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June 21, 2014 11:44 am  #21


Re: StuSue's Demo Reviews

Reflections of Life: Tree of Dreams – CE – Demo Review


Publisher/Developer:         GrandMA Studios

Date of Demo Review:       21 June 2014  (demo played 21 June 2014)

Genre:                                  HOPA

Availability:                          BFG – 21 June 2014


Other Games by GrandMA Studios:

Whispered Secrets: The Story of Tideville CE
Whispered Secrets: Into the Beyond CE


Story:

From GrandMA Studios, creators of Whispered Secrets: The Story of Tideville and Whispered Secrets: Into the Beyond, comes an exciting new adventure series!

For 25 years, you’ve thought you were an orphan. But one stormy night, a mysterious man steps out of a mirror in your home and claims to be your uncle. What’s more, he says your parents are still alive! The city they live in is under attack from a force that could threaten the entire world… and you’re the only one who can stop it. Do you have the courage to step into the mirror and face your destiny? Find out as you journey through a series of strange and beautiful worlds in this Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure game!

 
The Collector’s Edition includes:

    *    Pass tests of skill to become a guardian of the order
    *
    Complete your collectibles tree to open a hidden chapter
    *
    Earn additional achievements
    *
    Get wallpapers, soundtracks, and concept art
    *
    Integrated Strategy Guide        
 
 
Options:
 
    *    Music Volume
    *    Sound Volume
    *    Voice Volume
    *    Difficulty
    *    More options
              *    Custom Icons
              *    Full-screen
              *    Aspect Ratio
 

CE Extras:
 
    *      21  x  Achievements
    *      10  x  Wallpapers
    *      12  x  Concept Art  –  can save
    *        4  x  Music  –  all between 2:01 - 2:39 mins  –  can save
    *        2  x  Movies  –  you unlock them as you find them in the game  –  how many ?
    *    176  x  Collectible leaves
    *    Bonus chapter
    *    Hidden chapter if you find all 176 leaves
    *    Strategy Guide
 
 
Gameplay:
 
Black Bar Tips:    Not bad  –  gives info but no detail
Collectibles:    Yes  –  176  –  leaves  –  4 in each scene  –  not too easy to find
Companions:    Yes  –  an owl
Cutscenes:    As you come across them they're available in Extras
Diary:    Notebook  –  cutscenes and notes that you find, etc.
Gameplay:    Usual HOPA 
Graphics:    OK but a bit flat  –  graphics in HOSs remind me of ERS graphics
Hint:    Teleporting  –  portal with scene and its name  –  click and you teleport there
Inventory:    Can be locked  –  with Plus Items 
Modes:    3  –  Casual, Advanced, Hard  –  no Custom  –  change during game in ‘Options’
Map:    Jump  –  little thumbnails and zoom function  –  shows your location and objectives
Morphing Objects:    None  –  again!
Music:    Good
Objectives:    Indicated on map in Casual and Advanced Modes  –  not in Hard Mode
Quality:    Good      
Strategy Guide:    Yes  –  only first chapter shown, The Front Room, pages 2-11
Tutorial:    ?  –  none in Advanced Mode
Voiceovers:    Yes  –  not sure about lip-syncing
 
HOPs:   
 
I only played 2 HOPs in the demo.  Both were straight lists with the usual 12 items - the first with 5 simple interactios, the second with 7, eg. open something or in one I had to feed a dog who then put his head down, showing one item behind him.

There's an M3 alternative.
 
Minigames/Puzzles:   
 
I did 4 puzzles in the demo, however, they were more like little hiccups in the gameplay than full-on puzzles.  They were all super easy peasy and very, very quick.  They looked good, though, and I liked the puzzles.  They just needed to take longer and to have some sort of challenge.

Owl:
 
I really liked the way your companion, the owl, worked.  Wherever you can use the owl the cursor will change into wings.  You then just click and a window will open with the owl there.  You may have to do something before the owl can do whatever it needs to do, so you'll have to return when you have whatever you need.  Or the owl is just there in the window and you put an inventory item where it needs to go - the owl doesn't actually do anything.  Another time the owl needed an inventory item to do something - so it's not just used to get things that are too high for you.

Legendary Items:

    *    There's an achievement for collecting all Lengendary Items
    *    I only came across one in the demo so don't know what the others are
    *    The one I found was an amulet and you have to find all the missing pieces to fix it
    *    They're located in a bag at the lower right of the screen

Mirrors:

    *    There are 4 mirrors you go through to other worlds
    *    You use a crystal to go through them
  
Collectibles:     176
 
    *    There are 176 leaves to find - 4 in each of the scenes I visited
    *    They’re not all that easy to spot as they’re small and almost see-through
    *    However, they glow slightly and sparkle slightly after a bit
    *    The difficulty to spot them depends on the background - the colour and how busy it is
    *    If you collect them all it seems that you get a jigsaw, which is a family portrait
    *    I don't know if this is in addition to the Hidden Chapter or if it is the Hidden Chapter
    *    There's a window you can open to the left of the screen
    *    It tells you how many leaves are left to find in that scene
    *    Once you've found all the leaves in a scene a leaf is added to your tree
    *    You can access your tree and the achievements via the window

Apparently, you can find any leaves you've missed in Extras, where you can access your tree.  This is what _DD_ posted:

You can access the tree from the Extras. It shows each location with the amount of leaves you've found yet, and you can access the location from there (no other things can be done there then), and the hint will work in this scene for the leaves! Excellent feature.
  
