Recent reviews by Usagi

If you have a zombie fetish or have always wanted pornography in your match three game then XXZ is here to answer your prayers. This simple and short game is free and services as a warm-up for a longer version, XXL though sports unique content making it more than just a demo. It’s an interesting concept and a nice twist to a very basic gameplay concept with ok graphics. There is no story to speak of -there is a zombie virus outbreak, but only women turn into zombies, and you have to fight your way to freedom. Best of all, it’s free.

Being free, however, does not save it from scrutiny. One of my biggest issues with the game was the lack of a tutorial. There is some help in game but it’s not very clear and I learn how to play mainly via trial-and-error. While match three gameplay isn’t complicated, there are other aspects that might confuse players. The user interface is very simple and most backgrounds are just black. There is also no music and maybe only a few sound effects. The artwork is also on the simple side, all of the girls are (were?) white, very skinny and very busty. There isn’t much variety to them outside of their hair color and whatever pose they do. The artstyle itself might also turn some people off.

Criticism aside, this is a pretty decent game nonetheless. It elevates the simple match three formula by making it a fight against zombies. Matching the right colors will cause one of your characters to attack, or you can heal them or give them XP to raise their levels. Adding to the challenge, a character needs to be on the front lines for their attack to land, which took me a moment to figure out because the instructions are vague. As you attack, the zombies do as well and their health regenerates over time. This means you have to balance attacking, defending, and healing all at once which creates a challenge the as the zombies become stronger. The game has eight levels and each one rewards you with some sexy lady shots, that you can uncensor via patching. There are also three different save files which is nice but you probably won’t need them.

Overall it’s a pretty good concept. The gameplay is smooth and fun. Even without the sexy ladies this would be a good standalone experience. It’s also pretty short, you can probably get through it in thirty minutes to an hour. For achievement hunters, there are easy achievements to collect on Steam. If I had to add one thing, I would add the option to turn on and off censorship in game so you can see the difference of the shots. Well, and a story would be nice but I didn’t expect there to be one so no loss. XXZ is a naughty free game that is surprisingly well made and makes a great selling point for anyone interested in purchasing XXL.

Lunar Productions[lunarproduction.com]

Mind Snares Alice's Journey bills itself as a mature, psychological thriller with horror elements and for a hidden object adventure game this is a fresh idea. Unfortunately, it loses track of the story halfway through and goes back to tired old tropes, with an unfulfilling ending. While I love when games have a deep story, I accept that hidden object games will often have a very simple, linear story -they’re straightforward, and I’m okay with that. What I’m not ok with, however, is a game getting my hopes up and completely letting me down. Here we have a decent HOAG that bit off more than it could chew in terms of story and that overshadows its positive notes.

We play Alice, an office worker who gets no respect from her boss and is working so much she can’t be with her family as often as she would like. On her way to yet another work-related emergency, she gets in a car accident. After that, I have no idea what happens to her because the game doesn’t say. Sure, it starts off with an opening cinematic that shows Alice alive and well two years after the events of the game but the story in the game itself doesn’t tell us how Alice gets to that point physically. What it does is take us on a surreal journey of Alice fighting her mental demons -I think. There is an evil hooded figure who acts as the antagonist throughout the game but we never learn who it is or anything about them so it’s unclear if it’s an actual supernatural entity or a figment of Alice’s mind. Leaving things ambiguous can work to a story’s favor but that requires good writing.

Alice’s dreamscape is divided into four worlds and the hospital setting where Alice wakes up, perhaps implying she is in a coma after the car accident. Though it’s safer to say there are only three worlds since the fourth is a lazy rehash of the hospital setting. Alice waking up and her journey to the first world are the best parts of the game, they create a very eerie feeling and directly relate to the struggles she faces; with pictures of her family, her birthday on a note and lots of memories of things she’s missed thanks to her job. The first world represents her work life, wanting to be the perfect employee but sacrificing her happiness to do so. These are real life issues many face and deal with, it hits home and had me invest myself into the main character.

But the other worlds lack these qualities. The second world is a mystical looking area where Alice has to help save a tree and any sense of horror or relatability goes out the window and we no longer gain insight into Alice, her personality, or her current situation. The third area is about Alice dealing with an evil witch and as I mentioned, the fourth isn’t even unique. There is also a tree lady in the game who has words of wisdom to share but she serves no purpose at all to the story or gameplay. There are so many directions these areas could have taken to expand upon the main character and her dilemma, especially after the game had such a strong start. We could have explore her past, her family, anything that makes Alice who she is and explain why she is suffering so much now but the writer’s gave up. There is also this theme of Alice having to choose her destiny, at first I assumed that I would have to choose at the end of the game to follow my dreams or continue life as is but no. It’s just over, the end, no resolution or any explanations.

