AverageSizeFish's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:2.8
- Helpful Votes:2,910
- Reviews Submitted:173
- First Review:June 2, 2014
- Most Recent Review:May 1, 2017
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Track down the wily Fox’ before he slips away into the beauty of Venice!
Overall rating
3
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Easy puzzles/HOS + beautiful graphics = average game
PostedJune 23, 2014
AverageSizeFish
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I wanted to love this game because it's obvious that a lot of work and care went into creating it. The graphics are beautiful, it's filled with collectibles, and it's fairly long.
One problem is that the story is fairly run of the mill and didn't engross me at all. I also felt that a lot of the time my character was running around collecting things for the inventory when I had no idea why I needed these things other than that they flew into my inventory when I clicked on them. I much prefer a game where I click something that the story has clued me into knowing I need rather than one where I just click everything in sight hoping something is going to be what I need.
The second, and worse, problem is that the HOS and puzzles were very easy and there was a low ratio of puzzles/HOS to "adventure" component. That is, I felt I spent most of my time clicking randomly around and not enough time doing what I buy a game to do...play puzzles and HOS. When I finally got to a HOS I would just go clickety click, find everything in seconds, and then it was back to the sorta dreary clicking around for inventory items again.
It's really too bad to have to say of a game that I enjoyed watching the credits more than I enjoyed playing the game but in this case it's true. The credits are charming and fun in a way that the game itself just wasn't.
Overall this is a visually beautiful game with a great setting but the fun factor is hampered by an unengaging story that doesn't drive game play and a complete lack of challenge to the puzzles and HOS. It's a real disappointment when something looks this good and turns out to be oh so average.
I don't recommend this game.
The rat catcher's after more than rats this time. He's kidnapping fairy folk!
Overall rating
2
/
5
12 of 19 found this review helpful
Annoying
PostedJune 23, 2014
AverageSizeFish
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
Graphics were great and everything else was lacking. In my experience a game's best part is in the demo and if this demo is the best this game is going to get it isn't worth playing because it's boring, silly, and annoying.
The one HO scene I got to was very short, very simple, and had this annoying device where you had to tip things over to find pieces of the item you had on the list. This HOS seemed like it was designed for a two year old. I guess that makes sense since the whole story seems like it was written for a child but it definitely isn't what I'm looking for.
I really hope they stop making games that have some creature in the hint box location that continually flaps its wings too...it's really annoying having that thing flapping in your peripheral vision non-stop. They put a fairy in the hint box in this one and that alone is enough to just not like this game.
I don't recommend this game.
Haunted Manor: Painted Beauties Collector's Edition
A peaceful day at the park becomes a journey into the surreal when you become the latest victim of a troubled artist's deal with Death!
Overall rating
2
/
5
7 of 9 found this review helpful
Graphics aren't enough to make a game playable
PostedJune 22, 2014
AverageSizeFish
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
Visual graphics were very good but the sound was not good at all. I'm not sure what was going on with it and I know it isn't my system but the sound was very scratchy sounding.
The game started and I had no idea who my character was supposed to be, where my character was, or why my character was there. I immediately encountered a man tied up beside the road who obviously needed my help but for some reason the devs had me collecting door handles instead of figuring out how to help this guy out...not very realistic.
I encountered a newspaper article laying on the ground dated from 1901 showing pictures of girls dressed in modern clothing...not very realistic
When I encountered things to do in the game, instead of letting the story cue me in on what I needed to do the devs instead, apparently, felt it would be easier for them to give me black box instructions across the top of my screen than to actually...you know....develop a real story.
HOS and puzzles lacking any challenge at all.
This mess is everything I cannot stand in the current trend of HOP game towards so-called adventure games. No story, no challenge in terms of HOS or puzzles, and a lot of aimless running around collecting random things I have no logical reason to collect since the story hasn't told me why I need them.
On top of all that the Hint button is in the form of this child with wings that are constantly fluttering in the corner of the screen in your peripheral vision. Very annoying.
