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Casual Games Thread
Greetings passionate casual gamers! I feel that my head is a pretty decent library when it comes to adventure games knowledge, but I’ve no idea what casual games are, and maybe this thread can be a good place to do something about that. Any of you feel like enlightening me?
What defines a casual game?
I think the first thing is to recognize that we’re talking about casual games in the context of an adventure gaming venue. So, while Tetris, Bejeweled, Mah Jong and even computer Solitaire are “casual games,” they don’t fit the definition of what is being discussed here.
In the adventure casual game genre, many think of hidden object games as fitting the definition. I don’t think so. There are hidden object games that are stictly that. SpinTop games produces some wonderful ones. The graphics in their games are stunningly beautiful. But the only real objective is to finish the game with the highest score which is accomplised by finding all the hidden objects in the various hidden object scenes as rapidly as possible.
So that leaves us with the casual games, or adventure-lite games that are discussed here.
Most of the games have a specific objective that is shown very early in the game. Save (town, person) from (malevolent force, evil witch). Chose a game and fill in your own set of nouns. So far it’s not unlike most standard adventure games. It wouldn’t be a stretch to compare Angelica Weaver with Victoria McPherson. Both stories involve catching a serial killer. Both involve time/era switches. And, for both the objectives are laid out for you during the opening scenes.
The major differences deal with things such as playing time. A good adventure game can last for 20 hours or more. An adventure-lite generally maxes out at around 6 hours. Of course you get what you pay for. A casual game runs about $6.99US at sites such as BigFish Games. Whereas a standard adventure is going to start in the $19.99 range.
There is also going to be a big difference in things such as character development. In a casual game there isn’t time to learn whether Weaver likes to bake cookies. In Still Life 1, we not only learn that McPerson likes to bake cookies, but are treated to one of the most annoying adventure puzzles of all time. We can also throw in the number of characters with which the protagonist interacts. In a casual game there may be several, but they are often one-off encounters. In some adventures you can’t turn around without meeting a new character with whom you will have multiple future contacts.
Now for some of the nitty gritty. In a recent post to this thread Jakal (Welome! It is, to my recollection the first visit we’ve had from your eminence.) stated “. I consider a casual game to be one where the core gameplay mechanic serves nothing but itself.” That may be true, but couldn’t the same be said of Myst and all its clones?
The biggest argument is, I think, the use of hidden object scenes within adventure-lite games. I can see the point. There is an engine out there, or perhaps many, that have the sole purpose of generating hidden object scenes. An hourglass in a Sulus game looks like an hourglass in an ERS game which looks like an hourglass in an Alawar game…. And one of my pet peeves is the use of objects that are not period specific. E.g. how can you find an image of a telephone in a hidden object scene set in 18th century Venice. It’s shoddy workmanship. But I’ve seen the same in regular adventures as well.
What’s the point? Well I think the simplistic answer is that it extends gameplay. I’m guessing that many people think of this as dumbing down a game. Why can’t you just find the wine bottle on the floor? Why do you have to find it in a hidden object scene? In the “real” adventure gaming world, I think you will find similar contrivances. Think mazes.
Then there are the puzzles. Yes, there are lots of puzzles in adventure-lite games. But then I think of the unending series of door puzzles in Black Dahlia, or the music and slider puzzles in Shivers. And the difference is?
I’m not sure any of this helps. If I were to take all of the above and condense it into a sentence or two… The difference betwee an adventure-lite game and a standard adventure is that the former costs 1/3 as much, but only offers about 1/3 the gameplay, and there won’t be nearly as much “content.” And, yes, the develpers of many of the former games cut some corners. Those games do not generally receive favorable reviews here.
For whom the games toll,
they toll for thee.
Greetings passionate casual gamers! I feel that my head is a pretty decent library when it comes to adventure games knowledge, but I’ve no idea what casual games are, and maybe this thread can be a good place to do something about that. Any of you feel like enlightening me?
