panicbear's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:4.3
- Helpful Votes:55
- Reviews Submitted:18
- First Review:March 27, 2013
- Most Recent Review:December 9, 2013
- Featured reviews0
Find out who is behind the shocking zombie invasion.
Overall rating
3
/
5
13 of 13 found this review helpful
Frustrating in every way
PostedDecember 9, 2013
panicbear
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
I struggled through nonsensical use of items in puzzles and several crashes to finish this game, only for it to end with my character still in peril-- I suppose the Collector's Edition has the full ending.
I enjoyed a previous Haunted Legends game, Queen of Spades, because it had some unusual and original puzzles. When you've played enough HOPAs, you start to groan at the sight of a fishing hook or a broken well because you know you'll have to collect string and a stick for a fishing pole, or a crank, a rope and a bucket for the well. Queen of Spades had me hunting for a head in a jar at one point. It was different and interesting (and morbid, but I enjoy that.)
There are a few unusual puzzles in The Undertaker, but there are more mainstays like the fishing pole, the boat that needs patching, etc.
Worse yet, there were SO many instances where I had several tools that seemed as if they'd solve a problem, but the game required some other ridiculous item for the task.
I would normally enjoy the challenge of trying to improvise solutions with unusual tools, rather than the predictability of always having to find a hammer when I need to pound a nail. But not when I have much more suitable items in my inventory for the task at hand. When the game won't let me use a rope for a task that could clearly be solved by a rope, that's just frustrating.
SPOILERS ahead because to explain the problem I want to give examples...
A stuck grate couldn't be lifted up with the claw hammer in my inventory, or an oar, or an oven fork, any of which should have been able to lever it up. Instead it took... a flagpole. Why is a flagpole any better for that job than an oar?
Even more annoying, not long after that I needed to lift a manhole cover, and once again, none of the levers in my inventory would work-- the manhole cover could only be lifted by a harpoon. What??
I had a wire in my inventory, but when I found a pouch of sand that needed to be pierced and emptied, the wire wouldn't do it, I had to go find an awl. I also couldn't use the wire to make a hook for the end of a line to fish something out of a well: instead I needed a CHIMNEY BRUSH. WHAT.
The most egregious may have been a window I was trying to climb down from. I had a rope in my inventory, but that of course wasn't the solution. Instead I needed to find and cut down a curtain elsewhere, bring it to the window and tie it to the curtain already there to get down. Why would I do that when I had a rope?
The game also crashed five or six times. I only had to replay a significant amount once, but it was still annoying.
The other elements of the game are fine. Nice art, good but repetitive music that you'll turn off after a while. The HO scenes are good and the minigames have a decent variety and level of interest & challenge. Just not enough to make up for the frustrations of the game. I recommend Queen of Spades but I'd say, skip this one.
I don't recommend this game.
After your student goes missing alongside several other children, it is up to you to solve the mystery of Everlake.
Overall rating
4
/
5
3 of 3 found this review helpful
Above average, but disappointing; the next game in the series, Child of the Forest, is much better
PostedDecember 4, 2013
panicbear
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
The Perfect Show is a fun game and above average, but its current 4.5 rating and strong sequel had my expectations sky high, so I was let down.
The next game in this series, Rite of Passage: Child of the Forest is one of the most well-made HOPAs I've played. From the interface to the minigames to the animations, the design is thoughtful and attractive and high quality. So I don't want to badmouth these developers. They went on to make a really impressive game after this one. But The Perfect Show was disappointing.
Several of the Hidden Object scenes in this game looked pasted together from stock photos. Not all of them, but this is a major pet peeve for me. I think a Hidden Object game should have appealing Hidden Object scenes.
It was particularly jarring because most of the settings and characters are well illustrated, and the puzzles look good. But then a low quality HO scene would take me out of the story. The plot is a very typical HOPA missing persons mystery which has basically the same explanation behind it as the last three HOPA games I played.
The minigames are a little more original and challenging than most, but not too difficult for casual gaming. I did find it irritating, though, that puzzle instructions consisted of diagrams and one or two words rather than written instructions, which meant that sometimes figuring out how a minigame worked was tougher than actually solving it.
The era of the story was hard to get a sense for; the villain drives an old-fashioned car and there are rotary telephones around, but modern items appear in the HO scenes. That lack of clarity added to the feeling of carelessness created by the subpar HO scenes. There's also no map, but I didn't miss it.
I'd recommend playing the demo and deciding if this game meets your expectations before buying. And I do recommend the sequel highly.
I don't recommend this game.
Guide Ethan Black as he attempts to rescue his bride-to-be from a terrifying menace known as the Faceless Ones!
