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:
Hoyle Illusions
There is malice afoot on the eve of the awaited Battle Royale between two famous illusionists. Will you get to the theater on time and save the day?
Overall rating
2
/
5
A battle between two showmen on the stage in New York but one plans to cheat
PostedSeptember 8, 2016
hermitcave
fromGig Harbor, Wa
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Mahjong
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Johannes the Great has challenged Merlin the Amazing to compete in a magician duel at the Broadhurst Theater in New York for the title of greatest magician in the world. When Johannes and his assistants arrive at the theater, both Peter and Sophie are kidnapped by some of Merlin's henchmen. Merlin tells Peter that he is to be released but Sophie will be held as a hostage and the only way she will be released is if Peter sabotages his employer's magician trick for the competition. Meanwhile, Sophie is able to escape and finds evidence of Merlin's plans and needs to get it to the police before the show and warn Johannes of the treachery.
This is an old style hidden object game with a thin story done in an old graphics style with no voice acting and looped music that became annoying very quickly. Inventory puzzles and minigames were nothing new and bordered on frustration with most having a single solution that had to be found by trial and error and were very time consuming. Hidden object scenes were played twice and were basic list type that were challenging by being hard to find, very small, or faded. During the game, you switch between playing as Peter and Sophie, each performing specific tasks until the final showdown on the stage. Scattered throughout the game are 52 playing cards that are collected and after finding so many of them, a minigame is unlocked and can be played from the menu screen. One special device used that I have not seen before was the use of a magic wand used to create many items needed for inventory puzzles. The wand is used on top hats with cards in the hatband found in the scene that transforms the hat into the item. There is no map but being a short game with limited locations, backtracking was not a problem. Most locations only have one or two action areas to work and usually one hidden object scene. Most will find this one boring as the story is not very engaging and being fairly short.
I don't recommend this game.
Release the characters from the witch's curse and find the portal home!
Overall rating
3
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Why me? What did I do to her? Why am I here? How do I get home? Inquiring minds want to know!
PostedSeptember 7, 2016
hermitcave
fromGig Harbor, Wa
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Mahjong
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Walking through town on a warm summer day, a sign in the window of a bookstore caught my eye. "Recently found a book of spells!" Entrigued, I entered the bookstore and approached the book display when another young woman entered the bookstore and came toward the book. She looked ordinary enough except for the amulet she was wearing. It had a strange symbol on it that matched the one on the cover of the spell book. As she approached, both symbols began to glow and a bright light emitted from the book and a portal open in the book and a strange power drew the young woman into the book and I was then drawn inside also and found myself in a strange cave-like room with the book on a pedestal in the center and the woman beside it. As I watched, a dark power flew from the book turning the woman into a witch who began to conjure and all five amulets on the book's cover vanished as she jeered, "This was your only chance to get home. Too bad for you. I hid the amulets where you will never find them." and then she vanishes. I need to find the five amulets as they have the power to open the portal back to my world. As you explore the cave, you find a skeleton gatekeeper who controls five doors to other worlds that need to be explored where you may find the amulets to open the portal. He needs special bracelets found elsewhere to activate a stairway to each door to enter them. In each of the five sub-locations you find a guardian that you need to defeat and an occupant that requires assistance to restore a virtue that has been stolen by the witch.
This was a fairly good story, though not original, with fair graphics, animations and voice acting. The Gatekeeper's voice was especially good. Music is presented in short loops and becomes annoying. I liked the inclusion of a central hub with a podium holding a book that contains five slots for the magic amulets you need to find and a cave with a skeleton gatekeeper and five floating doors. The gatekeeper needs a special bracelet given to him to activate a stairway to one of the doors so you can enter one of five worlds, each with their own unique theme. There is some backtracking between the five worlds but the jump map makes it easy with action areas indicated as well as completed locations. There is a journal for the story and clues and an objectives tab. The inventory is at the top of the screen and become annoying as most games have it at the bottom and you always go toward the bottom first.
Inventory puzzles and minigames are varied and many will consider them challenging but I found most to be frustrating and time consuming. One puzzle in particular was to paint a picture using a brush and paints but apparently had a glitch as dipping the brush in the paint didn't always work and I finally had to skip it. Hidden object scenes included interactive list type, find a number of objects, and place objects back into a scene. Many scenes are played twice. Most are well done with some interesting scenery, one containing some staring, big eyed dolls. I felt the game was missing something as it never really came out as to why the woman was abducted in the first place. Was she just in the wrong place at the wrong time? Was she targeted, and if so, why? Not the best game from 2013 but will provide a few hours of diversion.
