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    Nearwood

    genkicoll
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    Post by genkicoll Thu Aug 08, 2013 10:23 am

    Nearwood
    by MagicIndie Softworks - August, 2013

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

    Nearwood Nearwood-collectors-edition_feature

    Can a young woman single-handedly change the fate of a magical kingdom? Set out on a voyage with Jane Lockwood into a mysterious world of danger and adventure, into a whirlwind of magic and wonder! As you encounter a host of unusual and amusing creatures and help them in their troubles, you will inch closer and closer to your final goal – finding Jane's long-lost parents, all the while freeing the great and wise Time Keepers from the grip of oblivion. Find out why time came to a standstill, and drive the ancient evil out of Nearwood once and for all! Bring back peace and quiet to the land! Save Nearwood!

    The Collector’s Edition includes:

    • An exciting bonus chapter!
    • Beautiful desktop wallpapers
    • Concept art
    • Soundtrack

    For the Standard Edition

    Click images to enlarge
    Nearwood Th_screen1_Nearwood Th_screen2_Nearwood Th_screen3


    Last edited by genkicoll on Sat Jan 20, 2018 11:12 pm; edited 16 times in total
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    Post by Guest Thu Aug 08, 2013 12:38 pm

    I have only seen a video of the beta version. Does it still have the same beginning, showing the mother dying while her little daughter watches in horror as the monitor goes flat-line?
    Couldn't they just have the character say, "My mother died when I was a little girl," rather than show it?
    Maybe it's too personal for me, as my children lost their dad when they were little. But, who let's a little girl watch her mother die?
    It's just a game... it's just a game... I know. But, a very odd intro.
    genkicoll
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    Post by genkicoll Thu Aug 08, 2013 2:38 pm

    Yes, it still has that scene in the intro.
    genkicoll
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    Post by genkicoll Sat Aug 31, 2013 10:33 am

    djrum, August 29 in the D&E thread wrote:I have finished Nearwood. I must say, it was quite charming and delightful! MagicIndie Softworks really show they have a lot versatility in their games ideas.
    Okay, when I could tear myself away from the opening scene (which I had to play every single time I went back in), the graphics were a treat for the eyes - very colorful and pretty.
    The ambient sound FX were fantastic, as well as the voice-overs.
    The hidden object scenes was mostly FROGs and a few "replace the items." I had to skip a couple of puzzles (just because I didn't like them), some were easy & some were a bit harder.
    I didn't find all of my "Snoop-Sees." (They actually looked like Fur-Babies) I think I missed one.
    The transporter map did require a Hint to use, but I never used it. I never had any trouble remembering where I had to go.
    JustTheFacts
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    Post by JustTheFacts Fri Sep 06, 2013 2:47 am


    So Very Pretty And Light-Hearted Fun!
    Sunny Sunny Sunny Sunny 


    BASED ON DEMO


    FIRST IMPRESSIONS
    This game is pretty rather than beautiful. From the opening seconds it is filled with wonder. The intro to the game has us flying low over a river in a canyon, swooping over the falls and down towards the water. I almost felt the vertigo. 

    The music is light and serene, and everything about this game seems designed to relieve stress, rather than agitate us, as so many of our favourite games do. There are plenty of beautiful flowers, babbling brooks, cute critters, and magic in the air, so some of you may find this a bit too sweet.

    WHAT’S HAPPENING
    We’ve just come into our inheritance, a family home we have not seen in years. Not since our mother died when we were just a child. Not since our father disappeared without a trace. It seems that secrets were being kept from us, all our life, for our own protection of course, but now we must face our destiny. 

    Going back to the family home, we come upon a weird elf-like guy, and he tells us that we are the only one who can save Nearwood, a world we’ve never heard of, but which may reveal the secrets of our childhood. All we have to do is step through that mirror...

    MAKING PROGRESS
    There are more puzzles than HOs in this one. But the game really is adventure-based. The puzzles are fairly familiar, and the HOs are simple FROGs – fragmented object games. These are clear and detailed and the pieces are not too small to find, but this is still not my favourite style. 

    The adventure tasks are not too difficult, but there have been some complaints about the map. It is an interactive and transporter map, but the transporter function must be recharged, like a hint. Seems fair to me, because that’s its role in this game. There is no hint outside the HOs. Hints also need to recharge, but you can capture glow bugs everywhere that will recharge it for you.

