Shiver 1: Vanishing Hitchhiker

Shiver: Vanishing Hitchhiker
by Artogon - March, 2011

Series links: Shiver 1: Vanishing Hitchhiker, Shiver 2: Poltergeist, Shiver 3: Moonlit Grove, Shiver 4: The Lily's Requiem

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




After leaving something in your car, a hitchhiker vanishes!  Track her down and return her things in Shiver: Vanishing Hitchhiker!  Explore a spooky landscape as you figure out where the mysterious woman  has gone in this exciting Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure game. Dive into  a deeper mystery as you progress through incredible locations and  scenes!

The Collector’s Edition includes:                                    

• Bonus gameplay
  
• Built-in Strategy Guide
  
• Wonderful Wallpaper
  
• Concept art
  

For the Standard Edition

• Strategy Guide
  
• Walkthrough (Big Fish)
  

Shiver 1: Vanishing Hitchhiker Group Play Thread

Click images to enlarge
   

Chilling****

GAME COMPLETED A FEW TIMES

From the opening segment you know you’re in for something mature, sophisticated and professional. Also bleak, gritty and eerie. This is a HOPA thriller that takes itself seriously, and delivers top quality performance all the way.

The visuals are 'grotty' realism, dark, misty, sinister. Ugly. Personally, I kept hoping we’d go somewhere more cheerful, but this is just not that kind of game.

The audio track increases the creepy feel of the game, and includes some really good music as well as some really freaky ambient noise and great thunder claps.

The gameplay is dominated by HOs, which are visited twice. They are interactive and interesting. There are dozens of locations in this game, and a lot to do. The game covers an amazing amount of ground for a game without a map. It’s not essential, though, as the to and fro is usually within the nearest locations.

There's less puzzles than most HOPAs have and most of them very easy.

One nifty gimmick was a camera that, if you snapped off a quick shot when it started jumping and flashing, gave you a hint in picture form. Neat. Also good was a flashlight. Which was needed extensively.

Hitchhiker won Creepiest of the Year 2011, and it is not at all surprising, once you’ve seen it.

The one thing I didn’t like was the ending, which set us up for the CE, I think. If it was for a sequel that would be okay, because we'd anticipate the next story, but we SE buyers aren't about to go off now and buy the CE, just for the last chapter, so we're left feeling as though we've missed out.

I recommend this game!

Isn't it interesting how we change our reactions to a game? I wrote this April last year, and I didn't read it before our group play. Just reading it now is eerie. The things we forget, the things we change our thinking on.

One thing stayed the same - I still wish we could have had some colours other than grey brown and orange!   

At first, I thought the same thing about the sepia tones, what a drab color to use and the splashes of reds & oranges, eww, yuck!
After playing the first Shiver 3 times, I really don't think it would be the same game if the developers had added lots of color.
I think it would've changed the whole atmosphere & not had quite the impact it did.

The morgue? Oh my gosh, I was terrified to open that door.  

lol, yeah, the morgue was so cool! Did you see the "help me" scratched into the INSIDE of the door of the refrigeration place where they keep corpses? Loved that.

I know, you're right about the drab colours. It's basically only the island that really gets to me. It's the orange that gets to me. I'd have preferred more brown!

I'm not scared of heights, but the bit that freaked me out the most was: potential spoiler for others

Spoiler:

And I like the ending the way it was, now anyway, because it is different and in keeping with the story and the mood.

Shiver: Vanishing Hitchhiker CE (IHOG)

I can't believe I didn't do a review on this one way back when it first came out!

Options include separate sliders for music and sound, plus full-screen, widescreen correction, a difficulty that can be changed at any time during gameplay: Casual and Advanced.  There's a detailed description of the differences (always nice) and I went with Advanced.  We still have hints and skips, it just takes longer, and no sparkles, whee~!   OK, so there ARE sparkles, but only if you happen to click on a hotspot that you'll need to come back to.   We still have a tutorial option, even in advanced mode.

The task bar is locked in place by default, but can be retractable if you wish.  We come equipped with both a flashlight and a camera, and both can be used at any time.  When the camera flashes, you need to take a picture.  At these times, you catch phantom images, which will help the story progress, as well as lead you in the right direction.  These important pictures will go into your journal, and can only be accessed there.  There are no blatant hints involved in this process, unlike in the second installment of the series.  Any other photos you take are accessible via that 'Photos' button on the left-hand side of the task bar.  Also on the left are the HINT button, Menu, Task List, and Strategy Guide (if you have the CE version.)

The hidden object scenes are interactive, with items listed in yellow needing some kind of action before you can collect them.  Sometimes not all items-to-be-found are listed when you start the scene, but will be added as you find things.  There is a misclick penalty -- at least in advanced mode.  Something I really appreciate is that items you find the first time around STAY found when you revisit the scenes!  NICE!  :okay:In addition, when you open something -- say a cupboard or a box -- you can close it again.  It's not often you find a dev willing to put in those kinds of extra touches, but it's much appreciated!

Some may feel the graphics are dreary, but I find them to be deeply environmental, and beautifully mood-setting.  I recommend keeping up with the entries in the journal, as it makes things just that much more immersive.  I loved how our character talks about how he feels like he's compelled to do certain things -- things that would have most people running the other way!

There are voice overs during the opening and closing sequences, but none during gameplay.

CE Extras:
This is from the old days of Collector's Editions, so there aren't a lot of extras.  What we do have are:

• Integrated Strategy Guide
  
• Bonus Chapter
  
• 16 Concept Art
  
• 9 Wallpapers in four resolutions, from 800x600 to 1280x960
  
• 5 Videos
  

All extras are unlocked at the beginning of gameplay except the bonus gameplay and the videos.

Bonus Chapter:
To access the bonus chapter, simply click on the Start button, then choose the Extra Play selection on the right.

Most people liked the ending of the main story just the way it was, although it does hint (strongly!) at a sequel.  What it actually is is a lead-in to the bonus chapter and the real ending of the game.  If you're happy with the ending the way it was, skip the spoiler, otherwise... READ ON!

Spoiler:

For much of the game I didn't mind the hidden object scenes, and unlike most games of this type, didn't try to zip through them.  Instead I enjoyed my time looking for the well-hidden items, and took my time to find everything.  Towards the end I found myself getting a little impatient, but that's mostly because I don't enjoy finding hidden objects like I used to

The game is highly immersive and the story beautifully told, with excellent gameplay and a great creepy/spooky atmosphere.  Most people are quite happy with the SE version, so whether the CE price is worth it is up to you~  Absolutely recommended, whichever version you choose~!