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:
Challenge yourself in the role of the scientist-historian-scholar of ancient civilizations and mystical legends and save your friend from the Demon of Darkness!
Overall rating
4
/
5
Demons just can't resist your demon-magnet friend so he has been kidnapped - again!
PostedJanuary 31, 2016
hermitcave
fromGig Harbor, Wa
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Adventure, Mahjong, Card & Board
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
You survived the ordeal in Mexico where you had to rescue your friend, Peter, was abducted by servants of a demon of darkness. Now, the two of you have travelled to Thailand to research ancient legends and myths, particularly one about a demon of darkness turned to stone in a small village deep in the jungle. Approaching the site riding an elephant, a fireball comes shooting in and lands near your demon-magnet friend and three demon servants appear and drag your friend off in the direction of the stone demon's location. This can't be good and your fears are increased when you meet a monk fishing nearby who begins to ask for your help when one of the demon servants appear and turns him to stone. You soon discover that the monk, Athit, is a descendant of a member of the Order of Light who defeated the demon long ago turning it to stone. Now the demon and his servants are about to conduct a ritual that will release the demon from the stone freeing him to reign terror on the world again. Villagers have been disappearing and are to be used during the ritual and Peter is apparently the final soul needed to start the ritual. Athit and three other monks came there to stop the ritual but each was turned to stone but are still able to help you by providing a place to bring special objects with unique symbols to them and they can transform those objects into useful items you need to reach the ritual site and stop the demon servants from releasing the demon.
The story takes place in beautiful Thailand that is very well presented graphically with gorgous Eastern Asian architecture, décor and plant life coupled with the relaxing music of Asia and excellent voice acting. The journal records the story and clues found scattered throughout and there is the usual bottom-located inventory to hold all the items found that are needed for the many inventory puzzles to solve. A new feature that I have not seen before is that the text in the journal can be "zoomed" in so it appears larger and easier to read. Probably included for us older folks whose eyesight is strating to diminish. Cutscenes are also stored in the journal and can be replayed. The hint button is a flower in the right bottom of the screen and even had one line of dialogue at the beginning of the game. It is also the skip button for minigames and puzzles and all minigames have a restart button that is a great addition. The hint button works both in and out of hidden object scenes. The game moves along smoothly with hidden object scenes and mini-games appearing at about the right time to keep moving the the story along. Hidden object scenes are the standard list type and some scenes where you place objects back into the scene by association with both giving you a final object that goes into inventory. Puzzles are pretty much the same seen before with some different slants that usually makes them more fun.
Back again is the light and dark aspect to many scenes where you are able to turn light on or off that will completely change the scene to another scene. Some objects are only revealed in one setting but then is used in the other setting. Some may find it confusing and hard to remember where locations are as there is no reference map. It may be best to keep some notes as to not only where an item is needed but also if in light or dark setting. A fairly long game, it was surprising as to how quickly it ended with little fanfare and could have been helped with an epilogue to wrap things up. The collector's edition probably continued the story but for those of us not buying the CE, it would have been a nice final touch. I wanted to know if you plan to go on any more adventures with demon-magnet Peter. Good for a few hours of beautiful graphics and soothing music and solid gameplay.
I recommend this game!
Save your brother and try to solve the mystery behind the silver screen in Final Cut: Death on the Silver Screen, a thrilling game set in the 1950's!
Overall rating
4
/
5
What secrets did your father have that led to his death and who is this new maid?
