pennmom36's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.7
- Helpful Votes:358,445
- Reviews Submitted:4711
- First Review:December 10, 2012
- Most Recent Review:March 30, 2025
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Join the penguin family as they travel to the edge of the world to extend the mosaics color palette!
Overall rating
5
/
5
68 of 78 found this review helpful
They're On The Edge Of Glory, And They're Bringing Us Some Beautiful Puzzles
PostedJanuary 9, 2017
pennmom36
fromDo penguins have 10 fingers and 10 toes? I hope so because at least we'll get game # 20!
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(100)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Those Penguin's are alway's on the go, but this time, they managed to make it to the Edge of the World! Hopefully this doesn't mean the end of their family adventures! As with all Fantasy Mosaic games, every step you take in this puzzle helps the penguins discover unusual items for their garden.
This latest version still has 6 different color bubbles, but they have added several new colors in the last two games, including fluorescent colors. You can switch between the color bubbles to help you solve these colorful griddlers, and you can earn a Gold trophy if you make no mistakes, a Silver trophy if you make one mistake and a Bronze trophy if you make two mistakes, three mistakes require you to replay the level. You will also earn up to three gold Stars if you don't use any hints, one star is deducted each time you use a hint. Therefore, it is possible to make a mistake or two but still earn 3 stars if you don't use any hints.
This is a griddler or mosaic type puzzle game where you fill in and cross of cells on various sized grids, using logic, so you'll never have to guess. There are groups of numbers located on each column and row of the grid, each group of numbers must be separated by at least one blank or crossed off cell. Sometimes it's easier to figure out where numbers can't possibly fit to reduce the amount of cells and narrow the playing field down a bit. Some cells contain bonuses such as extra hints, extra mistakes allowed or an extra pickaxe which allows you to choose which cell you want a hint on. There is a Sun icon as well that when fully charged, will give you a mega hint, filling in or crossing off a 3x3 area of your choice.
The one feature that makes Fantasy Mosaics stand out from the rest of the griddler games, is the vibrant array of colors available, and now there's six different colors used to make the pictures even better. It can also help you solve the puzzle when you get stuck, because you can switch to another color which ultimately narrows down the available cells. Unlike many griddler games, these pictures actually make sense, because they have six different colors you know what image you have created.
This is my favorite Mosaic Griddler series and is one of the best available, and certainly the most colorful. This is a must have game for griddler geeks and an immediate purchase for this geek, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
The town of Brightfield is under attack by a mysterious infection!
Overall rating
4
/
5
61 of 77 found this review helpful
Brightfield's Not Looking So Bright Lately
PostedJanuary 8, 2017
pennmom36
fromWasn't that nice of Mr. Cyanide to let me keep my dog after knocking me unconcious?
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(100)Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
The last Mystery Trackers, Train to Hellswich, was a complete disaster, but it appears that the Mystery Trackers train is back on track, just in the nick of time! (how long is a nick of time?) You're going to need a hazmat suit and a gas mask for this investigation detective as you return to the troubled little town of Brightfield where the citizens of this frozen little town, are victims of a biological experiment. All it takes is a single breath of not so fresh air, and within minutes, an amazing biological transformation takes place, turning man into beast. What is the purpose of this cruel experiment? Is it too late to contain this Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde potion?
You can't investigate without a partner by your side, and Elf is the best man, er, dog for the job. He looks super awesome in his custom made hazmat suit, however, the purpose of a hazmat suit is to create an airtight seal to keep the good stuff in and the bad stuff out. The problem with Elf's suit is that his tail isn't covered so let's keep our fingers crossed that poor little Elf doesn't turn into a massive, rabid, Pit Bull. The most important piece of equipment you have on this case, is your Gas Mask, but the filters need to be changed often or you may as well just breath the atmosphere. There is a Gas Mask meter on the left of the screen that indicates when you need to stop investigating, and start looking for a new filter. This is a feature I happen to love because the Gas Mask filters just so happen to be Morphing Objects, but the beauty of this feature is that the Morphing Object doesn't morph until it's time for a new filter! This feature is still available in this Standard Edition version, which make this version well worth the price, most SE games don't include Morphing Objects.
The Collector's Edition version has Collectible Playing Cards to find, (but I haven't finished the game yet to see what the cards are for) There are also Collectible Fresco Puzzle Pieces to find, and a variety of Achievements to earn, a Strategy Guide, Wallpapers and all the other usual CE bling.
