Recent reviews by t_man85

Best $5.99 you can spend on steam right now. no joke. this developer gets moment to moment gameplay and fun core loops. they have been solid with updates. I have played all the zombie survival games good, bad, and ugly and this gem is definitely in the good pile. jump in, explore, build, buy, trade, loot, survive, have a great time!

Smooth as butter and beats every other.

This game is awesome! This is my second favorite next to Vampire Survivors and it is quickly working its way into my number one position. The graphics are awesome. The class skills are cool and fitting. The development team is constantly adding new content, hotfixing, and balancing. If you are interested in this game you will get great value jumping on board right now. A lot of games I would just recommend waiting for a sale as most games just dont have the out-of-the-box value necessary to warrant the full price. YAZS definitely does have that value!

Thank you Awesome Games for making an aweso....(uh-oh too cheesy)....great product!

Last Epoch is like a more polished and better presented Grim Dawn with emphasis on dark fantasy rather than grim steampunk.

The skill trees are extremely diverse and easily customized. There are so many different skill synergies with very impressive balancing. You can pretty much load up the game and start picking things that seem cool and work together and you will have fun. Although, this doesn't mean Last Epoch doesn't have any complexity.

The crafting system allows one to completely tear apart and rebuild almost any item in the game (outside of uniques). This rebuilding process includes the very real need to value lower tier loot because it can play a huge factor in altering, buffing, and supporting higher tier loot.

The story is oooookay, but that isn't exactly why I play these kinds of dungeon loot games. I play for the replayability, end game, grind, and build diversity. The devs clearly designed the game with this in mind. Just one example, there are multiple branching paths to short-cut the main story after you have reached the end of the campaign and can start defeating dungeons.
Once a dungeon path is defeated it unlocks a fast short-cut route through the campaign for faster leveling next time. LE has all kinds of QoL things like this in spades (ie. customizable loot filters, 100 free stash tabs, auto sort crafting materials to storage, etc etc).

Great Job Eleventh Hour! Keep the good times rolling!

I will probably update this later, but I wanted to put some kind of review up so more people might get into this game or come back to it if they bailed early on.

I got this game about a year after release. Many of the problems with the game before their big rework are fixed and improved. To get to the point, this game is amazing. So much build diversity, weapons, replay value, strategy, team synergies, etc etc. It is a well designed game, worth it at full price now, and definitely worth it on sale.

The player base seems to be surging with all of the improvements, and Fatshark (devs) are in the process of dropping a big anniversary update as we speak. If you are on the fence about this I would definitely encourage you to try it.

You will most likely enjoy this game if you like PvE co-op and games like (Vermintide 2, Deep Rock Galactic, GTFO, Destiny, Left 4 Dead, or World War Z).

Darktide is absolutely moving in the right direction now and most things about the game and game-play loop are polished. Check it out if you get the chance!

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Experience w/genre: 2nd title
Chosen Difficulty: n/a
Finished Game (Y/N): Y
Completion Time: 0.3 hr
Achievements %: 100%

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💬 What is this game?

100 Hidden Cats 2 is what I call a "pure" hidden object game. I use this categorization because unlike many other HoGs, this game is exclusively finding objects hidden within a single scene (no puzzles, no story, no mini-games, or anything else). I think of it as a digital "Where's Waldo" where all you do is find beautifully drawn, cleverly hidden cats.

✅Pros:

* Stylish and clever art style.
* Decent Challenge.
* Flawless and Streamlined Execution of its Ideas.
* Easy achievements.

❌Cons:

* Not as Good as 100 Hidden Cats (the first one).
* Might be too short for some.
* Might be too simple for some.
* No replay value.

Quick Review Score: 8.5/10
Quick Approx. Value: $0.49 - 0.99


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1. {STORY}

~ Cat's Hide Away in a Rural Town/Countryside ~

TBH there is no story, but that is totally NOT what this game is about.