Morphing Objects:    None
 
Yet another CE without morphing objects.  They seem to be a thing of the past.  A real pity as I love morphing objects.
 
Achievements:     20 ?  –  accessible from the side window on the left side of the screen

Skeleton Key  –  Use the crystal 3 times in the first hour
Gift to a Friend  –  Gather all legendary items
Aspiring Zoologist  –  Provide first aid to the owl
Around the Game in Five Hours  –  Complete the main game in less than 5 hours
The Biggest Prize  –  Collect all trophies
Attentive Companion  –  Listen to all characters in the game
Happy Ending  –  Complete the main game
Experienced Traveller  –  Use all mirror portals in the game
No Time to Explain  –  Finish a HOP without mistakes
Attentive Seeker  –  Gather all leaves
Swift Response  –  Finish a HOP in less than 1 minute
No Barriers  –  Finish 10 HOPs without hints
Faster than the Wind  –  Avoid the tornado
Beautiful Mind  –  Solve all puzzles in the main game without skipping
Unaided  –  Solve 3 puzzles without skipping
Just in Time  –  Find 5 objects in 10 seconds
Little Friends  –  Summon the magical bugs
Family Physician  –  Restore your uncle to full health
Slowly but Surely  –  Solve a puzzle in more than 10 minutes
Essence of Things  –  Rid every corner of the guardian's garden from the influence of Krain's mask

Miscellaneous:
 
    *    There's quite a bit to do in each scene
    *    There's a LOT of running back and forth to use inventory items
    *    In the first scene when the cursor went over a cup and saucer the cup rattled
    *    I loved that as it felt like I was really there and disturbing things as I was searching 
 

Bonus Chapter:
 
No idea.  I don’t think there are any reviews of the completed game and All About Casual Game hasn’t posted a review yet with any info.
 
                               
Length:
 
No idea.  Once again, no reviews of the completed game.


Difficulty:
 
Just the usual difficulty, neither too difficult nor too easy, just the usual running back and forth   –  a lot!  –  to get inventory items, use inventory items, or play HOPs and minigames.  However, I played 2 HOSs and 4 puzzles and they were all very, very easy.
 
           
Statistics on BFG game page as ? June 2014:
 
    *    ? reviews  –  average ? stars
    *    5 stars  –  ?
    *    4 stars  –  ?
    *    3 stars  –  ?
    *    2 stars  –  ?
    *    1 star    –  ?
    *    ?% recommended the game  –  ?/?
    *    Fun Factor  –  ?
    *    Visual/Sound Quality  –  ?
    *    Level of Challenge  –  ?
    *    Storyline  –  ?
 
 
Excerpt from All About Casual Game’s Review:
 
No review yet.
 
 
My Recommendation:    SE if you like the demo 
 
I liked what I played of the demo.  I liked the graphics, even though they weren't the best, the gameplay, the mechanics of the way the owl helps you, and I liked the story, even though it's nothing new.  However, the HOSs were easy and the puzzles were super easy peasy and took no time at all.  The collectibles started out quite difficult to find but, by the third scene once I'd noticed the sparkling and glowing and I'd gotten used to where they were, they became quite easy to find, and thus a chore rather than fun finding collectibles when they're all in different forms, like in League of Light: Dark Omens CE.  I also don't know if the jigsaw puzzle you get once you've collected them all is the Hidden Chapter or if there's a Hidden Chapter as well.

Thus, because of the lack of challenge and not knowing how long the bonus chapter is or anything about the Hidden Chapter, at this stage I'm only recommending the SE, and only if you like the demo. 

Unless I read that everything gets more challenging, that the bonus chapter is really interesting and long, and that the Hidden Chapter is fantastic, I'm putting the SE on my PCC list.  The game didn't wow me and collecting some leaves isn't enough for me to get the CE.
 

Last edited by stusue (June 21, 2014 11:49 am)


.
What you're doing today is important
because you're exchanging a day of your life for it.
 

July 2, 2014 10:28 am  #22


Re: StuSue's Demo Reviews

Chronicle Keepers: The Dreaming Garden


Producer/Developer:     PlayWay S.A.

Genre:                              HOPA

Released:                         BFG - 2 July 2014

Review Date:                   2 July 2014  (demo played 2 July 2014)


Other Games:

    *    I found 19 listed on their game site  http://www.playway.com
    *    Most seem to be TM, Simulation, Racing and Simulator
    *    Only other HOG I found listed was Nat Geo's Titanic's Keys to the Past
                                  

The Story:

You’ve spent your whole life searching for information about your past. Who was your mother and what is behind the mysterious medallion she left to you? You can’t shake the strange dreams you’ve been having lately, and the confusing, distant, memories gnaw away at you. A chance encounter at a local bookstore stops you in your tracks- an old, dusty book has symbols on it that match your medallion! What will you find in the ancient tome? Could it be true that it holds a secret passage to a distant land in another time and place? This surely can’t be a coincidence!

