ElitistGeek's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.9
- Helpful Votes:602
- Reviews Submitted:16
- First Review:September 28, 2013
- Most Recent Review:October 31, 2013
- Featured reviews0
Status:
To save your father from a hideous monster, you've decided to sacrifice your own freedom. Now you must journey through a strange and magical land before time runs out!
Overall rating
4
/
5
18 of 23 found this review helpful
Wonderful and Beautiful as to be expected by ERS, but something's missing...
PostedOctober 31, 2013
ElitistGeek
fromBrandon, FL
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Yes! I've been looking forward to this game for a long time and now it's finally here! After having ERS' Flights of Fancy being my all-time favorite, I was hoping this game would take its place. Even though this game has all the elements of a splendid game, there are some things lacking...
But first things first. This game's story has an interesting take on the Beauty and the Beast. Your father has come across an old, deserted castle, and finds a beautiful nightingale bird. Thinking that it has been left alone and abandoned, he takes it. The beast appears and is furious, thinking he is stealing his bird. Your father runs away, magically unable to drop the bird and leave behind and runs home. The beast says that either his daughter (you) stay with him forever or your father becomes his servant for life (or dies? It seems the game can't decide which). It's up to you to find the magic ring the beast gave your father and use it to teleport you to the castle before midnight- but there is a mysterious shadow force and an evil sorceress bent on stopping you from arriving...
The CE includes:
** 10 fairytale achievements
** 7 beautiful wallpapers
** 18 concept art sketches
** 4 screensavers
** 11 movies
** 4 music tracks
** 18 replayable mini-games
** 13 replayable HO's
** Bird Collectibles
** Bonus gameplay
** A strategy guide that doesn't follow your progress
** 7 beautiful wallpapers
** 18 concept art sketches
** 4 screensavers
** 11 movies
** 4 music tracks
** 18 replayable mini-games
** 13 replayable HO's
** Bird Collectibles
** Bonus gameplay
** A strategy guide that doesn't follow your progress
There is much about this game to love. It's ERS so of course the artwork and graphics are going to absolutely SUPERB and this game retains much of the same cuteness that ERS' latest Flights of Fancy had (that's right, so if you're tired of cuteness, beware!). The music is soothing and just magical, though I can't help but feel as if it sounds a little familiar to Flights of Fancy's soundtrack. The storyline is great and had an original take on a familiar fairytale where there is a nightingale involved.
Throughout the game, the nightingale, much like Flights of Fancy's fairy, will help you with certain obstacles. It's power lies with helping you to grow and blossom plants and make them bear fruit. You will be growing lots of plants.
There are voiceovers, though ERS has kept the same text-box dialogue. Luckily though, the characters are slightly animated, their lips move, but there is no lip-synch.
Some other things to note:
** Main game has 3 chapters
** 4 modes of difficult: Casual/Advanced/Hard/Custom setting (where you can change everything under the sun, yes!)
** Hint is directional
** Lockable inventory
** Journal that tracks your progress and tasks, and records useful info
** Interactive map that allows you to teleport to locations and tracks active tasks
** 4 modes of difficult: Casual/Advanced/Hard/Custom setting (where you can change everything under the sun, yes!)
** Hint is directional
** Lockable inventory
** Journal that tracks your progress and tasks, and records useful info
** Interactive map that allows you to teleport to locations and tracks active tasks
The one downfall of this game is that it's too easy. What happened? Flights of Fancy had a perfect level of challenge (in fact, I found it hard!) but the HOS (which aren't junkpiles, thankfully) in this game are a joke, you find things within seconds without any effort. I'm also having a hard time deciding whether the CE is worth getting. There aren't that many bird collectibles and there are too few achievements, wallpapers, and music tracks. Also, 18 mini-games and 13 HO's makes me a little worried about the length of this game, I can't imagine it reaching the 4-hour mark.
All in all. I'm a bit let down. I expected the same "quality" as Flights of Fancy (CE), but instead I feel like I got a copycat version, but with a dumbed-down level of challenge. I'm so in love with ERS that I might just pick up this CE despite everything I said, but I think other people who aren't a huge ERS fan like I am aren't going to be all that terribly impressed (at least as far as the difficulty is concerned).
Play the demo and decide for yourself.
I recommend this game!