Overall rating
5
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Standout plot, okay graphics
PostedDecember 3, 2013
panicbear
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
While this is yet another HOPA game that sends you searching for a missing person, I was surprised by the story more than once along the way. That almost never happens in games like this!
The "faceless ones" bedeviling the town have a striking design and there are some attractive locations. Unfortunately, the graphics in the Hidden Object scenes are a little muddy and lacking in detail. Several times I had to use a hint to find an object not because it was well-hidden or even too dark, but simply because it wasn't drawn well enough for me to recognize it. And the puzzles will be familiar to experienced players.
Still, there was enough to please the eye, and it's so rare that the storyline in a game like this catches my interest... overall, I have to give it five stars and recommend it.
I recommend this game!
Explore the Nightingale Theater, which was ravaged by a devastating fire 40 years ago, and uncover a dark mystery!
Overall rating
5
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Must Love FROGs
PostedNovember 23, 2013
panicbear
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
In this game, you explore a deteriorated old theater and glimpse ghostly visions of its glamorous heyday.
I enjoyed it quite a bit, but there is very little variety to the puzzles: it's just one Fragmented Object Scene after another with very few other types of minigames.
If you like FROGs, you'll probably love this one.
SPOILER for a story plot hole, though...
Unless I missed something, you never find out what happened to the relative who summoned you there! That seemed like a pretty large oversight in the writing. Maybe if you buy the Collector's Edition, you find out in the bonus chapter, but it seemed weird that it wasn't mentioned in the main game.
I recommend this game!
The lighthouse fails and darkness invades Willow Ridge. Your husband runs into the forest for answers, unaware of the shadow hunting him.
Overall rating
5
/
5
1 of 3 found this review helpful
Stunning, yet a letdown finale
PostedNovember 15, 2013
panicbear
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
For most of the game, Child of the Forest was a no-brainer 5/5. In every respect, it's a stand-out, exceptionally well done game, from the overall concepts and settings, right down to details like the interface of your journal and map.
Starting from a town besieged by possessed trees held at bay only by the shining of a lighthouse, you explore a variety of locations, HO scenes, and puzzles. While it's yet another quest to find a missing husband, the backstory of the town and its traditions is different and interesting.
Some of the minigames were increasingly esoteric in the last few scenes, and I was irritated that in order to solve one late puzzle, you have to not only zoom in on a landmark, but somehow intuit that you can click up within the zoom window to look higher on that landmark in order to see what you need to see.
Then came the absolutely infuriating final fight. Throughout the game, instructions for puzzles and minigames only appear when you click a question mark. That's fine when the minigame isn't time-sensitive. The final fight? Time-sensitive.
By the time I read the instructions to figure out what I was supposed to be doing, I'd already lost a turn, and while the game probably won't let you lose in any real way, I still found it unpleasant to have to sit through a couple of resets because I needed the instructions and they take a few seconds to appear. I've played several dozen HOPAs at this point but I didn't know how to solve the last fight sight-unseen.
And the last phase of the final confrontation seemed comically difficult, since it involves uncovering and choosing several hidden symbols that match an unseen glyph, all in about twenty seconds. Sure, you get indefinite tries, but the symbols appear to scramble every time. I exercised the skip button at that point, and since I was already disgruntled from the final fight, I found the ending anticlimactic, since-- spoiler-- you never actually see Ethan open his eyes, so it's not totally clear if he was saved.
I'm still giving the game 5/5 overall because the quality is definitely there and most of it is very enjoyable. But I have to say, that annoying final fight doesn't leave me itching to go find more games from this developer.
I recommend this game!
Solve this maritime mystery to reunite a pirate with his lost love.
Overall rating
4
/
5
4 of 4 found this review helpful
Great atmosphere, definitely worth trying
PostedNovember 13, 2013
panicbear
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Short version: This is an enjoyable atmospheric game that is let down a little by an abrupt ending. Its realistic art style is somewhat unique, so I'd recommend playing the demo before buying, but I think it's definitely worth a try for HOG fans.
Mercy of the Gallows has an extremely realistic art style, to the point that I wondered if the scenes were artistically processed photographs. There's nothing fairy-tale or gothic about the rainy, ghostly castle, with its photorealistic 19th century rooms. Some parts of the scenery were obviously computer-generated with that slightly blocky Myst feel to them. Still, I found it effective at setting a mood with its subdued color scheme and well-chosen ambient sound. In contrast, the story was told with illustrations done in an almost cartoon style, which I also liked.
The story is good, though it's unfortunate that some of the ads associated with the game give away one of the major plot elements. The tale incorporates true, macabre facts about how pirates were punished. With a title like "Mercy of the Gallows" I guess you know you're in for something kind of grim...
On Casual setting, I think the puzzles are mostly very easy and the hidden object scenes are about average in difficulty.