    *    Captivating second-sight mechanic lets you see a different world
    *   
Beautiful scene art spanning multiple worlds
    *    Challenging minigames and unique hidden object scenes


Options

    *    Full Screen  (didn't work for me, huge black bar down left side)
    *    Sound Volume
    *    Music Volune
    *    Voice-over Volume
    *    Standard Cursor


Main Menu Options During Game:

    *    Options
    *    Full Screen
    *    Difficulty  (you can change during game)
    *    Audio
    *    Continue
    *    Main Menu


Gameplay:

Black Bar Tips:    Not bad 
Collectibles:    Yes  –  find with medallion 
Companions:    None  –  but there's a cool-looking dwarf who pops in now and again
Diary:    Notes, Objectives, Magic (you find pieces that give you more of the story)
Gameplay:    Usual HOPA but you use a medallion in both the scenes and HOPs
Graphics:    Good  –  I really liked the menu items - bright orange on wooden boards
Hint:    Directional, apparently slow even in Casual Mode (from a reviewer)
Inventory:    Can be locked  –  no Plus Items 
Modes:    3  –  Casual, Normal, Hard  –  no Custom  –  change during game in ‘Main Menu’
Map:    Jump  –  no thumbnails, only location name  –  only shows your current location
Morphing Objects:    None 
Music:    Good
Objectives:    Not indicated on map  –  listed in diary
Quality:    Good      
Strategy Guide:    No
Tutorial:    Optional  –  suggest doing it to find out how the medallion works
Voiceovers:    Yes  –  with good lip-syncing

HOSs:    I played 3 in demo

    *    Graphics okay but not 100% clear
    *    Each had 1 yellow interactive item, requiring 1 or 2 moves
    *    Each had 1 or 2 green items that had to be found with the medallion

Puzzles/Minigames:    I played 6 in the demo

    *    Little puzzles when you zoom in to something
    *    Eg. rotating disks to find the keyhole underneath
    *    Sometimes more than one thing to do
    *    Eg. first you have to remove ivy with an inventory item, then play tic-tac-toe
    *    Nothing terribly difficult but not too easy, either
    *    Some original

Medallion:

    *    Use it in HOPs to find items highlighted in green
    *    Use it in each scene to find collectibles that give you more of the story
    *    In the demo you use it to find 5 inivisible animals to get coins for a minigame
    *    It's broken when you get it and you have to find all the missing pieces in the game
    *    I really liked the way, when you use it, some things look different or move
    *    Eg. statues move when you look at them through the medallion
    *    I really liked it but to find collectibles in every scene with it got a bit ho hum
 

Statistics on BFG game page as of ? 2014:
 
    *    ? reviews  –  average ? stars
    *    ? out of ? gave 5 stars
    *    ?% recommended the game  –  ? out of ?
    *    Fun Factor  –  ?
    *    Visual/Sound Quality  –  ?
    *    Level of Challenge  –  ?
    *    Storyline  –  ?


 My recommendation:    Yes! 

I liked the graphics, gameplay, puzzles, and the idea of the medallion, with some things looking different when you looked at them through the medallion, for example, statues.  I didn't want to stop playing when the demo came to an end, which shows that I really liked it.  It's on my list of SEs to get!
 


.
What you're doing today is important
because you're exchanging a day of your life for it.
     Thread Starter
 

July 14, 2014 9:37 am  #23


Re: StuSue's Demo Reviews

The House on Usher

by Red Aphid Games

Demoed/Reviewed:  14 July 2014



I demoed today's TGT earlier today - The House on Usher by Red Aphid Games - and my comment at the end of my notes was ... NO! Not even if it were free! 

It was SO slow on my laptop I think a sloth would have been quicker!  It's an almost straight HOG (well, I didn't play long enough to do anything but play 4 HOSs, use one inventory item, and not come across anything resembling a minigame or puzzle) where you have to also find bugs and cobwebs in every scene, every HOS and every zoom-in scene and they're SO small and pale that I couldn't find all of them, even with my nose up against the screen!  You're told how many there are in each scene and how many you've found and I only found all of them twice.  Sometimes I just clicked everywhere - with a clicking penalty - just to try and find the invisible bugs and cobwebs. 

Other negatives:

  -  very old school
  -  you have to click to open the inventory
  -  you have to drag and drop inventory items to use them
  -  you get messages on your mobile from but you can't fast click through them
  -  you have to exit out of everything, even the HOSs
  -  one of the HOSs had more than one of several items and you had to get the right one
  -  very minimal Options - On/Off only - Sound FX and Music
  -  On/Off - Windowed and Fancy Cursor (if you use system cursor, 2 cursors)
  -  only 2 Difficulty Modes - Easy (with sparkles) and Hard (you can change)

A couple of things I did actually like:

  -  I quite liked the graphics
  -  however, it was very dark as you're in an abandoned house at night
  -  the 4th HOS had some items that had clues, not just object names
  -  eg. "Key To The Highway" was, I think, a car key (it was hard to tell, I had to use a hint)
  -  eg. "Famous Record Label" was an actual apple, not just the name, "Apple"
  -  but boy was it hard to find these things on a 70s psychedelic abstract painting!

I was going blind trying to find all those invisible cobwebs and miniscule bugs, I was so frustrated with how slowly it played on my laptop and not being able to fast click through anything, and I was bored out of my mind, so I stopped. 