I’ve gone on about the story because it’s the most unique feature this title has going for it, everything else places it in generic HOAG territory. It has lovely graphics though the animations for cutscenes aren’t very smooth. It has scene-setting music as well as full voice acting that is pleasant to the ears. The gameplay is to be expected, a lot of puzzles which were rather easy and some hidden object scenes which I can always use more of but this title had a good amount. There is a fast travel map and a great journal feature, though the the fact that you travel one world at a time leaves little room for backtracking. It’s enjoyable to play though there is no bonus content or extra chapter which is a shame given that the main story ends so abruptly.

Can a bad ending ruin a good game? Sometimes. Mind Snares Alice's Journey offers a fun experience with puzzles and hidden object scenes to keep players busy as well as achievements to collect and Steam trading cards. It has a good story that is unfortunately not handled well towards the end but shows a lot of promise. But because of the story quality going down it seems less like a journey for Alice through the snares of her own mind and a generic HOAG with some evil ghost causing trouble. Another issue is that the game is short, you can complete it in three hours or so and it lacks any replay value. It is fun so if you see it on sale pick it up, but I would recommend not jumping for this title at full price.

• Must buy.
  
• A good game to buy.
  
• Only buy if on sale.
  
• Mediocre.
  
• Avoid at all costs.

Lunar Productions[lunarproduction.com]

There’s no denying hidden object games have taken on the characteristics of classic adventure games. This means improved stories, investment in characters, and more variety. On the other hand, sometimes this means the hidden game charm that I look for is featured less and less. Persian Nights: Sands of Wonders is a good game and on the surface does everything it needs to d. However, it’s also on the shorter side, with little bonus content, easy puzzles and not nearly enough hidden object scenes. Throw in a predictable story and nice graphics for a pretty standard hidden object game that players will enjoy.

Players assume the role of Tara, a young apothecary who is trying to find the cure of a plague that is spreading across Persia. On this mission she soon realizes this isn’t a plague that a simple herbal remedy can cure, it’s the work of the evil Grand Vizier Zaved and you must ally yourself with the mysterious yet handsome Darius and the somewhat helpful genie Minu. The story is a typical save-the-world epic with magic, mystical creatures and even some romance. “Some” romance might be putting it lightly, I liked the interactions with Tara and Darius but wish there were more. A bit of flirting or something, especially since talking to Darius is an ongoing feature in the game. Which adds another complaint in that I wish there was more character development. We mainly learn about Darius from a plot twist and a journal that fills in his past, but we learn nothing about Tara, very little about mostly-mute Minu, and Zaved is given no fleshing-out as a villain. While I know these sorts of games aren’t expected to be giant stories, if you’re adding in a story and focusing on it and the action with less emphasis on other elements, give players more meat.

Playing this game on a computer requires a mouse to play and you use basic point and click controls. You click on items to pick them up, interact with puzzles and scenes and also talk to people. There is a dialogue feature only present with Darius where you can talk about a few different topics, some provide backstory and others offer hints to your current situation. As an apothecary, making potions is part of the gameplay but you only make five potions. You also have a book to tell you what to do and it doesn’t act as a mini-game so it’s pretty easy. All the mini-games in the game were relatively easy, I only had trouble with one and that’s because I just don’t like that particular type of puzzle. The hidden object scenes are also rather easy in nature and are very scarce in the game, which was my biggest issue with the game. Sure, the game has a fun action feel, especially when you take control of Darius to solve physical puzzles or team up with Tara for a two person job, but I play hidden object games mainly for hidden object scenes.

The graphics are lovely, filled with vibrant colors and lush scenery. While some of the animation and cutscenes could be better, overall I was so engaged in the game I can’t pinpoint any errors that jumped out at me. Near the end, with Darius, they should have altered his appearance in a certain way and did not which stood out to me but aside from that I found the game to be aesthetically pleasing. There is also fitting background music and full voice acting done by a good cast of actors. It took some time to get used to Tara’s voice actress and I felt she was the weakest of the main cast but I was happy no one tried to use any bad accents since it was set in Persia. Sure, accents can help with immersion but if they’re bad it comes off as insulting. The game also has a well done user interface and the hidden object scenes are not blurry or insanely hard to see small items.