Overall the only thing this game has going for it is nice graphics...but that isn't enough to make a game playable in my opinion.
I don't recommend this game.
It is your job to explore the wreckage of this once-majestic ship and collect antique artifacts for the Titanic Museum.
Overall rating
4
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Really fun game
PostedJune 22, 2014
AverageSizeFish
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
The graphics and sound were fine even though this game is an older game.
Game play consists completely of HOS and puzzles which I liked since it meant there was no running around trying to find the HOS and puzzles. It is definitely a game worth replaying since each scene has so many items to find.
The HOS almost all contain several objects which it's a bit of a challenge to find. The HOS are also timed which I like but would also like the option of an untimed mode.
Overall just a really fun game focused solely on HOS and puzzles. It's a very nice break from some of the more ridiculous contortions that the HOP + adventure games put you through to get to the fun parts of the game. You will definitely not be running around wondering what to do or performing ridiculous tasks to progress through this game.
I recommend this game!
When a medical consultation goes terribly wrong, it’s up to you to realize the full potential of your ability and save the day!
Overall rating
4
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Nicely made, and fairly long game
PostedJune 22, 2014
AverageSizeFish
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
The graphics and music are very well done. The story is that you're in an asylum that you're trying to escape so, naturally, you spend most of your time inside the asylum trying to escape. This causes the number of different places you visit to be limited to the floors of the asylum with brief excursions to other locations that you can visit using your character's psychic power. If you're a person who wants a constant change of scenery this isn't the game for you but I found that the storyline fit the setting and didn't mind that the whole story took place within a limited number of areas.
There were a lot of HOS and puzzles which I liked. The HOS are very well done being both interesting to look at and tough to complete. I never use hints on HO scenes but this game made me think of it a few times. Since I play HO games to do HOS this was the thing I liked most about this game. If you're a person who isn't real fond of HOS this isn't going to be the game for you. The puzzles were for the most part fairly average both in type and level of difficulty.
The gameplay did include moments where I really had no idea what I was supposed to do next because there wasn't enough information provided by the story to figure out where to go. Also, there were times where the guardian angel appeared and basically instructed me what to do and I didn't care for that...it seemed like a sneaky way to give what is basically black box instructions at the top of the screen in other games. It felt like the developers themselves knew they hadn't provided enough story to guide you and just threw the angel's directions in there to fix the problem. I much prefer the adventure component of a game like this to guide me with cues from the story so I can figure out what to do myself rather than just come out and say "go do this now".
The main game was far less cliched than many games I've played but the same can't be said for the CE portion. In that part everything is broken and needs fixed, dirty and needs wiping, locked, or guarded by a hungry animal. Having gotten through the main game without having to feed a single animal I was very disappointed when the CE part descended to using old worn out devices like this. I also didn't think that the supernatural element in the CE part really went smoothly with a game that had, up until that point, been more of a science fiction type story.
However, overall this is a nicely made and pretty long game that is generously filled with challenging HOS and for that I'm giving it a four. If I based my review more on the adventure portion of the gameI would give it a 3.5 (if that was possible) because of the above mentioned parts where you can't figure out what to do from the storyline.
After crashing your car in the middle of nowhere, you stumble upon a mysterious town with a shady background. Solve a dark mystery!
Overall rating
4
/
5
6 of 8 found this review helpful
Fun relaxing game
PostedJune 21, 2014
AverageSizeFish
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
The graphics and sound quality were great and really set up an eerie atmosphere without going over the top into something revolting or disturbing. The scenery just pulls you into the game and there are lots of little special effects that you don't see in most games that were really nice. Obviously a lot of care and work went into the design of the game.
The characters you meet are very well drawn and the voice overs are really good if a little verbose at times. The storyline, while not stunningly original, is interesting and flows well throughout the game. It's definitely enough to keep you interested in continuing to play to the end.
