silverwolfcc (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
silverwolfcc) wrote2014-12-14 05:57 am
silverwolfcc) wrote2014-12-14 05:57 am
Entry tags:
CC Plays Some Games
Doing this literally half-blind, therefore unable to RP but blame Sharon because she said I should.
-- Dungeon: Eye of Draconus
Sidescroller, Hack & Slash RPG, buttonsmash, more fun w/ friends! Humor 10/10 || Lore 9/10 || Action level = EXHAUSTING. Couldn't get past first level for noodle arms! Fun though. Play if you like: Blazblue, Rune Soldier Louie, mocking D&D games + playing them, Hack & Slash!! CFIDS level of interference: 100% -- exhaustion! Oops :T Play when ready to smash! Or with friends! Reminiscent of: Rune Soldier Louie the anime, Goblins the comic, Dungeons & Dorks the comic
Friends & Family I'd recommend it to: Moosey (bro), & Dad. Why: Because they are both D&Dorks & love RSL & Goblins.
-- Grim Legends: The Forsaken Bride
Hidden Objects, Mystery, Fairy Tale, 2D Visual Novel art.
Lore: 10/10, Story/Plot: 8/10 -- Characterization: 7/10 -- a little cliche in parts, but still a gorgeous use of legends & mythos, fantastic use of fairy tale elements, GORGEOUSLY BREATHTAKING SCENES, Setting: 10/10, Art: 10/10 Don't get if you don't like Hidden object games, or fairy tales. Migraine level: 0/10 There is some reading involved but you can skate by with a lot of voice-overs, the color contrast leaves literally nothing to be desired, it's dark without being invisible, it's HIGH contrast and beautifully detailed, played with worst migraine, no problems -- DID have -SLIGHT- trouble finding extra fairies/bonus hidden objects, but still managed even that well! Reminiscent of: Fairy Godmother Tycoon, Beauty & the Beast.... and other Hidden Object games by the same company lawl. Uses lore of: Celtic mythology, Native American mythology, Fairy Tales internationally. Music: 9/10, purposely meant to fit the setting which it does 100%, but you probably wouldn't listen to it without the game. Unless you are a bigger fan than me. Bonus points for un-migrainey! CAN play without sound!
Friends & Family I'd recommend it to: None. Why: Because none of them are half as obsessed with fairy tales as me. Closest call: Moosey because he adores Beauty & the Beast and would truly enjoy the gorgeous art and story.
-- Eversion
2D Side Scroller, Can't die, Simple, Casual, CUTE AS A BUTTON!
Mechanics: 5/10 -- I am forever awful with ledges and jumping. AWFUL. AWWWWFUL. There can be one ledge in an entire game/map and I will still die on it fifty times. It's a miracle I don't go over cliffs in a segway in real life. You MUST have patience with the timing, and confidence to go reasonably fast. Ironically some kids might be hugely better at that than me! You also restart no pain, and at certain places in the middle of the level, so that is REALLY nice.
Reminiscent of: Mario, Cosmo, Sonic, 2D Side Scrollers, Angry Birds, Pikmin (because plants?)
CFIDS/Migraine level of interference: 4/10 -- It's a little bright for me, but it's in that super cheerful sense. Harder with a migraine as nerves and depth perception get thrown off.
Recommended for: Lovers of casual games, Angry Birds, Mario, Jump flower lovers, children!
Setting: 7/10, it's very very very very cute. Like Diabetic cute. There are clouds and smiley faces everywhere and gentle colors. It's oddly soothing.
Friends & Family I'd recommend it to: None. Why: Mom is too ADHD for patience OR Angry Birds, although she'd like the cute. Moosey would like the cute & sidescrolling action, but hasn't done any in ages. Closest I'd come is Amanda, Kyle's cousin because she is a huge Angry Birds & casual fan.
-- Melissa K. & the Heart of Gold
Hidden Object, Mystery, Puzzle, Adventure, Archaeologist, Point & Click!