If you’re a fan of games in this genre then I do recommend playing Persian Nights: Sands of Wonders. It’s fun to play with a good story and it also is visually appealing. If you’re playing on Steam there are also achievements and trading cards to collect as well. Since the game is rather easy, collecting all of the achievements in one playthrough is possible. The game lacks a bonus chapter and while it has a satisfying ending that wraps everything up neatly, I’ve come to enjoy bonus content. It's also worth noting that basic features like a teleporting map, different levels of difficulty and a journal are present here, though the journal is rather basic. It’s a short and easy to play game but I liked it and feel you will as well.

• Must buy.
  
• A good game to buy.
  
• Only buy if on sale.
  
• Mediocre.
  
• Avoid at all costs.

Lunar Productions[lunarproduction.com]

Sometimes I can be a weird person. When someone says something is bad, I have a sick fascination to find out why. That’s why I decided to play Shtriga: Summer Camp and while it isn’t a horrible game it sure isn’t a good one. In this hidden object adventure game you play an unnamed female detective who is searching for a missing boy. However, the case quickly takes a supernatural turn and things become more dangerous than initially expected. The game was released in 2014 and it shows; the plot is paper thin, there is no voice acting and there is no map, which is a pet peeve for me. The game does have nice artwork and plays well but it’s an easily forgettable title.

A distraught mother seeks out the main character’s help in finding her missing son which leads the player to a haunted summer camp. There isn’t much else to the story besides that, the main character barely has any thoughts or observations of the world around her and there aren’t any other characters to speak to really. The villain is an evil witch, Shtriga, who steals children for their energy. Not much is known about her either, I can only remember two in game notes pertaining to her. An interesting fact is apparently she’s a powerful witch who can transform herself, turn people into stone and isn’t above killing those that get in her way; except for the main character. Shtriga has many chances to kill the detective but never does, instead putting up annoying roadblocks. Sure, it’s a game so dying would not be fun but it makes no logical sense. In the end, the lack of a story or any character development had me very disinterested, I didn’t even feel any sense of accomplishment when I saved the boy, let alone beat the game.

Two things saved this title for me, the first being the gameplay. The game plays perfectly fine as you would expect a hidden object game to be. Point and click controls, interact with objects, collect what you need, solve puzzles, and play hidden object scenes. It meets the basic requirements and has fun moments, however, it doesn’t do it as well other games in this genre especially more modern ones. As mentioned before, there is no map so you can’t see where you’re going and where you’ve been, you also can’t fast travel so be prepared to backtrack if you missed something. The puzzles were overall rather easy but the hidden object scenes were fun. You will visit each scene twice, but when you revisit a scene all of the items reset as if you’ve never been there before. It’s minor but I don’t like that. The game also doesn’t do the best job of letting you know what to do next, but there is a hint feature. Sadly, if you’re after Steam achievements you won’t be able to use the hint feature if you want a certain achievement which may result in some frustration on what the game needs you to do to progress.

My second positive note about the game is the artwork, it’s lovely. The scenes are well done, everything has a great spooky atmosphere. However, due to the lack of a map and much story I didn’t always know where I was. The summer camp parts made sense but then I believe you leave that general area and land who knows where. But still, everything looks good save for the character animations. The music is fine, it suits the mood of the game well but nothing I would add to my playlist. The game does lack voice acting, sadly. While this isn’t vital to a game it really helps immersion for the whole story, and I’m used to these titles having some voice acting. This isn’t a deal breaker for me but it would have been a nice addition.

Overall, I can’t recommend Shtriga: Summer Camp unless you get it at a very good price or in a bundle or as a gift. It’s not a bad game but it’s just not good either. There are so many other hidden object games to play that are better than this that I don’t think it would warrant seeking it out purposefully. On Steam it does have trading cards and achievements to collect so that might be motivation for some, but to me that’s not a draw. I did find some enjoyment playing this but not enough where I think others should go out of their way to try and play it,

• Must buy.
  
• A good game to buy.
  
• Only buy if on sale.
  
• Mediocre.
  
• Avoid at all costs.

Lunar Productions[lunarproduction.com]

The Dark Eye: Chains of Satinav is a point and click adventure game that is set in a mystical land with fairies, knights, and magic. On paper it sounds like a lovely experience and indeed, I did enjoy playing it. However, it also has its fair share of faults including but not limited to a mediocre story and, at times, illogical solutions for puzzles. I feel if you enjoy point and click games of this nature you can find an enjoyable experience here but there are better games in this genre and newcomers would be better playing those. This title is in no way a bad game, I was able to get into it and enjoy playing it but I do feel it’s a very middle-of-the-road game.

