tehuti88's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.9
- Helpful Votes:82
- Reviews Submitted:27
- First Review:March 20, 2014
- Most Recent Review:February 13, 2015
- Featured reviews0
When an asteroid hits the fragile world of Tiny Planet, it breaks into pieces! Save the population of Tiny Planet!
Overall rating
2
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
The Tiny Bang Story
PostedApril 9, 2014
tehuti88
fromCheboygan, MI
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This review is based solely on the free trial.
I should've heeded the other reviews. o_o
I wanted to like this game. The graphics and concept are both mysterious and adorable. Unfortunately, one of the very first puzzles to figure out apparently dealt with math (a VERY poor subject of mine#...I had to figure out the combination of a lock--and the "hint" function did not help whatsoever; it merely showed me an arrangement of numbers even more jumbled and perplexing than the one I was already mulling over. #Who knew the hint would complicate the puzzle even more?# Was I supposed to just type in some of the numbers shown on the screen?--if so, how was I to determine which ones? #There were arrows...or something...pointing between numbers, but resulting in far more than the required three numbers!# Or was it a math problem and I was supposed to add or subtract them?--again, which ones, and what was I to do with them, exactly?? What had started out as mysterious and adorable quickly became irritating and exasperating.
Rather than spend the entire trial hour trying to figure out ONE puzzle, I deleted it from my game manager. Far, FAR too frustrating for someone like me, I guess. :# Even the cute concept of capturing little bug-eyed flies to refill the hint button #took me a while to figure out that's what they're for# couldn't save me from such frustration, if the hint doesn't prove helpful enough to solve one of the very first puzzles in the game. If I get stuck so early on, it makes me doubt I'll enjoy the rest of the game that much, and I'd hate having to refer to a walkthrough, if one exists, every step of the way. I like to think, not batter my head against a wall trying to figure something out #while also trying to have fun!#.
As the other reviews of this game make all too clear, this one is best saved for those who are better equipped to handle such challenges without getting impatient, since there is NO hand-holding whatsoever, and there is no skip function. If you get stuck, then you're stuck. If I'm speaking prematurely, well, that's because I got stuck THAT early in the game and couldn't play any further to find out for sure if it ever gets any easier. But I doubt it. :/
I obtained my free trial of "The Tiny Bang Story" directly through Big Fish Games. I ran this game on Windows 7 with no problems.
I don't recommend this game.
Get ready for new adventures and unexpected twists in Book Two of the Adelantado Trilogy!
Overall rating
5
/
5
Adelantado Trilogy: Book Two
PostedApril 8, 2014
tehuti88
fromCheboygan, MI
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Please see my review of "Adelantado Trilogy: Book One" for the basics on this series' gameplay. It provides a lot of info I've left out here for the sake of brevity!
Here in part two, the experience and goals are pretty much the same--a continuation of the previous game--though with added challenges and skills. As I'd expected, the game grows somewhat more difficult as it goes along, but not in a terribly overwhelming manner; I was able to make it through, and I'm usually horrible at time management/strategy games.
To recap, you are the Adelantado Don Diego De Leon, a Spanish explorer making his way through Aztec#?# territory in search of new lands, gold to send back to Spain, and survivors of an earlier expedition to rescue. The game is split into two parts of five chapters each, blus a bonus chapter, same as the first game. You can play untimed if you wish, but be assured, it can still get challenging as you need to balance constructing necessary buildings #woodcutters and sawmills to produce wood which is needed for other buildings, for example# against collecting an adequate supply of the goods produced. #Don Diego would be nagging me to build a certain type of structure, but I wouldn't be able to yet as I'd used the needed supplies to construct ANOTHER type of building first!# Many times I found myself getting flustered trying to scrape together enough supplies to keep building and maintaining things, but it always worked out with some patience and planning.
In addition to the added challenges, you get some bonuses. There are new types of buildings you can construct, such as forester's huts for growing trees while passing through a desert. Native altars can help improve efficiency, speed, and productivity. And there are more secrets to find #be alert, they've gotten trickier!#, more tasks to carry out for the natives #some of them will trade supplies with you now!#, etc., as well as a greater variation of territory to explore. #In a chapter or two, you even end up exploring native cities on your own...I enjoyed such gameplay as it involved merely trading and not constructing/maintaining buildings and a workforce.# Also, you can destroy abandoned/unwanted buildings to provide space and spare supplies; and you can not only upgrade buildings, now you can also restore their efficiency once it starts to wane.
