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    Mystery of the Ancients 2: Curse of the Black Water

    genkicoll
    genkicoll


    Posts : 8426
    Join date : 2011-12-28
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    Post by genkicoll Thu Nov 01, 2012 12:33 am

    Mystery of the Ancients 2: Curse of the Black Water
    by Mariaglorum Games - November, 2012

    Series links:  Mystery of the Ancients 1: Lockwood Manor, Mystery of the Ancients 2: Curse of the Black Water, Mystery Of The Ancients 3: Three Guardians, Mystery of the Ancients 4: Deadly Cold, Mystery of the Ancients 5: Mud Water Creek, Mystery of the Ancients 6: The Sealed and Forgotten

    Available at:
    Big Fish for PC as Collector's Edition / Standard Edition
    Big Fish for Mac as Collector's Edition / Standard Edition
    Steam as Collector's Edition

    Mystery of the Ancients 2: Curse of the Black Water Mystery-ancients-curse-of-the-black-water-ce_feature

    You travel to the remote island town of Black Water, investigating the mysterious disappearance of two archaeologists when you encounter a mythical monster straight from the ancient myths of Poseidon! What cursed secrets have these archaeologists unearthed beneath the town? Now it’s up to you to save the world from falling into a curse of eternal darkness! Play Mystery of the Ancients: Curse of the Black Water to uncover the truth lurking deep below the island’s darkening waters.

    The Collector’s Edition includes:

    • Bonus gameplay featuring breathtaking vistas!
    • Full Soundtrack
    • Concept Art gallery
    • Downloadable wallpapers

    For the Standard Edition

    Click images to enlarge
    Mystery of the Ancients 2: Curse of the Black Water Th_screen1 Mystery of the Ancients 2: Curse of the Black Water Th_screen2 Mystery of the Ancients 2: Curse of the Black Water Th_screen3


    Last edited by genkicoll on Wed Apr 17, 2019 4:42 pm; edited 6 times in total
    Sable
    Sable


    Posts : 145
    Join date : 2012-01-01
    Location : Plymouth, MA

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    Post by Sable Fri Dec 07, 2012 11:26 am

    I thought this game was terrific - bought as a CE and am so glad I did. One of the most satisfying games of the year.
    genkicoll
    genkicoll


    Posts : 8426
    Join date : 2011-12-28
    Age : 50
    Location : Pacific Northwest

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    Post by genkicoll Fri Dec 07, 2012 2:12 pm

    Oh awesome! Thank you so much for the info, Sable! I haven't checked out #1 in the series yet... Do you need to play that one first to know what's going on?
    Sable
    Sable


    Posts : 145
    Join date : 2012-01-01
    Location : Plymouth, MA

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    Post by Sable Sat Dec 08, 2012 7:20 am

    Genki, the games in this series are pretty much stand-alone, and not dependent on the preceding games. I wrote a more fulsome review in Upset Fishies and copied it to the Diving Bell, so you can seem more there, if you like. I think you'll really enjoy this one - the graphics were beautiful, I thought.

    Course, I'm not a very good or fast player, so keep that in mind, lol.
    JustTheFacts
    JustTheFacts


    Posts : 5142
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    Post by JustTheFacts Thu Sep 05, 2013 9:12 pm

    Irresponsible Archaeological Dig Threatens World Again
    Sunny Sunny Sunny Sunny 

    GAME COMPLETED TWICE 

    This is a much more sophisticated sequel to Lockwood Manor – it feels more lively and active. The story started off familiar, then took a couple of interesting turns. It was paced very well and there was plenty of background on the myths if you wanted it. The graphics are well done, particularly the cutscenes. The monsters really are monstrous. There is fun animation and colour in the interactive HOs, making them more appealing. The puzzles are more difficult than the first game, making it a bit more challenging for those who like that. Me, I skipped a lot. I’m hopeless at puzzles.

