The Mystery of the Crystal Portal

Publisher: RealArcade

Developer: Artogon

User Reviews

Average User Score:

Four Stars Review This Game!
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  • Posted on Oct 9, 2009, 1:14pm

    3 Stars

    User Review by astroasis

    I'm gonna say this game has some amazing parts... and some downright stinky parts. First, the amazing ones: The items are all logically placed in the scenes. OMG! I can't stress enough how awesome this is. Things are hidden on shelves, in jars, on carts, etc... and not, like, pasted onto a cloud floating above you. I also loved the objects-in-objects thing. You click on a Key Object and it opens a menu full of other objects for you to find and put "into" that Key Object. What a clever idea! I also loved the interactivity of having nooks and crannies to peer deeper into and jars and boxes to open up and look inside of. All awesome features to the game. Now for the stinky parts: Sadly, the story is one of them. The opening seemed promising, but then it just lost steam to the point that I didn't bother to read the text on the cut scenes. The abrupt ending didn't help matters any. Also, the sound was inexistent when you play the game without music. No tinkles when you click on objects. No triumphant sounds when you complete a level. Just... nothing. I'm sure those who play with background music will have a different opinion - but as someone who tends to turn the BGM off, this game was absolutely silent. However, the WORST part of the game was the randomness of the Key Objects and the interactive things. While both of these features were awesome in and of themselves, it's NOT so awesome to have NO clue what you're looking for and end up having to scroll your mouse over the whole screen hoping that something will light up. It doesn't help that different items are only triggered to light up AFTER you've interacted with other items - so that box you scrolled over 50 times without it lighting up might all of a sudden light up halfway through the level, which means you have to scroll your mouse over the WHOLE SCREEN over and over and over again. Also, the Key Objects have a smaller click threshold than a "light up" threshold, leading to your cursor turning into a hand, then giving you an X when you click (unless you happen to also be within the smaller click threshold). All-in-all, this is a game with some great promise, but it falls a bit short in actual playing. I hope the developers take the awesome aspects, fix the not-so-awesome ones - and release a sequel that truly lives up to its potential! Give this Review a Kudos Report as Inappropriate

  • Posted on Aug 13, 2009, 2:33pm

    5 Stars

    User Review by angelsam19

    I love this game! I'm a big fan of Hidden Object games and what stands out about this game is not only do you look for objects but you perform various functions. I hope more games like this become available. GREAT GAME!!! Give this Review a Kudos Report as Inappropriate

  • Posted on Jul 29, 2009, 4:55pm

    4 Stars

    User Review by dnj51

    I like Hidden Object Games that are more of an adventure/challenge, like this one. You will need to go to different areas of the map to finish the level because the items found in one area are used in another. Great graphics. The only problem is finding some items/boxes/containers that have object in/behind them. Logically you know what you should click, but sometimes the object is not where you expect. Then you just have to click, click, click to find them. Over all are really fun, relaxing game. Give this Review a Kudos Report as Inappropriate

  • Posted on Jul 2, 2009, 2:15pm

    5 Stars

    User Review by gamezchick

    I regret coming to this game fairly late. I remember playing the demo awhile ago and felt it had something special, but I never followed up on it until now. The main reason for taking time to play this earlier release is “Treasure Seekers II.” Knowing, that Artogon was responsible for both, I couldn’t help but feel that I was missing out on another great adventure. The thing that has become more obvious is literally the “key” to Artogon’s success. The idea of breaking away from long and tedious lists and formulating them into key objects instead was brilliant. I’m a more visual person so I really appreciate this approach, because some words have multiple meanings and can refer to various objects. Artogon’s approach is much more explicit, but no less challenging. I like that you have to look for these “key objects” that then in turn reveal another set of objects. In the “Mystery of the Crystal Portal” your journey takes you from America, to Japan, the Swiss Alps, Guatemala, Africa, and Russia. There are about 15 search locations divided amongst the 6 locations and 5 puzzle locations. The only scene that repeats is the office location in America. That’s one thing I’ve enjoyed about their games thus far, the lack of repetition. Sometimes less is more. Artogon does with 15 locations what some developers can’t even do with 30. “Treasure Seekers II,” “Treasure Seekers,” and “The Mystery of the Crystal Portal” all feel complete in the end. “Treasure Seekers II” has more locations than the other 2, but it still has a qualitative feel. You can tell that “The Mystery of the Crystal Portal” is an earlier version of its successors. But what Artogon learned and accomplished with this game has greatly benefited the others. I would definitely recommend this one if you’ve played the other two. It doesn’t have the fairytale like quality that “Treasure Seekers II” does. But considering that it’s an earlier attempt, it’s done very well. Give this Review a Kudos Report as Inappropriate

  • Posted on Jun 12, 2009, 11:53am

    4 Stars

    User Review by lauder

    game was pretty good nice graphics but after awhile got tired of looking for 2 many items and got bored. Give this Review a Kudos Report as Inappropriate

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