Haunted Past: Realm of Ghosts Collector's Edition
4.3
5
92
92
Unique Plot and Fun
I thought this game was extremely fun. I enjoyed the storyline, and I bought the full game. I thought the hiding of objects and going from ghost realm to real time was the best part of the game cuz it gave it a unique twist.
The graphics were only so so, but I can overlook that since the game was interesting.
My biggest issue is that it only took me 2 hours to complete the entire game. 2 1/2 if you count the extra bonus gameplay.
I think for the money we pay for collector editions that we should get a longer game time.
The mini-games were fun, but a lil more easy than most games. Although it was to short I still say that I would recommend playing the game, but maybe wait and not pay for the collector edition.
December 15, 2011
Different idea put puzzles were too easy
This game is a little different than other HO games. You travel back in time for some of the scenes and hide stuff in the ?ghostly? realm then travel to ?now? and find the stuff you hid in the ?ghostly/past? realm. So basically you travel to the past (but you can only stay in that room in the past), do some things, hide some objects and travel back to the present, find and use the objects. But there are many different portals throughout the game. This made the game a little different than other.
The HOS scenes were fairly easy and any puzzles in the game were way too easy. Just when I though I couldn?t figure out the puzzle, I press something and the puzzle would be solved. As neat as the feel the game was unique, the easy puzzles made this game drag on. I couldn?t wait until the game was over.
Then you play the bonus chapter with the Collector?s Edition, and it extended the story where it really didn?t need to. I?d probably rate this game a low B to high C.
January 24, 2012
Something New! ...in a familiar guise.
This is a *nearly* perfect game! At least how I recon them. With Hidden Object Puzzle Adventures happening so often it is truly wonderful to find one with a new gameplay mechanic - in this case needing to move between realms and find and then hide objects that you will need when you return. I can't recall, in what is likely 100s of these games I've played now, finding this handled just the way it is here. That's a HUGE plus in a saturated genre.
Adding to that we have pleasantly challenging but not difficult puzzles. I imagine some would find it too easy, I did not. Hidden object scenes happened with nice frequency, not too often, but not missing either, and while junk pile in nature they at least were most free of anachronism and were in scale, not gravity defying. Story was interesting, voice acting excellent!
BUT the best bit yet, even though it's a simple mechanic not related to gameplay, is the closing of zoomed in areas and labeling as finished larger areas that no longer have items or puzzles to solve! This is sooo great when having to move through a large map with many rooms to know you've not missed some little thing.
My only complaints were the occasionally picky cursor in Hidden Object Scenes and the Objective that kept popping down anytime my cursor strayed too near the top of the screen. At no time did I find that helpful, just annoying.
Overall a terrific game and I'm very much looking forward to the Sequel which was nicely prologued in the Bonus Chapter in this Collectors Edition.
December 30, 2011
Nice Game
Game tells you "area cleared" when you have done all you are supposed to do. There is a twist in this game that is refreshing, won't say more as it might be a spoiler. Graphics are a little grainy but okay. Could have done without all the sparkles.
Once I had finished the sample and bought I ended up having to start at the beginning. That was a bummer.
Worth the CE price.
December 21, 2011
A New Spin in Hidden Objects
This was a very enjoyable game, that kept me spell bound. The storyline could have been better, however, it did not detract from the game itself. This game has several twists and unexpected adventures, which makes this game stand out from the ususal Hidden Object games.
December 18, 2011
Not fun for me!
I know this is getting great reviews, however... for me it's thumbs-down! I played about 30 min. of trial, and had to quit! I felt like I was "wearing out my shoes" and accomplishing very little. It felt more like an adventure game, picking up items (or earning them in HO's) and using them in another location. I liked the unique idea of finding something in the "ghost realm", hiding it, coming back, and using it in present time, but I tired quickly of all the back of forth nonsense! My recommendation...try it, before you buy it!
December 26, 2011
A great game. Just different enough to keep it interesting.
This game had some really fun features. The two rehelms with hidden objects in one to be used in the other is very cleaver. Nice storyline. I love game made in this time period. Always so moody and graphics are great.
I highly recommend this one.
I am looking forward to the next in the series.
December 17, 2011
It doesn't get better than this!
I played the demo - and I love it! I would like to know how much the bonus gameplay adds before I budget to buy the CE; but it is the most player-friendly, well-thought-out game I can remember seeing. The graphics are superb, the storyline is fascinating, the music is wonderful (and appropriate), the voice acting is great, the hint system is excellent, and the options for setting difficulty level are amazing. There is a Casual or Advanced difficulty setting; then there is the masterpiece: Custom. In that mode, you can combine all sorts of options for difficulty. You can choose how fast hints recharge, how fast the Skip button appears (or turn it off) for puzzles, you can select On or Off for Tutorial, Ingame Tips, Visual Help, and even set the difficulty level for Hidden Objects. Wow! They even included one of my favorite details - when you finish with an area, it says "Area Cleared" at the top of the screen. I truly appreciate not pounding my head against a brick wall looking for something where there is nothing. I do not believe there is any penalty for mis-clicks. There have been very, very few games that absolutely ingtrigued me like this from the very beginning, but this one certainly does. Gogii has outdone themselves, yet again. Thank you, Felix, for bringing this to us!
December 15, 2011
Ok, but Could have been better
OK let me start by saying I enjoy most Big Fish (Adventure/HOG) Games. This one kind of sucked the fun out of me. While the visuals were nicely detailed & well done, they had this terrible dark haze over them which muted the colors & drowned out the scenery making a cluttered, dull experience. Normally when other reviewers mention a "Pixel Hunt", I kind of get excited, because I'm thinking: Adventure Game, Great! But in this case, it was kind of a pain looking for that tiny little detail I might have missed the first time through the scene, causing me to reach for the HINT button all too often. I understand it's a "ghost" game, so the excuse for the grayed out tones might be justified, but not when it causes you NOT to have fun & feel good in a game. And while we're on the subject, visiting with ghosts was ok, but the game has such a lonely empty feeling because you don't get to interact with living characters. There were some bright spots, the HOG scenes were fair, most of the puzzles were logical to a point, although the illogical ones kind of took some points away, the voice overs were great to have & were the only "signs of life" within the otherwise bleak world, and the Real World - Ghost World aspect of the game was completely awesome and innovative. It kind of reminded me very lightly of the Zelda Light World - Dark World feature. Pretty fun! I would recommend this game for a rainy day, but only with plenty of coffee and or some caffeinated drinks as the bleak washed out tones will surely bring you down.
April 23, 2012
Haunted Past - Realm of Ghosts Collectors Edition
IT was a fun and easy going game and yet still challeging enough not get bored. Mini games were good and the music was fine.
December 18, 2011