My Rating:

Never in a month of Sundays. 

However, it might have been better had it not played as slowly as molasses on my laptop.   And I have my laptop attached to a 22" screen and even then I coudn't find half the cobwebs and bugs. 

My Recommendation:

I like you all too much to recommend this game to you.

However, if anyone likes straight HOGs - okay, you have an inventory and get an inventory item from each HOS, but still, it felt like it was a straight HOG as I only lasted long enougy to use one item, a hammer to get in the front door, and I didn't come across a puzzle in the short time I played - and if you like dark games where you can't see the invisible, miniscule items, then this game may be for you! 

LoveToMissLisa liked it and will get it if all the bugs are sorted out.

JustTheFacts hated it as all the HOSs are way too hard and impossible to see.

This is what Belamba posted:

This has to be one of the weirdest games ever! Couldn't understand what I had to do at first.
Quite cute, but all the bug finding along with cobwebs gets a bit tedious after a while.
Played the full trial hour, and still don't know if I like it or not.
The music gave me a headache but the worst is the tiny, tiny things you have to find to clean your house up and increase its value.
Really a strain on the eyes, even more so as the scenes are quite dark.

Strange word games too along the way, although mildly humorous.
Think you'll either love it or hate it. It is different which makes a change though. 


.
What you're doing today is important
because you're exchanging a day of your life for it.
     Thread Starter
 

August 4, 2014 3:02 am  #24


Re: StuSue's Demo Reviews

Witch Hunters: Full Moon Ceremony – CE – Demo Review


Publisher/Developer:         Top Evidence Studios

Date of Demo Review:        Demoed and reviewed   -  4 August 2014

Genre:                                    HOPA

Availability:                           BFG – 2 August 2014


Other Games by Top Evidence Studio:

PC and Mac:
Haunted Manor: Lord of Mirrors - CE
Haunted Manor: Queen of Death - CE

PC only:
Haunted Manor: Painted Beauties - CE
Witch Hunters: Stolen Beauty - CE

iOS:
Yummy!
iHook


Story:

An old mirror reveals a terrible secret when a strange creature suddenly emerges and begins terrorizing your home. But you soon learn he’s just a lackey for an even bigger threat - a group of evil witches who want to take over the world! Stopping them won’t be easy, though. Your whole house has been enchanted with a series of deadly tricks and traps. A trip down the hallway is now a dangerous battle of will and wits. Can you overcome the obstacles and send the witches packing before the night is over? Find out in this thrilling Hidden Object Adventure game!
 
The Collector’s Edition includes:

    *    A bonus game from your sister’s point of view
    *
    Replayable mini-games
    *
    Morphing object collectibles
    *
    Achievements
    *
    Wallpaper, soundtracks, and concept art        
 
 
Options:    Sparse
 
    *    Music Volume
    *    Sound Volume
    *    Wide-screen  (turn off to get widescreen)
    *    Full-screen
    *    Custom Cursor
 

CE Extras:
 
    *    Bonus chapter
    *    Strategy Guide
    *    16  x  Achievements
    *      9  x  Wallpapers
    *      9  x  Concept Art
    *      8  x  Music 
    *      5  x  Puzzles  –  you unlock them as you find them in the game
    *    35  x  Morphing Objects 
 
 
Gameplay:

Difficulty Modes:    3  –  Casual, Advanced, Expert  (sparkles only on HOPs, long hint and skip refills)
 
Black Bar Tips:    Give too much detail  (eg. a locked drawer - "I need a red key")
Collectibles:    No
Companions:    No  –  but the Hint is an unobtrusive cat
Cutscenes:    Very clear graphics - unlike most games
Diary:    Notebook  –  Notes, Tasks, Strategy Guide
Gameplay:    Usual HOPA 
Graphics:    Good, crystal clear, I liked them
Hint:    Directional
Inventory:    Can be locked  –  no Plus Items
Map:    Jump  –  little thumbnails  –  shows your location and active scenes are in colour
Morphing Objects:    35  –  but they're not morphing objects; rather they appear and then disappear
Music:    Good but some reviewers said that music not appropriate to the mood
Objectives:    Tasks listed in diary
Quality:    Good      
Strategy Guide:    Yes  –  only first 2 chapters shown
Tutorial:    ?  –  none in Expert Mode
Voiceovers:    Yes  –  okay but no lip-syncing
 
HOPs:   
 
    *    I played 3 HOPs in the demo 
    *    All 3 were straight lists with 12 objects
    *    2 in each were yellow, requiring minimal interaction  (eg. click on something to open it)
    *    Even though they were straight lists they were rather hard
    *    Some objects hard to find - simply hiding in plain sight, not hidden
    *    There was no alternative minigame that I saw
 
Minigames/Puzzles:   
 
    *    I played 2 minigames in the demo
    *    The first was original and fun - and of medium difficulty - and I really liked it
    *    The second was tic-tac-toe and was super easy - I only added 3 crosses to win
    *    I got 2 achievements for the second - a HOP in under 1 minute and a HOP in under 30 secs

Achievements:     15 ?  –  accessible from the Main Menu page only

Each achievement is a puzzle piece of a jigsaw and the whole jigsaw puzzle is coloured when you have all the achievements.  I don't know if anything else happens once it's finished.  I found this approach original and fun.