And ah, yes, the evil cavemen...they're still around. Except that now, you have evil dinosaurs trying to attack you as well. O.O But oh, I forgot a really great improvement in gameplay...in my review of the first part, remember how irked I was that when an attack occurred, you would have to search around to figure out where it was? Well, that's been remedied in this game. Fantastic!
The plot has strengthened a bit, too, in that you have to provide assistance to Milintica/Milintika #her name spelling varies in the third installment of the game#, a young woman who's been betrothed against her will and begs your party to help her escape. Dare I sense a romance blossoming between her and Don Diego...?
Although I'd played the hourlong free trial and in that got through the first two chapters without issues, I did experience a game crash on the first chapter of the full game; the game merely told me it had stopped running, and closed. :# I restarted #all progress was lost#, however, and from then on experienced no problems. I read on a walkthrough that, unlike the first game, you CAN save this one in the middle of a chapter, though I never tried that myself to see for sure, and didn't know that until now.
Like the first part, how much time is spent playing each chapter is kept track of; it took me almost twelve hours to complete the game #relaxed mode#. Now, on to part three! :#
I obtained my copy of "Adelantado Trilogy: Book Two" directly through Big Fish Games. The game folder takes up 162mb on my hard drive. I ran this game on Windows 7 with one bug/error #a single game crash, mentioned above# but no other problems.
I recommend this game!
Experience the mythical world of ancient Greece. Find your place among Gods and mortals by playing this exciting Match-3 adventure!
Overall rating
2
/
5
4 of 7 found this review helpful
The Adventures Of Perseus
PostedApril 5, 2014
tehuti88
fromCheboygan, MI
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This review is based solely on the free trial.
I was quite interested in purchasing this game since the preview looks decent, even if somewhat simple. I'm a sucker for untimed match-3 games, even if the graphics aren't totally all that. (Though they have to be SOMEWHAT attractive.# In fact, I was so interested I almost bought the game sight unseen, but while waiting to see if it would go on sale I decided to try out the free trial. And I'm glad I did.
I got as far as the first round. Did the match-3 part of the game, no problems. There was a little storyline introduced from Greek myth; nothing special, but okay enough. #I did find it odd that they showed this AFTER the first match-3 round, if my memory is correct, but oh well.# Then I was brought to the minigame part--a memory-sequence game. Uh-oh, I'm lousy at those; anything over 3-4 items in sequence I CANNOT remember. But I gave it a shot anyway. I was shown a symbol in a fire, and told to select that symbol from the sand around the fire. I did so, and was told I chose correctly. Not so bad.
Then I was shown three symbols in succession, and I chose those from the sand. I was told I was wrong. o_o I did this at least three times over--each time it was the same three symbols #i. e., it didn't randomize the game and select three new symbols as most memory-type games do#--and I was CERTAIN I was choosing the right symbols in the sand #there were only about six or seven to choose from, I believe#--but every single time, I was presented with a big "WRONG!"
I clicked the "skip" button then #which, unfortunately, seemed to skip both that and what might have been a followup hidden-object scene, though I'm not sure# and, in a foul mood, declined to continue playing the game, and deleted the trial.
If I can't even make it through the first level without needing to skip a simple minigame, and without being told I'm wrong when I'm certain I'm not, it doesn't bode well for my enjoyment of the rest of the game. Perhaps other users fared better than I did. :/
I obtained my free trial of "The Adventures Of Perseus" directly through Big Fish Games. I ran this game on Windows 7 with no problems.
I don't recommend this game.
Join the dwarves in their adventure to the surface!
Overall rating
2
/
5
14 of 16 found this review helpful
A Dwarf's Story
PostedApril 5, 2014
tehuti88
fromCheboygan, MI
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This review is based solely on the free trial.
I'd hesitated trying this game out, as another reviewer's explanation of the game mechanics--the changing color of the cursor determining which matches are valid ones--perplexed me, but the graphics looked so cute I decided to give it a shot. Unfortunately, my first impression seems accurate. This game makes zero sense to me. :/
I simply COULD NOT understand the game mechanics of the switching colors on the cursor and how that related to making matches. First off, they tell you to "click and change" the primary color on the cursor, as if this is required for each match, but a few times I didn't do this yet made matches anyway--and sometimes it seems like the cursor colors change on their own--so why do they tell you to do that if it's not required?
