Phantasmat
4.6
5
109
109
A favorite, for sure
I've listed this game as my favorite. I'm a fan of the Silent Hill game series, and Phantasmat struck me as a similar experience, in a casual, more mellow mode of gameplay. Like Silent Hill, Phantasmat has compelling atmosphere and visuals.
The imagery is striking. It's not just beautifully illustrated, there are also some unique sights. I especially loved a submerged sitting room with floating furniture.
I often skip cutscenes but my finger didn't itch to click ahead in this game.
The plot is predictable, but it's mostly predictable in the pleasant way of a campfire ghost story. You know how it's going to go, but it's still enjoyable to hear it. Some of the horror elements are slightly cheesy and reminded me of Disney's Haunted Mansion, but it didn't take away from the overall atmosphere.
I enjoyed this game a lot and I felt it was extremely well-made.
March 27, 2013
It was ok.. spooky with an interesting storyline
I must admit, I'm not a fan of "spooky" games. I'm not sure why I went ahead with this one, the graphics for one were amazing and it seemed innocent enough.
The most disappointing to me was the lack of effort put into the HO scenes. You can switch to Match 3, which I'm guessing is the point, but if you enjoy HO scenes you will be finding the exact same items repeated over and over in each scene. Sometimes upon return you'll have to find the same object twice! The scenes themselves were beautiful, bright and vivid, as was the rest of the game. The cutscenes were like a movie, and the storyline was interesting and different.
I will not be playing the next in the installment but mainly because spooky isn't my thing.
February 21, 2013
one of the harder games
this game was one of the harder ones i have played. the HO scenes can be toggled back and forth with M3 games. hints take as long as 3 minutes to charge but seldom was that a problem because you can always look elsewhere and come back. did have to go to the walkthrough more than i would have liked. most actions were logical and there wasn't a map so make sure you remember where things are.
February 4, 2013
Review of completed SE version
All around a good game. I did the game in the most difficult setting (choice of 3 levels).
PROS:
Voice overs were interesting and I usually will not leave them on past the first 30 min.
Nice combination of puzzles and HOS/match 3. Some were repeated so you did get to know where things were.
I enjoyed being able to switch from HOS to match3 when I wanted variety or was stuck. NICE option to switch.
The HOS are timed which I like.
CONS:
No map interactive or otherwise (I think this is an older game so no surprise) I don't have to have a map but I tend to give another star if the devs make the effort to incorporate a map.
Although I like the voice overs( the sound of the voices), I felt the characters talked way too much. I HAD to use the skip dialog.
Be aware the menu option while playing the game is darkened in the upper right hand corner. Took me a few to figure that out. Of course that means the rest of the screen is saved for game related video.
The game was short and predictable but it was enjoyable.
You the gamer has visions which were more of an annoyance taking time away from game play.
I felt this game was not developed to its full potential. Certain scenes could have been more deeply entrenched with items to find or more than one HOS in a room.
To sum:
3.5-3.75 stars Game fun and made me want to come back and finish it. It was too short and the "People" talked too much but the sound was good and the challenge was fun especially with the Match3 option.
January 17, 2013
It took awhile but it's GREAT!
In the beginning I wasn't that impressed with this, but then once I really got into it, I loved it! I loved it so much, I turned around and played it again right after I finished. It was very enjoyable to look at the scenes and graphics. The music would get to me sometimes, but I just kept turning it down. I have constant headaches so it wasn't the games fault entirely. I can't wait to get the Crucible!
January 11, 2013
Great game, long playing time
Great game! Funny story with a twist I did not expect at the end. Looking forward to sequels!
Three playing levels and hints which actually help rather than the "nothing to do here" so-called hints. I played in casual mode and it was fun and relaxing. Every time I thought the game was close to ending another storyline popped up. Well worth the money - enjoy.
January 10, 2013
Fun and spooky
Great game, with an intersting story. Only wishes would be a more convoluted story (I love convoluted stories) and a more varied soundtrack.
January 6, 2013
Absolutely Amazing
Where do I start? I found this game extremely fun to play, with its intriguingly creepy storyline that kept me hooked. It has the feel of a mystery supernatural thriller, and its spooky sound effects and great voiceovers add to the entertainment. You find yourself stranded in an eerie town where nothing is what it seems, following a car accident.. It is up to you to find out what has really taken place in the past, if you are ever to escape from the clutches of the drowned dead hotel. The story is really absorbing as it is slowly uncovered and the end is very satisfying. There are many interesting puzzles that vary in difficulty and the hidden object games are some of the best I have seen, with their beautiful unusual graphics and a match 3 variation mode of play. I played this on the hardest of three levels, but it will appeal to players of all abilities. What else can I say, apart from that this was an extremely strong contender for my all time favourite, just beaten at the post by Dire Grove. Buy it now, you will be glad you did.
December 28, 2012
Played over and over
I love this game! The best games for me are the ones I go back and play again and this one I gravitate to over and over. Great music, great characters and great story. The town has a creepy old fashioned feel that takes you back in time. Can't say enough good things.
December 24, 2012
Wow, what a wonderful adventure!!!!
This game had me hooked before my trial hour was even halfway through. The game actually bugged after I bought it (somewhere the save file of my trial must have messed up and it thought i had an inventory item already that I didn't), but I didn't mind at all starting over, it was just that much fun
Although, in normal cases, there would have been too many HoS for my liking, the match 3 option really made this game stand out. The match 3 was fun, and got more challenging as the game went on (I might be biased though, as I love match 3 games to start with). I wish all the hidden object adventure games has a alternative mini-game to play when you just can't find that last object.
The story drew me in as well...just enough creepy to intrigue me, but not enough to really be scary. Although, there were really no surprises at the end...I figured out the "mystery" pretty early on, but that didn't keep my from playing all in one sitting.
It also includes a few achievements...so there is a bit of reply value.
One of the biggest pluses for me was the length of the game....5.5 hours (which is pretty long for me as the average big fish game takes me 3-4).
I did get this game while it was on sale, but I would highly recommend it at the normal price....it's worth it
December 8, 2012