The Hidden Object Scenes are varied with Interactive List finds, Silhouetted Shape finds and even a scene where you find the correct section in a picture as shown on puzzle tile squares. I will say that I rarely use the hint feature on a HOP, in fact I can usually find the correct objects without looking at the list, but I had to use the hint on both the first HOP and the second because they have done a wonderful job hiding items in plain sight, so bravo my big eared elephant devs.
The Mini Games are a vast improvement over the previous easy breezy games offered in the last several Mystery Tracker games. Some puzzles are still fairly easy, some aren't, but most are entertaining. Below are brief descriptions of some of the games you'll encounter during the demo:
1) Slide tokens along a triangle shaped track until they align with the correct symbols.
2) Drag tiles along the grid to their correct positions.
3) Open the first aid kit by adjusting 3 sliders to complete the image on the token.
4) Move the red ball along the tracks traversing every line just once.
5) Match the picture on the large octagon with the images next to them, using the yellow center to rotate and swap the octagons.
6) Connect each square to one or more squares with one or two lines. Select gaps between squares to add or remove lines which cannot cross.
7) Enter the code according to the clue shown.
The Collector's Edition has 8 Concept Art pictures, 8 Wallpapers, a Secret Room which is secret, 33 (to the best of my counting skills) Collectible Fresco Puzzle Pieces, Morphing Gas Mask replacements (this feature can be turned off) 4 Music Soundtracks, 22 Achievements to earn, a built in Strategy Guide and a Bonus Chapter. Give the demo a try and I think you'll agree that this is a much better version of the last few dud Mystery Trackers games, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Can you save your missing mother in time?
Overall rating
4
/
5
180 of 207 found this review helpful
THE WITCH THAT ISN'T THERE
PostedJanuary 7, 2017
pennmom36
from"Mom could be inside, I should investigate" ya, think! Ain't that why we're here?
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(100)Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Witches' Legacy used to be one of my favorite series, I loved following the story of Lynne and Edward, the good witch who fell in love with the witch hunter. Her entire family was murdered by the evil witch who hoped to turn her towards the dark side, even her family's pet dog was turned into a hideous Imp! Then one morning I woke up to find all this changed, and an entirely different family was introduced, and I just couldn't get into their family saga.
Witches' Legacy is now all about the Sanders' family, Julia and her children, Nicky and Jack. Bertha is an unofficial family member who was able to change herself into a ferret, but posesses no other whichly powers. Jack is a scientist, and a non-believer, that is until he came face to face with the evil witch Cassandra, who cast an aging spell on him and his mother, after taking over his sister Nicky's body. In the last episode, Jack's girlfriend, Anabel was tricked into entering the sacred city to take a staff that could only be retrieved by a good witch. This was a nefarious plan concocted by the last remaining dark witches who called upon the Ice Sorcerers twins, Mara and Marcus, as a last ditch effort to destroy all that is good.
Fast forwarding to this edition, Julia Sanders has decided to write a new book about her mother, Beatrice. She had very little information to go by, so she travels to her mothers home town of Sallenville. Grandma Beatrice's last memory of Sallenville, was as a young girl saying a tearful goodbye to her father who remained in the city that burned to the ground. When their mother cannot be reached, Jack and Nicky become concerned, and naturally, Jack grabs his trusty ferret Bertha and heads to Sallenville in search for mom, and discovers some very interesting facts about his Great Grandfather, Hector, the witch hunter, who may have paid dearly for hunting the wrong witch!
As my title imply's, there aren't any witches in the demo of "The City That Isn't There" Surely, after the demo, Jack will encounter a witch or two, but for now, it seems that this game is just a story of how it was, how the Sander's family came to this point. I must admit, that I hated the last game, the bizaar graphics and weird stortline were just too much for me to handle, because I just wanted the story to be about Lynne and Edward, not Yeti's that need a haircut! Something about this game, however, piqued my interest, perhaps because this game was more of a background story, that I wanted to learn more about. Perhaps I just liked this game because I have a dreaded bug of somesort, and playing this adventure took my mind off how bad I feel this morning. Witches' Legacy seems to have taken a very strange turn, because the last two episodes are just strange, the graphics are strange, the characters are strange, someone on the team nust have a really bizaar imagination, or perhaps they just didn't know how to make the story flow from one scene to another so they just stuck in some weird aspects to try to make it appear more interesting, who knows?