Secondly, and more frustratingly###just when I thought I'd figured it out--"Aha, there's a major color and a minor color on the cursor, that must mean I can make switches involving those two colors!"--I learned I was wrong# For example, the cursor would be, say, pink and yellow--which I assumed meant I could swap/change pink and yellow items on the game board--but then when I took too long making such a match, the game would "nag" me by making one of the BROWN items start flashing, and that was where the match would be made# Numerous times I tried changing the color of the cursor and clicking on items I assumed were related, but it wouldn't work; the matches weren't valid# Most matches I did make were accidental# And of course, since game progress depends on the TYPES of matches you make #for example, wood = building supplies, I believe#, I couldn't plan out any moves I made so that the results would be most beneficial.
I played for perhaps 10-15 minutes, about two rounds/levels, before giving it up as nonsensical. I guess I'm just missing something since the other reviewer understood it, but I don't, and I don't find it much fun waiting for the game to nag me before making my move or randomly clicking until something works, while never comprehending WHY it works. :/ And I don't really have the patience to put a lot of time into figuring it out. #I've looked at the review in question again and see that apparently the cursor colors have to do with CHANGING the color of the item you're clicking on, but...eh...nothing I tried made sense to me and I'm too fed up to give it another shot.#
Oh, I also had great difficulty when the first "powerup" appeared. The game told me to select it and use it, yet I had no need of a powerup, so I didn't want to. There was a "skip" button at the bottom, so I selected that, but nothing changed, no matter how many times I clicked it. I couldn't make any matches until I'd selected the powerup...but I had no idea where it was! I hadn't been paying close attention to where it was located when the game mentioned it, and I couldn't see any special icon depicting it along the side or bottom as is usually the case in a match-3 game. Seriously, what match-3 game doesn't even make its powerups obvious?--or am I really that oblivious? o_O I've never had ANY trouble locating the powerups in other games. I ended up clicking around the edges of the game window at random until I must have accidentally selected it; only once I'd activated this "hidden" powerup would the game let me continue, and of course I had no idea how the thing even worked #the game had to tell me how--and didn't do a great job of it# and so I just set it off at random. Frustrating!
As already stated, the graphics are quite cute and colorful, and there's a little storyline involving the dwarves attempting to work their way back to the surface world by repairing buildings or some such; you can also slightly personalize your avatar. #Even though the little animated avatar running around in the map/construction area didn't match the one I'd chosen...hm.# The English is a little bit off, but that's routine in such games. It's a shame though, with such nice colors and graphics I thought I could give the game a shot, but it was a wasted one; I'm glad I tried the trial first. Playing this would've just irritated me. I'd hate having to put so much mental exertion into playing a match-3 game! ;_;
If you're a lot more patient to figure out the perplexing game mechanics, perhaps you'd enjoy this #seriously--REALLY cute and colorful graphics!#, but I myself cannot recommend such a confusing game. :/
I obtained my free trial of "A Dwarf's Story" directly through Big Fish Games. I ran this game on Windows 7 with no problems.
I don't recommend this game.
Discover the fabulous secrets that a jungle hides in Adelantado Trilogy: Book One! Help the brave and noble officer, Don Diego De Leon, to find and save the lost expedition.
Overall rating
5
/
5
1 of 2 found this review helpful
Adelantado Trilogy: Book One
PostedApril 3, 2014
tehuti88
fromCheboygan, MI
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Way, WAY back when (i. e., sometime in the Nineties), I used to play an old PC game whose basic premise was you were a Columbuslike explorer headed into the New World, where you would explore/map the land, interact with the natives, build missions and forts, and collect gold to send back to Spain. There were two modes of the game--the "historic" one where you explored a New World modeled closely after the actual New World, and one that used a randomly generated map. Goodness, how I've missed that game.
Well...while browsing around Big Fish, I stumbled upon "Adelantado Trilogy." Although I despise time-management games (FAR too stressful for me), and am not a big fan of most strategy games (I'm lousy at planning), the premise reminded me so much of that old PC game that I had to give it a try. So I downloaded the free trials of all three parts. And quickly ran through the allotted hour of every one of them. And then bought each game.
My, oh my. It's that Nineties game all over again, only better!