PostedJanuary 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
5
/
5
As a little girl, you and your brother, Frederick, always enjoyed playing in and around the workshops and movie sets that your father, renown movie producer and inventor, Morton Wolf, maintained at the family's estate. It has been some time since you have been home when you receive word that your father has died at the age of 64 and your brother has disappeared and the police have no clue where he might be so you return home to take care of affairs and find your brother. On your arrival, you are looking forward to seeing Joselle, the maid that has taken care of the estate since you were a child but are surprised to be met at the door by a new maid you have never seen before. She tells you that Joselle retired and you have been the maid for a while now. As you begin looking at the estate's affairs, you soon realize that the new maid has not been a maid for very long and apparently did not have the full trust of your father as she was not given full access to all the rooms in the house. Entering your father's study, you are suddenly attacked from behind and rendered unconscious by chloroform and, when you wake up, you find a puppet sitting at your father's desk with a tape recorder. The recording is from someone that hated your father and the recording tells you that your father was murdered and your brother has been kidnapped and, in order to save him, you must find eight pieces of a special movie projector that your father hid around the estate. What is so special about this projector that would cause someone to murder your father and abduct your brother? What kind of inventions was your father working on for the military? What lurks in your father's past that may have come forward to haunt him? And what secret does the Maid have?
Graphics depicted an overall nostalgic, artfully appealing art-deco style that were crisp and detailed giving it that B-movie feel as you played through the scenes including the hidden object scenes. Live action characters were well done but come off a little stiff and voice acting was ok. The musical scores were varied enhancing the ambience of the many locations visited and revisited as there was a lot of backtracking but you didn't feel bogged down. With the large number of locations to be visited, i was surprised that the map provided was not a jump map which would have been nice to have. The game is presented with a steady flow carrying you from one section to the next which is probably why the developers felt a jump map was not necessary. You have the usual journal to document the story and the ever present hint button. Hidden object scenes are the standard list type with some interactive objects, many well hidden requiring close attention to find them, a large assortment of inventory item puzzles and minigames that ranged from fairly easy to medium difficulty with helpful and clear instructions, and some different to use some inventory items although you were still required to find specific objects to solve specific puzzles even though you carried in your inventory other objects that logically could have been used. There are 40 achievements including things like finishing hidden object scenes fast, slow, hints, no hints etc., turning on all the lamps in the game, finding 10 cards, finding 20 estate photos, finding all 8 projector parts and many others. I enjoyed the storyline with the twists and weaving plot leading to the why and the how and the ending sets it up for a sequel both from the half sister and the military. A nice long game with a somewhat unique storyline that was enjoyable and worth giving it a look.
I recommend this game!
Nightmares from the Deep: The Cursed Heart Collector's Edition
Dive into an epic journey as a museum owner in pursuit of an undead pirate who has kidnapped your daughter in Nightmares from the Deep: The Cursed Heart!
Overall rating
4
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Is the fiercest pirate of the Carribbean capable of love?
PostedJanuary 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
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
The scourge of the Carribbean, Henry Redington, ravaging ships on the seas 300 years ago was captured and made to walk the plank, but having made a pact with the devil of the sea, Davy Jones, who granted him immortality for his soul, he lay on the bottom of the sea until a salvage crew discovered his preserved body and some relics. As museum curator of the Carribbean Naval Museum, you, Sarah Black, is to receive and display the body and relics in a special exhibit opening tomorrow. The crates have arrived and you and your daughter are working late unpacking and getting the exhibit ready. Opening the crate with the corpse, you find a note from the historian to add three specific relics found near the body, a cutlass, flintlock pistol and an amulet. The amulet seems to be missing a large gem but, on closer examination of the corpse, you find a large gem in his mouth that fits the amulet. As you add each relic, strange static electricity seems to travel around the corpse until you add the amulet. A powerful lightning flash causes a power surge knocking out the lights so now you only have the emergency lights on. Your daughter is scared of the dark so you go to the basement to replace the fuses to restore the lights and, when you return, your terrified daughter tells you that the corpse walked away dropping a ring. You pick up the ring remembering another relic you received in this shipment that you have in your office, a locked chest. The ring acts as a key and in the chest is a gold doubloon. When you return to the exhibit hall, you see the pirate corpse has your daughter and, using his cutlass, he calls forth his ghost pirate ship which crashes through the wall of the museum. He grabs your daughter and boards the ship and, as the ship pulls back through the wall, you climb a ladder to an opening in the hull and manage to get inside the ship. You are now in a ghost ship and have to defeat the pirate and save your daughter.
