Magic Encyclopedia: Illusions is the 3rd installment of the Magic Encyclopedia adventure puzzle series. The Magic Academy has come under attack by an illusionist and are trapped by his illusions. Star student Catherine happens to be in the right place at the right time, and is the only one able to fight the illusionist, game review, and free the other mages. Join her as she searches the world for ways to confront the illusionist and disrupt his plans!Magic academy star student Catherine is hard at work in the academy's library when suddenly everything around her transforms, game review, into something completely different.
A door turns into a drape, stairs disappear and arcane writings turn into children's drawings. Catherine manages to magically contact her masters,, game review, only to find that someone has stolen the Book of Illusions from the academy and has used it to trap all the mages in an illusion. Fortunately, Catherine was at the library when the illusionist struck, and is able to use the scrolls in the library to escape. It is now up to her to defeat the illusionist and free the other mages.Magic Encyclopedia: Illusions starts with Catherine trying to find, game review, her way out of the library.
She is not, game review, all on her own though, as her masters are able to provide her with hints via her magic crystal ball. She has to find ways to dispel the illusions preventing her escape. And once she's free, she has, game review, to go in, game review, search of the illusionist in an adventure that will take her around the world to exotic places such as China and even an, game review, undersea kingdom!The gameplay in Magic Encyclopedia: Illusions is very much a fragmented object, game review, game style.
Instead of searching for totally random objects like a spider and an umbrella,, game review, you are tasked to find different, game review, parts, game review, of items that can be used to break illusions or help you on the quest against the illusionist. For example, find all 8 parts of a levitation, game review, scroll and you can then use it to interact with a previously out-of-reach item.However, what makes this game unique is how it handles the concept of illusions. When you first encounter a scene, what you see is usually an illusion, with people and items appearing to be something else entirely.
For example, that palace, game review, guard standing inconspicuously by the door might actually be a demon waiting for you to gamble with it. And in terms of solving the puzzles, certain items can only be interacted with or obtained while you are viewing the illusion "phase" of a scene, while others require you to have dispelled the illusions before you can interact with them. You will also have to switch back and forth between the phases to solve all the puzzles.Dispelling the illusions might involve magically transforming day to night, or using, game review, potions, or even magical glasses.
Some of these items might dispel the illusion for the entire scene, while others might only reveal the truth around certain areas that you select. And some others will only dispel the illusions for a short time, requiring you to act fast! This concept adds a new level of difficulty to the game, and might take a while to get used to. Some of the particle effects such as distortions surrounding the "dispelled" areas might create a bit of confusion as well.The game is also more challenging than other hidden object games.
There's a lot of deduction and reasoning required in order to solve some of the puzzles and to, game review,,, game review, game review, find out what is the correct next step. Do not worry, game review, that it may be too difficult for you though. The "hint" and "skip" buttons recharge quite quickly. There are plenty of mini-puzzles in the game too, again mostly of the logic variety. They are also magic-themed, with examples including a potion-mixing puzzle and a magic word puzzle.The artwork in the game is gorgeous, as is expected of a Magic Encyclopedia sequel.
The art is vibrant and crisp, and beautifully illustrates the magical scenes and locations that you visit, from the mystical Atlantis to the Forbidden Palace of China. The music is quite uplifting and entertaining, game review, as well, with hints of the various cultures that you visit. The soundtrack might not be arranged perfectly though... you can sometimes hear Chinese music when you are in Egypt.Overall, Magic Encyclopedia: Illusions is a great adventure puzzle game with a higher than average difficulty level.
Showing posts with label adventure game. Show all posts
Showing posts with label adventure game. Show all posts
2010/05/09
2010/03/22
Vampireville Game Review
Explore the mysterious Malgrey Castle in the Vampireville hidden object adventure, game review, game. Meet interesting characters with hidden agendas, game review, as you try to figure out what's happening inside the castle that's driving its visitors insane!
You take on the role of a property appraiser, game review, who has been assigned to evaluate the ancient Malgrey Castle for the government, since no heir has claimed the property for 100 years. Unfortunately, the previous appraisers sent there by your boss have gone crazy, game review, .
Now the job falls to you! Hopefully, game review, you will be able to perform your job without going mad, and learn more about the mysterious castle and what's driving your colleagues insane.