First off--there's an untimed option. Otherwise, I wouldn't have bothered. So those of you like me who are bad at time management, that's a plus. The graphics are relatively simple since the entire game is presented in a sort of "bird's-eye view" of whatever New World this happens to be, but they're crisp and clear and colorful. There was a glitch or bug of some sort in the first part of the trilogy (it was present in both the free trial and the full version of the game) that caused a sort of flickering in certain sections of the screen, like another scene was attempting to interfere/cut in, but, though this was vaguely annoying and could make reading informational popups a bit difficult, it didn't significantly interfere with gameplay, so I could overlook it.
Plot: Don Diego De Leon, the "Adelantado" in question, is exploring this New World. Apparently, some men from this or an earlier expedition have gotten lost in this strange territory, and it's your job to rescue the survivors. At the same time, you have to build and repair numerous structures, such as gardens, watchtowers, mines, etc.; and in between seeking survivors and building/maintaining everything else that provides you with the supplies you need, you spend time exploring the new land, locating gold, precious gems that enhance certain abilities, and "secrets"--the latter of which consist mostly of lost journal pages. Throughout the game you rely on your supplies of wood, stone blocks, food, and silver to build and upgrade things as well as trade with the natives, so it's important to make sure you keep your buildings on track so you don't run short.
You progressively gain more area to explore. The Indians give you missions to fulfill and in return present you with helpful hints and directions to yet more territory and treasure. If you wander around and keep your eyes open, you'll find random supplies to collect/destroy and help replenish your stores. There are natural obstacles to destroy to reach inaccessible areas; also, you should be careful to scroll your mouse over EVERYTHING, because there are "secrets" hidden everywhere. Each level or "chapter" has a certain number of secrets, gold, and survivors you need to locate (finding the secrets isn't necessary to pass a level, but I felt the need to do it anyway); this is kept track of during gameplay so you can check to see if there are any secrets remaining. Hint, make sure you repeatedly check out previously explored areas and keep your eyes open--just because you've already explored an area doesn't mean it's out of surprises!
The game has two parts of five chapters each, plus an extra end chapter. Each level gets a little more difficult and has yet more goals to be met. Don Diego almost constantly "nags" you by telling you what you need to do next--more experienced players might find this annoying, but oh goodness did I appreciate it, as otherwise I never would've known what to do. (Though it got annoying when I knew what I needed to do next yet didn't have the proper resources yet; many times I found myself grumbling, "I KNOW that already, Don Diego! I'm getting to it!") I'm not sure if he also does this in timed mode.
Where's the conflict in the game? A few of your men have rebelled and deserted you...as well, by the time you've settled into a comfortable routine of exploring, collecting, etc., all of a sudden, BAM!--evil cavemen! :O They aren't terribly overwhelming, but this brings me to the one big quibble I have with the game. You're always warned when a caveman appears; but I do wish the "camera"/bird's-eye view would shuttle you to the location where the caveman has emerged, because each level is very expansive and you never know where a caveman has emerged from; you can spend a moment or so looking about frantically by dragging the mouse back and forth until you spot the caveman, and by then he's already on the attack. You can also accidentally misclick on something while doing this. This is a relatively minor quibble though, considering.
It'd also be awesome if, like the other game I mentioned, it had a "random land generator" function so each playthrough would be different, though I imagine that'd be quite difficult to program, and would make walkthroughs useless. And, oh...it did bug me that the Indians made reference to "chariots." Huh?
The game keeps track of how long it takes you to make it through each chapter. In total, gameplay for me, on untimed mode, was over 11 hours, so...you get a LOT to do. IMPORTANT NOTE, however, you can't save the game in the middle of a chapter, so if you start a new level, you have to be committed to finishing it in that sitting.
As the title should make obvious, this is merely the first part of three...I have yet to play the other two, and I imagine they get more difficult, so I'm rather nervous about that and hope I can make it through them; I'd hate a lack of success to dampen my enthusiasm for the trilogy. (I'm a sore loser.) So I offer this review with a bit of reserve regarding Books Two and Three. But the first part alone, I HIGHLY recommend; it was just so much fun to explore everything, help out the natives, and collect all that food, wood, and gold! (As well as destroy random items!)
I obtained my copy of "Adelantado Trilogy: Book One" directly through Big Fish Games. The game folder takes up 131mb on my hard drive. I ran this game on Windows 7 with one bug/error (the glitchy screen flickers, mentioned above) but no other problems.
