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Elementals: The Magic Key

Posted by Ruff on October 18th, 2009

(4 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Elementals: The Magic Key is a hidden object – adventure game that blends both puzzle and action into one casual game experience. Set in the fantasy world of Eiron, you play as a young wizard off to save his sister from the bad guys. And even with magic and wit by your side, it’s going to be one tough ride.

Albert is the name of the wizard in training and his trusty sidekick Fellian the Familiar is always there to give him advice. After his sister Lilian was kidnapped by the evil Sibelius, and the Key of Eiron shards scattered all around the world during the process, it’s now Albert’s task to gather all the shards back in order to prevent it falling into the hands of evil. Using magic, he has to crack witty puzzles and battle dangerous villains and of course, meet other friendly creatures along the way.

The main gameplay of Elementals: The Magic Key is hidden object, that is to say, you have to find what Albert instructs you to in order to move on with the story. There are no random objects though, since all items you need to find will be needed to crack puzzles and other hindrances throughout your adventure. And if you find yourself stuck, Fellian’s hint button will help you find those items without any trouble at all.

In each scene, you have to speak with other fantasy characters, interact with the surroundings using your gathered tools and cast spells. Many times, you’ll come across mind-numbing puzzles in order to move on with the adventure. This will engage a pop-up window where you will play the mini-game. Some of the puzzles are quite hard, so if you find yourself wanting to quit, just wait for the door-like icon to activate and skip the puzzle behind.

There’s a second gameplay involved in Elementals: The Magic Key – the battle mode against the enemies you encounter along the way. This involves a unique turn-based system set on a chess-like board with various elementals for you to move. The objective is to eliminate all of your enemy’s elementals by using your own elementals against them.

This part of the game needs great planning and strategy in order to clear since in later levels, your enemy will also gain the power-ups that you also use, which is really quite frustrating if you don’t think before you act. Just remember the basic mechanics – 3 of the same level and kind of elementals can combine to form a stronger one when lined up together. Stronger elementals have more life and greater destructive power, so try to make them as soon as possible.

Power-ups for the battle mode are gained by helping characters in the adventure mode. They are very helpful whenever in a pinch, so use them whenever possible to clear as many enemy elementals as you can. Power-ups are activated through elemental fusions you make, therefore involving more strategy in order for you to win each encounter.

Elementals: The Magic Key is made beautifully with all animation, backgrounds and design made as flawless as possible. Sounds and visuals join together to form a fantasy world you’ll enjoy playing in, making the game very hard to put down once you already start playing. And there are full of surprises and twists in the story too, comparable to the most popular casual adventure games in the market today.

The gameplay is very unique and the storyline drives the adventure unlike most hidden object games that involve random item hunting. The unique battle mode and puzzle mini-games are enjoyable to play and are repeatable through the Bonus feature in the main menu. All of these making Elementals: The Magic Key one of the best adventures I’ve seen this year.

Elementals: The Magic Key Download

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Fishdom: Spooky Splash

Posted by Ruff on October 11th, 2009

(No Ratings Yet)

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After I played the original game, Fishdom, I really knew that this aquarium simulation game should have a sequel that revolves around the gameplay elements of its predecessor. Now, with Fishdom: Spooky Splash, I get to experience firsthand how Fishdom evolved and what new things (if there are any) it can offer all of us puzzle gaming fans.

The simplicity of the objective is still there since all you got to do in this game is to build and design your own aquarium by filling it with fishes, decorations and other peripherals to make your fishes happy and comfortable. However, just as the name Fishdom: Spooky Splash suggests, you have to make your aquarium as spooky as it can get. Well, that’s one easy task since all of the decorations, aquarium fixtures and even some of the fishes are hair-raising enough to help you with your objective.

Still, the base gameplay of Fishdom: Spooky Splash is traditional match-3 puzzle action. Swap 3 or more pieces to eliminate them from the board, and earn points (converted to game money) in the process. Destroy all of the tiles by matching the pieces on them just like what was adapted by the original game, Fishdom. And yes, there are still chained pieces too, just to make the whole experience more challenging.