N/A Score
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2. {FIRST IMPRESSION}

~ Cute, Clever, Fun ~

Like the first game (100 Hidden Cats), 100 Hidden Cats 2 hits you right up front with fun music and a start menu that is integrated into the "single sheet" art design of the game. When the menu lands, you literally just start scrolling and finding cats. That might sound too simple, but the way this game pulls off the seamless intro is impressive. The 100 cat counter then immediately displays at the bottom of the screen and the game is on!

The idea is extremely inviting and engaging from the moment the start menu lands.

10/10
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3. {LEVEL DESIGN}

~ One Level to Hide Them All ~

100 Hidden Cats 2 has one level and it is designed as a scrolling level. I think of the level as a giant white scrolling canvas. The art continuously flows from top to bottom elegantly transitioning to different town and country scenes. Despite being drawn exclusively in black and white, the scenes are diverse and expertly drawn. Most cats were cleverly blended into the scenery, although they were not as expertly drawn and placed as the first game (100 Hidden Cats).

Although, there were more overall scenes in the scrolling canvas in this second installment, I do not feel the design was as cohesive as the first game.

8/10
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4. {MUSIC/AUDIO}

~ Funky Music. Functional Audio ~

The music in 100 Hidden Cats 2 was a single track, but it was a really good one. I actually enjoyed the music in 100HC2 better than the first game. This game takes maybe 15 minutes to complete and the music always felt groovin' and fun from the moment the menu landed to the last cat found.

The audio is very simple, literally a ding when a cat is found. That being said, the cues were crisp and responsive. It got the job done.

9/10
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5. {CONTROLS}

~ Point, Click, Ding ~

Mouse was responsive. Clicking registered well. Cats always dinged.

The controls were exactly what anyone would want them to be.

9/10
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6. {MECHANICS}

~ Find a Cat. Click. ~

Like 100 Hidden Cats, the second installment is an extremely simple game with extremely simple mechanics. Find, Point, & Click. When you find a cat, the audio dings, the cat turns red, and the counter decreases by one. The game isn't trying to do anything special, but what it does it does extremely well.

I do want to take a second to mention that I felt the cats in this game were much easier to find and their art style did not seem to mesh with the surrounding nearly as well.

8/10
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7. {ART}

~ Talent on Display ~

The art style in 100 Hidden Cats 2 is good, don't get me wrong, but to my taste it was nearly as cohesive as the first game. The art is still some of the cutest and most clever I have seen in a game, but the style of the cats did not match the surrounding setting nearly as well as the first game.

Despite this one gripe, the art is still really stylish and fun.

8/10
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8. {NEGATIVES}

~ Not Much to Say ~

* The cats were not drawn as cohesively as the first game and this led to a much easier experience. I took me less than half the amount of time to complete this installment versus the first one, and my experience was not as enjoyable as the first.
* Just wish it was longer with more cats ;D


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💭 Closing Down...

100 Hidden Cats 2 is an extremely simple game which executes its design plan quite well. From the first menu to the last cat, this game is a streamlined experience with a lot of cool little scenes to explore. My only gripe with this game, is that the sort of "goofy" art style of the cats felt like a departure from the more elegant cat style in the first game. I am all for different art diversity, but the style of the cats in 100 Hidden Cats 2 seemed to cause the cats to "pop-out" more from there surroundings thus making them much easier to spot. This decreased my enjoyment with the game.

It was still a very fun and entertaining experience.

The game is a bit short, and at the full asking price of $0.99 I would say it is probably still worth a try for anyone even slightly interested in hidden object games, cats, or stylish art. But if you can find it on a sale, then I would definitely snatch this one up!

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- 8.5/10
- $0.49 - $0.99
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Experience w/genre: 1st title
Chosen Difficulty: n/a
Finished Game (Y/N): Y
Completion Time: 0.6 hr
Achievements %: 100%

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---------------------------------------------
💬 What is this game?