When you arrive at Malgrey Castle, you find that things there are slightly peculiar. The heating hasn't been turned on in 50 years, paintings are hidden behind curtains and cabinets have been boarded up. Time, game review, for you to get right into it and figure out what's happening in the castle! Along the way, you will meet a colorful cast of characters including a butler who is obsessed with the internet, a goth maid who listens to music all day, game review, via her massive headphones, and a crazy groundskeeper who used to be president of the local blood donor's union.
..
What gives Vampireville such a strong appeal and unique feel is its amazing storytelling. The story progresses chapter by chapter just as it would in a good mystery novel. And there is full voice-acting for all the dialogues and cutscenes, game review, . What's surprising, game review, is that they have even included 3D animations of the characters and got them to act out the scenes! Oh, and the lead, game review, character looks suspiciously like Keanu Reeves...
The gameplay in Vampireville is more of a point-and-click adventure game than a traditional hidden object game.
In each chapter, there are a few story-driven tasks that you have to accomplish, game review, . These are achieved by interacting with the environment and trying to find objects that work together to complete the task. For example,, game review, if a pipe needs to be repaired, you would need to find some welding equipment, a propane tank, a hose and some matches in order to get the job done.
There are also a few of the traditional hidden object scenes, though they are story-driven as well. When inspecting the guest room last occupied by your insane colleague, you are tasked, game review, to find all his belongings in addition to searching for clues as to what drove him insane.
There are some unique hidden object puzzles, game review, in Vampireville though. When tasked with finding 3 rats, I was trying to search for rats that are, game review, cleverly blended into the background. I didn't expect the rats to be suddenly appearing from a crack in the wall and scurrying across, game review, the floor! It's not so much click a hidden object, but more like catch a moving object before it disappears!
In most other hidden object games, you are penalized for randomly clicking a scene.
The opposite is true in Vampireville. Cupboards can be opened and curtains can be drawn. Random pieces of furniture or clutter can also be moved around to reveal hidden objects. Looking for a photograph? It might have fallen behind that dining chair, game review, ...
There are plenty of other puzzles in the game as well, ranging from jigsaws to logic and memory puzzles. Fortunately, the developers have added, game review, a bit of originality and uniqueness to the puzzles, keeping them fresh and interesting.
Rather than looking at two pictures and doing the old spot-the-differences thing, this time you have to look at two different pictures and try to spot the similarities!
Overall, Vampireville is a good hidden object and adventure hybrid game that stands out above the crowd. The effort put into the cutscenes, animation and voice-acting is something you don't, game review, expect from games with this kind of budget (Oh, and the characters' deadpan humor is hilarious as well). Try Vampireville for a nice mystery adventure where you get to be a hero and investigate ghosts and vampires!
Rating: 4.
0/5.0
You take on the role of a property appraiser, game review, who has been assigned to evaluate the ancient Malgrey Castle for the government, since no heir has claimed the property for 100 years. Unfortunately, the previous appraisers sent there by your boss have gone crazy, game review, .
Now the job falls to you! Hopefully, game review, you will be able to perform your job without going mad, and learn more about the mysterious castle and what's driving your colleagues insane.
When you arrive at Malgrey Castle, you find that things there are slightly peculiar. The heating hasn't been turned on in 50 years, paintings are hidden behind curtains and cabinets have been boarded up. Time, game review, for you to get right into it and figure out what's happening in the castle! Along the way, you will meet a colorful cast of characters including a butler who is obsessed with the internet, a goth maid who listens to music all day, game review, via her massive headphones, and a crazy groundskeeper who used to be president of the local blood donor's union.
..
What gives Vampireville such a strong appeal and unique feel is its amazing storytelling. The story progresses chapter by chapter just as it would in a good mystery novel. And there is full voice-acting for all the dialogues and cutscenes, game review, . What's surprising, game review, is that they have even included 3D animations of the characters and got them to act out the scenes! Oh, and the lead, game review, character looks suspiciously like Keanu Reeves...
The gameplay in Vampireville is more of a point-and-click adventure game than a traditional hidden object game.
