"Carnival", my Adventure Game Hotspot review!

Read my full review on Adventure Game Hotspot!

Excerpt: "Carnival is like a five-hour creepy gondola ride, guided along by an experienced storyteller at the helm. It’s very much narrative-focused and light on gameplay, but the amount of research put into it is astounding, and along with the detailed close-up character portraits and the brilliantly atmospheric soundtrack, it is easy to ignore its few hiccups and let yourself be swept along by an increasingly dark story. It all culminates in a horrific ending that definitely makes the voyage worthwhile, even with some loose ends left untied. A little more gameplay would have gone a long way, but the story is compelling enough that from now on I will always remember that someone who wears a mask might be hiding even more than just their face."

I finished "Loco Motive" in 10,5 hours!

This looks like the start of "The Last Express"

The last playthrough post of a game is always the hardest, because I don't want to spoil the ending, of course! I reached the credits of Loco Motive in 10,5 hours. This makes it a good length game, with puzzles that tripped me up but also others that flowed along without much trouble. 

Get this baby up to 88 mph!

It's also nicely structured when it comes to the three playable characters, though I did want to play as Diana only a bit longer. In the last chapters, you have to switch first between Diana and Arthur, and lastly between Herman as well. This reminded me a lot of Day of the Tentacle, where you have to switch between Bernard, Lavern and Hoagie to solve to puzzles, and exchange inventory items through the Chron-O-John. 

The Last Will And Testament!

But the quality of the game remained all the way through. The animations, the music, the humor, the voice acting; this is true adventure game stuff. If I had played this last year, it would definitely have made my top three, but personally I think I still enjoyed PRIM more. 

End credits!

I'm really looking forward to hear Adam Riches talk about the game at AdventureX, and even more about their plans for future games. No way is this a one hit wonder; I certainly hope they've got a lot more adventure games up their sleeves!

You can find Loco Motive on Steam and on GOG.

Since I always switch between a more recent game and a classic one for these playthrough posts, next up is a Sierra title about a young reporter sent to write a story about a museum theft.

I'm 8,5 hours into "Loco Motive" and I'm playing as Diana now!

Third playable character unlocked!

While playing as Arthur Ackerman was okay, I didn't give me the amount of laughs as playing as Herman Merman did! This second part of the game was hilarious and I was finally starting to see why everyone was so hyped up about this game. And now, at the start of chapter 5, I get to play as yet another character, Diana: the secret service agent that was helping out Arthur (or the other way around) in the first parts. It was a brilliant move of the developers to create three playable characters to keep things interesting and new.

Herman Merman and the Slurping Servant

After I reached chapter 3 in my previous playthrough, I got to play as Herman Merman and I had an absolute ball. We returned to a time before the Reuss Express departed, and it was great to see how some things I saw when playing as Arthur actually came to be. While Arthur is pretty much the good guy, just trying to help out, Herman is much more of a rascal, quite full of himself and not scared to bend the rules once in a while to get what he wants.

Herman Merman and the Hurtful Kerfuffle

And his scenes are much more memorable. His kitchen antics, the "Knifey Stab Stab" game, his disguise... This is typical adventure game fare, very close to that Sam & Max humor. I also love the many close-ups of the characters when they do something special.

Herman Merman and the Rehearsing Chanteuse

While I keep spending lots of time walking from one end of the train to the other looking for puzzle solutions, it wasn't as bad this time as with Arthur. I must admit I didn't quite see the answer to puzzles fast enough, which led to me trying out everything, hoping to strike gold, but in hindsight it was always very obvious what the game intended. I was stuck at only one instance because I didn't realize I could use something that I had already concocted earlier, but it did make sense. It is a game where it's best to finish each chapter in one go, though, so everything remains fresh in memory.

I hope the next parts with Diana will be equally fun!

You can find Loco Motive on Steam and on GOG.

I'm 5 hours into "Loco Motive" and I've reached chapter 3!

Gambling rarely pays off...

Since my previous time playing Loco Motive, I duped a guy cheating at the roulette table, and was accepted into a secret society after learning their handshake. For a moment there, I was reminded of hours and hours of trying and note taking to figure out the secret hand gestures on Phatt Island. Thankfully, it wasn't that complicated here.

Nothing says secret society like some shadowy cloaks!

