hermitcave's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.8
- Helpful Votes:407
- Reviews Submitted:240
- First Review:March 27, 2014
- Most Recent Review:October 27, 2016
- Featured reviews0
Status:
After the first date with a charming girl named April, our hero wakes up alone in an abandoned city after being drugged.
Overall rating
4
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
An unusual and intriguing age-old tale of boy meets girl, girl drugs boy, boy wakes up and has to escape an abandoned city
PostedAugust 31, 2015
hermitcave
fromGig Harbor, Wa
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Mahjong, Card & Board
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
When I first started this game I didn't like it mainly because of the graphics and hard to identify objects but as I progressed through the first few rooms [there are 40 of them], I became enthralled in the story and wanted to find out more of what, why, when, who and how. The things that I disliked in the beginning became a non-issue because of the story.
You meet April [who turns out to be Ann] and after one night of fun you go back to her apartment for a cup of coffee that turns out to be drugged and when you wake up you find yourself in a basement of an abandoned building and she is gone. Now you have to escape and figure out where you are, what happened to her, and why did she do this.
There is a lot to do in this game requiring you to follow cryptic clues and solve puzzles to escape which gives the game a feel of being quite long but many of the rooms only require you to complete a list of missions frequently broken down into smaller parts. Usually your first mission for each room is to find a piece of paper containing curious instructions that triggers the list of missions. Missions usually involve finding objects for practical use, such as batteries to power something or tools or items to build or repair something. Other times, it may be to find items to put together or use to solve puzzles. Once a room is completed, you enter a new room and receive another list of missions so there is no main map needed. At the end of each room's mission, you find a map fragment with a riddle clue and have to pick the next location to be sent there. You are guided through the ruins of an empty city by someone leaving mysterious instructions that lead you from location to location with promises that you will be one step closer to the truth. Your first motivation is to find April, who you believe put you in this predicament, but after a bit you find out that she is also trapped here and needs to be saved and that you are now drawn into a deeper mystery involving "Project Superunity" in an underground research facility in a hidden city in Russia with an ancient alien artifact.
There are two play modes - Classic [timed] and Light[not timed]. In timed mode you only have 10 minutes to complete the room. Completeing missions awards points that can be used to buy "secrets" in the store. I didn't buy any secrets as most were concept art but a few were minigames. Using the hint button labeled as the SOS button deducts time in Classic and removes points in Light. All puzzles can be skipped with the SOS button and it will also provide hints to finding items but it will cause a penalty depending on the mode played. There are no voiceovers and a lot of text messages to read. there is a button that allows you to reread messages all ready found. Music was ok but repetitive.
Graphics were washed out and grainy to give the feeling of an old, rundown, abandoned atmosphere in most locations with very small items to be found. There is a zoom feature that places a magnifying glass on the screen to make items larger so you are able to find most everything with a little looking around. The items are usually shaped so they are easily identified as to what you are looking for but there is also a misclick penalty so don't go click happy.
Some items found will go into inventory automatically at the bottom of the screen and are used someplace to perform an action. To use an item from inventory, click on it and it will raise slightly above the inventory bar showing it is ready for use. Now click on whatever you want to use it on to perform the action. Some items may be needed for several actions and will remain in inventory after use until you are completely done with it. When an item is raised for use, you will not be able to click on other objects in the scene to collect them as the game thinks you are trying to use the tool for an action. Click on the tool to lower it again to be able to collect objects again.
Before you complete a room, you can choose to replay it by going to menu and clicking on "replay level." As objects are moved around each time you play the game, starting a level over will shuffle the location of objects. This adds to the replay value of the game. Once the game is completed, you can replay any level you want by going to menu and selecting "choose levels."
There is a lot to like in this game once you get past the graphics and the small items and get into the story. I am looking forward to playing the sequel - Lost in the City: Post Scriptum.
You meet April [who turns out to be Ann] and after one night of fun you go back to her apartment for a cup of coffee that turns out to be drugged and when you wake up you find yourself in a basement of an abandoned building and she is gone. Now you have to escape and figure out where you are, what happened to her, and why did she do this.
There is a lot to do in this game requiring you to follow cryptic clues and solve puzzles to escape which gives the game a feel of being quite long but many of the rooms only require you to complete a list of missions frequently broken down into smaller parts. Usually your first mission for each room is to find a piece of paper containing curious instructions that triggers the list of missions. Missions usually involve finding objects for practical use, such as batteries to power something or tools or items to build or repair something. Other times, it may be to find items to put together or use to solve puzzles. Once a room is completed, you enter a new room and receive another list of missions so there is no main map needed. At the end of each room's mission, you find a map fragment with a riddle clue and have to pick the next location to be sent there. You are guided through the ruins of an empty city by someone leaving mysterious instructions that lead you from location to location with promises that you will be one step closer to the truth. Your first motivation is to find April, who you believe put you in this predicament, but after a bit you find out that she is also trapped here and needs to be saved and that you are now drawn into a deeper mystery involving "Project Superunity" in an underground research facility in a hidden city in Russia with an ancient alien artifact.