The story is presented through an undead dwarf guardian holding a chest with twelve spaces for doubloons that tells part of the story for each doubloon given him. The animated cutscenes for this was excellent. You discover that the pirate fell in love with a hostage, Mary, and was to marry her when he was captured and made to walk the plank. Your daughter is to be used to raise Mary from the dead so they can be together and you have to stop the ritual to save your daughter.
Some of the best graphics and sound effects I have seen in a while with excellent voice acting and appropriate music. One thing I noticed was that the pirate skeleton's teeth clicked together when they talked which i guess would happen id a skull could talk but can be a little distracting. The journal keeps track of the story and clues and objectives. After boarding the ghost ship, a skleton crew member gives you a map of the ship that shows your location and action areas but is not a jump map. Once you reach Skull Island, you receive another map of the island , also not a jump map. There is a fair amount of back tracking and a jump map would have neen nice but at least action areas are indicated. Hidden object scenes were the usual list type with some interactive objects and some fragmented object types. Some mini fragmented object scenes were included also for finding specific objects to complete puzzles. One helpful feature is a sonar panel that will show the silhouette of an object to be found when you hold your cursor over the object's name. There is a pirate mahjong game that can be played instead of doing the hidden object scenes. Puzzles were varied and nicely done ranging from easy to medium difficulty. There was one door unlock puzzle that was a little tricky in that you needed to place mechanical eyes and gears in the face on the door and then needed to "place something thin in the mouth" which turned out to be a wedding invitation.
The bonus chapter continues with you and your daughter now trapped on Skull Island and you need to find a way home. A bottle with a message from a captain of an old scientific vessel that ran aground and was broken up by unnatural forces contained coordinates of their location. Since your defeat of their captain, the skeleton crew of the pirate ship have made you their new captain and will go where directed but they need coordinates to do so. Once you arrive at the broken ship, you receive a map, again not a jump map, of the broken ship. The ship's captain was cursed by Davy Jones and you now need to break the curse to get the coordinates for home. It was a little short but was nicely done. Once you have played the main game and bonus chapter, it dooes unlock the hidden object scenes so they can be played again. If you like pirate themed games, try this one.
I recommend this game!
Stop the villainous Visage from ruining Mardi Gras in Shattered Minds: Masquerade, an incredible Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure game!
Overall rating
3
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Magician and Impersonator - who is he really?
PostedJanuary 19, 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
Mardi Gras! Fun, music, costumes, masks, streets of New Orleans full of people having a good time until the fog arrived. Now everyone has been paralyzed and left where they fell and all are without faces! Who or what has caused this phenomenon and why? The police chief has called you, his best detective, to investigate the cause of the fog and stop it before the entire city is engulfed. The Chief has a personal interest also as his daughter, Lucy, has gone missing and he wants you to find her also. As you pursue your investigation, you begin finding clues that a family of criminals that were killed in a fire 30 years ago may be involved, the Boudreauxs. How can that be possible when it was determined that all five had died in the fire? Another person of interest is the famous magician and impersonator, Mr. Visage, man of a thousand faces, who was performing at the Riverside Hotel where the Chief's daughter, Lucy was getting married and she tried to have his show cancelled. As your investigation progresses, you encounter various members of the Boudreaux family all trying to cause destruction and mayhem and, finally Mr. Visage, who has a secret connection to the Boudreauxs and Lucy.
Released in 2011, the game did not have anything really new to offer although the storyline was fairly good with a few twists but presentation could have been better. Characters in the game would have made the game more interesting if they had more development. Most were there for a few locations and then gone so they really didn't make that big of an impression. The five main characters were the five members of the Boudreaux family - Francios, Theo, Maxime, Marie and Florian who turns out to be Visage with multiple personalities. Most were there for a few locations and then gone so they really didn't make that big of an impression. Graphics are comic book style with animated cutscenes that were well done with easy listening music and fairly good voice acting. There is no map but locations are presented in sections so backtracking is minimal. Your notebook keeps track of the story and clues. The hint button, when used in hidden object scenes, shows a window breaking over the area where the object is located giving only a general location for the object so you still have to find the object. Hidden object scenes were basic list type with some interactive objects that were fairly hard to find so you have to really look for them. Some of the objects were pretty touchy where to click on them so you have to click directly on them. One thing I liked was that, instead of the normal 12 objects to find, you have to find 18 objects. The ending was ok saving Lucy and a big explosion but then ends so you really don't know what happened to Visage. Maybe the bonus chapter had more. Not the best game out there but good for a couple of hours of diversion.