In this Collector's Edition version, there are 34 Morphing Objects and 36 hidden Jigsaw Puzzle Pieces that will give you more information about the characters and allow you to assemble 4 different Jigsaw Puzzles and use them as Wallpapers. There are also the usual Achievements to earn, and a built in Strategy Guide.
The Hidden Object Scenes are multi-layered with at least two different types in each scene, which is actually the norm in this series. There are Interacive List Finds, Keywords in a sentence finds, objects to find which when placed on the inventory bar will open up the list, or the list opens to expose useful items to interact with the scene. Most of the HOP's have a small puzzle to solve, and there's an alternate Matching game to play if you're not into the HOP's. There are also the familiar Zoom Zone mini HOP's where you must find 6 fragments that are located within the entire current location such as 6 shoes, or 6 fire spirits.
The Mini Games are all doable, some are really easy, but most are of normal difficulty. Below are brief descriptions of some of the games you'll encounter during the demo:
1) Select the dangerous roots to step on, in a whack-a-mole type of game.
2) Swap puzzle tiles to restore the image on a jewelry box lid.
3) Use items located on the sides to help Hector navigate through the boarding house rooms to save the girls.
4) Rotate tiles to complete a path from the top left to the bottom right.
5) Arrange lenses to reflect the light beams to the bottom.
6) Place the gears onto their matching Silhouetted Shapes.
7) There are several ingredients to find for each recepie inside of Jack's Chemist Kit.
This collector's Edition has 9 Wallpapers, 12 Concept Art pictures, 3 Screensavers, 3 Music Soundtracks, 11 Achievements, 34 Morphing Objects, 36 Hidden Jigsaw Puzzle Pieces, 4 Jigsaw Puzzles to assemble with the Jigsaw Puzzle Pieces and save as Wallpapers, a built in Strategy Guide and a Bonus Adventure, enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Can you stop the Brotherhood of Stone Masks in time?
Overall rating
4
/
5
67 of 82 found this review helpful
MIRACLES AREN"T CHEAP
PostedJanuary 6, 2017
pennmom36
fromSeems like a stone mask would be incredibly cumbersome!
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(100)Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I consider this edition of Immortal Love, more of a story about morals, and what paths people choose to take, than a romance or love story. Yes, it's also about lost lovers finding each other, AND it's about the sacrifices true love must sometimes make. I will admit that this game tends to be predictable and somewhat easy to navigate through puzzle after puzzle, but I love the subtle messages of morality that challenges me to consider my own morality. If I was given a second chance, if someone was able to heal my wounds, make me whole again, or cure a disease that otherwise was incurable, what changes would I make and what would I do differently moving forward? There's always going to be an internal conflict, you can't appreciate good if you've never faced evil, right?
Immortal Love 2 is about The Price of a Miracle,which centers around an ancient artifact that can make miracles come true. It can repair lost limbs, and cure the incurable, but nothing is ever free, and in this case, the cost may not be affordable! Unfortunately, this artifact has polar opposites, day & night, light & dark, good & evil. Not only can it fix what's broken, but it can bestow upon you, supernatural abilities. Now that Louisa has claimed ownership of the artifact, it has decided to give her the powers previously given to members of the Order who have used and abused their powers against others, for their own personal gain. The artifact has allowed her to use these powers only once, so she must reserve them when it is a necessity.
The Collector's Edition version does lack in the CE Bling department, which we've become accustomed to lately. Other than replayable games, wallpapers, achievements and a strategy guide, there's really just one collectible feature available in each scene. Each scene has one or two Portrait Puzzle Pieces to find, and there is a pull out tab that indicates how many puzzle pieces are in your current location. After a few scenes you will rescue a weasel of some sort that helps you by climbing trees and retrieving items you can't get to, but I'm not sure how long she sticks around to help after the demo, because I've been too busy to complete the game as of yet.
The Hidden Object Scenes are mostly Interactive List finds, but the scenes are decent and the graphics are bright enough to allow you to see the items, as well as recognize the items shown. There's nothing really notable in the demo as far as HOP's go, but in my opinion there are very few games that offer incredible HOP's, I care more about the Mini Games than the Hidden Object Scenes which no longer try to "hide" the objects by blending them into the existing objects to offer a challenge, instead they simply throw a bunch of junk into the corner or on a table. Most of the time I can figure out which objects to choose without even looking at the list!