As for power-ups, there are a plenty, triggered by matching 5 or more pieces within one swap. The number of pieces you successfully match corresponds to the explosiveness of your power-up. 5 matches give you a Depth Bomb, 6 matches for Dynamite and 7 matches for a devastating Warhead. Other power-ups include the puny Firecracker and the most powerful of them all – Lightning, triggered by using 7 explosives within a game level.

The power-ups are not in any way making the game imbalanced. As a matter of fact in later levels, you are more likely doomed if you won’t be using them as wisely as possible. More challenging levels await you as you try to fill your tank more of those grueling decors. And as always, it’s a greater chance for you to earn money enough to purchase the most hideous fishes available for your tank.

Fishdom: Spooky Splash entirely feels like playing the original Fishdom game, which isn’t a bad thing, but not that good either. Honestly, I expected more – something that may be able to surprise me as a seasoned player of casual games. For this game, it came only after hours of playing, after buying the Spooky Fish and getting some of those frightening décor sets available on the last parts of the Beauty tab.

Other goals such as getting bronze, silver and gold trophies for your aquarium keep you from losing interest in getting through the levels. It’s much fun to see your fish tank get filled up with so many decorations but do keep in mind that you get the same empty aquarium look if you manage to buy a new one for $2000. So, what I suggest is to save game money and only buy those fishes and decorations that really pack a spooky punch.

Fishdom: Spooky Splash also introduces a screensaver feature you can activate and enjoy whenever your computer gets idle. And when you wish to document your aquarium progress, take pictures of your tank during the whole course of your adventure. These are the best features I enjoy most, just what I would expect from a Playrix game.

Fishdom: Spooky Splash is still an enjoyable ride just like its predecessor. If you enjoyed the original, you’ll definitely enjoy this one too. And with the added spooky elements, you have enough game time to even have your ideal tank ready for the coming Halloween.

Fishdom: Spooky Splash Download

Gardenscapes

Posted by Ruff on October 4th, 2009

(3 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)

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I never had much experience with a garden but I do know that owning one can be a very relaxing hobby. Playrix aims to put that relaxation bottled-up into a casual game through Gardenscapes, a hidden object slash simulation game that lets you design a garden from scratch. And what does it offer that’s yet to be seen on other casual games? Well, read on and I’ll tell.

The story starts with you living in the middle of the city, filled with factories and polluted air and only having a little plant keeping you company. Then, news got to you that your deceased grandfather left the old mansion to your own care. With the mansion comes a once beautiful garden, now run-down and left with very little care, and of course, the trustworthy butler, Austin, helping you with the garden work you’ll need to accomplish from now on.

Actually, Gardenscapes doesn’t really make you tend to the garden because Austin does all the garden work for you. Your only job in the game as the mansion master is to make sure to earn enough money for all of the garden restoration work. You start with 5 coins, well yeah, that’s some puny cash, but by selling some of the mansion’s old stuff, you’ll be able to raise spending money in no time flat.

Raising money requires you to play a hidden object game through a jumble sale inside the mansion’s many rooms. The big “start” button triggers this event as you get transferred into a familiar setting – a room filled with so many random objects scattered about. Customers will come appearing at the left menu and all you have to do is to find what they want and if successful, collect coin payments after they leave.

There are timed and relaxed modes of play and as always, in the timed mode, you have to keep the game clock as well as the customer patience levels in mind at all times. In the relaxed mode, there are no game clocks but still, you have to save those slowly dwindling customer hearts. The more customers happy, the more money you’ll be getting, so find those items as fast as you can, an element that made Gardenscapes very exciting to play.

Of course, it would be very unfair to time you and not give you any aid in such a hectic gameplay. With this in mind, you get to have 3 kinds of hints you can use in case you find yourself unable to find hidden objects. The first is the basic hint designated by hidden question marks, enabling you to reveal the picture of the object needed by all active customers; second is when you find cameras, flashing all needed objects within a second; and the last is the thermometer hint, showing you when your getting near a certain object whenever the customer icon heats up.

