Gamer Chick and Mom. Games are My Passion, and Here You'll Find Gaming Reviews & Info, plus Talk about Books, Movies, Music and More!


4 posters

    Cruel Collections: The Any Wish Hotel

    JustTheFacts
    JustTheFacts


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

    Cruel Collections: The Any Wish Hotel Empty Cruel Collections: The Any Wish Hotel

    Post by JustTheFacts Wed Jan 08, 2014 3:39 am

    Cruel Collections: The Any Wish Hotel
    by JetFunDo! - January, 2014

    Available at:
    Big Fish

    Cruel Collections: The Any Wish Hotel Cruel-collections-the-any-wish-hotel_feature


    Get to the bottom of a perplexing mystery in Cruel Collections: The Any Wish Hotel! When a guest at a local hotel goes missing, the owner calls you in to solve the case. But from the moment you arrive, you realize that this is no ordinary hotel. The guests seem to be afraid of you, and a strange man with unusual powers is following you around the building. Can you uncover the secrets of the Any Wish Hotel and escape before you become a permanent guest? Find out in this rousing Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure game!

    • Quickly travel to any location by using the detailed map
    • Play unique and challenging minigames
    • Meet mysterious characters and investigate an exciting mystery!

    Click images to enlarge
    Cruel Collections: The Any Wish Hotel Th_screen1_Cruel Collections: The Any Wish Hotel Th_screen2_Cruel Collections: The Any Wish Hotel Th_screen3
    JustTheFacts
    JustTheFacts


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

    Cruel Collections: The Any Wish Hotel Empty Re: Cruel Collections: The Any Wish Hotel

    Post by JustTheFacts Wed Jan 08, 2014 3:43 am

    Developer: Big Fish Games in conjunction with Jet Fun Do (there were BFG credits, so I think they were a little more involved with this one than the usual)

    It’ll Keep You Busy!

    Sunny Sunny Sunny

    BASED ON DEMO

    FIRST IMPRESSIONS
    The opening sequences are not at all impressive. There is no voiceover, the graphics are sub-par and the story itself seems at this stage pretty obscure. Things do improve once the game proper starts, but it is still definitely a B grade production. Of course, some B grades – movies or games - are just the thing in the right mood.

    SIGHTS & SOUNDS
    While the graphics are bright and colourful, they are a bit blurry, and have an amateurish feel about them. But they are not ugly, and are clear enough to see all you need to see, and if you’re on a laptop or small monitor, I doubt you’d notice the blur. The lack of artistic style, though, is obvious.

    The music is strange to me, but then I know nothing about music. I think this is jazz. It certainly involves excessive use of a big string instrument. I did not notice any other environmental sounds. There are no voiceovers, and that means a heck of a lot of reading in the early part, and throughout the demo it is still noticeable by its absence.

    I think the key to success without voiceover is to tell as little of the story as possible, and let the characters’ actions speak for themselves, otherwise there is just too much time spent looking at the bottom of the page.

    WHAT’S HAPPENING?
    You have been enticed to the Any Wish Hotel to investigate a disappearance, but before you even walk through the door, the presence of a strange and malevolent looking man bothers you. So does a very beautiful and ethereal butterfly that is the highlight of the game.

    Inside, the hotel is a shambles, and just getting to the owner’s office is an adventure. The current guests include an inventor, an artist, an illusionist, and a musician. They are all acting peculiar, and it has something to do with that butterfly and the stranger. Things go downhill from there.

    GAMEPLAY
    Very basic. This a no frills game all the way, and that includes the HOPs and puzzles. The HOP scenes look quite good, but are very cluttered. They are interactive lists with some new interactions. The puzzles and mini-games are for the most part old, and very easy. Some, though, are quite clever. But neither types of game are the main focus.

    Most of the game is very easy adventure stuff. What I call inventory-driven. Wander around and find out what you need; then wander around and find out what you’ve got; put the two together. After the initial confusion, where you have a dozen inventory items and a dozen places to put things that don’t match with any of them, the game settles down into an easy rhythm. Each location has lots to do of this sort of thing, and you will certainly be kept busy, but the objects and their uses are usually pretty obvious.

    There is an interactive map giving you where there are active task, where you are finished, and of course where you are. It (sometimes – you’ll find out) allows you to jump, which judging by the toing and froing, and the complexity and size of the map, is going to be a good thing. There is also a directional hint and a journal which allows you to replay cut scenes. And 3 modes of difficulty.