I recommend this game!
Find out who is behind the shocking zombie invasion.
Overall rating
3
/
5
What has made the undertaker so busy in a small village full of zombies?
PostedJanuary 17, 2016
hermitcave
fromGig Harbor, Wa
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Adventure, Mahjong, Card & Board
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
A small fishing village has been overrun by zombies and you, a detective, have received a letter from Mrs. Fisher, the undertaker's wife, asking for your help concerning unnatural happenings and she fears for both her and her husband. When you arrive, you note the village is strangely deserted and you find a news article about a generous stranger, known only as S.G., that recently gave the village a monument depicting it main trade of Fish. You find Mrs. Fisher in the funeral parlor, Six Feet Under, where you learn that the stranger, S.G., had made a deal with her husband, Stephen. S.G. offered an amulet of Prosperity [that turns out to actually be a cursed amulet of reverse action] in exchange for a mirror he had inherited from his father. Business being very bad, he agreed, but then refused to give S.G. the mirror as he wanted to see if the amulet worked. Shortly thereafter, the zombies started appearing and roaming the streets killing people. Business was booming because of those being killed and he was busy day and night burying the bodies only to have them rise up the next day. While looking for clues, S.G. breaks into the parlor and steals the mirror and, as he escapes, he uses the mirror on a zombie stealing its soul. Papers you find in the parlor include information concerning the mirror referring to it as the Ancient Mirror that once belonged to your great-grandmother, Matilda, who was a witch and has been passed down the Fisher bloodline to Stephen. You also discover that the Fishers were founders of the village and your great-grandmother apparently used the mirror on S.G. to reflect his true self which transformed him into the dwarf he is now and he wants to get his original image back. To do this, he needs to charge a machine with souls that are collected by the mirror. You need to stop him before the entire village is lost.
This was an interesting storyline that I would have enjoyed if not for the frequent crashes. I was able to complete it but only by exiting back to title screen every few minutes so as not to lose much progress. Most of the crashes seemed to be tied to objects obtained from puzzles. Graphics were good with voice acting that was ok. Music became annoying pretty quick and I eventually turned it off. There is no map but the game is pretty linear so not really needed. There is a monkey that shows up periodically that is kind of a helper in that he seems to give youa direction to follow. He doesn't really do much for you but after a while you get attached to having him around. Hidden object scenes were list type with some interactive objects and less frequent some silhouette type that were well done. To finish the game, you need to find 20 fish scales that are added to the Destiny Fish which is used in the final puzzle of the game. This one would have been more fun ecept for the crashes.
I recommend this game!
A warlock's curse has trapped you in an otherworldly cemetery! Explore Hidden Object scenes and save the warlock's victims!
Overall rating
3
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Out for a walk in the park at the wrong time and place can ruin your whole day
PostedJanuary 17, 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
3
/
5
The sun is shining, birds are chirping, it is a beautiful day until a form appears that makes gestures that cause thunder and lightning turning the sky dark and gloomy and gravestones rise out of the ground. You are no longer in the park and you feel an unexpected link between you and the form that takes on a sinister human shape as a crow begins attacking the shape causing it to disappear. The crow lands in front of you and transforms into a wizard and tells you of your unfortunate situation. An evil warlock has escaped from his ancient burial site and you just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. It seems that for him to remain free, you have been cursed and will remain forever linked to him unless you can defeat him. Within this graveyard are other spirits that linger here that can help you find what you need to defeat him by finding three seals that need to be placed on the warlock's tomb to rebind him. Each spirit you meet have suffered a tragic death and their children have been abducted by the warlock so you will need to save them to get the seals.
