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    Ghost Towns: The Cats of Ulthar

    genkicoll
    genkicoll


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

    Ghost Towns: The Cats of Ulthar Empty Ghost Towns: The Cats of Ulthar

    Post by genkicoll Sun Feb 12, 2012 9:00 am

    Ghost Towns: The Cats of Ulthar
    by Taba Games - March, 2012

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

    Ghost Towns: The Cats of Ulthar Ghost-towns-the-cats-of-ulthar_feature

    Upon arriving in a strange city, you find the citizens ready to burn Menes at the stake in Ghost Towns: The Cats of Ulthar! Wander the streets of Ulthar and discover what Menes did that got him in so much trouble in this incredible Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure game. Find out why the citizens worship cats from ancient times and try to save Menes from his grizzly fate in Ghost Towns: The Cats of Ulthar!

    The Collector’s Edition includes:

    • Bonus gameplay
    • Integrated Strategy Guide
    • Wonderful Wallpapers

    For the Standard Edition:

    Click images to enlarge
    Ghost Towns: The Cats of Ulthar Th_screen1_Ghost Towns: The Cats of Ulthar Th_screen2_Ghost Towns: The Cats of Ulthar Th_screen3


    Last edited by genkicoll on Sun Sep 22, 2013 11:01 am; edited 1 time in total
    genkicoll
    genkicoll


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

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    Post by genkicoll Sat Oct 13, 2012 9:50 pm

    Ghost Town: The Cats of Ulthar (IHOG)

    NOTE: Despite the way things seem to be in the story, NO animals or creatures were harmed in the course of this game, save for a single butterfly.

    I had no idea what this game was about when I started playing. I saw that it was in my purchase history and installed it simply because of the word "Ghost" in the title, and the fact that I feel like playing something creepy Ghost Towns: The Cats of Ulthar 3286387481

    A few more than the basic options on this one. Separate sliders for music and sound, option for full screen, custom cursor, low quality, and wide screen.

    You have three difficulty levels to choose from: Casual, Advanced, and Hard. I went middle of the road for this time around. Tutorial is optional (and likely not present in Hard mode.)

    The opening sequence is animated, and without voice overs. The cut scenes are really off-putting. They are cartooney and almost vulgar compared to the rest of the graphics, which are quite beautifully done! Luckily, there are only a couple of cutscenes, and the rest of the story progresses in an entirely different way. Very nicely done in that respect, and very original. Kudos to the devs for coming up with something different.

    Our inventory bar is retractable, always a pleasure to have when the graphics are so nice Smile (We can view more of the scene, you see... Ghost Towns: The Cats of Ulthar 449107794)

    Cats of Ulthar includes a mini-game of "collecting" 24 cats, so if you see one, be sure to click on it!

    We do have a journal to keep track of the story, complete with an ant skittering around on the pages Ghost Towns: The Cats of Ulthar 765500672

    The HINT button is refillable, and there is no mis-click penalty if you choose Casual Mode. Clicking the hint button during a HOS will cause a scratch mark to circle an item. The scratch doesn't stay up for long, so look quickly! The hints ARE available during the adventure portion of the gameplay.

    The hidden object scenes are mostly your typical junk piles, but not entirely. It's an interesting mix of items hidden in plain sight, and items hidden in the strangest places possible. You will revisit HOS multiple times, but the lists are randomized, so that helps.

    As we get into the game, we have the freedom to do things in whatever order we choose (to a point, of course.) In other words, this is not a totally linear A-B-C game. We can go right to C, then backtrack to B if we wish (hope that made sense!)

    Mini-games are skippable in Casual and Advanced modes, but probably not in Hard mode. The games and puzzles themselves are nothing new, and don't take an incredible amount of brainpower, but at least they don't repeat very often - they tried to get some variation in there Smile

    As with most games of this genre, there is a lot of to-ing and fro-ing, but it's not terribly difficult to keep track of where you're going, because many of the locations are off of one main street. If you can't remember where something is, you can always hit the hint button, and it will show you which direction to go (provided that you're not in Hard mode.)

    Overall, I'd say this is a 4-star game. It loses points with me for having "been there, done that" mini-games, and for lack of immersive play (for me - you may find it quite immersive!) It does, however, gain points for finding a unique way to progress the storyline, and for the collect-the-cats mini (I didn't even find half of them! Ghost Towns: The Cats of Ulthar 580207494)
    JustTheFacts
    JustTheFacts


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

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    Post by JustTheFacts Fri Sep 13, 2013 8:47 am

    Just For The Fun Of It  
    Sunny Sunny Sunny Sunny 

    BASED ON COMPLETED GAME

    Okay, I admit it, I am the very definition of a crazy cat lady, but this is still a delightful little game to play.

    I liked the story. The locally revered cats suddenly go crazy and attack and kill an old mad couple. Menes, a young vagabond, is accused of using magic on them. We are enlisted by his sister to rescue him. This leads to discovering the history of the town, rescuing cats, and seeing ‘justice is done’. It’s a very satisfying feel good ending, that rounds the story out well.

    Strictly for HO lovers, this game has many HO scenes, and each is visited three times. Each chapter one of several jigsaw-style puzzles appear – all easy. There is a fair amount of seek and find adventure, a few puzzles and mini-games, but this is a HO adventure. Viewed in that light it is a bit of light-hearted fun.

    Returning to this game after a year’s worth of extravaganzas and spectacles, my initial reaction was “Oh dear, the graphics are so grainy” – not poorly drawn, just, well, washed out I guess, like an old shirt. True, but we’ve been spoiled, and sometimes it’s nice to take a break from the visual feasts and enjoy the equivalent of a home cooked meal.

    I wouldn’t have wanted to pay CE price for this one, but as an SE, it is worth your pennies.

    I recommend this game!

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