Alenee's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.3
- Helpful Votes:302
- Reviews Submitted:64
- First Review:October 14, 2015
- Most Recent Review:January 4, 2020
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Can you bring peace to the kingdoms in time?
Overall rating
5
/
5
3 of 3 found this review helpful
Best of the series
PostedJanuary 17, 2017
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
In this game, you play Queen Valera who has to save her friend and loyal servant (with benefits?) who has been caught in a power struggle between the Wind Kingdom and a hidden foe. This places him in mortal danger and he winds up being abducted (what else is new?).
On paper the concept may not seem exactly fresh, but the plot twists and build up are very well done, with the mini-games and hidden object scenes integrated seamlessly into the action. As a bonus, the minigames have taken the old standby's and raised the bar to make them just a wee bit more challenging for regular Mad Head fans. I only gave the story a 4 star rating but if it had been just a bit more unique, I'd have sprung for a 5 without hesitation.
As far as the scenery and gameplay go, this is the smoothest and most bittersweet, dramatic Dark Realm to date - it really feels like you're playing through a well written fantasy novel. That makes it better than the first two in my honest opinion. Play it and see if you agree!
I recommend this game!
In Wishville, all dreams come true, for a price.
Overall rating
3
/
5
7 of 7 found this review helpful
Mixed bag
PostedJanuary 16, 2017
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I just finished playing this game and while it's not solid, it does have quite a few good points. I liked the storyline about the wish master; it was very fairytale-like and had an interesting progression and a well thought-out ending. Unfortunately, this aspect was marred by the addition of a bunch of side quests to help out victims of the mayor at the beginning of the game, which slowed the sense of progress down to a snail's pace.
For the most part, these side quests didn't add anything to the storyline until near the very end of the game, and I dislike feeling like I am being sent on time-filling quests. I find they distract me from the story and make it all too easy to forget which game I'm even playing, since irrelevant quests are an unfortunatel feature of so many games these days. I liked the way that the later quests advanced the plot however, and the game flowed much more smoothly from that point on.
The mini games were really ordinary, which might not be a problem for some people. Personally, I have found my patience has worn thin with facing the same old tile swapping games - I cannot be bothered to struggle through those anymore and no new innovations have been made here, to keep it interesting.
The latticework building game and the rose-elimination game were the right mix of challenging and fun for me, personally; a minigame shouldn't take more than 5 minutes for an ordinary player, ideally, and these were a perfect length. The game where the rose changes the tile colours as it moves REALLY needs an 'undo' button, though, since quickly became frustrating to make dozens of correct moves only to be forced to restart because I made one wrong one. I often felt like the longer more complicated games needed a hint system or an undo button, or both. Reset is simply not enough.
The cut scenes were lovely and dreamy but the regular artwork seemed quite poor on my computer, almost a bit cheap at times. Maybe that's my resolution, but the colours and details seemed very samey and the images weren't very sharp. The HO scenes were clever despite this drawback though... and I liked the creepy roses too!
So, it's a mixed bag: the good parts were worthy of 4 stars, and the poor parts were about a 3, but since I can't give 3.5 and because I was frequently bored during the first half of the game, I've opted for a total of 3. I'd still recommend it for fans of fairy tales though since it has a solid enough story, for those who have the patience to see it through to the end.
I recommend this game!
Uncover a secret from the past to save your dying father!
Overall rating
3
/
5
6 of 7 found this review helpful
And interesting premise that didn't live up to its promise
PostedJanuary 9, 2017
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I expected a lot more from this since it got good reviews on independent site I frequent, but I found it was just more of the same-old, same-old. Essentially it was a rehashing of the typical fairy tale HOA except the fairies and monsters have been moved into a post-apocalyptic setting. So while it could have been imaginative it just wasn't. Also, small tasks like getting a meal together took an inordinate amount of time whereas important ones seemed to breeze by, which gave me a sense of disjointed gameplay; ideally tasks should sync up with what is going on in the story and progress the plot, instead of simply filling time between one scene and the next.
The scenes were beautifully illustrated, but I don't play games like these for the scenery alone... some challenge and originality in the gameplay are needed too. Unfortunately Skyline Adventure is quite short on that.
I don't recommend this game.
Use the BurgerTron2000 contraption to create tasty food items for hungry customers in this fast-paced food making game!
Overall rating
2
/
5
1 of 5 found this review helpful
Didn't get what all the fuss is about
PostedJanuary 9, 2017
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
I tried playing this game on the strength of the many positive reviews but I just couldn't get into it, no matter how hard I tried. The same plates and drinks keep coming out of a giant machine over and over, and you put them together in roughly the same way each time. It seemed like a pretty repetitive task, and there wasn't any storyline as far as I could tell. The level of challenge was far too low for me, but since obviously this game appealed to many people, it can't be all bad. I just thought I'd add my two cents and suggest that people who like diversity and challenge in timed games might be bored by this one, since that definitely was the case for me.
