Recent reviews by argos_austral

Of course I liked! I liked when I first played it, ages ago, and I liked it now!

I will not dwell too long on this review, as there are already several good reviews that can give you the gist of the game.

This 1999 game hasn't aged very well, especially the quality of the graphics which cannot be changed (there are only three menu options). The extraordinary and alluring images are now blurred and heavily pixelated. Because of it, it is sometimes difficult to find what you need or where to interact.

At the beginning, if you’re interested on how Amerzone was discovered, and because there might be some clues needed later in the game. you may have to read a bit. The puzzles are simple and easy going and the story is short. If you buy it, do it for the ride and not for its length or difficulty.

I also find the price steep for such an old game.

But the game is playable, and it still offers a peaceful and relaxed environment, with its fascinating and exotic species of animals and the contrasting sensations of the wintry weather in France, the sunny beach, where the fisherman waits patiently for his prize, and the extremely sticky heat of the tropical forest.

So, yeh, I liked.

As the introduction states, you're a thief engaged by someone to steal an artefact in a mansion. But not everything goes according to plan. The main objective of the game switches direction as you go along. First is thievery, then escaping, then curiosity, and you all know what that means.

This machinery/mechanical-based puzzle game is a jewel. It reminds me of a Matryoshka Doll, but instead of starting with the bigger doll, you start inside the smaller one, with the hope of getting out.

The mansion has several floors, and, on each floor, you have rooms with Puzzle Boxes. Apart from looking very real, what makes them interesting is that each box features a theme, like a clock, a radio or even a country.

It’s a first person point & click game, to move and work the puzzles. There is no voice acting and the music merges quite well with the atmosphere of the game. The story unravels through a series of written cards you find in the rooms. And I assume that the person who wrote them is also the one who built those boxes and more.

The difficulty of the puzzles increases, slightly, as you move to the next level/floor. I would say there are, maybe, two or three puzzles more complex/difficult to solve. The others range from easy to medium.

It is not a long game, and it will have a continuation. Well, I really hope so.

Kudos to the developers.

So, how to start this. Hmm... Let’s see. What did I expect after playing the Prologue before the complete game release? Well, considering the first game, I thought, I would end up on an island, somehow, where a second set of rooms would be available to explore and solve puzzles.

After getting to the island, where I was dropped unceremoniously, I looked around and “this is not what I expected”! Anyway, I started exploring and solving what there was to solve and, again, I thought, “now I’ll get to the house or something. But nooo!

After ending a first, somewhat long, stretch of the game, a big gate opened and lo and behold “what the heck….?” I was, literally, overwhelmed with what I saw. So much so, I stopped playing until the next day, to give myself time to adjust.

It is an entire island, like two or three of the Myst Islands compressed into one: beaches, a huge garden, and a sizable mansion in the middle of it, just to name a few.

What is this game all about: to get the heck out of the island, that is obvious! And to do that you must:
- Search for items and other useful things : there is a lot to discover and to find, namely, what I call collectibles, that range from bottles, tokens, sketches, paintings, to all sorts of documents, among other things. All these serve a purpose in specific situations or puzzles or to give you hints or instructions. The documents also give you an insight into the household. Who they were, what they were, likes, dislikes, idiosyncrasies, secrets and so on and so forth. You get to know them quite well.

- Solve Puzzles and other problem-solving situations. These can comprise a wide range of things, for example:
A) Plants, fruits, vegetables, cabbages, lots of cabbages. (There’s a theme around these). Hmm… I just realised, there are also a lot of gramophones... Hm?
B) Football (no guys, no playing, just a puzzle with a kick).
C) Billiards (again, puzzle).
D) Maths, equations to be precise. Gosh! I got stuck in one of them. Not my area.
E) Chess (according to house rules, of course).

As for technicalities, the graphics are good; the keyboard + mouse controls are simple, though sometimes is difficult to manoeuvre the camera appropriately so you can interact with an item; there is practically no voice acting (hm?). I must be fair to the developers who have been following all the comments, requests, complaints and have already fixed several issues in and added various new features to the game, particularly the highlight mode, which is quite helpful to find missable items in a certain location. So, Thank you! Thank you! Thank you, ad eternum !

It is not the typical hidden-object game. Yes, you must find well-hidden items, some quite missable, but there is no list prompting you to find specific objects in a pile of “junk” or the search for a paper clip to open a broken zipper. The majority of the items are useful and used in problem-solving situations or in a puzzle context. The only item that serves no purpose in the game itself, though it is meant to reward your performance, is the proverbial Horseshoe which was already present in the first game.