There are two play modes - Classic [timed] and Light[not timed]. In timed mode you only have 10 minutes to complete the room. Completeing missions awards points that can be used to buy "secrets" in the store. I didn't buy any secrets as most were concept art but a few were minigames. Using the hint button labeled as the SOS button deducts time in Classic and removes points in Light. All puzzles can be skipped with the SOS button and it will also provide hints to finding items but it will cause a penalty depending on the mode played. There are no voiceovers and a lot of text messages to read. there is a button that allows you to reread messages all ready found. Music was ok but repetitive.
Graphics were washed out and grainy to give the feeling of an old, rundown, abandoned atmosphere in most locations with very small items to be found. There is a zoom feature that places a magnifying glass on the screen to make items larger so you are able to find most everything with a little looking around. The items are usually shaped so they are easily identified as to what you are looking for but there is also a misclick penalty so don't go click happy.
Some items found will go into inventory automatically at the bottom of the screen and are used someplace to perform an action. To use an item from inventory, click on it and it will raise slightly above the inventory bar showing it is ready for use. Now click on whatever you want to use it on to perform the action. Some items may be needed for several actions and will remain in inventory after use until you are completely done with it. When an item is raised for use, you will not be able to click on other objects in the scene to collect them as the game thinks you are trying to use the tool for an action. Click on the tool to lower it again to be able to collect objects again.
Before you complete a room, you can choose to replay it by going to menu and clicking on "replay level." As objects are moved around each time you play the game, starting a level over will shuffle the location of objects. This adds to the replay value of the game. Once the game is completed, you can replay any level you want by going to menu and selecting "choose levels."
There is a lot to like in this game once you get past the graphics and the small items and get into the story. I am looking forward to playing the sequel - Lost in the City: Post Scriptum.
I recommend this game!
Travel to the mysterious world of Enlightenus and use your detective skills to track down Edgar Lee`s missing novels!
Overall rating
4
/
5
3 of 3 found this review helpful
A nice relaxing fun game
PostedAugust 29, 2015
hermitcave
fromGig Harbor, Wa
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Mahjong, Card & Board
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
As a detective and budding author, you have been contacted by a famous novelist, Edgar Lee, asking for your help. It seems he has a machine that can transport him to another world where he often gets the inspiration for his novels and while working on it a power surge caused all of his novels to become scattered in the other world including the mixing up of some of the plots of his novels. he wants you to travel to this other world and find and restore his novels. Of course you readily accept and use the machine to reach the other world and begin your adventure.
There are 42 pages to be found that each trigger an HOS [scenes repeated several times] and provides you with an item to be used or a token that represents various themes that you must place in the correct spot around paintings hanging on the wall. The paintings represent the novels and the token are plot items. Each painting[novel] has spaces for tokens on both sides of the painting [can be 2 or 3 spaces] and you have to place the token on the correct side according to a riddle above the spaces. When restored, the painting [novel] gives you a minigame. They are usually a match type where you match similar items - an example would be to match an animal with its food or home or a tool to some device. There is a table of contents that keeps track of the pages found and completed.
There is a hint orb that recharges slowly but you can find "E" cards scattered throughout that, when used, will speed up the recharging. There is no map but the number of locations available at any one time are limited so getting lost is udually not a problem. Some people may feel there is no direction as to where to go next but if you remember that you find a page, do an HOS, get a token, check the paintings[novels] and place the tokens you should be fine. You will also find "fluff" papers with inspirational quotes from famous authors that are included but have no actual use in the game.
HOS are all the same type -that is you are given items that need to be placed back into a scene using some logic but mostly using the labels on the itemks in the scenes. When you select an object to place in a scene, all of the items that can be interacted with, and therefor, are potential candidates for that item to be used with will show a label as you pass your cursor over them. So you select an item such as "carrot" and move your cursor over items in the scene until you see "hungry rabbit" and find where the carrot goes or "deflated ballon" and find "helium gas pipe." Some items will be logical but others require you to search the labels. There may be some items where you have to do several things in a sequence to complete it. HOS scenes are repeated multiple times but with different list items but the scenes are reset so they appear the same each time used.
I enjoyed the easy play, not being rushed feel, and the not-the-norm type HOS very much and will be playing the sequel.
There are 42 pages to be found that each trigger an HOS [scenes repeated several times] and provides you with an item to be used or a token that represents various themes that you must place in the correct spot around paintings hanging on the wall. The paintings represent the novels and the token are plot items. Each painting[novel] has spaces for tokens on both sides of the painting [can be 2 or 3 spaces] and you have to place the token on the correct side according to a riddle above the spaces. When restored, the painting [novel] gives you a minigame. They are usually a match type where you match similar items - an example would be to match an animal with its food or home or a tool to some device. There is a table of contents that keeps track of the pages found and completed.
There is a hint orb that recharges slowly but you can find "E" cards scattered throughout that, when used, will speed up the recharging. There is no map but the number of locations available at any one time are limited so getting lost is udually not a problem. Some people may feel there is no direction as to where to go next but if you remember that you find a page, do an HOS, get a token, check the paintings[novels] and place the tokens you should be fine. You will also find "fluff" papers with inspirational quotes from famous authors that are included but have no actual use in the game.
HOS are all the same type -that is you are given items that need to be placed back into a scene using some logic but mostly using the labels on the itemks in the scenes. When you select an object to place in a scene, all of the items that can be interacted with, and therefor, are potential candidates for that item to be used with will show a label as you pass your cursor over them. So you select an item such as "carrot" and move your cursor over items in the scene until you see "hungry rabbit" and find where the carrot goes or "deflated ballon" and find "helium gas pipe." Some items will be logical but others require you to search the labels. There may be some items where you have to do several things in a sequence to complete it. HOS scenes are repeated multiple times but with different list items but the scenes are reset so they appear the same each time used.
