Twisted Lands 2: Insomniac

Twisted Lands: Insomniac
by: Alawar Entertainment

Series links: Twisted Lands 1: Shadow Town, Twisted Lands 2: Insomniac, Twisted Lands 3: Origin

Available from:
Big Fish for PC as Collector's Edition / Standard Edition
Big Fish for Mac as Collector's Edition / Standard Edition
GameHouse as Standard Edition
Steam as Twisted Lands Trilogy



Help Angel figure out what is real and what is in her head as  she attempts to escape from a Mental Hospital! Steeped in psychological  horror, Twisted Lands: Insomniac follows the wife of the central  character in the original game, as she attempts to escape the mental  hospital in which she's imprisoned. Explore a haunting environment as  you go on Angel’s mystifying quest!

The Collector’s Edition includes:

• Bonus gameplay
  
• Integrated Strategy Guide
  
• Concept art
  

For the Standard Edition:

• Strategy Guide
  
• Blog Walkthrough (Big Fish)
  

Click images to enlarge
   

I can't believe it, I just lost my review for the SECOND time this morning!! >_< ARGH! Doggone it, let's try this again *grumble, grumble*

Twisted Lands 2: Insomniac (IHOG)

We have the usual sliders for music and sound effects, as well as options for full screen, aspect ratio, custom cursor, and difficulty. I originally chose regular mode, but quickly found that there was too much hand-holding for me. Lucky me, the difficulty can be changed at any time during gameplay.

The music is appropriate and non-invasive, nicely setting the atmosphere of the game without becoming annoying. All spoken portions are voiced-over, and the cut-scenes are short, pertinent to the story, and skippable if you wish.

HINTS are refillable, and like the first game, using a hint during the adventure portion of the game will show you which direction you need to go without using having to refill it.

All pertinent details, such as codes, symbols, etc, are kept in your game journal. Beware, however, as this journal may have some unwanted hints as to what needs to be done. There is a separate check-list behind the journal that tracks all tasks that need to be completed.

The gameplay itself seems to be too easy at first, with solutions to obstructions easily found on, or nearby, the scene where they're needed. Thankfully, this doesn't last for long, and the game quickly becomes more challenging.

The HOG scenes are well-balanced with the adventure portion, and not too heavy with the HO's (yay!). There is a LOT to see and do in this game, and I was very pleased with the length and the fun-factor.

The puzzles are nicely varied and skippable, if you wish, but they're all doable without being insultingly easy.

The story is as immersive as you wish it to be, with detailed journals and papers that you will find throughout the game. You do have to at least pick up/view these items, but there's no rule that says you have to read them I, of course, was thrilled by the amount of story that was included, since the story is a big part of why I play these games.

We find the answers to a lot of questions we had in the first game, and gain some new questions, which I'm sure will be addressed in #3, Origin. There are many, many locations to enjoy during the game, including the lighthouse that was featured during the bonus chapter in the first game.

CE CONTENT:

The built-in Strategy Guide gives very clear instructions, as well as video solutions when needed.

The Bonus Chapter does not feature Angel or her husband, but includes information that is VERY important, giving us an idea of how it all started on the island. Surely they'll cover this information in the next game -- it's just too important to not be given to those who only bought the Collector's Edition! Of course if you're not reading the story, you probably wouldn't care that much, but you know~

There are no wallpapers, but you do get to see Concept Art for the next game (it just got released! Squee~!), 12 musical scores to listen to, and of course the Strategy Guide.

OVERALL IMPRESSION:

Gorgeous graphics, excellent gameplay, good music/SFX choices, and intriguing story combine beautifully to create an immersive, spooky and fun game that I'll definitely be replaying at some point. Absolute thumbs up from me