Review: Tulula: Legend of a Volcano

Type: Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Platform: PC
Price: USD 6.99 from Big Fish Games

You are the chosen one who has to save your tribe from the evil spirit.

Gameplay
Even though this is a hidden object game, it generally does not follow the format of most hidden object games where you are given a list of objects you have to find in the picture.

You are sent to a variety of locations to find pieces of a magical totem. As you move the mouse over the picture, the cursor will change its icon depending on what action is needed. You have to find out what hidden items you are supposed to look for by clicking on a particular object eg. broken statue, which will then display the shapes of the broken pieces that you need to find to complete it. Some of the pieces might be hidden from view and will need addition actions eg. moving away tree branches to display the piece.

Later on in the game, you will encounter optional goals like going to the spirit realm to assist gods. In between locations, you can also used the money earned to build up the village, which was destroyed.

Thoughts
Tulula is a beautiful game with a distinctive visual style right. Each location is unique and beautifully rendered. I like that the tutorials in the beginning of the game goes step-by-step through everything I need to know. It can feel a little long, especially when I'm itching to get out of the cave and get on with the game. But the pretty graphics distracted me and I often marveled that all the little details.

The game feels like a mixture of point and click adventures with some hidden objects and puzzles thrown in. At each location, I am just presented with an empty inventory and no instructions is given, no even a list of items to find. I am supposed to figure out what needs to be done. So I feel a little lost in the beginning until I found out that I have to click on certain objects to get them to display the parts that needs to be found. The hint button, which is in the shape of a lantern, helps me out a lot and refills pretty quickly so I'm never stuck for long. The game follows a lineal path so I need to follow the script and do A then B before I can do C, even though I already figured out how to solve C.

Verdict ★★★★★
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Review: Robin Hood

Type: Hidden Object, Puzzle
Platform: PC
Price: USD 6.99 from Big Fish Games

Follow Robin Hood on his fight against the corrupted sheriff.

Gameplay
The ratio of hidden object games and puzzles are about 50-50. Hidden items are presented on a list. Some of the puzzles are optional and can be skipped. However, solving them will earn you some money. Help is provided by a cute robin in the bottom right corner. Clicking on the bird will caused a circle of feathers to appear on the screen, pointing at the area you should focus your attention.

Thoughts
The game feels rather rough around the edges. Maybe it's the graphics or the execution of the game, but in the end I did not have a lot of fun playing it. The best graphic from the game is what you see at the top of the post. Everything else looks like they are in shades of brown which is a bit dull. It took me a while to figure out that I had to click on the robin for a hint and not the info button below it. Maybe I'm just stupid.

Characters are paper cut out, and I mean that literally. Their posture and expression never change so Robin Hood always has a smile on his face regardless of whether he is fighting Little John or being chased by the guards. Puzzles are fairly easy and never posted a big challenge.

Verdict ★★
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Review: Mystery Age: The Dark Priests

Type: Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Platform: PC
Price: USD 6.99 for the game and USD 6.99 for the strategy guide

The story takes places 30 years after The Imperial Staff. Both of Amber's parents have passed away and she is called back to her village. Upon arriving at her village, she discovers that the villages have turned to stone and some dark priests are lurking around.

Gameplay
There are some slight differences to the first game but the main gameplay is still the same. You have to find objects shown at the bottom of the screen. Each group of objects will either help you obtain a part of another group of objects or become an item take appears in your inventory. You can also find items to add to your inventory when you explore the different areas. Each item in the inventory has a specific use and will disappear after you use it.

Thoughts
The production quality of the game remains pretty good with beautiful graphics and sound effects. I found this game to be harder than The Imperial Staff mainly because I have to keep moving back and fro between locations to look for items to add to my inventory, hidden object games or to check whether the newly added item to my inventory can be used. Sometimes it is pretty obvious but sometimes it is a matter of trial and error. Every time I obtain a new item in my inventory, I would go through all the locations to see if it works somewhere. Certain tasks, like fixing a boat so I can cross the river, will require a few steps to complete them. The puzzles also feels are bit harder but thankfully there is a skip button if you cannot solve it after some time.

Verdict ★★★★★
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Review: Secret Diaries: Florence Ashford

Type: Hidden Object, Puzzle
Platform: PC
Price: USD 6.99 from Big Fish Games

With her family facing the danger of financial ruin, Florence Ashford sets off to marry Marquis Henry hoping that he will be able to save her family. However upon arriving at Marquis Henry's estate she finds that he had deceived her family as he will only inherit the wealth upon the birth of his first son. Together with Anthony, the rightful heir, Florence tries to uncover the hidden secrets of the manor.

Gameplay
You progress through the story by finding objects and solving puzzles. You will be told where to go in the story itself or in the info bar at the top. There are also clues in your diary to guide you. If you are stuck, there is a hint button which will recharge itself after a while.

Thoughts
I must confess that I'm a bit of a scaredy cat so it is nice to see that this game takes place in the day and is full of sunshine. Most hidden object games tend to be a little bit spooky and takes place in the night at dark, creepy locations. The graphics are pretty to look at and I enjoyed the golden sunlight that stream in through the open windows. Even the villain of the game is not scary.

The game takes the time to teach you how to play the game and what the various icons mean. It feels like the game is made up of equal parts hidden object and puzzle elements. I can skip the puzzle elements but only if I  cannot solve it after a long, long time. I have not used the skip feature because it takes such a long time to activate and I usually solve the puzzles by trying all possible combinations. But don't worry, the puzzles are not fiendishly difficult.

What I like about the game is that it stops me from going to places where there is no need for me to go. If the clue is in the kitchen and I try to go to the attic, it would tell me that there is no need for me to go to the attic. It saves a lot of wasted time going from place to place, just to look for a particular object.

Verdict ★★★★
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