The story has players take control of the lead character named Geron. Geron is just an average boy who is training to be a bird catcher which is very convenient seeing that is town is becoming plagued with crows. This is a symptom of a much larger problem and after Geron meets Nuri, who is a fairy, they end up embroiled in a deadly plot. Because of her heritage as a fairy, an evil prophet needs Nuri to play a harp that will help him take over the world. Geron wants to protect her from this as well as save his kingdom from the evil prophet. The two travel far and wide to find a solution to their problem and a way to defeat the prophet once and for all.

While the story itself is a bit on the cliche side, I still wanted to learn about the world it took place in. I wanted to learn more about Nuri and fairies, I wanted to know why Geron had magic, I wanted to know more about the prophet as well. However, the game doesn’t deliver on a lot of the topics it sets up. Geron has one spell that can destroy minor objects but we don’t know why. He’s just a normal boy so why does he have that spell? Nuri is a fairy who doesn’t want to return to her world and while we learn why from visiting it, we never hear this from Nuri or learn of her experiences there. Which is the biggest issue here, the characters aren’t developed well.

Geron has little to no backstory and spends a large bit of the game having to babysit Nuri. Nuri is a vapid idiot with no sense of danger or her surroundings. She would probably walk off of a cliff if Geron wasn’t there to tell her not to do so. She is sweet and innocent, but aside from her small bit of magic, totally useless. The game also throws in a moment where the two kiss which is out of place since there had been no romantic hints or interactions beforehand and I’m never given the impression they love each other. The prophet’s motives are explained but his powers aren’t nor his real connection to fairies. The game has so much potential to flesh these characters out very well so that players invest more in their struggles but it doesn’t come to pass. In the end I found myself wanting to finish the story so Geron could just go home and live a normal life, with or without Nuri.

While the story could have been improved so too could the gameplay. The gameplay consists of a series of puzzles you have solve by finding items that may be of use to you at some point, knowing where to use these items and also when to combine items. You also have two spells, Geron’s that destroys things and Nuri’s that reconstructions them. Since it’s a point and click game, you will be using your mouse for everything. You can interact with other characters, talk to them look at them, give them items and such. You can look at items as well, pick them up and use them when needed. The issue lies in solving the puzzles, sometimes they’re pretty straightforward and other times the solution makes no sense at all. The latter happens a lot when you end up in the fairy world and while I admit a land of magic doesn’t always make sense this doesn’t help when I’m trying to play a game. I ended up needing a guide often because there aren’t many in game clues to help you either. Nuri never has anything intelligent to say so she’s of no help and while you can check hotspots to see where you can interact with something there is an achievement that relies on you not using it often at all. If the main part of your gameplay is solving puzzles and a large portion of them do not make logical sense then there is an issue.

But before the story and gameplay, what you notice first is the artwork in the game. Yes, even with its other faults the gorgeous artwork helps support this game a great deal and helped me get through it. The atmosphere is lovely and everything looks hand painted. Every land Geron and Nuri travel to offer players a new visual experience and while the game leans towards a darker tone things still remain vibrant. Be it in a beautiful forest or a death-filled ogre camp, there is great attention to detail everywhere. What isn’t that amazing, however, are animations especially when characters talk. This may be because the game is from Germany so perhaps the lips move to fit German better, but I don’t think that it is the case. I just feel the mouth movements seemed very generic and don’t match the English dialogue well. And the voice acting is also hit or miss, I was fine with it for the most part but it isn’t anything to be remembered. The music fit the game and I liked it but the soundtrack is not memorable.

I hate to sound overly critical of The Dark Eye: Chains of Satinav because it is not a bad game, I enjoyed myself as I played it. But I was hoping for more from it, especially with how gorgeous the artwork was, I was hoping the story at least matched it. What we end up with is a mediocre point and click game that looks beautiful. It has in game achievements that also translate to Steam achievements but many are annoying and at worst tedious, like breaking something one hundred times. One also requires you to play the game twice, pointless, as the game has no replay value. You can also enjoy the Steam trading cards if you fancy. If you see this game on sale then I recommend it but you may also want to grab the sequel as well because the ending is rather abrupt and leaves you with a few unanswered questions.

• Must buy.
  
• A good game to buy.
  