But when I returned for another gaming session, I loaded my last save file and found myself in the middle of the Reuss Express feeling like Gandalf in the Mines of Moria, with absolutely no memory of what I was supposed to be doing. Totally my bad, for trying to combine leisurely playthroughs with official reviews... There really is so much going on on this train, and I wish Arthur would keep some kind of in-game journal to keep track of everything. I mean, he's obviously hot on paperwork, being an attorney and all.

Arthur and I are a bit lost...

Thankfully there's an in-game hint system. I didn't really need a hint, but calling at least provided me with the objectives for which I could ask hints for. Then I was finally back on track! So since last time, I discovered Lady Unterwald's hidden safe, but with no means to open it. I had a good idea of where to find the answers to this predicament, but I hadn't yet located the necessary items to acquire them. So instead, I went and caught a mouse wreaking havoc in the train's kitchen. After that, it was smooth sailing into chapter 3.

Ooh, some good ol' fashioned safe cracking!

Suddenly the setting has changed and I'm playing has Herman Merman, detective novelist, after he has just tried to pitch his latest manuscript to his publisher. It seems I'm thrown back in time to before Herman boarding the Reuss Express, and I'll now get to see the story from his point of view. I wonder what kind of secrets I'll discover this time!

Trying to get published really does feel like playing the lottery...

You can find Loco Motive on Steam and on GOG.

"Mindlock - The Apartment", my Adventure Game Hotspot review!

 

Read my full review on Adventure Game Hotspot!

Excerpt: "Mindlock: The Apartment has everything a classic point-and-click adventure game needs: a lead character you can identify with, great puzzles, amazing music and voice acting, and a realistic setting that’s suddenly turned upside down by an almost magical story filled with strangeness. It’s a dark modern fairy tale with many surprises, both visually and through dialogue, that will creep you out and make you laugh in turn. While it’s only about five hours long, there’s so much content packed in that it doesn’t feel that short. This is a story about believing in yourself and at least trying to reach for the stars instead of giving up and being left only with regret. While Colin felt trapped by his choices, this game succeeded in every way in opening up my own mind, determined to do what I could to help him finally achieve his goals."

10 shop locations in adventure games!

I hate shopping. I’m constantly overwhelmed by what’s on offer, and underwhelmed by what I can afford. Adventure games as well sometimes include a shop or store as a location. Is it an easier way to offer items that can lead to puzzle solutions? Or perhaps it's one huge red herring trap. Are these places designed to prolong the game by having to examine tons of hotspots? To frustrate because it often relies on pixel hunting? Or are there really people out there who enjoy browsing these virtual shelves?

Whatever’s the case, here’s a list of a couple of in-game shops that certainly kept me entertained (I’m not affiliated with any of these chains, so this is just a random collection of stores that popped into my head while writing this):

Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards (1987)

I only ever played the text parser version of the Quiki Mart. I don't know what it's like in the VGA remake. There are a couple of items you might need here, though now I'm wondering if that's only to get a full score and if it's possible to beat the game without ever buying them. There's a famous funny scene in this store when you buy a particular item. Suffice to say Larry Laffer taught me quite some new English vocabulary, especially since I was probably way too young to already be playing this game...

Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders (1988)

Lou’s Loans is a pawn shop, so if you don’t have the money to buy the items on sale, you can sell your rare inventory items and perhaps scrunch up the necessary funds for whatever it is you think you need. Or you could try playing the lotto and try to make an end to your financial worries, instead. It’s becoming close to resource management here, especially when you’re not entirely sure what you’ll need later on, and also because you still need money to travel. After all, Zak McKracken is one tough game, with loads of dead ends and unbeatable states.

The Secret of Monkey Island (1990)

The first true adventure game I ever played, of course I had to include this one! There are a couple of key items you need to buy in the Mêlée Island Store to complete the three trials, and one you need to steal when the game's real mission presents itself. Most fun to be had is getting on the storekeeper's nerves by ringing the bell and asking him about the Swordmaster. This old coot is more nimble than he seems!

Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge (1991)

Other than the shop in The Secret of Monkey Island, The Booty Boutique is filled with vintage stuff you can buy but never need to use - like a wreath and a plate with a picture of Elvis - and lots of stuff you would want to buy very much but can't - like Indy's whip! To me, this place is the epitome of the adventure game store that I always loved visiting.

Sam & Max Hit the Road (1993)

While there isn't much to buy in Snuckey's, you CAN acquire a key item there (pun intended). Most fun, however, is that there are multiple stores throughout the game, with a cashier that always looks slightly different, and of course the three optional mini-games you can pick up, like a version of Battleship, a dress-up game, and a coloring plate.

Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers (1993)

Ah, the Dixieland Drug Store, where you first meet Madame Cazanoux, where you try to barter with proprietor Willy Walker over a crocodile mask, and where you can always pick up some lagniappe for "that little something extra". This shop just drips atmosphere and authenticity in a game which I think was the first one I played in a realistic, non-fantasy or sci-fi setting. And Willy always comes over as knowing more than he lets on...

Disco Elysium (2019)

The dark and gritty Bird's Nest is a pawn shop where you can find lots of interesting items, but also sell them to make some more money. My personal problem was that I was constantly insecure in this game, and I didn't dare sell anything out of fear I might need it later on. Hence I was always short of cash, which gave me yet another kind of anxiety. I was so glad when I finally finished this game after more than 42 hours...

Lucy Dreaming (2022)

The town of Figgington actually has TWO in-game stores: the Charity Shop and the Happy Shoppie convenience store. I guess developer Tom Hardwidge DOES like going shopping. Either that, or he loves tormenting his audience with loads of unattainable items. I've chosen to display the Charity Shop here, since they take donations for the important "Protect Our Weasels" campaign. God forbid one of those little critters loses its head...

A Twisted Tale (2024)

Not really a store but an Antique Shop, there's not much to actually buy here, but the place is filled with adventure game paraphernalia. Finding all these little easter eggs is even a Steam Achievement. You'll definitely be visiting this place several times, since it's where your main objective is to be found, and you'll have a hard time prying it from the uppity owner's hands.

The Brilliant Coup (2025)

I lost count of the amount of times I entered Raju's Strange Things in the hope of finding a new item that could help me with one challenging puzzle or other. After all, Raju told me at the start of the game to "come back soon, we always have new goods!" Yeah, right... But indeed, sometimes he could help me out of a bend.


There are probably more games featuring more shops and stores, so please comment with your favorite go-to places when you're shy some inventory items!

New game: "Loco Motive"!

New game!

I've started playing Loco Motive by Robust Games and I'm 1 hour into it! This made Adventure Game of the Year for Adventure Game Hotspot and also won the AGOTY Award for best adventure game of 2024. So, it has a lot to live up to! And indeed, it doesn't take long to see the quality behind this title.

Speech! Speech! Speech!

Lady Unterwald, wealthy owner of the Orient... I mean Reuss Express, has a big announcement to make concerning her last will and testament. At the moment of her speech, with all of her associates and family gathered together, the train goes through a tunnel, all lights go out, and when power is restored the Lady lies sprawling in her own blood, a knife deeply embedded in her back.

'Tis him, Herman Merman!

Luckily - or perhaps not - famous detective Herman Merman is on board as well and he already figured out how to find the killer. Just look at the will: the one who benefits most from the Lady's death is the culprit. Sadly enough, lawyer Arthur A. Ackerman - who you play as, actually - lost the will. I tried not to lose it. I swear. I saw what was about to happen and I tried very much to prevent it, but the game just wouldn't let me. So yeah, the will is gone, Herman Merman gave up the investigation and went in hiding for fear of his own life somewhere on Snowpie- I mean the Reuss Express, so it's now left to me to figure out who did it.

I'd love a train voyage with rooms like this...

Loco Motive is a classic style point 'n click adventure. It has great pixel art, beautiful close-ups occasionally, fantastic music, a brilliant voice cast, and every screen bobs up and down and sideways slightly to simulate the movement of the Darjee- I mean Reuss Express. There's lots to look at, inventory items to collect, many characters to talk to and of course loads of puzzles to solve! I'm not far into it the story yet, but it's already obvious why so many people loved this game. 

Is this like the Fate of Atlantis path choice?

With a clear goal ahead of me, I can't help but examine everything and talk to everyone in every carriage I have to pass through. While I might wish for a fast travel map to change carriages quickly, I'm actually glad they didn't add that feature, since there's so much detail in this train. I did notice that talking to the barman might be some kind of in-game hint system, so I stopped doing that. And there were a couple of twins asking me for my preference to tunnels or bridges, which felt like some kind of difficulty level choice.

Now let's go solve this cheeky murder!

You can find Loco Motive on Steam and on GOG.

"Wildwood Down", my Adventure Game Hotspot review!

Read my full review on Adventure Game Hotspot!

