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:
Only Amy, the 13th zodiac sign, can free the zodiac children's souls from the Dark Lord.
Overall rating
4
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
At age 22, you never expected to be the savior of two worlds
PostedMay 28, 2016
hermitcave
fromGig Harbor, Wa
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Adventure, Mahjong, Card & Board
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
You, Amy, are packing for a trip on a stormy night and you decide to close a window because of rain when a vulture flies up to the just closed window and trys to break in. A snow globe that you have had since you were a child begins to glow and when you reach to pick it up, it falls and breaks. You find the pieces and are able to put it back together when a ghostly image of a young girl appears from it and tells you that the vulture is not of this world and that you are in danger and to find your family heirloom, a pendant. In the other room, you find the pendant and when it comes near the snow globe the ghostly image tells you that you are the one prophesied to save her world from the Dark Lord who is now extending his desire for conquest to my world. She then enters the snow globe which turns out to be a portal to her world and when you touch the globe, you materialize in her world. She appears again and tells you that she is one of 12 souls whose powers the Dark Lord intends to acquire to become supreme ruler of this world and the ones beyond including mine. Many who resisted his power have perished but there is one that still fights that you need to seek out to help. Suddenly she is snatched away by a smoky entity leaving you to find this gypsy on your own. Farther up the path you meet the gypsy who tells you that the Dark Lord must be defeated before he can perform a ritual at the time of a pending eclipse. He also tells you to visit the prophet's temple where you can find answers to your origin. At the temple, you discover that you were born under the constellation, Ophiuchus, the rare 13th zodiac sign of the Serpent making you the Snake Bearer, The Chosen One, whose destiny it is to fight against darkness. You possess the snake bearer pendant that has the powers of Water, Fire, Air and Earth, when charged, and it will be needed to defeat the Dark Lord. To charge the pendant, you will need to enter the realms of Water, Fire, Air and Earth and cleanse three statures in each and then face the Dark Lord.
Graphics are well done but on the cartoonish side with many varied and lush landscapes involving the four realms that are interesting to explore. Music and voice acting is very good. There is a journal that contains the task list and interactive map that also indicates areas of interest. Areas are broken up into sections and when you do have to backtrack to a previously visited area, it is usually to open a new area or work on all new tasks. Inventory puzzles and minigames are creative and varied so no two are alike so you are looking forward to the next one as it will be something different and none are overtaxing nor too easy. Hidden object scenes are very nicely presented with the usual interactive list type where some objects require some manipulation. Some scenes are used twice but always with a new list of objects to find. You are presented with a helper of sorts early in the game in the form of an owl, Strix, who shows occasionally with some information that helps to keep you on the right track. He doesn't retrieve things or fly through things, he just provides information.
I enjoyed this one as it had good puzzles and hidden object scenes and the story and progression was well done. A nice fantasy that may give you a few hours of entertainment.
I enjoyed this one as it had good puzzles and hidden object scenes and the story and progression was well done. A nice fantasy that may give you a few hours of entertainment.
I recommend this game!
Trapped at the bottom of the sea by Davy Jones, you must discover his secrets, save your father and find a way to escape!