• Only buy if on sale.
  
• Mediocre.
  
• Avoid at all costs.

Lunar Productions[lunarproduction.com]

Dark Angels: Masquerade of Shadows is a hidden object adventure game that focuses on Kate Evans, a young modern day woman who becomes entangled in a world of demons and freedom fighters. It’s a fun game filled with action, fun puzzles and hidden object scenes, it also has great music and visuals. While it’s certainly not a perfect game having an outlandish plot, some irritating puzzles and audio issues, for the price tag I enjoyed playing it and was able to look past its flaws. Though it may not be the best hidden object game on the market it’s still a good gaming experience.

Kate is a young fashion designer haunted by the memories of her mother’s death though she soon finds out the beings responsible for this murder are now after her. Her mother was part of a secret organization that fights demons, one that dates back hundreds of years and has notable members like Jeanne d’Arc and, I kid you not, Marilyn Monroe. Things get even more complicated as the dark forces have built a time machine and use it to erase the organization from existence, prompting Kate and a few survivors to commandeer it and go back in time themselves.

The plot is just all over the place and while I’ve played hidden object games with weaker storylines, this one could have been better. It’s completely unrealistic that Kate went from a fashion designer worrying about clothing one moment and then becomes the saviour of an entire guild of demon hunters. She has little to no training but that doesn’t stop her from wielding her weapon like a pro, granted it’s mainly due to the player controlling her. While I know she is the main character and thus has to be the hero, it sort of hurts the validity of the game that such a novice outshines women who have much more experience.

This is a point-and-click hidden object game so all you need is a mouse to play. You can interact with people and objects, collecting useful ones along the way. Items are stored in your inventory and some can be combined to make a new item though the game does this automatically for you. One note about the inventory is that you can lock it in place so it always minimizes when not in use, this is a pet peeve of mine. You only have a fast travel map when you’re time traveling though you don’t really need one in the present day since there isn’t much backtracking involved. I enjoyed the variety of hidden object puzzles, while there are your basic list of items to find there are also ones where you’re given a shadow of an item and have to find in a scene as well as other types. While there is also a nice variety of puzzles, some are rather frustrating and some are often just pointless. Putting a puzzle on the side of a truck is pretty silly.

This game is riddled with annoying item fetch-quests for problems that could be solved in a much easier way. One example would be when Kate has to find a shard of glass despite having a very sharp weapon always on hand. Another odd feature is that of dialogue choice, while I do think this can be fun it really has no effect whatsoever on the gameplay or story at all, thus proving to be pointless. Kate can also use special potions to grant her super strength, special sight and slow down time. An interesting feature but a needless add -on. Also, the only way to get these potions is to find figurines and add them to what seems to be a checker board that Kate somehow always carries around. Adding a new figure grants Kate a potion which is always conveniently the exact one she’ll need for her next problem.

On the plus side, this game has very nice graphics with attractive character models and good animation. The colors are vibrant and nothing is too dark or hard to see. This game also has its own theme song which sounds beautiful. The lyrics are touching and the melody is very soothing but very catchy. I’ve never played a hidden object game that had its own song, I actually sat through the credits a few times just to hear the full song. Sadly, the rest of the game’s audio is hit or miss. While the background music and sound effects are fine, the voice acting is the issue. It’s fully voice-acted but some actors aren’t very good and Kate herself sometimes overacts her lines. Also, there are some problems with audio quality, as some characters sound louder than others.

While it might seem like I’m picking apart Dark Angels: Masquerade of Shadows, in the end I really enjoyed playing it. It was fun and had great hidden object scenes, plus I did like Kate for the most part as a main character though they could have fleshed her out more. The good part about this game is that it’s cheap so even if it’s not the best hidden object game, for its price point it’s a really good one. The game also has Steam trading cards and achievements which are not too hard to collect. I recommend this game to fans of the genre, it’s a good game for a good price.

• Must buy.
  
• A good game to buy.
  
• Only buy if on sale.
  
• Mediocre.
  
• Avoid at all costs.

Lunar Productions[lunarproduction.com]

While The Secret Order 5 The Buried Kingdom is the fifth installment of this series, it also feels like a stand alone game. I do recommend playing the previous titles, however, you won’t need too much background to enjoy this game. This makes it easy for new players to jump into the action but long time fans of the series may find themselves a bit disappointed with the shift in story. The game is fun to play and has a nice mixture of hidden object scenes and puzzles, however it seems the story was given the least amount of attention. While the series isn’t known for Shakespearean level writing, the previous games have been at least fun. The fifth game, however, is pretty bland.