Unlock the mystery of the Sculptor’s tragic fate!
Overall rating
2
/
5
23 of 37 found this review helpful
This Game is a Tragedy Indeed and Very Forgettable
PostedOctober 26, 2013
ElitistGeek
fromBrandon, FL
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
BASED ON THE DEMO
First off, I did not finish the demo. I got about halfway into it before I got bored out of my mind and decided I couldn't waste another minute of my time playing this.
You are a journalist (and detective, apparently) who is on your way to a quaint little Greek village in the Mediterranean, responding to a message you received from Dr. Alexander. A famous sculptor and his wife has tragically died in an accident with the sculptor's machine and end up getting encased in plaster. The doctor, however, believes it was not an accident and calls you in for help.
The CE includes:
** 4 wallpapers that are nothing inspiring
** 18 concept art sketches
** 7 replayable HOS
** 20 replayable puzzles
** 9 music tracks
** 30 achievements to earn
** 20 collectable morphing objects and 60 collectable stone tokens
** Use the stone tokens to purchase statues. Purchase them all and complete 3 bonus puzzles to unlock a special book
** Bonus chapter
** Strategy guide doesn't follow your progress
** 18 concept art sketches
** 7 replayable HOS
** 20 replayable puzzles
** 9 music tracks
** 30 achievements to earn
** 20 collectable morphing objects and 60 collectable stone tokens
** Use the stone tokens to purchase statues. Purchase them all and complete 3 bonus puzzles to unlock a special book
** Bonus chapter
** Strategy guide doesn't follow your progress
Dark Canvas: Blood and Stone was a giant yawn. What is there to say about a game that failed to not only capture my interest, but did not provide any sort of challenge or fun? The HOS and the puzzles are insulting easily and can be solved in under a minute. The music was nice, I didn't find anything wrong with it, but the graphics, ugh. They aren't bad and they aren't good, it's like a strange mix between cartoonish and realistic, making the graphical style unappealing and highly tasteless. Bleh. There are VO's but they are okay and the characters have no lip-synch and aren't the least bit animated (wouldn't expect anything more from this game).
Other things to note about the main game:
** 5 chapters
** 3 difficulty modes: Easy, Medium, and Hard
** A journal that follows your progress and tracks useful info and things to remember
** Interactive map, allows teleporting to locations and tracks active tasks/objectives
** Lockable inventory
** Hint and Skip options available
** 3 difficulty modes: Easy, Medium, and Hard
** A journal that follows your progress and tracks useful info and things to remember
** Interactive map, allows teleporting to locations and tracks active tasks/objectives
** Lockable inventory
** Hint and Skip options available
There is just nothing redeeming about this game. I found myself not caring about the storyline. All of the townspeople could have been encased in plaster and I would just been like "meh oh well". You don't feel invested or immersed in the story at all. The HOS and puzzles are way too easy and there is no fun factor at all, making this game incredibly boring and forgettable.
In fact, I've already forgotten about it.
I don't recommend this game.
You were just about to relax with a good book when a stranger leaves a baby on your doorstep.
Overall rating
5
/
5
392 of 437 found this review helpful
MadHead Games Does it Again, Folks! THIS is 2013's Best Game of the Year!
PostedOctober 24, 2013
ElitistGeek
fromBrandon, FL
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
BASED ON THE COMPLETED DEMO
WOW! MadHead Games are the developers who brought us our much loved Rite of Passage: Child of Forest and they most certainly DO NOT disappoint with Nevertales: The Beauty Within! Everything we loved about Child of Forest is here and again we get to feast and delight ourselves in a lot of fun and endless entertainment!
You are detective who has just closed a successful case and you're ready to kick back and relax in your home. But wait! You get a visitor and he leaves an adorable baby at your doorstep along with a note saying that you are the only one who can save her. Your journey takes you to a mysterious mansion and then a portal to another world. Who is this child and what's happening? Get ready to get sucked into this compelling game!
