• Log In | Sign Up

  • News
  • Reviews
  • Top Games
  • Search
  • New Releases
  • Daily Deals
  • Forums

Adventure Gamers - Forums

Welcome to Adventure Gamers. Please Sign In or Join Now to post.

You are here: HomeForum Home → Gaming → Adventure → Thread

Post Marker Legend:

  • New Topic New posts
  • Old Topic No new posts

Currently online

Support us, by purchasing through these affiliate links

   

Casual Games Thread

Avatar

Total Posts: 5035

Joined 2004-07-12

PM

Sounds good for now. And thank you for your efforts. Things we do with casuals are obviously going to be of a much shorter duration. Let’s get through the first one and see what happens. Smile

     

For whom the games toll,
they toll for thee.

Avatar

Total Posts: 1573

Joined 2003-09-10

PM

I thought the Angelica Weaver playthrough was a great experience!

I was playing Emberwing: Lost Legacy before the playthrough started, and I took a break from it. I just recently went back and finished it, so here are my thoughts:

Emberwing is a game that’s more in the tradition of high fantasy, rather than the fairy tales you often see in casual Hidden Object games. There’s a Tolkienesque quality to this story of dragons, elves, and men. You assume the role of the village toymaker whose young son is captured by a dragon. You go to the Dark Elves of Silverleaf for help, and puzzle your way through their forest kingdom which leads to the realm of the Bear Dwarves before the final confrontation (with a twist) that brings you closer to your son.

Graphics are in a storybook fantastical style, with massive stone castles and ruins, quaint cottages, and a dash of surrealism – odd angles, trees with eyes, and fairy lights along the paths. Characterization is brief, but effective. (Though I admit that it took me a while to get used to dealing with the sentient bears.) The ending of the SE version is logical but very abrupt.

The game contains a variety of Hidden Object challenges. You’ll encounter interactive word list screens, multiple item lists, silhouettes, and screens containing broken up pieces of things. Occasionally the Hidden Object challenges included some storytelling via illustrated pages and paintings, which I always like to see, as it gives the whole exercise more of a purpose.

HO screens are supplemented by a large selection of medium-difficulty minigames that require working with patterns, complex images, pathways, and symbols.

About half the gameplay progresses via the use of inventory items. Unlike many casual games, which don’t allow multiple uses of the same item, Emberwing enables you to hold onto your knife or screwdriver, etc., for long periods of time and to reuse the item.

Unfortunately, certain hotspots in this game are extremely tiny, which sometimes leads to frustration. After being stuck for a while, I would resort to the strategy guide, only to find that an attempted action that had generated a “that didn’t work” message was actually the correct action. In these instances, I would go back and click several times with the item all around the hotspot area before generating the desired result.

Now for the Bonus Chapter, which features the intriguing goal of training a baby dragon. To my surprise, this procedure turned into a difficult puzzle-fest. (Not just anyone can train a dragon, apparently.) There are some splendidly quirky “takes” on familiar minigame types here, and I had to re-strategize in order to solve them.

As I got further into the Bonus Chapter, though, I found myself using the “hint” button much more than I’d like. There’s a chronological minigame with icons—a couple of the images are so stylized that their meaning is still a mystery to me. Which makes putting them in order a trial-and-error conundrum. Then there’s a feather puzzle, with color variations that are incredibly subtle. Plus the most dastardly of the lot – a puzzle board that looks like a standard marble pathfinder puzzle but isn’t. This one I attempted time and again, and never could get the blue marble into the blue slot. The Strategy Guide was no help. Even the “hint” system failed to find a solution. When I finally hit the “skip” button, the brief glimpse of the solved board showed a result that was so far removed from what I’d been doing that it looked like a completely different puzzle.

When Emberwing was over, the final screen informed me that this game had taken me over 13 hours to play. I estimate that the Bonus Chapter took between 3-4 of those hours.

I recommend the SE version to those who like to explore a Tolkienesque world. I recommend the Bonus Chapter only to those puzzle gamers who fancy a real challenge.

     
Avatar

Total Posts: 5035

Joined 2004-07-12

PM

Interesting post. Do you know when the game came out? I don’t recall seeing it. 13 hours (for the CE) is a phenomenal length of time for a casual. How long do you estimate it might take for a replay? I’m curious because when we finished the Vampyre Story playthrough I replayed it for fun and finished it in about 5.5 hours. (Of course I skipped most of the dialogue. I’d heard it before and knew what was essential to completing the game.)

