-2018) n/a
2-Raincliff (May 5-2011) 4.5
3-Black Isle (March 11-2012) 4.5
4-Four Aces (October 14-2012) 4.6
5-Silent Hollow (July 18-2013) 4.6
6-Raincliff's Phantoms (February 13-2014) 4.5
7-Blackrow's Secrets (August 28-2014) 3.6
8-Nightsville Horror (March 26-2015) 3.7
9-Winterpoint Tragedy (August 8-2015) 3.5
10-Paxton Creek Avenger (January 28-2016) 3.6
11-Train To Hellswich (July 28-2016) 3.4
12-Queen Of Hearts (December 10-2016) 3.2
13-Memories of Shadowfield (June 22-2017) 3.6
14-Mist Over Blackhill (April 21-2018) 3.0
15-Darkwater Bay (September 6-2018) n/a
by: Elephant Games
I recommend this game!
Discover your inner Chef and open the restaurant of your dreams with this fun time-management game!
Overall rating
3
/
5
43 of 49 found this review helpful
YOU STILL GET MOST OF THE FEATURES OFFERED IN THE COLLECTOR'S EDITION VERSION
PostedSeptember 5, 2018
pennmom36
fromAn omelet with cucumbers?
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Haunted Domains
(48)Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
After playing both versions of Happy Chef 3, I've found only a few features missing from this Standard Edition version versus the Collector's Edition version. In the CE version, you get 3 Wallpapers, Survival Mode (endless mode) and a few Bonus locations, there are 60 Dishes to cook and 85 Levels in both editions (with the exception of the CE bonus levels)
I'm really not a fan of Click & Drag type Time Management games, so for me, this was just an okay game, neither bad nor good, with a whole lotta clicking & dragging going on. You can play in a Relaxed or Normal Mode of Difficulty, and there are still Achievements to earn Ladles in this SE version. Each time you earn one of the Achievements, you will also earn a Golden Ladle which is used to purchase various Kitchen Improvements that can only be purchased with the Golden Ladles.
In the CE version, there is a Survival Mode feature that allows you to play an Endless Mode. You get 3 Lives in Survival Mode, and you continue to play non-stop for Points (not Coins) until you lose 3 customers.
Customers arrive at the counter with a thought bubble of food or beverages they desire. The kitchen is a food prep table located in front of the counter, and you need to prepare the food exactly as shown on their thought bubble including appropriate condiments and sides. After the food is correctly prepared, you click the item(s) and drag it to the correct customer, and click the coins they leave on the counter to allow room for other customers. You can replay any level to try for an expert status score, and in the Mini-Game section, you can earn extra coins, by moving the character to collect various food and bonuses before the timer runs out.
There is a Hot Plate for grilling certain meats and veggies, and if you leave the food on the grill too long, it will burn and you'll have to throw it away. In the Workshop prep area, food items need a two-step process. Omelets need to be flipped halfway through cooking, and omelets can also burn if left in the skillet too long or isn't flipped in time. After each level, you can use the coins you earned to buy food items that are more elaborate which customers are willing to pay more for. Each food item can be upgraded 3 times.
Upgrades can be made to the Kitchen's Interior, such as chairs, tables, lamps etc. that will improve customer's patience levels, which ultimately net larger tips. In the Kitchen Aids section, you can use the Ladles you earned with Achievements, to purchase automated features that will help with trivial tasks, such as preparing quick meals, automatically collecting the money, or removing burnt food automatically.
HAPPY CHEF SERIES LIST
Title***Standard Edition Release Date***Average Rating
Title***Standard Edition Release Date***Average Rating
1-Happy Chef 1 (January 9-2012) 3.4
2-Happy Chef 2 (August 6-2013) 3.4
3-Happy Chef 3 (September 5-2018 ) n/a
2-Happy Chef 2 (August 6-2013) 3.4
3-Happy Chef 3 (September 5-2018 ) n/a
by: Nordcurrent LTD Games
Join Alex, her friend Professor Finch, and her faithful dog Muffin in an exotic Match 3 adventure.
Overall rating
4
/
5
76 of 84 found this review helpful
BLOWING IN THE WIND
PostedSeptember 4, 2018
pennmom36
fromChasing a tornado in an airship balloon, what did they think they would accomplish?