I enjoyed the easy play, not being rushed feel, and the not-the-norm type HOS very much and will be playing the sequel.
I recommend this game!
Strange figures have taken over a small town in Hallowed Legends: Templar! Stop the Knights of the Templar!
Overall rating
3
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Had potential but the confusing story made it suffer
PostedAugust 27, 2015
hermitcave
fromGig Harbor, Wa
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Mahjong, Card & Board
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
The introduction cutscene shows a man dressed as a knight having a crown of thorns placed on his head and leaving with a threatening expression and joining two other knights. In the next scene, you have received a letter from your Sister-in-Law, Helen, telling you that strange things are happening in town and that your brother, Carl, has disappeared and she needs your help to find him. So off you go to Gabelis in the South of France to the Maltese Cross Hotel where your door is suddenly broken down by a glowing knight who says you should not be here and knocks you out. After you recover, there is an explosion that destroys the levee and the town is flooded. Why? It never was revealed during the game. You spend the rest of your time looking for Helen and Carl and trying to avoid the three knights that want to kill you and prevent you from finding them. Part of the answer seemed to involve Helen cheating on Carl and Carl wanting revenge and now being controlled by someone. Where the knights came from and who is controlling them is somewhat answered about midway but some questions are never fully answered. Oh, and somehow they have the Ark (of the covenant?) somewhere in the town that may be the center of what is going on. How? Where did they get it? Not sure. And there was a mysterious disease just in the town. I found the story to be covoluted.
If you can get past all of that, you find not that bad of a hidden object game with some fairly hard minigames thrown. Most of the adventure action areas you have seen before and are not that hard to figure out. One new thing for me was how some of the HOS required inventory items to complete them. During your course of action in finding objects, some were needed in the HOS to complete interactive objects to finish the scene. Sometimes you had to come back to the HOS later to complete it as the item required was not found until later. So if you can't find an item to interact within the scene, check your inventory to see if you have it. This would have been fine if there was an interactive map but there was not. I found the map to be useless as it only showed a few places around where you were with no jump feature or any indication of any action required. because of this, be sure to take notes as there is a fair amount of back tracking to do.
There are voiceovers that were ok but some were tinny and a little hard to understand. Scene information dialogs displayed at the top of the screen disappeared quickly so read fast. The journal was more of a gathering of story information and not that much help. There are birds of all kinds and shapes (even skeleton) to find throughout but received no information concerning them. Apparently the CE had you collect 50 of them.
With a better written and executed story, this would have been a much better game.
If you can get past all of that, you find not that bad of a hidden object game with some fairly hard minigames thrown. Most of the adventure action areas you have seen before and are not that hard to figure out. One new thing for me was how some of the HOS required inventory items to complete them. During your course of action in finding objects, some were needed in the HOS to complete interactive objects to finish the scene. Sometimes you had to come back to the HOS later to complete it as the item required was not found until later. So if you can't find an item to interact within the scene, check your inventory to see if you have it. This would have been fine if there was an interactive map but there was not. I found the map to be useless as it only showed a few places around where you were with no jump feature or any indication of any action required. because of this, be sure to take notes as there is a fair amount of back tracking to do.
There are voiceovers that were ok but some were tinny and a little hard to understand. Scene information dialogs displayed at the top of the screen disappeared quickly so read fast. The journal was more of a gathering of story information and not that much help. There are birds of all kinds and shapes (even skeleton) to find throughout but received no information concerning them. Apparently the CE had you collect 50 of them.
With a better written and executed story, this would have been a much better game.
I recommend this game!
Discover the Downtown Secrets! After mysteriously disappearing for three years, Marie is back in Alex’s life and needs his help!
Overall rating
4
/
5
6 of 6 found this review helpful
A little different approach to hidden object who done it
PostedAugust 23, 2015
hermitcave
fromGig Harbor, Wa
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Mahjong, Card & Board
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Alex, a defense attorney, had a girlfriend, Marie, who left him three years ago and disappeared. Now, three years later, she calls him out of the blue and asks for his help. She has been arrested for murder and he is the only one she trusts to help her. Alex's friend, Nick, is a private eye and decides to help Alex with his case. Marie has asked Alex to remove some documents from the crime scene before the police can find them and deliver them to a contact for her and you find out she is a corporate spy dealing with some shady characters and a organization called Chimera. Marie's fate hinges around a mysterious ring that has the ability to allow the user to review past events.
The story was ok but a little out there especially with Marie disappearing for three years and Alex dropping every thing on a phone call from her asking him to remove evidence without any information. The game is kind of a who done it with mulitple sites to visit and things to do in each scene. There are seek and find items to collect and some are used to solve puzzles. Using the mysterious ring was a nice different way to do a list. As you move around the scene invisible objects become visible so you can click on them. Some items are very small or partially hidden or behind a grate so you have to look closely. Most items are in the scene you are in but there can be inserts such as cupboards, drawers, etc that may contain some items. Just look for the cursor change.