I recommend this game!
Who is responsible for your children's disappearance? Follow the trail!
Overall rating
3
/
5
0 of 1 found this review helpful
I am the only one who can love a child more than a mother can
PostedAugust 31, 2016
hermitcave
fromGig Harbor, Wa
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Mahjong
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
In the distant past, a goblin, Garvin, lived deep in the forest and provided shelter and hiding for a kind witch and her two daughters after her husband, a knight, went off to war. After a long time waiting for her husband to return, she decided to leave the children in Garvin's care and went to look for him, but never returned. After a while, Gavin's supplies began to run low and he realized he would not be able to care for both children, so he took one of them, Maeva, deeper into the forest and left her there. Alone and scared, she found it hard to forage for food with all the wild animals around and was starving when, one day, an old woman found her and gave her a cookie from her basket and took her back to her big house of chocolate. Here she raised her and taught her the ways of a witch. Thinking that her mother had abandoned her and after her frightening experience in the forest, she distrusted all mothers believing that no mother could love a child more than she could. Eventually the old woman died and Maeva vowed to let no child go hungry.
In the present, a mother, Isabella, sent her two children, a boy and girl, to the store to buy bread not knowing of an evil lurking nearby. On the way, the children meet a woman with a basket of sweets and enticed the children to go with her. She casts a sleep spell on the mother who awakes sometime later and realizes her children is missing. In the room you see a gingerbread man who speaks to you telling you his name is Chip and he is here to help you. In their bedroom, she sees an evil looking gingerbread man take something and jump out the window. In the kitchen you hear a voice of a woman asking where the children are and Chip says he recognized the voice as a kind witch with two daughters from long ago. At the inn, the innkeeper said he saw the children talking to a woman with a basket and that she was staying in a room there but hadn't been seen since. In her room you find strange things and ritual markings on the floor and a note that the children had been taken to her castle through the forest. You need to follow the trail and find the castle and rescue your children and save any other children that may have been abducted.
A loose rendition of the fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel with some dark twists, the graphics are well done cartoon storybook style with imaginative locations and whimsical childish-style characters with some weird and smart item interactions. The lion with the thorn in the paw was well done. Voice acting was pretty good and the music was light and easy listening. The gingerbread man named Chip becomes your hint button and also moves the story along through cutscenes as he remembers things. Additionally, presented during the game are notes and poems that are used to help the story along. There is a journal with objectives tab and a jump map with action areas indicated. Cutscenes are replayable from the journal. Inventory puzzles and minigames were of the type normally seen with some variation and were fairly easy. Hidden object scenes are interactive lists with scenes used twice with different objects to find. Some will not like the childish style of the graphics but others will find a few hours of diversion.
I recommend this game!
Save your niece from the evil presence haunting her school!
Overall rating
3
/
5
3 of 3 found this review helpful
3 Rules of the school 1. cover all mirrors before sunset 2.Don't look in any mirror after sunset 3. Never speak to your reflection at night
PostedAugust 28, 2016
hermitcave
fromGig Harbor, Wa
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Mahjong
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
The private boarding school your niece attends recently moved to a new location after the Headmaster bought the historic Blackhill Mansion for a song at an auction. Not long after the school moved there, the children began to act weird and all of the adults disappeared. You receive a frantic phone call from your niece, Jackie, who wants you to come to the school and help get her out of there. Arriving at the school, you see a silhouetted figure in a window cut the head off a doll and when you try to enter the front door, a boy comes up behind you and somehow causes a pillar to fall almost hitting you. The boy speeds away in a smoke cloud. Entering the door, you see the boy sitting on the staircase who looks at you with red eyes and turns into smoke setting the stairs on fire. You see a plaque on the wall with three rules of the school that seem strange for a school. Through a crack in the wall you see Jackie trapped and crying and the words "Bloody Mary is coming for you" underneath the crack. As you work to free Jackie, you find information about the mansion and that apparently the headmaster learned about the curse of Bloody Mary and was looking for a mirror shard containing her soul so he could destroy her curse. You also discover that one of the boys broke the three rules and that was when the strange events began. You need to save Jackie, find and destroy the mirror shard, free the children and stop the curse.