    VERDICT
    One aspect of this game is fun. There is an ironic humour throughout, leading to black bar comments like: What a good place to hide a cane head! (The maintenance hatch of the elevator).

    I can’t get into this game. But it is not all bad. It is a nice easy game with some good moments and I’d never NOT recommend it on its B grade status alone. But, personally, I think there’s better.

    Good for a punchcard coupon or gum shoe fans.

    I Recommend This Game!
    RenaissanceMom
    RenaissanceMom


    Posts : 785
    Join date : 2013-01-05
    Age : 62
    Location : NYC

    Cruel Collections: The Any Wish Hotel Empty Re: Cruel Collections: The Any Wish Hotel

    Post by RenaissanceMom Wed Jan 08, 2014 3:54 am

    Thanks, JTF! Yeah, the promo shots looked pretty unappealing to me... not calling my name so far.
    JustTheFacts
    JustTheFacts


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

    Cruel Collections: The Any Wish Hotel Empty Re: Cruel Collections: The Any Wish Hotel

    Post by JustTheFacts Wed Jan 08, 2014 4:03 am

    Many are going wild about it because it's another 1920s gumshoe era game. Frankly, I'm as sick of them as you are of cute pets!  Big smile 
    Sportygal2009
    Sportygal2009


    Posts : 164
    Join date : 2013-09-03

    Cruel Collections: The Any Wish Hotel Empty Re: Cruel Collections: The Any Wish Hotel

    Post by Sportygal2009 Wed Jan 08, 2014 6:21 am

    JustTheFacts wrote:reserved - for sportygal  Smile - another 1920s era gumshoe!
     Yahoo!

    Oh I'll take this any ole day before the cutesy dress up the animal shit! Oh I mean crap!  Zip it


     Belly laugh

    Edited to add: At first this game didn't appeal much to me either but once into it I like it. It's definitely not the best game of the year but I like it. Will be back later to review it as I just bought it.  Big smile Oh I think Big Fish is trying to get a 5 star review out of me.  Rolling Eyes Well not quite yet.  Snicker
    Sportygal2009
    Sportygal2009


    Posts : 164
    Join date : 2013-09-03

    Cruel Collections: The Any Wish Hotel Empty Re: Cruel Collections: The Any Wish Hotel

    Post by Sportygal2009 Thu Jan 09, 2014 6:44 pm

    Deleted


    Last edited by Sportygal2009 on Sun Jan 26, 2014 7:14 am; edited 1 time in total
    RenaissanceMom
    RenaissanceMom


    Posts : 785
    Join date : 2013-01-05
    Age : 62
    Location : NYC

    Cruel Collections: The Any Wish Hotel Empty Re: Cruel Collections: The Any Wish Hotel

    Post by RenaissanceMom Fri Jan 10, 2014 5:01 am

    Ugh, I'm with you on the animals! The devs know their market is women, and women just looooove cute lil' furry beasties. Well not in my games I don't!  dirtywords
    Sportygal2009
    Sportygal2009


    Posts : 164
    Join date : 2013-09-03

    Cruel Collections: The Any Wish Hotel Empty Re: Cruel Collections: The Any Wish Hotel

    Post by Sportygal2009 Fri Jan 10, 2014 7:45 am

    Deleted


    Last edited by Sportygal2009 on Sun Jan 26, 2014 7:14 am; edited 1 time in total
    luvtoread
    luvtoread


    Posts : 1171
    Join date : 2012-09-06
    Age : 63
    Location : Johnstown, NY

    Cruel Collections: The Any Wish Hotel Empty Re: Cruel Collections: The Any Wish Hotel

    Post by luvtoread Sat Jan 11, 2014 6:26 pm

    I demoed this game and was really enjoying it.  Then I came to the part where I have to make
    a rope out  of the cut up curtains.   Only some of the pieces moved--the others just froze
    into positions  (and not in the positions they are suppose to be in), so I cannot finish it.
    Went to the forums and there are 4 pages in the technical thread of game freezing in different
    places.
    So I am very hesitant to buy,   which is a shame.

    Sponsored content


    Cruel Collections: The Any Wish Hotel Empty Re: Cruel Collections: The Any Wish Hotel

    Post by Sponsored content


      Current date/time is Thu Mar 28, 2024 6:50 am