Each character encountered has a dossier that provides information on the character. Din't find it especially helpful but gives the game a feel of intrigue. There is no map as travel to new locations are automatic. There are no voiceovers so you had a lot of dialog boxes to read. Music was ok but repeated. Graphics and animation was good but 2010 vintage so don't expect any thing great. The ending was ok with Alex and Marie escaping but the villians get away. Maybe to be seen again in a sequel? I didn't really dislike the game but didn't find it as memorable as others.
The story was ok but a little out there especially with Marie disappearing for three years and Alex dropping every thing on a phone call from her asking him to remove evidence without any information. The game is kind of a who done it with mulitple sites to visit and things to do in each scene. There are seek and find items to collect and some are used to solve puzzles. Using the mysterious ring was a nice different way to do a list. As you move around the scene invisible objects become visible so you can click on them. Some items are very small or partially hidden or behind a grate so you have to look closely. Most items are in the scene you are in but there can be inserts such as cupboards, drawers, etc that may contain some items. Just look for the cursor change.
Each character encountered has a dossier that provides information on the character. Din't find it especially helpful but gives the game a feel of intrigue. There is no map as travel to new locations are automatic. There are no voiceovers so you had a lot of dialog boxes to read. Music was ok but repeated. Graphics and animation was good but 2010 vintage so don't expect any thing great. The ending was ok with Alex and Marie escaping but the villians get away. Maybe to be seen again in a sequel? I didn't really dislike the game but didn't find it as memorable as others.
I recommend this game!
Susan Anderson is back, following the clues of a mysterious benefactor, searching the world for the treasures of legend.
Overall rating
3
/
5
4 of 4 found this review helpful
An older seek and find game with some puzzles and a simple story
PostedAugust 23, 2015
hermitcave
fromGig Harbor, Wa
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Mahjong, Card & Board
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Not having played Escape the Museum 1, I bought this game based on another game I had played and thoroughly enjoyed called Escape the Museum 2 thinking that it would be like that one. I was wrong. While that game was not about getting out of a museum, it was about a father trying to make his way through an earthquake disaster to the museum where his wife and daughter were trapped. They were totally different with this one being a basic seek and find game with sort of a plot and story thrown in.
For those who have played Escape the Museum 1, it is a few months since Susan Anderson's ordeal in the museum, when she receives journal from an unknown person concerning some lost treasures in which she may be interested. Her suspicions are aroused but the information is too valuable to ignore so she decides to track down the treasure through mysterious clues and riddles. There are 5 treasures to find with multiple sections in each to explore. The treasures are the great Civil War, Napoleonic, Pharaoh, Mayan and Blackbeard. An additional item called a Geocache can be found in each location. There is a tab at the upper right corner of the display that you click on to get a clue as to what the item may be. Some are present in plain view while others may be hidden inside an object.
There are three tabs used during game play that provide a variety of actions - tools, list, and items.
The tools tab contains the tools needed to finish a level. Each tool has a different function. I did find that some areas or objects that you need to use a tool on were right on the edge of the display and could be easily missed.
Item finder - this is the hint button and is used to help locate items on the list. It has a visual and audio indicator as you get close to an object. Can be used as much as you want but needs to recharge after each use and each recharge takes longer.
Archaeologist brush - used to remove spots covered with dust to reveal what is hidden beneath the dust. There was one scene at the Mayan dig site that contained a bural plot that gave a message of "wonder what is buried here" did not provide any clue as to the tool to be used. It turned out to be the brush that uncovered ten spots of items.
Hammer - used to break things. Not all things broken with have the object you are looking for.
Lighter - Some items need to be burned to reveal what is behind them such as paper, cobwebs, plants.
The list tab contains the list of items to be found. Some items are marked in blue and require another item to help reveal them. A lot of the items on the list are small or almost invisible so you have to look very close.
The items tab contains some items found from the list that are used to solve puzzles or reveal blue items on the list.
There was one puzzle for the Mayan treasure that involved placing broken pieces of a Mayan calander on a tablet. When the first piece is placed, it has to be rotated until the right spot is found and it locks in place but it was extremely touchy making it difficult to complete. It took a lot of time and patience to finish.
Moving between locations was done automatically on a map. To obtain a 100% rating per treasure, you will need to visit each location twice - the first time for 70% and the second time with new items to find to reach 100%.
Of course, the ending reveals that the person that sent her the journal turns out to be a bad guy but everything turns out all right when hubby saves the day.
I am not sure why people complain about a game made in 2008 and compare it to a game made today, 2015, when obviously it will be different and probably subpar. In 2008 it probably was considered a top notch game compared to the games of that time.
For those who have played Escape the Museum 1, it is a few months since Susan Anderson's ordeal in the museum, when she receives journal from an unknown person concerning some lost treasures in which she may be interested. Her suspicions are aroused but the information is too valuable to ignore so she decides to track down the treasure through mysterious clues and riddles. There are 5 treasures to find with multiple sections in each to explore. The treasures are the great Civil War, Napoleonic, Pharaoh, Mayan and Blackbeard. An additional item called a Geocache can be found in each location. There is a tab at the upper right corner of the display that you click on to get a clue as to what the item may be. Some are present in plain view while others may be hidden inside an object.
There are three tabs used during game play that provide a variety of actions - tools, list, and items.