I think Chudah and rtrooney have given excellent answers, and I’m not sure I’d be able to add much to what they said. I think the term “casual games” encompasses a wide variety of types of games, from Bejeweled to Temple Run or Angry Birds. However, this is an adventure games website, so I think the people who are writing about these games on this site are first and foremost adventure gamers (I’ve been playing adventure games nonstop since Zork back in the day). So, by shorthand, when we talk about “casual games”, we’re talking mostly about what they call HOPAs (hidden object puzzle adventures), many of which have very few (or no) hidden object finding scenes (such as Twilight Phenomena or the recently reviewed Dark Alleys). By convention, most of these games resemble what would be comparable to a node-based 1st person adventure like Myst. There are many casual game tropes which Jackal pointed out like sparkles, hints, abundant puzzles (with skips), etc. However, what separates these games in my mind from more “traditional” adventure games is the style of gameplay. The gameplay tends to progress very quickly and move at a faster pace. There are no 30-minutes dialogue trees to click through. When you obtain an inventory item, its use is usually fairly apparent. The games suit themselves equally well to short 10-minute sessions or three hour benders. Most have adjustable difficulty settings. On the most difficult setting, all help is eliminated and the games start to resemble traditional adventures much more closely. (Recently, I was playing one of the Dream Chronicles games and I was thinking to myself that it had much more in common with a traditional 1st person adventure than what we think of as “casual games”.) As a result of all this, the gameplay experience tends to be shallower than that of traditional adventures (though this is not always the case). Many tend to be forgettable after they are finished (you won’t see me creating a thread called “Favorite casual game endings ever” any time soon), though they tend to be highly enjoyable while you are playing them. Think of them as the junk food of adventure gaming.
I will say though that this genre of casual games is rapidly evolving. To think that what we think of as “casual games” or HOPAs didn’t even really exist until Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst came out just a couple of years ago is pretty crazy. New games are always setting the bar higher or changing the game mechanics in subtle ways which continue to evolve over time. It’s pretty exciting, and it reminds me of the rapid growth, adoption, and evolution of adventure games back in the Sierra/LucasArts days. It’s a good time to be a “casual game” fan. 
But I think we agree on the basic point….AG is not reviewing the best games.
That’s a silly expectation. The whole point of doing reviews is to tell people whether games are good, bad, or somewhere in the middle. Even if there were some kind of objective standard for what’s “best” (which there isn’t), what would be the point of reviewing only those? (Rhetorical question.)
I agree. But I hope you will agree with me on a few points as well. Three “casual games” have been reviewed since the Monthly reviews ceased in November 2011. One, none of them contain a hidden object scene. Two, they are all ERS games. Three, reviewing this thread, which I don’t expect, I think one would find that ERS games represent the worst of casual game developers.
So, if what is being reviewed, despite the constrictions, is viewed by the people who play the games as one of the worst examples of the genre, how does that review serve a purpose other than to turn potential new players off?
Maybe “best games” was an inapropriate phrase. Perhaps “AG is not reviewing games that best represent how good the genre can be.” better says it.
I’m an inveterate gamer. I cut my teeth on KQ1 using an 8088. I do not play casual games exclusively, but became attracted to them because they offered a quick fix when I wanted a gaming experience.
Perhaps we, and by we, I mean the regular particpants here, can form some kind of “review board” and offer you what we think the best game of the month we think is worthy of an AG review.
I don’t know if I am succeeding, but I really don’t want this conversation to end with bad feelings on anyone’s part.
For whom the games toll,
they toll for thee.
As a result of all this, the gameplay experience tends to be shallower than that of traditional adventures (though this is not always the case). Many tend to be forgettable after they are finished (you won’t see me creating a thread called “Favorite casual game endings ever” any time soon), though they tend to be highly enjoyable while you are playing them. Think of them as the junk food of adventure gaming.
Well put, a really good way to explain it! I will forever refer to HOGs as junk food from now on! ^^
I play story-heavy games, watch animation, anime, B-movies, disaster movies, sci-fi movies and crime shows and try to write about it all on my blog: Snark, pedantry and random geekery
Similarly, I consider games like Puzzle Agent to be casual. There’s no actual point in solving non-integrated puzzles just to advance. Sure, it’s disguised within a story framework (solve this puzzle or you can’t go on!), but the puzzle itself is often just casual busywork. Its only real value is entertainment in its own right.