Made in a horror style using unusual color palettes where scenes contained some creepy, spooky features involving dolls and toys, things moving by themselves, mirror images, deep shadows and apparitions accompanied by ominous mood music, creepy voices and whispers, and scary sound effects making this one of the creepiest games produced in 2013. Characters and voice acting are well done being able to keep the story moving and peaking interest to continue. There is a lot to do including a lot of backtracking that the jump map provides help with but an unusual quirk was the diary tab being contained in the jump map with no way to close it unless you went back to the map using the map tab and then exit. It is a good idea to keep track of what is needed as the map indicates all locations needing attention but not what is needed so there can be a lot of locations showing action to be completed. Scattered notes, cutscenes and cardboard cutout stage performances provide the back story to flesh out the plot. The game also suffers from "specific item for a one time specific use" even though that item could be used for several things. Inventory puzzles and minigames ranged from easy to frustrating with some adding to the back story. Hidden object scenes are well done interactive list type with each scene only used once and many integrated into the story and triggered in some interesting ways.
The fifth Grim Tales game is loosely based one of the many versions of an old legend of "Bloody Mary." There were many women attributed to being Bloody Mary and there are as many stories about her that include various rituals believed to have a chance of bringing her back using a mirror, candles and invoking her name a number of times. Legend indicates she is a vengeful ghost that may do a variety of things to the invoker from slashing her face, driving her insane, damaging her eyes, pulling her into the mirror or even killing her. It is thought that the original folklore belief of Bloody Mary was that a woman could catch a glimpse of her future husband by walking up the stairs in the dark backwards with a candle and mirror. There was also a chance that she would see a skull or the face of the Grim Reaper instead, indicating she was destined to die before having the chance to marry. More modern versions paints her as a witch suspected of carrying the baby of the devil or portrayed as a witch who kidnaps young girls and drain their essence stealing their youth to stay young. One of the better spooky games released that will provide a few hours of diversion.
I recommend this game!
Discover what connects the ship’s disappearance with Devil’s Island and a family’s unsolved murder!
Overall rating
3
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
How is a tragic fire linked to the mysterious disappearance of crew and cargo from ships over 50 years?
PostedAugust 25, 2016
hermitcave
fromGig Harbor, Wa
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Mahjong
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
The ship left port a month ago and was found a few miles north two weeks later with the crew and cargo missing. The ship was moved to the dock in Port Providence and Mayor John Donahue sent a letter to you, a renowned detective, to come and investigate this strange happening. You take the train to Port Providence where you are met by the Mayor and Harbormaster who tell you about a local curse where ships have been disappearing about every ten years for over 50 years with crews and cargos disappearing leaving only the ships. On your way to the dock, a ghoast of a young girl appears and tells you to not board the ship and to leave before it is too late. Near the ship, you see a figure aboard the ship that disappears as you approach. During your investigation, you discover another detective was on the case ten years ago but also disappeared. As you explore, you learn about a tragic fire on Devil Island located several miles north of Port Providence where a father, mother and daughter were burned alive in the stables but the son survived as he was not with them. The mysterious figure seems to be watching you and trys to kill you with a hook. The ghost of the girl appears again and tells you that you need to come to Devil Island to find the truth about the fire and her brother. Now, you need to escape the hookman and go to Devil Island and discover the truth about the fire and curse.
Graphics are good using hand painted scenes and old school animations but are well done. Voice acting is pretty good and music was ok. There are a lot of background sounds, especially creaking doors, that add to the suspense. This is a dark and gloomy game with a few scare scenes that were probably considered good in 2013 but not so much today. The journal holds the story and clues and has the objectives tab. There is a good jump map with action areas indicated. Inventory puzzles and minigames were fairly easy and nothing really new but were entertaining. Hidden object scenes were basic list type with only a few simple interactive items to manipulate.
For an older game [2013], this was not a bad game and the story is written well unfolding the events at a good pace that helps keep your interest. There is a strong nautical theme with a few twists to the story and the usual "is or is he not dead" ending and will provide several hours of diversion.
I recommend this game!
What happens when the heart turns against itself?
