Haunted Legends: The Queen of Spades
4.2
5
36
36
Wonderful visuals and soundtrack, fun play, some flaws.
The atmosphere is great, with a strong continuity of design and music that really adds to the experience. Puzzles are layered, with many tasks overlapping each other. This can get a little confusing at times, and there is no easy way to check on a list of current tasks. There are no gameplay hints, which I'm not crazy about, but that's explained by there being a "Collector's Edition" version with a strategy guide being the inducement to spend the extra cash.
Minigames can be challenging but are logical and fair. Hidden object scenes, however, are not always fair. Among the misidentified objects are "thread" which actually turns out to be a ball of yarn and, inexplicably, "2 axes" which are actually a hammer and a butcher's knife. These kind of faults add frustration to an otherwise wonderful game.
November 21, 2011
I put off buying this game; but when I did I found I really enjoyed it
I put off buying this game because I just did ot like the title. When I finally did I enjoyed it immensly, so much so I also purchased the other Haunted Legends games wihich I also enjoyed. The story line is good the music and graphics are good and it is not one of those games you finish in a couple of hours.I play most games on the expert level and this one was still a challenge.
November 16, 2011
Great adventure/HOG
I actually purchased Haunted Legends: the Bronze Horseman" first which I also enjoyed immensely so I decided to purchase this game....It has great graphics! but no voiceovers (however, I believe the CE does). There is no map only a diary but I seemed to navigate my way pretty well without a map. The puzzles were challenging but not in a frustrating way ( did have to access the walkthrough for one of the puzzles though). You have unlimited hints and are able to skip puzzles, if needed. I found the storyline very interesting and it held my interest. The HO scenes were accurate and challenging also. Now the music: if you played the bronze horseman and the music irritated you then prepare to be irritated with this game also because: it's the same music! All in all, I was very pleased with this game which took me about 4-5 hours to complete. Oh, and you're not able to select casual or expert preferences.
December 29, 2011
Definitely worth playing
I've only recently got round to buying and playing this game but it was certainly worth it. The storyline is good enough to make you want to keep playing and the HO scenes are well done. I much prefer scenes which after you've played them blend into the general background and have objects appropriate to where they are supposed to be (so, lots of cellar clutter in a cellar, or ornaments on a shelf). This game does that. The mini games were interesting and not excessively difficult.
I did find though that the plot wasn't always that obvious and you have to consult your diary -- not so much to know what to do next, but why you've doing it. Also, at one point you look at a table and it says something about what you'll be doing on it later. Since I had no idea I needed to do anything of the kind this was a bit odd and at the time not a helpful hint. Still, the game was fun to play.
I also liked the fact that while you're supposed to pick up the pack of cards throughout the gameplay, if you miss any, you do get the chance to go back and find missing ones. And that's not a plot spoiler either, more a reassurance.
What I couldn't stand was the really, really irritating music. I usually turn down music in games but in this case I turned it off completely. It has a rising note which is just dreadful once you've heard it about twice. I think it's in another of the same company's game and it's time they did something differennt!
December 16, 2011
Hauntingly Cool . . . !
This is a fabulous game with lovely graphics & an interesting story line . . . The hidden object scenes are not hard to do, & most of the puzzles are of moderate difficulty . . . I did have to use the walkthrough more than I like because the tasks weren't always easy for me to discern, though . . .
The puzzles are all able to be skipped . . .
Make sure to collect all the cards for the endgame with the seriously creepy villain, otherwise you will have to go back & collect the ones you missed, or option out to play with the number that you do possess . . .
December 15, 2011
Good Dark Game
I liked this game because it was different, but it is rather dark.
Most of the graphics were great and the mini-games were fun to play. There was an element of surprise throughtout the game and enough challenge to keep you engaged to the end.
I have one complaint. I really get frustrated with games that also have a collector's edition because the programmers basically take away the hints and can leave you hanging and confused sometimes. I have purchased CE's previously but I don't think they are worth twice the money, I'm just not interested in a screensaver for every game I play. I like a challenge but there are times I got turned around and couldn't find my way or wasn't sure what to do with an item I won in an HO scene. Still, having said all that, I would recommend this game.
December 12, 2011
A Good Game
The graphics are beautiful in all of the MANY locations. The puzzles are challenging and you can skip them if you prefer. I played this game in difficult mode and I moved fairly quickly through it. The finale was OK too. All in all this is a very engaging game. I especially enjoyed 'rowing the boat' across the lake. The only negative aspect are the amount of hidden objects.....I felt there were too many and this aspect spoiled the flow of the game a little bit. I recommend this game and give it 4 stars.
January 17, 2012
I Want to Give 4 and a Half Stars
At first I was not too fond of this game. It seemed pretty generic and not very creative. However, as I got into it, I really started to enjoy the plot and especially the creativity of the mini-games. They were not super-difficult (a good thing!) and they were quite varied; also, there were a few games that I actually have not seen before. I also found the game quite long with tons of different locations. I personally don't mind going back and forth but if you do, be advised there is no map. I had no problem remembering where things were, though, as the locations were adequately differentiated. The places where you had to apply the various inventory objects were fun, creative and novel, which to me is a huge plus. The reasons I did not give this 5 stars were: 1. I found the graphics a little depressing - they were very clear but perhaps a bit muddy?; 2. there wasn't much in the way of music, and it got a bit repetitive (but you could turn it down so it was not bothersome at all); and 3. if you didn't collect all the cards, you had to go back and search every single location to try to find the missing ones. Here comes a huge thank-you to the person who wrote the walk-through and enabled me to find my missing card without devoting an extra half hour at a minimum to the game. I absolutely would buy more games in this series.
February 1, 2012
Worth spending some time on
The story line is gripping. The game play is different & original. A good one to sit down & finish.
December 8, 2011
No Hints Means No Purchase
Played about half of the demo, thought the storyline, graphics, etc. were okay, but there are no hints in the SE for those moments when you're not sure where to go next, or when you missed something you need to move forward. That's a huge drawback, in my book, so no purchase for me.
February 5, 2012