I loved the game, even though I lost my bearings several times. It has a good, solid and, occasionally, quirky background story; it is quite realistic; has lots of atmosphere; the music blends well with the environment (you have the option to play the records on the gramophones), and it engages you to the point of obsession.

It is a good game, with loads of things to do. The game offers many hours of pleasure, coupled with spells of despair. I thoroughly recommend it.

A short, but interesting story and puzzle-based game.
The story begins in 13: The Origin Prologue and now continues with more puzzling messages and puzzles to solve, to progress in the game and try to escape the places and rooms where you find yourself in, always controlled and guided by a, seemingly, madman.

It is early days to fully understand the story that is unravelling itself, while you try to escape and to learn more of what happened in the past. The prologue and the first chapter of 13: The Origin give only a small glimpse of what is, yet, to come.

A good game for puzzle-lovers and room escapists, but not for those who are just beginners in this game genre. There is an "Objective" pop-up system that guides you to the next steps, but you can turn it on or off by hitting the "Tab" key. You also have a hint system (H key), which I find not very helpful, also being a riddle itself. The messages left, while telling the story of what happened, also supposedly provide hints on what to do next. If that's so, I didn't get it! That is where, in my humble opinion, the game fails a little. To understand what to find/do to solve a puzzle is hard enough, but having a riddle as a hint does not help at all, at least, not me. On the other hand, I must confess that the puzzles, in this chapter, are not very hard to solve, so the hints are not that necessary.

The game also has some psychological distress features, not horrifying, but enough to imply that trouble is yet to come. A hint of the supernatural or, at least, what seem to be, for now, events of the paranormal kind are also present!

The game has automatic saves, and the controls are quite simple and straightforward. The graphics are ok and the soundtrack blends well with the atmosphere of the setups and the story.

As I said before we are just at the beginning. I don't know how many chapters it will have and how the story and other strange events will evolve in future instalments. Unfortunately, in this kind of partitioned games, disappointing endings (I hope not, because the game shows promise) or some long waiting periods or, worst of all, not ending at all do happen, not very often, but they do happen. So, I always advise to wait until is complete to buy the entire collection and, if you're willing to wait even more, to buy it on sale.

I did enjoy the game very much.

I do wish the developers all the best.

What I've said in my other reviews about the 1st and 2nd parts of this unique game, I will say it again "the game strongly conveys a wonderful atmospheric feeling, imbued with the Renaissance period, which helps you to be, intrinsically, inmmersed in the game. You ARE in the game", you ARE Giacomo.
A historical period very well known by its architectural and progressive characteristics, the Renaissance can be almost "touched" in this extremely well conceived game, through the character of Leonardo da Vinci, with many, today, considering him to be the Renaissance incarnate.
As the story progresses and unveils itself, throughout the three games, you start to understand the urgency and worry shown by the charismatic figure of Leonardo da Vinci and the, not so well intended, objectives of Cesare Borgia. I loved the character of Luca Pacioli, with his eternal smile and taking things in his stride.
The game offers an array of mechanical puzzles, more or less difficult, which reflect the ingenuity and inventive spirit of that period of rebirth. It's a test to your patience and perception.
There are both improvements in graphics and in-game mechanics, looking back to the previous two parts. Also, the interaction between characters is more pronounced, as if there was an emergency in making you fully understand and be, completely, aware of the whole story, giving it a consistent finale.
I have to say, this was my favourite part of "The House of da Vinci". I'm sad it had to end.
Lovely game, wonderful story, charismatic historical characters, extraordinarilly creative...

If the first game left with your mind watering for more, then this second game will do the trick!
As I said before, "the game strongly conveys a wonderful atmospheric feeling, imbued with the Renaissance period, which helps you to be, intrinsically, inmmersed in the game. You ARE in the game".

After the first game cliffhanger ending, this second game begins in... the past (I think - very confusing, I say!), with you, the main character (Giacomo), completely confused (not alone). And he (me) will get even more confused as the story unfolds. And, and... the game ends on a, yet another, cliffhanger.

Six more chapters that will keep you wanting to move forward and crave for more scenes to explore and interact, more mysteries and more puzzles, mechanical or not.

There are both improvements in graphics and in-game mechanics, when looking back to the first game. Also, there is more character interaction and dialogs.