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Cradle of Egypt
(92)Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
The Storm Chasers Alex, Professor Finch, and faithful Pug Muffin may have bumped their heads a little too hard when they crash-landed while chasing a wicked storm. Professor Finch is still mia, but Alex and Muffin have discovered a parallel world, a Cloud Island of magical creatures. The storm has destroyed their village so they cannot help the "wind-walkers" return home until the Elder's Hut has been restored, and of course, that will require collecting resources by playing Match 3 games.
I actually wasn't expecting much when I downloaded this game, but it turned out to be a pretty decent fantasy-themed Match 3 game with Puzzles, Mahjong games, and Hidden Object Scenes with Silhouetted Shape finds, Multiple Item finds and Listed Item find variations. The troll creatures are adorable and the Match 3 levels have great layouts, unusual obstacles, and good bonus features.
You can play in a Relaxed or Timed Mode, and you will either earn a Gold Star or no Gold Star for completing the level goals on the Timed Mode, but any level can be replayed. As you progress, you unlock Challenge Levels of Match 3 games and Mahjong games. The Level Goals require you to fill the Glass Ball at the top by making matches of each resource shown inside the ball, including making matches on all highlighted cells (blue tiles require a single match, green tiles require two matches) You will need to keep an eye on the Ball so to speak, because once you fill the ball, the resource will change to the next item.
The Obstacles are rather unique, Ivy grows on some of the cells and will continue to grow over the entire board if you don't make an adjacent match. Cobwebs cover tiles and require a match made of whichever tile is covered, which I'll admit made it difficult to see which resource was covered at times.
When you make large matches, you will earn a bonus on the board, depending on which direction the match was made, you'll get a vertical or horizontal line buster, if you make a match of tiles both vertically and horizontally in one match, you'll get a Cross line buster to destroy tiles vertically and horizontally. Bombs are eventually earned that can be used whenever and wherever you want and can be recharged once the Elder's Hut has been built. If you don't have any portable bonuses for a while, explosion bombs will appear on the board and can be collected by dropping it off the bottom of the board.
After a few Match 3 Levels, you get to play a puzzle of some type such as removing vines by selecting the outermost vine until they have been removed. There are Mahjong games and Hidden Object Scenes that vary in types such as Silhouetted Shapes or Listed Item finds. Enjoy!
I recommend this game!
In this hidden object murder mystery, a single page from a journal leads a woman down a dangerous path of deception to track down a murderer.
Overall rating
4
/
5
120 of 134 found this review helpful
I'D LOVE TO SEE MORE FROM THIS DEV!
PostedSeptember 3, 2018
pennmom36
fromWhy did I remove the "missing person" flyer he just put up?
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I love it when BF offers HOPA's from developers that aren't frequent flyers. This is the same dev that brought us Showing Tonight, which is a very unique game. Dead Link has a really good whodunit plot, the graphics are decent, but the characters voices sound a bit fake and over-the-top. I'm not going to critique this game to death because although there's nothing new or unique presented here, it is what it is, a really good adventure at a really good price point, that some will love and some will hate.
One feature I loved was how they incorporated the use of a Journal. I keep asking why this Journal feature isn't used more often like they used to be when these games weren't as easy. I'd much rather have to flip through pages of a journal to find clues to solve the mini-games and puzzles than to have a sheet of paper that magically appears to show me exactly how to input the information, isn't that more realistic? It would be even more awesome if the clues in my journal weren't used until later in the game, making me put on my thinking cap, where did I see that clue, which clue do I use here kinda thing.
The Hidden Object Scenes are fairly standard, the graphics could be a bit better, but some objects were tricky to find and they usually include a small puzzle to solve. There are only a couple of HOP's in the demo, one where you find a flashlight and then 12 hidden batteries, the other was a slightly Interactive List find.
The Mini-Games are decent but tend to be on the easy side of the spectrum. Below are brief descriptions of some of the games you'll encounter during the demo:
1-Use the flashlight to search for items to identify the body.
2-Press on the paintings in the correct sequence by trial & error.
3-Set the proper time on the clock according to the clue in the journal.
4-Click to enter the correct numbers on each locking tumbler.
5-Move wooden "blocks" to clear a path for the metal tile to exit.
6-Click on several tiles to change the image to the correct Rooster.
7-Spot the difference between the Owl photo and the sketch.
8-Slide the tokens to the correct natural backgrounds.
2-Press on the paintings in the correct sequence by trial & error.
3-Set the proper time on the clock according to the clue in the journal.
4-Click to enter the correct numbers on each locking tumbler.
5-Move wooden "blocks" to clear a path for the metal tile to exit.
6-Click on several tiles to change the image to the correct Rooster.