    *    Solve a mini-game
    *    Solve 3 mini-games
    *    Solve 3 mini-games in a row
    *    Solve a mini-game in under 1 minute
    *    Solve a mini-game in under 30 secs
    *    Solve every mini-game
    *    Finish a HOP without using a hint
    *    Finish 3 HOPs without using a hint
    *    Finish all HOPs without using a hint
    *    Find 3 objects in a HOP in under 1 second
    *    Find 5 objects in a HOP in under 3 secs
    *    Collect all objects in a HOP in under 1 minute
    *    Collect all objects in a HOP in under 30 secs
    *    Finish 3 HOPs in under 30 secs each
    *    Find every morphing object


Miscellaneous:
 
    *    The text in the cutscenes disppears really quickly so you have to read fast
    *    You don't have to wait until you collect all the mirror pieces to place them in the mirror
    *    This is like the painting pieces in their game Haunted Manor: Painted Beauties
    *    The animation is really good
    *    Yet another creature (a dwarf) blocking your path as you travel further in the game
    *    Eg. growing roots, putting snakes in your path, freezing a room, etc.

 
Bonus Chapter:
 
No idea.  The only review of the completed game I found (see Length) said nothing about the bonus chapter other than it was short, as was the main game.
 
                               
Length:
 
No idea.  I've only found one review of the completed game and this is what pgillenw had to say:

pgillenw wrote:
I did enjoy the game. It was not in the category of a blockbuster however I found it entertaining. Lot's to do and stretched my old brain where to then use an item. I take pride in finding morphing objects but I didn't rack up impressive finds.
The dwarf critter was a nice touch. I liked him. The games length was short and that includes playing the bonus chapter. That is not a big deal. Once again, no reviews of the completed game.



Difficulty:
 
Just the usual difficulty, neither too difficult nor too easy, just the usual running back and forth, finding and using inventory items, playing HOPs and minigames.  From the demo and from the reviews I've read, the most challenging thing about the game is the adventure aspect.  You have to remember where you need inventory items when you find them.  There were several things to do in each of the locations I came across and the rooms weren't all in one long line, so you have to remember where everything is, which adds some challenge, although the game isn't difficult.  One reviewer said that there was some challenge in knowing where to go next.

Even though the HOSs were straight list with only minimal interaction, they were crystal clear and I found them slightly challenging as some of the objects were really well hidden in plain sight.  I liked them. 

Of the 2 minigames that I played, the first one was original and of medium difficulty, and fun.  The second was a super easy tic-tac-toe.  A very recent game also had tic-tac-toe but it was harder as the computer was harder to beat and I didn't always win - I had a draw.  So tic-tac-toe doesn't have to be as easy as this one was.
 
           
Statistics on BFG game page  -  16 August 2014:
 
    *    37 reviews  –  average 2.9 stars
    *    5 stars  –    5
    *    4 stars  –  11
    *    3 stars  –    6
    *    2 stars  –    7
    *    1 star    –    8
    *    48% recommended the game  –  16/33
    *    Fun Factor  –  3
    *    Visual/Sound Quality  –  3.6
    *    Level of Challenge  –  3
    *    Storyline  –  3


Excerpts frome some BFG reviews:

tammytheo wrote:
I had fun with this game, I haven't started the bonus chapter yet, so that makes what... 4 of us so far?
tookat wrote:
Wow, just starting the bonus game....and I have just bought this after demoing it last night.
Girds on accessory belt with bottle for fireflies, glass cutting diamond ring (the only reason for ever buying one!) a pencil and sharpener.....a set of lock picks, an axe, garden shears, broken scissors (hope we can find a screw, because I NEVER seem to have them or batteries in the house).....got my sand glass, otherwise known as an hourglass tied to my pack.......and coins for buying pieces of the magic amulet I am sure to need. plus a pair of gloves and several scarves for wrapping shards of glass knives in....  and away we go!

 
 
Excerpt from All About Casual Game’s Review:    Average 2 stars
 
Although there is nothing remarkable about the gameplay, there is nothing wrong about it. The hidden object scenes and puzzles are mostly straightforward and pretty easy, this goes the same for the adventure part of the game. As for the length, the main game offered an average 3 and a half hour playtime for advanced players.

As a Collector's Edition, Witch Hunters: Full Moon Ceremony is awfully weak on the extra content. This included a strategy guide, a bonus chapter, wallpapers, soundtracks, concept art, replayable puzzles, achievements and morphing objects (that disappear rather than morph).

Witch Hunters: Full Moon Ceremony nearly put us to sleep - not only it is very slow-paced; the production is dull, the story is a mess and the gameplay is mundane.


