It's been argued time and time again that most classic adventure games cast logic aside in their puzzle design. I wouldn't say that's entirely false (a rubber chicken with a pulley in the middle? Really?), but generally there was at least some thread of rationale behind what was expected of the player. Regrettably, the same cannot be said of many of the puzzles in Anna.
There's a really interesting blog post on the website for Richard & Alice, where the creators discuss what inspired them to make the game. In a nutshell, they wanted to make a point-and-click adventure game with puzzles that contributed to the narrative's pacing, rather than took away from it. Having played a myriad of adventure games with ill-fitting, obtuse puzzle design, I can't help but applaud that.
Whenever a larger, established developer decides to strike out on their own and "go indie," it always warms the cockles of my heart. Often, working for a larger entity means a greater degree of creative restraint. So imagine my delight when I find out today that former Epic Games lead gameplay designer Lee Perry is hitting the road, armed with only his hobo bindlestiff and a pack of ramen. And by that, I mean a gorgeous Unreal 3 Engine title in the works.
Someone took this game out of the oven before it was done, which is a shame because it had potential. Hoodwink is a point and click adventure that tells the story of a professional thief -- or, as he calls himself, an acquisitions expert -- who steals a diamond ring in order to propose to his bride to be. Later in the game he also calls himself an unlicensed maniac, which is probably a more apt description.
It's easy to romanticize the past too much, especially when it comes to video games, but sometimes the games in question really were as cool as we remember them. Case in point: RPGs, circa the 16-bit console era. The new freemium iOS RPG Heroes in Time does a pretty great job of recapturing some of that magic in portable form, taking players back to when fantasies were final and, um, chronos were triggered?
Like any piece of art, a glimmer of truth can mean more to a game than slick presentation. Have you ever stopped to listen to a street musician strumming away on his guitar? He may not be a master of the instrument, but, occasionally, that street musician will play a song that moves you as much or more than any band you see at a big venue. The musician may be a little rough around the edges, but the song they play resonates with you. In a roundabout way, this describes how I feel about Nihilumbra. It's not a "sleek" game, but it says something,and it says it well.
Despite how much we celebrate the technological leaps in gaming, there's always room for a nice nostalgia boost. Sometimes we want to play games in their simplest forms, without all the fancy trimmings brought on by modern consoles and PC games. Oz Orwell and the Crawling Chaos is a shining example of this, providing players with a horror adventure that, flaws and all, feels straight out of the 90s.
Welcome to the Fierce Tales: The Dog's Heart walkthrough on Gamezebo. Fierce Tales: The Dog's Heart is a Hidden Object game created by Blam! Games. This walkthrough includes tips and tricks, helpful hints, and a strategy guide on how to complete Fierce Tales: The Dog's Heart.