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    Dark Dimensions 1: City of Fog

    genkicoll
    genkicoll


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

    Dark Dimensions 1: City of Fog Empty Dark Dimensions 1: City of Fog

    Post by genkicoll Sun Jan 15, 2012 12:30 pm

    Dark Dimensions: City of Fog
    by Daily Magic Productions

    Series links: Dark Dimensions 1: City of Fog, Dark Dimensions 2: Wax Beauty, Dark Dimensions 3: City of Ash, Dark Dimensions 4: Somber Song, Dark Dimensions 5: Homecoming, Dark Dimensions 6: Shadow Pirouette, Dark Dimensions 7: Blade Master, Dark Dimensions 8: Vengeful Beauty

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

    Dark Dimensions 1: City of Fog Dark-dimensions-city-of-fog-ce_feature

    Silvertown was swallowed by fog and disappeared from the face  of the earth 100 years ago. Search for a town consumed by fog! Unlock forbidden doors and uncover mysterious items in this thrilling Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure game!

    The Collector’s Edition includes:  

    • Bonus gameplay
    • Built-in Strategy Guide
    • Wonderful Wallpapers
    • Original Soundtrack

    For the Standard Edition

    Dark Dimensions 1: City of Fog Screen1
    Dark Dimensions 1: City of Fog Screen2
    Dark Dimensions 1: City of Fog Screen3


    Last edited by genkicoll on Tue May 07, 2019 8:41 pm; edited 7 times in total
    JustTheFacts
    JustTheFacts


    Posts : 5142
    Join date : 2013-09-01
    Age : 61
    Location : Western Australia

    Dark Dimensions 1: City of Fog Empty Re: Dark Dimensions 1: City of Fog

    Post by JustTheFacts Sat Sep 14, 2013 4:40 pm

    Well Worth CE Price  
    Sunny Sunny Sunny Sunny Sunny

    BASED ON COMPLETED GAME

    In fact, I have reviewed this game 3 times already, back not long after it was released (2011) and again in March of this year and again for the CE, even though I own the SE game, which I’ve played about 8 times, the last time with walkthrough handy, because even after all those tries I still end up skipping and hinting too much.

    This has a little of all 3 in it...

    This is a top notch game, with beautifully crafted graphics, good environmental sounds, and unobtrusive music. It even has changing weather! The story is one we’ve all played a million times before. Tragedy, ghosts, you must help them or the world will end. As I say, the usual, but well told. It ends neatly and satisfyingly, but leaves one little question unanswered, and had I known, I would have bought the CE for that alone.

    The journal is actually quite helpful, besides keeping codes etc. it fleshes out the story a bit and draws conclusions that can help guide you to the next task. The game play is great too. The HOS are very interactive, where items on the list go immediately to inventory where they can be used to find others on the list. Common enough now, but unique when this game was first released.

    My one gripe with it was over the hint/skip buttons and the difficulty of the puzzles. Hint only tells if there is a task to do in the location, but does not differentiate between ones you can complete immediately and those for which you do not have the items needed to start the puzzle. This has caused me so much frustration! Then, you finally try to do the puzzle, as often as not it’s too hard. And skip takes forever. (No choice of difficulty levels).

    Which is why I’m writing this review. If you are thinking of buying this game, CE or SE, go with the CE. Even without any bonus game at all, and none of the usual CE bling, this game is worth the price, for the integrated strategy guide alone.

    I recommend this game!
    genkicoll
    genkicoll


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

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    Post by genkicoll Sat Sep 14, 2013 5:08 pm

    I thought this was an excellent game, too.  I really feel that it didn't earn the recognition it deserved.
    genkicoll
    genkicoll


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

    Dark Dimensions 1: City of Fog Empty Re: Dark Dimensions 1: City of Fog

    Post by genkicoll Thu May 30, 2019 11:07 pm

    Dark Dimensions 1: City of Fog (IHOG)

    When this game was first released, I felt that it didn't get enough attention.  Replaying it today, I have say that it is still a favorite!

    Options include separate sliders for Music and Sound, Full-screen and Custom Cursor. 

    I noticed that there was a small hidden object scene in the (optional) Tutorial that was NOT there when I tried it without the tutorial.  You'll still be able to get the inventory item from that zoom-in if you opt out of the instructions, but I thought it was interesting that the devs chose this route.