The storyline also provides you with the hints and clues needed to move through the town and surrounding areas without feeling like you need a crystal ball to guess what the developers expected you to do next. You can figure things out without random clicking, strategy guides, walkthroughs, or the hint button. I really like when a game is like this. The inventory items you need to progress are logical things, found in logical places, and you don't need to collect seemingly random things. Almost every time you pick something up for your inventory it's something you knew your character needed and what it was needed for.
There are plenty of HOS and they are well drawn and clear. There are some clever devices employed to make a few of them a little different than the average HOS as well. There weren't quite as many puzzles but there were still enough. One of my two issues with the game is that the HOS and puzzles could have been more difficult. Neither ever rose above moderately challenging at best.
My second issue is that I think the game is a little short. Perhaps if I had spent double the price for the CE I wouldn't have felt this way since that version contains an epilogue.
Overall this is a really fun and engaging game that I wish had been just a little longer and a little more challenging. Still it gets 4 stars from me because it was so enjoyable.
I recommend this game!
After a group of young students go missing, the Mystery Trackers are called in to search the city of Raincliff!
Overall rating
2
/
5
6 of 6 found this review helpful
This isn't a HOP game - it is a run around blindly clicking game
PostedJune 20, 2014
AverageSizeFish
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
This is the first time I've felt compelled to review a game after just playing the demo but it was just so un-fun I had to say something about it.
Within 5 minutes of crashing in Raincliff the player is assaulted by every hackneyed cliche known to the HOPA genre: the gas tank that needs emptying but you have no container to empty it into, the ladder so high that you need a hook to pull it down to use it, the broken glass that you need some blunt object to clear out so you can reach past it, a valve for a pipe so you can get water running, an ice pick to get through a frozen puddle, and a puzzle that's lacking a piece so you can't play it.
Of course even though you're a mystery tracker you have nothing in your inventory and, sadly, no explanation is given in the storyline as to why you want to empty the gas tank of your car, climb that ladder, clear the glass from an abandoned phone booth (are there even phone booths anymore?), get water running, or see the bottom of the ice puddle. The only reason you know you must do these things in order to actually get to the fun part of the game is because these areas glint and when you click on them words appear at the top of the screen telling you so. The only way to do them is to run around blindly clicking hoping to stumble on the items you need because there is absolutely no story giving you a hint as to where things might be.
To top off this mess you have a lock that needs 3 keys to open it even though the location is some sleepy little abandoned town which wouldn't have such elaborate locks. In exchange for all that you get one single HO scene and no puzzle you can actually do.
It seems the developer would rather just have the player blindly click around in some, admittedly visually well designed, areas than weave a storyline that allows them to figure out for themselves what to do. They also seem to think that when people are trialing something claiming to be a HOP game that what they really want is something that seems to have few HOS or puzzles in it at all.
It was a complete drain pour for me after the first few minutes of this torture. If the beginning is this bad I'd be bald by the end from pulling my hair out in annoyance. Not fun.
I don't recommend this game.
Be the detective: Catch the killer in the present and the past!
Overall rating
4
/
5
3 of 3 found this review helpful
Fun Game
PostedJune 20, 2014
AverageSizeFish
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
The game is a good length and has great graphics and sound. The story is interesting and the settings are very well done. The mini-puzzles range from easy to tough and there are several that I've never seen in any HOPA game I've yet played which was refreshing. There isn't a lot of running around back and forth not knowing what to do which is also refreshing. There are some of the tried and true cliché activities that you see in most HOP games but not to the point where the game becomes predictable. Generally the story drives your character's actions and things that you're doing make sense within the context of the story. Overall a very fun game.
I recommend this game!
Return once more to the haunted grounds of Ravenhearst Manor to uncover new details about this poignant saga. What you find could very well be the final chapter of this riveting story-if you escape.
Overall rating
1
/
5
7 of 7 found this review helpful
When will the Dalimars go away?
PostedJune 19, 2014
AverageSizeFish
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
I've played all of the Mystery Case File games and they run the gamut of really great to truly dismal. This is one of the dismal ones.