The Mini Games are in abundance in this game, most are fairly doable, but that's way better than the frustrating kind any day of the week. Below are brief descriptions of some of the games you'll encounter during the demo:
1) Throw a grappling hook when the slider reaches the yellow mark.
2) Place buttons into the correct slots based upon the images.
3) Swap pie shaped pieces to create the correct 3 pictures to show the symptoms, cause and treatment of injury.
4) Move each token next to the picture it is associated with, moving one token may affect others.
5) Rotate segments of the cryptex to complete the image.
6) Choose the correct symbols on the door knocker as shown in the clue.
7) Select the correct stones as shown in the clue.
8) Select the correct items on each customer order sheet.
9) Click on tokens to turn all of them blue, clicking on one token may affect others.
10) Restore the pictures by dragging torn fragments to the rotational arrows to position the pieces correctly before placing them.
11) Place pieces of a gas mask correctly.
The Collector's Edition has 4 Screensavers, 6 Wallpapers, 14 before and after Concept Art pictures, 6 Music Soundtracks, replayable Mini Games and Hidden Object Scenes, replayable Movie clips, 23 Achievements to earn, a built in Strategy Guide and a Bonus Chapter. I know this game isn't for everyone, but because I love stories that make me think "what would I do if...." I enjoyed the game, so keep an open mind and you may just enjoy the storyline as well :)
I recommend this game!
Easter Island is under attack by living statues!
Overall rating
5
/
5
227 of 264 found this review helpful
IT'S UP TO ME TO SAVE THE WORLD AGAIN
PostedJanuary 5, 2017
pennmom36
fromTurns out, it doesn't matter if you choose the Life Sphere or the Death Sphere!
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(100)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Atakhter the Golem God has escaped his volcanic prison and is steaming mad! The Head Seeker, Takh Taash has sent her finest recruit to search the worlds for other Seekers to aid in the defeate of the stone giant. Until now, you had no idea you posessed the powers only a Seeker can obtain, no wonder you're such a great MI6 agent! Looks like Easter Island wasn't the perfect vacation destination after all, because those peaceful Moai statues now have laser eyeballs, destroying anything and everything that moves! You'll have to learn your Seeker abilities on the fly, because this walking volcano is angry, and wants to destroy the world, on your watch!
Labyrinths of the World is a series that often fly's under the radar, the games offered are usually quite good, but for whatever reason, they often go unnoticed sitting next to the bigger, well known series games. Secrets of Easter Island isn't necessarily a new storyline, but it does take place on Easter Island, which is a new location twist, The last game took place at Stonehenge, so I'm loving this devs Ancient Alien vibe lately. As Collector's Edition's go, this one seems to have all the bells and whistles you could ask for, they are interesting, but I wish they were less obvious, in fact, wouldn't it be awesome if you could tweak how difficult you want the "extra's" to be, on the custom setting? There are a ton of Achievements to earn, 20 Morphing Mythological Creatures, 20 Ancient Artifacts, and 22 Statuettes to collect throughout the game. There are 63 collectible Crystal Flowers to find which allows you to purchase items to decorate your Garden House as well. There are Icons located on top of the Inventory Bar that indicate which collectable is available in each scene.
The Hidden Object Scenes are varied, with finding Keywords in a Sentence etc, but for the most part, they are Interactive List finds. Most of the HOP's offer a small interactive puzzle to solve, and there is an alternate Match 3 game to play if you're not into HOP's
The Mini Games are numerous and entertaining, and most of the puzzles give you the option to play the game in either an Easy of Hard mode which is a feature I really like. Below are brief descriptions of some of the games you'll encounter during the demo:
1) Arrange the color coded notes according to the drawing, moving one note may affect another.
2) Guide footprints from one arrow to the next, hiding in bushes and avoiding obstacles.
3) Create a path for the rope to pass through every carabiner, while avoiding obstacles.
4) Restore the picture by swapping triangle puzzle pieces.
5) Rotate circular tokens to recreate the image, selecting one token to rotate may affect others.
6) Drag glass shards to reassemble the broken glass pane.
7) Press the same symbols as shown on the highlighted instructions.
8) Recreate the path shown on the capsule activator by swapping tiles.
9) Put the triangles on the matching color sections, press the center to rotate the triangles.
10) Restore the picture by swapping two parts on the same circular track.
