Tesla's Tower: The Wardenclyffe Mystery
4
5
85
85
Just ok
I played about 40 min of the demo, but I'm not too impressed. A lot of talking, a lot. Story is just ok, travel back in time and fix a machine. Been there done that, tasks are the usual. It may be an ok game for a lazy afternoon but it did not hold my interest. The best thing about it was the little " Siamese" cat.
Sorry, have to pass on this one.
May 26, 2012
A story to sink your teeth into and gameplay to match
I have been waiting for a great standard game and here it is.
The story grabbed me from the beginning. I'm a huge Tesla fan and I appreciate that the devs went with a fantasy version instead of trying to follow his often sad but brilliant life. This is Tesla as we wish he could have been. (Also keeps me from having to point out biographical errors.
Game play leans a little more towards adventure than H0 which is perfect for me. The pace is great, a nice mix of inventory items, mini-games and the occasional H0. There's a lot to do but it doesn't feel like busywork.
I'm not thrilled with the sparkles but they're the most subtle I've ever seen in a game. They don't distract too much and provide a teeny nudge not a push. This brings the challenge down a little for me, but others may find it welcome.
The art is terrific and I loved the scenery. It's so nice to be in a laboratory without having some madman chasing me. This game has some tense moments but it isn't creepy, occult or spooky.
All in all, a solid game that kept me entertained throughout and was longer than I expected. Good job devs!
May 27, 2012
Best Ever!!
10 out of 10! Incredible game. All of the elements that make a great game are all 10's! I mean it. The storyline is the best I've ever seen in a game. For taking place in a fantasy world, it makes total sense & is believable within the context of the game. The historical factor is very cool too. The graphics are second to none. They are full & detailed, without being cluttered. The details are rich & vibrant. The locations were always fun, interesting and full of things to explore. Objectives were clear, and due to the incredible locations, navigation was always easy. You never had those dreaded moments where you didn't know where to go, or what to do next. It was just the opposite. The inventory was perfectly balanced. It was always full, but you never really had to scroll to locate forgotten objects. Therefore, the game gave you choices and was not linear. The objects were always logical as to their usage. The best part for me was that the HINT button contained a hologram of Tesla himself, who would pop out from time to time and speak to you. I absolutely LOVE games that contain other human beings as it keeps you from getting that lonely feeling of solitude (as with MYST). Which by the way contained some "beautiful" Galileo type machines, but in this game, they were never aggravating to figure out. You always knew what to do, or if not, then the game provided the help you needed not too far away. The game also featured frequent animations and voice-overs which always served to move the game along. The Time Travel parts of the game were fun, never knowing where you were going to end up. The animations were even cool, because it didn't torture you with an endless Dr. Who tunnel, instead it was just a brief animation (appropriate blue tunnel lol) and in a flash, there you were in another time in history - Excellent! The HOGs were great too. Just the right amount & frequency with pretty easy to find objects of fair size, not too dark, and with no punishments for missed clicks. Plus the HINT timer recharged pretty quickly. The puzzles were great too. Again, just the right amount, not too difficult, a couple of new ones thrown in & appeared at all the right times and places. Lastly, the length of the game was terrific! Just when I thought it was about to end, boom, you would travel to another time and place. So cool. Overall, this game was an absolutely pleasure to play. It lived up to (or for me Exceeded) its genre of "Adventure game", meaning playing it was like going on an actual adventure. Literally EVERYTHING about the game was top notch. And the game never, ever tried your nerves, not even once. A complete and total joy to play. I really hope the developers make many more like this. Oh, and the end credits suggested we may not have seen the last of Tesla. Let's hope not.
July 22, 2012
A nice change from the same old same old
I really enjoyed this game. Some complain about the dialogue, but I found it to be a positive part of the experience. It was enjoyable not to be overwelmed with hidden object scenes and to solve puzzles that were varied in design and level of difficulty. The setting was a nice change from the usual dark gloom and doom. There were some hidden objects that were small and difficult to find, but the there weren't so many that it became annoying. I've been looking for a game that didn't constantly go back and forth with an object through countless scenes. And I especially like a game that offers a variety of challenging puzzles without an over-abundance of hidden object scenes. I recommend this game for those who like to solve a puzzle that isn't ridiculously simplistic but still gives a sense of success and for those who don't think reading is a chore!
May 28, 2012
Done With Style
To me the game was very ejoyable. Action all the way through. Quite long too. The mini games veried, some easy some hard. The voice over was excelent. The music okay. The HOS can be a could have been done a little easier, but i guess it would be great for some one who especially enjoys a challenge. Love the story it was great; and nicely put together. Definately a good buy.
May 28, 2012
A unique and fascinating game!