This game made me feel really cheated because I played the full 1 hour of preview and liked the game a lot. After that the whole nature of the game changed and the focus of the game switched from a missing person search to the Dalimars and them alone. You go from a nicely spooky kind of theme ala the previous Ravenhearst games to this disgusting putrid theme complete with non-stop annoying "environmental" sounds. I had to turn off the sound and this is the first MCF game I've ever had to turn the sound off on.
#It's impossible to say more without mild spoilers so there are some mild spoilers below. If you don't want to read those skip to the bottom part.#
I found the theme of child abuse lacking in the eerie charm which characterized the prior Ravenhearst games and didn't appreciate being made to do things like make a dummy-child cry with a kicking machine in order to progress. There were many such nasty tasks...popping a dummie's zits and scooping the pus that came out among them.
The story that I wanted to purchase involved hunting for a bunch of missing persons and the one I did purchase, unknowingly since it didn't show up until after I played for an hour, was this disgusting, mean-spirited mess. You never do get to find the missing persons or hear anything more about them once the Dalimar thing raises it's nasty head.
#Spoiler over#
There's no point discussing the actual gameplay because the theme and execution of the theme in this game make it basically unplayable. It isn't an eerie psychological thriller game...it's a descent into every disgusting horrible thing the devs could come up with to claim the title of most repellant game ever made.
I really am praying they drop this obsession with Dalimar and don't pollute the upcoming MCF game with more about this family how they did with Fate's Carnival.
If none of the above bothers you and you want the game anyhow be aware that most, if not all, of the HOS involve finding a specified number of morphing objects rather than being standard HOS. I actually don't mind having some scenes strictly limited to morphing objects but having them all that way seemed a bit much. This issue was far overshadowed though by the relentless dreary environment filled with disgusting mean things.
I don't recommend this game.
Reveal the secret legacy of The Order of the Griffin and restore Sunward City in The Secret Order: New Horizon!
Overall rating
3
/
5
3 of 3 found this review helpful
Run of the mill
PostedJune 19, 2014
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
The game has very well-done graphics although the setting is dreary so it doesn't look pretty.
The gameplay is very typical for this genre lately in that you spend a lot of time collecting things because they fly into your inventory when you click on them but you have no other clue as to why you need a specific item or when you will use it. The developer doesn't really let you figure out how to proceed...you just click around collecting random things that miraculously serve some purpose later on. As a result you never get that "aha" moment of achievement...instead you get the "oh yeah" moment when you realize that ladder your character has, rather unbelievably, been toting around in the inventory is finally needed.
Also, if you happen to miss one of these seemingly random inventory items the game will involve some amount of wandering around back and forth wondering what to do next which is my least favorite element of the so-called "adventure" game.
There are a decent amount of HOS but they are so easy that I could get down to one or two items left to find without even looking at the list of things I was supposed to be finding. The interactive elements in the HOS merely serve to make it that much easier to "find" something in the scene without looking at the list because it gives you a cue that something is there that you need to find. The mini-puzzles, with few exceptions, are very simple.
There are all the typical and, by now tedious, time-wasting devices like going through several annoying steps to feed an animal or perform a mundane task like bandaging someone's arm. I would, just once, like to play a newer HO/Adventure game that doesn't involve feeding at least one animal...this isn't the one.
There are also all those familiar gimmicks like you have a rag in your inventory and see a pail of water. For no reason other than that you've been there and done that you dip the rag in the water knowing you'll need to clean something off down the road and your character will, in spite of the fact that she's trying to save the world, refuse to use her sleeve.
To sum it up, although the game is very well made in terms of graphics it doesn't present anything that isn't exactly the same as the last twenty HO/Adventure games you've played. The same clichéd ladder search and feed the animal thing all the rest have. It just doesn't matter that the graphics are good because all the rest is sort of boring.
I wish this developer would put as much effort into coming up with ideas that aren't already over-used as they put into the graphics. Since they didn't this game is merely average and not worth wasting much time on.
I don't recommend this game.