Same company as Grim Legends, and JUST as gorgeous. The writing is just as well thought-out, the characterization takes an interesting focus, the puzzles are fun as heck, and the setting is Thailand, and gorgeous. JUST as easy on the eyes & CFIDS, I used the hint button way more in this but only because it's far less straight-forward. There are a few points you need to backtrack and run around to assemble pieces, but it hasn't gotten tedious yet! Art: 9/10, VERY gorgeously detailed, but much brighter and more emphasis on gold & red because of the demons & Buddha themes. <- Speaking of which, lore = 10/10 still! I'm not Buddhist and of my world religions that's probably my rustiest, but they handle everything I remember beautifully, and instead of finding fairies, you find reclining Buddhas!!! Seriously that made my day, especially with a migraine when I'm the reclining one. Even Buddha wasn't at attention all the time. ;)
-- Puzzles: 10/10, I found them harder than Grim Legends, but by the same token more intriguing! Also love the archaeologist theme, and her guide. Characterization 9/10. Migraine/CFIDS level: 1/10 -- there are some parts where I felt too migrainey/mentally foggy to keep up, but obviously ymmv.
Friends & Family I'd recommend it to: HESITANTLY my Mom, IF she had a lot of hours to sink into it. Also Sharon because of the Asian studies theme & main character. Maybe Luffy-bro because he loves stories of monks & priests (and monks who are also monkeys) but in that case, he should get through Blue Exorcist first.
--Nightmares from the Deep
Hidden Object, Pirates, Adventure, Ghost stories, Point & click, Visual Novel
Same company as Grim Legends and Melissa K, this one takes place in a museum wherein you are a curator about to crack open the recently recovered corpse of the famous Captain Remington for an exhibit alongside his infamous pistol (OF COURSE) -> As a pirate game, I expected it to be my favorite of the 3, but wound up in love with Grim Legends more, if only by a hair! Writing: 9/10, there's a few pieces where they stretch it, but they acknowledge they're stretching it. Whether that makes it better or worse is up to you. Art: 9/10 I LOVE the glowing feel, Remington is pretty damn scary! But there are definitely some places that made me squint and were difficult to figure out for lack of contrasting color -- not something you want in a hidden objects game. OTOH: Migraine/CFIDS level of interference: 1/10, I couldn't rely 100% on sound, there was definitely some vision involved (though you can skip the hidden objects parts for mahjong if you prefer!!!) but a lot of it is more to do with directions/location/"what now" than mechanics. Mechanics: 10/10, I used the hint more than Grim Legends, but half of the time it wasn't out of necessity, just guesswork! Trust your instincts and it'll be a breeze. Puzzles: 7/10, Not as amazing as Melissa K, but I'm not finished yet. ;)
Lore: 7/10, I DID get a crack out of Remington's famous pistol references, (Humor: 8/10, it's dry, but I did laugh out loud a couple of times and fiance asked why) and they are obviously in touch with 1) museums 2) curating 3) pirates, but in the pull for ghost stories involvement, it actually waters down the pirate story, and conversely, the pirate aspect doesn't add to the ghost story, but waters that down too. OTOH: Glowing algae? OCEAN SETTING? FULL MOON ENCHANTMENTS?! MORE PLEASE!
Recommended for: Fans of the company, pirate fans, those who'd empathize/enjoy a supernatural adventure literally the fuck out of nowhere.
Friends & family I'd recommend it to: Maybe Mom. She'd like the story [[SPOILERS: The curator is a mother and her young adult daughter gets kidnapped so the mother goes on crusade mission to rescue her daughter by sneaking aboard the ghost ship. The daughter reminds me a little of my sister, and my Mom is a historian & holds her minor in museum studies very proudly.]] but I would tell her to play Mahjong instead of the hidden object. Maybe Sharon on the museum front & arrrrr pirates. Also because the ghost level is only 3/10 for scary. No jump scares, just mildly creepy.