Dark and gloomy graveyard scenes and desolate buildings provide the background for your journey with very good graphics and mood setting music and ambient sound effects. Voice acting was mostly good except some of the children didn't sound like children. Some of the moaning and groaning becomes old after a while but still acceptable. There are three children to save resulting in receiving the three seals needed to defeat the warlock and may be why the game was somewhat short although it does have a satisfying conclusion even though I never really knew what he needed the children for unless it was to trap the spirits that help you for some reason. Hidden object scenes were well done list type with some interactive objects with objects sized so they can be seen with some partially hidden and there was some back-to-back scenes in a couple of places. There is no map but the game is fairly linear with small sections open at a time so it was not really missed.
Not a bad game but does have its limitations that some will find disappointing but may still be worth a few hours for most.
I recommend this game!
You’re drawn into a web of deceit when your train stops in Andville, where the Black Widow lies in wait...
Overall rating
4
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Be warned, if you don't like spiders this may not be the game for you
PostedJanuary 17, 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
On vacation to relax, you decide to take the train and the gentle rocking and clicking of the wheels on the tracks has caused you to doze off. A weird dream of a frightful woman and the sudden knocking on your compartment door brings you back awake. You open the door and a scared young woman with a suitcase enters and sits down. As she begins to tell you something, a hoard of tiny mechanical spiders crawl along on top of the train to your compartment and break in through the window. As the woman cries out for help, they encase her in a silk cacoon and drag her out the door as if she was a fly. Shocked, all you can do is stare and, as you slowly recover, you realize the train has stopped but the door to your compartment is jammed. The woman's suitcase was left behind and in it you find a letter from her brother, Santos, an inventor, asking her to come and help him as his wife, Morgana, is evil and wants to use his inventions to carry out her evil plans. The mechanical spiders were one of his inventions. He will meet her at the train station. Unable to exit through the jammed door, you use the only exit available, the window. Outside, you are amazed to find that the entire train is caught in weird spider webs, including the engineer, who asks for your help in freeing the train so he can leave. Approaching the train station of the town of Andville, you see shadows of spiders attack a man behind the building but, when you get there, all you find is a hat, a key and a note from Santos to his sister telling her he is being watched and to be careful. The key is to a locker in the station that contained another note telling his sister that if she is reading it then he is already dead and the answers are in his house. With the sister abducted and Santos dead, you must go there to find the answers to unravel the mystery of the spiders and save his sister.
A tragic story of a bad childhood involving peer teasing and bullying and mistreatment by an uncaring mother that drove Morgana to hide where her only friend was a special spider that bit her giving her powers and everlasting youth before it died. Now, she is seeking revenge against the town and the people that tormented her.
A very eerie game with webs everywhere and lots of spiders in excellent graphics and cutscenes that look realistic, especially the opening scene on the train. All of the cutscenes are placed in the journal and can be replayed and I played all of them several times as they were so well done. There is a jump map but areas requiring action are not indicated so keep notes as there is a lot of inventory puzzles that you will need to remember where items found are used. The inventory is lockable but unfortunately it also hides some areas of interest in scenes when they are located near the bottom of the screen. I spent some time looking for flies before I realized they were behind the inventory screen. Hidden object scenes are junk pile list type with some interactive objects but all fit the locations with objects that make sense and most were easily found. Music was looped but pleasant. All characters were live actors with voice acting that ranged from good to overdone with some having exceptionally long pauses that detracted from their performances. These can be skipped but you lose some important narrative information if you do that helps keep you moving in the right direction.
An interesting story well presented that keeps moving ahead so there is some anticipation most of the time and may not the game for people who are hate spiders but, others may find it enjoyable.
I recommend this game!
Reunite the Dragon and Phoenix Kingdoms to stop the evil witch!