The CE offers much to be desired:
** 24 achievements which are divided between Casual/Advanced/Expert achievements (each containing 8 achieves)
** 45 rose collectibles
** 32 replayable HOS where you can beat your time and unlock a Sugar Rush HO Puzzle!
** 8 music tracks
** 12 concept art sketches
** 10 wallpapers
** 2 bonus chapters
** Complete the rose painting to unlock an additional hidden chapter!
** 45 rose collectibles
** 32 replayable HOS where you can beat your time and unlock a Sugar Rush HO Puzzle!
** 8 music tracks
** 12 concept art sketches
** 10 wallpapers
** 2 bonus chapters
** Complete the rose painting to unlock an additional hidden chapter!
Other things to note:
** 4 difficulty modes: Casual reader, Bookworm, Scholar, and a custom mode which allows tremendous flexibility with all of its options! Impressive!
** Lockable inventory
** An interactive map which can or cannot track active tasks depending on your difficulty settings (unsure if it allows teleporting to locations, I never tried or used it)
** You get a cellphone that acts your journal (storing useful info and keeping notes), has a GPS map, a to-do list, and tracks/stores your achievements - very awesome!
** Gears, the robot owl, becomes your little companion, helping you reach places that are too high and retrieves items/does stuff for you.
** Hint and Skip options available
** There is a strategy guide, but it doesn't track your progress.
** Lockable inventory
** An interactive map which can or cannot track active tasks depending on your difficulty settings (unsure if it allows teleporting to locations, I never tried or used it)
** You get a cellphone that acts your journal (storing useful info and keeping notes), has a GPS map, a to-do list, and tracks/stores your achievements - very awesome!
** Gears, the robot owl, becomes your little companion, helping you reach places that are too high and retrieves items/does stuff for you.
** Hint and Skip options available
** There is a strategy guide, but it doesn't track your progress.
The HOS in this game is so much fun! They are SO interactive and different then what we are used to. You find objects, the object moves to the side and reveals a fragment. Find all the objects, collect all the fragments, then put them back together to make a useful item that you will need! How neat! There are also mini HOS that require you find fragments that again combines into an item.
The inventory works exactly like it did in Child of Forest. Items that you pick up can have further interaction. For example, you pick up wrapped pages and then click on it in your inventory and you have to manually remove the wrap to get to the pages. So immersive! It makes you feel like you're actually there and doing it!
I also like that you can use two inventory items together on each other. At one point you use a rock to butt against the end of a screwdriver to crack open a log- this makes it so you really have to think about how your items can be used together. Love HOS? You will find this game refreshing and oh-so-fun! Love puzzles? Plenty of those too, many of them are new which is so relieving. Love HOS AND puzzles? This is seriously a dream come true!
As always the music in this game is splendid, the graphics are absolutely FANTASTIC, as are the cinematics, and the VO's (with lip-synch, too). At one point in the game, someone calls you on your cellphone and you actually have to manually answer it- how much cooler does this game get? I can't wait to find out! MadHead is just spoiling us and I LOVE it! This is a definite buy!
I recommend this game!
Guide little Emmy through her fears and back to the real world!
Overall rating
3
/
5
4 of 4 found this review helpful
A Lovely, Cozy Game For a Nice Rainy Day, But the CE Leaves Little To Be Desired...
PostedOctober 23, 2013
ElitistGeek
fromBrandon, FL
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
BASED ON THE COMPLETED DEMO
The game's story is easy and simple enough. Your niece is in some coma, trapped by her fears. With the help of the doctor, you put on a device that allows you to enter her dreams, where you have to fix her greatest fears in order to stop the nightmares. Once you've done this, the dreamscape changes before your very eyes from menacing and dark to bright and beautiful.
This CE is hardly enticing, offering only:
** 10 wallpapers and concept art (the concept art sketches merges together onto the wallpapers, ugh)
** 4 replayable movies/cinematics
** 18 replayable puzzles
** 13 replayable HOS
** 4 music tracks
** 2 bonus chapters
** Strategy guide, though it doesn't follow your progress
** NO collectibles or achievements!!
** 4 replayable movies/cinematics
** 18 replayable puzzles
** 13 replayable HOS
** 4 music tracks
** 2 bonus chapters
** Strategy guide, though it doesn't follow your progress
** NO collectibles or achievements!!
The gameplay is fairly satisfactory considering the puzzles, although they were a little too easy. The HOS proved to be a bit difficult because the objects were very small and hard to find because of the graphics. While this game was visually beautiful and the artwork was detailed, the scenes in this game were not sharp or crisp, instead having a very fuzzy gradient. Also, the music was good as it fit well with the scenes, though nothing to go crazy over.