-- Captain Morgane & the Golden Turtle
Pirates, Point & Click, ghost stories??, Visual Novel, mystery-ish
Lore: 8/10 PIRATES!!!!! \o/ Okay the only thing you need to have in order for me to love a movie, is two out of three of: a turtle island, a REALLY REALLY loyal [first mate/bff], a kickass hot chick, and/or a series of mild puzzle/sequential events. Also pirates. Pirates are almost always in there. This, has all of that. EVERY SINGLE ONE. So of course I love it. A LOT. Literally the only thing you could do to make me love it more is to GIVE ME MORE. Period. As it is, I will pre-order a sequel even if only ONE person works on it, and all they do is promise Captain Morgane and MAYBE Diego. Or maybe just Diego. I love Diego. Underappreciated precious muscle in the purple coat. So cute. They left out a lot of pirate lore, but crammed in a LOT as well, (I mean how much CAN you fit in one game, lbr.) and while my favorite part was (of course!) Diego, in a weird way, that might be an extension of my love for the character interactions with Morgane & her father! The characterization is phenomenal in this. 9/10 easily, and literally the only way you could do better is to give me MOOOOORE. And that in itself, is a rare request from me since even if I find characters interesting I have be really really obsessed AND interested, AND curious, to want more. Plot: 7/10, there aren't exactly holes, but it's a little loose in some places, and other places absolutely make up for others.
Mechanics: despite being point & click, it's not super straight-forward, there is a LOT of traveling to solve the puzzles/mysteries, and doing certain things in the right order, which actually can get tedious! 6/10, they overused some points, almost underused others (in comparison?) and while I did like that one island you show up at night, it's ALWAYS night, and the others are always day, so if you're like me, you get curious what they'd be like at the other time and there's nothing you can do about it! This is a mechanic flaw/feature since you need moonlight for a specific part so you know where to get it, but still made me frown.
Setting: 7/10, I did enjoy the art, and some of the places are fascinating, there are a lot of littler details everywhere to add good touches, and you can really only understand the story in full by doing everything you can, buuuuuuuuuuuuuuut, like I said, some of the places are over used, and others almost under used. If they do see a sequel, I would like ~~~more~~~~, more maps, more options, more taking advantage of the settings, and a little bit more linear. In Monkey Island 2, that was something I universally heard as a complaint -- all the back & forth. Trust me, it's NOT a feature.
Ghost story: 9/10! I can't think of anything I'd personally change in it, I loved it! BUT it would probably throw off any major ghost story fans, and/or horror genre lovers, and wasn't directly necessary to the pirate plotline, although it DID make the characterization go from a 4-7, to a solid 10+ almost flawlessly. It also neatly helped tie the mini-plots together and I REALLY enjoyed that, but again, ymmv. If you like ghosts, I do not at all promise this will suit you. It's a very specific situation, and it's actually the uniqueness about it that I loved so much!
Humor: 4/10. It exists! It's sharp! It's more cute than witty however, and occasionally almost trying too hard. The parts I liked best were just letting the flow come naturally! I THINK it was an attempt to grab Monkey Island fans, but the humor is too different. For future reference: leave the humor in the fish shoes, just enjoy the ride and the player will too. -- I did love the Boba Fett Bounty Island flag though. That made my spirits soar, even though obvious references to things aren't usually something I enjoy.
Recommend to: Pirate lovers. Turtle lovers.
Reminiscent of: Monkey Island, One Piece especially Movie 7 -- although Diego reminds me of Marco for the color scheme
CFIDS/Migraine Interference Level: 6/10 Reading required, but very high contrast, low pain, except on certain parts with flashy colors near the end, & certain mini-games that required reflexes
Friends & Family I'd recommend it to: My sister Laura who would like the ghost story & main female captain (Laura is more into chicks than not), Sharon because: PIRATES (and turtles) + Point & Click + Diego she would love too, and maybe Mags because Pirates & Point & Click.
-- Face Noir
Film Noir, Mystery, Dark, RPG, Crime
Music: 10/10, it's very jazzy & soothing on the head. If I figure out how to get the music separated it's instantly going into a playlist. The music alone made me swoon.
Mechanics: Point & Click, easy peasey! There is a little reading involved for the RP conversation selections, but almost everything is voice acted over and REALLY well at that!!!!
Setting: NYC in the 1930s, starting with Harlem. Bring it. B)
Theme: FILM. FUCKING. NOIR. -- Obviously I'm a huge Film Noir fan. I love jazz, I love shady detectives wandering grimy city streets in the rain. I love their constant narrative to the camera and the extra FLAVOR of it like tobacco and flint in the rain. Fucking. ALL OF IT.
Mystery/Plot: 10/10 NOT easy, Not too hard, won't spoiler it, don't ask me. Parts you can expect, parts you can't! Like every good noir mystery should be.
