Thursday, March 27, 2025
"Rosewater" - my Adventure Game Hotspot review!
Read my full review on Adventure Game Hotspot!
Excerpt: "The branching storylines leading to alternate solutions is really Rosewater’s ace up its sleeve. If you just want to play through the game once, there’s an abundance of content to experience and always a path that conforms to how you want to behave. But if you’re interested in multiple playthroughs, there are many different decisions you can make that are sure to open up even more to see and do. Either way, it’s a highly entertaining chance to be part of a posse in the Old West – well, an alternate version of it, at least. The rather easy puzzles and mini-games might not exactly strike gold, but the setting is gorgeous and the characters are wonderfully written and acted, making it a joy to spend time with such a diverse, dynamic group. As thoroughly entertained as I was in getting there, I was actually sad when my posse reached its final destination and inevitably rode off into the sunset, so to speak, but it’s great to know that more adventuring awaits when I’m ready to revisit Western Vespuccia once again."
Wednesday, February 26, 2025
"The Brilliant Coup" - my Adventure Game Hotspot review!
Excerpt: "While THE BRiLLiANT COUP doesn’t allow you to actively plan the heist of the Arctic Star, playing assistant to Uncle Briggs is certainly a satisfying foray into a life of crime. The game is decidedly old-school in its approach, and still has a few rough edges left to smooth, but it’s sure to steal your heart with its funky music and loads of subtle animations that bring the late-80s British streets to life. And it definitely achieves what it sets out to do: tricking people to get your hands on blueprints, convincing accomplices to join you, and then coordinating them to do their part of the job will keep you busy for a decent eight hours of traditional-style adventure gaming. While there’s never any true sense of danger or getting caught, there is a point of no return that determines how successful you are in the heist. While I didn’t manage to get the most loot, I did make off with a fair amount and was able to escape abroad for some well-deserved time off – hopefully with more irresistible future targets still to come."
Monday, February 24, 2025
I finished "An English Haunting" and yes... I screamed...
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I love hiking! |
Wow, what a journey! I finished An English Haunting in six hours. I was very much surprised when, after last time, I travelled to a totally different location, and even got to control another character. Immediately it made the game a bit more exotic.
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Where's Keyser Söze? |
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Ominous... |
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I'd be as frozen as that statue... |
You can find An English Haunting here!
Saturday, February 22, 2025
I'm 4 hours into "An English Haunting" and things got creepy...
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Let there be light! |
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How revelatory... |
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These gents appear right peaky... |
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That ain't Nur-ab-Sal... |
You can find An English Haunting here!
Friday, February 21, 2025
New game: "An English Haunting"
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New game! |
I've started playing An English Haunting by Postmodern Adventures and I'm one hour into it!
I'm professor Patrick Moore, of the London University's Metapsychic
Investigations Department. Next to lecturing, I research the possible
existence of the Great Beyond; ghosts, in other words. One day, I'm
interrupted during a class and given the news my partner, Nelson Ward,
ran off with a pretty extensive research grant. Not convinced of his
guilt, I take it upon myself to search for the truth. The University's
Board, however, is planning to shut down the Metapsychic Investigations
Department and has given me a deadline: 72 hours to proof the existence
of ghosts.
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Some "Last Crusade" vibes here... |
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Some "Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes" vibes here... |
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Some other vibes here... |
You can find An English Haunting here!
Tuesday, February 18, 2025
"Tourist Trap" - my Adventure Game Hotspot review!
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Excerpt: "Tucked between an abundance of fetch quests and peculiar conversations with unusual characters, in essence Tourist Trap is a game about gaming, about escaping everyday life and playing as someone else, pretending to be a character in a story, basically becoming – for a short time – a tourist in a different world. While I do wish there had been more influence from player choice in the game’s finale, maybe even offering alternate endings that way, I was nevertheless left with a satisfied feeling when the credits rolled. It’s a fun game with a good sense of humor and an interesting story, and though it’s short and fairly basic, it does well what it set out to do. Including making me wary of where to go for our next summer vacation…"
Monday, February 10, 2025
I finished "Conquests of the Longbow" in 6 hours!
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But what if you're lefthanded? |
I finished Conquests of the Longbow in six hours! Well, at least I think I did. I reloaded so often, the timestamps of the save slots weren't really good to keep track of my progress anymore. It could be closer to seven hours in total. Because I restored a lot...