Overall rating
3
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
As a captive soul of Davy Jones, you are offered a chance to save your father and yourself and other trapped souls if you can beat him at his own game
PostedMay 26, 2016
hermitcave
fromGig Harbor, Wa
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Adventure, Mahjong, Card & Board
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
It is a lovely evening and you are sailing on the open seas with your father in the ship that has been in your family for generations when a sudden squall comes up and wrecks havoc on your ship causing a fire. As you battle the fire, your ship is suddenly rammed by another appearing out of the smoke sinking your ship to the bottom of the sea. As you pass out, you have a vision of a pirate figure with burning eyes. Regaining consciousness, you find yourself in the unstable wreckage and have to get out fast. After exiting the wreckage, you find your father waiting for you and you both seem to be alive but under water. How is this possible? Are you dead? He decides to look around when he is grabbed and is dragged away collapsing the path so you can't follow. When you are able to cross the ravine, you come across a crashed plane and the pilot, Janeway Mollison, who tells you that you are now like all of the other lost souls and are now in Davy Jones' realm and that he scours the seas in his ship, The Flying Dutchman, searching for souls to capture as slaves. She tells you to come by her tavern in the town for a drink and more information. There is a town under the water? She gives you a map and leaves. At the gates to the town, Davy Jones has your father and closes the gates so you can't enter. Once you are able to open the gate, Davy Jones tells you that he is only one that can return you to the surface but you will need to win his little game to be set free. He opens a portal to Daggermount where he resides, and after winning the game, he agrees to return you to the surface but not your father but you can win his freedom if you beat his game a second time. Not one for playing fair, he ports you back to the town and now you need to find your way back to Daggermount, gain entry and play the game again. Along the way you meet some of the other trapped souls who can give you helpful items and information, for a price, your help with something they want. When you win your father's freedom, Davy Jones offers to release all of the souls if you can complete three tasks - shine his medallion, calm a volcano, and learn his true name. Now you really have your work cut out for you.
Released in 2011, graphics were pretty good with creative underwater locations that fits the story and good animations and pirate-themed music. There was no voice acting which would have added a lot to the game as there is a lot of dialog to read. There is the usual journal for story and clues and a map that shows goal locations but is not a jump map and there is a fair amount of backtracking. The pirate theme is used in the inventory puzzles, minigames and hidden object scenes making them feel more a part of the story than usual and work well in the underwater setting. Some items were hard to find the right spot to click on to collect them or use them. The game did crash several times but I was able to continue and finish it. The underwater setting is unusual and refreshing although the plot is not so it has a feel of freshness that uses an old standby of a haunted location and the legend of Davy Jones trapping souls so it may be worth a few hours of adventure.
I recommend this game!
A murderous figure in a red mask haunts the streets of a small French town, and the mayor needs your help to track him down. But you soon discover that the mysterious Red Masque might not be the real criminal…
Overall rating
3
/
5
You must help Dupin decide who is the real culprit by weighing the evidence on the Scales of Justice
PostedMay 25, 2016
hermitcave
fromGig Harbor, Wa
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Adventure, Mahjong, Card & Board
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Mayor Prospero of the city of Lumineux has asked detective Dupin to find an unknown individual in a red mask that is causing violence and mayhem by killing several of the Mayor's officials and he is afraid he may be next. As Dupin's trusted assistant, you travel with him and, when you arrive at the city, you find the citizens very angry with the Mayor and near riot. The citizens and even the police consider the Red Mask to be some kind of hero as he wants to stop the high taxes and corruption they feel the Mayor is responsible for and want him to resign. Obtaining a permit from Captain Morro and having it notarized by Sgt. Durand allows you entry to the city where you see and hear evidence of people being arrested and sentenced to death for not paying their taxes and it all seems to be by order of the Mayor. Even Captain Morro's mother and Sgt. Durand's wife have been arrested. Your encounters with various citizens and the Red Mask lead you to believe that the Mayor, though not completely innocent, may have been framed and that there may be others that are causing these problems. And there seems to be more than one Red Mask. You need to find the evidence necessary to stop these atrocities and identify the real Red Mask and determine who is the guily party using the Scales of Justice.
The fifth in the series, it has very little to do with the original Poe's story other than a the title and a few character names. The story it does present is interesting and though game play was usually straightforward, there were times it was confusing and since the map in the game was pretty useless as it showed nothing but your location and no points of interest were indicated, there was a lot of backtracking so you need to keep track of what is needed where. Graphics were well done with good animations and voice acting and the French-themed music is what we have heard from previous episodes in this series. Inventory puzzles and minigames were fairly easy with a few variations to make them a little different. One I liked was the picture puzzle with items in compartments that had to be used to complete it. Hidden object scenes were the usual list type, silhouettes, and find a number of same or similar objects. All were nicely drawn and fairly easy with most objects in plain sight and of reasonable size. Most objects were interactive with occasional smaller puzzles in the scene to complete. One complaint I did have was that the hint button has a flourish around it that extended in to the scene and was easily hit by mistake causing it to give a hint whether you wanted one or not so for those who thrive on achievements may want to be careful of this or you will not get the achievement for not using hints.