Overall rating
5
/
5
3 of 3 found this review helpful
A pirate treasure, a secret love affair, a scheming woman, a faithful servant, and the life of a boy hangs in the balance
PostedAugust 11, 2016
hermitcave
fromGig Harbor, Wa
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Mahjong
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Somewhere in the Carribian the drums beat as they bring the French Pirate, Oliver, to the gallows as the crowd cheers. As they place the rope around his neck, he defiantly bellers at the crowd that they may hang him but none will ever find his treasure and even challenges them by throwing his necklace at the crowd telling them it is a clue. A young boy, Jimmy, runs through the crowd and scoops up the necklace and runs off as a man watches him. He runs to your house and knocks on the door. You, Madame Adams, opens the door and Jimmy tells you that he went to the execution even though he was told not to and about the pirate's treasure and about the necklace. He gives the necklace to you and tells you he has to get home before his parents get upset. Examining the necklace, it emits a strange light and you see an image of Cerberus on it and three recesses appear that need to be filled. Someone knocks on the door, and a man, Jonathan Black, Groomsman for Baron LeFay, tells you the Baron wants to see you and that a carriage was waiting. At the Baron's estate, you see the Baroness sitting outside crying and she tells you that she knew the Pirate and gives you a piece of a map and tells you not to tell the Baron about it. Inside, the Baron mentions he knows of your reputation as an investigator of mysteries on the seas and he wants your help for a significant reward but you have to prove yourself first by opening his safe. Inside the safe you find your personal family ring and when you returned to the Baron, you see the Baron and Groomsman holding Jimmy at gunpoint. The Baron tells you that to save Jimmy, you will need to outfit a ship with supplies and a crew and find the treasure and bring it back to him. While collecting supplies and a crew, you find out that the Baroness was once in love with Oliver and shared his pirate life but wanted riches and a simpler life so she left him and married the Baron. Aboard the ship, the crew trys to mutiny but a storm wrecks the ship and you and the Baron's wife washed up on the shore of the island. She had snuck aboard the ship. You now have to find where the treasure is and figure out how to get back to save Jimmy.
Touted as based on true historical events, the plot, though not new, is presented in a complicated, twisting and exciting story that is enhanced with excellent graphics and very detailed indoor and outdoor scenes that showed that the developers put a lot of time in its production. You explore 19th century locations full of suspicious characters whom seem to have their own agendas. Voice acting was very well done with only a couple of characters that could have done better, one being the Groomsman with a snooty attitude. The music fit into the pirate theme very well making it more entertaining. There is a journal for the story and clues with an objectives tab. There is a jump map with action areas indicated. Inventory puzzles and minigames were not anything new but was presented to suit the pirate theme and were nicely done. Some "plus" items are found that require further manipulation before they can be used. There are a lot of multiple copy items scattered throughout locations that you have to find before you can use them. Hidden object scenes were very interactive and well intergrated into the story so they feel part of the story. There are minipuzzles embedded in the scenes that you work through to find an object and some zoom areas with silhouettes to find. Many objects were animated and one i really liked was the bottle with a note in it and the way it was turned upsidedown and shook. You can switch to a match 3 game instead of doing the hidden object scene. A dramatic pirate tale that will provide an enjoyable several hours of diversion.
I recommend this game!
Sable Maze: Norwich Caves Collector's Edition
Your students have gone missing during an expedition under the university. Can you track them down before the water rises?
Overall rating
4
/
5
What secrets does the recently found labyrinth under the university hide and why was its discoverer fired from his teaching position at the university
PostedAugust 10, 2016
hermitcave
fromGig Harbor, Wa
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Mahjong
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
In 1965, Professor Buildson and four students made an important discovery of a hidden labyrinth that contained a strange statue that seemed to react with glowing eyes beneath the Norwich Caves University. The Professor became obsessed with the labyrinth neglecting his teaching responsibilities and even endangering his students by wanting to explore the labyrinth resulting in his dismissal. Three months later, four students have gone missing and it is feared they may be lost in the Labyrinth. An unusual storm is raging with heavy rain and there is fear of flooding. Professor Buildson's daughter, Diana, has asked you, Professor Edwards, to find her friends and that her father was with them even though he had been fired and should not have gone. The four missing students were the same ones who helped find the labyrinth - Alex Wayne, English major, Christine Moore, Biology major, Bey Lee, Math major, and Daniel Smith, PreMed major. The entrance to the labyrinth lies through the cellar and basement of the university and as you make your way there, you see Professor Buildson and he tells you that you should leave as the rain is causing the water to rise and flooding is imminent and heads deeper into the basement. As you follow, you see him enter the maze and there is a bank of monitors on which you see him give an odd shaped stone to Christine who uses it on a grating in the floor that suddenly opens and she falls through. The monitors short out from the water and you enter a chamber in the maze and find Buildson giving Bey Lee another odd shaped stone and he leaves as in a daze. Buildson sees you and tells you not to get in his way and leaves blocking all four exits from the chamber. You decide that you need to search Buildson's office where you find research materials concerning an old legend about Titus, Master of Water, who can control how water is used, and a ritual that will release him from the statue by using the four students. You need to prevent the ritual, save the four students and Buildson before the rains cause flooding destroying the university.
