Sometimes a long-winded name can put a bit of a dampener on a perfectly enjoyable video game. Then there are other times, such as with Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, when a long and winding name completely reels you in before you even know what the game is about. I mean, look at those four words smashed together - is there anything there that doesn't make you want to Google is as soon as possible?
The Book of Desires is a typical HOG, though one that puts a massive emphasis on puzzle solving. Instead of simply solving hidden object scenes to progress the plot, you also need to gather up items and use them at the correct times and places as you explore the game's world. There are also puzzles you are occasionally asked to solve in order to proceed, but these can be skipped. There are two difficulty levels, but the only real difference between them is a shimmer effect for active objects and how quickly the hint timer charges up.
In our always-connected digital age, not many of us have the time to sit down for a vintage role-playing session like we did in our youth (my youth, anyway). The guys at 10x10 Room have come up with a novel way to meet us halfway with Conclave, a browser-based fantasy RPG that can be played live with other gamers or by turns whenever you have time. It's like pen-and-paper brought into the 21st Century.
Did you ever see that gigantic machine that digs out gigantic, tunnel-shaped holes in the Earth? It's got that gnarly cone on the front of it that looks like it will just eat your soul if you were to get within 100 feet of it. Imagine if that thing had tank treads, moved pretty quick and had guns on it. Do I have your attention yet? I'm guessing I do, but please, temper your excitement. The game I'm about to tell you about doesn't really live up to that fantastic imagery.
Whoever came up with the saying "a blessing or a curse" didn't exactly cover all bases. Take MacGuffin's Curse for example, which it turns out is both a blessing and a curse. With the ability to switch from being a weedy little thief into a huge, beefy werewolf and back again, MacGuffin's range of skills just increased tenfold.
I'm the kind of person for whom "scared of spiders" is a huge understatement. Normally, I'm curling slowly into the fetal position while my girlfriend poisons the beasts with a bottle full of shower cleaner. So it's perhaps the highest compliment that I can give to say that Amanita Design's Botanicula makes me want to give the collective insect world one massive hug.
The world of the Hods, a tree-dwelling forest species, is being threatened; their precious Tree of Life is dying, taking their home along with it. It will be up to you to complete Jewel Legends: Tree of Life's 100 levels to rebuild the Hods' world and restore their culture before it's too late. Unfortunately, the game never really lives up to its promise or potential for depth.
French novel The Yellow Room by Gaston Leroux is considered one of the greatest "locked room" mysteries of all time. In it, a crime is committed within a locked bedroom and the assailant escapes, seemingly vanishing into thin air. Despite the story's distinctly 19th century themes, The Yellow Room remains one of the most surprising works of detective fiction ever written. Due to a fundamental flaw, its interactive equivalent, Victorian Mysteries: The Yellow Room, is somewhat less compelling.