I bought this thinking I could use the guide within the game, and wouldn't have to save and exit to get to a walkthrough. Not quite. It's quirky and difficult to get to. A free walkthrough is actually easier.
There's one good reason to play the game. The objects are hidden individually, which I loved. What ultimately dissuaded me from buying the whole game on PC, is that it just wasn't beautiful enough. It's a good game for an iPod, and I'll make sure to get it on there if I can. But one of my criteria for a PC game is that it be visually stunning, and this one falls short.
Average game with below average graphics. The screen on my computer was tiny, only 7 1/2 inches across. I assume this was BF's attempt to sharpen the images. The attempt failed. The game itself was ok, but nothing to write home about. The story was average in my 1 hour trial, but others have said in their review that it goes downhill from there. (No, I didn't deduct for their review). Overall I didn't hate this game, but compared to others out there it doesn't stack up.
I'm not an easy reviewer, but these guys really did their homework. They hired a Louisiana team to help illustrate local history and culture, and it shows. Unlike other games, this one is true to the region it represents. And the game was a lot of fun. It had great humor, and was a really nice departure from cutesie Gothic.
A tip for the weary - take notes. They'll save you a lot of running around.
Enter the world of Drawn. Explore the Painted Tower and unravel its mysteries on your quest to save the hope of the kingdom. Can you reach the top of the tower?
Big Fish game for me too. I love pure adventure games, and this was adventure through and through. I also love originality, and this game has lots of that. Not as mature (or as long) as Myst, but not as cutesy as most Big Fish Offerings. I mean admit it, haven't we all looked for puppets and their masters in their games? In this one we explore magical paintings for clues as to the whereabouts of a young girl hiding from a king and a sorcerer. There is a slightly melancholy tone to the game, supported by the music, which I appreciate. And no messy hidden objects scenes.
I finally finished this last of the first three Mystery Case Files games, all of which I purchased on an impulse in a bundle sale, and made myself play as punishment. I guess I thought they were all like Fairing Point. No impulse purchase ever again.
This game, like the two previous games, is a pure hidden object game, with an occasional minigame thrown in. No real story, no real investigation, just a bunch of (admittedly funny) vignettes presented in the journal, and thereafter forgotten, drowned out by the numerous HO scenes. The HO sequence at the end was particularly mind-numbing as I had to seek a single object hidden in one of about 15 HO scenes.
Big Fish, thanks for the lesson. Now I buy nothing without playing the demos.
This game has its fans, but I'm not one of them. It's basically a vision test. One HO after another. The story gets completely lost. You operate on a timer, and the time you're allotted is so minimal that I had to play the same section multiple times to get ahead. The developers were so sloppy, they didn't even take the time to spell the items correctly.
I finally got smart, and started using this game as a time-filler when I have a few minutes between tasks. That way the games I actually enjoy will still be there when I have more time to really relax. One day, in the distant future, I may finish this one. But I may die of old age first.
I have to admit I liked this game when it first came out. It was pretty, and it didn't have a lot of HO scenes, which I dislike. And the graphics were a bit different from the darker games. Well, I tried playing it a second time, this time on my PC rather than the iPhone, and I have to say I'm not sure why I liked it the first time. It now fades into the multitudes of cutsie offerings out there, along with evil witches and magic spells. If you're not as worn out by these as I am, you will find it a perfectly adequate, smooth-running game, without the glitchiness of the iPhone version. But I've had enough of fairies and goblins. Give me real people in the real world for a change. Historical or pre-historical preferred. But real, and definitely not cute.
I see I'm in the minority, but to me this was one of the best games BF has to offer. It plays like a docudrama, with voiceover during clips. The biggest sell for me is how well it immersed me in the period. The graphics were sharp, with colors and lighting that didn't poke my eyes out, and there was no trace of the coyness that has become the unfortunate standard in HO games. It was a tad hard to keep track of the characters at times, but otherwise the it was a good detective story, with a monk as the detective. There are a couple of minor glitches, and the lack of walkthrough can be a problem. Some solutions are available in the forums. But some of the things people are calling bad gameplay are part of the puzzle that they hadn't solved yet. Ultimately none of them are unsolvable. In one instance you may have to click slightly to the right of the targets (keyholes) in order to hit them If you value the scenery at least as much as the gameplay, play the demo and see for yourself. I'm glad I didn't pass up this game.
I recommend this game!
+18points
18of18voted this as helpful.
Shaolin Mystery: Tale of the Jade Dragon Staff
Travel across ancient China and help Yu as she searches for the mythical Jade Dragon Staff. Save your wrongly imprisoned friend!
Overall rating
4/ 5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Common malady
PostedApril 21, 2013
fairlind
fromMy favorite game is 1112
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure
Fun Factor
4/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
5/ 5
Level of Challenge
4/ 5
Storyline
3/ 5
This game suffers from an unfortunate malady common to so many BF games -- excessive cutesiness. But at least it wasn't cutesy-gothic, which is like having cotton candy for breakfast. As a game it was solid -- good controls, good length, fabulous graphics, and immersion in another culture (at least in the beginning) which I seem to crave.
But it could have been so much more. When I look at that dark landscape before the game actually begins, I become wistful of what the game could have been if the writers had been on a more creative streak. Moody, atmospheric, mystical. (Just please, not gothic.) So, a chalenge to the game writers: please try again, and do it right. China, Japan, Thailand, India, any place that can evoke that mood.