    BLING!
    Should you go for the CE? I didn’t. There are the usual extras and a bunch of admittedly adorable snoop-sees (funny animated little critters which all look different) as collectibles, but it wasn’t enough to sway me.

    FAMOUS LAST WORDS
    This game really is “cute” in overdrive, so it’s not going to be for everyone. And I don’t think it’s worth the cost of the CE, but as an SE, even better, a punchcard coupon, it’s a nice treat and very relaxing.



    Last edited by JustTheFacts on Fri Sep 06, 2013 4:57 am; edited 3 times in total
    Sportygal2009
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    Post by Sportygal2009 Fri Sep 06, 2013 3:50 am

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    JustTheFacts
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    Post by JustTheFacts Fri Sep 06, 2013 3:54 am

    That's the other thing I remember about you, sportygal, you almost never agreed with me! Elk grin
    Sportygal2009
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    Post by Sportygal2009 Fri Sep 06, 2013 4:10 am

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    Sportygal2009
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    Post by Sportygal2009 Fri Sep 06, 2013 6:07 am

    DELETED


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    JustTheFacts
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    Post by JustTheFacts Fri Sep 06, 2013 6:47 am

    Nah, differing opinions about games is all good, because readers get to know all the points for and against, and are more likely to want to see for themselves!

    At least you managed to get your review on the right page - I accidentally submitted it to the SG page!! Embarrassed Embarrassed Embarrassed 

    And some silly sod published it!
    Sportygal2009
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    Post by Sportygal2009 Fri Sep 06, 2013 7:02 am

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    JustTheFacts
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    Post by JustTheFacts Fri Sep 06, 2013 8:00 am

    I used to be, not so much anymore. I won't recommend a bad game, but I do try to think of somebody who might like it.

    Like you, I never did reviews except on completed games or ones I hated. But one day it occurred to me that NONE of my reviews were going to get read - because I can't always buy them when they're released, and in any case I had a couple of hundred I already owned and wanted to review. So I 'sold out' and went chasing the helpful votes on the web page.

    But I do not regret it now, because I get good feedback and people sometimes ask me to do a specific review for them, etc - keeps my ego happy!

    (you get your review on the SG page by downloading SG trial to ensure there are no contradictions, then forget where you are when you go to upload the review - it helps if your eyes are crossed from trying to reformat your GGG reviews so the damn things look okay - didn't realise what a mess they were in))
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    Post by JustTheFacts Fri Sep 06, 2013 8:02 am

    PS I voted for you, so now it's 4 of 10 lol
    genkicoll
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    Post by genkicoll Fri Sep 06, 2013 8:06 am

    On every Big Fish Standard Edition game, there's a link to the strategy guide, which has its own "game" page (WHY someone would want to buy the SE on a Collector's Edition when it come INTEGRATED for the same total price is beyond me, but some people are strange...)

    Here at GGG, SE's and CE's are the same topic, so be sure to specify which version you're playing (although that's probably evident from the content of your review... Laugh  )

    As for differing opinions, they're a wonderful thing, for that's the way things are in life -- it would be boring if everyone liked and disliked the same things!

    Of course I still want your reviews here, Sportygal -- diversity is the spice of life, and there will be no  one vilifying you for differing opinions (or they'll hear from me! Nearwood Agressif)  We're all adults here, and we can agree to disagree without taking things personally Sunny
    Sportygal2009
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    Post by Sportygal2009 Fri Sep 06, 2013 8:25 am

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    Post by Sportygal2009 Fri Sep 06, 2013 8:40 am

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    Justgaming
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    Post by Justgaming Tue Oct 08, 2013 11:23 pm

    I'm almost finished with CE & just wanted to add my $.02 before I forgot.  Except for mom dying in first scene this game is cute.  But, I didn't mind cute because I was in the mood for it.

    It had a lot of running around.  That got a bit boring and the map only showed places that would 'eventually' have something to do - not 'currently' things to do.  Since I usually play only an hour at a time I tend to forget where things are located, which added to the running around.  But, it did have a good hint system that pointed the way.

    Overall, well put together, good graphics, puzzles not too challenging & not too many HO's.  I'm picky about giving 5 stars so I would give this 4.  This isn't an in-depth review just my general impressions.
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    Post by genkicoll Wed Oct 09, 2013 7:53 am

    It doesn't have to be a "full" review to be appreciated!  It's great feedback, and thanks for posting! Sunny
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    Post by RenaissanceMom Thu Oct 10, 2013 4:48 am

    One of these days I'll start reviewing games too Snicker  but in the meantime I SO appreciate all who take the time to review (especially on completed games, but that's another issue) and my thanks to you all!