7-Spot the difference between the Owl photo and the sketch.
8-Slide the tokens to the correct natural backgrounds.
There are no bells or whistles in this game, it won't blow your socks off but it is a good game that's totally worthy of purchasing. I for one, wholeheartedly support this dev who has brought 2 decent HOPA games to the pond!
I recommend this game!
Can you stop a malevolent force from stealing souls in time?
Overall rating
3
/
5
109 of 118 found this review helpful
*REDEMPTION* ONE SOUL AT A TIME
PostedSeptember 2, 2018
pennmom36
fromWow! I poured wax into a single candle mold and when I opened the mold, 4 candles appeared!
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Beyond the Invisible: Evening
(72)Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
By the time I got around to the third and final soul to redeem, I realized I was bored out of my mind. The storyline was pretty interesting in the beginning, and technically still was a good story, but I was doing the same tasks over and over. It seemed like all I was doing was opening cabinets, drawers and countless bags with missing emblems, not to mention searching for berries of every color known to mankind.
The mini-games and puzzles are decent, but some of them had instructions that were downright confusing, the ones that weren't confusing were either too simplistic, or simply rehashed puzzles, several times over, from all of the other series games by this dev. Some of them I did enjoy, and I really liked some of the Hidden Object Scenes, particularly the ones where you rotated rings to match up images of each item.
I would recommend this Standard Edition version over the Collector's Edition version because the Collector's Edition version really doesn't have much to offer. Other than the usual Wallpapers (blurry and uninteresting) Concept Art, re-playable HO's and MG's etc. there are only 11 scenes out of 5 Chapters worth of scenes that have a Collectible! Here's a recap of my review (with the SE series list) to help you decide which version, if either is right for you:
Santa Muerte had a dream that only you could save the world of the Living from becoming the world of the Dead. If 12 innocent souls are gathered before the stroke of Midnight on The Day of the Dead, Shibalba will rise from the Underworld, and the world of the Living will kneel before him. You have given Redemption to countless souls over the years, but this time, everyone's soul's are at stake when the Dead Arise and the Living Fall!
As with all Redemption Cemetery games, the goal is to open portals and right the wrongs made in the past to redeem their souls and create a more favorable future outcome. You will need to redeem the souls of Aurellia, Bernardo, and Marie, but you aren't flying solo on this Myth-Debunking paranormal, soul-redeeming investigation, because once again you get a nameless Crow to soar to great heights to retrieve those items that have mysteriously ended up in places you can't reach.
Once again, they have included Conversation Choices, but they are a meaningless waste of time. I played the demo first, and then purchased the game at which point I created a new profile to start from the beginning. I discovered that once again, the conversation choices don't impact the outcome because I chose the opposite responses on purpose the second go-round, and the questions are so vague that the answer is always the same. I had the choice to ask something to the effect of Who are you vs how did you find me or something similar, the answer was the same both times "it doesn't matter, time is of the essence" response. The Rock, Paper, Scissors game with a pair of skeleton hands is the same scenario, the first time I chose rock which was wrong, then paper which was also wrong. The second profile I chose the Scissors because that was the correct answer the first time, again it was wrong, so it doesn't matter what you choose, it will always be the third try wins. My point is, why bother to include multiple choices if it doesn't affect the outcome, therefore, doesn't matter? If you want a smash-hit game dev, why not create a game that actually has features that will change the outcome of the game like in Bad Dreams Coma?
The Hidden Object Scenes could be more interesting and definitely more challenging. For example, on one of the HOS, silhouetted shapes are shown on both sides of a purse that requires you to place items from the purse into the silhouetted shapes, but the cursor not only changes to a hand, but it selects the items in a specific order so all you have to do is click anywhere because you're going to pick up what the game was programmed to pick up, not the item you want to choose. There are Keywords in Sentence finds to progress the story, Finding & Replacing HO's where they belong on book pages, Multiples of the same Object finds, Multiple Symbol Shapes finds, and several smaller Zoom-Zone Hidden Object Scenes (more zoom-zones than regular HOS) to find 8 broken buttons, 8 silhouetted shapes or a handful of Listed items, and so many berries you'll wonder why you didn't just wait until they grew back, or is that a feature in TM games? None of the HOS have many items to find, in fact, the first HOS only required you to find 1, sometimes 2 items per sentence in the Keyword finds, but then again, this is a game who's targeted audience is puzzle-lovers, and not so much hidden object fans.
