Avalanche! Don’t worry, this is a calmer style of avalanche. The kind that gets the attention of a ghost dog and his ghost owner to help you out of a bind. You quickly find yourself out of your buried car …
Avalanche! Don’t worry, this is a calmer style of avalanche. The kind that gets the attention of a ghost dog and his ghost owner to help you out of a bind. You quickly find yourself out of your buried car and within the walls of an old castle surrounded by spirits that insist your name is Alexandra. Might as well do a little investigating to see what’s going on here in snowy Romania!
Death and Betrayal in Romania: A Dana Knightstone Novel is a casual adventure game that’s heavy on hidden object scenes, interactive inventory items, and mini-games. As you move through the cold castle halls you’ll slowly uncover hints about a past story that has yet to resolve. It’s an occasionally gruesome medieval tale filled with scheming villains, lost lovers, and, yes, plenty of death and betrayal.
There are several different styles of hidden object scenes in Death and Betrayal in Romania, including text item lists and silhouette puzzles. Each one is extremely short and straightforward, featuring a small handful of easy to spot objects and interactive items that only take one or two clicks to complete. The speed at which you’ll tear through HOG scenes is balanced out with the frequency, however, so don’t think the game will leave your hidden object itch unscratched.
One thing Death and Betrayal in Romania really focuses on is mini-games. Old castles like this are packed with puzzles, naturally, and instead of lugging around screens full of inventory items you’ll click through a ton of mini-games to clear the path forward. Sliding puzzles, picture matching puzzles, tangled string puzzles, you name it, Death and Betrayal probably has it. Just like the hidden object scenes these mini-games are simple, straightforward, and go by at a blazing speed.
To lighten things up a touch, Death and Betrayal in Romania includes your ghost dog buddy Bandit who follows you around wherever you go. Find something that’s just out of reach? Give Bandit a click and see if he can float to the rescue. It’s a small touch to have a furry companion at your side, but a very welcome change of pace from all the dead brides and plotting murderers on the loose.
Just about everything in Death and Betrayal in Romania: A Dana Knightstone Novel hits right in the middle of the road, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The story is interesting but not ground-breaking, the setting creative but not outlandish. There’s a distinct focus on quick-fire puzzles to keep things moving forward at a fast pace, delivering on quantity but somehow not sacrificing quality. You’ll never truly get stumped in this hidden object adventure, but by the end you’ll walk away with that same feeling of satisfaction.