The graphics were old school but well done with good animation presenting nicely detailed locations to explore that were well designed and interesting. I especially liked the simple details such as a skirt flapping in the breeze and puddles being formed. Music was good and background sounds fit the watery cavern scenes. Voice acting was very good giving characters some depth. There is no real journal but a small monitor at the lower left opens a menu that allows the video cutscenes to be replayed and displays the text. There are also tabs for the collections and achievements. There is a jump map with action areas indicated to help with the backtracking that has become necessary in these games. The inventory puzzles and minigames are abundant and nicely intergrated into the story but present nothing really new and are of medium difficulty. There are some multiple part or "plus" objects to find and assemble. Hidden object scenes are entertaining with each scene done twice but with different objects to find and different interactions to perform which was nice. There are a lot of high interactive objects to find many requiring pieces to be found and used in the right order to eventually reach the final object that goes to inventory. The added challenge of figuring out what to use first is a nice touch. The Bonus Chapter picks up the story of Titus and the love he lost and why he was locked away in the statue and yourgoal is to help him reunite with that lost love. The collector's edition had the usual achievements and a collection involved finding three parts to nice collages for a total of 27 pieces that gives more information about the characters.
A simple and familiar story of a loved one lost unjustly and the revenge of her lover on the descendants but using water as the weapon that will provide a few hours of diversion.
A simple and familiar story of a loved one lost unjustly and the revenge of her lover on the descendants but using water as the weapon that will provide a few hours of diversion.
I recommend this game!
There are screams heard in Silent Hollow... Trouble at the Mystery Trackers headquarters means you're called in to help.
Overall rating
4
/
5
Headquarters is under attack by an old enemy out to destroy it but what is your special link to him?
PostedAugust 8, 2016
hermitcave
fromGig Harbor, Wa
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Mahjong
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Centuries ago, Knights from the West, Alchemists from the North, and Monks from the East came together and spent long days and nights building the Mystery Trackers Headquarters out of ordinary rock. In their castle headquarters, Alchemists researched and invented weapons and potions, Monks prayed, studied and wrote books and manuals and the Knights fought vampires and ghosts to protect the castle. Mystery Trackers became a collection of gifted individuals with special abilities and like interests that took up a mission to solve mysteries and right wrongs. Many have special talented pets that aid them in performing their missions. As with any group of special people, some stray and seek to use their special abilities for evil and become rogue agents. Morpheus tried to take over the organization and was eventually defeated and locked in a special sarcophagus that has been his prison for centuries. Last night, an emergency alarm has sounded in the Director's office and he has asked Agent Clyde, assisted by Agent Shade, to investigate what is happening at the sarcophagus. Today, you receive a phone call telling you to report to headquarters right away as it is under attack and you need to find and stop the source of the attack. When you arrive, you find the headquarters and surrounding town of Silent Hollow being controlled by strange floating masks that seem to have the power of mind control. Apparently everyone, even other agents and their pets, are affected doing the masks' bidding. You and your pet, Elf, seem to be the only ones unaffected for some reason. You find a device that is a special ability activator that you use to activate the abilities of pyrokinesis - to light fires, hypnoeye - hypnotize people and animals, and cryokinesis - ability to freeze things. You and Elf must get to the headquaters building, find and defeat Morpheus, and learn the truth about your past and why you are unaffected by the masks.
