Bookmark
Howlville: The Dark Past 
Discover the secret of Rachel's past in Howlville: The Dark Past! Many years ago an artifact was found in a mine near the small town of Howlville. The government asked Dr. Joseph and a group of scientists to examine it. Something went wrong and the experiments were halted and classified. The town closed off. Since then nobody knows what happened to Dr. Joseph. Fifteen years later his daughter Rachel is on the verge of solving the mystery, but somebody is doing everything possible to keep her from succeeding. Help find Rachel's father and save the world from the looming catastrophe!
- Explore mysterious Howlville
- Play challenging mini-games
- Find your father and save the world!
- Check out our Blog Walkthrough
Click images to enlarge
Game System Requirements:
- OS: 10.8/10.7/10.6/10.5
- CPU: 1.8 GHz (INTEL ONLY)
- RAM: 1024 MB
- Hard Drive: 430 MB
Game Manager System Requirements:
- Browser: Safari 4.0 or later
NEW299
The Big Fish Guarantee:
- Quality tested and virus free.
- No ads, no adware, no spyware.
Your Security and Privacy are important to us! Privacy Policy
Recently Viewed Games
Reviews at a Glance
Howlville: The Dark Past
0 out of 5 (0 ReviewsReview)
Average Rating:
Customer Reviews
Howlville: The Dark Past
101
101
Super interactive game!
Rachel's father disappeared in mysterious circumstances. Help her to solve this mystery.
Good graphics and sound, many places to explore and always with lots to do.
The game is challenging. I started playing in expert mode, then moved to the casual. In expert mode has nothing to help, no sparkles, and the cursor does not change to "little hand" where there is something to do.
HOS, despite the large amount, are fun, they are very interactive, and even has minigames in them !
Minigames are fun too. Some are new and challenging,
Tools needed to continue the game are always around, no back and forth tiring.
I really liked and bought as soon as I finished the free trial!
July 7, 2012
Intuitive HO scenes
I really liked this game for an SE. Played to the end which took 5 hrs with a few puzzle skips. I played advanced level, and for a pleasant change you really didn't get any help; no magnifying glasses, hands, eyeballs, swirling cogs etc to guide you.
Excellent hint system too, so didn't need W/T.
The HO scenes were really well done, and some contained puzzles too.
The only downside to this game was that, in my opinion, there were far too many of the HO scenes which got a bit laborious. Also some items were incorrectly named eg chandelier was a candelabra.
All in all entertaining and well worth the money. As we are under tons of rain and flooding here in the UK, it brightened an otherwise dreary afternoon!
July 7, 2012
Uh Oh - My "To Do" list will just have to wait.
I exited the one hour trial to purchase this game. I have done that only two or three times ever.
Even in casual mode, this game doesn't do a lot of hand holding.
Hints are collected by finding "lamps".
If there is a map, I didn't see it.
So far, the journal only details what you already know, but the tutorial says that "important information" will be recorded there.
By the way, the tutorial can be skipped.
VO's are good.
The story line seems a little weak to me and that is the sole reason I gave 4 stars instead of five. A weak story line is not a deal breaker for me. If it were, I would buy very few games.
What this game lacks in a compelling story, it makes up for in challenging and innovative game play.
There are more HOS than I like to see, but again, this game makes up for that. There are HOS inside of HOS. I know we've seen that before, but you don't see it often. There are also mini games inside of HOS. A welcome variation.
I always mute the music, so I can't comment on that. But the background sounds are suspenseful and very much contribute to the mood of the game.
The game has a bit of a sci-fi theme. During the demo, I encountered one person and one creature. Both seem to be the result of a lab experiment gone wrong.
What I appreciate most about this game is its challenge. Had I opted for expert mode, I bet I'd be tearing out my hair.
Items in the HOS are not easy to find. Probably half of them require interaction to locate. Items are not to scale. Some are found at the edge of the screen, where we normally don't have to look. All of this serves to increase the challenge for me.
At the risk of contradicting myself, I have to say the mini games, so far, were not extremely challenging. I didn't mind that because the rest of the game is making me think. Besides, I am guilty of skipping puzzles/games. I am trying to cure myself of that bad habit. So for me, it feels good to solve them without skipping.
One thing: I purchased and intended to write this review while the game downloaded. The activation was immediate. It was so fast, that I thought I had a glitch on my hands. I don't know if this means you get the entirety of the game on the demo download or not. Also I don't know how many of you care about that, but I thought I'd mention it. :)
I recommend this one. It is better than average, in my opinion.