I recommend this game!
Step into a dream machine and piece together the events of a mysterious tragedy!
Overall rating
4
/
5
5 of 6 found this review helpful
Echoes Of Sorrow II
PostedMarch 31, 2014
tehuti88
fromCheboygan, MI
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This game is the sequel to "Echoes Of Sorrow," which I've previously reviewed. Although I've given it the same rating, IMO the sequel isn't quite as good as the original, unfortunately. :/
While the artwork pretty much holds up to the original game (again, the cutscene animations are rather cheesy), and the game as a standalone is pretty decent, the fact that the game isn't really a "sequel" or continuation so much as it is merely another, different story in a series was rather a disappointment; while the story in the original game was complete in itself and had a proper ending, there was so much potential to carry on the plot into a second game, and that was rather what I'd been expecting when I read the summary for "Echoes Of Sorrow II." Alas, as I said, it's an entirely different story with different characters, though the basic theme and gameplay are about the same.
Plot: I must admit, it was a bit convoluted for me to follow after just one play, and my memory is iffy, but this is the gist of it. In this game, you are no longer Rose, but another woman named Sarah (I think). Your ex-husband, Lucas (I think?)--a journalist--was imprisoned after allegedly murdering your father and now has apparently shot your current husband, John, the mayor (I think!). However, not all the facts in the story are holding up, and when your kids go missing--has Lucas kidnapped them as revenge?--you go seeking answers behind everyone's shady behavior. In a weird plot point, you gain access to your hospitalized husband's thoughts via a special technology; and here is where gameplay starts to strongly resemble that of the original "Echoes Of Sorrow," as you find yourself in John's mind. Again there is a mysterious statue, this time surrounded by four doors, which lead you to a construction site (I believe), a prison, Lucas's house (again, I believe) and John's mansion/your home (one more "I believe"). Similar to the original game, you have to work your way through each location to solve another part of the mystery, though in this game there's no equivalent of exorcising the ghosts of the past, you're merely seeking facts. After completing the quest in John's mansion, you have to find your way to a boat to rescue your kids, the equivalent of the final showdown scene in the original game.
I didn't keep track of how long it took to play, though it seemed about average. You first explore your home and the hospital before making your way to the four primary game locations, then afterward to the boat, again running parallel to the first game. I'm a bit embarrassed to admit I had to use hints a few times on hidden-object scenes, though the scenes themselves really were not complicated, I guess I just wasn't very observant! On one occasion I wasn't sure what it was I was supposed to be looking for. (Tip for others who are as clueless as I am--a "tree spigot" is that thing you tap into a tree to collect maple sap. Seeing as I live in maple tree country, once I realized this I felt like, "Duh.") I had to skip a couple of minigames as they were of the "Slide/move the tiles/items around until they're all in place" variety, where the movements of one item affect the movements/location of the others, and I'm horrible at such things; a couple of other minigames I "solved" merely by chance (i. e., clicking around cluelessly long enough). Most of the games are easy to figure out HOW to play, if you pay close enough attention to the surrounding hints.
There was one minigame (early on, with the colored marbles in the rings) that jammed up and refused to work, a known bug in the game (see the tech issues forum), so I had to skip that one, but afterwards everything progressed smoothly.
There is no walkthrough available for this game, either in the game or online, that I'm aware of, unfortunately. (Thus the tentativeness of my recall in this review--I can't check my recall against any walkthrough!) The game is mostly easy enough to not need one, in my experience. There's an in-game journal that collects pertinent information, but no map, and no bonus material, as there's no Collector's Edition. I can't recall if there were different game modes though I believe the game summary says there are two. (I always play the easy/casual or relaxed/untimed modes.) There doesn't seem to be a misclick penalty (at least, not in the easy mode), and minigames can be skipped.
In the mode I played, the game "nags" you by showing a sparkle indicating the location you should head to--I didn't mind this as I'm the clueless type, but it could be annoying to those who want more of a challenge, so perhaps that's not present in the harder game mode. The hint system is kind of iffy even in easy mode, however; at one point, I hadn't completed a task in a certain location before I moved to another location, but I didn't get that nagging sparkle telling me to go back and finish the task, so I was briefly confused; clicking the hint button resulted in nothing useful, so I had to figure it out on my own.