This Collector's Edition has 20 collectible Ancient Artifacts, 20 Morphing Mythological Creatures, 22 collectible Statuettes, 63 Hidden Crystal Flowers which allow you to buy 16 different decorations for your Garden Room, 20 Wallpapers, 36 Achievements to earn, 30 replayable Mini Games, 18 replayable Hidden Object Scenes, Match 3 game alternative, 5 Music Soundtracks, 20 replayable Video cutscenes, a built in Strategy Guide and a Bonus Adventure, Seek and enjoy!
I recommend this game!
Can you stop a destructive scientist before it's too late?
Overall rating
3
/
5
64 of 75 found this review helpful
There's Something About Mary
PostedJanuary 4, 2017
pennmom36
fromDoesn't the Cheif sound like Chris Hansen?
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(100)Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
The Curio Society is one of my least favorite game series for several reasons. For starters, the stories are lame, and run of the mill, been there, done that a million times, kind of stories. The Curio Society agents use an array of outrageous gimmicky tools that are supposed to be the latest and greatest devices invented by some of the world's most brilliant scientist, which make this game seem like a cheap generic knockoff of Mystery Trackers. The graphics consists of unrealistic gold, purple, blue, red and green hues, but then they got carried away and decided that you can't have too much of a good thing so the addend more purple, then more blue, then more red, some more green, and then they just bumped up the colors full force so the gold smacks you in the face, the blue practically blinds you, and the green overwhelms you, by the time you get used to all those colors, red jumps out at you to permanently disable you from seeing colors ever again! Why are there an overabundance of color hues? It's not a fairytale, is it? In my opion, it's to draw your attention away from the fuzzy, grainy graphics.
I was more than slightly entertained by the Mini Games offered, and they are in abundance which, unlike the purple hues, are welcomed by my inner puzzle geek. As I mentioned earlier, this series always has gimmicky weapons at your disposal, and with this game, if you can imagine it, you're probably going to find that device eventually. The "go to" device you can't do without is an Anti-Gravity Scepter, which seems to have enough energy to lift vehicles off the ground and heave giant solid granite boulders! I found this a little ironic because I used my state of the art scepter to lift an overturned car off of my colleague, to undoubtedly save her life, then I rush over to a dilapidated intercom box that looked like it was built in 1960, yank out all the old wires and run about town doing a bunch of meaningless tasks, I just happen to come across a new set of wires that will work perfectly on my intercom system. I return to the intercom box area where I presumably step over my dying colleague lying in the middle of the road, and probably over her purse as well, that I just looted and threw back down on the ground, I toss the new set of wires at (not into) the box and they magically line up where they need to be, I grab my electrical tape (which I knew I'd need when I found the tape earlier) and wrap the wires so nobody would get electrocuted and OSHA wouldn't fine the agency who would in turn deduct it out of my paycheck. Now all that's left to do is close the box and push the giant red cross which calls the Ambulance! If the scientists are so good, why do I need a call box, doesn't the agency provide me with a smartphone, or at least a dumbphone?
The Collector's Edition version has plenty of collectible items, just not that many of each one so this is either a really short game, or many of the location scenes don't have a collectible. There are 20 devices referred to as Maxwell's Inventions (hope they're better than the ambulance call button) and 14 Morphing Objects which are absurd prototypes, most of which are really large and difficult not to spot. There are several Notes that you will come across, and these too are considered collectibles as they are stored in your journal for later reference if needed. Finally, there are Film Strip Collectibles that will eventually be from 6 different reels, 4 strips per reel, I hope we get a cartoon to watch before the reel show.
The Hidden Object Scenes are just okay, nothing to write home about bad nor good. There are Interactive List finds, finding Keywords in a sentence, Spot the difference, finding Matching pairs by moving two items at a time, and Silhouetted Shape finds.
The Mini Games is this games saving grace in my opinion, it's the best feature it has going for it. Most of the games allow you to customize the difficulty of the puzzle, either Easy or Hard, which is way cool! Below are brief descriptions of some of the games you'll encounter during the demo:
1) Rotate cogwheels to restore the image, rotating one cog may affect others.
2) Move spheres along the track to their color coded slots.
3) Dial a phone number on a rotary phone dial.
4) Rotate tiles to create a path.from left to right.
5) Restore the image by selecting a tile which will swap the adjacent tile.
6) Place numbered weights on the board where arrows would cross with that specific number of times.
7) Use the Ocular device to search the dark for symbols shown.
8) Place symbol fragments on the outline correctly.