In each chapter, there are a few story-driven tasks that you have to accomplish, game review, . These are achieved by interacting with the environment and trying to find objects that work together to complete the task. For example,, game review, if a pipe needs to be repaired, you would need to find some welding equipment, a propane tank, a hose and some matches in order to get the job done.
There are also a few of the traditional hidden object scenes, though they are story-driven as well. When inspecting the guest room last occupied by your insane colleague, you are tasked, game review, to find all his belongings in addition to searching for clues as to what drove him insane.
There are some unique hidden object puzzles, game review, in Vampireville though. When tasked with finding 3 rats, I was trying to search for rats that are, game review, cleverly blended into the background. I didn't expect the rats to be suddenly appearing from a crack in the wall and scurrying across, game review, the floor! It's not so much click a hidden object, but more like catch a moving object before it disappears!
In most other hidden object games, you are penalized for randomly clicking a scene.
The opposite is true in Vampireville. Cupboards can be opened and curtains can be drawn. Random pieces of furniture or clutter can also be moved around to reveal hidden objects. Looking for a photograph? It might have fallen behind that dining chair, game review, ...
There are plenty of other puzzles in the game as well, ranging from jigsaws to logic and memory puzzles. Fortunately, the developers have added, game review, a bit of originality and uniqueness to the puzzles, keeping them fresh and interesting.
Rather than looking at two pictures and doing the old spot-the-differences thing, this time you have to look at two different pictures and try to spot the similarities!
Overall, Vampireville is a good hidden object and adventure hybrid game that stands out above the crowd. The effort put into the cutscenes, animation and voice-acting is something you don't, game review, expect from games with this kind of budget (Oh, and the characters' deadpan humor is hilarious as well). Try Vampireville for a nice mystery adventure where you get to be a hero and investigate ghosts and vampires!
Rating: 4.
0/5.0
2009/12/28
Westward IV: All Aboard Game Review
Westward IV: All Aboard, game review, continues, game review, the excellent gaming tradition that is the best-selling Westward game series, game review, ., game review, This fourth outing, game review, features the same great resource management, time management and adventure elements that made the Westward games such great hits in this genre.The story of Westward 4 focuses on the railroad, the mighty engine that connected, game review, the wild wild west to the prosperous cities of the east.
There are many great stories and adventures connected with the railroad; from the tales of exploration of a dangerous land, to the daring raids of robber barons and hostile Indians, to the inspirational stories of pioneers trying to make their fortunes in the new frontier.Westward 4 tells the story of the Turner Railroad, a small family business that is trying, game review, to prosper in the wild west. You play the part of either the spunky and rough-and-tumble Anne Turner, or the inventive gearhead Henry Turner, both children of the Turner Railroad's founder.
The adventure begins when the siblings return home after a, game review, few months away, only, game review, to find out that their father has gone missing and their homestead has suffered from lack of proper care. You then embark on your great adventure to find your father and transform the family business into the most prosperous outpost in the west!The game starts off fairly, game review, slowly, teaching you the basics of the game while, game review, introducing the setting and story. The first few quests/missions will teach you the basics such as gathering resources, looking for buried treasure, building farms and homes, and assigning workers to various jobs around town.
All of this happens while you are introduced to the story, game review, involving the current condition, game review, of Turner Railroad and the mystery of your missing, game review, father.The gameplay gets more complicated the further you progress into it, as you learn the blueprints for more buildings and are required to skillfully manage your limited building resources, money and labor. The buildings you can construct range, game review, from the simple farm and house that are available to you from the start, to the more complicated salon and smithy that require blueprints and more resources to build.
The resource, game review, management involves making sure you have enough gold and lumber to construct the various buildings you need, as well as enough coal to power your railroad network. The labor is also important: you will need to make sure all your workers are properly housed, fed and employed.You will also need to contend with bandits and rescue damsels in distress. No game set in the wild west is complete without some gun-slinging and rescuing hostages from railroad tracks in the nick of time! In addition, the game doesn't just revolve around the growing township of Turner Railroad.
There are plenty of other locations (all connected via railroad of course) for you to explore and expand to.The mechanics in this game are very similar to its predecessors in the Westward series. The simple interfacing primarily using the mouse has an elegance that keeps the game from becoming overly complicated. The graphics and music are top-notch like before, giving the game a polished feel and making you feel like you are part of a movie western.Westward 4 is a very engaging and immersive game that is guaranteed to take you away to the, game review, wild wild west for hours on end.