I also feel like a dolt. Last time I was stuck on the riddle part of the game. My wife even offered her assistance with the riddles, but she didn't understand it either. We were convinced some of our answers HAD to be correct, but they still weren't accepted. Finally she looked one of them up, and indeed, it WAS the right answer! So, was this a bug? No, finally we figured it out... After spelling out the correct answer on the hand palm, I clicked in the wrong place on the screen to submit it, making the game think I submitted blank. So after we realized that, we quickly answered three riddles, clicking the sweet spot and submitting them correctly, and finally the game continued! Sigh...
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Sensory overload in this place... |
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Thank you very much, easy arcade settings! |
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Such gruesome slaughter... |
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This tower kept me busy for a while... |
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The Kingdom is saved! Huzzah! |
You can find Conquests of the Longbow here!
Friday, February 7, 2025
"Slender Threads", my Adventure Game Hotspot review!
Read my full review on Adventure Game Hotspot!
Excerpt: "Slender Threads immediately immersed me in its weird tale of spooky shadow creatures threatening the protagonist’s very existence. Even with its plethora of locations, the town of Villa Venata is easy to get around. Moving from place to beautiful place and character to quirky character is fun, though never all that challenging except for some small gameplay hiccups that could have used some finetuning. The moody orchestral soundtrack is a perfect companion, and the natural-sounding voice cast fits the bill perfectly. It’s a compact game but with great attention to detail, really filling this world with surprises and even some light jump scares. When you dread the need to click on something, out of fear of what might come next, you know you are experiencing a captivating story. And when you can’t help but laugh at a comically lethal plot twist, you could feel a bit guilty, or you could just appreciate this perfect blend of horror and humor."
Wednesday, January 29, 2025
"The End of the Sun", my Adventure Game Hotspot review!
Read my full review on Adventure Game Hotspot!
Excerpt: "The End of the Sun deserves to be played at a leisurely pace to fully take in the amazing surroundings. The slow walking speed is remedied by the run button, but it’s a shame to hurry through this magnificent world. The scenic valley quickly feels a real place, especially when you experience it through the various seasons and observe its inhabitants in different periods of their lives. The majority of fetch quests and puzzles might be a tad too easy for experienced adventurers, but each puzzle is unique and very much rooted in the legends, folklore and rituals of these Slavic people. The drama of human relationships and the mystery of the firebird Rarog and its regular apparitions are sure to ward off any boredom that might otherwise occur because of all the backtracking between locations. Dramatic events are leavened by humorous episodes in a narrative coated with a layer of love and romance while displaying a deep respect for traditions and one’s ancestral roots. Clearly nothing was done half-heartedly in the development of this game, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with it. It definitely sparked my own wanderlust, and is sure to kindle the interest of anyone who appreciates exploring other historical cultures."
Monday, January 27, 2025
3 hours into "Conquests of the Longbow" and breaking my head over some riddles...
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Aww, soulmates... |
I'm 3 hours into Conquests of the Longbow and breaking my head over some riddles...
Lots has happened since my first playing session. First I finally found a disguise to venture inside Nottingham. The local cobbler gave me a silver comb, which I had to show to Marian to pledge my allegiance to the cause of gathering King Richard's ransom. Apparently there's a treasure passing through Watling Street, so I'll have to prepare to take possession of it. But the cobbler is going on a reconnaissance mission first, and will inform me about it later.
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Really hope this isn't the river Styx... |
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I really wanted to snoop through all bedrooms for some reason... |
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Quite a fun game once you get the hang of it... |
You can find Conquests of the Longbow here!
Saturday, January 25, 2025
Classic time: "Conquests of the Longbow" playthrough!
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New game! |
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Robin has pretty basic living arrangements... |
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What a merry bunch... If two people can be called a bunch... |
The game starts with an (optional) prologue where you see King Richard of England taken prisoner by Leopold of Austria when the former travels back from the crusades in Jerusalem. It's your job as Robin Hood to rob the rich and give to the poor, or in this case gather the necessary ransom of one hundred thousands mark.
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Already killed a guy within the first hour... |
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Already killed two guys within the first hour... |
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Exploring Sherwood Forest is pretty slow going... |
You can find Conquests of the Longbow here!