Overall rating
4
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Someone is not happy about the 300 year old war ending so they have kidnapped your Fiance and you have to save him
PostedJanuary 14, 2016
hermitcave
fromGig Harbor, Wa
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Adventure, Mahjong, Card & Board
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
An evil sorceress, Firella, able to control animals, but not dragons or phoenixes, caused trouble between the Dragon and Phoenix kingdoms more than 300 years ago. The Archmage Brishare of the Phoenix Kingdom battled her and was able to cast a spell of petrifaction that imprisoned her in a stone statue but not before the kingdoms went to war and have been at war for three centuries. The dragons and phoenixes leave because of the war. A prophecy foretells that when the spell fails, Firella will rule the two kingdoms forever unless they are at peace. The Magic Forest lies between the two kingdoms and is subtained by magic waters flowing from a cave so Brishare placed a protection spell on the waters but it was to be renewed every 100 years. The renewal spell became the responsibility of Brishare's students and, now, three hundred years later, the spell should have been renewed by the current student, Zakh, but he has failed to perform the spell. The first real chance for peace between the two kingdoms is about to happen by the marriage between the Princess of the Dragon kingdom and the Prince Thyrian of the Pheonix kingdom that would prevent the spell on the evil sorceress from occurring and saving the two kingdoms. The prince is due to arrive soon for the ceremony when a wounded Phoenix soldier arrives requiring medical assistance. After reviving, he tells you he was sent by the Prince to warn you that his cousin, Isa, attacked the procession with beasts and dark magic and has imprisoned the Prince in Castle Phoenix. He also gives you the Golden Phoenix Amulet that the Prince gave him to give to you that will help protect you from Isa. Isa discovered the imprisoned sorceress who has promised him power and given him the secret of animal control. He is determined to prevent the marriage so the kingdoms will still be at war when the spell fails and Firella will become the ruler of both kingdoms forever. As you begin your . and that you have to save him. You must not only save your Prince, but defeat Isa, save the student mage, and destroy Firella before the spell fails.
Graphics were very well done providing many colorful scenes to explore and full character animation with voice acting for all characters. Some of the voices were a little overdone, especially Isa's trying be arrogant but coming across as forced. Music was easy listening and not irritating. There is a wide range of inventory puzzles and minigames from easy to medium difficult and some interesting hidden object scenes. Besides the usual list type with interactive objects, some scenes had silhouettes that need to be found and are then used to find other objects until finding the final object that goes into inventory. There is a journal to track the story but no map. Locations are presented in small batches so the map was not really needed. Inventory items are also used quickly so the number carried are low. The Golden Dragon Amulet that was given to you by the Prince is used in special scenes where poisoned plants appear and is used to scan the scenes to reveal invisible magic symbols that charges the amulet that then is used to remove the poisoned plants. There is a satisfying ending with the sorceress being destroyed but her assistant, Isa, escaping, presumably setting it up for a sequel.
The bonus chapter occurs after defeating the sorceress and you are now Queen with things returning to normal. The phoenixes are returning but the dragons have not as the evil sorceress had stolen the dragon's egg. Brishare tells you he will open a portal to where you might find the egg and take it to Dragon's Rock to hatch. The hatchling will call for its family and the dragons will return. A nice side story but didn't really add much to the main game.
Fairly easy but a pretty good story that might be worth a few hours of escape.
I recommend this game!
Travel back in time to help stop a terrible fire that started Felicia down her evil path in PuppetShow: Return to Joyville!
Overall rating
3
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Felicia needs your help to change the past to prevent the fire that disfigured her and her crimes in the future
PostedJanuary 13, 2016
hermitcave
fromGig Harbor, Wa
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Adventure, Mahjong, Card & Board
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
While in Joyville to investigate strange happenings, an old, disfigured woman wearing a half mask materializes near a house where a little girl is playing on a swing. As the girl is called to by her father to come in the house, the old woman speaks to you telling you that the little girl is actually her and she has come back into the past to try and change the past so the fire that burned her and killed her father is prevented changing the reasons for her becoming evil in the future. She is Felicia, the puppetmaster's daughter and she wants your help to change things in your present that will change or prevent things that happened in her future. Got that? Your first challenge is to convince her father about the fire that is to occur tomorrow and then find the person that was responsible for causing the fire and to defeat him.