Migraine/CFIDS Interference level: 2/10. You could probably get by without reading just guessing and clicking, but you really do need to be able to read a little to get the full of it.
Reminiscent of: Film Noir. Done. Look it up. Lore: 10/10 See all over the above.
Friends & Family I'd recommend it to: Kyle. He doesn't normally do mystery games but jazz and film noir. I'd beg. Why: I realllllllly like it. I would have to read it to my Mom though and she'd fall asleep even though she loves mysteries, and Moosey can't handle dark crime.
Sang-Froid: A Tale of Werewolves
Music: 10/10. It's got a GORGEOUS Celtic influenced Native American Innui & Canadian Folk sound, the soundtrack is drop dead gorgeous. Within the First 30 seconds I said "omfg Moosey has to hear this."
Lore: 10/10 Celtic, Native American/First Nation/Tribal North-Western, Canadian early history, werewolves. All of which is done flawlessly. It's not 100% following strict orthodox traditions, but nothing is glaringly off either, and ALL of it is beautifully blended in a very immersive authentic EMOTIONAL feel.
Plot: 9/10 Less than flawless, but in many cases, barely. I'd stack it against SEVERAL books any day of the week to be honest. It's VERY well done.
Mechanics: 8/10 The strategy & action can be a little more difficult to implement simultaneously, but each one is to help you supplement the other. If you're good at action, you can do this! If you're good at strategy? USE THAT TO YOUR ADVANTAGE! Simple, yet complicated.
FEAR FACTOR: This is a direct reference to a game mechanic aspect, but seriously? I LOVE IT. And 8/10. I never had to fully go "I CAN'T DO THIS AHHHH" buuuuut That is a good thing for me!! It probably won't scare actual horror fans, but casual horror fans will probably really love it. There are also PLENTY of ways to make it scarier (or less) on yourself.
Wolves: 9/10. I love wolves. I looooove wolves. Wolves love me. Wolves will eat you in this. Beware the Werewolves. AND YET, for all I am pretty loathe to kill wolves in Baldur's Gate unless I can convince myself they're actually rabid, I had NO trouble with these wolves. You do NOT question that they're evil, and there's a lot of extra reason to know they are bad bad wolves. So if you can make a game where I am OKAY WITH SHOOTING TO KILL WOLVES? YOU DID SOMETHING REALLY RIGHT!
I'm a Lumberjack and I'm -- OKAY! Synesthesia note: I still hate plaid and it tastes uncomfortable in my mouth (literally... google synesthesia, it's weird like that) BUT I fucking ADORE Jos' voice actor. Josephine & Jaques could use some work.
Characterization: I'm actually gonna leave this off for now because I do need to see more to get a good idea of them, but they are interesting, and I very much enjoy the background/non-main characters so far. Also the characters move forward the plot, which I prefer (rather than characters being moved by plot) but they are not the driving force behind it. (see again: I prefer this.)
Migraine/CFIDS interference factor: 1/10 Everything important is voiced over, the enemies you can lure into lit places (including planning your own to your own tastes) and the contrast is well done. Only problem I had was implementing both action AND strategy at the same time. Because CFIDS doesn't like using both sides of the brain. Our neurology is literally (un)wired impeding that. Still, was able to play with a migraine at night, and the full moon + snow made it easier, not harder. Mainly because the fighting is mostly at night, and the strategizing takes place during the day. SMART.
Reminiscent of: Wolverine??? Balto??? Huh. For a lover of werewolf and wolf and mythology stories, I'm actually coming up short. IN THE BEST GOD DAMN WAY. IT IS ITS OWN BEAUTIFUL THING. AS IT SHOULD BE.
Recommended for: Werewolf lovers, Canadian burly hunter lovers, smart fighters.
Friends & Family I'd recommend it to: Moosey, MAYBE Mom & Dad, Luffy-bro. Why: Luffy-bro's Native name is "Fire" so he'd enjoy the poetic justice of bonfires & the burly Canadian lumberjack roars, AND the fallen priest contexts. Moosey is a genius at strategy who loves a good action fight -- although I'm not sure he could hand the camera style (I THINK SO?) Mom & Dad would appreciate the history, religious contexts, and Native American/Tribal & Celtic lore. A lot. Dad also got me into werewolf movies, which he always approved of more than vampires. No I have no idea why. But he'd do reasonably well with it, I think. Mom might find the story scary, but the history would pull her back.