An added feature in this fifth episode is the use of a camera to take pictures of each location and pretty much anything else and place them in an album in your private office. They didn't seem to be necessary to complete the game and were just something to do. The private office is a place for the achievements to be displayed and has a special room for a kitty you find in the game and where you place toys you find for it. When a toy is clicked on, the kitty plays with it. To help make you feel more like a detective and weigh the evidence collected against both sides, there are spheres of guilt you receive when you find important pieces of evidence that you use at the end on the Scales of Justice that is divided into two parts - Mayor Prospero Crimes and Red Mask Crimes - to make a judgement about who is the criminal - the Mayor or the Red Mask? My only complaint is that both could not be found guilty and arrested. The bonus chapter takes place after arresting whoever you decided was guilty and involves finding a way out of town as the citizens are really upset with the guilty person and close to roiting again. It does have further evidence of others and their crimes but I didn't think it added much to the main story.
I recommend this game!
When the entire audience disappears from a film screening at an old theater, you must go behind the scenes to find out who is running the mysterious Nightmare Cinema!
Overall rating
4
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
By invitation only, a special premiere by Horrorwood presented at Nightmare Theater where you will lose your soul
PostedMay 24, 2016
hermitcave
fromGig Harbor, Wa
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Adventure, Mahjong, Card & Board
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Your reputation as an investigative reporter for the Fear For Sale Magazine involving McInroy Manor and the town of Sunnyvale has caused a young woman, Lily Thompson, to call you, Emma Roberts, asking for help in finding out what has happened to her fiance, Adam Right, who also works at the magazine. He had received two theater tickets in the mail for a private showing of a new movie, The Gate, at an old cinema, The Nightmare Theater, and the two of them were to attend but Lily had misgivings about the show so Adam went alone and has not been seen since. She has received another ticket to the show but does not want to go and has asked you to go in her place and to look for Adam. When you try to use the ticket, the mysterious ticket taker tells you that this is not your ticket and to leave. He then burns the ticket and closes and locks the doors to the theater. That old 6th sense feeling kicks in and you decide this is not normal and you need to find a way into the theater. Searching the area, you find a CD concerning the man running the theater and discover it is David McInroy, a member of the McInroys involved with McInroy Manor you investigated earlier. He runs the Sunnyvale Art Academy and is a director of horror films. You find Adam's cell phone number and call it. When he answers, he tells you he and others are being held against their will and needs your help to be free. David was a college friend and needed a script writer but now he has made him a prisoner. When you are finally able to enter the theater lobby, David tells you to leave as you can't stop what is happening and seals the seating area. Once you are able to open the sealed door, you enter and see the movie playing and watch as the souls of the audience are slowly pulled from their bodies and enter a portal in the screen. When the last soul enters the portal, it closes. To save all those people and Adam, you need to open the portal to Horrorwood and that can only be done by fixing the projector and finding the film. The projector apparently came from McInroy Manor where the demon Aggel was summoned and the film was created under his direction to obtain souls. You will need to defeat him to save everyone.
Par for the series, the graphics provide a noir like feel to the game that is well done and creepy with good animations, voice acting, and music that fits the scenes. There is a diary for the story and a jump map with areas of interest indicated. With some back tracking, this is helpful. There are the usual mixture og inventory puzzles, minigames and hidden object scenes to work through with clear directions and fairly easy but nothing really new. I did enjoy one puzzle involving a typewriter where you had to choose pictures on the keys to match parts of sentences. Hidden object scenes were really nicely done with a lot of interesting interactive objects with zoom-in areas and small puzzles to solve. An option that I had not seen before is you can switch to a jigsaw puzzle to complete if you don't like hidden object scenes. I found the story to be well presented tying in the two previous episodes for those that are fans of the series and yet not requiring you to have played them and the length just about right so you don't wind up wishing this thing would end. Not a bad way to spend a few hours in an evening.
I recommend this game!