This is kind of a prequel to first three episodes in the series and tries to explain why Felicia became evil. An interesting storyline that, even though many of the scenes will be familiar to those playing the first episode, Mystery of Joyville, released in 2009, they are well done and should be enjoyed for those just discovering this episode. Nice graphics, mood music, some interesting puzzles and hidden object scenes move the story along but there is no map so you need to keep some notes as there is some backtracking. There is a journal for the story but I found the position of the journal scroll situated right next to the hint button made it easy to click on the hint button instead of the journal. Those familiar with the series will recognize the fan shaped inventory that has to be opened repeatedly to see what you have or to use an item and cannot be locked open. After a while it becomes tedious. Hidden object scenes were of the basic list type with some interactive objects and silhouettes that were well done and fairly easy.
Having played the first three episodes, I was less impressed with this episode maybe because of its familiar game mechanics but the storyline was interesting. The ending was satisfying and I am looking forward to playing the next episode to see if the storyline changes.
I recommend this game!
An organ grinder seeks revenge, marking his victims with cards. Can you stop him before he destroys the entire city?
Overall rating
5
/
5
13 curses he has brought on those who against him plotted. Revenge is sought spurred by Love lost, he seeks amends at any cost.
PostedJanuary 11, 2016
hermitcave
fromGig Harbor, Wa
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Adventure, Mahjong, Card & Board
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Thirteen years ago a crime occurred in Graysand and you, a detective, have been sent to investigate what happened. The inhabitants are enjoying a festival with performers and games and, to one side, there is an old organ grinder who slowly approaches the Mayor offering him a fortune card for only a penny. The card carries an onimous message that he will die at midnight which is only moments away. The Mayor becomes irate demanding his money back when suddenly a phoenix appears and he is consumed in a ball of fire setting the town on fire. As you approach the city gates, the flaming body of the Mayor comes hurling out that you douse with water. In his hand you find a cursed card. You now have another crime to investigate. What has this town and the inhabitants done to the organ grinder to cause such determination by him for revenge? As you conduct your investigation, you find out that thirteen years ago, a man and woman in love were wronged by the Mayor and other residents of the town resulting in death. Now the spirit of the man has returned to seek revenge for what they did and it is up to you to stop him.
This is one of the few games that I may play again as I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the characters and how the game was presented. The first thing that really drew me in was the opening song sung by the organ grinder which contained some of the stanzas from "The Raven," one of my favorite poems by Edgar Allan Poe. That song set the mood and tone of the game for me which was enhanced by the graphics and voice acting, especially the voice of the organ grinder who has the majority of the lines. There is no journal as the story is revealed through versed messages on thirteen cursed cards, each connected to a person in town and a monster, multiple cutscenes about a couple in love, jealousy, scheming, false acusations and conviction, tragic deaths and an unsanctioned burial, and dialog from the organ grinder that sheds small portions of light on the reasons for his revenge. You face a multitude of mosters from a medusa to a man eating book that will keep your interest. There is an excellent jump map that also shows locations of interest. The inventory is lockable and all minigames have directions and can be reset or skipped. There are a lot of inventory item puzzles packed into each scene and items are used quickly. Something I liked was that if you try and use an item and it is not the right one, you get a plausible reason why instead of a belittling comment that I always hated. The hidden object scenes are appropriate for the locations and are of the standard list type with some interactive objects all visible though some partially hidden. There is even a helper found early in the game in the form of a baby phoenix that is named Terrance that helps with collecting items , especially where fire is concerned, and, of course, being your lighter when a candle needs to be lit. Some have complained about the shortness of the game but being engrossed in the story, I did not feel that way.
A dark themed, well written story artfully revealing its secrets as you progress leading up to the final confrontation and surprise that provides a satisfying ending, this is one not to miss.
A dark themed, well written story artfully revealing its secrets as you progress leading up to the final confrontation and surprise that provides a satisfying ending, this is one not to miss.
I recommend this game!