-- Dungeon: Eye of Draconus
Sidescroller, Hack & Slash RPG, buttonsmash, more fun w/ friends! Humor 10/10 || Lore 9/10 || Action level = EXHAUSTING. Couldn't get past first level for noodle arms! Fun though. Play if you like: Blazblue, Rune Soldier Louie, mocking D&D games + playing them, Hack & Slash!! CFIDS level of interference: 100% -- exhaustion! Oops :T Play when ready to smash! Or with friends! Reminiscent of: Rune Soldier Louie the anime, Goblins the comic, Dungeons & Dorks the comic
Friends & Family I'd recommend it to: Moosey (bro), & Dad. Why: Because they are both D&Dorks & love RSL & Goblins.
-- Grim Legends: The Forsaken Bride
Hidden Objects, Mystery, Fairy Tale, 2D Visual Novel art.
Lore: 10/10, Story/Plot: 8/10 -- Characterization: 7/10 -- a little cliche in parts, but still a gorgeous use of legends & mythos, fantastic use of fairy tale elements, GORGEOUSLY BREATHTAKING SCENES, Setting: 10/10, Art: 10/10 Don't get if you don't like Hidden object games, or fairy tales. Migraine level: 0/10 There is some reading involved but you can skate by with a lot of voice-overs, the color contrast leaves literally nothing to be desired, it's dark without being invisible, it's HIGH contrast and beautifully detailed, played with worst migraine, no problems -- DID have -SLIGHT- trouble finding extra fairies/bonus hidden objects, but still managed even that well! Reminiscent of: Fairy Godmother Tycoon, Beauty & the Beast.... and other Hidden Object games by the same company lawl. Uses lore of: Celtic mythology, Native American mythology, Fairy Tales internationally. Music: 9/10, purposely meant to fit the setting which it does 100%, but you probably wouldn't listen to it without the game. Unless you are a bigger fan than me. Bonus points for un-migrainey! CAN play without sound!
Friends & Family I'd recommend it to: None. Why: Because none of them are half as obsessed with fairy tales as me. Closest call: Moosey because he adores Beauty & the Beast and would truly enjoy the gorgeous art and story.
-- Eversion
2D Side Scroller, Can't die, Simple, Casual, CUTE AS A BUTTON!
Mechanics: 5/10 -- I am forever awful with ledges and jumping. AWFUL. AWWWWFUL. There can be one ledge in an entire game/map and I will still die on it fifty times. It's a miracle I don't go over cliffs in a segway in real life. You MUST have patience with the timing, and confidence to go reasonably fast. Ironically some kids might be hugely better at that than me! You also restart no pain, and at certain places in the middle of the level, so that is REALLY nice.
Reminiscent of: Mario, Cosmo, Sonic, 2D Side Scrollers, Angry Birds, Pikmin (because plants?)
CFIDS/Migraine level of interference: 4/10 -- It's a little bright for me, but it's in that super cheerful sense. Harder with a migraine as nerves and depth perception get thrown off.
Recommended for: Lovers of casual games, Angry Birds, Mario, Jump flower lovers, children!
Setting: 7/10, it's very very very very cute. Like Diabetic cute. There are clouds and smiley faces everywhere and gentle colors. It's oddly soothing.
Friends & Family I'd recommend it to: None. Why: Mom is too ADHD for patience OR Angry Birds, although she'd like the cute. Moosey would like the cute & sidescrolling action, but hasn't done any in ages. Closest I'd come is Amanda, Kyle's cousin because she is a huge Angry Birds & casual fan.
-- Melissa K. & the Heart of Gold
Hidden Object, Mystery, Puzzle, Adventure, Archaeologist, Point & Click!