The tools tab contains the tools needed to finish a level. Each tool has a different function. I did find that some areas or objects that you need to use a tool on were right on the edge of the display and could be easily missed.
Item finder - this is the hint button and is used to help locate items on the list. It has a visual and audio indicator as you get close to an object. Can be used as much as you want but needs to recharge after each use and each recharge takes longer.
Archaeologist brush - used to remove spots covered with dust to reveal what is hidden beneath the dust. There was one scene at the Mayan dig site that contained a bural plot that gave a message of "wonder what is buried here" did not provide any clue as to the tool to be used. It turned out to be the brush that uncovered ten spots of items.
Hammer - used to break things. Not all things broken with have the object you are looking for.
Lighter - Some items need to be burned to reveal what is behind them such as paper, cobwebs, plants.
The list tab contains the list of items to be found. Some items are marked in blue and require another item to help reveal them. A lot of the items on the list are small or almost invisible so you have to look very close.
The items tab contains some items found from the list that are used to solve puzzles or reveal blue items on the list.
There was one puzzle for the Mayan treasure that involved placing broken pieces of a Mayan calander on a tablet. When the first piece is placed, it has to be rotated until the right spot is found and it locks in place but it was extremely touchy making it difficult to complete. It took a lot of time and patience to finish.
Moving between locations was done automatically on a map. To obtain a 100% rating per treasure, you will need to visit each location twice - the first time for 70% and the second time with new items to find to reach 100%.
Of course, the ending reveals that the person that sent her the journal turns out to be a bad guy but everything turns out all right when hubby saves the day.
I am not sure why people complain about a game made in 2008 and compare it to a game made today, 2015, when obviously it will be different and probably subpar. In 2008 it probably was considered a top notch game compared to the games of that time.
I recommend this game!
Amazing Adventures: The Caribbean Secret
Legend has it that a Spanish ship loaded with a fortune of gold went missing somewhere in the Caribbean! Find the secret treasure!
Overall rating
4
/
5
Just plain hidden object fun and puzzles nothing else no adventure with just a cover story
PostedAugust 19, 2015
hermitcave
fromGig Harbor, Wa
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Mahjong, Card & Board
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
It is just like all of the Amazing Adventure games with this one having scenes from the Caribbean with good art work and many objects to find most easily found with the usual few that are well blended. There are 25 levels of multiple seek and find screens [many repeated] to work through with a mini-game presented between each scene. You also receive a map piece after each level that is used at the end for the final puzzle to find the treasure. There are 50 skulls to be found that unlocks unlimited seek and find and match games that can be played at the end. Also if you miss some skulls, the unlimited games are unlocked when you finish the game and complete the final puzzle to find the treasure. If the eyes of the skulls at the upper left of the screen are not lit up, then there will be skulls hidden in that scene. The basic game involves playing a seek and find, do a min-game, seek and find, mini-game, etc. So don't expect anything else. A fun game to play when you have a few minutes to kill and doesn't require much time.
I recommend this game!
Confront an ancient evil and uncover your true! After a startling revelation changes your world forever, you must embark on an epic journey to save mankind.
Overall rating
4
/
5
5 of 5 found this review helpful
A game with a different setting from the norm
PostedAugust 19, 2015
hermitcave
fromGig Harbor, Wa
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Mahjong, Card & Board
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
A young orphan girl, Aarya, turns 18 and is given a box by the woman that has raised her and told she is special and not an orphan. The box contains a book and a note from her grandfather. When her grandfather shows up, he tells her she is the Chosen One as the last descendant of the Sun Kings and has a destiny to fight evil. To do this, she must find 5 talismans that will lead her to the Scroll of Helios that is to be used to defeat the evil. While telling her this, he is killed by a man referring to him as "brother" and warns her to stay out of his way. Of course she decides to follow her grandfather's directions and fight this evil.
A straightforward hidden object adventure game with a simple goal and a evil opponent to overcome. Nothing earthshattering with this game except that the setting is an East Indian theme very seldom seen in games. I enjoyed the styles, architecture, and designs as well as the scenery. It was a nice refreshing change. Although released in 2013, it has an older feel to it as the graphics were panoramic scenes with multiple hot spots that were close-up views. Colors were not as bright as usually seen although the scenes were clear and easy to view. Some hot spots were very small and could be missed easily. Sparkles for HOS were very small also. Music was unobtrusive and of the style fitting the culture and pleasant to listen to and voiceovers were well done. Inventory locks and items are used fairly quickly and a task tab is located here that gives you the main task you are to complete. The book received from the box in the beginning becomes your journal and you find scrolls throughout the game [some can be hard to see unless you know to look for them] that provide background information about the task at hand and they go into your journal but i did not find the journal of much help.
I thought the game was well balanced between adventure puzzles, minigames and HOS and progression to the next step was usually well indicated. The interactive map showed current location and areas where action was available so it kept you on the right path. HOS were of the list type with some interactive items requiring some manipulation to complete. Most items were easily identified but some were shaped differently from the usual Western Civilization shapes so a little thought was needed. Puzzles were varied and fairly easy with adequate directions for the most part although I did find some lacking in clarity. Adventure puzzles were fairly typical for these type of games.