There's a dark force at work in Pilgrim's Hook. Return to your childhood home and save your twin brother from the evil that lives beneath the sea.
Overall rating
4
/
5
An uneasy feeling caused you to leave your birthplace,Pigrim's Hook, but a distress call from your twin brother draws you back
PostedMay 19, 2016
hermitcave
fromGig Harbor, Wa
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Adventure, Mahjong, Card & Board
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Hundreds of years ago, a previously unknown island was discovered and a town was founded by C. Astour and the island has always emitted an aura of uneasiness. In 1980, the first set of twins to be born on Pilgrim's Hook were born on the summer solstice and the Mayor, Cedric Astour, was extremely happy with their arrival. You, Vera, and your brother, Arthur Hargrove spent your early years growing up there. You always felt uneasy and couldn't wait to leave the island vowing never to return while Arthur always seemed happy and content to live there. After no contact from your brother in years, you receive a cryptic call from him on your 34th birthday and he indicates that he has returned to the island but that you were right and that he never should have returned and then the call ends mysteriously. Worried about Arthur and against your better judgement, you decide to return to Pilgrim's Hook to find him. Arriving at the island by boat, a heavy fog surrounds the island and your feeling of uneasiness and fear returns. Beginning your search for Arthur, you find notes from him telling you that you both were tricked to return and warns you not to trust anyone including him. You also begin seeing a watery apparition that welcomes you home and tells you that it has had its eye on you from the day you were born and has plans for you. There also seems to be a discrepancy with the birth certificate of the mayor and at least a dozen of people have mysteriously disappeared on the island. You have to find your brother, determine what role the mayor played in the disappearances, and what this ancient evil is that has a hold on Pilgrim's Hook and destroy it.
The somewhat ominous graphics are good presenting a sense of a pending storm with creepy music that is repetitive but not annoying, detailed characters and good voice acting and appropriate background sounds. There is a journal with objectives list and a good jump map with action areas indicated although sometimes not all action areas are indicated. The hint system is a little different in that once clicked it will continue to direct you to the next objective until you reach it without having to click on the hint button more than once. Inventory puzzles, minigames and hidden object scenes are incorporated into the game very well so you don't feel like you have exited to a special area and then return to the game. Hidden Object scenes were of the interactive list type and find a number of similar objects. None are very hard. The game wraps up satisfactorily in an interesting way making this one to consider for a few hours of diversion.
I recommend this game!
A wonderful story of the citizens of Joyville. Can you change their destiny? You will see – nothing is impossible.
Overall rating
4
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Destiny cannot be changed unless the villian makes the decision to step on the right side
PostedMay 19, 2016
hermitcave
fromGig Harbor, Wa
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Adventure, Mahjong, Card & Board
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Many years ago in the town of Joyville, there lived a respected Master of Puppets and his daughter, Felicia. As a special benefactor of the town, he has decided to renovate the closed puppet theater and reopen it to provide the children a place of entertainment. A former performer in the puppet troupe and friend of the Master, Cricks, loved to make puppets and was blinded by a varnish he used as a finish on the puppets and was being treated in a sanitarium. Becoming blind warped his mind and he blamed the Master for his condition and set out to ruin him. The Master is sitting at his desk reading when he notices a shadowy figure at the window and, hearing a skittering noise, he grabs a candle to look around when something breaks the window and the someone tries the door handle. When he opens the door, a familiar mechanical puppet of a head on spider legs runs out and climbs up on the shoulder of the shadowy figure and everything goes black. Returning home from school, Felicia finds her father missing and, because he has only been missing for a few hours, the police won't do anything until he has been missing for two days. You, a detective, happen upon the crying girl and she pleads for you to search her house and help find her father. Near her house, you meet a young boy who asks you to rescue his cat and remove a spider head puppet from his house. In the house, you find Felicia stroking the spider head puppet and giving you an evil smile as she leaves. After rescuing the cat, the boy tells you about a grey-haired woman staying at the hotel visited the Master the day before and that there was an argument about something and she left angry. You decide to visit her at the hotel and run into an angry Felicia who rushes out knocking you down. You see the grey-haired woman and follow her and again run into felicia who is nice and sweet this time. What is going on with her? And what does the grey-haired woman have to do with the Master? And who is the shadowy figure? Where is the Master?
