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Showing posts with label puzzle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label puzzle. Show all posts
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Azada: Ancient Magic
Azada: Ancient Magic is the next in hit series Azada ™. Created, produced, and currently only available from Big Fish Games, Ancient Magic is another puzzle game.Before writing the review, I replayed Azada. At the end of Azada, you free Titus. He says to keep in mind the words "Magic Book." Indeed, that is the trouble he calls you to solve. His great-grandfather Angus noticed that book characters had come to life, complete with bad and good personalities. They were complaining about not being read recently, or wanting more story lines. You are called in to help decipher what evil has brought the characters to life.
This involves flipping through pages of each storybook and solving the puzzles that arise. Some are search and find; some involve deciphering code. The answers aren't always apparent, such as when you bury a bottle of wine so it can become vinegar. When the puzzles are solved, the icon at the bottom right of the page will indicate that the page is complete. One of the items that must always be located is a card (almost like a Tarot card) that will 'free' the character from the book.
When the series of books are complete, the cards are collected in another book, and you analyze them for secret symbols to decipher which character is causing mischief. Symbols appear on the card as you look through the magic decoder ring. As in Azada, there are hints available for a time penalty, and orbs are earned to skip puzzles.
What they did well: You will be introduced to many childhood favorite characters. To name a few (but not give too much away), there is Rapunzel, Robinson Crusoe, one of the 3 little pigs, a character from Secret Garden.... It's fun to flip through the pages, and the satchel is handy for having the items from previous pages. There is more inventiveness in the puzzles, and I actually found them more fun than the first Azada. The story line also works well as a mystery, since the player is trying to figure out who is behind the evil. New music is an added benefit and also an improvement over Azada. Additionally, the puzzles are not as repetetive as in Azada. I giggled over how the garlic that was hidden in Dracula's kitchen had a BIG poison sign over it. The art is good for a puzzle game.
What could be better: While you do actually get to move from the library, which is an improvement over the first Azada, it's just to work the machine. Every time you finish with a set of books, it tells you to go use the machine. I found both the linearity and the reminder annoying. Why couldn't I wait to check the cards until I'd completed 2 sets of books? The cut scenes where Angus is explaining things have two buttons: a forward and a back. The forward button does not work. So I either had to skip through and miss the information, or wait the set amount of time before the text moved on to the next point. Unfortunately, the back button *does* work, but it meant I had to wait for the next few screens of text (that I'd already read) to complete their timer again. I also got pretty frustrated with one of the puzzles where you had to put things back in their original place from a hazy, black and white image. Finding where to put a necklace took me an annoyingly long time.
Even given the negatives, Azada: Ancient Magic is definitely a different and enjoyable take on the puzzle genre.
Recommended for: fans of Azada, puzzles, or brain teasers, or people interested in checking out the puzzle genre.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Forgotten Riddles - Moonlight Sonata
Forgotten Riddles: The Moonlight Sonatas is a hidden object game, but is a bit genre-bending, similar to Mystery Case Files: Madame Fate™. Currently, Forgotten Riddles: The Moonlight Sonatas is exclusively offered from BigFishGames, and is a top download.In Forgotten Riddles: The Moonlight Sonatas, you are an investigator assigned to solve the mystery of the Opera House, which used to be the home of famous composer and child prodigy Francis von Amadeus. People have reported seeing a ghostly, gaunt figure and to hear music playing at odd times.
Fans of hidden object games will feel right at home. Instead of giving a list of objects to find, there are musical symbols at the bottom of the screen. Players select them to get a clue. From that clue, they locate the object. For example, one of the clues reads "On a pedestal golden I'm Earth recreated; I display every country whenever I'm rotated." The player finds a globe and clicks on it.
When starting the game, players can choose two levels of difficulty: archaeologist (harder) and apprentice (easier). Interestingly, players can not read through all the clues, then click on the items in succession. The correct object is the only one that pertains to the current riddle. There are no points given or special rewards for fast selection. Players advance from one chapter to the next by solving the correct number of riddles(finding items).
The chapters have sufficient amounts of time, even in the archeologist category. Time wise, they provided 45 minutes to solve 40 riddles. There is a hint compass that starts with 5 hints. Random clicking results in a 40 second penalty.
One of the ways Forgotten Riddles: The Moonlight Sonatas is different from most other hidden object games are the puzzles that must be solved to unlock rooms. For example, on the first chapter, there is a stage scene, with items underneath the scene. The player must place the items in the correct places for the scene to change. Not all of the objects can be placed immediately, as the scene will dynamically update. Once the puzzle has been solved, the objects to be found will be located in the unlocked room or on the previous scene. There is a button at the right hand screen corner to switch back-and-forth. Another difference is that the hidden object, once found, does not become removed from the picture.
I found Forgotten Riddles: The Moonlight Sonatas to suffer from some repetition, primarily because of the setting. Using only one location (the opera house) was a bit limiting. Also, the story felt almost like an afterthought, as it wasn't well integrated into the game itself.
Overall, Forgotten Riddles: The Moonlight Sonatas is a good game and should please fans of hidden object games.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Azada - 99 cent special!!
So, what do do now that McDonalds is upping their price on the dollar menu?Quick, act fast! Big Fish Games is running a special for Azada ™, the puzzle game, for just 99 cents! Yes, for less than the cost of a Double Cheeseburger or the same as a Frosty, you can have hours of fun! The special runs from August 8th to the 15th.
Azada ™ has been around for some time, so, if you haven't tried it, I highly recommend this game as one of the best puzzle games I've played. If you like crossword or logic puzzles, sudoku, or point and click, Azada ™ is for you.
The story starts out where you are in a strange room that looks like a library. A voice instructs you to investigate a specific book to help free an old man from his endless prison. Little bits and pieces of the story unfold as you solve the puzzles. There are 12 chapters, each of which has a unique puzzle to solve. Each chapter has a point-and-click puzzle to solve where you have to figure out how to use the elements you find. For example, in one room, you find a match, then a matchbox. You must strike the match on the matchbox and set a fire. While that may seem pretty easy to figure out, there were a few times I needed some hints on the point-and-click portions.
I occasionally found the instructions to be a bit unclear, but overall, the game is well designed and interesting. The puzzles are unique with no repetition.
So get it now, while the special lasts! Click on the Azada ™ link and enter "AZADA99" to get the discount pricing.
Happy solving, everyone!
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