Haunted Hotel 5: Eclipse

Haunted Hotel: Eclipse
by Elephant Games - October, 2013

Series links: Haunted Hotel 1 (straight HOG), Haunted Hotel 2: Believe the Lies, Haunted Hotel 3: Lonely Dream, Haunted Hotel 4: Charles Dexter Ward, Haunted Hotel 5: Eclipse, Haunted Hotel 6: Ancient Bane, Haunted Hotel 7: Death Sentence, Haunted Hotel 8: Eternity, Haunted Hotel 9: Phoenix, Haunted Hotel 10: The X, Haunted Hotel 11: The Axiom Butcher, Haunted Hotel 12: Silent Waters, Haunted Hotel 13: The Thirteenth, Haunted Hotel 14: Personal Nightmare

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



You and your renowned partner James have been called to investigate a strange disturbance at a hotel, but the maid says the guests are all monsters. What’s happened here, and does she really mean that literally?

The Collector’s Edition includes:

• Play the bonus game to uncover more secrets
  
• Downloadable soundtracks and wallpapers
  
• Gorgeous screensavers and concept art
  
• Use the integrated Strategy Guide
  

For the Standard Edition

• Strategy Guide
  
• Walkthrough (Big Fish)
  

Click images to enlarge
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The Eternal Question: CE Or SE?   
    

BASED ON COMPLETED GAME

So many great reviews for the CE game can be read on the Big Fish game page, I’ll just concentrate here on the Bonus Content. (If you'd like more - say, if you aren't talking to BFG or something. Let me know, I have the main points on file.)

Briefly, this game is just about everything I could ask for. Amazing intro, beautiful graphics, classic story, great soundtrack and of course excellent gameplay with a balance of HOPs, puzzles, mini-games, and adventure. And I am glad to see a human partner, a la M. Dupin from the Dark Tales series, who might be described as cute  , but definitely not saccharine.

As you’d expect from Elephant, the game is put together very professionally. So you can anticipate a great game in either the Collector’s or Standard Editions.

(Bonus Content Review)  
    


Bonus Chapter: While the main game ends abruptly, it also ends with finality. The extra chapter is a story that could follow from it, but certainly didn’t have to. The game took me a little over an hour to complete, but I was tired and skipped quite a few mini-games. The locations are half made up by revamped old locations, and 100% new ones. All the puzzles and HOPs are new.

Although the story was interesting and fun, I still got the feeling of it having been ‘tacked on’. There were errors in spelling etc. which you rarely see in Elephant games. And sometimes there wasn’t much justification for the actions the characters made. But enjoyable enough.

Gallery: Wallpapers, concept art, music.

Strategy Guide: Clear and well done without being exceptional. I would have preferred more screenshots with better detail.

Collectibles: These are morphing paintings and seriously cool. Not too hard to find, but I still managed to miss one.

Achievements: Standing on the mantel of a comfortable fireplace. The expected achievements and couple of odd ones.

Secret Room*: Without doubt the most appealing feature to come as a result of us crying, “different, give me different” in the forums.

POSSIBLE SPOILER
*This is where you find the replayable puzzles and HOPs. But there is a story to follow, and you must solve some puzzles in order to activate others. It’s like a real game in simpler form*
For my money, the CE extras are very much worth the extra money, but you still won’t be disappointed with the SE if you’re on a budget.


I Recommend This Game

Great review, Justie!  Thanks so much!