Reviews related to : Games

Sometimes an outside influence can direct me towards a specific game’s title.  In this case it was an article in a daily newspaper reporting on the escapades of a macaw named Jessie.  It seems Jessie decided to take a break from her comfy perch and took up residence on a neighbour’s rooftop in Cuckoo Hall Lane – where else would you expect a female bird to decide where to squat even if laying eggs was not on the agenda.

A Nanogram is a puzzle game based on the creation of mosaic type images laid out on a grid.  Originally featuring monochrome images, more recent versions of this type of game play have introduced the use of colour to add to the use of logic to solve these puzzles.  A recent example of this popular genre is Fantasy Mosaic 28 – Treasure Map. In this 28 edition of the Fantasy Mosaic franchise, you are involved in helping a family of penguins.

According to Phoenix Online Publishing, “Every Game was a Story” and, in this case, the story concerned “A Rite from the Stars”.  Based on the concept of a “rite of passage” found within various tribal communities, this point and click adventure game is the debut offering from the Spanish developer Risin’ Goat.  Versions of this game are available for the PC, Mac and Linux platforms.  My review is based on the Windows PC product offering.

With that strange object in the sky beating down plus the Met Office aggravating tourism chiefs by issuing an amber health warning and advising the public to stay indoors between 11.00 am and 3.0 pm rather than going out and about spending money it does seem appropriate to take a look at a game entitled Summer Adventure which is not to be confused with Summer Holiday.  This Summer Adventure game belongs to the Hidden Object genre.

Whenever I encounter the words “Wadjet Eye” in connection with a game, I am immediately taken back to a time when a player was meant to use their imagination to embellish the more basic environment created by the development team.  In the case of the latest Wadjet Eye offering of Unavowed, this journey back also includes the appearance of a set-up file for the Window’s environment used by the game.

Having missed the original title of “Rune Stones Quest”, I can only guess at the ferocity of the battles and destruction caused as the Dwarves fought the evil sorcerer in this game.  Fortunately the follow up offering, appropriately entitled “Rune Stones Quest 2” gives you the opportunity to put right the damage caused to the Dwarves Kingdom in the first game.

The console is 9.3x5.5x2cm and it weighs 72grams. The viewable screen is 3.5x2.8cm. Below the screen on the face of the unit are a five position joystick, to its right round buttons marked A and B and below this two bar buttons marked Reset and Start. Near the bottom on the left side is the speaker. On the left side a slider button for on/off and below this a volume control.

Set in medieval times, Storm Tale is a Green Sauce developed Match 3 game that is based on a village that has been devastated by a prophecy involving an evil sorcerer named Tyranus.  Following a terrible storm brought about by Tyranus, a terrible army attacked the village, stealing its possessions and then burning it to the ground.

Recently I have had the opportunity to step back in time and indulge myself with some retro game play.  This period of nostalgic game play was brought about by the arrival of a Retro Handheld Console from Thumbs Up to review. This handheld device has dimensions of 92 x 56 x 21 mm (H x W x D) and weighs just 76g (with batteries inserted).  As a result the device can be slipped easily into a pocket or bag without weighing you down too much or causing an unsightly bulge.

Developed by Awigot Studio, Rainbow Mosaics – Treasure Trip 2 is a puzzle game from the genre that is sometimes known as Nanograms.  This genre is also  referred to as Griddlers or Hanjie.  Nanograms present the player with a series of square or rectangular grids made up of columns and rows that need to be inked in based on numeric clues.  This process will have the effect of creating an image.

Developed by Joyful Software, the game of 11 Islands belongs to the Match 3 genre.  However, unlike some other titles of the same genre that I have looked at recently, the developers of this game have opted to use a basic style of graphics that was familiar a few years ago.  Rather than grids made up of small tiles, those appearing in this game are much larger, in most cases featuring types of fruit.

Entitled The Secret Order: The Buried Kingdom, this is a Hidden Object Adventure game developed by Sunward.  In this game you are cast in the role of Sarah Pennington, a time travelling member of the Griffin Order.  Following Sarah’s latest successful mission, the authorities take the decision to ban the use of time travel, leaving your character with plenty of free time to catch up with family members and friends.

Entitled The Enthralling Realm: An Alchemist’s Tale, this game was developed by Sunsoft Games.  It contains a back story of two sisters and wraps them with more than 70 levels of Match 3 grid solving.  The two sisters, named Coral and Iris, grew up as orphans in a remote village until they met Avis, a master alchemist, who took them in and started training them in his school of alchemy.

The Enthralling Realms – Curse of Darkness is a tale of redemption based on an age old story and packaged as a Match 3 game.  Your role in this game, developed by Funsoft Games, is that of an assistant to Alice and Sam who set about restoring the Hobbit Village that had fallen prey to a dark curse which caused it to fall into ruin. But just how had Alice and Sam become involved in such a difficult task of restoring the Hobbit Village.

While you might expect a game’s title to give you a clue as to what you might be faced with – but this is not always the case.  Take for instance Tales of Lagoona 3 – Frauds, Forgeries and Fishsticks.  Set 20,000 leagues beneath the sea, this Hidden Object game offers little explanation with regards what to expect as you set about rescuing Poseidon Park.  So lets take a look at what this enigmatic title has to offer, starting with environmental adjustments.

While reduced travelling time (although the same could not be applied to airport arrival and departure establishments which tend to operate on the tortoise principle) have made the geographical world seem smaller for would-be travellers, not everybody can take advantage of this facility.  Work considerations, family circumstances and health issues can all play a part in keeping individuals in close proximity to their home environment rather than travel the physical world.

Developed by “What Day Is It Games”, Brazilian Adventure belongs to the popular Hidden Object Adventure genre.  In this game, set in 1959, you take on the role of a freelance airplane pilot who is contracted to fly his passenger, Mr. Hanari, to his destination.  However engine problems cause an emergency landing and your passenger is less than pleased by this development and refuses to settle his bill.

Developed by Shaman Games Studio, “A Plot Story” had been classified as belonging to the Hidden Object genre of titles.  The game is spread over more than 90 levels of game play as you work your way through various screens and challenges. However before entering this world based on a medieval appearance, as you attempt to foil evil deeds and stop the stealing of a soul, you are given the opportunity of making some adjustments to the game’s playing environment.

Mind Candy, with its vision to create worlds that fire the imagination of the child with products such as the company’s flagship brand of Moshi Monsters, has now released the Moshi Twilight Sleep Stories.