Grumpuel's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:5
- Helpful Votes:150
- Reviews Submitted:4
- First Review:July 12, 2012
- Most Recent Review:June 16, 2017
- Featured reviews0
Grumpuel's Review History
Take a journey through an isolated research facility in the Antarctic and discover the secrets of its past.
Overall rating
5
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
What a stunning game!
PostedJune 16, 2017
Grumpuel
fromPennsylvania
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Here is a clever adventure game with a stark and honest plot that inspires curiosity and, ultimately, sympathy. I like it well enough to have played it several times. Why? Because of the game's appealing logic, elegant depth, good puzzles, and stark and spare beauty. There are no hidden objects here; this is a game of pure thought and discovery. What is going on, who am I, why am I here, what can I do, what else can I learn to answer all my questions?
There are other good games, I suppose, whose completion also depends only on your wits and resourcefulness, and this one is both fair and intriguing. The help button (a question mark by the menu button) is not a hint but tells you exactly what to do next to make progress. If you need that help, you might slap your forehead as if to say you should/could have figured that out. The music and sound effects are exactly right: contemplative and atmospheric. Visuals are not color-saturated or fanciful but realistic and clear, exactly what you would expect and want at an Antarctic research facility where sunlight is rare and warmth is luxury.
There are no voiceovers, and animation is sparse, and these "features" are absolutely not missed. My personal favorite aspect of games is puzzles. This game's puzzles are good and fair, but are not even its strongest feature, which is a poignant story that tugs at your humanity.
There are other good games, I suppose, whose completion also depends only on your wits and resourcefulness, and this one is both fair and intriguing. The help button (a question mark by the menu button) is not a hint but tells you exactly what to do next to make progress. If you need that help, you might slap your forehead as if to say you should/could have figured that out. The music and sound effects are exactly right: contemplative and atmospheric. Visuals are not color-saturated or fanciful but realistic and clear, exactly what you would expect and want at an Antarctic research facility where sunlight is rare and warmth is luxury.
There are no voiceovers, and animation is sparse, and these "features" are absolutely not missed. My personal favorite aspect of games is puzzles. This game's puzzles are good and fair, but are not even its strongest feature, which is a poignant story that tugs at your humanity.
I recommend this game!
Explore the zombie island and break an ancient curse! What caused the disaster? Was it a virus or magic?
Overall rating
5
/
5
11 of 12 found this review helpful
An underrated gem
PostedJune 7, 2013
Grumpuel
fromPennsylvania
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I almost did not buy this game because of a preponderance of negative reviews from credible reviewers, but I am certainly glad I did buy it, for it is truly outstanding. Let me list some of the things I really liked about this completed game and then discuss others' legitimate criticisms.
LIKES
1. Tension. Avoid the zombies, save the crew, and escape. There is just enough urgency to rivet the player's attention, yet just enough casualness to allow a player to contemplate without feeling pressured to click wildly. We are all aware of how these games go: in spite of being reminded to hurry, we know the game is triggered not by a timer but by events, so it is to the developers' credit that they can achieve the right amount of tension.
2. The entire plot is divided into four or five twelve-scene episodes. This minimizes backtracking and keeps a manageable number of scenes in play. The "Awakening" series of games did this sort of thing to advantage as well.
3. Graphics are impressively detailed and subtly colorful. Although people are blobby and generic, objects and structures are gorgeous.
4. This game has the best map I have ever seen. The map includes a thumbnail view of every scene in an episode, how the "room" can be accessed, whether there is an action or hidden object puzzle available in the room, and a jump link to any unlocked room.
5. Games dealing with monsters like the undead can be bloodbaths, but not this one, which accords respect to its antagonists and sidesteps them when practical.
2. The entire plot is divided into four or five twelve-scene episodes. This minimizes backtracking and keeps a manageable number of scenes in play. The "Awakening" series of games did this sort of thing to advantage as well.
3. Graphics are impressively detailed and subtly colorful. Although people are blobby and generic, objects and structures are gorgeous.
4. This game has the best map I have ever seen. The map includes a thumbnail view of every scene in an episode, how the "room" can be accessed, whether there is an action or hidden object puzzle available in the room, and a jump link to any unlocked room.
5. Games dealing with monsters like the undead can be bloodbaths, but not this one, which accords respect to its antagonists and sidesteps them when practical.
CRITICISMS
1. While some report the game has flat, 2D graphics, the artwork is nevertheless detailed, and there is use of lighting to give scenes vibrancy. For me, the graphics were well above average.
2. Items in HO lists are sometimes misnamed. Boy, are they! I was content to think of HO scenes as an extension to the puzzle: What might an item be called if it were not named by a native English-speaker? Answers were more amusing than annoying. Sure enough, an umbrella was a "cup"(?!), and a concertina was a "harmonica", but then a "cream spray" turned out to be what I guessed, a can of whipped cream. As always, the hint button resolves minor difficulties.
1. While some report the game has flat, 2D graphics, the artwork is nevertheless detailed, and there is use of lighting to give scenes vibrancy. For me, the graphics were well above average.
2. Items in HO lists are sometimes misnamed. Boy, are they! I was content to think of HO scenes as an extension to the puzzle: What might an item be called if it were not named by a native English-speaker? Answers were more amusing than annoying. Sure enough, an umbrella was a "cup"(?!), and a concertina was a "harmonica", but then a "cream spray" turned out to be what I guessed, a can of whipped cream. As always, the hint button resolves minor difficulties.
In short, I did not allow minor defects from preventing me from enjoying a really fine game. Sometimes "quality with a few hiccups" is more fun than slick, flawless games without heart. If you try it for yourself, I think you will know within ten minutes whether this one is for you.
I recommend this game!
Overall rating
5
/
5
22 of 26 found this review helpful
an underrated gem
PostedJuly 26, 2012
Grumpuel
fromPennsylvania
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This is an excellent and underrated game, the first of the Dark Tales series based on Edgar Allan Poe short stories. "The Black Cat" has the best gameplay, in my opinion; "The Premature Burial" has the best story. This one, "Murders in the Rue Morgue," is the most rudimentary of the three, but excellent nonetheless. I heartily recommend all three.
This adaptation is heavy on HOs and light on puzzles, but the HOs are among the best BigFish has to offer, and the story is classic. Graphics have warm, rich colors, and each scene is wonderful to look at. Hidden object puzzles are fair in that nothing is so obscure or small or pallid that a diligent player could not be expected to find it. Some items are large and obvious, more are subtle, and some are devilishly hidden, but as I say, fair.
I deliberately chose to rave about the quality of this game in ERS' Dark Tales series precisely because it is slightly less good than the other two and still worthy of a mark of excellence. In fact, it was my admiration for ERS' work that inclined me to give this series a chance, and I am so glad I did that I expect now to buy every ERS game. I have not been disappointed yet.
This adaptation is heavy on HOs and light on puzzles, but the HOs are among the best BigFish has to offer, and the story is classic. Graphics have warm, rich colors, and each scene is wonderful to look at. Hidden object puzzles are fair in that nothing is so obscure or small or pallid that a diligent player could not be expected to find it. Some items are large and obvious, more are subtle, and some are devilishly hidden, but as I say, fair.
I deliberately chose to rave about the quality of this game in ERS' Dark Tales series precisely because it is slightly less good than the other two and still worthy of a mark of excellence. In fact, it was my admiration for ERS' work that inclined me to give this series a chance, and I am so glad I did that I expect now to buy every ERS game. I have not been disappointed yet.
Be careful what you wish for... A deadly bargain has been made, and it's up to you to set things right before your nephew pays the terrible price!
Overall rating
5
/
5
116 of 134 found this review helpful
An excellent release
PostedJuly 12, 2012
Grumpuel
fromPennsylvania
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I beta-tested Grim Tales:The Wishes a month or so ago and knew very early on that I would be buying the SE as soon as it became available. The graphic artistry is outstanding. I prefer games that emphasize adventure and puzzles over simply HOs, and The Wishes strikes an ideal balance. The storyline is an appealing extension of a familiar fairytale theme: child in thrall to a witch. So there is an urgency to your mission, yet each scene is so beautiful that you are tempted to linger on one lovely screen after another. Puzzles are challenging, fun, and not overly familiar.
The first game in the Grim Tales series involved saving the bride; the second, saving the groom; this one, saving the kid. If the next two games turn out to save the dog and save the parakeet, I will be in on those, too.
The first game in the Grim Tales series involved saving the bride; the second, saving the groom; this one, saving the kid. If the next two games turn out to save the dog and save the parakeet, I will be in on those, too.
I recommend this game!