Graphics are what we have come to expect from this developer presenting beautiful artwork and wonderful visual effects with very interactive, and action-packed cutscenes using live actor characters that are well done. Voice acting is well presented but sometimes feels odd with the almost blank stares of the faces as you hear the dialogue. Music was sparse in many places but was good. Mr. Toad hint button is there again as is Elf, your trusty pet that retrieves things for you. The normal backtracking that is ever present in these games is aided by a jump map that shows action areas. Inventory puzzles and minigames are fairly simple with many familiar but presented a little different so they feel somewhat new fitting into the story well. Hidden object scenes work well in the story with some being presented in interesting ways and containing some nice interactions that actually relate to the story such as finding a code to unlock a safe to give you an object. This is a nice touch that increases the challenge. There is no real journal but when you click on specific people or objects, a device appears and zooms in and records information as one of fourteen secret files detailing facts about the person or object such as special abilities or function adding to the depth of the story. The secret file dossier tab is located in the map. Though many agents have special abilities, there is also an ability activator that can give them some through an injection. There is also a special lens you acquire that is used to scan locations for hidden places that are unseen normally and usually uncovers a needed object. An engaging and exciting story, this fifth episode in the series gives a deeper look into the Mystery Trackers Club and its members and uncovers a secret that links you with Morpheus. This one is worth checking out for a few hours of diversion.
I recommend this game!
Nightmares from the Deep: The Siren's Call Collector's Edition
Face off against Davy Jones and his nightmares from the deep!
Overall rating
5
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Fish men? Kraken? Siren mermaid? Evil Mayor? And a Davy Jones Curse
PostedAugust 4, 2016
hermitcave
fromGig Harbor, Wa
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Mahjong
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Decades ago a band of pirates decided to stop being pirates and settled on a small island founding the town of Kingsmouth. Life was good as they had plenty of treasure to buy whatever they needed, but the treasure began to run out and the citizens began to grumble. The former pirate captain, Abraham Murray, had become the Mayor and desired to return to the pirate ways so he struck a deal with Davy Jones who provided him with a way to trap a siren mermaid from which he stole her power over a kraken-a giant octopus, and is using it to wreck ships so his men, now called praetorians, can kill the survivors and loot the cargo. Because of the curse by Davy Jones, all of the citizens of Kingsmouth became fish men with the Mayor looking remarkably like a shark. The power over the kraken was contained in a golden octopus statue wielded by the Mayor.
You, Sarah Black, are the curator of the Caribbean Naval Museum and, after your last adventure where you dealt with a famous pirate, Captain Remington, and his ghost ship that partially destroyed the museum, and then eventually outwitted Davy Jones to end the adventure, was looking forward to a quiet evening when a courier rings the bell to deliver a crate that he says has to be opened right away and that you are the only one who can open it. Intrigued, you buzz him in and after he sits the crate down, you open it displaying a strange box with a triangular shaped recess. In one of the display cases, an object begins to vibrate and breaks the glass of the case. You take the object and find it fits the recess opening the box. Inside is a golden octopus statue. Suddenly two fish men break through the skylight and attack you with swords but the courier defends you with his sword. One of the intruders throws a smoke bomb that renders you unconscious and takes the statue. When you revive, the courier remarks that he has failed and you both need to leave quickly. You pass out again and wake aboard a small boat that lands at a dock on an island. The courier reveals that he was a praetorian who had been guarding the siren and fell in love with her and helped her escape. He wants your help in protecting her but the Mayor calls the kraken who destroys the building and grabs her returning her to the Mayor. You need to find and save the siren, stop the Mayor's use of the golden octopus statue that controls the kraken, and break Davy Jones' curse on Kingsmouth by opening the dwarf's chest and restoring the siren's magic seashell.
This was a great pirate story full of action that kept my interest and wanting to know what happens next. Superb artwork and crisp graphics and attention to detail wrapped around a well written story peaks your interest from the start and continues with attractive locations full of well done inventory puzzles and minigames and hidden object scenes. Music and background sounds were nicely mixed to enhance the action and scenes as you progress through the game and voice acting was well scripted and presented. You will find a lot of notes and diary pages to present the story that are recorded in the diary along with an objectives tab. As in the first game, the curse of Davy Jones is contained by a dwarf with a chest that requires 12 coins [in this case fish coins] that give a little of the story as each coin is presented and will only open after all 12 coins are inserted along with a giant pearl. The chest holds the object that imprisons the siren mermaid who you must free. According to the legend, Davy Jones uses a different dwarf and chest for each of his deals so this one is different in appearance from the one in the other game which I found to be better presented and animated then in this episode. The backtracking is aided by a jump map that indicates action areas. Puzzles are multi-leveled and varied with some new twists to fit the pirate theme with medium difficulty. Some puzzles trigger smaller interactive scenes, such as using a hose where you actually have to move the stream around to extinguish the fire, adding more flavor and involvement with scenes than usual which is a nice touch. I especially liked the triptych style puzzles. Hidden Object scene types range from silouettes, fragments, puzzles-within-puzzles and interactive list-style and an option to play Mahjong instead. Some scenes will have Sub-scenes with puzzles of their own that need to be solved, often introducing new items to find, or presenting even more puzzles to complete before the hidden object scene has ended and giving you a final object to inventory. There are three sets of collectibles including 19 golden octopus, 18 morphing silver parrots, and 7 bronze seahorses with some hidden behind objects in a scene that only become visible after clicking on the object so be sure to click on everything.