An interesting game mechanic has you keeping an eye out for coins in nearly every scene, which you collect to unlock trunks containing clues along the way. At first these coins are hidden around the scenes in interesting ways, but as the game goes on, more and more of the coins are found simply laying on the floor. I expected that aspect to get more challenging, not less.
The very abrupt ending was a bit of a letdown. After a visually romantic and lovely concluding event begins, some text appears and informs you of the bare facts which you had already uncovered through the course of the game-- and then the game just cuts off and suddenly ends. I was ready to watch the characters figuratively "ride off into the sunset" but instead I was just retold the story in a few brisk sentences and ushered out of the game.
I still enjoyed it and feel it's a nicely moody game that I'd recommend.
I recommend this game!
Find out who stole your magic animals, and reveal the secret of the Dark Minotaur.
Overall rating
3
/
5
4 of 4 found this review helpful
Odd story distracts from gameplay
PostedSeptember 8, 2013
panicbear
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
This game probably isn't that bad, but I couldn't spring for it based on the demo. Apparently I'm playing a princess who starts out in her own bedroom, where she needs to collect items and keys to unlock her own jewelry box. Why don't I know where things are in my own room?
The princess is quite the animal lover and when her private zoo is looted, she's determined to go rescue her animal friends herself. But an early puzzle involves freeing a koi fish from a fishing net... by hooking the fish with a fishing pole! If the princess is such an animal lover, why is she making her beloved koi fish swallow a barbed hook?
To add insult to injury, the character has a scoop net, which she puts the fish in after hooking him, supposedly so that she won't 'hurt him' while she untangles him from the fishing net. Are the developers aware that a hook through the lip hurts?
And then there was an evil witch and a prophecy that I'd be the one to defeat her. Wait, I thought I was looking for my lost pets? I guess that didn't seem dramatic enough, so instead it's a different cliche.
The rest wasn't bad, just very rote and formulaic, and it seemed like not much thought went into the story. The art is good, the puzzles are typical for this type of game. I just felt the early weirdness in the story probably didn't bode well, and the other elements weren't enough to overcome my exasperation with the story.
Enter a magical fairy-tale world and overcome the evil Crow Witch! Help her captives escape using your Match 3 talents!
Overall rating
5
/
5
7 of 7 found this review helpful
Compulsively playable
PostedJune 1, 2013
panicbear
Skill Level:Beginner
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I frankly expected this to be another generic match 3 game like Bejeweled, so I was pleasantly surprised that after a bit of a slow start, it seems that a lot of work went into this game. There are numerous nicely designed characters and backdrops, various low-key puzzles thrown in to alternate with the match-3 boards, and many different types of power-ups to keep the match-3 possibilities interesting.
The story actually seems overly elaborate to me, but it's hard to complain that you get more than you expected out of a game. It's not particularly challenging, though it's more difficult once you try to beat the timed Arcade mode levels.
You get tons of levels, with a Story mode plus a lot of Arcade levels too, and it's very playable-- every time you click to make jewels vanish, the way they disappear and the satisfying noises remind me of the compulsive glee of popping bubble wrap. I just called it up intending to play a level or two while I waited for a download to finish, and ended up playing 15 levels and enjoying them all.
I recommend this game!
After awaking from a century long slumber, Princess Sophia finds a world that is devoid of people! Help her find her friends!
Overall rating
2
/
5
5 of 6 found this review helpful
Became very repetitive
PostedMarch 31, 2013
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This game was charming for the first hour. It has lovely graphics and a storybook feel that I enjoyed.
Unfortunately the minigames become very simple and very repetitive. I don't play casual games for grueling intellectual challenge, but I'm a little insulted by constant minigames asking me to find the two berries that look alike, the two glyphs that look alike, the two moths that look alike, and so on.
The plot also fades into the background as the game progresses, and between that and the repetitive, simple tasks, I lost any urgency to keep going. I bought the game and played through about half of it, but I probably won't finish it.
I don't recommend this game.
Search for clues, solve puzzles, and unlock new areas as you visit spooky locations, master mini-games and locate Hidden Objects!
Overall rating
5
/
5
Weird, in a good way
PostedMarch 31, 2013
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Stray Souls definitely has some unusual aspects that make it stand out. There are some truly weird plot elements in this game, and I was a little dubious about them at first.
But in the end, I feel like the same things that made it strange also make it distinctive, which is a strong aspect of the game, overall. It has a 'missing person' plot that is common to a lot of HO games, but some of the specifics are unique, and satisfyingly creepy.
Most of the puzzles are fairly easy, I think, which is fine with me. The story and the style were intriguing and I was happy to hurry through the puzzles to find out what would happen next!
I recommend this game!