100 Hidden Cats is what I call a "pure" hidden object game. I use this categorization because unlike many other HoGs, this game is exclusively finding objects hidden within a single scene (no puzzles, no story, no mini-games, or anything else). I think of it as a digital "Where's Waldo" where all you do is find beautifully drawn, cleverly hidden cats.

✅Pros:

* Stylish and clever art style.
* Decent Challenge.
* Flawless and Streamlined Execution of its Ideas.
* Easy achievements.

❌Cons:

* Might be too short for some.
* Might be too simple for some.
* No replay value.

Quick Review Score: 9.5/10
Quick Approx. Value: $0.99


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1. {STORY}

~ Cat's Hide Away in a City ~

Just kidding there is no story, but that is totally NOT what this game is about.

N/A Score
---------------------------------------------

2. {FIRST IMPRESSION}

~ Cute, Clever, Fun ~

100 Hidden Cats hits you right up front with fun music and a start menu that is integrated into the "single sheet" art design of the game. When the menu lands, you literally just start scrolling and finding cats. That might sound too simple, but the way this game pulls off the seamless intro is impressive. The 100 cat counter then immediately displays at the bottom of the screen and the game is on!

The idea is extremely inviting and engaging from the moment the start menu lands.

10/10
---------------------------------------------

3. {LEVEL DESIGN}

~ One Level to Hide Them All ~

The game has one level and it is designed as a scrolling level. I think of the level as a giant white scrolling canvas. The art continuously flows from top to bottom elegantly transitioning to different city scenes. Despite being drawn exclusively in black and white, the scenes are diverse and expertly drawn. Most cats were cleverly blended into the scenery, but not unfairly so.

I am extremely impressed with the integrated nature of the single flowing scene as it made for a very fun and streamlined experience.

10/10
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4. {MUSIC/AUDIO}

~ Funky Music. Functional Audio ~

The music in 100 Hidden Cats was a single track, but it was a really good one. The game takes maybe 30 minutes to complete and the music always felt groovin' and fun from the moment the menu landed to the last cat found.

The audio is very simple, literally a ding when a cat is found. That being said, the cues were crisp and responsive. It got the job done.

9/10
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5. {CONTROLS}

~ Point, Click, Ding ~

Mouse was responsive. Clicking registered well. Cats always dinged.

The controls were exactly what anyone would want them to be.

9/10
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6. {MECHANICS}

~ Find a Cat. Click. ~

100 Hidden Cats is an extremely simple game with extremely simple mechanics. Find, Point, & Click. When you find a cat, the audio dings, the cat turns red, and the counter decreases by one. The game isn't trying to do anything special, but what it does it does flawlessly.

10/10
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7. {ART}

~ Talent on Display ~

The art style in 100 Hidden Cats is some of the cutest and most clever I have seen in a game. The style of the cats matches the style of the setting. No art in the different scenes is jarring or too understated and everything flows with a lovely balance.

I can't recommend the art in this game enough.

10/10
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8. {NEGATIVES}

~ Not Much to Say ~

* Just wish it was longer with more cats ;D


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💭 Closing Down...

100 Hidden Cats is an extremely simple game which executes its design plan flawlessly. From the first menu to the last cat, this game is a streamlined experience packed with bite size fun and tons of flavor. The art style is interesting and pretty with each cat harmonizing cleverly with its surroundings.

The game is a bit short, but at the full asking price of $0.99 I would say it is well worth a try for anyone even slightly interested in hidden object games, cats, or stylish art.

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- 9.5/10
- $0.99
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Experience w/genre: 2nd Title
Chosen Difficulty: Expert
Finished Game (Y/N): Y
Completion Time: 6.9 hrs
Achievements %: 11/12 92%

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Is the Game Worth It?

💬 What is this game?

Lost Grimoires 2: Shard of Mystery (LG2: SoM) is a hidden object adventure game. It offers a mix of mystery, mini-games, and hidden object puzzles. The story is a part of the Lost Grimoires series by Artifex Mundi.

