Elementals: The Magic Key (IHOG/Adventure/FROG)
I did not know what to expect with this game, as I'd only looked at the "front cover", so to speak - the picture of the kid wielding a wand.
I was shocked.
The opening scene is soooo beautiful! I was not expecting
this! It was so gorgeous that I had to take a quick screenshot and go make a wallpaper (which now adorns my desktop, by the way!) I completely forgot that I was demoing this (hence,
timed!), so when I realized, I went back in-game to see what it's like.
Imagine my surprise when, immersed in the beauty of the scene being laid out before me, suddenly the main character's "familiar" (think Harry Potter's owl, Hedwig and Hermoine's cat, Crookshanks) popped up, and it looked like a cartoon version of a
muppet! What a rude awakening!
Later on in the game you meet the sister's familiar, and it is adorable!
Why couldn't they have made
ours cute like that?
You enter the game, and except for the cartoon characters (which I can handle, no problem) and the
super-cartoon familiar (they didn't have to make it look quite that
cutesy!), the graphics are very well done! Beautifully done, actually! (
If you're interested, the wallpapers can be found HERE)
At this point I remembered that the title screen had a button called "Bonus". Wonder what that is? At this point I've already used up 20 minutes of my demo enjoying the artwork and making a wallpaper!
This is the COOLEST game! I've played maybe seven minutes, and I'm buying it right now!
Back! OK, so I've already told you what the graphics are wonderful (for the most part). In this interactive hidden object adventure, you find items by shape, there are fragmented objects to find and sometimes you find items only by the description of the task you're supposed to be doing (listed in an unobtrusive corner of the page). You also do "remove-the-object" scenes. For instance, you are looking for something in a drawer, but first you have to remove objects that are in the way, so find x-item, then x-item, then x-item (etc - all listed by shape) until you find what you're looking for - like mini-hidden object scenes.
Is this just your typical IHOG? Oh, no! This game has it all! We have hidden object scenes, interaction, an interesting plot, plenty of mini-puzzles... and magic battles! The battles are set up on a chess-style board, and very easy to learn. Fear not, though! If you don't like playing the strategy-based magic battles, there
is a skip button
The music is very good - it just
feels right with the plot and the graphics. There are no voice actors (shame... though I don't mind not having to listen to the familiar), and the dialogue is skippable, if you wish.
Ahh, and you know that Bonus button I mentioned earlier? If this game was made today, it would be put out as a Collector's Edition - The Bonus section allows you to replay all of the mini-puzzles AND the magic battles. Once you have completed the game, there are even bonus opponents to play!
I am absolutely enamored with this game. If anything I've mentioned sounds interesting to you, then this is a must-try game!
