[Guy1731]

The Magicians Handbook II: BlackLore - Review (source)

" Experienced hidden object gamers will love the challenge while those newer to the genre may find it an aggravating experience."
Ahoy! The Magician's Handbook returns for another adventure. Instead of exploring a cursed valley, the hero goes on a quest to rescue fairies from the dread pirate Blacklore. The Magician's Handbook 2: Blacklore beautifully integrates the game with the story so everything has a purpose, something few hidden object games pull off. However, it has a few flaws that turn the magical journey into a challenging one, maybe too challenging.

After finding all the rune stones, the magician removed a curse from Magician's Handbook: The Cursed Valley. He waits for more adventures only to find the text disappears from the handbook. Disappointed, he returns home to a dull life while the handbook collects cobwebs. Two years later, the book wakes up. Corrigan, fairy helper to the wise wizard, asks for help in freeing the Wise Wizard and fairies from evil magician pirate Blacklore. You have until the next moonrise to free the captured fairies hidden throughout the land. Otherwise, Blacklore will come for you. Should he capture you, the fairies are trapped fore'er.

Because the hero doesn't have inborn magic powers, he must collect enchanted objects to cast spells. Every chapter comes with five hints, but doesn't stop thar. After using up all five, the hint meter recharges and you can use one until it recharges again. Most scenes hide black, silver and gold keys for using at Safe Haven where freed fairies go. Thar, you'll find treasure chests worth different amounts and colors of keys. One could call for two gold keys, another needs seven black keys and so on. These can unearth bonuses including more hints, magic wands and the Repel spell. The spell, also present in the original Magician's Handbook, turns off any scene animation so it can't distract you from your work. A welcome bonus!

Each chapter has an interactive scene for solving puzzles, the pirate's booty in the game. The puzzles are typical to what you find in other hidden object games with point and click puzzles mixed in. The spells you learn play a role in these puzzles. For instance, an icy scene needs the Fire spell so you can melt the ice to get what you need. You can skip these puzzles after enough time passes.


Magician's Handbook 2's puzzles challenge and entertain. They're not anything you've seen in many hidden object games. No Memory. No piecing together torn paper. One puzzle gives you instructions, for example, find the spyglass and the crystal ball. Then in the straight line between the two objects, use fire on an item that makes sound to release the fairy. The game puts an X on the spyglass and crystal ball for easier referencing.

Whether you like a challenge or want to move at a leisurely pace, Magician's Handbook 2 comes with two modes: timer and no timer. Both modes come with a short version and a long version. Also, items appearing in the list of objects to find do change if you replay the game. The objects don't move from its spots, but at least you have the opportunity to find items you haven't found in the next go around. Both versions use the same scenes and puzzles, so thar be little difference beyond length.

The attractive hand-drawn scenes match up to the original. The original had a lot of small objects. While this one improves in this area, it still has too many little objects that strain a person's eyes. Be prepared to bring the screen close to your face or use a magnifying glass. The lovely scenes have dark spots where some hidden items unfairly appear. Thar be nothing wrong with dark parts of a scene as long as objects aren't hidden thar.

The keys are also small with some requiring multiple clicks before the game recognizes them. While the game's not accepting clicks doesn't happen as often as it has in other hidden object games, it's a little more much especially with the added frustration of dealing with itty bitty objects. Oh, ta make matters worse, the game crashes near the end. And it keeps crashing in various parts of the game with e'ery new user.

This isn't an ideal family game for those with kids under the age of 10. While some kids don't scare easily, some scenes have eerie characters or animation. In one scene, ghostly children appear and disappear. You can stop this with the Repel spell, if you have it. Another has eyes in a tree with body parts around the tree (not bloody or anything).

Experienced hidden object gamers will love the challenge while those newer to the genre may find it an aggravating experience. Give the trial a try. It won't take long before you encounter small objects to decide if it's worth the yo-ho-ho to trek on in The Magician's Handbook 2: Blacklore or if you should make it walk the plank.

Find this game here.

[Guy1731]

Infernus: Verse 2 - Review (source)

" It could still do more in future episodes to broaden its appeal."
There's always one, isn't there? In every secret underground lair or laboratory, the people responsible always leave at least one poor sod to stumble bewildered and blinking out of their cell long after everyone else has packed up and vamooshed.

While developer Motalen's first-person adventure Infernus: Verse 1 boasted some top-notch production values, it never got beyond that dazed and confused point - you woke up a prisoner not knowing how or why this had happened, you freed yourself, and the game ended.

Verse 2 does continue the story a fair bit, with the same excellent presentation, though it's still short on answers and just as frustratingly obtuse.

He's behind you

Motalen's graphics engine deserves a good deal of praise. Infernus: Verse 2 comes close to matching PlayStation 2 visuals in places, some quality texture work and detailed props enlivening the game world.