So come help the Turners find their father and transform their homestead into a bustling town. And when you're done, you can check out the other games in the Westward series.Rating: 4.0/5.0You can read more about Westward IV: All Aboard at http://www.game-tycoon.com/westward-4.html
There are many great stories and adventures connected with the railroad; from the tales of exploration of a dangerous land, to the daring raids of robber barons and hostile Indians, to the inspirational stories of pioneers trying to make their fortunes in the new frontier.Westward 4 tells the story of the Turner Railroad, a small family business that is trying, game review, to prosper in the wild west. You play the part of either the spunky and rough-and-tumble Anne Turner, or the inventive gearhead Henry Turner, both children of the Turner Railroad's founder.
The adventure begins when the siblings return home after a, game review, few months away, only, game review, to find out that their father has gone missing and their homestead has suffered from lack of proper care. You then embark on your great adventure to find your father and transform the family business into the most prosperous outpost in the west!The game starts off fairly, game review, slowly, teaching you the basics of the game while, game review, introducing the setting and story. The first few quests/missions will teach you the basics such as gathering resources, looking for buried treasure, building farms and homes, and assigning workers to various jobs around town.
All of this happens while you are introduced to the story, game review, involving the current condition, game review, of Turner Railroad and the mystery of your missing, game review, father.The gameplay gets more complicated the further you progress into it, as you learn the blueprints for more buildings and are required to skillfully manage your limited building resources, money and labor. The buildings you can construct range, game review, from the simple farm and house that are available to you from the start, to the more complicated salon and smithy that require blueprints and more resources to build.
The resource, game review, management involves making sure you have enough gold and lumber to construct the various buildings you need, as well as enough coal to power your railroad network. The labor is also important: you will need to make sure all your workers are properly housed, fed and employed.You will also need to contend with bandits and rescue damsels in distress. No game set in the wild west is complete without some gun-slinging and rescuing hostages from railroad tracks in the nick of time! In addition, the game doesn't just revolve around the growing township of Turner Railroad.
There are plenty of other locations (all connected via railroad of course) for you to explore and expand to.The mechanics in this game are very similar to its predecessors in the Westward series. The simple interfacing primarily using the mouse has an elegance that keeps the game from becoming overly complicated. The graphics and music are top-notch like before, giving the game a polished feel and making you feel like you are part of a movie western.Westward 4 is a very engaging and immersive game that is guaranteed to take you away to the, game review, wild wild west for hours on end.
So come help the Turners find their father and transform their homestead into a bustling town. And when you're done, you can check out the other games in the Westward series.Rating: 4.0/5.0You can read more about Westward IV: All Aboard at http://www.game-tycoon.com/westward-4.html
2009/12/15
Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove Game Review
MCF: Dire Grove is the latest chapter in Big Fish Games' Mystery Case Files (MCF) series, with the events in the game taking place right after Return to Ravenhearst. Once again, you take on the role of the master detective as you continue to tackle mysterious cases that include hints of the supernatural.MCF: Dire Grove starts with, game review, the detective (that's you!) driving back through the English countryside after solving the mystery in MCF: Return to Ravenhearst. As you're driving, you are caught in a freak snowstorm that is so intense that your vision is entirely obscured, and you are forced to stop in a secluded village just, game review, off the motorway: Dire Grove.
As you approach the village, you find an abandoned car along the road. Investigating it, you come across scraps of paper and a video cassette containing disturbing information about a dark legend that had come to life. As you progress further into the village, you start to discover that something is really wrong here. The village seems abandoned, and you find more video cassettes showing recordings by a group of archaeology, game review, graduate students who had come to Dire Grove to investigate an ancient dark Celtic legend.
And by the looks of it, they found what they were looking for...The first thing you'll notice when playing MCF: Dire Grove is that the production values for this game have gone through the roof, much better, game review, than its already-impressive predecessors! All the art and music in the game are gorgeous and fit the theme and atmosphere brilliantly. To enforce the atmosphere of a snowstorm, you also have snowflakes and flying leaves moving all over the screen.What stood, game review, out for me was the almost movie-like quality in the cutscenes.
