The Best HOGs - Dark Parables series

Currently I'm enjoying the latest game in the Dark Parables series, Goldilocks and the Fallen Star.
If you don't already know this hidden object game series, it features storylines inspired by fairytales. Early games more strongly followed the classic stories but later games were more interested in plot and mystery and exciting events.

There are two key traits that set this series apart to make it one of the BEST hidden object games out there today.

Gameplay is not sloppy
Yes, this is important! If you've ever been frustrated and stuck only to discover the solution really doesn't make sense, then you've experienced it. For example, one solution in Rite of Passage: The Perfect Show involves using a carpenter's saw to cut metal screws off. Really? They couldn't even give you a proper saw for cutting metal.

Other more common signs of sloppy production involve items in hidden object scenes that are named incorrectly; and having more than one type of item in a scene that is valid but only one that is clickable -- and then they penalize you for clicking the "wrong" one.

So far I haven't experience such in this series, and that's a great sign of quality control. Plus it won't jar you out of your gameplay while immersed in the plot.

Continuity

A very interesting concept for standalone casual games is a strong sense of continuity. Characters from previous games do make appearances, and when it happens in a story-relevant way, it is very fulfilling and doesn't feel like a deus ex machina -- it provides a strong feeling of reward for having played through the previous games.

Here is an example from Dark Parables 4, where someone you helped three episodes back comes to save your ass.

Dark Parables 4 - The Red Riding Hood Sisters... by Fantasy_Art

Combat
The game doesn't shy away from there being exciting crises and actual combat. As the protagonist you are really a non-combatant, so they've woven it into the storylines in a very good way that doesn't require you to be actually on the front lines so much, or in such a way that it involves solving a puzzle.
Hidden Object Games are not combat games and games of this genre often handicap themselves by not being able to have it in the story -- resulting in often very passive stories. The Dark Parables series has a workaround and they get better with this aspect in later games, resulting in an uncover-the-mystery gameplay experience that feels more exciting.

Of course the Collector's Edition has all sorts of extra that many hidden object games have nowadays to provide value and replayability, such as the ability to replay hidden object scenes, awarding trophies for excellent gameplay, and bonus stories to uncover more of the background or give you a prequel or sequel to the main quest.

However, the qualities I mentioned really set this series apart and make it very worthwhile to play them from the very beginning. If you are unsure where to start with hidden object games, you can't go wrong with this series.

And fortunately, even the first game has excellent artwork, so you won't feel like you have to suffer through a primitive hidden object game compared to what's contemporary.

Obviously ten games is a lot to commit to, so there are a couple of things you can do:

• Don't buy the regular version! Instead, play the trial version available on Big Fish Games.
• Always get the Collector's Edition. You'll regret missing the extra stories later and probably end up spending more to access them.
• Don't buy any Strategy Guides to help you when you are stuck. They are in the Collector's Edition and in any case you can find them online and even on the Big Fish Games website.
• Watch for special offers. Big Fish Games just had a fantastic 4th of July special which we announced on our website. If you are tight on cash, wait for these and in the meantime play the trial versions.

Now click one of the pictures on the right to access the free trial of one of these excellent hidden object games now! We've linked to the PC games, but they are available also for handhelds (such as android, iPad, and iPhones) so you can take the game with you wherever you go and savour at your leisure.

Currently I'm enjoying the latest game in the Dark Parables series, Goldilocks and the Fallen Star.
If you don't already know this hidden object game series, it features storylines inspired by fairytales. Early games more strongly followed the classic stories but later games were more interested in plot and mystery and exciting events.

There are two key traits that set this series apart to make it one of the BEST hidden object games out there today.

Gameplay is not sloppy
Yes, this is important! If you've ever been frustrated and stuck only to discover the solution really doesn't make sense, then you've experienced it. For example, one solution in Rite of Passage: The Perfect Show involves using a carpenter's saw to cut metal screws off. Really? They couldn't even give you a proper saw for cutting metal.

Other more common signs of sloppy production involve items in hidden object scenes that are named incorrectly; and having more than one type of item in a scene that is valid but only one that is clickable -- and then they penalize you for clicking the "wrong" one.

So far I haven't experience such in this series, and that's a great sign of quality control. Plus it won't jar you out of your gameplay while immersed in the plot.

Continuity

A very interesting concept for standalone casual games is a strong sense of continuity. Characters from previous games do make appearances, and when it happens in a story-relevant way, it is very fulfilling and doesn't feel like a deus ex machina -- it provides a strong feeling of reward for having played through the previous games.

Here is an example from Dark Parables 4, where someone you helped three episodes back comes to save your ass.

Dark Parables 4 - The Red Riding Hood Sisters... by Fantasy_Art

Combat
The game doesn't shy away from there being exciting crises and actual combat. As the protagonist you are really a non-combatant, so they've woven it into the storylines in a very good way that doesn't require you to be actually on the front lines so much, or in such a way that it involves solving a puzzle.
Hidden Object Games are not combat games and games of this genre often handicap themselves by not being able to have it in the story -- resulting in often very passive stories. The Dark Parables series has a workaround and they get better with this aspect in later games, resulting in an uncover-the-mystery gameplay experience that feels more exciting.

Of course the Collector's Edition has all sorts of extra that many hidden object games have nowadays to provide value and replayability, such as the ability to replay hidden object scenes, awarding trophies for excellent gameplay, and bonus stories to uncover more of the background or give you a prequel or sequel to the main quest.

However, the qualities I mentioned really set this series apart and make it very worthwhile to play them from the very beginning. If you are unsure where to start with hidden object games, you can't go wrong with this series.

And fortunately, even the first game has excellent artwork, so you won't feel like you have to suffer through a primitive hidden object game compared to what's contemporary.