The graphics are good and typical of this series with nice animations, pretty good voice acting and familiar music that is looped. For the first time in the series a jump map has been included and shows action areas. With some backtracking this was a welcome feature, however, not all sections are shown at one time and some require you to return to a section by whatever transportation you used to leave the area before those locations are displayed. The familiar fan inventory, labeled as "tools," is used again and still requires you to open it before you can use an item. they have now included a lock open feature that helps except it covers a large portion of the screen in the lower left corner so it is possible to miss something in a location partially blocked by it. The head on spider legs that is so familiar in this series is back and this time you actually get one to help you retrieve hard to reach items. You also get to name him. There is also an evil one that constantly tries to block your progress. Inventory puzzles and minigames are fairly easy and nothing new but are mechanical and puppet driven. Hidden object scenes were good with interactive list and silhouettes.
The story is an interesting twist on previous episodes and those who have played the first four episodes may remember that things were different in those episodes where the deranged Cricks causes the fire in the theater that nearly kills the puppet master and scars Felicia who grows up not only physically scarred but also mentally scarred blaming Joyville. In this episode, it takes place before the previous four episodes and is presented as kind of an alternate version to the original. Is it better? I don't think so but it does give the developers another way to reuse familiar territory. In this episode, Felicia still becomes scarred but in a different way and she doesn't become despondent and evil by not letting her injury altar her personality and realizing she is still pretty on the inside. Cricks created her evil double puppet to ruin the Master's reputation. Though familiar territory, it is still worth a few hours of time to experience a different version
The story is an interesting twist on previous episodes and those who have played the first four episodes may remember that things were different in those episodes where the deranged Cricks causes the fire in the theater that nearly kills the puppet master and scars Felicia who grows up not only physically scarred but also mentally scarred blaming Joyville. In this episode, it takes place before the previous four episodes and is presented as kind of an alternate version to the original. Is it better? I don't think so but it does give the developers another way to reuse familiar territory. In this episode, Felicia still becomes scarred but in a different way and she doesn't become despondent and evil by not letting her injury altar her personality and realizing she is still pretty on the inside. Cricks created her evil double puppet to ruin the Master's reputation. Though familiar territory, it is still worth a few hours of time to experience a different version
I recommend this game!
A simple murder investigation in Spain becomes a puzzling whodunit filled with intrigue.
Overall rating
4
/
5
3 of 3 found this review helpful
A murder, four suspects, mired relationships, illicit affair, jealousy and a playful fox
PostedMay 12, 2016
hermitcave
fromGig Harbor, Wa
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Adventure, Mahjong, Card & Board
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Through a second story window, the struggle between two men plays out to the night with a brutal stabbing and a badly limping man shuffling from the scene passing on the street beneath the window just as the room explodes. The phone rings and a hysterical woman frantically tells you that her husband has been murdered and the police have been no help and she wants you to find the murderer. You, a detective, and your new assistant, Aidan, arrive at the home of Hugo and Gabriella Sanchez. As the police are still at the crime scene, you decide to talk to the murdered man's wife, Gabriella, who called you and she gives you full access to their house to start your investigation. As you search for clues, you discover they were not a happy couple and that he was having an affair and that she had found out about it becoming very angry which made her your first suspect. Later, you discover Hugo's affair was with a flamenco dancer named Esmeralda Cortez and that her husband, Carlos, found out about the affair and decided to have it out with Hugo. You now have three viable suspects with a tangled web of jealousy as a motive. Further investigation of the crime scene provided clues on a plot between Hugo and Esmeralda to run off together and that Carlos is now missing. You begin to wonder why stab someone and then blow up the body unless you want to make it hard to identify the remains. Was the one killed really Hugo? You now have four suspects to consider. You need to get to the bottom of this and solve the case.