Things to note:
** 6 chapters in the main game
** There is NO journal to record your progress, tasks/objectives/goals, or any important info.
** Barry the teddy bear acts as your hint button, which is directional.
** Lockable inventory
** Only two difficulty modes to choose from. Advanced mode does not disable hint and skip options, but makes it charge slow. No sparkle indicators and a misclick penalty.
** There is an interactive map that allows you to teleport to locations, although it will only track active tasks in beginner mode (this is turned off in advanced mode).
** There is NO journal to record your progress, tasks/objectives/goals, or any important info.
** Barry the teddy bear acts as your hint button, which is directional.
** Lockable inventory
** Only two difficulty modes to choose from. Advanced mode does not disable hint and skip options, but makes it charge slow. No sparkle indicators and a misclick penalty.
** There is an interactive map that allows you to teleport to locations, although it will only track active tasks in beginner mode (this is turned off in advanced mode).
What really irked me about this game was that VO's were terrible and sound fake, especially the aunt that you play as. Her voice is annoying and sounds like she's talking through her nose. Character's lips move when they speak, though there is no lip-synch. Things like this should be fairly standard in a game by now.
Overall, this game wasn't bad, but this CE is hardly compelling. The graphics, though pretty, have this washed-out, outdated kind of look, which makes the game feel nostalgic- and the good kind of nostalgia. I see myself using a free game credit once it comes out as a SE.
I don't recommend this game.
The Torment of Mont Triste Collector's Edition
No one dares fall asleep in the village of Mont Triste... for when sleep arrives, so does the mysterious Lord of Nightmares.
Overall rating
4
/
5
Not a Nightmare, But Could Have Been a Dream Come True!
PostedOctober 23, 2013
ElitistGeek
fromBrandon, FL
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
BASED ON COMPLETING THE DEMO
The opening cinematic tells us about a man named Dr. Henri Benoit, who was trying to find the link between the real world and the world of dreams. His experiment went awry, however, and he released the Lord of Nightmares who is now tormenting the town of Monte Triste. The townspeople are caught in a sleeping epidemic, where they fall asleep and become trapped in their nightmares that come to life. You must traverse the town and use the Amulet of Dreams to open portals into people's nightmares, enter their dream, and help them overcome their nightmares. A very interesting and unique premise indeed!
This CE has it ALL (some of the HOS, puzzles, and movies may or may not include the bonus chapter):
** Lots of wallpapers (17 total!), all VERY beautiful
** Bonus chapter
** 8 sketches of concept art
** 14 replayable HOS
** 36 replayable puzzles
** 22 movies/cinematics that you can rewatch
** 11 music tracks
** 21 collectible goblins
** 12(?) achievements
** Bonus chapter
** 8 sketches of concept art
** 14 replayable HOS
** 36 replayable puzzles
** 22 movies/cinematics that you can rewatch
** 11 music tracks
** 21 collectible goblins
** 12(?) achievements
This game had LOTS of potential. The graphics are wonderful, bright, and well done. The gameplay is fun and keeps you busy. There are just the right amount of HOS, though they are junkpiles, are also interactive- however many of the HOS were far too easy. There are healthy amount of puzzles (with just the perfect difficulty where it's not face-palm hard or too easy) and lots of environment interaction, picking up items, etc.
Some other things to note:
** There is NO journal or anything that records your progress, tasks/objectives/goals, or any important info. But I found that it wasn't needed.
** An interactive map that shows you active tasks and enables you to teleport to different locations. Useful for any back-tracking.
** Lockable inventory (Some of us can't do without this)
** Hint button that is directional
** Three difficulty modes to choose from.
** Cinematics have VO's, but no lip-synchs, and characters are static images and don't talk or move when they speak. Kind of a let down.
** An interactive map that shows you active tasks and enables you to teleport to different locations. Useful for any back-tracking.
** Lockable inventory (Some of us can't do without this)
** Hint button that is directional
** Three difficulty modes to choose from.
** Cinematics have VO's, but no lip-synchs, and characters are static images and don't talk or move when they speak. Kind of a let down.