That sounds a lot like the Professor Layton games. Surely you don’t consider those to be casual too???
Many tend to be forgettable after they are finished, though they tend to be highly enjoyable while you are playing them. Think of them as the junk food of adventure gaming.
That’s actually a cool metaphor… 
Perhaps we, and by we, I mean the regular particpants here, can form some kind of “review board” and offer you what we think the best game of the month we think is worthy of an AG review.
Seems like a great idea, imo.
The truth can’t hurt you, it’s just like the dark: it scares you witless but in time you see things clear and stark. - Elvis Costello
Maybe this time I can be strong, but since I know who I am, I’m probably wrong. Maybe this time I can go far, but thinking about where I’ve been ain’t helping me start. - Michael Kiwanuka
BFG is running another sale this weekend, buy one, get one half off ($3.49), standard editions only. Seeing as Nightmare Adventures 2: The Turning Thorn was just released today, I’m going to take advantage of the sale and pick it up along with Surface 2.
For those who don’t like HOG’s, Nightmare Adventures doesn’t have any hidden object scenes, so that might be a good game to check out. I gave the first in the series a solid 3.5, probably would have given it a 4 except for it being a bit unpolished. The story is very original and enjoyable, though, and some of the puzzles are quite challenging (on advanced mode, that is). I’ll be posting a full review of 2 once I’m done.
Just Finished - Grim Tales: The Bride CE, Sacra Terra: Angelic Night CE
Currently Playing - Angelica Weaver: Catch Me If You Can
Casual Game Developer List
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AohuMgk8BGFTdExjM2s4eGdJRGZmcWJxMUNoUTlMZVE#gid=0
I agree. But I hope you will agree with me on a few points as well. Three “casual games” have been reviewed since the Monthly reviews ceased in November 2011. One, none of them contain a hidden object scene. Two, they are all ERS games. Three, reviewing this thread, which I don’t expect, I think one would find that ERS games represent the worst of casual game developers.
By no remotely reasonable standard could ERS be considered the worst of casual game developers. Looks to me like Twilight Phenomena is averaging over 4 stars at Big Fish and 4.5 at Gamezebo. Seems like this microscopic sample size you represent (if indeed you speak for everyone in this thread) isn’t very definitive.
But you’re still missing the point entirely. The fact that it’s ERS is entirely irrelevant; the fact that the casual games we’re reviewing aren’t the best-ever games made is equally irrelevant. The fact that they’re non-HOG hybrids is the only thing that qualifies them for review here. They’re adventure games, full stop, and that’s what this site does. Hybrids are part-adventure, part-something else. NOT the same thing at all.
If they aren’t the best casual games out there, then go petition Artifex Mundi and Elephant Games to take hidden object searches out of their games (or make them optional). Then they’d be eligible too. And who knows, maybe the fact that we ONLY review the non-hybrids will encourage other developers to do just that.
Maybe “best games” was an inapropriate phrase. Perhaps “AG is not reviewing games that best represent how good the genre can be.” better says it.
Again, we aren’t reviewing the “genre” you’re comparing them to. We don’t review HOG hybrids. It can’t be said in plainer English than that. That’s why we review Twilight Phenomena and not Shadow Wolf Mysteries (both ERS). If you want to discuss this, at least acknowledge the basic, fundamental difference that separates what we do from what you want. You’re not asking us to review better examples of the same type of game; you’re asking us to review something different.
Perhaps we, and by we, I mean the regular particpants here, can form some kind of “review board” and offer you what we think the best game of the month we think is worthy of an AG review.
Besides the fact that you’d merely be representing your own tastes and preferences that may or may not reflect anyone else’s (and in glancing through this thread I’ve seen recommendations of games I found utterly mediocre), I’m simply not interested in reviewing HOG hybrid games anymore. If we ever re-form a monthly feature, then maybe such input would be useful. Full reviews aren’t happening.
That sounds a lot like the Professor Layton games. Surely you don’t consider those to be casual too???
To a certain extent, definitely. PL does a better job than most at building a decent story framework, but many of the puzzles still come down to “solve them because they’re there”, which to me is the definition of casual gameplay.
BFG is running another sale this weekend, buy one, get one half off ($3.49), standard editions only.