    On the BF download pages (with the star ratings) I enjoy finding reviewers whom I agree with. Invariably their recommendations lead to games I *love*, but it's also really helpful to find reviews whose opinions are the opposite of mine. Wink  That's why differing reviews are really needed.

    Sadly, there are a couple of reviewers whose opinions were gold to me but who haven't posted in a while - I miss them. Cry 

    I'm less interested in the forum page reviews and rarely read them. For me the download page reviews sort of cut to the chase (even though many are the same).
    genkicoll
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    Post by genkicoll Thu Oct 10, 2013 8:04 am

    Invite them to join us here!  Or PM their names to me and I'll extend the olive branch Sunny
    genkicoll
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    Post by genkicoll Thu Jan 02, 2014 8:00 pm

    Nearwood CE (Adventure-lite w/some HOS)

    Options include separate sliders for Music, Sound Effects, Environment, and Voice, plus Full Screen (Windowed), Wide Monitor, and Custom Cursor.  Having Wide Monitor selected will give you an almost full screen image -- there's a small black border on all four sides -- BUT if you unselect it the game stretches beautifully to fill the whole screen.

    We have three modes to choose from upon starting the game:  Casual, Normal, and Expert.  As usual I went with middle-of-the-road with Normal.

    I remember that when this game first came out, I saw people talking about just sitting and watching the menu screen to see the beautiful river and waterfalls.  Now I see why!  Breathtaking, and that's just the menu page!

    Our task bar is locked in the open position by default, but we can make it retractable by hitting the lock at the left side of the bar.

    Just a note that most of the CE content is accessible without completing the game.

    Once we enter Nearwood, you'll see that there are some little creatures that look like tribbles with eyes and long ears; the Snoop-sees.  There will be a "few" of them on every scene (I only saw two on most scenes,) and for every three you find, you'll unlock a new snippet of story in the Encyclopedia located at the bottom right of your task bar.  Your cursor will NOT change when you're hovering over a Snoop-see.

    HINTS -- assuming that you're not on Expert Mode -- are refillable, and using one during the adventure portion of the game will give you a directional arrow without discharging your hint.

    There are no instructions on the mini-games unless you want them -- just click on the question mark in the lower left corner if you need them.

    We have a jump-to MAP, but it takes a while for the teleport amulet to "cool down" before you can jump again.  The map shows areas of interest (though that doesn't mean there's an action that you can currently take,) as well as your current position.

    We have a variety of HOS-types, including find x-number of items, silhouette, and drag-and-drop, but NO find-by-list.  The game plays more like an adventure-lite than an IHOG.  Nearwood 672797614 

    There is NO rapid-misclick penalty in Normal or Casual mode -- not sure about Expert mode.

    CE Content:

    • Integrated Strategy Guide (stays open to where you left it, does NOT show locations of Snoop-sees)
    • Bonus Chapter
    • 11 Music Tracks (downloadable)
    • 9 Concept -- Click on the A button beneath to see the finalized picture(s)
    • 8 Wallpapers with two resolutions to choose from
    • Collectible "Snooop-sees"


    The Strategy Guide stays open to where you left it, but it does NOT tell you the location of the Snoop-sees Nearwood 3286387481  I have read that there are 90 Snoop-sees in the main game, but I'm not sure how many there are total -- I found 107.  Finding these creatures unlock "Snoopedia" pages, which is a cute extra that tells you all about the Snoop-sees and their accomplishments.

    Bonus Chapter:
    This takes place a few years after the main game ends, and there are 11 all-new locations.  Although short (and with more HOS) I still enjoyed the bonus.

    So do the extras make this game "CE-worthy"?  That's really up to you to decide!  I enjoyed looking for the Snoop-sees, almost as much as looking for the beholders in Dreamscapes (almost Nearwood 2981382511  )  Speaking of Dreamscapes, that would be the best game to compare Nearwood to.  The gameplay and overall feeling are very similar, although I think that Dreamscapes was darker in theme.

    This is a game that I would consider light and bright, and I absolutely enjoyed every minute of it!  Everything was beautifully done, from the gorgeous graphics to the lovely music to the interesting gameplay to the great voiceovers and colorful characters.  I found the game to be delightful Nearwood 3026146359   Highly recommended!


    Last edited by genkicoll on Sat Apr 01, 2017 10:27 am; edited 2 times in total

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