The intro scene and all the video clips showing the archaeology students and their misadventures are live action recordings. The acting is pretty decent and the recordings have an almost Blair Witch-like quality to them. All of this adds an extra dose of realism to the game, drawing you in like never before.The gameplay of Dire Grove has also evolved from the basic hidden object gameplay of the earlier instalments in the MCF series, game review, . This game is an adventure and exploration game first, with hidden object gameplay and puzzle elements, game review, thrown in.
You don't, game review, get mindlessly led from one hidden object scene to another. Instead,, game review, you need to use a bit of exploration and logic to decide what you should do to achieve your immediate goals and advance the plot. The game isn't extremely difficult to solve though; most of the objects of interest will have a slight sparkle to guide you along your path.The hidden object scenes and the puzzles that appear as minigames are both of the standard that you would expect from a MCF game.
The designs are crisp and clear, while the puzzles are difficult enough to require, game review,, game review,, game review, a moderate amount of thinking and planning, but not so difficult as to detract from, game review, the story or become a stumbling block.There are also puzzles that span across multiple scenes. You might find a crowbar or, game review, a bunch of nails in one scene, and won't find a use for them till an, game review, hour or more later. There are also obstacles that require, game review, manipulating the scenes.
For example, there's an object of interest on the top shelf in the garage. Now what can, game review, I find in the area that I can use to reach it?As has been said before, the game has superb production values, and is a full-fledged adventure puzzle game, game review, that will draw you in for hours on end. What else can you expect from the developers of the Mystery Case Files series who have yet to disappoint?Rating: 5.0/5.0You can read more about MCF: Dire Grove at http://www.hidden-puzzles.
com/mcf-dire-grove.html
As you approach the village, you find an abandoned car along the road. Investigating it, you come across scraps of paper and a video cassette containing disturbing information about a dark legend that had come to life. As you progress further into the village, you start to discover that something is really wrong here. The village seems abandoned, and you find more video cassettes showing recordings by a group of archaeology, game review, graduate students who had come to Dire Grove to investigate an ancient dark Celtic legend.
And by the looks of it, they found what they were looking for...The first thing you'll notice when playing MCF: Dire Grove is that the production values for this game have gone through the roof, much better, game review, than its already-impressive predecessors! All the art and music in the game are gorgeous and fit the theme and atmosphere brilliantly. To enforce the atmosphere of a snowstorm, you also have snowflakes and flying leaves moving all over the screen.What stood, game review, out for me was the almost movie-like quality in the cutscenes.
The intro scene and all the video clips showing the archaeology students and their misadventures are live action recordings. The acting is pretty decent and the recordings have an almost Blair Witch-like quality to them. All of this adds an extra dose of realism to the game, drawing you in like never before.The gameplay of Dire Grove has also evolved from the basic hidden object gameplay of the earlier instalments in the MCF series, game review, . This game is an adventure and exploration game first, with hidden object gameplay and puzzle elements, game review, thrown in.
You don't, game review, get mindlessly led from one hidden object scene to another. Instead,, game review, you need to use a bit of exploration and logic to decide what you should do to achieve your immediate goals and advance the plot. The game isn't extremely difficult to solve though; most of the objects of interest will have a slight sparkle to guide you along your path.The hidden object scenes and the puzzles that appear as minigames are both of the standard that you would expect from a MCF game.
The designs are crisp and clear, while the puzzles are difficult enough to require, game review,, game review,, game review, a moderate amount of thinking and planning, but not so difficult as to detract from, game review, the story or become a stumbling block.There are also puzzles that span across multiple scenes. You might find a crowbar or, game review, a bunch of nails in one scene, and won't find a use for them till an, game review, hour or more later. There are also obstacles that require, game review, manipulating the scenes.
For example, there's an object of interest on the top shelf in the garage. Now what can, game review, I find in the area that I can use to reach it?As has been said before, the game has superb production values, and is a full-fledged adventure puzzle game, game review, that will draw you in for hours on end. What else can you expect from the developers of the Mystery Case Files series who have yet to disappoint?Rating: 5.0/5.0You can read more about MCF: Dire Grove at http://www.hidden-puzzles.
com/mcf-dire-grove.html
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