EXCLUSIVE TO GGG, THE DOUBLE WHAMMY! Lots To Collect & Enjoy! BASED ON COMPLETED GAMEFIRST IMPRESSIONS
The intro to this game is an almost movie-like presentation, although not overly exciting. The developers could have milked it for a more dramatic impact. The voiceover, always crucial in an intro these days, is very good. Very much like a teacher or parent reading an adventure story to their kids.
SIGHTS & SOUNDS
The quality of the graphics is very high. I won’t go to the extent of saying outstanding, because I have seen better, but this game still works, that’s for sure. The animation is flawless. They do an eerie orange and green combination for most of the game, which I personally didn’t like. The music is indistinct and pleasant. As I mentioned, voiceovers are good.
WHAT’S HAPPENING
The story is a bit different - always refreshing. We and our partner are transporting an arrested poacher back to the mainland by boat, when a strange mist rolled in, cloaking the approach of a much larger ghost ship. Which is still solid enough to totally destroy our vessel and land us on shore. Finding our husband and the poacher, if they’re alive, is turning out to be harder than we thought. (And will take roughly 4 hours to do!)
MAKING PROGRESS
I found the puzzles a little difficult at times, but puzzles are my weakness, so you may not have the same problem. These puzzles are a mixture of new and old, but are very well integrated into the story. There are 27 puzzles/mini-games and 17 HOPs, visited twice. The HOPs are what is noticeably interesting. There is all sorts of fun in them, including finding and catching 34 humming birds. To do this we must find and activate a
Mayan artifact. We do this both times we visit. It is an interactive list, or we can choose to play mahjong instead. I found this quite a bit challenging. There is an interactive jump map and directional hint.
CE BLING!
I like this game’s bling. Bonus game, gallery, SG. Plus replayable HOPs and puzzles. Achievements, although not many. 34 of those lovely challenging humming birds to collect, plus 32 pieces of a
Mayan calendar, and 44 beyond objects. Which were hard enough to find that I only got 2/3 of them. The main story ends well enough, although they did a line that makes it clear there’s more to be said. Bonus chapter is
FAMOUS LAST WORDS
Lovely game. Graphics look great, the story is imaginative, the gameplay is, though straightforward, is not tediously easy.
Bonus Content Analysis, CE vs. SE With 100+ offering their views on this game in the Collector’s Edition (including me), I thought I’d give you an idea on the differences between these two forms.
Accept as written that this game has all the hallmarks of a first rate CE game. Graphics, gameplay, story are all exceptional.
First of all, the main game ends conclusively, although they do add a one-liner that indicates where the bonus chapter will be headed. This is not at all a detriment to the ending. In fact, many games, including the ending of this one’s bonus chapter, imply a sequel without it spoiling the game.
The main game took me 4.5 hrs to complete, with some goofing around. The bonus chapter took 1 hour, which I consider to be too short. It was quite good, but didn’t reach the same standards as the main game. All new HOP & puzzles in all-new locations didn’t save it from being a bit strained and a little less than exciting in terms of story. On its own I’d give it a 3/5.
There are the usual gallery, wallpapers, concept art, screensaver, and music, none of which grabbed me. I’d really like to see more games where the wallpapers are something more than just a snap shot of the game, but included characters and animals, and left the edges free for us to put our desktop shortcuts.
There are also 20 mahjong boards to play. I find myself returning to this set instead of actual mahjong games I own. The boards are realistic and pleasant. So, for me at least, the bonus items are actually meaningful.
As well, achievements and collections abound. In the CE, there are 44 beyond objects to be found, 34 humming birds to find and catch, and 32 pieces of the
Mayan calendar to collect. The SE includes the collection of the calendar pieces because they are needed to complete the game.
FAMOUS LAST WORDS
Personally, I am glad I bought the CE. I enjoyed both the extra collectives and the mahjong games. While the bonus chapter was not as good as the main game, there was no real let-down, so I figure I got my money’s worth.
But if collectibles and achievements do not mean much to you, I’d say you’d be just as happy with the SE.
I Recommend This Game