Graphics: 2.5/5 Stars
Sound: 2.5/5 Stars
Story: 2/5 Stars
Originality: 2.5/5 Stars

Gameplay: 3/5 Stars
Puzzles: 3/5 Stars
Control and Navigation: 3.5/5 Stars
Fun Factor: 1.5/5 Stars
Extras: 2/5 Stars 
 

My Recommendation:    SE if you like the demo 

PROS:

    *    I really liked the graphics
    *    The cutscenes and animation were great
    *    I liked the music
    *    I liked the HOSs, even though they were straight list with only minimal interaction
    *    I liked the first minigame, which was original
    *    I loved the morphing objects as they were hard to spot and were all different
    *    For example, they might be objects, or a bit of grafitti, etc.
    *    I liked the demo

CONS:

    *    Been there, done that, got the T-shirt
    *    Yet another creature continually blocking our path
    *    BBTs give way too much info
    *    Sparklies even in the hardest of 3 Difficulty Modes!!!! albeit only showing the HOSs
    *    No Custom Mode and not much variation in the 3 Difficulty Modes
    *    From the reviews I've read, the storyline is all over the place and confusing
    *    It seems to be short - main game and bonus chapter

SE versus CE:

I liked the demo enough to get the SE but there aren't enough Extras to warrant paying double for the CE, unless, of course, I read that it has a super long bonus chapter.  I loved the morphing objects but those aren't enough for me to get the CE.  I liked the demo but the game didn't have the WOW factor for me. 

So I'll be getting the SE with a PCC.  However, it will be at the bottom of my PCC list and I'll only get it if I have an expiring PCC or need to fill a punch card at the end of the month and I don't have any other games I'd prefer to get. 

But I'll keep on eye on it in the meantime, checking out any reviews of the completed game, as so far I've only found one.
 

Last edited by stusue (August 16, 2014 9:40 pm)


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August 10, 2014 11:14 pm  #25


Re: StuSue's Demo Reviews

Spirit of Revenge: Cursed Castle - CE


I posted the following in the beta thread way back when after completing the beta survey.  I haven't demoed the version that's just been relased.


Name:  Spirit of Revenge: Cursed Castle

By:  Vendel Games

Story:  A cursed family has gone missing, all except a little girl, in a cursed castle.


What I loved about the game:

  -  The first thng I noticed was that the Inspector looks and sounds exactly like Inspector Barnaby from the English TV series.
  -  The interesting HOSs - for eg. in one you find objects, then in the next you have to put them into a different scene in order for numbers to show up (eg. you light a lamp, or steam), and you have to find a piece of paper with the code to open a case.
  -  The great English voiceovers.
  -  The map.
  -  Thank heavens you can use your hand to move leaves out of the way and don't have to go and find a rake!
  -  There's story animation in the HOSs - eg. some things ignite then go back to normal, or a black shadow passes outside a window.
  -  There are morphs and collectibles.  And you collect the collectibles for a reason!  You collect 8 frames in the game and for each you find 8 puzzle pieces in the zoom-in areas.  When you've found 8 puzzle pieces you can do a jigsaw puzzle (which is hard even though there aren't many pieces) and then you get one of 8 large pieces in a painting that you need to do the bonus.  So one of the most interesting ideas I've come aross for the collectibles.  Although I would have preferred that the puzzle pieces were harder to find as, when you zoomed in, they were huge and just there.
  -  Some original HOSs and puzzles, although they were very easy
  -  A HOS where you first had to build a little girl's lamp (too easy) but then the objects you had to find were the reflections through the lampshade and that was fun and different.
  -  When you open a kid's book and click on it a child read's the words.
  -  There's lots to do in each scene.
  -  Great music.
  -  All the information you need is kept in the Memos section of your journal, so you don't have to flip through all our journal to find a number or something.
  -  There's a book where, each time you turn a page (I think you have 3 or 4 pages) you have something different to do, like a jigsaw puzzle or a spot the difference.
  -  The inventory bar seems smaller than more recent games, which I loved as it wasn't in your face.  However, the objects in the boxes were very small and sometimes a bit hard to see what they were.  But there was a lot of space around them so they could be a bit larger.
  -  In the beta there was an equal number of HOSs and puzzles.
  -  The backstory of the family is given through videos, found, for example, when you pick up a newspaper and the photo turns into a video.
  -  You collect morphing objects to get more hints.  However, if you don't use hints then it's useless.  I don't know if there's any other reason to collect them as there was no Extras button on the opening screen so I couldn't check.

What I didn't like so much:

  -  The HOSs and puzzles were fun but very, very easy.  I recommended only for Beginners and Intermediate players
  -  When you find an object in the HOSs it's almost blacked out.  You can still read them but it's very difficult.  As I clicked on something accidentally and just happened to find an object but had no idea what I'd found, it would have been great to have been able to easily see what I'd found.
  -  In the spot-the-difference game on one side there was a sparkling circle that I found so distracting and I couldn't stand looking at it.  So I moved the cursor off-screen while I looked for differences and then quickly clicked on a difference and then moved it off-screen again.  I don't know if that would be a problem for epileptics or migrain sufferers.

Recommendation:

If it's released as an SE, as the first one was, I'll get it automatically as I really liked the graphics, music, gameplay, story.  However, if it's released as a CE I'd have to find out first how long and how interesting the bonus chapter was (I'm assuming the bonus is a chapter), as well as if it gets any harder as the game progresses.  However, I will be getting the game in some form.  Hopefully it will only be an SE but I loved the collectibles idea, although they were way too easy to find.
 