The Mini-Games are in abundance, everytime you blink, there's a new puzzle so if you don't like puzzle-heavy games you'll probably hate this one. Below are brief descriptions of some of the games you'll encounter during the demo:
1-Play a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors with skeleton hands.
2-Arrange the gems according to color & then numerically.
3-Swap pie sections of the button to complete the design.
4-Select the needle when it's in the green zone x4.
5-Select and drag the skull through the shape w/o touching sides.
6-Light all candles, one affects others. (Casual/Hard)
7-Drag rows horizontally and vertically to recreate the image.
8-Use a lens to find symbols in order from simple to complex.
9-Move tokens in an L formation to their matching colored slots.
10-Swap puzzle pieces from the same ring section to complete.
11-Slide puzzle pieces to form a hole around the parrot shape.
12-Rotate 4 sections until they all fit together in the center.
13-Click to change column section images to match themes.
14-Select & drag all rows to create a path for the water to flow.
15-Select matching pairs of symbols under clouds that move.
2-Arrange the gems according to color & then numerically.
3-Swap pie sections of the button to complete the design.
4-Select the needle when it's in the green zone x4.
5-Select and drag the skull through the shape w/o touching sides.
6-Light all candles, one affects others. (Casual/Hard)
7-Drag rows horizontally and vertically to recreate the image.
8-Use a lens to find symbols in order from simple to complex.
9-Move tokens in an L formation to their matching colored slots.
10-Swap puzzle pieces from the same ring section to complete.
11-Slide puzzle pieces to form a hole around the parrot shape.
12-Rotate 4 sections until they all fit together in the center.
13-Click to change column section images to match themes.
14-Select & drag all rows to create a path for the water to flow.
15-Select matching pairs of symbols under clouds that move.
The Collector's Edition version has 12 Wallpapers, 9 Concept Art pictures, 7 Screensavers, 4 Music Soundtracks, 19 Movie Cutscenes, 13 Achievements to earn, 13 re-playable Hidden Object Scenes, 18 re-playable Mini-Games, 11 Collectible Tokens that give ancient Underworld descriptions from Aztec, Egypt, Greece, Japan, Tibet, Inca, Babylonia, India, Scandinavia, Europe and Maya) 5 Main Chapters +Bonus Chapter and a built-in Strategy Guide.
REDEMPTION CEMETERY SERIES LIST
Title***Standard Edition Release Date***Average Rating
Title***Standard Edition Release Date***Average Rating
1-Curse of the Raven (August 21-2010) 4.1
2-Children's Plight (September 9-2011) 4.4
3-Grave Testimony (August 31-2012) 3.9
4-Salvation of the Lost (May 17-2013) 4.2
5-Bitter Frost (January 24-2014) 3.4
6-The Island of the Lost (April 3-2015) 3.5
7-Clock of Fate (October 23-2015) 3.3
8-At Death's Door (June 3-2016) 3.3
9-Night Terrors (March 10-2017) 3.7
10-Embodiment of Evil (June 9-2017) 4.3
11-One Foot in the Grave (December 15-2017) 4.0
12-The Day of the Almost Dead (September 2-2018) n/a
2-Children's Plight (September 9-2011) 4.4
3-Grave Testimony (August 31-2012) 3.9
4-Salvation of the Lost (May 17-2013) 4.2
5-Bitter Frost (January 24-2014) 3.4
6-The Island of the Lost (April 3-2015) 3.5
7-Clock of Fate (October 23-2015) 3.3
8-At Death's Door (June 3-2016) 3.3
9-Night Terrors (March 10-2017) 3.7
10-Embodiment of Evil (June 9-2017) 4.3
11-One Foot in the Grave (December 15-2017) 4.0
12-The Day of the Almost Dead (September 2-2018) n/a
by: Amax Interactive
This magical detective mystery will put you on the case. Solve the crime and complete challenging solitaire deals!
Overall rating
1
/
5
62 of 65 found this review helpful
Round Two, EXACTLY THE SAME as Round One!
PostedSeptember 2, 2018
pennmom36
fromIf you're ready for a fantastic whodunit, crime-solving, solitaire game with an interesting plot, this is not it!
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Ancient Tripeaks II
(4)Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
I mistakenly gave the first game in this 3 game series 3 stars. I should have known better, nothing ever changes by this dev other than the title, and this game proves my statement! Look at the pictures shown in the synopsis for the previous game, the picture of the dark alley with a door and steps. It's the exact same picture location that this game has, exactly the same!