This game literally had everything going for it, but sadly lost 1 star from me because of technical issues. Whenever I used the wrong item in an area, instead of the black bar tip saying "I don't think this will work" I got an error code saying "Not_String.XML_universal_wrong_item". Just sloppy! How did the dev's miss something like this? Also, transitioning from scene to scene took way too long and was incredibly laggy. This made back-tracking a pain and made the game feel like it was dragging. I can't imagine putting up with the lag for 4+ hours.
Also, despite the fact that the CE offers 11 music tracks, this game felt awfully quiet. Some scenes have no music AT ALL and it seems to only play when something is happening. This made the experience feel dull and lifeless. Couple this with the technical issues and this game is no longer the dream-come-true it had ALL the potential of being.
I'm seriously on the fence about getting this. I think I'll wait till the SE to see if those tech issues persist, otherwise I'm not purchasing this game.
I recommend this game!
Save your niece from the evil presence haunting her school!
Overall rating
5
/
5
11 of 18 found this review helpful
Don't look in the mirror... A Great Fright Fest!
PostedOctober 22, 2013
ElitistGeek
fromBrandon, FL
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
BASED ON THE COMPLETED DEMO
This Grim Tales addition sets the scene for us in anticipation of Halloween with its ominous, scary, yet thrilling atmosphere. The story revolves around the rather familiar story of Bloody Mary, but Elephant Games manages to revive it like a Frankenstein and make it compelling and spooky at the same time.
Your niece has called you, frightened, telling you that the adults have gone missing and the children are acting strange. Upon arriving at her boarding school, you see the silhouette of a boy at a window hold up a bunny rabbit toy and then uses a scissors to cut off his head and then disappears. Another reviewer mentioned this same thing and I just couldn't agree more at how this wonderfully set the tone of the entire game. This game doesn't rely on cheap visual tactics to scare you (well at least not all the time), but small, simple things like what I mentioned about the boy are done throughout the game. Add the scary music (which definitely doesn't help with the scary tones of the game, but this isn't a bad thing!), the occasional creepy events that occupy some of the rooms (a chandelier falling on its own, the scary face that pops up when you click on a ordinary statue, the unnerving sounds of a small doll when you click on it) and you're in for a frightful delight!
I personally jumped a few times while playing this game and felt this unnerving feeling that there was something behind me. The scary factor of this game was done quite well in that it didn't make me uncomfortable enough to stop playing, in fact I wanted to play more.
Some other things to note:
** Lockable inventory
** Interactive map that tells you which rooms have objectives and you can teleport to locations
** A hint button that is NOT directional, it will tell you in text exactly what to do.
** There is a journal, but it doesn't record any helpful info.
** Three difficulty modes to choose from
** Interactive map that tells you which rooms have objectives and you can teleport to locations
** A hint button that is NOT directional, it will tell you in text exactly what to do.
** There is a journal, but it doesn't record any helpful info.
** Three difficulty modes to choose from
Admittedly, this is my first Grim Tales game and I certainly wasn't disappointed. The graphics, though not my preferred artsy/painting sort of style, was still well done and realistic. The soundtrack compliments the mood of the game extremely well and is not repetitive at all. In the full hour demo I only encountered 3 (4?) HOS and only a handful of puzzles which weren't difficult at all. This didn't bother me at all though since I very much enjoy games that have you interact with the environment a lot and that is what this games offers.
I'm on the fence about buying this game because demonic possession really isn't my sort of thing and I'm kind of a baby when it comes to scary games (lol), but this game is really good so I might just make the exception. Enjoy this little Halloween fright fest adventure!
I recommend this game!
While visiting your uncle, you stumble upon a curious case. Men are vanishing, reappearing dead days later. Who killed them?
Overall rating
4
/
5
32 of 43 found this review helpful
Not Bad, Not Great, But Still Provides Good Entertainment
PostedOctober 20, 2013
ElitistGeek
fromBrandon, FL
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
BASED ON THE DEMO
I gave this game a try, enough though its genre really isn't my type. From the hour demo, this is what I've gathered about the storyline: You start off by receiving a letter from your uncle, who has contacted you about something important. On your way to the village of Transvaal, which is located in the desert, your plane gets caught in a sandstorm and you crash. While you explore the town and try to find your uncle, a woman keeps appearing, intent on stopping you. Various news clippings reveal a series of strange occurrences and murders revolving around a venomous spider bite on the victims. Could this woman be involved? And who is she?