There were two minigames that were designed as fight scenes where you had to use a sword to fire magic energy at the evil villian and the talismans at various desert creatures as they moved about on the screen. The creatures change position quickly and clicking on the talisman did not always fire. Not sure if it was a glitch or designed that way. Maybe a cooldown. As with any straightforward objective, once it is reached the game ends and this was no different. You play the last minigame [kind of a rubic's cube matching game] and receive the Scroll of Helios and the game ends.
This was a pleasant change of location and an interesting game.
A straightforward hidden object adventure game with a simple goal and a evil opponent to overcome. Nothing earthshattering with this game except that the setting is an East Indian theme very seldom seen in games. I enjoyed the styles, architecture, and designs as well as the scenery. It was a nice refreshing change. Although released in 2013, it has an older feel to it as the graphics were panoramic scenes with multiple hot spots that were close-up views. Colors were not as bright as usually seen although the scenes were clear and easy to view. Some hot spots were very small and could be missed easily. Sparkles for HOS were very small also. Music was unobtrusive and of the style fitting the culture and pleasant to listen to and voiceovers were well done. Inventory locks and items are used fairly quickly and a task tab is located here that gives you the main task you are to complete. The book received from the box in the beginning becomes your journal and you find scrolls throughout the game [some can be hard to see unless you know to look for them] that provide background information about the task at hand and they go into your journal but i did not find the journal of much help.
I thought the game was well balanced between adventure puzzles, minigames and HOS and progression to the next step was usually well indicated. The interactive map showed current location and areas where action was available so it kept you on the right path. HOS were of the list type with some interactive items requiring some manipulation to complete. Most items were easily identified but some were shaped differently from the usual Western Civilization shapes so a little thought was needed. Puzzles were varied and fairly easy with adequate directions for the most part although I did find some lacking in clarity. Adventure puzzles were fairly typical for these type of games.
There were two minigames that were designed as fight scenes where you had to use a sword to fire magic energy at the evil villian and the talismans at various desert creatures as they moved about on the screen. The creatures change position quickly and clicking on the talisman did not always fire. Not sure if it was a glitch or designed that way. Maybe a cooldown. As with any straightforward objective, once it is reached the game ends and this was no different. You play the last minigame [kind of a rubic's cube matching game] and receive the Scroll of Helios and the game ends.
This was a pleasant change of location and an interesting game.
I recommend this game!
Lynn’s wedding is interrupted by a ghost from Edward’s past.
Overall rating
5
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Edward missing? Lynn trying on her wedding dress? Edward's missing sister?
PostedAugust 19, 2015
hermitcave
fromGig Harbor, Wa
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Mahjong, Card & Board
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Lynn and Edward are to be married this weekend and Lynn is trying on her dress. The Imp brings a letter from Edward telling her that he has gone to Oldhills to meet someone who says they know what happened to his parents who were killed in a fire. He promises to be back in time for the wedding. Edward and his sister, Abigail, were sent to the Oldhills Orphanage after the fire but were adopted by different families splitting them up and he lost all contact with her. Lynn is upset because they both knew it was a trap and now she has to follow and find him and try and find out what happened to Abigail. Guess who adopted Abigail and has convinced her that Edward caused the fire that killed their parents? Yes, she is back - Elizabeth. With the help of Jonathan Corwin, Deputy Sherrif of Oldhills, you are able to convince Abigail of the truth and save Edward but Abigail pays the price by being turned into a crow.
There is the usual excellent graphics, music and sound effects with great animations. Diaglog is advanced by clicking the conversation. The interactive map shows action areas and if the scene contains a morphing or puzzle piece. there are 35 morphing objects and 35 puzzle pieces to be found as well as 10 Imp toys. Most are easily found but I did note several puzzle pieces were partially obsecured by the Imp's head. The Imp is here again as a helper and also the task banner holder. Hidden object scenes were plentiful and multi-leveled requiring multiple steps to find objects. The list of objects to be found even needed to be uncovered in some scenes. You have the option to play a matching game instead.
In the Bonus Chapter, Abigail is now a crow and someone want revenge on her and has kidnapped her and plans to kill her. You have to find out who, convince him not to harm her and figure out how to return her to human form. It was a nice addition to the main story with a pretty good ending where Abigail and Edward are reunited as siblings and Edward and Lynn get married.
Morphing objects, puzzle pieces, and Imp toys are completed in the bonus chapter. When you find all of the puzzle pieces, you can put the puzzle together as an achievement. Also, the Imp will play with any toy clicked on in the Imp Room achievement.
I found a couple of odd actions used to solve a puzzle. In one scene, a scraper is being held by a cable that needs to be cut and the required tool to do this turned out to be an animal spring trap. Also, in the witch's cave at the table to gather ingredients to perform the ritual, there is a glass jar with a rune inside. When you cursor over it, it says you don't really want to break the jar but that is exactly what you have to do.
As the fourth in the series, it continues to be a good series and I have the next two episodes to play. It has been great so far.
There is the usual excellent graphics, music and sound effects with great animations. Diaglog is advanced by clicking the conversation. The interactive map shows action areas and if the scene contains a morphing or puzzle piece. there are 35 morphing objects and 35 puzzle pieces to be found as well as 10 Imp toys. Most are easily found but I did note several puzzle pieces were partially obsecured by the Imp's head. The Imp is here again as a helper and also the task banner holder. Hidden object scenes were plentiful and multi-leveled requiring multiple steps to find objects. The list of objects to be found even needed to be uncovered in some scenes. You have the option to play a matching game instead.