I don’t normally pick apart the stories in a casual game, I know they’re not meant to be too deep and meaningful usually. They need to be fun and entertaining and make sense for me to fully enjoy the game’s experience. While the story here isn’t bad, it’s a downgrade from previous Secret Order games. Time travel was a key part of them, that is not present here. And while Sarah Pennington is still the protagonist, she’s mainly trying to save her friend and the antagonist is a member of the Dragon Clan but not really. There isn’t much of anything connecting this title to its predecessors other than two very loose threads. The game is spent in a magical lost kingdom with princesses and dragons. While I felt bad for the dragons I was left feeling apathetic about everything else. I didn’t care about Sarah’s friend Julie nor the buried kingdom.

But maybe players not as attached to the previous titles will get more out of the story. It is not bad. Julie has summoned you asking for help but is soon kidnapped. It’s up to Sarah to find her, and this mysterious buried kingdom to unlock its secrets. I really enjoyed the dragons in the story, they’re being used against their will to fulfill the villain's evil and not very well thought out plan. Why you ask? He never says, there is only one small note in the game that explains why he’s doing this and that’s about it. But character development is lacking for all characters in this game.

What the game lacks in story it makes up for with gameplay. There are a lot of puzzles and hidden object scenes to keep players busy and while some may seem simplistic, overall I had a lot of fun. The game is point and click so if you’re playing this on a computer all you need is a mouse. You can interact with people and objects, collecting important items to progress through the story. Some items can also be combined together to form a new, more useful item. You have a baby dragon named Droi to help you with certain tasks but I felt he could have been used more often. You also have an item called the Dragon Eye which, when empowered, lets you see the past but only at certain locations. I never truly understood how it worked and for the most part it seemed like a tacked on addition to the game play. You also have a map that allows you to quick travel and also shows areas where you can perform an action, depending on the difficulty setting.

The artwork in the game is beautiful, the colors are vibrant and I have no complaints. The animations are pretty smooth for the most part as well. If I had a nitpick it would be that, according to the promotional artwork. Sarah keeps changing appearance. She looks different from game to game and this time has apparently dyed her hair. Though the game is first person so that really doesn’t matter. There is full voice acting and it’s passable, though I wished that Sarah had more to say. The music is fitting for the game, nothing too memorable but it works well with the story being told.

I’ve played the second, third, fourth and now fifth installments of this franchise and sadly, The Secret Order 5 The Buried Kingdom is my least favorite. It is good game but the story really hurts this title, especially compared to the others. It does have a bonus chapter, which is very short and also collectable items throughout the game and other nice additional content. There are Steam trading cards and achievements as well if you fancy those. I would recommend grabbing this title on sale - despite the mediocre story, it was still a lot of fun to play.

• Must buy.
  
• A good game to buy.
  
• Only buy if on sale.
  
• Mediocre.
  
• Avoid at all costs.

Lunar Productions[lunarproduction.com]

Bendy and the Ink Machine is a first person action horror game with puzzles to solve in order to escape the old animation studio where you are trapped. The game is released in episodes, the first being available for free. Currently there are only two episodes with a third one on the way and five expected in total.

I went into this title completely blind, I had never heard of it before and wasn’t even sure what genre it was. From the title and cartoony title screen, I thought I was getting into a harmless adventure game that would have me solving puzzles. Needless to say I soon found myself scared and afraid to even continue playing. I am not good with these types of games, especially when jump scares are used. I don’t dislike them, frankly I enjoy the thrill at times but it certainly took me off-guard. However, the game was enjoyable; it’s very atmospheric and has a unsettlingly story that is just as scary as the jump scares.

You take the role of Henry, who has been invited to the old animation studio where he once worked; However, things aren’t as he left them. Most of the story is told through tape recorders found throughout the map where employees recall their tales of working at the company. Henry doesn’t say much and has little personality at all -his goal is to escape and that’s about it. To say the story is weird would be an understatement, from what I gathered someone decided to perform some dark rituals to bring cartoon characters to life and it backfired. Now the studio’s mascot, Bendy, wants to kill everything. While the game promises to “decimate your childhood” I didn’t experience that at all. Sure, it was creepy but there is so little story development I was more left with an “I don’t care” sort of feeling. I want to escape because it’s a game, not because I’m invested in Henry. Bendy may echo classic cartoon characters, but isn’t actually one of those characters. The game does follow the example of Five Nights at Freddy’s, blending innocuous (if sometimes unsettling) childhood memories with horror. I hope later chapters expand upon the story and flesh it out more.