9) Use arrows to move tiles on rows and columns to complete the picture.
10) Move statue pieces from the right peg to the left peg, large pieces cannot go on top of smaller pieces.
11) Guide the green crystal to three different slots to open the door, using the crystal to move cogs until the desired opening direction has been achieved.
12) Move token parts to the center without crossing over one another.
13) Recreate symbols sections.
14) Place dominoes to fill all spaces.
15) Fill tubes to the lines, one valve my affect others.
The Collector's Edition has 10 Wallpapers, 8 Concept Art pictures, 17 replayable Mini Games, 18 replayable Hidden Object Scenes, 5 Music Soundtracks, 6 Film Reels with 4 strips each, 20 Maxwell's Inventions, 22 Achievements, 14 Morphing Objects, Collectible Note pages, a built in Strategy Guide and a Bonus Chapter.
I don't recommend this game.
Help Rory save her Uncle's Restaurant! Enjoy Match-3 gameplay in 70 challenging levels, combined with a great culinary story!
Overall rating
3
/
5
74 of 81 found this review helpful
Better Than The Original But Still Not That Gr8
PostedJanuary 3, 2017
pennmom36
fromUncle J should hang up his chef's hat!
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Haunted Domains
(48)Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I lasted about 15 minutes in Rory's first Restaurant, the food was horrible and so was the game. I will give them credit for trying, because I was able to play most of the demo of Winter Rush. I still don't get why this game would appeal to either Match 3 fans or Time Management fans, (because this is a cross between a Time Management game and a Match 3) it simply doesn't work, and the tile "ingredients" are very difficult to find matches for because it's hard to diferenciate between them.
The goal is to match at least 3 of the same ingredients in order to fulfil the customers order. The customers show up on the left side of the screen and two or three ingredient combinations are shown with numbers on each ingredient indicating how many matches you'll have to make of each ingredient, to complete their order. When all ingredients have been collected, you click on the money to collect it and another customer takes his place. You can click on specific customers to prioritize who gets served first, because some customers pay better than others and serving them quickly will net you more money.
The money earned is used to purchase more recipes, or upgrade existing ones, thus, giving you more ingredients on the board to match. There are 10 Achievements to earn, and after completing a few levels, you will play some sort of Mini Game. In the demo, there are two different Mini Games, an Interactive Hidden Object Puzzle, and a Waffle making game where you are tasked with serving customers their favorite Waffle ingredients in the correct order. All of this was boring for me, and has very little entertainment value, in my opinion, but who knows, you might just love this game so try the demo first.
I don't recommend this game.
As this young couple found, evil never asks for permission to drive a wedge between even the strongest bond.
Overall rating
3
/
5
34 of 46 found this review helpful
The Four Elemental Gatekeepers
PostedJanuary 2, 2017
pennmom36
fromDon't forget to click on the skeleton to access the puzzle instructions.
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(100)Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Albert received a letter offering him a job restoring an aging mansion. He and his fiance have been financially struggling for quite some time, so he didn't hesitate to accept the offer. It has been several weeks since anyone has heard from Albert, prompting his fiance to pack her bags and hop on the first coach available, to find out what has happened to her beloved. Once she arrives at the estate, her first impression is that Albert seems to have vanished into thin air. There's not a soul in sight, well actually, there are plenty of souls in and around the mansion, they just don't have a living, breathing body to go with their souls! It soon becomes evident that black magic and the occult is somehow involved in Albert's disappearance, after stumbling upon a gate portal guarded by four otherworldly gatekeepers. You must find and assemble eleven missing parts of an ancient amulet, and use the power of the four elements to destroy the gatekeepers. This is where all the evidence points to Albert's whereabouts, if he's still alive!
This is a very old school Hidden Object Puzzle game, with unusually large unproportional graphics. The game mechanics are clunky and the cutscenes lag so much that I was left staring at a black screen for what seemed by an eternity. Some of the inventory items took several attempts to pick up and use from the inventory bar, which drove me nutz! The eyes have it in this case, becaues they are everywhere, a giant eyeball shows up to indicate every available zoom zone or exit.
The Hidden Object Scenes are sparse and they are simple Interactive List finds with a small puzzle such as swapping square tiles.
The Mini Games are pretty simple as well, and at first I didn't think they came with instructions but then I discovered that you have to click on the skeleton on the bottom left next to the inventory bar, this will drop down a question mark which will explain the puzzle directions. The puzzles include a "blocks" type game, one that requires you to remove several bars in a specific order, and one that requires you to set clock hands using color coded buttons.