Automatic saves per chapter enables you to go back to the one you want to repeat (good for achievement hunters) in the main menu.

Most of the puzzles are accomplished by going back and forth (past and future) by using your Oculus Perpetua, which, by the way, it's also necessary to look through things and manoeuvre its mechanical insides.

I have a soft heart for the puzzle box in the third chapter. Pratically, all this chapter is set around this box. A beautiful work... what minds these developers/creators have.
Again, I'm in awe!

I'm in awe! What a game!

Mechanical and brain teasing puzzles that will blow your mind off! A test to your patience and perception.

Based on historical characters and facts (power struggle, both religious and political), the game strongly conveys a wonderful atmospheric feeling, imbued with the Renaissance period, which helps you to be, intrinsically, inmmersed in the game.

The gameplay is greatly characterised by its interactive actions. Almost every, simple or complex, action is manipulated by you. You're part of it, you're ARE the main character.
Easy and manoeuvrable!

Good in-game help system, in case you get stuck. And, for more help, you are the proud owner of the Oculi Infinitum and, later on, Oculi Tempus. Precious thing!! This gadget gives you not only the possibility to pick through things, but also the wonderful ability to see past actions.

Just two things I have to mention:
1 - Some things are difficult to find; a "magnifying glass" pointer would have work wonders in this game.
2 - No saves. All automatic/per chapter.

Short, but extremely interesting, both story and puzzles. Very, very engrossing. Miss it already.

No scares, no jumps, no killings, no shootings.... just plain brain work.
Good background story; interesting and engrossing; easy to medium-high difficulty puzzles; easy mechanics; good settings (not too overcrowded); good graphics.
Short, but sweet - it's worth every penny.

More interesting reviews on my Curator's Page

Located in a school, closed because of a violent and bizarre storm, Detention is an intriguing horror adventure, where two students find themselves trapped and try to escape the premises by exploring the grounds, encountering on their way unsettling events, evil creatures and several conundrums to solve.

Set in the 1960’s, during Taiwan’s period known as “White Terror” which lasted almost four decades, the story recalls to mind that oppressive period characterized by political persecution, denunciations, censure. But it also incorporates Taiwanese religious/mythological and cultural elements, that gives the game that mystical atmospheric surroundings.

The background is set mainly in a disturbing and seemingly restless sepia, reminiscent of days passed, with sudden soft coloured backdrops or red-bright splashes.

There is no voice-acting, but the music fits perfectly into the moody and always changing environment, helping your immersive experience and concentration. Familiar sounds turned eerie and silences prophesying nothing good, give you the everlasting awareness of approaching doom, of impending confrontation, impossible to avoid until the end. All this combined with the heavy rain and strong whirling wind, the deceptive periods of calmness generate an atmosphere of heavy fear that sticks to you all through your journey. It’s foreboding.

You play alternatively one or the other character, driven in their exploration by only the use of the mouse. The inventory appears by moving your pointer to the bottom of the screen and you can use your items by dragging them on to the active spot.

The unique historical context, the original approach to a genre that usually relies on jump scares, gore and violent action, places this game in that exceptional category where point and click adventure gamers can be sure of getting a psychological horror-based game, with all the ingredients needed to offer exciting moments of anxiety, of thrilling expectation without that unnerving violent confrontation of action games.

You might be interested too in these reviews:
https://adventuregamers.com/articles/view/32172
http://www.gameboomers.com/reviews/Dd/Detention/Detention.htm

PS: In order to play the game with English subtitles I had to resort to this thread https://steamproxy.net/app/555220/discussions/0/135507855751813522/?ctp=2 from Enelith and the link that is given in the Guide. And proceed as explained in the post.

Of all the HO games I've had the pleasure to play, this one and its collection, were the best.

The story is epic and compelling, the graphics are gorgeous, the puzzles are challenging, whether they are inherent to the story's progression or just to make your life miserable.

The characters can remind you of some of those famous and cherished ones from "Lord of the Rings". Maaron's a dead ringer for Gandalf.

All the episodes offered by Steam are Collector's Editions and all of them have a bonus story that offers you a prequel/sequel to the main one.

Apart from the story's achievements, you have speed/avoid mistakes challenges and collectables hidden in the background.

Lost Lands (6 episodes) gives you that feel that you're playing a first-person adventure, more than a hidden object game.

So, Yes I recommend ALL of them.

https://five-bn.com/