Between the Casual Playthrough, the Syberia playthrough and other stuff that just got in the way I’ve managed to accumulate three credits on BFG.

I’m looking for some good games to play. Smile I’m going to demo yours, and need to find two more. Nothing in the best seller list sounds particularly interesting. There’s a new Puppetshow out there, but I have pretty much burned out on those.

     

For whom the games toll,
they toll for thee.

Avatar

Total Posts: 1573

Joined 2003-09-10

PM

Emberwing released on March 16, 2014, according to allaboutcasualgame.com. I bought it about a month later. I played it off and on over several weeks. The Bonus Chapter I played more intensely, over only a couple of days. It is much more substantial than is typical for a Bonus, but the lengthy gameplay was partly due to how much I was struggling with some of the mini-games.

I’m not sure how long a replay of the SE portion would take, because I stretched out the gameplay so much over time for the first time through. I am not a speed demon when playing games. I like to admire the views, for one thing, and I like talking to the characters and watching the cut scenes. And I’m not a crack puzzle-solver. In my experience, gamers who can breeze through tough puzzles do exist, but they are relatively rare.

I recently purchased Dead Reckoning: Silvermoon Isle, The Other Side: Tower of Souls, the Fright CE and the Rite of Passage: Hide and Seek CE. I only played the demos so far, but all were appealing.

The Other Side is by Tiki’s Lab, same dev who did E.P.I.C. Wishmaster Adventures.

Fright is by Lesta Games, same dev who did the Nightmare Realm games. The title contains only one word! And it’s a casual game! How dare they???  Crazy

     
Avatar

Total Posts: 5035

Joined 2004-07-12

PM

I played the Fright CE. Got it as part of a BFG BOGO. It was pretty good. Not sure I would have bought the CE if purchasing the game by itself. The bonus game is interesting, but not worth the extra money even if it does tie up some loose ends.

     

For whom the games toll,
they toll for thee.

Avatar

Total Posts: 1573

Joined 2003-09-10

PM

rtrooney - 14 September 2014 05:55 PM

I played the Fright CE. Got it as part of a BFG BOGO. It was pretty good. Not sure I would have bought the CE if purchasing the game by itself. The bonus game is interesting, but not worth the extra money even if it does tie up some loose ends.

It ties up loose ends? I’m glad I bought it then. That’s what I look for in a Bonus Chapter, actually.

I also got the games I mentioned earlier in the recent BOGO sale. I still have a couple of free coupon codes to use that were generated by my BOGO purchases, so I’m keeping my eyes open for new SE releases.

Now I just need to find the time to play all these games.

At the moment I’m starting to play Alex Hunter: Lord of the Mind, which I believe was recommended by colpet because of its puzzles.

 

     
Avatar

Total Posts: 5035

Joined 2004-07-12

PM

A small alert:

I’ll be starting a new nomination/voting process for the next Casual Community Playthrough on October 5, 2014, CDT, US.

Unlike what we did with the most recent one, the new nomination/voting will have a thread of its own courtesy of TimovieMan. (Round of applause everyone.) Thanks also to TimovieMan and Chrissie for letting me bend their respective ears, as well as to Becky who has been my primary ear bender during the playthrough process.

There will be a few new wrinkles to nominating games. I’ll post those here a day or two before the new thread opens.

One thing I would like to suggest is people nominating games consider taking ownership of that game by volunteering to lead that game’s playthrough should that game win. Not mandatory, but logical. After all, by nominating a game, you’ve played it and found it worthy. So you are in a better position to lead a playthrough than someone who hasn’t played the game. I learned A LOT from leading Angelica Weaver. I will be happy to share the nuts and bolts of what I learned to anyone who volunteers.

     

For whom the games toll,
they toll for thee.

Total Posts: 363

Joined 2012-09-20

PM

Becky - 14 September 2014 08:20 AM

The Other Side is by Tiki’s Lab, same dev who did E.P.I.C. Wishmaster Adventures.

I just played The Other Side and enjoyed very much. Good puzzles and HOs with different aproach. I like that. Good game. But could only find the 100 collectibles on the second run.

     
Avatar

Total Posts: 1573

Joined 2003-09-10

PM

Good to know. I’ll move it up on my list once I’ve finished Alex.

Do you enjoy looking for collectables? The only time I personally found them all was…now that I think about it, I don’t think I’ve ever played a game where I found them all.