Same company as Grim Legends, and JUST as gorgeous. The writing is just as well thought-out, the characterization takes an interesting focus, the puzzles are fun as heck, and the setting is Thailand, and gorgeous. JUST as easy on the eyes & CFIDS, I used the hint button way more in this but only because it's far less straight-forward. There are a few points you need to backtrack and run around to assemble pieces, but it hasn't gotten tedious yet! Art: 9/10, VERY gorgeously detailed, but much brighter and more emphasis on gold & red because of the demons & Buddha themes. <- Speaking of which, lore = 10/10 still! I'm not Buddhist and of my world religions that's probably my rustiest, but they handle everything I remember beautifully, and instead of finding fairies, you find reclining Buddhas!!! Seriously that made my day, especially with a migraine when I'm the reclining one. Even Buddha wasn't at attention all the time. ;)
-- Puzzles: 10/10, I found them harder than Grim Legends, but by the same token more intriguing! Also love the archaeologist theme, and her guide. Characterization 9/10. Migraine/CFIDS level: 1/10 -- there are some parts where I felt too migrainey/mentally foggy to keep up, but obviously ymmv.
Friends & Family I'd recommend it to: HESITANTLY my Mom, IF she had a lot of hours to sink into it. Also Sharon because of the Asian studies theme & main character. Maybe Luffy-bro because he loves stories of monks & priests (and monks who are also monkeys) but in that case, he should get through Blue Exorcist first.
--Nightmares from the Deep
Hidden Object, Pirates, Adventure, Ghost stories, Point & click, Visual Novel
Same company as Grim Legends and Melissa K, this one takes place in a museum wherein you are a curator about to crack open the recently recovered corpse of the famous Captain Remington for an exhibit alongside his infamous pistol (OF COURSE) -> As a pirate game, I expected it to be my favorite of the 3, but wound up in love with Grim Legends more, if only by a hair! Writing: 9/10, there's a few pieces where they stretch it, but they acknowledge they're stretching it. Whether that makes it better or worse is up to you. Art: 9/10 I LOVE the glowing feel, Remington is pretty damn scary! But there are definitely some places that made me squint and were difficult to figure out for lack of contrasting color -- not something you want in a hidden objects game. OTOH: Migraine/CFIDS level of interference: 1/10, I couldn't rely 100% on sound, there was definitely some vision involved (though you can skip the hidden objects parts for mahjong if you prefer!!!) but a lot of it is more to do with directions/location/"what now" than mechanics. Mechanics: 10/10, I used the hint more than Grim Legends, but half of the time it wasn't out of necessity, just guesswork! Trust your instincts and it'll be a breeze. Puzzles: 7/10, Not as amazing as Melissa K, but I'm not finished yet. ;)
Lore: 7/10, I DID get a crack out of Remington's famous pistol references, (Humor: 8/10, it's dry, but I did laugh out loud a couple of times and fiance asked why) and they are obviously in touch with 1) museums 2) curating 3) pirates, but in the pull for ghost stories involvement, it actually waters down the pirate story, and conversely, the pirate aspect doesn't add to the ghost story, but waters that down too. OTOH: Glowing algae? OCEAN SETTING? FULL MOON ENCHANTMENTS?! MORE PLEASE!
Recommended for: Fans of the company, pirate fans, those who'd empathize/enjoy a supernatural adventure literally the fuck out of nowhere.
Friends & family I'd recommend it to: Maybe Mom. She'd like the story [[SPOILERS: The curator is a mother and her young adult daughter gets kidnapped so the mother goes on crusade mission to rescue her daughter by sneaking aboard the ghost ship. The daughter reminds me a little of my sister, and my Mom is a historian & holds her minor in museum studies very proudly.]] but I would tell her to play Mahjong instead of the hidden object. Maybe Sharon on the museum front & arrrrr pirates. Also because the ghost level is only 3/10 for scary. No jump scares, just mildly creepy.
-- Captain Morgane & the Golden Turtle
Pirates, Point & Click, ghost stories??, Visual Novel, mystery-ish
Lore: 8/10 PIRATES!!!!! \o/ Okay the only thing you need to have in order for me to love a movie, is two out of three of: a turtle island, a REALLY REALLY loyal [first mate/bff], a kickass hot chick, and/or a series of mild puzzle/sequential events. Also pirates. Pirates are almost always in there. This, has all of that. EVERY SINGLE ONE. So of course I love it. A LOT. Literally the only thing you could do to make me love it more is to GIVE ME MORE. Period. As it is, I will pre-order a sequel even if only ONE person works on it, and all they do is promise Captain Morgane and MAYBE Diego. Or maybe just Diego. I love Diego. Underappreciated precious muscle in the purple coat. So cute. They left out a lot of pirate lore, but crammed in a LOT as well, (I mean how much CAN you fit in one game, lbr.) and while my favorite part was (of course!) Diego, in a weird way, that might be an extension of my love for the character interactions with Morgane & her father! The characterization is phenomenal in this. 9/10 easily, and literally the only way you could do better is to give me MOOOOORE. And that in itself, is a rare request from me since even if I find characters interesting I have be really really obsessed AND interested, AND curious, to want more. Plot: 7/10, there aren't exactly holes, but it's a little loose in some places, and other places absolutely make up for others.