Excerpt: "Wildwood Down’s hero Daniel is such a kind and endearing character, so concerned for his sister and friends that he always wants to do the right thing, though he’s not afraid to bend the rules once in a while when necessary. After all, sometimes the end justifies the means! This leads to some great adventure puzzling and (skippable) mini-games as you try to hunt down the serial killer menacing the boardwalk. While its choice of graphical design might not be to everyone’s taste, the many other fun elements of Daniel’s amusing adventure more than makes up for that. Everyone who wants to get down with this wildly comedic thriller will be wonderfully surprised at every turn."

I've finished "Heart of China" in 4,5 hours!

Mission accomplished!

Taking a very big chance and overwriting earlier save files, I continued playing Heart of China after I ran out of save files during my previous run. The Kathmandu level was quite tricky, because Jake Masters isn't exactly a people person. He keeps insulting people no matter which dialogue option you choose, so it takes a lot of restoring there to figure out which option does the least damage.

Istanbul's city gate doesn't look that impressive...

We finally ended up in Istanbul, which looked a lot more rustic than I imagined it would have looked in the 1930s. I think they got their centuries mixed up... Anyways, the moment I set foot in the city, Jake gets arrested for a previous transgression, and I'm suddenly playing as Kate.

Cleaned him out quite fast...

Devising a plan to free Jake costs money, so I have to play a couple of rounds of a shell game to gather the necessary funds. Bought some red herring items in the pawn shop, then had to restore because an item I needed couldn't be bought and earlier I had already accidentally ruined my chances to get it.

This ain't Prince of Persia...

With Jake freed we escaped on the Orient Express. Thankfully I saved right before boarding, because turns out the next dialogue-heavy scene between Jake and Kate defines which ending you get. And yes, I had to restore here to get a good ending... But not before playing another arcade sequence, swordfighting on top of the train and getting knocked off over and over. I admit, I looked up a strategy for this, because I didn't want to just skip it.

Heart of China turned out not so bad as Willy Beamish with its game-overs and dead-ends. The puzzles aren't that hard, if you can figure out the right things to say to people. There's just a lot of trial and error involved, and the twenty save slots the game has just aren't enough for that. I did like the story very much, there's this pulp adventure, swashbuckling style to it that appealed to me more than Dynamix's Rise of the Dragon. A remake of this game without any dead ends would be cool, but then you wouldn't have those charming graphic style with the actors anymore. And yes, that means I think I developed a little crush on Kimberly Greenwood playing Kate Lomax...

My next classic playthrough will be Laura Bow and the Dagger of Amon Ra, but first I want to finally play Loco Motive, since there's a good chance I might meet Adam Riches at AdventureX in November...

You can buy Heart of China on GOG.

I'm 2,5 hours into "Heart of China" and I ran out of save files...

The place sure has changed since I came here with Zak McKracken...

I'm 2,5 hours into Heart of China. I finally got through the Chendung chapter alive and well, and reached Kathmandu. Only problem is that I ran out of save files, so now I always have to overwrite them. This adds a little anxiety, because I can imagine having to go back further in time if I happened to miss something vital. So let's hope that won't be necessary!

Drowning is only one of many death scenes...

Getting into the palace of Li Deng was quite tricky, but I blame the user interface. It had been a while since my first session, so I had forgotten you had to DRAG items into your inventory instead of simply clicking on them. It's a 90s game, after all, and we were still far from a one-click interface. Anyway, this led to me drowning in the sewers a couple of times -- yak! I mean, yuck!

Already vanquished a guard dog, now there are guard SNAKES?!

Puzzling through the palace itself was quite intuitive. Still had to reload a couple of times, but I finally located Kate Lomax, surrounded by killer cobra's! I didn't have much time to think of a way to free her, since the guards always show up after some time. I was able to buy myself a LITTLE extra time, but every time I tried to use my gun on the snakes, it didn't work. Once again, an interface issue: turns out I first have to equip the gun by dragging it onto Jake's picture in the inventory, then I had to hold the right mouse button to get some crosshairs so I could shoot with the left button. Thank Buddah this game came with a digital copy of the manual...

What a magnificent polygon plane!

Not long after I needed the manual again, to figure out the tank controls. Yes, I had to escape the palace driving a tank! It's a skippable arcade sequence, but I wanted to do it for myself. Lost quite some time getting blown up by other tanks, flipping myself over or driving straight into a river, until I finally succeeded in reaching my plane and leave for Nepal.

Kate's not looking too good...