This game was, as my title says, unique and fascinating. The idea of time travel, the experience of the "butterfly effect", all of the sci-fi stuff you learned about in school...it's in this game. Of course, it's a game, and, therefore, makes up its own rules, but some of the information in the game is accurate, which adds an element of fun you don't get in some other games. In the game, it is up to you to correct a problem caused by one of your relatives..a problem that has sucked all of the color out of the world. Your relative helps you out all through the game, as you travel here and there...and in time....to fix everything that was broken. The hint system saved me in this game, as some of the game got a bit mechanical..not in gameplay..but some of the stuff you're asked to do is mechanical in nature, and I didn't understand it fully, but the hint button helped very much. Because of a helpful hint system, I didn't need to leave the game to access help outside the game, and I appreciate that in a game. I always enjoy a game a bit more if I don't have to stop, leave the game, access a walk-through, start the game..I'm sure most of you will know what I mean. The graphics in the game are wonderfully done. The scenes are bright and hidden object scenes were done well...most stuff pretty easy to see with some objects that really take some looking...but it's a hidden object game..not a "look..everything is in plain sight" game...lol. The hidden object scenes were the typical junkpile, but fairly easy to get through. Some, but not all, of the hidden object scenes had limited interaction within the scene. There is quite a lot of dialogue, but the voice-overs are quite well done, except that the character seems to keep "talking" after the words are all done...lol...but the voice-overs are clear and well-acted, and the dialogue does move the game along and adds to the enjoyment of the game, in my opinion. The puzzles/mini-games were skippable after a minute or two, and there were a couple I did skip, but most were just right on my scale of challenging...and they were fun. The ones I had difficulty with had quite a lot of numbers...and I'm horrid with puzzles with numbers...so others may have no trouble whatsoever. I did find that the instructions for puzzles weren't always clear to me, and I managed to get through them by trial and error...but..again..that is probably just me...but I felt that some of the instructions could have been better. The options menu offered the regular stuff...and was easy to navigate and was available without exiting to the main screen. I did find out that, if you leave the game without doing it "officially".....the game will start you out at the beginning of the scene you were in...not exactly where you were when you left. For example, I was working in a scene when I had to leave in a bit of a hurry, without all of the "are you sure" screens coming up...and when I started the game again, it started me out at the beginning of the scene, even though I had done a few things within the scene before leaving abruptly. You don't lose much...just a little stuff to do over if you leave abruptly. I didn't find it a problem at all. The length of the game did surprise me. At one point in the game, my "mission" was complete and off I went back to my "time"...and I really thought that would be the end of the game, but it wasn't!! There was still all kinds of things left to do, more problems to fix, more getting the best of the bad guy...so it's a definite thumbs-up for game length..I got about 6 hours or so and that's great for me for a standard edition game. I can't comment on the music, as I almost always turn music down. My only negative comment on the game concerns a couple of the lock-picking puzzles, and a "line up the parts" puzzle. The lock pick are the ones that ask the player to manipulate a lock pick and push up a column or something like it, leading to opening the lock. The two puzzles like that that I encountered were very awkward...it may have just been my mouse, but utilizing the equipment within the puzzle was very awkward for me. The "line up the parts" puzzle had me matching up some lines one a round pipe sort of thing...and I usually like those...but this one just wasn't much fun. Instead of moving in a circular pattern when you clicked on the parts, they moved in more of an elliptical pattern...hard to figure out where I needed to go when I had difficulty manipulating the sections...I got through it completely by luck..lol. All in all, I really enjoyed the game. It was bright, with good graphics, interesting puzzles, good hidden object scenes, a helpful hint system, and a compelling story with good voice-overs. I will definitely be playing this one again!
May 28, 2012
NICE SE!
Really liked this game. Demo went by too fast. Challenging enough to keep me interested and wanting more. Very nice graphics, little different story for a change, nice music, very nice game play. HOGs had a few items that were too dark and difficult to see, but mostly good. Games took a bit of thought, but not extremely difficult. Very nice voice-overs and hint system.
Definite buy for me. Thanks for the reviews.
May 26, 2012
Different and lovable
Finally here is a non-spookey (at least not much) HOG. I liked all the machinery, and though there might be a bit too much talking I still preferred this kind of game to the usual dark, demons, ravens, wizzards kind of stuff. Hidden object scenes are just good, puzzles provide different levels of challenge (some very easy, some requires more thinking), strory is OK, lot of scenes. I enjoyed it. Played in advanced level: it would have been better without sparkling areas, but still ok.
May 26, 2012
HOGs With A Plot, Well Worth The Time
The icon for this game does not begin to show the depth of wonderful graphics, sound, and music. Every bit of this game made it worthwhile. The believable story-line and audio interludes make you want to read the exciting dialog and use the journal. A map is provided which shows pictures of your locations and your position. No HO hint-view, and Hint recharges slowly, but this gives you time to read the Journal and enjoy the game when you're stuck.
The game ends with the protagonist leaving in Blade Runner auto. Great ending and worth waiting through the credits for the villain to reappear with the threat of a sequel. Worth playing again and not too short.
December 3, 2012
Excellent Game with a Different Story
Thoroughly enjoyed playing the game.
There was plenty to do: Hidden Object scenes, Finding objects and using them, Adventure and Puzzles; lots of variety.
The game made you think about what to do and when to do it.
Excellent "Hint" system and very clear graphics.
Looking forward to more games of this type.
June 3, 2012