In the Bonus Chapter, Abigail is now a crow and someone want revenge on her and has kidnapped her and plans to kill her. You have to find out who, convince him not to harm her and figure out how to return her to human form. It was a nice addition to the main story with a pretty good ending where Abigail and Edward are reunited as siblings and Edward and Lynn get married.
Morphing objects, puzzle pieces, and Imp toys are completed in the bonus chapter. When you find all of the puzzle pieces, you can put the puzzle together as an achievement. Also, the Imp will play with any toy clicked on in the Imp Room achievement.
I found a couple of odd actions used to solve a puzzle. In one scene, a scraper is being held by a cable that needs to be cut and the required tool to do this turned out to be an animal spring trap. Also, in the witch's cave at the table to gather ingredients to perform the ritual, there is a glass jar with a rune inside. When you cursor over it, it says you don't really want to break the jar but that is exactly what you have to do.
As the fourth in the series, it continues to be a good series and I have the next two episodes to play. It has been great so far.
I recommend this game!
A classic Christmas tale tail, with a whole new twist! Help the Nutcracker rescue the princess from the evil Rat King!
Overall rating
5
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
A whimsical fantasy based loosely on a Hoffmann story from 1816
PostedAugust 6, 2015
hermitcave
fromGig Harbor, Wa
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Mahjong, Card & Board
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Travel into the fantasy world of E.T.A. Hoffmann who wrote spooky tales that trespassed the border between fantasy and reality. One of Hoffmann's stories, entitled "Nutcracker and Mouse King" was adapted by the French writer Alexandre Dumas into "The nutcracker," that later was adapted into the Russian Ballet of The Nutcracker. It was the tale of a little girl, Marie, and her Christmas toys.
You are invited to the Christmas Ball at the royal palace on Christmas Eve but for some reason you have arrived late and everyone has left except the doorman. As you have an invitation, he allows you to enter to get your gift that is under the tree. At the tree, your gift begins to move breaking open revealing a nutcracker who tells you that rats have kidnapped the Princess, Mary. Both he and Mary were once human but have been magically turned into dolls by the evil Rat King who wants Mary for himself. You have to save Mary, defeat the Rat King and restore Albert and Mary back to human form. Much of the background about each of the characters is told through cutscenes throughout the game.
Graphics, animation, music and ambient sounds were all done very well and I especially enjoyed the animated door and candlestick. The candlestick becomes a helper eliminating the need to find matches during the game. Another helper is a blue cat, Fred, [already named] that retrieves various items for you. The inventory can be locked open and there is the usual hint button and an interactive map with action areas indicated. There is a strategy guide but no journal as the story unfolds in cutscenes so you do occasionally need to make notes of some clues. There are 25 dolls to be found during the game and you can earn achievements for doing things in the game. I was unable to collect all of the dolls as one was not where the strategy guide indicated it was found. HOS are the usual interactive list type and items are usually visible although I did find a few very hard to see because of lighting or shadows. Most puzzles were types seen before and there are enough directions given that you should be able to understand what is to be done. I would place most of them as intermediate level with a few on either side as usual. As usual, you win out in the end. Though a fantasy and Christmas themed game, I am not entirely sure that all parents will find the game suitable for children as there is some violence, especially in the bonus chapter, that they might find objectionable.
The bonus chapter begins without any narrative lead-in with Fred being taken by two snow wolves. The snow wolves were driven out by some "super cats" some time ago and are trying to retake the area. You find and help various "super cats" who then assist you to reach their sanctuary where they can again defeat the snow wolves and ensure another Christmas is safe. There are seven "super cats" to be found - Professor cat, Defensive cat, Archer cat, Shaman cat, Barbarian cat, Spy cat and Fred. I really didn't see that it added anything to the main story so you don't miss anything if you play the SE version. If you like interacting with "super cats" then get the CE. Just remember this is pure fantasy so place your reality on hold for awhile.
You are invited to the Christmas Ball at the royal palace on Christmas Eve but for some reason you have arrived late and everyone has left except the doorman. As you have an invitation, he allows you to enter to get your gift that is under the tree. At the tree, your gift begins to move breaking open revealing a nutcracker who tells you that rats have kidnapped the Princess, Mary. Both he and Mary were once human but have been magically turned into dolls by the evil Rat King who wants Mary for himself. You have to save Mary, defeat the Rat King and restore Albert and Mary back to human form. Much of the background about each of the characters is told through cutscenes throughout the game.
Graphics, animation, music and ambient sounds were all done very well and I especially enjoyed the animated door and candlestick. The candlestick becomes a helper eliminating the need to find matches during the game. Another helper is a blue cat, Fred, [already named] that retrieves various items for you. The inventory can be locked open and there is the usual hint button and an interactive map with action areas indicated. There is a strategy guide but no journal as the story unfolds in cutscenes so you do occasionally need to make notes of some clues. There are 25 dolls to be found during the game and you can earn achievements for doing things in the game. I was unable to collect all of the dolls as one was not where the strategy guide indicated it was found. HOS are the usual interactive list type and items are usually visible although I did find a few very hard to see because of lighting or shadows. Most puzzles were types seen before and there are enough directions given that you should be able to understand what is to be done. I would place most of them as intermediate level with a few on either side as usual. As usual, you win out in the end. Though a fantasy and Christmas themed game, I am not entirely sure that all parents will find the game suitable for children as there is some violence, especially in the bonus chapter, that they might find objectionable.