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August 16, 2014 9:09 pm  #26


Re: StuSue's Demo Reviews

Witches' Legacy: The Ties That Bind – CE – Demo Review

Work in Progress


Publisher/Developer:         Elefun Games

Date of Demo Review:        Demoed and reviewed   -  16 August 2014

Genre:                                    HOPA

Availability:                           BFG – 16 August 2014


Other Games in the Witches' Legacy Series:

Witches' Legacy 1: The Charleston Curse CE       (4.3 stars - 87% recommendation)
Witches' Legacy 2: Lair of the Witch Queen CE    (4.4 stars - 92% recommendation)
Witches' Legacy 3: Huntter and the Hunted CE     (3.9 stars - 85% recommendation)
Witches' Legacy 4: The Ties That Bind CE


Story:

How time flies! It seems like only yesterday that Lynn was just a little girl, but now she's all grown up and marrying Edward. You couldn't be happier for your adopted daughter - until you discover that Edward is missing! A mysterious letter promised answers to his past, urging him to return to his birthplace. As a witch hunter, Edward is accustomed to danger... but he may have gotten in over his head this time. You and Lynn rush to follow his trail, unaware that a dark presence is watching you. Can you track down Edward in time? Find out in this exciting Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure game!
 
The Collector’s Edition includes:

    *    Restore Abigail’s human form in the bonus game!
    *
    Collect puzzle pieces and unlock bonus mini-games
    *
    Find morphing objects to earn prizes
    *
    An available Strategy Guide
 
 
Options:   
 
    *    Music Volume
    *    Environment Volume
    *    Effects Volume
    *    Voices Volume
    *    Custom Icon
    *    Full-screen
    *    Defaults  (never seen this option before)
    *    Credits
 

CE Extras:
 
    *    Bonus chapter
    *    Strategy Guide
    *    Imp's Room
    *    12  x  Achievements  -  mostly automatic gameplay ones
    *      8  x  Wallpapers  -  once jigsaw puzzles once you've collected all the puzzle pieces
    *      9  x  Art Gallery
    *      3  x  Screensavers
    *      7  x  Music  -  can save in Full Version
    *    35  x  Puzzle Pieces
    *    35  x  Morphing Objects 
 
 
Gameplay:

Difficulty Modes:    4  –  Casual, Normal, Hard, Custom  -  can change during play

Custom Mode:
Hint Recharge  -  Fast, Normal, Off
Skip Recharge -  Fast, Normal, Off
Sparkles  -  Scenes, HOPs
HO Penalty  -  On, Off
 
Black Bar Tips:    ?
Collectibles:    Yes  –  35 puzzles pieces  –  use to get wallpapers
Companions:    Yes  –  the Imp
Cutscenes:    ?
Diary:    ?
Gameplay:    Usual HOPA 
Graphics:    ?
Hint:    Directional
Inventory:    Can be locked  –  no Plus Items
Map:    Jump 
Morphing Objects:    35  – 
Music:    ?
Objectives:    ?
Quality:    Good      
Strategy Guide:    Yes  –  ?
Tutorial:    Optional
Voiceovers:    Yes  –  with lip-syncing
 
HOPs:   
 
    *   
 
Minigames/Puzzles:   
 
    *   


Miscellaneous:
 
    *   


Bonus Chapter:
 

 
                               
Length:
 
No idea.  I've only found one review of the completed game and this is what pgillenw had to say:


Difficulty:
 

 
           
Statistics on BFG game page  -  ?2014:
 
    *    ? reviews  –  average ? stars
    *    5 stars  –  ?
    *    4 stars  –  ?
    *    3 stars  –  ?
    *    2 stars  –  ?
    *    1 star    –  ?
    *    ?% recommended the game  –  ?
    *    Fun Factor  –  ?
    *    Visual/Sound Quality  –  ?
    *    Level of Challenge  –  ?
    *    Storyline  –  ?


Excerpts frome some BFG reviews:


 
 
Excerpt from All About Casual Game’s Review:
 
No review yet.
 
 
My Recommendation:    SE if you like the demo 


 


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January 28, 2015 1:36 pm  #27


Re: StuSue's Demo Reviews

Midnight Mysteries 6: Ghostwriting - CE - Demo Review


Publisher/Developer:           Lava Games/Game Forest4

Date of Demo Review:         Demoed and reviewed   -  3 January 2015

Genre:                                    HOPA

Availability:                           BFG – 3 January 2015


Touch:  1 touch !

Extras:  

Bonus chapter  ...  only 35 minutes !!!!
Concept Art  ...  before and after - loved it!
Backstory  ...  bit of game trivia
Cutscenes  ...  unlocked as you see them
Characters  ...  ?
Music  ...  10 - can save
Wallpapers  ...  6
Tic-tac-toe  ...  collect 50 clovers to play with your pet (crow)
?  ...  complete bonus to unlock

Options:   Minimal

Music
Sound
Voice-overs
Animated cursors
Full-screen
Wide-screen

Difficulty:   3  +  Custom (Basic)

Voiceovers:   Yes

Lip-syncing:   Yes

Helper:   Raven

Achievements:   Yes

Collectibles:  

56 clovers (well hidden) - collect them all to play tic-tac-toe with the raven
Gold coins (spend in Raven's room)


BFG:   (as at 28.1.15)    3.6 stars   ...   (55 reviews)

63% recommend   ...   (31/49)
5 stars = 19   ...  ( 19 ... 15 ... 7 ... 10 ... 4 )


All About Casual Game:    4.5 stars

Extras   ...   4.5 stars
    (achievements, collectibles, raven room, tic-tac-toe, backstory and characters)
Main Game   ...   4.5 hours
Bonus Chapter   ...   35 minutes and not very good


Some comments:

  -  I loved my name on my letterbox!
  -  No one liked the singing
  -  I found it odd when a character broke out into song - but it didn't bother me


CE versus SE:

I would normally love looking for all the well-hidden clovers and would consider the CE.  However, as the bonus chapter is only 35 minutes and is apparently not very good, and you collect ravens for hints so that should also be in the SE, then I'll stick with the SE.
 