I don't recommend this game.
Travel beyond our galaxy to bring your lost son back home.
Overall rating
3
/
5
6 of 7 found this review helpful
Disappointed with this
PostedDecember 16, 2016
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Mad Head seems to be going through a bad period right now. Like with the Maze sequel, I had high hopes of this game and on the visual front at least, I wasn't disappointed: the scenes are beautiful. But as anyone who's read other reviews I've written will know, beautiful ain't enough. It wasn't enough for Maze, so it won't be enough for Beyond either.
The storyline is as thin as the intestellar airspace itself, but padded out with throwaway characters and harmless bad guys that pose no real threat. The son character was so irritating, he made me wish for any other species as a sidekick, other than human. And all the major obstacles in the game feel and seem like they were written purely to fill time until the ending: hence we have a baddie who locks us up, only for an improbable way out to materialize in the form of your escaped son, and a crew of interstellar kidnappers who are going to throw you out a hatch until... oh hang on, they throw you out a hatch. There was no imagination put into the suspense in this storyline and as such, I am seriously struggling to finish it. Now that I'm nearly at the end, I also find myself looking at the exact same scenes that I saw in the beginning, and I'm starting to a bit ripped off, as well as bored.
It's better not to release a sequel at all than to do one that adds nothing to the original, Mad Head... keep that in mind for next time, please! We expect better from you.
Uncover the mystery of Huxley’s Boarding House before time runs out!
Overall rating
5
/
5
30 of 49 found this review helpful
Best MCF since Dire Grove
PostedNovember 23, 2016
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
As someone who's said many bad things about a number of recent Eipix games (or at least thought them, lol) I am pleased to say that this is a great new addition to the genre.
Although I'm only halfway through the game so far, the haunting atmosphere and unpredictable action has kept me gladly chasing baddies around the daunting Victorian mansion. There's plenty of realistic thunder, lightning and rain to keep the ambience real, as well as a creepy, fairy-tale-esque backstory. Added to that are Eipix's usual great graphics, plus a bunch of new features that we haven't seen before.
Clearly, Eipix has paid attention to all the reviewers (including myself) who have said they want a unique new challenge. Broken Hour delivers that... test it and you'll see what I mean!
Keep it up Eipix!
I recommend this game!
Stop the dark witches before they regain their power!
Overall rating
5
/
5
Eccentric game. But fun!
PostedNovember 9, 2016
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Dark Days To Come is an indescribably weird game, and I'm really enjoying it that way. There doesn't seem to be much of a plotline. Usually that annoys me, but in this case it actually enhances the game. Maybe it's because each scene is replete with eccentric details and hallucinogenic effects that are fun just to explore and 'play' with. At the same time, it maintains a relaxed pace throughout the game, never becoming hectic (unlike certain GrandMa games I can think of). It's very colourful yet still dark in a fairytale way, and encourages you to think laterally, or even absurdly, to get through each stage of the game.
The main drawback for me so far has been that the minigames are very badly designed. The instructions are vague and badly written by what seems to be a non-native English speaker, and they all involve an arcade-style element of constant clicking & speed, which is really incompatible with Macbooks. Developers ought to realize by now that the majority of us are playing on a trackpad or touch screen rather than a mouse (or for that matter, an arcade console). Racing my mouse around the screen just makes my carpal tunnel syndrome flare up, and for no good reason since it adds nothing to the experience. As a result, I've had to skip almost all of the mini games, which is a waste of playing time.
But otherwise, this is a fantastic game for letting my mind wander abstractly at the end of the day. It's absurdist and Alice in Wonderland-style, yes, but not so absurd that you can't figure out what to do next, if you think a bit abstractly. You just have to get caught up in the eccentric atmosphere and let it carry you away... which I've been happy to do! Can't wait to try another in this series.
I recommend this game!
Can you escape your fate as a human experiment, or will you comply?
Overall rating
3
/
5
4 of 12 found this review helpful
Meh.
PostedOctober 24, 2016
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
I'll start off by saying, if you haven't played Maze 360 yet, then you'll probably be slightly blown away by this game. It's done in classic Mad Head style: the visuals are cut glass sharp and the sound effects and voice acting are top of the line.
However, that cannot disguise the fact that very little effort went into the storyline.