Like I said before, even though this game is not one that I would normally play, it was still entertaining enough to play. The gameplay feels very urgent, as there is little to no backtracking at all. Items are found in abundance and relatively quick, making you swiftly finish scenes without much effort. What I like is that there aren't much HOS, most of the game revolves around interacting with the environment, finding/picking up items, and doing puzzles.
Speaking of puzzles, the difficulty was just right, though I can't help but feel that it leaned slightly towards being easy. Then again, I only came across just a handful of puzzles in the trial version.
The soundtrack is good enough, nothing outstanding. The graphics are well done and have this realistic feel to it. The cinematics and voiceovers are impressive and I genuinely liked the amount of effort that was put into them, as there are plenty of cinematics and cut-scenes in the game. This made it feel immersive and moved the story of the game along.
Other things to note: There is an interactive map that shows you if there are tasks that need to be done in certain locations - and you can also teleport to them. You also have a very helpful journal that also allows you to play back the cut-scenes, which is nice, and a hint option is available. There is also beginner, advanced, and hardcore mode.
All in all. This is a good game, I think people will enjoy it. It's not really my cup of tea, but that's not why I rated it 4 stars. Something about the game seemed to be missing, I can't really pin-point it. Also, at times, the game can feel slow and a little boring. Hopefully for those of you who pick this up will find better pacing as you move forward in the game.
I had a good time playing this game, but I don't love it enough to purchase it.
I recommend this game!
Use a mystical locket to explore a magical world and save a young girl in Other world: Spring of Shadows!
Overall rating
4
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Dark, creepy, and unsettling, but still a game worth playing.
PostedOctober 18, 2013
ElitistGeek
fromBrandon, FL
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
In Otherworld: Spring of Shadows, you play as a woman who has just moved into a house on the countryside. As you explore your new home, you discover that a girl named Fiona -- who lived in the house before you -- is trapped in the Otherworld. Using a magical locket that allows you to see and enter the magical world, you must try and save Fiona, who has been kidnapped by The Shade-- an evil fey creature who wishes to bring upon the Eternal Winter and plunge the world into bitter cold darkness.
I really adorable fantasy games, so when I saw this game, I just had to get it. There are dryads, treants, feys, and for most of the game you are traveling through a wonderful magical world.
There are plenty of puzzles and mini-games to keep you busy and they have just the right amount of difficulty. What I particularly liked was that this game did not have a lot of junk-pile hidden-object scenes. Some HOS require to find multiples of a single item, others have you find fragmented objects to make an item, and there are also HO scenes where you click on item that are related pairs, and click on an item based on a clue/riddle given. This was a very welcome change to the traditional "puzzles/mini-games with tons of HOS" formula. This made the game stay fresh, made it unique, and provides the player with lots of entertainment. In addition, the level of challenge was perfect. Nothing was overly easy and you could also get through the difficult parts if you stuck with it long enough.
Visually, this game is certainly beautiful. Every scene in this game is like looking at a painting, the artwork is very detailed and stunning- living up to its genre of fantasy. The music was also beautiful and fit the game perfectly. As for the audio, only the woman you're playing as has any voiceover (and it isn't till later that the Shade talks too). However, the other creatures and people you talk to in the game have no VO's or lip-synch, instead talking to you with a text box. This made the game feel out-dated as most games these days are fully voiced.
I do recommend this game to others, but know that this recommendation comes with a warning, as I personally don't see myself playing this game again. Despite the beautiful fairy-tale/fantasy aspect of the game and the beautiful music, the game is equally creepy, dark, and disturbing. I would highly advise to keep this game away from younger children unless you want to give them nightmares.
The Shade is a very terrifying-looking creature. It has no eyes and an eerie mouth with sharp teeth. If you misclick a HOS too much, his face pops up on your screen with a very scary, repulsive smile, and then slowly fades away along with the scary sound effect that accompanies his sudden appearance. This made me especially wary during the HOS as I was afraid to accidentally click too much (I play on a laptop with the fingerpad, so that happens a lot) for fear of the cursor freezing up to show the animation of the Shade's face haunting the screen. I want to have fun when I'm playing a game, not get scared out of my wits.
As if that's not bad enough, the game continues to get more dark and uneasy. People (including young children) and creatures DIE in this game (many of them are implied, but you do see some corpses and witness a murder of a cute creature that you later befriend).
