Otherworld: Spring of Shadows Collector's Edition
4.4
5
146
146
I expected so much more
became more and more disappointed as I played this game. played on hardest mode, wasn't challenged at all. The minigames and tasks are very routine and made for children, like making a coat through several steps. The "demon" looks like a hasbeen hard rock lead singer,and with dragonfly wings?? Not exactly the stuff of nightmares. Note to developers: dryads are wood nymphs, not fauns! Best I can say is the length was decent for a CE.
If there is a sequel, it better be much improved or I won't be buying it.
January 26, 2012
I bought it for the pretty pictures.
Seriously..
I'm an artist myself so I can fully appreciated the hours of work that has gone into this beautiful game. I would love to know which artist the developers use as I'm finding that out of all the games I own, they seem to make the prettiest graphics.
Although, that said..it's also a very nice game..love the HO scenes the best..junk piles always seem very out of place to me - in any game, and this doesn't have any.
The game has a map, but you have to earn it..
The puzzles are good..not too challenging so you end up skipping in frustration..
And the voice overs are nice with not too many of them. I read faster than people talk so I find them annoying sometimes.
All in all, a worthwhile game to add to my ever growing collection.
Nice one guys.
January 23, 2012
Otherworld CE: Redemption for Boom Zap Games
If you liked or loved Boom Zap's "Awakening" series you will be be over-the-top thrilled with "Otherworld: Spring of Shadows". It features all the good things that Boom Zap has perfected without the saccharine sweetness of "Awakening". This means that you see deceptively simple or lavish lush graphics, that were at the core of the success of the "Awakening" series.
This time out Boom Zap has gone for more adventure and lightened up on the sugar content. "Otherworld" is a much more robust and better constructed game. Though the plot line is actually quite lineal, somehow this factoid becomes moot. It does not FEEL lineal. It feels and plays much more like a fluid adventure game.
The HO scenes are tidy and for the most part very bright and clear. There is the usual assortment of the standard puzzles, but dressed in bright appealing colors. Some of the solutions required to use the inventory are quite ingenious and require out of the box thinking. I confess, that I was completely stumped when trying to figure out to do with the wind chimes in the "epilogue" of the CE.
There is an array of achievement awards to be had. I suggest that you take a look at them before you start playing so you will know what is available.
The music score is just fine, not too little nor too much drama, even in "climactic" scenes. The VOs are age appropriate and above standard.
It is the characters in Otherworld that makes this game a stand out. The "cast" is charming, you will be glad you got a chance to meet them. Because, chances are, you will get the chance to play with them again in Sequel Land.
February 16, 2012
Otherworld:Spring of Shadows CE
I played the game for an hour and it left me wanting for more,Beautiful graphics sounds and replay value to it.I like that it's fanatsy with a dark twist to it,makes it more interesting.This is really a beautiful,dark fantasy game.
January 23, 2012
Beautiful but simplistic
The graphics on this game were quite lovely, and the change from "good" to "evil" well done. The storyline was the usual rescue the girl and save your home. The music was okay, not overly annoying but repetitive. The voice over was a bit to brit, and I kept waiting for some nasty "The Shade" voice or laugh.
The play was more adventure than HO, but I found the HOs somewhat boring after the 3rd one. Finding 22 spiders was about 20 too many. I really would have liked a better variety. I thought the puzzles were way to easy with no thought or challenge to complete.
All the same, I probably would enjoy playing this game as just another rainy day game where I didn't have to think or work alot.
I may buy the SE, but definitely not the CE.
While I feel this game isn't overly challenging, I am going to recommend it.
January 23, 2012
Disappointing follow-up to Awakening Trilogy
The latest offering from Boomzap is a let-down after the charming games comprising the Awakening trilogy.
The pros: Beautiful graphics and a quiet, soothing audio track. No technical issues apart from some slightly small hotspots for certain actions.
The cons: Puzzles ranging from simplistic to illogical.
This game seems to have all the necessary ingredients to provide an excellent game - in terms of storyline, locations, length of game and beautifully-drawn characters but consistently rehashes the type of puzzles which we saw in the previous series (which were refreshingly different first time round), like identifying pairs of objects. Really good games tend to contain at least one memorable puzzle but this was sadly lacking here.
With the obvious talent available at Boomzap perhaps a complete departure from this sort of fairy tale might be a good idea.
January 25, 2012
Interesting
I think this might be one I'll be buying real soon. I loved the trial and didn't want it to end. Nice graphics and artwork.
January 27, 2012
Let Down!
Proper disappointed in this game because i was expecting it to be as magical as Moonfell Wood but it's not in the same league I'm afraid...it looks like most of the other reviews don't share this feeling with me but hey!, i need to be honest!...really couldn't wait for it to end and the frustration at trying to cut the glass with the glass cutter!! omg! wanted to throw my laptop out the window! 10 mins of exiting and entering the scene to finally finish the glass cutting. Sorry, wouldn't recommend this game if you want a slow paced, stress free game.
February 13, 2012
A Delight for the Imagination
Is it fantasy? Is it reality? Is it a bit of both? Immerse yourself in this charming and captivating story book like adventure about a family who has mysteriously disappeared. The backdrop for this charming tale is an extraordinary and ever changing artwork style that will elicit at least an occasional "Wow!".
Labeled a hidden object game, but it is much more. There are actually only 2 traditional such scenes; others include search types you may have seen before, but each is a pleasant diversion. The puzzles as well, some simple, some clever, some familiar, hold a quality unique to the story. The tasks are not linear. Nothing about this game is a chore. It flows amazingly well. There are even achievements to be had. Explore and enjoy.
Perhaps not all that challenging, but it didn't seem to matter. Expect at least 6 hours of enjoyment -- this is a long, but never arduous, adventure.
The bonus chapter as well, is by no means an afterthought. It had the same feel as the core game -- even presented a bit of challenge. I would say it was meaningful to the story, but not essential to feeling the core game was complete.
January 31, 2012
Not as good as it looks
Starts with a lot of promise and then devolves into a boring, repetitive game that was more work than it was fun to complete. Silly mini games that were tedious at best. Graphics and artwork were inconsistent, some really good, some very flat and uninspired.
Really wish I had not wasted money on this one.
January 23, 2012