Graphics and animations were well done and typical for 2013 releases with nice colors and sharp scenes. Characters are well presented in this simple but believable jealousy plot that has not been overdone making it feel new. The voice acting is fairly good but may be a little dramatic and the music is looped with spanish style music that became tiredsome, especially the flamenco music. More of an adventure game where everyone has a motive, hidden agendas, a few predictable twists with a linear design and a low level of difficulty, you work through small sections of locations at a time so a map is not provided. There is a journal to store notes and clues and a separate tab for suspects with information on motives and suggested evidence against them recorded. I still don't know why they included your assistant Aidan in the game as all he does is make frequent appearances to state the obvious of what just happened and then leaves. I found him totally useless. The only help provided is through the occasional appearance of Hugo's pet Fennec Fox to nudge you in the right direction. The inventory puzzles and minigames were nothing new and fairly easy and the few hidden object scenes were short interactive lists, silhouettes, and find a certain number of different objects. Something different, at least for me as I have not played the first two episodes, is the finding and collecting coins that are needed to buy items from a store in game that are used in various puzzles to advance the game. None of the coins are hard to find as they are usually discovered after completing a task. Also, there are hand fans scattered throughout the game including the hidden object scenes that increase the number of hints available.
One note of interest is that early in the game an important piece of evidence is used to clean a piano and is then thrown away which no self-respecting detective would ever do. Otherwise this is not a bad game and could provide a few hours of sleuthing.
I recommend this game!
Black Viper: Sophia's Fate
Cop by day, formidable thief by night: Sophia, aka Black Viper, is a young woman leading a double life.
Overall rating
2
/
5
Comic book adventure that had potential but fizzled
PostedMay 9, 2016
hermitcave
fromGig Harbor, Wa
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Adventure, Mahjong, Card & Board
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
The wife of a wealthy Weapons manufacturer has been killed and you, Sophia, as a detective, have been assigned the case to discover the killer. The husband, Adamus Octurni, seems to have an airtight alibi and does not seem to be broken up about his wife's death and even came on to you. This makes him your number one suspect despite his alibi. As Adamus is a wealthy weapons manufacturer, your boss, August, and the military representative, Colonel Jones, are both highly interested in your investigation and the Colonel has ordered you to be sure he is updated first. Of course, you tell him that you don't work for him and you only report to August. At the crime scene, you discover that the wife has had all of her blood drained through two small punctures in her neck. You also find in the bathroom a blood bleeding device that had been hidden there. In Adamus's bedroom you find articles belonging to another woman and when you ask Adamus about them and the bleeding device, he denies any knowledge of the device and tells you his was a marriage of convenience and the articles belonged to his girlfriend, Elizabeth Page. Now, more than ever, you decide that Adamus's alibi needs to be broken so you decide to do additional investigating as your alter-ego, the Black Viper, a well-equipped thief. During your night investigation, you discover information about a special weapon, Apophis, that is to be tested on the city and decide you need to explore the weapons factory. While there, you find information about a special project, APHO001, and through the facility's main computer, learn that you are the special project although you have no memory of the project. Now you have two mysteries to solve and a city to save.
Each scene in this game is very large with very detailed graphics almost to the point of being over cluttered. Music is looped and became annoying after a while but when turned off, it would slowly begin to be heard again and each time you left the game, the volume setting was turned back up again when you restarted the game. Characters spoke in monotones and slowly as if they were afraid they would make a mistake and the text on the screen frequently did not match the words spoken and often contained spelling errors. This made the characters less than realistic and the constant innuendos between Adamus and Sofia were extremely juvenile. Almost every item to be found in this game was tiny and often hard to determine just what it was and I would up just clicking on it and then looking at it in inventory to see what I got. Hidden object scenes were just as bad and the only way I knew what some of the objects collected were was to see what was crossed off on the list. There was a zoom in feature that used the scroll wheel on the mouse but it did not work in every scene. Just about every scene had a hidden object scene either the usual list type or silhouettes and the objects could be anywhere in the overall scene. You had to decipher some object names to figure out what they wanted such as "pocket" for wallet or pocketbook, "ticker or time" for clock and "atlas" for globe. Finally, be prepared for the hint button as it is delivered with a loud gunshot sound with a bullet hole forming somewhere on the screen in the general area where the object is to be found. After the first few times, this can become extremely annoying. Unless you play close attention to the dialogue and visuals in the background, it can be a confusing, frustrating, and boring game and I was very happy it was fairly short. It will not be for everyone so try at your own risk.