A plus and a minus I felt like mentioning:
Plus: The dreamworld you enter in John's mind. Everyday locations are warped and twisted in a surreal manner, for example, Lucas's house is floating on a chunk of land in empty space. The most interesting location was the house interior, where doors are set in the floor, stairs in the ceiling, and everything is just wonky beyond measure.
Minus: Along with the things already mentioned, the detail of the custodian(?) who hooks you up to the machine that puts you in John's mind was kind of a strange and random one. This man (whom I believe you first encounter outside the hospital, though when I met him I assumed he was a police officer!) seems to know about you and your circumstances, and I think he mentions he used to be a doctor (thus explaining his knowledge of the medical device he uses to access John's mind), but aside from that, his presence and knowledge of things--as well as why he's no longer a doctor--is never explained, and he vanishes from the plot after he hooks you up to the machine...very weird. Who was that guy? Why did I let him hook me up to that strange machine? o.o
In any case, all in all, the game is decent as a standalone, but as a sequel to the first, it leaves something to be desired.
I obtained my copy of "Echoes Of Sorrow II" on CD-ROM through an online retailer. The game folder takes up 749MB on my hard drive. I ran this game on Windows 7 with one known bug/error (the marble game, mentioned above) but no other problems.
I recommend this game!
Listen to the Echoes of Sorrow and remember who you are as you explore your memories in this fun Hidden Object game!
Overall rating
4
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Echoes Of Sorrow
PostedMarch 20, 2014
tehuti88
fromCheboygan, MI
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This was one of the very first hidden-object/casual computer games I ever played. :) In fact I was afraid to start playing it lest it be too difficult for me! On learning about the sequel I decided to replay it to catch myself up.
Even though a lot of other games with much better graphics have come along since then I still find the plotline of "Echoes Of Sorrow" to be fascinating, and the creepy twist toward the end is just as shocking as it was way back when I first played it #maybe a couple of years ago#. The cutscene animations aren't that fantastic but the in-game scenes are beautifully done, and the main theme music is haunting. And oh, yes, the menu art, of the main character switching places with the statue which is central to the plot, is gorgeous.
Plot: You are a woman named Rose. The game starts out with you running from a mysterious pursuer until you fall and hit your head; you end up hospitalized, in a coma. In a sort of dream state, an ethereal train carries you to a square where you find a mysterious statue--looking just like you--around which are draped four chains. There are four different locations surrounding the square--your childhood home, a college, a prison, and a church. One by one you must explore these locations and encounter ghosts related to tragedies from your past in order to free the statue of its chains and to remember who you are and how exactly you ended up in this state--as well as how you can escape it.
Another reviewer on a different site once commented on how disturbed he/she was by the backstory involving Rose's mysterious pursuer, and I have to admit, when you really think about it it *is* rather creepy and unsettling, but so is real life, and IMO this just adds to the game's sense of unease.
Gameplay seems to be relatively short...on my second playthrough I finished in about 3-4 hours, perhaps. There are the four main locations Rose must explore, plus the climactic scene when she awakens in the hospital and has to confront her pursuer. Hidden-object scenes are relatively easy for the most part, as are the occasional minigames. There's a hint button though I had no reason to use it on the second playthrough. Once in a while I got a bit confused over how to proceed since I didn't seem to have the proper items in my inventory, but this was always resolved with a bit more exploration or pondering. One minigame gave me trouble as there was math involved #definitely not my strong suit# and I didn't know what the instructions for solving it were; for that I looked up the online walkthrough, and once learning what it was I was supposed to do, I got through it.
There's no in-game walkthrough, journal/map, or bonus material, and I don't believe there are different game modes #easy/difficult#, but the game is untimed--there doesn't seem to be a misclick penalty either, plus I believe you can skip minigames--and is not incredibly difficult as it is. #Although I'm not a beginner at such things, I try to avoid timed or very difficult games...I have little tolerance for frustration!# There doesn't seem to be a Collector's Edition of the game, unfortunately.
Something players who are more used to newer games might find annoying, at certain points in the game when navigating between scenes there's a "loading" screen which offers game tips, but this doesn't stick around for long and isn't terribly bothersome.
I obtained my copy of "Echoes Of Sorrow" on the "Mystery Masters: Mystery 6-Pack" disk in a retail store. The game folder takes up 314MB on my hard drive. I ran this game on Windows 7 with no problems.
I recommend this game!