Obviously ten games is a lot to commit to, so there are a couple of things you can do:

• Don't buy the regular version! Instead, play the trial version available on Big Fish Games.
• Always get the Collector's Edition. You'll regret missing the extra stories later and probably end up spending more to access them.
• Don't buy any Strategy Guides to help you when you are stuck. They are in the Collector's Edition and in any case you can find them online and even on the Big Fish Games website.
• Watch for special offers. Big Fish Games just had a fantastic 4th of July special which we announced on our website. If you are tight on cash, wait for these and in the meantime play the trial versions.

Now click one of the pictures on the right to access the free trial of one of these excellent hidden object games now! We've linked to the PC games, but they are available also for handhelds (such as android, iPad, and iPhones) so you can take the game with you wherever you go and savour at your leisure.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Game Review - Rite of Passage: Hide and Seek

Game Review - Rite of Passage: Hide and Seek
Score: +8/-2
Summary: Interesting and fantastical story. Pacing and variety is very good. Believable action by the protagonist helps to maintain immersion. One of the better Hidden Object Games available and highly recommended.

In many ways, criticisms in review will apply to many contemporary hidden object games, and are not to be taken as faults unique to this game.
+- Character animations choppy but artwork overall very good. Also, not everyone is Kim Kardashian or Brad Pitt.
- Fuzzy cutscenes, especially if you play on higher resolutions.
+ Convenient replays of hidden object games for achievements involving spotting "morphing items". Because this unlocks achievements and further features, it really helps to have the replay available without having to replay the entire game. Also, if you are only missing a morphing object in a hidden object game, you can just locate that object in the replay instead of completely replaying the hidden object game scene.
+ Achievements for replay value: You can replay the game or parts of the game, such as replaying hidden object game scenes to score achievements with better time and accuracy -- unlike other games, where you typically can't rollback to redo anything unless you located and backed up your savegame first. And achievements give you an actual reason to do it again and better.
+ Post-game mini-games.
++ Interesting story with a variety of environments and locations. Unexpected and dramatic scenes keep the game lively. It is often easy to just get bored looking for hidden objects and flip from one screen to the next. Good use of event-driven scenes and plot advancement.
+ Believable action by the character. You are an "average person" who isn't suddenly a powerful fighter or wizard. End game "boss fight" does not involve actual "combat", but competition. This is much more believable than in many hidden object games that simply thrust the protagonist into heroics from zero to hero. Careful crafting of the story and backstory makes this possible.
+1-0 Tries to get you to invest more in the character/action through dialogue choices, but other than a few immediate changes in dialogue, there is ultimately no branching story arc: Characters still you encounter still do the same thing and the story progresses in the same way -- even if it is implausible. For example, in Hope's Edge you meet someone who offers you a device at the end of your first conversation, whether you were nice or a jerk in your dialogue. Why would they offer to help you at all, with the sole reason being that you might be interested in their invention? At the very end of the game, your "morality" locks out a possible ending, but because you are already at the end of the game, you just get a slightly different cutscene. Points for trying, but ultimately a disappointing false sense of choice and an empty threat of consequence.
+0-0 Tries to expand the action through the use of "pets" and skills, but the usage is too predictable (often they outright tell you to use the skill) to be worth forcing the player to click an extra button.

Game Review - Rite of Passage: Hide and Seek
Score: +8/-2
Summary: Interesting and fantastical story. Pacing and variety is very good. Believable action by the protagonist helps to maintain immersion. One of the better Hidden Object Games available and highly recommended.

In many ways, criticisms in review will apply to many contemporary hidden object games, and are not to be taken as faults unique to this game.
+- Character animations choppy but artwork overall very good. Also, not everyone is Kim Kardashian or Brad Pitt.
- Fuzzy cutscenes, especially if you play on higher resolutions.
+ Convenient replays of hidden object games for achievements involving spotting "morphing items". Because this unlocks achievements and further features, it really helps to have the replay available without having to replay the entire game. Also, if you are only missing a morphing object in a hidden object game, you can just locate that object in the replay instead of completely replaying the hidden object game scene.
+ Achievements for replay value: You can replay the game or parts of the game, such as replaying hidden object game scenes to score achievements with better time and accuracy -- unlike other games, where you typically can't rollback to redo anything unless you located and backed up your savegame first. And achievements give you an actual reason to do it again and better.
+ Post-game mini-games.
++ Interesting story with a variety of environments and locations. Unexpected and dramatic scenes keep the game lively. It is often easy to just get bored looking for hidden objects and flip from one screen to the next. Good use of event-driven scenes and plot advancement.
+ Believable action by the character. You are an "average person" who isn't suddenly a powerful fighter or wizard. End game "boss fight" does not involve actual "combat", but competition. This is much more believable than in many hidden object games that simply thrust the protagonist into heroics from zero to hero. Careful crafting of the story and backstory makes this possible.
+1-0 Tries to get you to invest more in the character/action through dialogue choices, but other than a few immediate changes in dialogue, there is ultimately no branching story arc: Characters still you encounter still do the same thing and the story progresses in the same way -- even if it is implausible. For example, in Hope's Edge you meet someone who offers you a device at the end of your first conversation, whether you were nice or a jerk in your dialogue. Why would they offer to help you at all, with the sole reason being that you might be interested in their invention? At the very end of the game, your "morality" locks out a possible ending, but because you are already at the end of the game, you just get a slightly different cutscene. Points for trying, but ultimately a disappointing false sense of choice and an empty threat of consequence.
+0-0 Tries to expand the action through the use of "pets" and skills, but the usage is too predictable (often they outright tell you to use the skill) to be worth forcing the player to click an extra button.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad