I just loved this game; it was so different from the usual format. There is a plot, though it is less obvious but the game and plot are broken into sections - floors and places on each floor. The objective is to find all the people in the hotel and get them together so they can be collectively returned to their own times. There are lots of HOSs - an unusual number. In other HOS games tedious intelligence test puzzles turn up at random. I find them an annoying delay and just skip. In this game each floor is unlocked with a super-puzzle which is quite fun to do.
I have been playing these for 5 years and have always thought the story lines were just a framework to hand the HOSs and puzzles on. But for the second time now I have had an actually interesting story to follow. This one is the best yet. As the player you are the detective of Sherlock Holmes rank and it's a bit of a whodunnit as you progress the game. The story is great the graphics are great the HOSs are varied and often quite unique. Never too keen on the puzzles but this game had some good ones though some too easy. Overall I think this is the best HOS game I have ever played. I have not come across 4Friends before. I hope they develop some more of this quality.
I've always thought the story line in a HOS was just something to hang the puzzles and HOSs on but the story line in this was really good. It actually did hold my interest throughout the game. The HOSs were really good too - not quite hard enough perhaps but each one was different with different ways of doing them - some plain text, some pictures or silhouettes some spread over 3 scenes and ending in some inventory item. I usually skip puzzles because I can be bothered with doing a random intelligence test in the middle of a game and I just want to get on but some of these puzzles were refreshingly different. The bonus game was a bit disappointing as far as the plot is concerned but then the main game was, as they say, a hard act to follow.
I recommend this game!
+1point
1of1voted this as helpful.
Phantasmat: Town of Lost Hope Collector's Edition
Carrying the lives of many on your shoulders, you are forced to balance on the tightrope placed between life and death.
Overall rating
5/ 5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Best game ever
PostedOctober 21, 2017
robotics1
fromcambridge, UK
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Current Favorite:
Phantasmat: Town of Lost Hope Collector's Edition
(41)
Fun Factor
5/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
4/ 5
Level of Challenge
3/ 5
Storyline
5/ 5
I have bought and played dozens of these games. Always the story line has really just been a framework to hang the HOS and puzzles. But this game had a real story line and a macabre twist at the end. The HOSs were good, fairly easy (or else I'm just getting good at it) but a good mixture of HOS types. The puzzles were probably ok though I always skip most of them; in this case partly because of the good story line - I wanted to see what happens next. The developers have done a great job.
This was so much like the other Enchanted Kingdom game I had to check I had not accidentally downloaded a game I had already played. Same healing potions, same potion making equipment etc. The developers obviously saved a lot of time by re-using what they had done in the previous version. I was not impressed. I might even trash it and get a different game.
The story line was actually interesting for me; the HOS were good. I usually skip the puzzles as I can't be bothered with them; I want to get on with the game but some did get me engaged. I actually think this was the best game I have played. I didn't know there was a collectors edition; wish I had bought that instead.
I usually make these games last because I just dip into them every so often. I had just completed Spirit of Revenge: Cursed Castle and it took 2 weeks of occasional dipping in. This game was over in 2 days. There were 2 sort of chapters, one cold and one hot and there should have been more. I love HOS but a lot of these were where you have an outline or silhouette and you have to find it in the scene and some were where you have to find a rune symbol. Those are really boring. I much prefer to see a list by name and find those in the scene. What there were of those were a bit too easy. I don't recommend to buy or not but I'll rank it in the stars. One thing though it's not a criticism: it's a bit strange being a female protagonist. I suppose women who play the games where men are the protagonist must feel the same. You get used to it though.
I recommend this game!
+4points
4of4voted this as helpful.
Grim Tales: Threads of Destiny Collector's Edition
Can you free Jackie’s parents from their deadly fates?
Overall rating
5/ 5
5 of 5 found this review helpful
Excellent game
PostedOctober 25, 2015
robotics1
fromtrenton, NJ
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Current Favorite:
Grim Tales: Threads of Destiny Collector's Edition
(61)
Fun Factor
5/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
5/ 5
Level of Challenge
4/ 5
Storyline
5/ 5
This was a good game, good graphics and story line. I am never keen on the puzzles and often skip; for me the interest is the adventure and the hidden object scenes which were both good. The bonus chapter wasn't so good though and I would have bought standard edition if there was one. The bonus games always seem to me to be like poor sequels and I won't be buying CEs an more from now on.
I got the SE as it was from the punch card but it plays like a CE - goes on and on. Great value for money (even if I had paid!). There were lots and lots of HOS and the hint button recharges fast. There were some situations where the hint sends you back and forth and you just have to use your initiative but it's not difficult. I usually regard the puzzles as an unwelcome holdup and skip when difficult - I don't welcome an IQ test in the middle of the game, but that's just me. The HOS graphics were excellent and I liked that you find something you can actually use, rather than just being a HOS for its own sake like some games. I wasn't too keen on Cernunnos being presented as a demon but hey, it's a game - and a good one.