The bonus chapter begins without any narrative lead-in with Fred being taken by two snow wolves. The snow wolves were driven out by some "super cats" some time ago and are trying to retake the area. You find and help various "super cats" who then assist you to reach their sanctuary where they can again defeat the snow wolves and ensure another Christmas is safe. There are seven "super cats" to be found - Professor cat, Defensive cat, Archer cat, Shaman cat, Barbarian cat, Spy cat and Fred. I really didn't see that it added anything to the main story so you don't miss anything if you play the SE version. If you like interacting with "super cats" then get the CE. Just remember this is pure fantasy so place your reality on hold for awhile.
I recommend this game!
Witch hunters have kidnapped Lynn! To save her, you'll have to team up with an old foe and storm their castle.
Overall rating
4
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Is Lynn destined for happiness or betrayal?
PostedAugust 3, 2015
hermitcave
fromGig Harbor, Wa
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Mahjong, Card & Board
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
The introduction provides a nice update of happenings from the two previous games and sets the scene for what is happening now. You, Carrie Anderson, have adopted Lynn and you are both now living at Charleston Manor where Lynn has met a young man, Edward, and could be falling in love. They have gone on a date when a package magically appears at your door and it contains the doll of Elizabeth, the witch that tried to turn Lynn. The doll tells you that witch hunters are hunting Lynn even though she is a good witch. You need to find Lynn and warn her but when you finally find her, you discover that Edward is part of the group of witch hunters and has helped kidnap Lynn. The Elizabeth doll tells you that she can help you save Lynn by taking the doll to Elizabeth's hidden chamber through a secret entrance. In the chamber, the Elizabeth doll is able to locate where they have taken Lynn and opens a portal to the location of the Order of Witch Hunters. After arriving there, the Elizabeth doll betrays you causing you to be captured by the witch hunters and sets out with her own agenda. You now have to escape, find Lynn, save the witch hunters from Elizabeth and defeat Elizabeth. All in a days work.
There is an interactive map found early in the game that allows tranporting to locations and also shows locations with actions available. The imp continues a presence and is a helper again as well as keeper of the current task. There is the usual journal for the story and clues as well as a puzzles tab that shows jigsaw puzzles that become unlocked when you find the puzzle pieces. There are 40 puzzle pieces to find, 8 per puzzle picture. There are 35 morphing objacts scattered throughout, many are easily found but some were not. I hate sitting in a location waiting for an object to change as they are often very slow. These seemed faster then usual. I don't like rushing through a game as I want to enjoy what is happening but some morphs seem to add unnecessary length to a game. I like the ones where the morphing object is constantly changing until you click on it. Hos were the usual interactive list type requiring some items to be manipulated in some fashion to find them. Most items were visible but some were small or well blended.
One thing I did not like in this game was when you entered a location for the first time and there was a person to speak to, you had to talk to them before you could do anything in that scene even when you could see a puzzle piece or area of interest.
The ending for the main game was as expected with everyone being saved.
The bonus chapter was somewhat of a surprise as you play as the imp. Elizabeth has created a barrier that has trapped Carrie, Lynn, and the witch hunters preventing them from escaping but you as the imp are apparently uneffected. To remove the barrier, you will need to repair a portal mirror and find Wolfgang who is the only one that knows how to turn it off. Of course, Elizabeth is working to prevent you from fixing the mirror. You win out in the end and Lynn and Edward gets back together. Love conquers all.
I have enjoyed all three games so far and will play the remaining three soon. This is a very good middle of the road group of games.
There is an interactive map found early in the game that allows tranporting to locations and also shows locations with actions available. The imp continues a presence and is a helper again as well as keeper of the current task. There is the usual journal for the story and clues as well as a puzzles tab that shows jigsaw puzzles that become unlocked when you find the puzzle pieces. There are 40 puzzle pieces to find, 8 per puzzle picture. There are 35 morphing objacts scattered throughout, many are easily found but some were not. I hate sitting in a location waiting for an object to change as they are often very slow. These seemed faster then usual. I don't like rushing through a game as I want to enjoy what is happening but some morphs seem to add unnecessary length to a game. I like the ones where the morphing object is constantly changing until you click on it. Hos were the usual interactive list type requiring some items to be manipulated in some fashion to find them. Most items were visible but some were small or well blended.
One thing I did not like in this game was when you entered a location for the first time and there was a person to speak to, you had to talk to them before you could do anything in that scene even when you could see a puzzle piece or area of interest.
The ending for the main game was as expected with everyone being saved.
The bonus chapter was somewhat of a surprise as you play as the imp. Elizabeth has created a barrier that has trapped Carrie, Lynn, and the witch hunters preventing them from escaping but you as the imp are apparently uneffected. To remove the barrier, you will need to repair a portal mirror and find Wolfgang who is the only one that knows how to turn it off. Of course, Elizabeth is working to prevent you from fixing the mirror. You win out in the end and Lynn and Edward gets back together. Love conquers all.
I have enjoyed all three games so far and will play the remaining three soon. This is a very good middle of the road group of games.
I recommend this game!