The bonus chapter is as well done as the main game and continues the story from the ending of the main game where most of the citizens of Kingsmouth are changing back to human form. That is, all except the praetorians. One of them has asked you to help them change back by finding The Book of Davy Jones and their doing good deeds. This was an enjoyable game that will provide a few hours fun and diversion.
I recommend this game!
Your murderous half-sister has escaped, and you've got the last piece of your father's treacherous film projector...
Overall rating
4
/
5
Your half-sister has escaped a mental ward and the evil projector invented by your father was destroyed so who has created another one and why?
PostedAugust 1, 2016
hermitcave
fromGig Harbor, Wa
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Mahjong
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Some time ago, your father was murdered and your brother had been taken hostage by your half-sister that you knew nothing about until all of this happened. Your father had invented a special movie projector that showed a special film that wiped peoples' memory and allowed them to be controlled. The projector was used on your half-sister causing her to go insane and was committed and the projector was dismantled and all the components destroyed except the iris. You and your brother now live at the family estate. Somewhere in an undisclosed location a man is assembling a movie projector according to a set of blueprints when someone arrives asking for an update. When he says he is finished, the man shoots him. A car arrives at your estate and an army officer, General Porter, knocks at the door. You and your brother, Frederick, meet the General who tells you that your half-sister, Linda Miller, has escaped and he is afraid that she may come for the iris. You open the safe and retrieve the iris and join them outside where the General suggests the two of you may be safer to spend a few days at the base. On the way there, you enter a scene with camels and palm trees, which of course do not exist in New Jersey, causing your car to crash. When you awake, you see the wrecked car at the entrance to the base and Frederick with the general who is injured. You need to get help for the General so you enter the gate of the base where you find a projector showing the desert scene. Reaching for the projector the desert scene disappears and you realize the projector was projecting the desert scene as an overlay on top of the original scene. Finding help for the General, the three of you enter the base. He gives you the key to the maintenance basement so you can turn off the generator so you can get to headquarters. In the basement, you find a wounded technician who tells you not to trust the general as he wants to start a war with the projector. He and Linda tried to stop him but the General shot him and took Linda hostage. Returning to the General, you find him holding a gun on Frederick and he takes you to where your half-sister is being held. He exposes the three of you to the special film reel. Regaining consciousness, you are in a hospital ward with the wounded technician and Frederick who is in bad shape. The technician is surprised that you were unaffected and wonders if you may have been exposed to the film before. The technician tells you Frederick will die if you don't find a special audio tape that he used to cure Linda to use on him. You need to find the General and stop him, find Linda and free her, find the special tape to save Frederick, and destroy the projector and special film reel before it can be used to start a war.
The story continues from Final Cut: Death on the Silver Screen using the art deco themed graphics again and presenting an engaging, exciting and action-packed story told using some nicely done cutscenes, notes and audio tapes scattered throughout. Though not necessary to have played the first episode, things connect nicely if you have. Live actors are use again with very well done voice acting and good music. The use of a movie projector to lay an overlay of another scene in some locations such as the desert scene at the entrance to the military base that switches when you turn the projector on and off provides a way to get double use of some locations which is similiar to those used in Secrets of the Dark series. There is a journal for the story and clues with an objectives tab. Backtracking has become norm for these games and the very well done jump map with action areas indicated makes it easier. Inventory puzzles and minigames were on the easy side with placement between the two scenes in some locations well thought out and item usage logical. Hidden object scenes were of the interactive list type with well placed objects and fairly easy. You can play a match 3 game instead if you want. Most will find this an entertaining and interesting game that will provide several hours of diversion.
I recommend this game!