The Veil Of Mystery: Seven Little Gnomes

The Veil Of Mystery: Seven Little Gnomes
by Gigant Games - Feb. 2013

Available at:
Big Fish for PC
GamersGate
GameHouse
iWin



According to a legend, before he vanished, Edward J. Smith created a secret chamber deep underground on his estate and described it in his diary. The only one who knew where they were hidden, is no longer among the living. Seven Gnomes hold the secret,waiting in silence. Take up the hunt If you dare and the Gnomes will reveal the path that leads to the Chamber of Fortune in this treasure hunt adventure.

• Become a treasure hunter
  
• Avoid deadly traps
  
• Beautiful graphics
  
• Solve unique riddles and mini-games
  

Click images to enlarge

GamersGate has this for $3.50 right now. I guess BFG will have it eventually, as they have a YouTube up for it. It looks cute. I didn't do a demo, but for $3.50 it won't be too upsetting if I hate it! I did watch the video.

Interesting! It's possible that it won't show up at Big Fish, but time will tell~ I'll get the GamersGate info added to post #1.

Let us know what you think of it!

I haven't played long, but I just had to tell you... This $3.50 version from GamersGate is a Collector's Edition! I know the picture on the site shows "Deluxe Edition" but is has a list price of $6.99 so I expected a SE.

There are 36 mysterious morphing objects.

There is a strategy guide, which unfortunately you cannot access during game play, you have to "exit" the game to open it. But, "exit" takes you directly to the main menu, no "Are you sure you want to go to the main menu?" And when you are on the main menu, and select "quit," guess what? It actually exits the game! No, "Are you sure you want to exit?" message! WOW! The SG is 47 pages long.

There is a diary, and a page in it for the "poems." Creepy poems counting down gnomes. "7 little gnomes sitting on the bricks, one fell into the chimney and then there were six" is the first one (you find it right away, so that isn't a spoiler!), and they are clues. Clues to hidden gold!

There is a timer, but the game isn't timed, it just shows how long you have been playing.

I have had one puzzle, which I figured out myself, since I chose to play with no hints. And there aren't. The character you play sometimes talks to herself, but she doesn't tell you what to do.

Oh, something wonderful! The hard mode has no hints, but there is a box on the "options" page where you can turn sparkles on or off! Yes! On or off! We are in charge! We can have no hints, but sparkles for the HOS, or no sparkles at all! It works too! I went back and forth trying it, I was so excited!

HOS are usual. Some interactive. Better than some games, not as good as others. No click penalty.

The music and sounds are really, very, very creepy. I am waiting for something to jump out at me! Some will dislike the graphics. They are dark, as befitting an old house, and a little grainy. But, not bad.

Anyway... $3.50 for the CE!

How awesome!! Thanks so much for sharing!!

Remember 10 Green Bottles?**

BASED ON ONE HOUR DEMO

I don’t know, maybe it’s me, but me and this game, we just don’t ‘click’.

This is how it goes. A confusing and VISUALLY VERY POOR INTRO tells us that the previous owner of the house went mad, trying to find the treasure that is allegedly to be found on the estate. There is a SINISTER STRANGER as well, but that’s all ANCIENT HISTORY. We are the new owner and know nothing of this until we find his DIARY.

In there, we find the 7 GNOMES POEM. This looks more interesting. The first gnome is predicted to fall down the chimney, and after we light a fire, choke on the smoke, and put it out, there is GNOME NO. 1. It’s a RIDDLE, and maybe it leads to the TREASURE?

In any case, we are alone in a creepy house, with SERIOUSLY ODD background sounds, including VOICES floating in and out of STATIC. Although the GRAPHICS IMPROVE in the HO SCENES, they are, on my admittedly large wide screen monitor, STILL POOR. The HOS are NON-INTERACTIVE LISTS, and there are a LOT of them. So far I have not had to revisit any.

The PUZZLES are DIFFERENT, enough to make me confused. In one, you must solve a riddle which requires you to count fish in a pond. But to finish the puzzle, you must write the answer down, and I never figured out how to do that without pen and paper.

SKIPPING a puzzle costs you 15 minutes on your GAME TIMER. HINT is directional, and you only have to CLICK ONCE to be taken to the next action.

There are MORPHING OBJECTS to collect as well, but no other ACHIEVEMENTS.

So it has the makings of a GOOD STAND ALONE SE, but I can’t like it. It’s as if the developer and I are thinking on different wavelengths. So I guess you’ll have to make up your own mind.

I can neither recommend or not recommend this one, I just know I won’t be buying it.