Last edited by stusue (January 28, 2015 1:49 pm)


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December 29, 2015 1:12 pm  #28


Re: StuSue's Demo Reviews

The Far Kingdoms: Sacred Grove Solitaire - SE - Demo Review


Publisher/Developer:           Lazy Turtle Games

Date of Demo Review:         Demoed and reviewed   -  29 December 2015

Genre:                                    Golf Solitaire

Availability:                            BFG – 29 December 2015


Touch:    Perfect One touch !

Comments:

    *    Superb quality - beautiful HD graphics and fantastic animation
    *    Beautiful, beautiful town/city
    *    Good music
    *    Good story - I think a continuation of the 4 previous games in the series but can be played as a standalone

Gameplay:

    *    You start with 500 crystals, which is just enough to rebuild one of the structures, which gives you your deck of cards, and you can choose both the back and front of your deck separately - 4 choices for the front, 3 choices for the back
    *    You play solitaire until you get enough crystals to rebuild your next building
    *    When you have enough crystals, you go to the Map and click on the outline of the next building to rebuild it
    *    You then have to play a jigsaw to put the blueprint back together so you can build the building - when I got the first one to do I thought how easy it was going to be as it's just a straight 8x5 grid and the picture is shown with the shapes of the pieces outlined - however, the background picture is pale black and white and the pieces are in colour, so the only way to work out where they go is by looking very, very closely at the pieces to find some particular line or curve and then look for that in the background picture - so, at the start when there are hardly any pieces, it's a bit challenging, which makes it much more fun
    *    You then watch as the building is rebuilt - with beautiful and fun animation
    *    You then play some more solitaire to find pieces of a relic within the building, which are hidden behind any cards, not just underneath a pile - each relic is a new bonus and goes into the relic room - the first relic allows you to remove one card of your choice from the board, the second gives you one more Undo per level
    *    You also come across super crystals (I forget what they're called) - 10 of them - and these restore the sacred tree to full health - and it's really pretty, watching the tree start to be restored little by little with each crystal you find
    *    There's some different gameplay - you not only have to find keys to open locks, and something to get rid of vines, etc, but sometimes you have cards that are locked with a little number in the middle of the lock - the number shows how big a combo you need to unlock that card - this is something I've never seen before
    *    Just before I stopped playing the demo the boards started to have cards sticking out from everywhere that were face up, which made looking at the cards really difficult as you'd click on a card that you thought should have disappeared, only to find that it was partially covered by another card, which added to the challenge - but I think this difficulty was helped by how big the cards are
    *    Unlike other solitaire games, in this one you get HEAPS of Joker cards!  I had so many I found it hard to separate them to choose which number I wanted to use.  They sure aren't stingy.

My Recommendation:    Yes, definitely!   

This game shows what a golf solitaire game should be - superb quality with HD graphics and a good story.  I think a lot of solitaire games are churned out one after the other with nothing but maybe the backgrounds changed, so that they make lots of money with very little outlay and with very little effort, just using the same template they've been using for umpteen games.  They're all the same with no innovation.  This game also fits into a series with different genres, which is also unusual.


Other Games in the Series:    (Release Date - GH then BFG)

07.12.13 - 19.11.13     The Far Kingdoms                                         HOPA
02.10.14 - 09.09.14    The Far Kingdoms Winter Solitaire              HOPA/M3
07.01.15 - 24.11.14    The Far Kingdoms  - Elements                      Golf Solitaire
01.05.15 - 13.04.15    The Far Kingdoms - Age of Solitaire            Golf Solitaire
25.09.15                     The Far Kingdoms Super Pack

Other Games by Lazy Turtle Games:    (Release Date - GH)

18.08.10                       Eternity                                                           HOPA
15.02.14                       Abandoned - Chestnut Lodge Asylum        HOPA
09.05.14                       Mystery Expedition - Prisoners of Ice         HOPA
11.07.14                       Artifacts of Eternity  (sequel to Eternity)      M3
 


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What you're doing today is important
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     Thread Starter
 

December 29, 2015 5:05 pm  #29


Re: StuSue's Demo Reviews

Thanks stusue.  I like THE FAR KINGDOMS games so I'll probably enjoy this one too.

 

December 30, 2015 4:38 am  #30


Re: StuSue's Demo Reviews

.

lilyr wrote:

Thanks stusue.  I like THE FAR KINGDOMS games so I'll probably enjoy this one too.

Thanks for the thanks, Lily!  
If you like golf solitaire games I can't see how you couldn't like this one.  
But I want it NOW!  
And GH hasn't got it listed as being released in the next 3 weeks!  
And I always try to get all games from a series from the same site so I'll have to wait.  
But it's not as if I haven't got any other games to play while I wait.  
 


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What you're doing today is important
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