✅Pros:

* Beautiful, painterly art style.
* Decent Puzzle Variety.
* Easy achievements.

❌Cons:

* Bit too easy & repetitive.
* No replay value.
* Story plateaus and never recovers
* Poor Chapter Conclusions.

Score: 6/10
Value: $0.99 - $2.99

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1. {STORY}

~ Evil Witch Attempts a Revenge Plot Against Rival Empire ~

In LG2:SoM you play as veteran female alchemist presently in charge of a young Prince named Fern. You are hoping to cure the King of a horrible illness. Your attempts are cut short by a sudden magical attack by the Kingdom's archrival, Drosera, the Witch. The story plays out (quite uneventfully) as a classic good prince vs. evil witch type of plot.

Unfortunately, the story was cliche with next to no unique twists or variations on the old trope. To make matters worse, the story starts to fall flat around act 3-4 and despite obvious attempts to do so, is unable to move itself toward any sufficient climax.

I would say this story might appeal to someone looking for an aged female protagonist, a commonplace but charming prince meets magical princess love story, and/or someone looking for a classic good vs evil story, but I do caution against any hopes one might have of finding any real excitement or uniqueness from this one.

5/10
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2. {FIRST IMPRESSION}

~ A Baroque, Painterly, and Compelling Start ~

LG2: SoM starts off beautifully. The dark, whimsical, and painterly art style sets that stage for an epic rivalry between a good and noble king and an evil selfish witch. I really felt a sense of honor and nobility from the Kingdom's efforts to finally defeat the witch's wicked plot, and I was quite devastated upon discovering the diagnoses of the King's terminal illness only weeks after achieving peace. The puzzles and settings were very skillfully painted, and the veteran female protagonist's voice acting set the correct mood.

Unfortunately, this great first impression was short lived.

8/10
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3. {LEVEL DESIGN}

~ Linear Maps with Boring and Predictable Chapter Progression ~

Each "Chapter" of the game is a series of interlocking stages which require the player to solve puzzles and combine various clues/items to progress the next chapter.

In LG2:SoM, the art style has to be one of the greatest things going for the level design, as the banal story made for some really uninspired settings alongside puzzles that were sometimes interesting, but mostly just boring or outright confusing.

6/10
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4. {MUSIC/AUDIO}

~ Music is Repetitive and Uninspired. Audio Lacked Impact ~

The music in LG2:SoM was pleasant and repetitive at best, or just plain boring and uninspired at worst. I actually muted the music and opted for a mystery/fantasy playlist on spotify over the same awkward repeating tracks.

The audio seemed somewhat thin and unimpactful. Everything seemed to have appropriately matched SFX, but either due to poor mixing or poor quality sounds the audio just didn't dazzle and captivate as it should.

5/10
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5. {CONTROLS}

~ Snappy, Tight, but A Bit Awkward~

LG2:SoM is a point & click/hidden object game, so we are not expecting some super complex control scheme here. That being said, when you are doing as much pointing and clicking as a game like this requires even the slightest bit of stutter, lag, and inaccuracy can be brutal and draining. Fortunately, LG2:SoM has extremely tight and responsive mouse/clicking controls. I always felt like the game was responding to exactly what I was trying to do.

That being said some of the object manipulation puzzles (click to select, click and drag to move, click to rotate) were awkward and confusing which led to a clunky and slightly frustrating experience.

8/10
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6. {MECHANICS}

~ Point & Click (PnC), Mini Games (MG), and Hidden Object (HoG) ~

LG2:SoM follows many of the conventions that other PnC, HoG games follow, and it does it somewhat well. That being said outside of a few interesting puzzles (i.e., snake ring bead game) most stages were too easy, and very predictable. Fortunately, all of the puzzles functioned properly and made a fair amount of common sense, but this was not enough to elevate the experience beyond just a visually pleasing and lackluster experience.