You've been sent to demolish a building run by an AI program, which goes wrong - all too predictably - when the program takes exception to being terminated. I don't think we've had a HAL type story in these hidden object games before and I was looking forward to seeing where this one went, but almost no imagination went into the background details. The main facts of the story were repeated ad infinitum with no unusual twists or turns, or revelations to keep you moving... apart from a small 'surprise' at the halfway point in the story.
I spotted at least one opportunity to create a huge twist in the ending, but the devs seem to have utterly missed it... suffice to say, I thought the conclusion was going to be a bit more shocking for our protagonist than the humdrum, let's-beat-the-bad-machine -and-go-home conclusion that I got.
The quality is high enough and the challenge just about gripping enough to keep you playing, but Mad Head hasn't pushed the boat out with this one. And it shows.
One more little niggle: I'm not sure why the CA of this game was released before the SA. How can you want to 'collect' a game that you've never even played before? I know the devs want those big bucks, but I don't think it's fair to ask customers to pay a premium before they've even road tested the goods. But maybe that's just me.
So, this is the last game that I will buy as a CA before having seen the SA on the market. Again, I can't complain too much since I got the CA at half price, but for anyone paying full price, I'd recommend waiting until the SA comes out. That is why I've marked this particular version with 'I don't recommend this game'.
I don't recommend this game.
A recently unearthed artifact proves a dark legend to be true! Follow the trail of a group of missing graduate students.
Overall rating
5
/
5
8 of 8 found this review helpful
The best of the Dire Grove series
PostedOctober 22, 2016
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I downloaded this game after having played 'Dire Grove Sacred Grove' and wow, do I ever wish I would have bought this one first! There's no hand-holding so it takes a long time to figure things out - reminds me of the Vanishing Hitcher, that way - but isn't that what we play these games for? To figure mysteries out and spend a good few days on them, instead of just zipping right through in the space of a few hours?
The plot has been perfectly summed up by others but here I go: you arrive in a small town where a Celtic relic has been unearthed and it's clear that something went badly wrong for a group of students who came here to learn more about it. You're tasked with finding them, and when you do you'll have the shivers for all kinds of reasons, both literal and metaphorical! I can't recall being so spooked by a game before (except the Vanishing Hitchhiker, again).
You also get videos left behind by the vanished kids and the acting is spot-on, with just a few cheesy moments to lower the tone. But overall, it's just like playing the protagonist in a real life horror film. Amazing!
Be warned: if you're used to the newer games (I'm writing this in 2016) you'll be frustrated at first because progress is slow and you have to use all your brain cells to put 2 and 2 together. The upside of this is that there aren't any illogical moments, when you come upon an obstacle, you have to find the same tools to overcome it that you would in real life, and you use them as you would in real life. The realism level for such an 'old' game is breathtaking, in my opinion. More of the modern developers should use this game as their model (at least as far as horror and chiller games are concerned).
Great game! The next time I want to play something that I can't just sleepwalk through and forget about in the space of a day, I'll be buying from these guys / girls!
Tradewinds Caravans
Travel along the Silk Road and engage in real-time battles while building the most powerful trading caravan in history.
Overall rating
4
/
5
Pleasantly Surprised by This Tradewinds
PostedSeptember 22, 2016
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
After reading the bad reviews by a few other TW diehards on BF, I was worried... but frankly, still so hooked on Tradewinds from the last game I played (Legends) that I had to give it a whirl.
At first it seemed like it was going to be a disappointment: like another reviewer wrote, you walk everywhere and that means you have to click the cursor on the map to keep moving forward. At first it's a nuisance but later on, this added an extra layer of challenge as I had to maneuvre to avoid the bad guys (bands of thieves on the silk road).
Another layer of challenge comes from figuring out what you need to survive through all the tasks and tests in each storyline... and they are pretty different. So far, I've played three characters. To be frank I hated two of them, although that is because one character was extra hard for me to keep up with, because so many bad things kept happening to him I wasn't able to keep my caravan alive!! But once I found a character with a tale that I wanted to keep reading (and some built in good luck on his side, lol), I found the stamina to keep him alive and eventually finished. It took ages, and I had to restart his version of the game three times before I got the hang of it so be warned, the game is a tad fiddly to learn and not easy to pick up. My advice is, if you don't like the game or can't get the hang of it at first, try a few different characters; they have fairly different levels of challenge built into their tales; some are serious, some are fun.
All in all, this is a far lengthier and more satisfying Tradewinds than "legends" because there are extra storylines and dramas and challenges. I warmed up to it and I'm sure anyone who likes the naval version can too, as long as they have a decent span of time to try it out (e.g. when you're off work sick like I was!)
I recommend this game!