This isn't a horrible game, it's just an older style HOP. I wouldn't recommend this game to experts, and I don't know if it's worth real money, but prolly ok for a coupon.
There's been a murder at Count Oldgrey's!
Overall rating
2
/
5
97 of 115 found this review helpful
FAULTY GAME
PostedJanuary 1, 2017
pennmom36
fromI'm the Faulty Creature after playing this game!
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(100)Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
There has been a murder committed at the Oldgrey Manor and the Minister of Interior has asked you to investigate.
Why just one sentence? Because this game is completely and utterly boring. This game has nothing new to offer, it's the same as hundreds of other games available. The graphics are typical ERS hand drawn graphics, dark scenes, large manors, iron gates, locked doors, fireplaces burning, everything looks the same as all the other ERS games, same furniture, same time frame, same clothing styles, same dark ages, stuck in time era. To make matters worse, some of the characters are made to look like incompetent idiots, one officer is holding a live electrical wire and says "would you look at this" The father, Robert gets offended when you question him about nut shells on the floor, because he feels it's perfectly normal to throw them on the floor if he own the house. The chief of police panics when he hears commotion coming from a room with a locked door but can't figure out how to get to them. After playing the demo, I've come to the conclusion that this murder is not worth solving.
The storyline is always the same, you are a detective investigating a murder again, and you do very little investigating because you're too busy finding and mixing medical concoctions, and fixing broken and missing locks on every single door and gate in the manor, not to mention numerous trinkets, picture frames, first aid kits, ponds and boxes. How the family members survive without you is a mystery to me!
There are two features in this game (and all other games ERS offers) that I absolutely despise. First of all, I have to play their games in a small windowed mode, because the game is so stretched on my large monitor that I cannot see important features on either side, including the options menu which I can only see the first couple of letters. Even in the HOP's there are often items on my list located on the edges that I would never find unless I shrink the screen size. I have mentioned this every time I beta test these games, but it never gets resolved. Secondly, the Hidden Object Scenes are always repeated at least once, and sometimes twice in the same place which is so boring, I wish there was an option to skip the HOP's!
The Hidden Object Scenes are all the same, and probably always will be slightly Interactive List finds. There is usually a small puzzle available to solve to receive the final inventory item. They are so predictable, that I can find most of the items without even looking at the list! Once again, you will have to revisit the HOP scene at least once, which make the HOP's in this game even more boring.
The Mini Games are nearly the same in every Haunted Legends game. Below are brief descriptions of some of the games you'll encounter during the demo:
1) Select lock pins in the correct order by trial and error.
2) Move the light projections to match the symbol on the stone.
3) Recreate the image by selecting and dragging puzzle slrips.
4) Fix a torn photo by correctly placing torn fragments.
5) Select gears in the correct order by trial and error.
6) Rotate tokens so that all symbols line up.
The Collector's Edition has 16 replayable Mini Games, 23 Hidden Object Scenes, 9 Movies, 4 Music Soundtracks, 5 Screensavers, Concept Art pictures, Wallpapers, 11 Achievements to earn, 12 Collectible Skulls, Weather Stone collectibles (5 burning suns, 5 rain clouds, 5 snowflake symbols) a built in Strategy Guide and a Bonus Chapter.
I don't recommend this game.
Can you stop a devious plot against the Vermillion Watch?
Overall rating
5
/
5
217 of 253 found this review helpful
FOR SOME DEATH IS ONLY THE BEGINNING
PostedDecember 31, 2016
pennmom36
fromAwe, did Phineas Fog just ask if I had spending money!?
Skill Level:Expert
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat Collector's Edition
(100)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Last night, a very talented thief stole a valuable item from the Mr. Singh's vault. The missing item is a rare meteor fragment worth more than it's weight in diamonds, but Phileas Fogg believes the motive is not just about the items value. Just when you thought the Red Queen would no longer be a problem, she rare's her ugly crown once more to keep the Vermillion Watch on their toes! Move over Sherlock Holmes, there's a new detective on the scene, the likes of which the streets of London have never seen! (prolly cause of the split pea soup fog) Young Hawkes has assumed the role of her dearly departed Grandfather, Ernest Hawkes, but this latest criminal has proven to be quite a challenge. Dubbed the "Gentleman Thief" this criminal may be sophisticated , but mostly, he's one tough thief to keep up with!