I took advantage of that sale to get Angelica Weaver and Lake House (is that going to be too much awesome at once?).
So, I finished 9: The Dark Side. Earlier, I had mentioned how the Gamezebo review mentioned some puzzles may be too difficult. Well, in most ways, it’s a pretty standard HOPA. The artwork and story are nothing special. It is light on the HOG scenes. But what makes the game stand out is the difficulty of the puzzles. I think I can definitely say it has the hardest puzzles of any casual game I have played. Most are of a variety you’ve seen before, but they tend to be the most difficult variant. I’ll give a couple of examples. There is one slider type puzzle. But you’re not really sliding tiles, you are rotating cubes that are half one color and half another. The object is basically to flip all the cubes over so the other side is showing by moving/rotating them. This turns out to be extremely difficult. (This website needs a “tearing your hair out” smiley.) Another puzzle involves pushing clock gears around to get them in their proper place. It is one of those puzzles that seems easy enough at first, but the more you progress in it, you realize how fiendish it is. If you make one mistake, you pretty much have to start the puzzle over again. I would say there are at least 4 really difficult puzzles like these in the game. I must admit, I was getting a little gunshy when I would come across a new puzzle, hoping it wouldn’t be as much as bastard as the really hard ones. But, I did feel definite satisfaction when I beat the game, which I can’t say for most casuals. If there are masochists out there, play this game on the hardest difficulty and don’t skip any puzzles or read any puzzle instructions. So, anyway, recommended only it you want a good challenge. Otherwise, it’s skippable.
Thanks for your answers guys. It was an interesting read
Duckman: Can you believe it? Five hundred bucks for a parking ticket?
Cornfed Pig: You parked in a handicapped zone.
Duckman: Who cares? Nobody parks there anyway, except for the people who are supposed to park there and, hell, I can outrun them anytime.
Nightmare Realm: In the end…. Man I’m enjoying this game. I remember raving the first game. Dark mature story while still offering support for the female housewife audience. Gorgeous visuals, the ability to literally hide the interface and view the game like you would in myst, interesting puzzles, and a nice change to how Casual HOG’s are made. Not too many HOG’s which is a plus in my book.
Anyone love the first game like I did and tried out the demo or played this game?
Previously I said Whitewall had a certain feel that was reminiscent to adventure games. Well This edition of Nightmare Realm felt even more so. Maybe it was the focus inventory, exploration and story that made it feel just at home.
Stuart Bradley Newsom - Naughty Shinobi || Our Game: Shadow Over Isolation
Played the CE demo. Finished with about 12 minutes to spare. I will likely pick up the CE if there is a good sale. Today’s 20% off at BFG wasn’t quite good enough.
The third sequence reminded me of Drawn, but without the graphic precision BFG Studios brought to the table. Impressive, nontheless. I didn’t keep track of the HOG scenes, but I think the demo only had one. If that ratio stays true through the rest of the game, that would mean five or six for the whole game. A low number indeed. I like the multiple uses of inventory items.
For whom the games toll,
they toll for thee.
I’m unsure if I’ve played the first Nightmare Realm, I’ll give In the End a try and see if I like it.
I finished the Web of Deceit: Black Widow Bonus Game and was actually really positively surprised! Instead of the unoriginal “the villain got away, go stop him once and for all”, you’re sent back in time to play the Black Widow and see the story from her point of view.
The game actually managed to make me feel very sorry for the villain, and, since she was just a small girl I could fully understand why things happened like it did (as apposed to some of the extreme turns I’ve seen in adult villains you play), also the Bonus game had the best voice acting and acting of the entire game! The production values were higher, they didn’t cheap out on the puzzles, and included a lot of 3D effects/pre rendered videos.
The big spider was the best voiced character in the whole game, and both her mother and the evil boys acted a lot more naturally than the actors did in the main game.
Even though the bonus game was only 40 minutes, I really thought it added to both the value and quality of the game.
Would probably have given the game 3/5 before the bonus, while I now feel more like giving it 3.5/5.
Also finished Forbidden Secrets: Alien Town CE and enjoyed it very much.