Story? What story? If there was the slightest chance you could have imagined a story by looking at the scenes in the first Detective Solitaire, then how can this be a continuation story if it has the exact same location pictures? If everything is exactly the same as the first game, and I'm positive it will be the same as the third game in this series, that tells me that once again, the only thing they changed was the title! They are taking advantage of the consumer, you and I!
You can choose from 9 Crime-themed card backs, and 3 face card font styles. The game begins with a tutorial in Newbie Mode which allows you to replay any level or Professional Mode which only allows you to play the entire 10 level pack.
This is a Higher/Lower style Solitaire game where the only goal is to remove all of the Gold Cards. Once the gold cards have been collected, you will earn the maximum amount of points and the game ends even if other regular cards remain. If you remove all gold cards you'll get a perfect score and the points of that level are added to the next level similar to bowling scores. You must earn the required amount of points to unlock the next location, there are 12 Locations and each location has 10 levels.
When you remove cards with a round blue gem, you will receive either +499 points, a Joker, a Shuffle or Mulligan (undo) and you can buy Jokers, Shuffles, and Mulligans within the Shop with the points you have earned.
Once again, this game states that there are Achievements to earn, but I've yet to earn one, but then again, I didn't play further than the demo because I have no desire to waste money on a game that has nothing new to offer. I refuse to even use a PCC. When and if they decide to change something other than the title, I may consider it, but only if they make an option that allows me to remove all of the cards, not just the Gold Cards.
DETECTIVE SOLITAIRE SERIES LIST
Title***Release Date***Average Rating
Title***Release Date***Average Rating
1-Inspector Magic (August 12-2018) 2.8
2-Inspector Magic And The Forbidden Magic (September 2-2018) n/a
3-Inspector Magic And The Man Without A Face
2-Inspector Magic And The Forbidden Magic (September 2-2018) n/a
3-Inspector Magic And The Man Without A Face
by: 8 Floor LTD.
I don't recommend this game.
Prince Percydal was turned into a frog and only a kiss from his love, princess Repunzel can save him! Finding her won't be easy...
Overall rating
3
/
5
61 of 71 found this review helpful
THIRD TIME'S A CHARM I SUPPOSE
PostedSeptember 1, 2018
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I love the clutter style games from Shaman Games and I own all of them but I wasn't all that impressed with this one. The last game offered was super easy and wasn't really challenging, but that's okay because I just played it for relaxation, I figured I could replay the previous ones if I wanted more challenge.
The first thing I noticed was that this was the third release in their Hiddenverse series but it's the second part of their regular clutter style series, which is somewhat confusing. This is the part that I don't mention what I mentioned before.
You have two game difficulty modes to choose from, relaxed and a regular mode. The object of this game is to remove items from a heaping pile of junk, but the styles change with each level. Sometimes you have to remove Matching Pairs, Triple Pairs, Big & Small Matches (1 big object and it's mate in a small version) Half Matches (2 fragments that go together) Black & White (1 object in color its mate colorless)
The Challenge levels have returned, after every fourth level, you can play a multi-game level. You can play these challenges in any order, which includes a Mini-Game such as Pipes (rotate pipes to make a continuous path) A Pair Match game where you flip over 2 cards at a time to try to find matches, and a Clutter game which has one or two piles of clutter, and you drag the items one by one, from each heaping pile until you find and remove all matching objects.
They have added a Match 3 feature where you can switch between the Witch's Tales of Clutter or the Frog Prince's Match 3 games. Removing Crystals with a single click will make the Hint option recharge faster.
HIDDENVERSE SERIES LIST
Title***Release Date***Average Rating
Title***Release Date***Average Rating
1-Spirit of the Ancient Forest (June 29-2017) 4.1
2-A Plot Story (September 21-2017) 4.0
3-Witch's Tales (October 31-2017) 3.7
4-Dream Walker (December 15-2017) 2.9
5-Hiddenverse: The Iron Tower (February 7-2018) 3.6
6-Hiddenverse: Tale of Arianda (May 14-2018) 3.2
7-Hiddenverse: Witch's Tales 2 (August 29-2018) n/a
2-A Plot Story (September 21-2017) 4.0
3-Witch's Tales (October 31-2017) 3.7
4-Dream Walker (December 15-2017) 2.9
5-Hiddenverse: The Iron Tower (February 7-2018) 3.6
6-Hiddenverse: Tale of Arianda (May 14-2018) 3.2
7-Hiddenverse: Witch's Tales 2 (August 29-2018) n/a
by Shaman Games
I don't recommend this game.