I'm really liking what I'm seeing from this new series. The Vermillion Watch is mirrored after the Sherlock Holmes mysteries that take place in the famous streets of London in the early 1900's. The graphics do a fantastic job keeping in tune to the period, the clothing, the fog, the stagecoaches, the lamps along the streets, even the character's accents will make you feel like you're there. I especially love the feature that allows you to choose which area you want to investigate first, in this edition you have three different locations to investigate, the haunted Graveyard, Bridgetown, and the local College. Many of the scenes offer Panoramic views, where you can scroll further to the left or right in an attempt to make the player feel like they are actually there. This Collector's Edition offers the usual Achievements to earn, and there are 41 Hidden Lightning Bolts to collect.
The Hidden Object Scenes are well done, again the devs have done a nice job of keeping the items true to the period of time. Don't forgot to look for the Morphing Object in each scene. There are Keywords in a story finds, Combination finds where you find an item that is described by 2 Silhouetted Shapes when combined, and even smaller Zoom Zone HOP's. I enjoyed the Hidden Object Scene that required you to find multiples of items that represented Rage, Greed and Cold.
The Mini Games are very doable, most are of good length and entertaining. Below are brief descriptions of some of the games you'll encounter during the demo:
1) Find and select the differences between the pictures on playing cards, ignoring the suit features themselves.
2) Watch the thugs moves, then select your arms in the correct order to block his punches.
3) Select the ball when it reaches the rectangle to fight off the violinist.
4) Connect the triangles on either side of the cryptex with a continuous line by rotating sections. Then find the exact area that matches the picture clue. Repeat 3 different times.
5) Select the arrows to find the figures from the poster, on the stage to reveal a code.
6) Open all of the man's fingers, selecting one finger may affect other's.
This Collector's Edition has 15 Morphing Objects within the HOP's, 9 Concept Art pictures, p Dev pictures, 9 Wallpapers, 11 Music Soundtracks, 14 Videos, a Souvenir Room, 18 Achievements to earn, 15 replayable Hidden Object Scenes, 20 replayable Mini Games, Collectible Characters, a built in Strategy Guide and a Bonus Adventure, enjoy!
I'm really liking what I'm seeing from this new series. The Vermillion Watch is mirrored after the Sherlock Holmes mysteries that take place in the famous streets of London in the early 1900's. The graphics do a fantastic job keeping in tune to the period, the clothing, the fog, the stagecoaches, the lamps along the streets, even the character's accents will make you feel like you're there. I especially love the feature that allows you to choose which area you want to investigate first, in this edition you have three different locations to investigate, the haunted Graveyard, Bridgetown, and the local College. Many of the scenes offer Panoramic views, where you can scroll further to the left or right in an attempt to make the player feel like they are actually there. This Collector's Edition offers the usual Achievements to earn, and there are 41 Hidden Lightning Bolts to collect.
The Hidden Object Scenes are well done, again the devs have done a nice job of keeping the items true to the period of time. Don't forgot to look for the Morphing Object in each scene. There are Keywords in a story finds, Combination finds where you find an item that is described by 2 Silhouetted Shapes when combined, and even smaller Zoom Zone HOP's. I enjoyed the Hidden Object Scene that required you to find multiples of items that represented Rage, Greed and Cold.
The Mini Games are very doable, most are of good length and entertaining. Below are brief descriptions of some of the games you'll encounter during the demo:
1) Find and select the differences between the pictures on playing cards, ignoring the suit features themselves.
2) Watch the thugs moves, then select your arms in the correct order to block his punches.
3) Select the ball when it reaches the rectangle to fight off the violinist.
4) Connect the triangles on either side of the cryptex with a continuous line by rotating sections. Then find the exact area that matches the picture clue. Repeat 3 different times.
5) Select the arrows to find the figures from the poster, on the stage to reveal a code.
6) Open all of the man's fingers, selecting one finger may affect other's.
This Collector's Edition has 15 Morphing Objects within the HOP's, 9 Concept Art pictures, p Dev pictures, 9 Wallpapers, 11 Music Soundtracks, 14 Videos, a Souvenir Room, 18 Achievements to earn, 15 replayable Hidden Object Scenes, 20 replayable Mini Games, Collectible Characters, a built in Strategy Guide and a Bonus Adventure, enjoy!
I recommend this game!