6.5/10
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7. {BOSS FIGHTS/CHAPTER ENDERS}

~ These Sequences Should Have Been Shelved or Completely Reworked ~

LG2:SoM has two types of climactic scenarios: chapter enders and boss fight.

The chapter enders are like "uber-puzzles" which all other smaller puzzles work to solve/unlock. They were never very interesting.

The final boss fight sequence was so boring and uninventive that (kid you not) you play rock-paper-scissors...like with actual rock, paper, and scissor buttons. No...just no

2/10
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8. {NEGATIVES}

~ Now onto the Ugly Parts ~

I have talked about many above, but here is the bullet list:

* Game is short and still manages to get boring after the first couple chapters.
* The games puzzles aren't very interesting. Sometimes the solutions either are too obvious, or don't make sense.
* The VO, Music, and Audio were all sub-par.
* The story was classic and got off to a very decent start but falls flat fast and never recovers.
* Chapter climaxes and boss fight are cheap and uninspired. Upon solving, I felt cheated out of my time.

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💭 Closing Down...

Lost Grimoires 2: Shard of Mystery starts as a dazzling, dark, exciting story of empirical revenge but ends up a worn out cliche buried at the bottom of HoG clutter. Don't get me wrong, the art style is very beautiful and (some) of the voice acting is enjoyable. Gameplay wise, there is a mixed bag of fun/interesting alongside boring/confusing.

I am going to recommend this game because it is not an awful game. There are some charming things on offer here, particularly in the art department. The puzzles are mostly entertaining, and the story doesn't completely fall apart. BUT do not expect anywhere close to HoG or adventure perfection.

Listed price: $9.99. This is too much. The game is decent to good. Depending on what you want (pretty art, youthful love, female protagonist, a few hours of puzzles), LG2:SoM might be a good match for you.

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[FINAL SCORE] - 6/10
[FINAL VALUE] - $0.99 - $2.99
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Experience w/genre: Minimal
Chosen Difficulty: Expert
Completion: Finished

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[GAME TL;DR SUMMARY]
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Is the GAME worth it?

✅Pros:

* Visually pleasing.
* Fun Story.
* Responsive Controls.
* Challenging (but not frustrating) puzzles.
* Great mix of mini-games and hidden object puzzles.
* Easy achievements.

❌Cons:

* Bit too easy.
* Little replay value.
* Predictable story.
* Music is repetitive.
* Battle sections are a joke.

TL;DR Score: 7.5/10
TL;DR Value: $0.99 - $4.99

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[IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS]
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1. {BACKGROUND}

💬 What is this game?

Eventide 3: Legacy of Legends (ET3:LoL) is a hidden object adventure game. It offers a mix of mystery, mini-games, and hidden object puzzles. The story is a part of the Eventide series by Artifex Mundi.

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2. {STORY}

~ Evil Magical Mastermind Seeks to Flood the World ~

In ET3:LoL you play as Mary the brother of John. John is a sceptic scientist and Mary is a magic seeker. They both get caught up in some bizarre magical weather catastrophes and have to travel to a magical realm in order to find out how to stop the disastrous weather from destroying earth. If you think it sounds goofy, then you are right on, but the story is presented in a charming way which moves the story forward and never hinders the gameplay.

7/10
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3. {FIRST IMPRESSION}

~ Beautiful, Whimsical, and Mysterious ~

Immediately, the games charming atmosphere and polished art work captivated me. The story was interesting and the puzzles gripped me as they demanded my attention in order to help key characters survive.

8/10
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4. {LEVEL DESIGN}

~ Linear maps with interesting interlocking stages ~

Each "Chapter" of the game is a series of interlocking stages which require the player to solve puzzles and combine various clues and items in order to progress to the next chapter. Many of the next areas are locked behind doors, chests, cabinets, etc etc. This might sound boring, but the art style and presentation of the various "soft gates" and the puzzles keeping them closed are almost always compelling and nicely paced.