The game can be played with a keyboard and mouse combination or a gaming controller, I opted for the later. It’s first person so you’re able to look all around your surroundings, open doors and interact with objects. There are a few puzzles to solve but not many in the first two episodes. The only difference between the two is you gain an axe in the second episode and will have to fight against monsters. I wasn’t too fond of this, it took away from the spooky atmosphere and mystery of what was lurking around you. Actually seeing it and being able to kill it changed the nature of the game. At its best, you’re wandering around trying to escape as things unnerve you.

It’s the art style used in this game that really caught my attention. The game uses a very simple color pallet relying on great shadow work to add depth to your surroundings. When I first stepped into this world I had the exact same reaction the main character did “What the heck happened here?” Everything’s a mess, the walls have creepy writing scrawled on them and the studio’s mascot, Bendy, shows up everywhere. Following you but not physically following you, or is he? The game also has full voice acting and a good soundtrack as well, everything really delivers the feeling that you’re in an old timey animation studio.

While I enjoyed playing Bendy and the Ink Machine, I don’t enjoy how it’s being released. I don’t like when video games are released in episodes -to be blunt, I despise this practice. Not only that, from what I’ve played of the first two you can beat them in about an hour without a guide and much less time with one. The puzzles are also not very challenging. While the first episode is free, the second one costs six American dollars which is a bit pricy for such a short amount of game play. While yes, so far it’s fun and it does have Steam trading cards and achievements I personally recommend waiting until all of the episodes are released. Hopefully they will be compiled together so players can pay one price for access to the whole story. The demo is free, however, so I would recommend giving it a try and see how you enjoy the style of this game.

Tomboys Need Love Too! is a romantic visual novel about a teenager named Kai who is in his last semester of highschool and wants to make meaningful memories before graduating, getting a girlfriend being first priority. He has two love interests; his crush Sophie and his best friend Chris. If the title isn’t enough of a dead giveaway, the game is mainly focused on Kai pursuing Chris who is a tomboy so if you really like that type of girl and are a fan of the childhood best friend trope then this game is perfect for you. It does have sexual content, the game is very up front about this and there is a nudity patch. Patch or no, the dialogue and certain scenarios are very sexual so this is an adults-only game. I did feel that the story was a good one and also well written despite its adult nature which was refreshing.

The story starts off with Chris needing to stay at Kai’s house for a week while her parents are out of town, this convenient plot device also helps her in her attempts to prove to Kai that’s she now a woman and win his heart because, big surprise, she’s in love with him. An interesting part of this story is that Kai does start to notice how Chris has blossomed and spends a good deal of time contemplating if his feelings for her are friendship, love or lust. However, he’s also interested in Sophie who is having a hard time due to vicious rumors being spread about her. I also liked this aspect of the story and felt it could have been expanded upon a bit more to make an impactful message on how spreading rumors can really hurt people, this is touched upon but doesn’t get as much attention as it deserves. Most of the store centers around Chris and Kai’s relationship and it is very sweet but as a result, Sophie is thrown under the bus and her story route is very positive.

• Kai - The main character of the game, a hormonal teenage boy looking for love. He’s naive to a fault, always wanting to see the best in people but this also makes him a very loyal friend. He comes off rather submissive, especially when dealing with Chris. His inner monologues are some of my favorite parts of the game as he tries to figure out his emotions as well other people’s motives.
  
• Chris - The childhood best friend trope and tomboy archetype all rolled into one. She has a brash personality that I found a bit off putting, especially the way she pushed Kai around. Underneath, however, she is a very sweet and insecure girl who just wants to be loved. Some of her actions are a bit out there, however, as she tries to seduce Kai with her body often in the game instead of just being blunt and honest about her emotions.
  
• Sophie - Sophie seems like miss perfect and is Kai’s crush, however she’s hiding some dark stuff. Though a romantic rival to Chris, the game doesn’t even give her much of a fair shot because of how she is written. She only has two endings with Kai, one is purely sex based and the other is rather positive but still nowhere near as satisfying as the best ending Chris has.

Being a visual novel, everything is point and clicked based. At certain points during the story you make choices to help direct the story to the ending you desire. The game has a very good interface and all of the options I expect from this genre. You can skip text you’ve already read, look back on text you’ve read, have the text fly by with an auto mode and of course tweak the text speed to your liking. If you do download the adult content you can still toggle this on and off in the options menu which is good and of course there is a gallery to look back at the hi-res artwork. One thing I found missing was a way to relive the endings again.