Earning gold enables you to purchase garden upgrades for Austin to take care of. You get to choose on the quality of upgrades you want to purchase, so meaning you’ll have to get all the gold you can muster during the hidden object routine to purchase all the most expensive ones in the market. As you progress, just sit back, relax, and have a moment to setup up your own garden as a special screensaver for your computer.

Storyline is quite deep, since as the garden develops itself, Austin gets to receive calls from people getting to know your garden and even a chance to pit it against other gardens in a competition. The garden may appear in the newspapers too, and from time to time, you may also receive mail from other people for special item requests you can try to find in the mansion for extra gold when accomplished.

What’s amazing too is the animation of the garden and its inhabitants. Austin and your trusty dog travels around the garden doing work and playing really makes the whole area look like its real. Birds and butterflies fly around and you can even shoo them with the mouse if you liked. You can even make Austin work around, feeding the swan, trimming the plants and painting garden sculptures as if all of them were to collapse if not being tend upon.

All in all, Gardenscapes is a beautifully made game with unique elements embedded upon the same hidden object gameplay. It’s interesting enough to make you play for hours, with some funny quips from Austin himself whenever you add elements to your garden. Definitely a must try for all hidden object gaming fans.

Gardenscapes Download

Fishdom: Spooky Splash Preview

Posted by Ruff on September 27th, 2009

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Fishdom has been very successful as a puzzle game over the years since Playrix first released the original. And through its sequel Fishdom H2O, it still retained the familiar action pace of match 3 and the excitement of building your own fish tanks from scratch. Now, what can Fishdom: Spooky Splash offer that goes beyond the last release? Well, by the end of September, we’re set to find that out for ourselves.

Build up your spooky Fishdom! Earn cash as you complete addictive tile-swapping levels and spend it to fix up your spooktacular tank. Create the eerie atmosphere of an underwater haunted house with witches, vampires and ghosts in your aquarium. Have fun taking care of quirky tropical fishies and adding boo-tiful accessories to the virtual aquarium of your dreams! Win trophies as you polish your aquarium design skills in this brrrilliant match-3 sequel to Fishdom™! Get splashed with Fishdom fun!

Features:

Spooky match-3 fun
Almost 200 boo-tiful fishies and accessories
Unlimited number of tanks to create and design
Endless replay value
Set up your aquarium as a screensaver
A spooktacular sequel to Fishdom™!

Screenshots:

Fishdom: Spooky Splash

Check it out soon at Playrix.

Scratches Director’s Cut and Murder in the Abbey Preview

Posted by Ruff on September 21st, 2009

(No Ratings Yet)

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There are two new digital downloads from Legacy Interactive and both of them has the term “eerie” in mind. Scratches Director’s Cut and Murder in the Abbey are two adventure games in the suspense department that are set to put shivers down your spine during play. Both are already available through retail in the past, and are now offered as digital downloads with added bonuses too.

Anyway, if you’re not familiar with the games yet, the following previews shows a highlight of what each game can offer for your gaming satisfaction.

Scratches Director’s Cut

An alternate ending and two additional hours of game play are included in this new chapter to the popular atmospheric mystery adventure game for the PC. Brimming with eerie twists and terrifying surprises, the game is set in and around a solitary Victorian mansion that conceals a terrible secret…a long since forgotten story from the past emerges to haunt the present. The careful combination of inventory-based and deductive-style puzzles are integrated with a riveting storyline, non-linear game play, intricately detailed graphics, and an entrancing soundtrack that immerse the player in a haunting Gothic atmosphere.

Murder in the Abbey

This game has monks, murder, and above all, suspense. An old abbey is the scene of a series of mysterious murders, and only one man can put a stop to the slaughter. Former Grand Inquisitor Leonardo and his assistant Bruno are sent by the Vatican to the isolated abbey to investigate the strange goings-on surrounding a carefully guarded secret. Yet, they’ve hardly arrived when their quest is overshadowed by an attempt on their lives.

Murder in the Abbey is a mystery of cinematic proportions whose suspense goes far beyond that of a conventional adventure game!

But don’t let these selling pitches dictate what you think of the game though. What I really suggest is to check it out at Legacy Games and see all screenshots and player reviews for more in-depth information.

Legacy Games