Wednesday, January 22, 2025
"NoseBound", my Adventure Game Hotspot review!
Read my full review on Adventure Game Hotspot!
Excerpt: "In development for nearly a decade, NoseBound attracted my attention as a classic detective noir mystery with a distinct graphical style, but its limitations make it feel more like a carnival funhouse ride where you’re stuck on rails most of the time. While I largely enjoyed the setting, the main character, the easy user interface, and even the trial-and-error save-your-own-life parts, there was no real challenge, the flaws kept piling up, and the story just wasn’t engrossing enough to allow me to look past them. What’s worse is that the ending made me feel as if I was watching a convoluted David Lynch movie. The game was originally announced as episodic, but with no sign of a cliffhanger or more to come, it seems this will be the first and last Ray Hammond story – but perhaps not quite the end, as I sincerely hope the developers are able to patch most of the technical issues and let the better parts of this currently rough-edged mystery shine through."
Wednesday, January 8, 2025
"Ramas' Call: Twisted Timing", my Adventure Game Hotspot review!
Read my full review on Adventure Game Hotspot!
Excerpt: "For all my criticisms, Ramas’ Call: Twisted Timing isn't a bad game per se. It's not brilliant, obviously, and it lacks a decent payoff, but it’s presented in a charming art style and takes you through a collection of inventory puzzles and NPC questioning in a story filled to the brim with unique responses. That makes for a solid bit of adventuring, if disappointingly unintuitive at times, with the added clever premise of having multiple personas available. It’s very slow paced as a result, but I do believe there's an audience among those who love to take their time exploring and trying out everything instead of rushing through to the end – which is just as well, as all you’ll get is the setup for a sequel here instead. There are certainly much better games of its kind, but if you find yourself in that mellow mood for a traditional and mildly amusing point-and-click adventure, there are some fun stretches to be found, and you may just pick up some Spanish while you’re at it."
Tuesday, January 7, 2025
2025 Adventure Game Anticipation!
It's a new year, and there are many adventure game titles scheduled for release. Some already have concrete publication dates, others are more vague on when we will be able to play them. Each one of us probably has their favorites wishlisted for a long time already, but here are a couple of games I'm especially looking forward to.
Whirlight: No Time To Trip is a realistic looking yet still cartoony time-travel adventure by Italian developers imaginarylab, the creators of Willy Morgan and the Curse of Bone Town. That one was a lovely game, waaay too short, but the type of game I like best: no fantasy, no sci-fi, but a modern day setting and environment yet with its own peculiar identity with some history thrown in, clear goals to achieve, no overwhelming amount of possibilities, very structured. So I'm expecting something similar, and hopefully longer, from Whirlight.
Foolish Mortals has been in development for quite a while, but UK-based Inklingwood Studios just confirmed a 2025 release for their debut adventure! It's a traditionally styled mystery point 'n click with a supernatural edge. The game already has the look of an instant classic, so I hope it will also play as one! I for one can't wait to go treasure hunting in 1930's Louisiana!
Old Skies by Wadjet Eye Games shouldn't need an introduction. It's the new game by the creators of the renowned Blackwell series. It doesn't have the developer's signature pixel art style, but it's still a very beautiful game with an amazing soundtrack, excellent voiceovers, and a time-travel story that pulls you in and makes you forget your own timezone! And I know, because I'm a beta tester with 30+ hours on the clock already!
Rosewater by Grundislav Games is a western adventure I've tried to remain spoiler-free of, which is hard because Francisco González is one of the most transparent developers out there, so there are many screenshots and videos to avoid! This game takes place in the same universe as Lamplight City. What interests me most is how you will be playing as part of a team of characters, and the way you play - the choices you make - will affect the relationships and ultimately the story. Many games promise such a thing, however, but I'm confident that if anyone can truly pull that off, it's Francisco Gonzáles!
I really enjoyed the last adaptation of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express, so I'm looking very much forward to their obligatory - though perhaps not quite original - next title in this franchise: Death on the Nile. After all, how can I not love another opportunity to play as the most famous Belgian detective! It'll once again be developed by Microids Studio Lyon, so I have high hopes for the title, plus it's great incentive to finally go and read the book.