One fault that I found in this game was the artwork. It wasn’t bad by any means, actually it was quite good compared to some of its competition on the market, especially non-Japanese ones. However, I found some of the character models to be odd, the way Kai stood or the way Sophie’s breasts were drawn. Most of the hi-res scenes were pretty good though there were certain moments where body positions and proportions were awkward to me, but there wasn’t much of this. The music is forgettable, I can honestly only think of two maybe three tunes in the game and at some points everything was flat out silent. This is probably the weakest area of the game in my opinion. There is no voice acting in this game at all to speak of but I’m ok with that.

While Tomboys Need Love Too! is certainly an adult-natured game and that may turn off people, there is also a good story being told here. Sure, some moments seemed over the top like Chris being so willing to strip for Kai and most of Sophie’s route but these are also hormonal teenagers so I guess it makes sense, though it would make more sense if they were sixteen since I believe that’s when we usually start wondering about those types of things but I know why that couldn’t be the case here. This game is a bit on the short side since there are only two love interests and five endings, depending on your reading speed and if you’re using a good guide you could probably finish it somewhere between two and four hours so grab it on sale if this is a concern for you. Tomboys Need Love Too! has Steam trading cards and achievements as well, but not much bonus content or much else to offer after completing the game. Length aside, this is a well written story about teenage love and a game that I recommend.

Queen's Quest 2 Stories of Forgotten Past is a hidden object game set in an unnamed mystical land filled with classic fairy tale characters. Though the title implies that this is a sequel, it isn’t connected at all with the first game. None of the characters appear and I’m pretty sure it’s in a different land, plus in this title you play an alchemist and not even a queen so I’m not sure why it was given the name at all. Semantics aside, this game is very fun to play and was better than its predecessor on most accounts. I enjoyed the fairy tale aspect, the story attempts to mix together many different tales and does a decent job of it.

You play as skilled alchemist who has been summoned by the king to solve a murder. What seems like one simple task soon snowballs into the discovery of an elaborate plot to assassinate the king. The story isn’t very deep or complicated and given that most of the characters are from classic fairy tales you can guess the outcome and who is behind what. The writing isn’t bad though part of me does wish that they had gone further and taken more twists and turns instead of following the cliched path. However, the main character is smart and self-sufficient; I enjoyed playing as her. There is also a bonus chapter which takes place after the main storyline, it’s short and even more predictable than the main chapter.

The gameplay is rather straightforward. You thankfully have a map that allows easy teleporting, a good hint system and four difficulty levels one being a custom one. The game has a good variety in terms of hidden object scenes varying from the usual list of items to find and adding in silhouettes and searching under other objects. If you’re stuck, there is also a side puzzle option you can play during a hidden object scene to finish it. The amount and variety of hidden object scenes was my favorite part of the game. There are also puzzles but most I found to be rather easy and felt there could be more. There is also an alchemy feature where you have to collect ingredients to make a potion, usually for shape shifting. This was a simple but fun aspect but it isn’t used at all later in the game. I will point out one part of the game where you have to find and compare DNA samples, I actually really enjoyed this but it seemed very out of place in a game set in a fantasy world that was very medieval.

Graphics-wise, this game is pretty standard in terms of modern day hidden object games. Beautiful scenery, great colors and all around aesthetically pleasing. The character models are also good, though tend to seem stiff during cutscenes. This game has full voice acting and it’s very hit or miss. The main character has a charming voice and is well acted, everyone else is either decent or just bad. Especially the children characters, I found them to be horrible. Thankfully, most of the main characters aren’t that bad. The background music isn’t memorable but it fits the game well and doesn’t distract from becoming immersed in the experience.

I really enjoyed playing Queen's Quest 2 Stories of Forgotten Past and would recommend to any fan of hidden object games. It’s a fresher take on the genre than some games attempt to be, however, I did find it to be short even with the bonus chapter. There are Steam achievements and trading cards as well, the game also has morphing objects to find and collect. If you’ve played the first one and worried this is more of the same, fear not. It’s a great experience and leagues better than the first. It’s a good addition to your library, because of its brevity you may want to wait for a sale.

• Must buy.
  
• A good game to buy.
  
• Only buy if on sale.
  
• Mediocre.
  
• Avoid at all costs.

Lunar Productions[lunarproduction.com]