I can appreciate dark fantasy, but this game went above and beyond to be creepy and unnerving. There is scary music that accompanies already-scary scenes and the Shade has a face that I am all too happy to forget.
-1 star for the excessive creepy factor that made this game incredibly uncomfortable to both finish and play. If you can get past the creepiness, you're definitely in for a treat as I think this game has a lot to offer, but please do yourself a favor and don't play this game in the dark like I did.
I recommend this game!
Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles
Charles Baskerville is the latest victim of a centuries-old curse! Help Holmes break the curse before the next murder occurs!
Overall rating
4
/
5
3 of 3 found this review helpful
An Awesome SE That's Incredibly Unique and Fun!
PostedOctober 15, 2013
ElitistGeek
fromBrandon, FL
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Want a breath of fresh air? A new experience? Tired of the same formulaic HOPA game? You'll definitely want to grab this, then!
You get to play as Sherlock Holmes and you have your trusted friend and sidekick Watson at your side, of course. You are both visited by Henry Baskerville, who tells you that his uncle, Charles Baskerville, has just been murdered by the cursed hound that has been systemically killing the Baskervilles for generations. In desperation, he comes to you for help in order to break the curse, before the hound claims Henry as its next victim.
The immersiveness of the storyline, the fast-paced soundtrack, fun and intriguing dialogue between Sherlock, Watson, and Henry, and the gameplay elements such as traveling back in time to gory crime scenes- makes for such a sensational game!
There is so much to do in this game. It takes place entirely in the Baskerville manor (and around the property). You get to travel around the house, visiting the rooms of each of the family members who had been killed by the hound, all while learning about them. What is really neat is that each of these rooms have a wolf head that -- if you find and collect its crystal eyes -- will activate and send you back in time to when they were murdered. What you're presented with is a ransacked room with slashes and blood all over. You can travel back and forth from the present to the past in order to collect clues from the crime scene.
You also have a medallion, allowing you to use magical powers to perform certain actions that are needed to find and acquire some clues/items. These include super strength to lift things and break stuff open, increasing your perception to see in dark corners, materialization to materialize picture objects into real ones, speeding up time to make things go faster like growing a plant, and telekinesis to lift or move things you can't reach.
If the fact that there is magic involved in a Sherlock story bothers you, know you're not alone. Lots of other reviewers have pointed it out as well. You're not going to like it at first, but you'll quickly get over it. The game delivers on so many other accounts that it makes up for the oddity of Sherlock believing in and using magic.
Visually, this game isn't great by any means. I'm a pretty big graphics-nut so take that for what you will. By any means, it's not awful, it's just decent- maybe even a little outdated. Oddly, the average-looking scenes are the crime scenes you visit in the past because they have this bluish haze and the colors are more vibrant. The screenshots are misleading as the first one is in the bonus content offered in the CE and graphically, it's the best-looking scene in the entire game so don't think the whole game looks like that. It doesn't. -1 star. The game suffers from being graphically inconsistent.
The soundtrack was excellent, it fit the game theme perfectly and was very stimulating and exciting to listen to.
Also, prepare yourself for hours upon hours of things to do. There are 32 mini-games and 24 hidden-object scenes. Adding the time it took to beat the game with the bonus gameplay (since I purchased the CE), I'd clock this game at 6 hours easily. I personally neared 7 hours because the puzzles/mini-games and the HOS are fairly challenging and I was really taking my time with them. 6-7 hours is really impressive, considering most games are 4-5 hours, including the bonus gameplay. If you get this SE, I'd say 5-6 hours, which is incredible for your money's worth.
I was going to rate this game 5 stars, but then I noticed that I'm not that crazy over it and the graphics were more of a disappointment to me then I originally realized. However, the game is unique, does something different no other game does, and the dialogue and storyline fit together really nicely to provide you with an authentic, immersive experience.
I recommend this game!
Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles Collector's Edition
Charles Baskerville is the latest victim of a centuries-old curse! Help Holmes break the curse before the next murder occurs!
Overall rating
4
/
5
8 of 9 found this review helpful
Incredibly unique and fun, but stick with the SE...
PostedOctober 15, 2013
ElitistGeek
fromBrandon, FL
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Want a breath of fresh air? A new experience? Tired of the same formulaic HOPA game? You'll definitely want to grab this, then!