In addition, the audio is polished and surprisingly effective, even if the frights you experience exploring the deserted facility are predictable fare - whispering voices, lights going out, smash cuts, and the like.

Controls are a little cumbersome - in particular, rotating the view involves a lot of swiping at the screen - but they're responsive and workable enough.


Use 'head' with 'brick wall'

Unfortunately, this remains a limited old skool adventure game for the most part, and one which seems rather too fond of its nonsensical plot.

Verse 1 was padded out with a lot of awkward pixel-hunting and working out what the developers wanted you to do with seemingly random objects.

Verse 2 is slightly less convoluted, and there are hints handed out for most of your inventory items, yet these only aid you to a certain degree.

Sure, no one wants to be shown the answer to every puzzle straight away, but at the same time banging your head against a brick wall isn't much fun for anyone.

Infernus: Verse 2 is definitely a game, as opposed to Verse 1's tech demo status, but it could still do more in future episodes to broaden its appeal.

Find this game here.

[Guy1731]

Art Mogul - Review (source)

" Art Mogul is a unique HOG with an eye for the original."
Have you ever wondered what it's like to be an art dealer? The painstaking process of uncovering fakes and masterpieces, acquiring priceless collections, and driving up the values of classic paintings? Do you have the artistic eye required to be a world-renowned mogul of the arts? Wonder no longer! Brand new studio Funzai! takes on the challenge with a creative new simulation title called Art Mogul.

Right off the bat, Funzai! establishes itself as an innovative newcomer with an eye for the original. Art Mogul will start you off small but with the potential to take you around the world - all of which is dependent on your success as an art dealer. You'll visit galleries guaranteed to produce original artworks, cafes with the potential to find masterpieces hidden among the imitations, and auction houses as they acquire rare classics. Even starting off small at the beginning, there's plenty for you to do and manage from the get-go.


One of the more interesting points of Art Mogul is that the game is very open and each play-through is unique. As you visit galleries, for example, you will find famous artworks that are guaranteed originals. In order to acquire the best purchase price, you can find various elements (or hidden objects) within the paintings. These elements are largely randomized, so you won't be looking for the same things all the time. If you find all the objects, you can get a large discount on the painting. When you visit another gallery and decide to sell the painting, that gallery will specify whether or not it's desirable. If it's desirable, you can find more objects to boost the value, enticing that gallery into purchasing the painting for a higher price, and thus gaining maximum profit.

Dealings are not limited to galleries, however. Cafes and auction houses provide even more options. Cafes usually host skilled counterfeit artworks, which you can check against photos to see whether or not it's authentic. If you can prove it's a fake, you can both lower the price of the artwork and gain more renown as a dealer. If you discover it's an original, you can purchase it for a much lower price than you could at a gallery or auction. The game doesn't limit you here however: you can even choose to purchase counterfeit artworks and sell them to other cafes and galleries. It's cheaper, but can also put your career at risk.

Auction houses are also unique in that they often acquire rare artworks. You can bid on these artworks, and as other dealers bid, you can quickly find objects shown at the bottom of the screen to “stun” them, preventing them from bidding further and thus acquiring the artwork for a much lower price. Do this unsuccessfully however, and you may end up paying more for the painting than it's worth! Auction houses also host requests, asking for paintings with particular elements or objects. If you can find these paintings and bring them back, you can get outstanding financial rewards.


Eventually you can also take out loans from banks or start a savings account to more easily manage your empire of art dealings. Gain more fame, and you'll have the opportunity to start traveling to different parts of the world and expand your business. You can even start your own galleries and collections according to your personal taste!

Overall, Art Mogul is very innovative and gives you a lot to do. There are even further goals you can attempt to achieve as you rise in rank, and each of these goals can be upgraded further as you unlock them. Rank is measured in stars, and you can acquire them through your art dealings, but you can also lose them if you're not careful!

Aside from some minor text issues with the game, the only real issue is that as you progress further in the game, no real new elements present themselves, and paintings will eventually start to repeat every so often which can start to seem a bit repetitive. It also lacks the real “bang” at the end, or any type of climax for that matter. Essentially, what you see from the start is exactly what you'll get for the entire game. Yet, that being said, if you're looking for something new in the world of hidden object simulations, Art Mogul could be just what you're looking for.

Pros:

Innovative gameplay, largely unique per player, new locations and goals to unlock

Cons:

Minor text issues, lack of gameplay expansion, occasional object or painting repeats

Find this game here.

[Guy1731]

PIRATE MYSTERIES - Review (source)

" If you like simple games with hard to find items, this one might be a good game for you,"
Review 1: It looked pretty interesting as I started off the game but the humor wore off pretty quick as the game had too much dialog. It was hard to tell after a few minutes if I was playing an adventure HOG or reading an interactive comic.

It has nice graphics and music but many of the items are too small to be seen, doesn't resemble the description or too well blended into the scene. The developers must have tried hard to make it a decent game but ended up with a sort of juvenile theme borrowed from POC most likely.