I recommend this game!
Someone in the Order has turned traitor, murdering one of the Secret Five! Only Sarah can prevent the Order’s destruction!
Overall rating
4
/
5
The Secret Five infiltrated and now about to be destroyed by their newest member? How is that possible?
PostedMay 8, 2016
hermitcave
fromGig Harbor, Wa
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Adventure, Mahjong, Card & Board
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Several weeks ago, the Secret Order of the Griffins was attacked by the Order of the Dragon Clan and Linus Taro, one of the Secret Five, the order's directorate, was killed but the attack was thwarted chiefly through the brave commitment to the Order of a new member, Nathan Williams. Catching the attention of the remaining members of the Secret Five, it was decided to reward him by replacing Linus with him as their newest and youngest member. You, Sarah, are on vacation at your parents home waiting for them to return from a special event, an initiation ceremony to make Nathan the fifth member, as your father is the head of the Secret Order of the Griffins. The phone rings and it is your father telling you that the Order has been betrayed by Nathan, who, when given his special Ring of the Order that is also a key to their vault where many of the magical relics are stored, entered the vault and stole the Mask of Amedon and has now taken control of the Secret Order and plans to kill them all as revenge. Many years ago, Narthan's parents were killed and he was raised by the Order of the Dragon Clan who convinced him that his parents had been killed by the Order of the Griffins and he has been used by them to infiltrate the Order of the Griffins to destroy them from the inside. Your father tells you to get the family Brooch and go to the Naval Museum and find his old friend, Christopher Wallace, for help in stopping Nathan. At the museum, Christopher tells you that the only way to save the Order and stop Nathan and the mask is to find the mask's counter part, a scepter, that will balance the power of the mask and neutralize it but in order to do that you will need to travel back in time to the 17th Century and save the thief that stole it from execution. He tells you about a time traveling ship, The Royal Griffin, that you will need to reassemble the control mechanism for to make the trip.
In Secret Order New Horizon, released in 2011, you helped a secret time traveling order, The Order of the Griffin, who have been protecting the secret of time travel but, seeing the danger of such a device becoming known to the public, they dismantled their machine that allowed them to travel to any time period and it was to be used only for great emergencies. Another secret order, The Order of the Dragon Clan, was formed by the Mafia in the 1960's desiring to rule the world and became the nemesis of the Secret Order vowing to destroy them. In this second, and more story-detailed episode, the beginnings of the two secret orders has been changed so that the Secret Order of the Griffins was formed in the Middle Ages by wealthy nobles to help those in need and becoming the owners of many great inventions and ideas including time travel but saw the danger of changing events in time so it was used only for great emergencies. The Order of the Dragon Clan was formed in the 16th Century by wealthy merchants bent on destroying The Order of the Griffins and they have been their nemesis ever since. I guess the developers decided that the first beginning of the Orders wasn't exciting enough and, besides, how do you use a large, triple-masted, time traveling ship, The Royal Griffin, if you stick with the first beginning. It does make for a more interesting story and I think it was a good improvement.
This is a better all around game than the first one with very good graphics and smooth animations, really good voice acting and non-intrusive music. There is a journal for the story that unfolds through notes, cutscenes and character interaction. An objectives list is updated in the journal also. A jump map is available but you have to open the journal to use it. It shows action areas but does not show all of the map at one time so, if there is an action area in another section, it is not seen unless you switch to that section. There is a wide variety of inventory puzzles but nothing really new or very complicated. Hidden object scenes are the basic interactive list type but are nicely done and fairly easy. There is an option to play a Mahj-jongg game instead. I enjoyed this episode more than the first one as it was a much better written story with a more indepth and exciting backstory on the creation of the Order of the Griffins and worth a few hours of time.