    Story:

    Dark Dimension: A place where the border between the living and the dead has fallen away due to some kind of atrocity or injustice.  What a *perfect* plot vehicle!  Anything that seems weird or illogical can easily be explained by this thinning of the line between life and death, and indeed, our character often remarks upon the strangeness that s/he sees! I also love the sometimes-sarcastic comments that are thrown out... Meshes with my sense of humor beautifully! ;D

    Our handy Journal contains plenty of story, but without having an overwhelming amount to read.  Puzzle hints are added there, per usual, as well as things that you - or at least *I* - may not notice at first, so be sure to really look at the scenes before you check out new entries!

    Sights and Sounds:

    I found the combination of graphics, sound effects and music to be incredibly immersive. The graphics and the music are beautiful, somber and creepy, while the SFX can be downright alarming at times!  Everything you see and hear combines with the story to create a decidedly-spooky environment that any dark & eerie fan should enjoy immensely.

    There's an extra level of detail to the scenes that I don't often see in HOG's, which is items reacting to your cursor when you mouse-over.  For instance, a chandelier may swing when you touch it, or maybe a fixture will flutter in the breeze.

    Gameplay:

    In this game you will explore a town that was consumed by fog 100 years ago.  The devs found a creative way to block off early locations of the game, and I don't want to spoil it, but I will say that it's very creative!

    There is no easy-access MAP, but you WILL find three maps that you can examine as you play the game.  Yes, this does mean that you're going to be backtracking a bit, but the environment is so compelling that I truly enjoyed walking around instead of doing insta-transports.

    Using a HINT during the adventure portion of the game will either spotlight an area on the scene - possibly one that you already know about, but can't do anything with yet - or tell you that there's nothing you can do there at the moment.  There are no directional hints.

    The SKIPPABLE Mini-games are do-able without being too easy, and interesting enough that I wanted to complete them.

    Hidden Objects:

    Hidden Object Scenes are interactive, with items in yellow needing some kind of action before you can collect them... But this is a bit more challenging than you usually see in today's IHOG's, as the cursor does not change when you mouse-over an interactive item. 

    Some of the items that you collect will be used to find the items listed in yellow, and if try to use it in the wrong place, it will go into your Tools (inventory).  When you're ready, just grab it and use it in the proper area of the screen.

    If you click on an item that you need to interact with BEFORE you have the right item, you'll get a popup that says, "A good tool sure would be nice to have." Every. Time. One of my few annoyances with the game. ;p 

    HOS do repeat, but they're so nicely-spaced with the adventure portion of the game that it never seemed out-of-place or annoying.  Another plus is that any items you found your first time around will STAY gone.

    Although the main game was a decent length for an IHOG - about four hours - it didn't feel long enough... I wanted to keep playing!  Good thing I had the bonus chapter left to play!

    CE Content:

    • Integrated Strategy Guide
    • Bonus Chapter
    • 12 Music tracks*
    • 5 Wallpapers**
    • 9 Concept Art

    *Music Tracks:
    You can save music tracks individually, but if you'd rather, you can access and save copy all of the tracks at once from this folder:
    Dark Dimensions City of Fog Collector's Edition > data > extras > music

    **Wallpapers:
    There are actually four sizes available - 1280x960 is the biggest - but this isn't evident when you're on the Extras page.  When I set the Wall that I wanted, it just gave me a black background, so here is where to find the backgrounds:
    Dark Dimensions City of Fog Collector's Edition > data > extras > wp

    To easily find the game folder, simply right-click on the game's name in your Steam library, then choose Properties.  Click on the Local Files tab, then Browse Local Files...  This will open you right up to the folder you need!

    Bonus Chapter:

    The extra chapter starts not too long after the main game ends, and explores the source of the Dark Dimension.  Gameplay is almost the same, except that some of these hidden items need a different kind of interaction.  The bonus was overall pretty good, but not necessary to have a satisfying ending to the game.

    Verdict:

    The stellar soundtrack, sfx, voices and art direction beautifully combine with the story to create a compelling adventure. It's creepy, it's interesting, it's wonderfully-immersive and it's hard to stop playing.  City of Fog is definitely underrated, and is an experience that I wholeheartedly recommend.

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