Mystery Trackers: Raincliff
4.2
5
71
71
Excellent Game!
I really loved this game! I hope the Mystery Trackers series continues. Great graphics, beautifully done, good story and great HO's.
June 29, 2012
great game
If you loved Dire Grove, you'll love this game. It's long, there is plenty to do, the graphics are beautiful. Some puzzles are super easy, others are more challenging. The only downside is that there is no map. I like games that have a map that show you which areas are complete and which areas still need attention. This game doesn't have that, so a lot of time is spent running back and forth trying to find where you have to use items. Like others have said before, some items have rather obscure uses, but thankfully the hint system is excellent. It tells you exactly what you need to do next.
I can't wait to try the other Mytery Trackers games.
May 23, 2012
Nice Game!
Great graphics, good storyline, satisfying length and a reasonably challenging (without being frustrating) HOG.
I'm not an especially patient person, so I tend to hit the skip button on puzzles I find either tedious or directionally unclear. There were more than a few of these in this game, which may be a plus for mindbender fans. However, the general play was entertaining and relaxing and as long as I'm not "cheating" anyone else but myself...meh. :-)
It's well worth the club purchase price and I'll play it again; this time perhaps with the aim of getting a few more puzzles solved.
May 6, 2012
Puzzle scenes were a challenge
The Hidden Object scenes were good, sometimes difficult but only when you're down to the last item.
The Puzzle scenes (mini-games?) were quite a challenge. I don't remember exactly how many there were but on at least 5 of them I was just completely stuck. I even looked up the walkthroughs online and they didn't help either. I had to skip those 5 mini games as I just got so frustrated and had to stop. Some of them don't have reset buttons - I don't understand why all of them didn't have a reset??
Agree w/ other reviewers on going back and forth - that was tedious. There was no journal/map to follow - once you have reached/beat a scene, you should be able to return easily w/ a map that keeps updating. I've played other games where that is very helpful/useful. Many times I forgot where I had to go next. Having to return to the very first scene when you have reached the near end of the game was just a pain.
Storyline was just OK. Didn't really get background on who I, the game player, was in the story. Again, a journal would have helped here.
Overall, it took me awhile to play (at least 5 hrs, maybe more) and so it was worth the $6.99, but I wouldn't pay for the Collector's Edition for just another scene. If you want a challenge on mini-games, this one is for you!
April 9, 2012
Some minor problems, but mostly a great game
This game has beautiful graphics and top-notch animation and cut scenes. The puzzles were really fun--a significant number of original puzzles and almost all of them were of above average difficulty. Gameplay consisted more adventure game elements than hidden object scenes, which I appreciated. There are achievements, which I really like, so there's added challenge beyond just finishing the game.
It also reminded me a lot of MCF: Dire Grove with all of the snow and missing students, use of full-motion video, and tense music that kicks in when something happens, rather than just looping through different scores. This is both good and bad as I really liked Dire Grove, but it's a little TOO similar. There was a lot of backtracking, which I generally don't mind, but feel in this case negatively affected what was an otherwise exciting (and original) story.
Those minor issues aside, everything else was excellent, I'd say I still like the first game in the series (Mystery Trackers: The Void) more, but this one is very good as well.
April 8, 2012
Most excellent fun!
Ok, here's the thing. I bought the Mystery Tracker, The Void some time ago and still haven't made it all the way through. I have short term memory loss, so I get REALLY lost sometimes. Raincliff is better because it's easier to follow than the other one..however, there is, for me, way too much back track..therefore, especially grateful for the casual play with the fast loading hints or I'd be wandering around forever lost. Still, I Do Like This game! Great graphics and keeps interest going. Storyline a bit vague, mini games challenging enough, but would have preferred a bit more of the HO.
March 21, 2012
For those that like Mystery Games
Great graphics. Interesting variety of mini-games. Not as many HO scenes as I normally like, but I like finding the frogs throughout the game. There are many scenes and you are required to go back and forth between them a good deal. Thankfully, if you get stuck, the Hint button tells you what to do next. Overall, I really enjoyed this game.
March 3, 2012
Better than Expected!
I purchased this game on a whim when it was offered as a special purchase when I bought a Collector's Edition for a completely different game. For $2.99, I'd give it a try.
I AM NOT SORRY! Truth be told, I was happier with this game than the CE I purchased.
The mix of HOS and things to collect/do/unlock combined with a sense of urgency to save the people in the story made this game a winner.
There are numerous areas to explore, and many of the tasks are not immediately apparent - you really have to think.
If you need a hint, this game provides one of the best hint systems I've ever seen - nothing is vague, and they don't just give you sparkles in a certain direction - It TELLS you word for word what you should do or use next. The hints also recharge very fast in casual mode.
This is a good, long game. Well worth the price!
February 25, 2012
WOW!
This is some game, and there's a lot of it. I lost track of the number of items used in inventory, and the number of hours of enjoyment I got from this game. Very complex action with tools you may have had for a long time before ever needing them. I don't think I've ever used a hint button as much as I did in this game - and I was in casual mode! Rich locations with lots of things to do. More adventure than HOG, but still plenty of those. Don't give up. Just know that you will get what you need eventually. If I could do an upgrade to the Collector's Edition, I would. (I'm too cheap to buy it separately. LOL) So, if you like a challenging game, go ahead and buy the CE.
February 20, 2012
Involving game play, absorbing story -- immerse yourself in Raincliff
The core game is very long, very good, and can certainly stand on its own.
Still debating, but only interested in the CE bonus play time? Compared to the core game, the bonus chapter seemed quite short -- I suppose it took around an hour. The puzzles were very straightforward. There were several tasks and a lot of back and forth. If you were intrigued by the core story, the bonus chapter gave some more insight into the Brown family.
So, really, the SE is well worth the purchase and you can be satisfied with it for certain. If you play in Advanced (no sparkles except for H0G scenes) or Hard Mode (no sparkles except for H0G scenes, no skips) take lots of notes. There is a lot of adventure ahead for you!
Enjoy!
January 19, 2012