Why Nepal and not back to Hong Kong, you may ask? Well, one of those snakes still managed to bite Kate, and Chi said the only cure can be found in Kathmandu. So once the plane was on the ground I had to reload a couple of times figuring out whether Jake or Chi should go look for help. All three of us froze to death repeatedly, until I figured out Chi had a right-click function as well... So now we're in Kathmandu, with several new locations to visit and several people to talk to. Let's try to get home now!

You can buy Heart of China on GOG.

Classic time: "Heart of China"

New game!

I've started playing Heart of China and I'm one hour into it! This is my first time playing this game, which was developed by Dynamix and released by Sierra On-Line in 1991. I got into adventure games a year later, I think, and even though I often saw this title, I never got around to it. I did play two other adventure games by this company, Rise of the Dragon and Willy Beamish. So I knew I had to be in a good mindset to play this one: save often!

Cool, real actors...

Nurse Kate Lomax is kidnapped in the Chinese province of Shendung. Her father hires me, "Lucky" Jake Masters, to go rescue her. Of course, if adventure games have taught me anything, it's not to dash in unprepared. So for the first hour of the game I'm in Hong Kong where I had to convince this guy named Chi - a ninja - to accompany me, and to gather some necessary inventory items.

My Cadillac of the skies...

Heart of China has beautiful graphics and the characters are stills of real actors - or, well, friends and family of the developers. The backgrounds have little animations. The puzzles are mainly of the dialogue variety (so far), so I saved and restored until I found the optimal configuration of the available options; took me quite a bit of trying.

Ho's Bar. I kid you not...

The user interface takes some getting used to. There are no hotspot labels; your cursor changes into an arrow when you can pick something up, or a dialogue balloon when you can talk to someone. You can right click wherever you want to get a description. Clicking on Jake's picture in the bottom right corner opens up the inventory. You have to drag the items to use them. But you also have to drag them back into your inventory, otherwise you drop them on the ground wherever you are.

The streets of Hong Kong...

So together with Chi, I managed to leave the airport and land near Li Deng's castle where he is supposedly holding nurse Kate. It was interesting to see that, when Chi joined me, I could switch between the two characters, each with his own inventory. I already solved one puzzle this way and I'm sure there are more to come... 

You can buy Heart of China on GOG.

"Quantum Witch", my Adventure Game Hotspot review!

Read my full review on Adventure Game Hotspot!

Excerpt: "Like most narrative adventures, this game features freedom of choice as its most important aspect, though I loved the fun retro art and catchy music as well, and totally appreciated the main character standing up to religious doctrine (if I wanted). A lot of supernatural – or quantum-sciencey – things happen in the story that I didn’t really understand, possibly because I didn’t see all possible scenes. But I went with the flow, laughed at the jokes, and tried to give Ren the best ending I could. And then the worst. And then something in between. The game might still hold more secrets for me, but I’m totally fine to leave the rest for completionists. It’s definitely worth playing, though, and playing more than once, as it’s a challenge to unlock the various alternative versions of the story, and often a joy to experiment. Go in with the right expectations and you’re sure to be charmed by Quantum Witch."

I finished "Life is Strange: True Colors" in 11 hours!

Joy to the world!

What an amazing game! Without a doubt my favorite of all Life is Strange games. Then again, I've probably say that of every LiS game I've played ;)

So, after last time, Alex discovered that not all emotions she can read are bad. Joy has the power to change the world around her. This led to some great scenes. I really enjoyed the LARPing in chapter four, with everybody in town helping young boy Ethan have the time of his life. This was such a fun with all the battles and finding scrolls, but also touching sequence. It's something I would love to do in real life.

FIGHT!

Other than that I tried very much to woo Steph during the Spring Festival. I know the game lets you choose between Steph and Ryan as the main romantic interest, and for some reason Steph made more sense to me. Ryan's a good guy, but he just didn't have the spark for me.

Bewitching...

Chapter five was both awesome but also a bit underwhelming. There wasn't really much gameplay there, simply going through some flashback scenes and then the final showdown, where all the little sidequests with the other characters paid off (still missed getting one right, it seemed...) And then the final decision on what the future would bring for Alex.
 

No guitar playing mini-game? Aw shucks...

I decided to stay in Haven, and Steph decided to stay with me. I hope that the vision of the future Alex received will become true. This was a great pay-off of a great game with amazing visuals, endearing characters, awesome music (even some licensed songs like Kings of Leon and Dido) and of course the fun gameplay the Life is Strange games are known for. Great to play a narrative game like this after a game filled with inventory puzzles.

Life is Strange: Double Feature is next in this series, but for my following playthrough I will be going back to the classics with Heart of China!