Mechanics: despite being point & click, it's not super straight-forward, there is a LOT of traveling to solve the puzzles/mysteries, and doing certain things in the right order, which actually can get tedious! 6/10, they overused some points, almost underused others (in comparison?) and while I did like that one island you show up at night, it's ALWAYS night, and the others are always day, so if you're like me, you get curious what they'd be like at the other time and there's nothing you can do about it! This is a mechanic flaw/feature since you need moonlight for a specific part so you know where to get it, but still made me frown.
Setting: 7/10, I did enjoy the art, and some of the places are fascinating, there are a lot of littler details everywhere to add good touches, and you can really only understand the story in full by doing everything you can, buuuuuuuuuuuuuuut, like I said, some of the places are over used, and others almost under used. If they do see a sequel, I would like ~~~more~~~~, more maps, more options, more taking advantage of the settings, and a little bit more linear. In Monkey Island 2, that was something I universally heard as a complaint -- all the back & forth. Trust me, it's NOT a feature.
Ghost story: 9/10! I can't think of anything I'd personally change in it, I loved it! BUT it would probably throw off any major ghost story fans, and/or horror genre lovers, and wasn't directly necessary to the pirate plotline, although it DID make the characterization go from a 4-7, to a solid 10+ almost flawlessly. It also neatly helped tie the mini-plots together and I REALLY enjoyed that, but again, ymmv. If you like ghosts, I do not at all promise this will suit you. It's a very specific situation, and it's actually the uniqueness about it that I loved so much!
Humor: 4/10. It exists! It's sharp! It's more cute than witty however, and occasionally almost trying too hard. The parts I liked best were just letting the flow come naturally! I THINK it was an attempt to grab Monkey Island fans, but the humor is too different. For future reference: leave the humor in the fish shoes, just enjoy the ride and the player will too. -- I did love the Boba Fett Bounty Island flag though. That made my spirits soar, even though obvious references to things aren't usually something I enjoy.
Recommend to: Pirate lovers. Turtle lovers.
Reminiscent of: Monkey Island, One Piece especially Movie 7 -- although Diego reminds me of Marco for the color scheme
CFIDS/Migraine Interference Level: 6/10 Reading required, but very high contrast, low pain, except on certain parts with flashy colors near the end, & certain mini-games that required reflexes
Friends & Family I'd recommend it to: My sister Laura who would like the ghost story & main female captain (Laura is more into chicks than not), Sharon because: PIRATES (and turtles) + Point & Click + Diego she would love too, and maybe Mags because Pirates & Point & Click.
-- Face Noir
Film Noir, Mystery, Dark, RPG, Crime
Music: 10/10, it's very jazzy & soothing on the head. If I figure out how to get the music separated it's instantly going into a playlist. The music alone made me swoon.
Mechanics: Point & Click, easy peasey! There is a little reading involved for the RP conversation selections, but almost everything is voice acted over and REALLY well at that!!!!
Setting: NYC in the 1930s, starting with Harlem. Bring it. B)
Theme: FILM. FUCKING. NOIR. -- Obviously I'm a huge Film Noir fan. I love jazz, I love shady detectives wandering grimy city streets in the rain. I love their constant narrative to the camera and the extra FLAVOR of it like tobacco and flint in the rain. Fucking. ALL OF IT.
Mystery/Plot: 10/10 NOT easy, Not too hard, won't spoiler it, don't ask me. Parts you can expect, parts you can't! Like every good noir mystery should be.
Migraine/CFIDS Interference level: 2/10. You could probably get by without reading just guessing and clicking, but you really do need to be able to read a little to get the full of it.