     

Total Posts: 363

Joined 2012-09-20

PM

Collectables, yes. Achievements, no. I always end up using a hint or two and skip a puzzle, wich makes impossible to get all achievements. But colletables yes, I always try to find them all.

     
Avatar

Total Posts: 1573

Joined 2003-09-10

PM

Well, I might actually get all the collectables in Alex Hunter, since the map shows you the locations where you can find collectables. But then again, some are in close-up screens, and I don’t recall if I managed to click on the collectables before I found the last item that permanently closes up the close-up screens.

I’m in the bonus game and at least I found enough collectables to let me into the Secret Room. I think I still have almost 10 more to collect to complete the set, so we’ll see.

I just finished the dartboard challenge, which takes a moving target icon that also grows and shrinks and combines that with doing mathematical sums. I haven’t decided if I loved or hated it. Maybe both.

     
Avatar

Total Posts: 5035

Joined 2004-07-12

PM

I’ve found collectibles to be a mixed bag. Most of the games that have them, e.g. Alien Town, offer nothing in return when you find them all. In others, primarily the awful Mystery Case Files - Shadow Lake CE, the bonus game was the collectibles.

I’m not a big fan of them. Thumbs Up

     

For whom the games toll,
they toll for thee.

Avatar

Total Posts: 1573

Joined 2003-09-10

PM

Well, I’ve officially completed my first game where I got all the collectables!

Alex Hunter: Lord of the Mind is a game that’s CE length, but available for the SE price. I’ve just completed the bonus game, and since each room with a collectible symbol is noted on the game’s interactive map, I was actually able to collect all the symbols. (Yes, those trumpets you hear in the distance are sounding off for me.)

Alex Hunter is a mystery game set in Victorian times, but with early 20th century technology. It isn’t really a steampunk game – maybe it’s something of an alternate Victorian universe. You are a detective who is asked to take a case by a lovely young woman whose scientist-father has disappeared under odd circumstances. You explore the scientist’s home, and then forage through other parts of town, including a hospital with a high mortality rate and a poker club that’s got a lot more going on than poker.

The game is light on story but heavy on mini-games and Hidden Object screens. The HO screens all contain word lists and are slightly interactive. The puzzles are significantly more interesting than the HOs – some of them I hadn’t seen before, some are variations on familiar puzzles, and a handful are copies of puzzles I’ve seen frequently. If you want a game where the mini-games are mostly different and engaging, this is a good example.

Graphics are colorful and detailed, with small ambient animations like insects flying around a lamp, a bird winging through the air, or leaves drifting to the ground. Music is orchestral and suitable, though it does get rather repetitive. My favorite locations were the gorgeous garden courtyard in the club and the secret lab—though even the archaic sewer held my interest (this isn’t easy for a sewer to do).

The game contains a twist that posits a sinister interpretation for what’s actually happening if you continually find yourself playing surreal Hidden Object Puzzle games.

There’s a lot to like here, and my only hesitation in recommending this game is that the Hidden Object screens all repeat. You know that sinking feeling when you see the sparkles over the HO screen you solved just ten minutes previously? A bit too much of that.

But overall this was a treat to play. Since it’s a CE at an SE price, Alex Hunter provides a lot of gameplay for your gaming dollar.

     
Avatar

Total Posts: 5035

Joined 2004-07-12

PM

I’ve played the demos of Alex Hunter, Other Side and Emberwing. I liked and bought the latter two, but Alex didn’t appeal to me at all. Voice acting in Emberwing is so bad, (Moommmm!) It was almost enough to put it in the dumpster along with Alex. But the story was interesting enough that I could get through it if I turned all effects down to zero.

     

For whom the games toll,
they toll for thee.

Avatar

Total Posts: 5035

Joined 2004-07-12

PM

Finished Other Side - Tower of Souls. Good, but not great. I had some problems with the latter part of the game. Part of that was the graphics. It seemed that Tiki ran out of money and subcontracted the latter HO scenes to ERS. (Complete with non-period-specific items that plague ERS games.)

It was a great game for the first 3/4. But it just fell apart from that point forward.

And I only got 72 of the collectibles.

I would not recommend it unless you need a game to play.

     

For whom the games toll,
they toll for thee.

You are here: HomeForum Home → Gaming → Adventure → Thread

Welcome to the Adventure Gamers forums!

Back to the top