8/10
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5. {MUSIC/AUDIO}

~ Music is Repetitive. Audio Does the Job ~

The music in ET3:LoL is nothing to get excited about. The tracks are calming and meditative. They certainly do not distract from the game. That being said, the tracks are few and repetitive.

Audio design checks all of the desired boxes. The sound quality is top notch, and all of the little keys, latches, items, mechanism all have clear, crisp, and believable SFX. I really enjoyed the audio design.

6/10
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6. {CONTROLS}

~ Snappy, Tight, and Just Right ~

ET3:LoL is a point & click/hidden object game, so we are not expecting some super complex control scheme. That being said, when you are doing as much pointing and clicking as a game like this requires even the slightest bit of stutter, lag, and inaccuracy can be brutal and draining. Fortunately, ET3:LoL has extremely tight and responsive mouse/clicking controls. I always felt like the game was responding to exactly what I was trying to do. This added a lot to the enjoyment of the game.

9/10
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7. {MECHANICS}

~ Point & Click (PnC), Mini Games (MG), and Hidden Object (HoG) ~

If you are familiar with these style of games then you know what to expect. If not then read on:

ET3:LoL has a good mix of PnC, MG, and HoG puzzles. Not only are the individual puzzles compelling in and of themselves, but the real highlight of this games is how all of the different puzzles and games interconnect and deliver satisfying solutions. The game really made me feel like I was "solving" the problems and coming up with clever solutions on my own. I never felt like the game was pandering to me.

That being said, I played on the expert difficulty, and I still felt like some sections were a bit too easy. I feel like this game would be very accessible to a wide range of ages and gamer experience.

8/10
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8. {BOSS FIGHTS}

~ PnC Boss Fights "Oh My!" ~

Yes, this hidden object game had boss fights and battle sequences. I am pretty new to the genre, so I am unsure if this is common in these types of games?

Anyway, the battles were sort of cheesy. They weren't really challenging. They do crank up the intensity during the battles, but I don't think there was a time limit (which actually might have helped to improve the impact and enjoyment of the sequences). Overall, they were just too easy and repetitive.

4/10
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9. {NEGATIVES}

~ Now onto the ugly parts ~

I don't have a ton of negatives to share about this game.

1. The game is a little bit short, but then again the game is cheap so I think it does ride that line on value per hour.
2. Some of the puzzles are a bit repetitive, but not nearly as repetitive as I thought they were going to be upon first impression.
3. The music was repetitive.
4. The dialogue and story were charming, but just barely interesting. The story could have been much more intricate and nuanced than it was.
5. Boss/Battle sequences were a joke.

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[FINAL THOUGHTS]
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💭Closing down...

Eventide 3: Legacy of Legend was an enjoyable game. The story, although cheesy, was charming and walked in lock step with the puzzles and mechanics of the game. The puzzles were challenging and interesting (most of the time). The boss fights/battles were the only glaring let down.

Overall, this game will be liked by any player who likes puzzles, mystery, relaxing games, brain teasers, magic, whimsical stories, or things like that.

I do not think this is a $9.99 value. If I had to place a value on it (considering all of the ways to get the game through sales etc etc) I would say this game is worth $0.99 - $4.99. I would only pay full price if you are an avid enthusiast of the genre or are really looking to spend some extra bucks on a game like this.

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[FINAL SCORE] 7.5/10
[FINAL VALUE] $0.99 - $4.99
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One of the most intriguing and entertaining point-and-click mystery games I've played is Signal and Echo. The music and visual style perfectly captured the mood. The puzzles are engaging and always relevant to the plot. The writing is concise without losing specifics, which kept me interested throughout. (For example, a few times I actually took my own notes so I could remember the specifics names and place to investigate during discussions and interrogations).

The controls and movement are unusual at first, but they are really easy to get used to, and veterans of point-and-click games will have no trouble diving in. The game gave me a good blend of law and order, twin peaks, and deadly premonition (without being too odd). I strongly suggest you to test the demo, and I eagerly await the complete release of this game.