MaggieMaze's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:4.1
- Helpful Votes:1,813
- Reviews Submitted:47
- First Review:January 20, 2013
- Most Recent Review:May 28, 2017
- Featured reviews0
Status:
When your daughter, Emily, is taken over by a mysterious force, you must travel to the Nightmare Realm to search for a cure. But nothing could have prepared you for what you find there…
Overall rating
5
/
5
7 of 9 found this review helpful
Excellent HOPA! The most challenging I have ever played!
PostedJanuary 31, 2013
MaggieMaze
fromToronto, Canada
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Card & Board, Mahjong
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Totally captivating from the first moment! This game is unusual. I loved the suspense, the stunning visuality and the immersive gameplay. The reviewers have given the specifics, so there was nothing more I could add, except another five stars. This game has it all!
Played part of the demo, then downloaded and bought the CE of both this game and the first one, sight unseen!
I recommend this game!
Eerie music fills the air in Vienna, where shadows terrorize people in the streets. Two musical prodigies have gone missing. Can you save them without striking a single false note?
Overall rating
5
/
5
4 of 4 found this review helpful
Superb HOPA! Use Music to Solve the Mystery!
PostedJanuary 31, 2013
MaggieMaze
fromToronto, Canada
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Card & Board, Mahjong
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Take the challenge, and save the students! Use the Maestro’s violin to dispel the Shadows! A spooky undertaking, but great fun. The overall theme is dark but the artwork is beautiful and the music is mesmerising. Fabulous cutscenes and well-acted voice overs enhance the adventure, and you don't have to be musically inclined to really enjoy the gameplay.
The first cutscene is stunning! It draws you into the story. When roses turn to skulls, the scene is set for what is to come. The story plays out with plenty of colour. The sinister tone is enriched by vivid graphics. The hint button recharges quickly, and provides plenty of help. Inventory is used quickly so the lack of a map is not an issue. There's also a journal. I especially liked the interactivity of the HOS. Shapes instead of a list and, once an item is located, it is used to find another. The puzzle content is relevant to the story and fun to solve.
As expected, musical matters go with you throughout the game, the sites you visit, the HOS, the mini-games, even the collectibles. Where but Vienna could you find such an intriguing combination of music, mystery and madness!
Played the demo and bought the series. First rate entertainment! Don't miss it!
I recommend this game!
After finding an artifact, you're whisked away to a dying world. Can you save it from the darkness?
Overall rating
4
/
5
11 of 13 found this review helpful
Good Game - Interesting HOPA
PostedJanuary 27, 2013
MaggieMaze
fromToronto, Canada
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Card & Board, Mahjong
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
As an archaeologist, you find yourself transported to another world on a quest to save the Tree of Life from a sinister foe. Good game for a lazy Sunday afternoon. Finished the demo and added the game to my purchase list. Liked the storyline, a nice change of pace.
I found the graphics to be clear and colourful, and especially liked the sound. Cutscenes and voice overs contribute to the experience. The music enhances the moment, dramatic at exciting spots and soft and relaxing elsewhere. The puzzles are not difficult and the HOS interactive, with the added fun of solving a riddle to obtain the final item on the list. Forward movement mostly with inventory used quickly, so travelling around is not laborious.
Collectibles galore as well as achievements, but you don’t have to work too hard for them. There was help at every touch and turn, with objectives popping up to give you the next step and to confirm a completed task. Then there's the helpful hint button and map.The gameplay is not much of a challenge really, but I was immersed in the story and liked it anyway.
Will definitely buy, but not until the next CE sale. See what you think.
I recommend this game!
What dark and powerful secrets are hidden within the A.R.C.A.N.E. agency's old research base? Kiera Vale returns to find out.
Overall rating
5
/
5
115 of 126 found this review helpful
True Adventure Game - Intense and Entertaining
PostedJanuary 26, 2013
MaggieMaze
fromToronto, Canada
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Card & Board, Mahjong
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Clever game! Captivating story! I was drawn in immediately and the demo hour was over before I knew it. Kira is asleep and thinks she's dreaming but is being psychically contacted for help. Don't want to say more than that. You will love the spooky atmosphere and the humorous comments.
There is a sense of urgency and the gameplay moves quickly. Inventory is used in the current location. Once a location is complete, you move to the next so no map is needed. Great graphics and lots of challenging puzzles. No HOS, a nice change. Camera takes pictures of clues, which are easily accessible when needed. Instructions are clear and hint reveals both items needed and where to go. Cutscenes and voice overs are well done and enhance the experience. There's a story button that provides helpful background info. I didn't even notice the music, so it must be good!
Here's an example of the collaborative gameplay - During exploration of the first location, you find Kira's phone. Soon after, you discover a TV running an ad promoting the purchase of a certain item. Having discovered that you need this item, you use Kira's phone to order it. Within seconds, it is delivered to her door. I found this kind of interactivity really enjoyable.
This is a great game. Totally engaging. Definitely a purchase for me. Don`t miss it!
I recommend this game!
Dark things bubble to the surface when the past invades the present!
Overall rating
4
/
5
21 of 24 found this review helpful
Good Game - This one really surprised me!
PostedJanuary 24, 2013
MaggieMaze
fromToronto, Canada
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Card & Board, Mahjong
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
The storyline is compelling and I had to know how it turned out. Starting the demo, I thought it was just another gloomy game with dilapidated buildings to rummage around in. I WAS WRONG! I really liked the two characters who postpone their wedding to solve the mystery. The voices are well-acted and actually sound sincere. They start their search at the old family home. Then there's a kidnapping and the adventure begins.
There's a task list and a map that doesn’t allow jumping. Inventory is used within a location or two so it’s not an issue. The journal is helpful, hint recharges quickly, puzzles are simple and HOS are somewhat interactive. Graphics are good but the scenes are drab and grey, which usually turns me off. However, the story drew me in and I bought the game to find out what happens to Ann and her little brother. I might have passed on this one. Glad that I didn't. Give it a try!
I recommend this game!
A mysterious force from a parallel universe wreaks havoc on a small town as a scientist fights to stop it from taking over the world!
Overall rating
3
/
5
10 of 16 found this review helpful
Robots and Retro . . . Really!
PostedJanuary 22, 2013
MaggieMaze
fromToronto, Canada
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Mahjong
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Colourful and creative, but not my cup of tea. The storyline draws you in and gives you the urge to find out what is really going on in this crazy electrified town. Played the demo and wanted to know more. I love robots! I love Sci-Fi! Parallel universe, great! But I also love adventure and this game just doesn`t have enough challenge for me. The journal is helpful, the hint recharges quickly, the map allows you to jump locations, the graphics are great, the HOS are interactive and challenging and, if you like listening to jazz, you might really enjoy it. BUT, you also have to like lots and lots of HOS, simple puzzles, dialogue text instead of voice overs, and having your hand held in every scene: “I can’t fix it myself, I need a crowbar.” It doesn’t hold a candle to the sophisticated HOPA games that we have come to know and love, but it's imaginative, fun and worth a look. Give it a try and see what you think.
I recommend this game!
Rescue teenagers from the tragic fate of Romeo and Juliet!
Overall rating
5
/
5
62 of 78 found this review helpful
Great Adventure Game - Shakespeare not Spooks!
PostedJanuary 20, 2013
MaggieMaze
fromToronto, Canada
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Word, Adventure, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
If you liked the Grim Tales series, you will love this one. Another HOPA hit for Elephant! Gameplay provides good balance of adventure, HOS and puzzles. Three students go to the library and disappear into a book - Romeo and Juliet. The Shakespeare connection caught me right away. Not spooky, in spite of game title. Interactive HOS where you place items into the scene, a nice change. You get to use your brain as well as your eyes. Interesting puzzles. Not too easy or too hard. Both HOS and puzzle content relevant to game. No bowling pins! Great teleportation map with tasks for each location, so travelling required does not become a chore. Graphics are good, although just a tad grainy in HOS. Colourful, even though it's another story that takes place at night. (I prefer an occasional bit of blue sky!) Hint is useful in HOS and also tells you what to do next. Gameplay covers a large area so the extra help comes in handy for those of us without perfect memories. Didn't find any need to consult SG, so will probably wait for the SE. Music varied and appropriate to moment. Cutscenes and dialogue not too long or intrusive. If you don't mind going to and fro and enjoy occasional HOS and puzzles, give it a try. You won't be disappointed. This review is based on one-hour demo only. Will definitely buy this game.
I recommend this game!