Honestly I was beginning to lose hope for another Gizmo game, so I am thrilled to insta-buy and start playing. Gizmo's is the only nonogram series I have found with true logic -based puzzles and that actually reaches a high level of challenge without sacrificing that logic.
Well, I really wanted to like this game but there was just no continuity to the story. Every new area our heroine entered there was someone else to interact with/save. The talking eating mirror slows the game down even more. I don't mind easy games per se. but this was a ridiculous level of hand holding. One room at a time, clearing everything as you go, being directed by the other characters. Annoying flashbacks/info-dumps had me yelling 'just get on with it & let me do some exploring!'
I did manage a whole 30 mins but by the time I got to the 3rd room & saw another animal, this one out of Japanese mythology, which seemed bit off as we are dealing with Cinderella ...
Visuals are high standard which is why this manages a 2.5 in my view, otherwise it would probably only have got 1 star
I played this in beta & absolutely loved it. Its an automatic buy for me. Its such a fun game, with new & really interesting ideas right from the start. I'm a bit jealous of anyone who is coming to it for the first time as 'lucky you'. I'm sure others will comment on gameplay, every little detail etc, but all I can say is- one of the best games I've played for years.
I do not often write reviews, but on seeing the overwhelmingly negative review posted, felt I had to give my opinion.
I do not think I am in any way an expert reviewer, or that my opinion matters more than anybody else, but I have been playing HO games for many years & have never forgotten the sense of wonder, excitement & joy I got from those first games & the worlds they opened up to me.
I think it would be awful if new players were put off good games by jaded reviewers who had lost sight of why people want to play these games.
The name of the series is 'Hidden Expedition' so I am not going to fall over in shock when the story is again about a secret expedition.
The story line in this series is slightly more logical than in other games, but as they are what I call 'gentle fantasy' games, there are bad guys (& gals) & scary moments-but the good guys (& gals) always win- what's not to like about that? I won't comment on individual puzzles, HOS etc. but they are all professionally done. The visuals are to the usual high standard. I feel it is very easy to become blase about graphics that a few years ago would have been considered cutting edge. The shots of the water just show how far this technology has come. I have most of the Hidden Expedition games & this is not the best, nor the worst. It is a very enjoyable adventure from the bit I have played. There are always a couple of in-jokes in the games for those who have played the series, sometimes found in the bonus game, & as anyone who has ever watched the Pixies credits will know, a lot of thought goes into this bit. So please do try this for yourself. I will definitely be buying this, but not because I want an innovative game. It is a bonus if games do include an element I have not seen before, but not required. Given that I have played hundreds (maybe thousands) of games, why would I judge a game to be a failure because there is nothing I have not seen before. The Hidden Expedition games are a nice escape from the first blasts of autumn gales, I'd much rather be in Turkey for the weekend! Anyway, I'm off. There are Agents to be rescued & time's-a-wasting.