    Hint and skip are very quick. Hint is useless outside of HOs, just the usual “There’s nothing to do here”. The interactive jump map was excellent, acting as a good substitute for the hint button. And the game timer is a great addition. This is a solid game.

    I recommend this game!
    genkicoll
    genkicoll


    Posts : 8426
    Join date : 2011-12-28
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    Post by genkicoll Thu May 16, 2019 2:11 am

    Mystery of the Ancients 2: Curse of the Black Water (IHOG)
    This is a standalone story

    There are sliders for Music, Effects and Ambient Volume, plus options for full-screen and custom cursor. There are three difficulty levels, which can be changed at any time via the Options panel.

    Story:

    The town of Black Water is evacuated after the water literally turns black overnight.  The two archaeologists who stayed behind have not been heard from in days, and it's your job to find them and help them escape the island.  Face the supernatural in your quest to save the town... and the world!

    The journal documents what's happening in the game and adds a bit of extra story. WARNING: When you open the journal, you will be on page two.  Page one of the journal contains a spoiler about the ending of the first game, Lockwood Manor.

    Gameplay:

    The hidden object scenes are not indicated by sparkles unless you are playing on the easiest difficulty setting. The HOS are lightly-interactive, with items listed in yellow needing some kind of task before they become visible/accessible. These are some well done scenes, interesting to look at and not horribly cluttered. There is no misclick penalty on the first two difficulty levels. Not sure about the hardest level, though.

    The adventure portion of the game is really fun, and there are a LOT of locations.  Finding the hidden turtles added to the interest, and really made you *look* at the beautiful artwork.  Some of those turtles are masterfully-hidden, and I love that they don't all look the same.

    There is an interesting mechanic added about half way through the game, and I won't spoil it, but I will say that I thought that it really added to the story.

    HOS do NOT repeat, and were nicely-spaced with the rest of the gameplay (not HO-heavy at all).

    The devs added something that I truly appreciate -- when a tool won't work for the task at hand, it will show and/or tell you why it won't work. Those little extra touches are definitely appreciated.

    Mini-games are SKIPPABLE, and the instructions are not in-your-face -- you can access them if you want them, or try to solve the games without the help.

    Our MAP is interactive, and has insta-transport available. Any turtle you've found will be pictured on the map, so you can easily see where you might have missed one.  The task bar at the bottom of the screen is retractable, but you can be locked into the open position.

    Sights and Sounds:

    The music is nicely environmental, and the voice overs are about what you'd expect from a casual game.  Not terrible, but not amazing, either.

    The graphical choices really made me happy.  So often developers use exactly the same color palette and style for every single scene in the game, regardless of whether it's inside or outside.  It absolutely drives me crazy!  I was very pleasantly surprised to see that not only is there a wide color palette in Curse of the Black Water, but the various areas of the game have different styles... and it STILL feels completely cohesive.  Bravo, devs! Okay

    CE Content:

    • Integrated Strategy Guide
    • 39 Collectible Turtles - one on each scene
    • 15 in-game achievements
    • Bonus Chapter
    • 10 Concept Art
    • 11 Wallpapers
    • 7 Music Tracks (I don't see a way to save them)

    Bonus Chapter:

    The final chapter of the game takes up right where the main game left off, and is the true ending of the story.  Not only that, but there is a small tie-in to the first game, Lockwood Manor, if you're paying attention to the journal.  The gameplay is just as good, but they took a departure from the main game on the hidden object scenes!

    Instead of find-by-list HOS, we have hidden object puzzles.  Items to be found are listed as almost-there silhouettes, and you have to figure out how to interact with the scene in order to collect everything.  It's great, and I'm hoping they used this approach again in the subsequent games of the series!
    Mystery of the Ancients 2: Curse of the Black Water 34791D9B0622D106E346C2F39611D972C9A529CE

    Verdict:

    Mystery of the Ancients: Curse of the Black Water is interesting, beautiful, fun-to-play and a good length.  This is an excellent IHOG and a high-quality offering all the way around.  Definitely recommended!

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