Secrets of the Dark: Eclipse Mountain Collector's Edition
4.6
5
118
118
One Of The Best Hidden Object Games Ever!
I've played well over 100 C/E Hidden Object games on my iMac. Some are fair, most are good, a few are great and only a handful are truly memorable, superior and head-and-shoulders above the rest.
Secrets of The Dark:Eclipse Mountain C/E is truly superior. The Bonus Extra game alone is better than many stand-alone HO games.
May 25, 2012
Nothing very novel but really well executed
In design this is a pretty standard adventure-HO game, but it stands out for being really well executed.
The graphics and sound are very nice, atmospheric and evocative, with a few original touches (lighting changes, transforming items). The hidden object and missing object scenes are challenging but not frustrating. The puzzles are similarly well-pitched in difficulty, and while you will already have seen puzzles like them if you have played many games of this kind, most of this game's puzzles have at least one little quirk that will be new.
(I rate this game's challenge level as excellent because really easy puzzles are just boring, but I don't like really hard puzzles, either. I want to have to think for a few minutes, then succeed and continue with the game. So on a difficulty scale I'd rate these as moderate at most, with the possible exception of a couple of puzzles near the end. That's what I consider an excellent challenge level.)
The pacing is also good. You'll have bursts where you pass several obstacles in rapid succession, but also a few lulls where you're stumped and have to wander around looking for new leads.
There's quite a lot of backtracking but the map is not intolerably large ? it has a couple of hubs, so it's not too far from any point to any other. Sometimes the only way to make progress is to revisit an old HO scene, but there aren't actually so many HO scenes in the game, so it doesn't take too long to make the rounds and see which one has revived.
This isn't a breakout, genre-busting game by any means. It's a point-and-click HO game of the standard type. But it's so well done that if you like this kind of game, then you should really like this one, even if you've played a lot of games like it.
May 19, 2012
Great game!
I truly enjoyed this game. The challenge was there but not so difficult that I couldn't figure it out. It was a great adventure. The graphics and sound were very good and the story kept me going and into the game sometimes to the point of playing much longer than I had intended. lol It was truly worth the extra to purchase the CE because the bonus adventure was excellent. I don't think I've played a CE with a longer bonus play time. This game is a keeper and one I am sure I will enjoy playing again.
May 17, 2012
Awesome Game!!!
Really creative and different. Lots of adventure and puzzles, long game :) Good brain teaser. Graphics are excellent, they really put a lot of thought in this game and it shows.
One of my favorites! Better than the first one.
The bonus play was great, had lots of places to go and revisit, it was long enough that I felt my money was well spent.
Well balanced game, I hate it when it's one HO pile after another and this had it all and more.
May 16, 2012
Worth it
I did like the overall look of the game. The effects and hidden object scenes were awesome. The voices were decent and it did have some newer things added that did make some parts stand out.
There was only one thing I didn't like in this game and it was the CONSTANT backtracking. I understand you need to do that in these types of games, but for some reason it really got on my nerves with this one.
On another note, the bonus game was one of the longest I have ever had, so that was a plus in my book!
May 16, 2012
Just an OK Hidden Object Game.
The fun and story wasn't all that great in this one. The graphics are dark and "mysterious" which I'm kind of tired of. By the end of the demo I actually was looking forward to it ending. Just didn't hook me.
May 4, 2012
A Rare Fail For The Genre
I love HO Games, but this one didn't cut it for me.
(based on Easy mode)
Good Parts:
The Storyline- the game's storyline was mystifying and spooky. It was a rare highlight of the game.
Quck Hint Recharge- This came in useful, because the Hidden Object Scenes and Misplaced Object scenes had objects and differences which were very hard to find. as they were pretty small.
Music and Graphics- the music matched the feeling of the game and had a very nice sound to it; the graphics were very well designed, matching the game.
OK Parts:
Tutorials- while this feature was good for me, it didn't tell me straight away what I had to do next, so I was forced to use some hints.
Bad Parts:
As I mentioned before, the Hidden Object Scenes were frustrating. The objects were small and hard to find, so I was using a lot of hints.
The Misplaced Objects. I found these rather annoying and tedious. It was hard to figure out what would go where as you weren't shown what the scene was supposed to look like when the objects were placed in to the scene.
Lack of puzzles- I was quite disappointed by this, as I thought it would have puzzles, as most Hidden Object Games do. I felt this would've added to the excitement of the game, and would've raised my rating.
Overall, the game was a disappointment. Despite having a good storyline, music and graphics, the game is let down by a lack of puzzles and hard Hidden Object Scenes, which made me fold the computer screen back to see.
June 2, 2012
DONOT BUY THIS GAME!
I liked it, too. So I bought it. Not far into the game it becomes impossible. I had to use the strategy guide all the time. Way too much back and forth - get something in scene 9, have to go back to scene 1 to use it, etc., which wouldn't be so bad if there weren't a zillion scenes. Impossible. And, finally, just plain tiring.
May 26, 2012
Pretty good
Excellent graphics and colors. The storyline is interesting. I'd like to note the unusual visual effects when the rooms are changing. The bonus was not as exciting as the main game.
Kudos to developers for a good game.
June 11, 2012
A Must Have Game
WOW!!! This has to be one of the best HOG i have played. It is full of fun and intrigue. It keeps you guessing what is next, where to put the objects that you find, and there are lots of very interesting quite difficult mini games. The music is subtle but appropriate, the graphics are some of the best I have seen on a game. I just had to buy it. Thank You for bringing back the fun and excitement you expect in a game.
May 31, 2012