Reminiscent of: Film Noir. Done. Look it up. Lore: 10/10 See all over the above.
Friends & Family I'd recommend it to: Kyle. He doesn't normally do mystery games but jazz and film noir. I'd beg. Why: I realllllllly like it. I would have to read it to my Mom though and she'd fall asleep even though she loves mysteries, and Moosey can't handle dark crime.
Sang-Froid: A Tale of Werewolves
Music: 10/10. It's got a GORGEOUS Celtic influenced Native American Innui & Canadian Folk sound, the soundtrack is drop dead gorgeous. Within the First 30 seconds I said "omfg Moosey has to hear this."
Lore: 10/10 Celtic, Native American/First Nation/Tribal North-Western, Canadian early history, werewolves. All of which is done flawlessly. It's not 100% following strict orthodox traditions, but nothing is glaringly off either, and ALL of it is beautifully blended in a very immersive authentic EMOTIONAL feel.
Plot: 9/10 Less than flawless, but in many cases, barely. I'd stack it against SEVERAL books any day of the week to be honest. It's VERY well done.
Mechanics: 8/10 The strategy & action can be a little more difficult to implement simultaneously, but each one is to help you supplement the other. If you're good at action, you can do this! If you're good at strategy? USE THAT TO YOUR ADVANTAGE! Simple, yet complicated.
FEAR FACTOR: This is a direct reference to a game mechanic aspect, but seriously? I LOVE IT. And 8/10. I never had to fully go "I CAN'T DO THIS AHHHH" buuuuut That is a good thing for me!! It probably won't scare actual horror fans, but casual horror fans will probably really love it. There are also PLENTY of ways to make it scarier (or less) on yourself.
Wolves: 9/10. I love wolves. I looooove wolves. Wolves love me. Wolves will eat you in this. Beware the Werewolves. AND YET, for all I am pretty loathe to kill wolves in Baldur's Gate unless I can convince myself they're actually rabid, I had NO trouble with these wolves. You do NOT question that they're evil, and there's a lot of extra reason to know they are bad bad wolves. So if you can make a game where I am OKAY WITH SHOOTING TO KILL WOLVES? YOU DID SOMETHING REALLY RIGHT!
I'm a Lumberjack and I'm -- OKAY! Synesthesia note: I still hate plaid and it tastes uncomfortable in my mouth (literally... google synesthesia, it's weird like that) BUT I fucking ADORE Jos' voice actor. Josephine & Jaques could use some work.
Characterization: I'm actually gonna leave this off for now because I do need to see more to get a good idea of them, but they are interesting, and I very much enjoy the background/non-main characters so far. Also the characters move forward the plot, which I prefer (rather than characters being moved by plot) but they are not the driving force behind it. (see again: I prefer this.)
Migraine/CFIDS interference factor: 1/10 Everything important is voiced over, the enemies you can lure into lit places (including planning your own to your own tastes) and the contrast is well done. Only problem I had was implementing both action AND strategy at the same time. Because CFIDS doesn't like using both sides of the brain. Our neurology is literally (un)wired impeding that. Still, was able to play with a migraine at night, and the full moon + snow made it easier, not harder. Mainly because the fighting is mostly at night, and the strategizing takes place during the day. SMART.
Reminiscent of: Wolverine??? Balto??? Huh. For a lover of werewolf and wolf and mythology stories, I'm actually coming up short. IN THE BEST GOD DAMN WAY. IT IS ITS OWN BEAUTIFUL THING. AS IT SHOULD BE.
Recommended for: Werewolf lovers, Canadian burly hunter lovers, smart fighters.
Friends & Family I'd recommend it to: Moosey, MAYBE Mom & Dad, Luffy-bro. Why: Luffy-bro's Native name is "Fire" so he'd enjoy the poetic justice of bonfires & the burly Canadian lumberjack roars, AND the fallen priest contexts. Moosey is a genius at strategy who loves a good action fight -- although I'm not sure he could hand the camera style (I THINK SO?) Mom & Dad would appreciate the history, religious contexts, and Native American/Tribal & Celtic lore. A lot. Dad also got me into werewolf movies, which he always approved of more than vampires. No I have no idea why. But he'd do reasonably well with it, I think. Mom might find the story scary, but the history would pull her back.