Frozen people were creepy and so were the children’s glowing eyes. Thought the reveal about her parents came all out of nowhere, though I recognize that it gave the plot more depth, and I thought the ending on the alien ship and all the explanation was a bit unnecessary.
Absolutely a well-made game with high production values.
Enjoyed the bonus game, even though I saw where the plot was going a mile away..
I play story-heavy games, watch animation, anime, B-movies, disaster movies, sci-fi movies and crime shows and try to write about it all on my blog: Snark, pedantry and random geekery
Well, I finished playing through the SE of Lake House, and I have to say I have mixed feelings about it. When I first loaded the game, I was extremely impressed by the technical qualities. The character animations are the best I have seen in a casual game and also blow away most regular adventures (what I wouldn’t give if the characters in Cognition looked half this good!). Likewise, the background artwork and animations are top notch and again among the best I have seen. The story also is I think very good and different than most of the other games in this genre. But, I was disappointed by the gameplay. After seeing Elephant Games and other developers continue to evolve the genre, this felt like kind of a step back in my opinion. The puzzles are uniformly very easy. There are some unique puzzles which were very fun to do (eg the dollhouse) but they’re over in like a minute. It also seemed a little heavy on the HOGs to me, and the game even repeated several HOG scenes (a practice I haven’t really seen lately from the top developers). It also kind of lacked that “fun” factor that makes me not want to stop playing the game. So, while technically the game is extremely impressive, I hope Alawar (one of my faves) can continue to improve on the core gameplay. So, I would normally give the game around 3/5 stars, but I’ll give it 3.5/5 because it looks so damn good.
Well, I finished playing through the SE of Lake House, and I have to say I have mixed feelings about it. When I first loaded the game, I was extremely impressed by the technical qualities. The character animations are the best I have seen in a casual game and also blow away most regular adventures (what I wouldn’t give if the characters in Cognition looked half this good!). Likewise, the background artwork and animations are top notch and again among the best I have seen. The story also is I think very good and different than most of the other games in this genre. But, I was disappointed by the gameplay. After seeing Elephant Games and other developers continue to evolve the genre, this felt like kind of a step back in my opinion. The puzzles are uniformly very easy. There are some unique puzzles which were very fun to do (eg the dollhouse) but they’re over in like a minute. It also seemed a little heavy on the HOGs to me, and the game even repeated several HOG scenes (a practice I haven’t really seen lately from the top developers). It also kind of lacked that “fun” factor that makes me not want to stop playing the game. So, while technically the game is extremely impressive, I hope Alawar (one of my faves) can continue to improve on the core gameplay. So, I would normally give the game around 3/5 stars, but I’ll give it 3.5/5 because it looks so damn good.
I totally agree with you on the gameplay. But I’m the type of person that if a game is atmospheric enough with an intriguing story, I can somewhat forgive the gameplay not being top notch. For what it is, I give it a 4/5, but had the gameplay been better, probably would’ve given a 4.5 or 5! I still think it’s worth it for people who enjoy beautiful graphics and intriguing storylines.
Just Finished - Grim Tales: The Bride CE, Sacra Terra: Angelic Night CE
Currently Playing - Angelica Weaver: Catch Me If You Can
Casual Game Developer List
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AohuMgk8BGFTdExjM2s4eGdJRGZmcWJxMUNoUTlMZVE#gid=0
Played the CE demo. Finished with about 12 minutes to spare. I will likely pick up the CE if there is a good sale. Today’s 20% off at BFG wasn’t quite good enough.
The third sequence reminded me of Drawn, but without the graphic precision BFG Studios brought to the table. Impressive, nontheless. I didn’t keep track of the HOG scenes, but I think the demo only had one. If that ratio stays true through the rest of the game, that would mean five or six for the whole game. A low number indeed. I like the multiple uses of inventory items.
I just like how the series doesn’t follow some of the typical Casual gaming tropes. Despite some games being dark, they still cater to the female housewives audience and in the end are some of the weakest dark storytelling.
Come on this is the first game where the main character experiences
the death of her husband and from what I remember, uncle.
On top of some pretty creative artwork very reminiscent with a proper art team, like Drawn.
Stuart Bradley Newsom - Naughty Shinobi || Our Game: Shadow Over Isolation
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