Its not a bad game but just doesn't have what it takes to be good game with a corny plot. With too many bad games out there, I suffered this one out for a few hours. It wasn't all that long but one of those that kept on telling me that it was going to get better... Nooo.

If you like simple games with hard to find items, this one might be a good game for you, but for those who enjoy long and mind boggling games, you will find that the game is a little challenged.


Review 2: The introductory cut scene looked like it was from a movie and looked promising. I was excited and looked forward to a really excellent game. However, once the game started, it was down hill all the way.

Graphics were bad. Artwork in the scenes were nothing near acceptable. The items were so tiny that it was impossible to determine what they were. Most scenes were dark and items were hidden in the dark areas. I really had to sit very close to the screen to scrutinise it. It was bad. The music was repetitive, sound effects, animation and effects were just not on par.

Gameplay was boring. All I got was finding items from a list of words, finding items from a list of silhouettes and place the items in the list back into the scene. There was nothing fun about it. Same for the mini-games/puzzles.

I couldn't comment on the story because there was nothing special nor memorable about it. The characters were uninteresting. It was meant to be humorous but I didn't laugh at any of the jokes/humour from the conversations of the characters. The developers had used sarcasm in the dialogues and treated it as humour. I certainly do not consider that as humour.

After completing this lame game, the Arcade Mode was unlocked for unlimited replay of the hidden objects scenes. I couldn't care less because all I wanted was to uninstall this game.

Find this game here.

[Guy1731]

The Mystery of the Crystal Portal - Review (source)

" This game looks and sounds amazing, provides a great pick and play mechanic..."
Hidden item games are some of the biggest time sinks to grace any platform, and Android devices are no different. Maybe it is because they are so easy to pick up and play, or maybe the stunning visuals play a part, or some combination in-between. Either way, there is a reason these games continue to grace every kind of device and grip players like cheese catches mice.

The Mystery of the Crystal Portal is just one such item hunting game. The game begins with a short story about a woman who returns to her father’s home, only to find the front door locked and no sign of her dad anywhere. It is then up to the player to trace down clues as to where the father disappeared to, and this is a journey that will take players around the world in search of pieces to the Crystal Portal key.

While the narrative is not going to be transformed into a blockbuster movie, the gameplay is where the bulk of the interest is at. Players will need to hunt down various key items throughout several stages to unlock clues and continue the story. However, finding these items are not as easy as it may sound at first. There may be a clue in a bird nest, but a ladder is necessary to reach said bird nest. This will send players to a new stage to solve even more puzzles in order to find the hidden ladder. As parts of the stage puzzles are solved, new items are revealed, the stage morphs and changes, and the hunting continues until there is nothing left to do in that particular area.

Super sleuths are not alone in their hunting and gathering of items. Key items will glow green to indicate what should be tapped on to see what puzzle items are necessary. For example, a trash can maybe a key story item, but tapping it will show that the player needs to find a phone, paper, and globe to solve the trash can riddle. If one gets totally stumped, there is a gracious hint system that will direct players to story items, as well as puzzle items. This hint system does come in very handy at times, and helps break new people into just how well some things are hidden into each world, as well as alleviating the frustrations of having to tap all over the screen in hopes to move the game along. Finally, there are various logic games to help breakup all the item hunting, and these provide a nice change of pace throughout the game.


As for the presentation, this is one well-assembled game. Each location will bring on new themes that will fit the geographic location of where the story is taking place. Lamps will sway in the wind, trees rustle and sway, boats bob up and down, and various items will burn and smolder if they are on fire. Their color pallet knows no boundaries, and the eyes will be thankful for this hand-drawn goodness. The audio is subtle, yet perfectly fitting for this style of game as well. The sound of waves crashing on boats will fill ears of those in the shipping docks, while birds will sing to those on temple grounds. The attention to atmosphere will certainly bring people back for a second play through.

The biggest downside to this game is the sudden end to it, and keep in mind there is a second story coming out. However, when the player hits the end of the line, it is extremely abrupt, almost feeling like the game development was cut short at that point. This can cause some confusion, as well as frustration, but it does provide the hook to make players excited for the second part of this tale.

Overall, this game looks and sounds amazing, provides a great pick and play mechanic, with just enough story to pull gamers in. The game is free for the first four levels, and those that wish to finish the tale can unlock the rest from within from within the app. If only Waldo was this much fun to find!

Find this game here.

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The game was kinda fun because it's a bit different.It's fun to kill ghosts and the mini puzzles were nice but too easy.The hidden object games are always the same items so you get pretty sick of them by the end of the game.The scenes are dark but what's nice with this game is you can zoom in or out on all the scenes, not just the boy's.Overall it's not as good as others,but if you're like me and check for new releases by Big Fish, you just have to hope the next one did really great.By the way, if your not English you need to know "skittles" are bowling pins.