You get to play as Sherlock Holmes and you have your trusted friend and sidekick Watson at your side, of course. You are both visited by Henry Baskerville, who tells you that his uncle, Charles Baskerville, has just been murdered by the cursed hound that has been systemically killing the Baskervilles for generations. In desperation, he comes to you for help in order to break the curse, before the hound claims Henry as its next victim.
The immersiveness of the storyline, the fast-paced soundtrack, fun and intriguing dialogue between Sherlock, Watson, and Henry, and the gameplay elements such as traveling back in time to gory crime scenes- makes for such a sensational game!
There is so much to do in this game. It takes place entirely in the Baskerville manor (and around the property). You get to travel around the house, visiting the rooms of each of the family members who had been killed by the hound, all while learning about them. What is really neat is that each of these rooms have a wolf head that -- if you find and collect its crystal eyes -- will activate and send you back in time to when they were murdered. What you're presented with is a ransacked room with slashes and blood all over. You can travel back and forth from the present to the past in order to collect clues from the crime scene.
You also have a medallion, allowing you to use magical powers to perform certain actions that are needed to find and acquire some clues/items. These include super strength to lift things and break stuff open, increasing your perception to see in dark corners, materialization to materialize picture objects into real ones, speeding up time to make things go faster like growing a plant, and telekinesis to lift or move things you can't reach.
If the fact that there is magic involved in a Sherlock story bothers you, know you're not alone. Lots of other reviewers have pointed it out as well. You're not going to like it at first, but you'll quickly get over it. The game delivers on so many other accounts that it makes up for the oddity of Sherlock believing in and using magic.
Visually, this game isn't great by any means. I'm a pretty big graphics-nut so take that for what you will. By any means, it's not awful, it's just decent- maybe even a little outdated. Oddly, the average-looking scenes are the crime scenes you visit in the past because they have this bluish haze and the colors are more vibrant. The astronomy room and Oliver's room are probably the most impressive/visually appealing rooms in the entire game. If you couple that with the crime scenes and the general scenes of the game, there is a huge graphical inconsistency. This didn't take away [much] from the game experience, so it didn't bother me enough to lower the rating down by 1 star.
The soundtrack was excellent, it fit the game theme perfectly and was very stimulating and exciting to listen to.
Also, prepare yourself for hours upon hours of things to do.
There are 32 mini-games and 24 hidden-object scenes. Adding the time it took to beat the game with the bonus gameplay, I'd clock this game at 6 hours easily. I personally neared 7 hours because the puzzles/mini-games and the HOS are fairly challenging and I was really taking my time with them. 6-7 hours is really impressive, considering most games are 4-5 hours, including the bonus gameplay. If you get the SE, I'd say 5-6 hours, which is incredible for your money's worth.
There are 32 mini-games and 24 hidden-object scenes. Adding the time it took to beat the game with the bonus gameplay, I'd clock this game at 6 hours easily. I personally neared 7 hours because the puzzles/mini-games and the HOS are fairly challenging and I was really taking my time with them. 6-7 hours is really impressive, considering most games are 4-5 hours, including the bonus gameplay. If you get the SE, I'd say 5-6 hours, which is incredible for your money's worth.
With that being said, the ONLY thing I didn't like was that the CE was incredibly disappointing to me. The CE extras include re-watching the cinematics, the soundtrack, an extra hour of bonus content, replayable puzzles and HOS, a Book of Mysteries that offer fun info and additional puzzles, and wallpapers. When I buy CE's I'm usually interested in three things only: bonus content, music, and the wallpapers.
If you recall what I said earlier about being a graphics-nut, the wallpapers were SO disappointing. Like I said earlier, Oliver's room is the best looking scene in the entire game (you only see it in the bonus gameplay) and it would have made a FANTASTIC wallpaper, now I'm left to screenshot it. The wallpapers given are utter trash and are really ugly. I also never cared for redoing puzzles or HOS, so buying this CE was a huge bust for me considering also that the bonus content wasn't anything special. -1 star.
In conclusion, this is definitely a 5 star game. It's unique, does something different no other game does, and the dialogue and storyline fit together really nicely to provide you with an authentic, immersive experience. I'm rating the CE 4 stars because the extras were very disappointing to me. I wish I had gotten the SE.
I recommend this game!