I recommend this game!
Discover the secrets of your family's past on a mystical island!
Overall rating
4
/
5
Meteorite Island justice - Cross-clan marriages banned and children born to such parents sentenced to death
PostedMay 5, 2016
hermitcave
fromGig Harbor, Wa
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Adventure, Mahjong, Card & Board
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Hundreds of years ago a meteorite hurled toward earth and split into four chunks in the atmosphere and landed in four different parts of the same island. Those that survived established four different societies, each around the mystical powers each chunk emparted to them, that of Air, Fire, Earth and Water. A significant event occurred with the first children being born with these mystical abilities and this triggered clashes between the clans and a race for the power of special abilities. The four clans began feuding which turned into war almost destroying all four clans. some individuals were able to become more powerful by being able to control some combinations of the four powers. After many years of war, an armistice was finally reached with each clan agreeing to remain in their own part of the island and banning all relationships between them including marriage between the clans. Children born to parents from different clans were considered criminals and were put to death. Daniel was only 5 years old when his parents packed a suitcase full of gold and left him on the doorstep of foster parents 20 years ago with a note that they were in danger and they must leave their son to ensure his survival. They took him in and treated him as one of their own. When Daniel turned 25, they gave him an old box containing a map and a note from his real parents that told him that once he was 25 he would be in grave danger and must use the map and travel to the uncharted location of Meteorite Island immediately to discover the truth about himself and that they would be waiting for him if they survived. Spending two days on a ship, Daniel arrives at Meteorite Island and meets a young girl, Gloria, on the beach who has been expecting him and tells him about the meteorites that hit the island long ago and the special powers the people gained. She provides the first clues to why he was sent off the island and tells him she was also saved by a watchmaker that took her in as she was from a forbidden marriage between parents from different clans as he was. She tells him that she can help him with clues as he searches for answers and that at the age of 25, children born on the island begin to obtain the special mystical abilities but that he will need acquire an Amulet of Elements to collect, save control them. There is also a special weapon that is used to protect the island from other meteorites that needs to be repaired and he will need to develop his powers so he can repair it.
The graphics are very colorful and detailed with well done animations and some very good voice acting and characters right out of some modeling agency. The two main characters are so "pretty" that the other characters seem drab next to them. Music was easy listening and non-invasive which was a plus given the length of the game. This is a simple, well crafted story capable of holding your interest as details are unfolded as you explore small sections of the island. There is a very nice jump map with action areas indicated that is only open to the small area you are exploring at that time so you always know where to go. There is a task list and a journal keeps track of the story and island history pages that are found throughout. Cutscenes are replayable from the journal.
The inventory puzzles and minigames were fairly easy and fit into the story and you were not overburdened with a lot of inventory items. Hidden object scenes were the usual interactive list type with a new twist - somewhere in the scene is a hot spot with a clock that acts as a time warp that, when clicked on, teleports you to another time with another list of objects to find. One way to get double use from each scene. Another feature that was added was an association word finder that, when a word on the list is clicked on, a scrambled word associated with the object to be found is presented that you unscramble and the object is found. To see what it did, I used it once to find the tomahawk and was presented with the letters that spelled "indian" and then it showed me the tomahawk. A different form of a hint button I guess.
Another secret island hidden somewhere on Earth and another child removed from where they were born and being drawn back to their homeland to find missing parents. Phenomenon: City of Cyan was a young girl, Monica, and this time it is a boy named Daniel and the people are able to control the four elements and there is a meteorite heading for earth that needs to be destroyed. On the edge of reality? No, it is a fantasy after all. The story was interesting and the plot opened up slowly so you get dragged along until the final task of the meteorite heading for earth is revealed and you discover the real reason you are there is to fix a weapon that will shoot a powerful beam of light and destroy it. Finding your parents never happens and you never find out what happened to them. And how did Gloria know about you and that you were coming? Did she use the time machine telescope thingy to go into the future and find out? If you can get by some of these unanswered questions, the game can be an enjoyable romp.
I recommend this game!