July 7, 2012
detailed art, thought-provoking puzzles, and compelling storyline
ever since you were a young child, you've been living in the shadow of your father's mysterious disappearance. in this hidden object puzzle mystery, you are rachel, and you've been trying to find your lost father for years. he was a scientist who disappeared fifteen years ago whilst examining a strange object discovered in a mine near the small town with the crazy name, Howlville. but during his investigations, something strange happened. as a result, the town was evacuated, no one is allowed inside and even its existence was classified as top secret. but rachel is determined to find him and to solve the mystery of what happened so long ago.
graphics: gorgeous, detailed artwork. most hidden object scenes had minigames or puzzles that must be solved to complete the hidden object scene. many of the hidden object scenes were cluttered, although most items had some at least some relevance to the story instead of being random junk included in the scene. i was especially pleased by the interactivity of the game -- for example, you can turn the ambulance radio on, although it doesn?t have anything to do with the storyline (as far as i could tell). such things made it fun to ?click around? whilst exploring.
there are plenty of puzzles, but nothing unique. however, they were well-done, and were part of the story progression, instead of just being a random puzzle embedded into the game.
music: minimalistic. sound effects were appropriate. voiceovers were quite nice.
storyline: somewhat far-fetched, but nonetheless, carefully developed so the story does make sense.
gameplay: there are two modes, expert (no sparkles, no hand-cursor) and casual (sparkles, hand-cursor). clicking on small light bulbs hidden in the game provide extra hints, although the hint button does recharge after a period of time (several minutes?). puzzles can be skipped. scene transitions were smooth and relatively quick. no cursor stutters or freezes. a journal is provided. there is no map, but really, this game is so well designed that there is little back-and-forth; the tools provided help guide you through the story.
my interaction: one hour demo, expert and casual modes.
perhaps it's the scientist aspect, but i really enjoyed this game and purchased it as soon as my free demo ended. it is a bit dark for younger kids, but this game is smart, engaging, and well-designed and will appeal to most people. highly recommended!
July 7, 2012
Delightfully Difficult
An excellent but challenging game that plays more like an adventure story with puzzle and hidden object elements.
I played on expert mode which is actually difficult - as opposed to merely removing sparkles as might be expected.
When you need to use hints to get past the first scene, you're either going to love it, or dread it. I bought it right away.
One of the first differences I noticed from usual games of this type was that the cursor did not change to a hand/gears etc. You really have to figure out what to do, which may not be immediately obvious. I don't know if this is also the case with the casual mode.
Most scenes are interactive in some way - not just the hidden object scenes, but throughout the story - perhaps you need to push some junk aside to find an item, or pull a loose thread to unravel something and so on.
Something I found innovative was a bar/gauge in the hidden object scenes that monitors misclicks so you can avoid the penalty by being careful. The object scenes are challenging but the items are clearly drawn, it's not obvious how to find some items (perhaps they are in a bag missing a zipper, or you need to shuffle some papers covering them, or you have to catch that moving beetle with a glass jar). Because the cursor doesn't change, you have to click on items to see if you can pick them up. It makes the scenes much more interesting to solve, in my opinion.
I love the artwork! It has that kind of painted realism look that really immerses the player in a fantasy story (this one set in modern times).
Definitely try this if you are up for a challenge. Sometimes you just want a game to relax to, and this is not that - but if you want something engrossing that tickles your brain cells and takes your mind off your day, you've found it.
Usual story - find a missing relative (your dad) in an abandoned location (town). It begins with a vehicle (ambulance) driven recklessly on a stormy night and your first task is to find your way inside. It's well done though with good voice-overs.
High quality SE that promises to be immersing and challenging.
July 7, 2012
WOWEEE!! what a beauty!!
Can't tell you about any of the settings, I only know it fills my screen with crisp, clear graphics. Voice over is excellent. Gameplay is fantastic! I've only played for 40 minutes(past my bedtime, but couldn't resist it), but it's the most fun I've had in ages. LOADS of mini-puzzles, the HO scenes are clear and very interactive, even have puzzles within them.
A definite buy for me. I've no idea of the length of the game, I hope it's a really long one, but whatever, I know that every minute is worth the money.
July 7, 2012
Have To Use Those Brain Cells On This One!
Howlville is a real HOPA, heavy on the adventure and based on the demo, this will be a real challenge for hard-core players who are tired of hand holding and directions. The story, while very familiar, takes us once again in search of a missing Father, an experiement gone bad, and a cover-up to some conspiracy. (Didn't we just played one like this?# You have escaped from a mental institute and off on the adventure to save your Father and save the wolrd. #Yes we definitely played a couple of those). Game menu offers two gamemodes and that is about it. The Graphics are crisp and sharp. There is voice-overs and you have only a journal to aid you along with a list of objectives. The funny thing here is that while I chose casual to familiarize myself with game mechanics, there were no sparkles of any kind, no black bar ontop explaining what I had to do or what I needed to find. You really are on your own here which is what I love about adventure games. The HO scenes are interactive and also a brain teaser. Some items are hidden behind others, and some you need to figure out where to use. Some Fishies may not be pleased with this. The absence of any balck bar with hints or sparkles may either be a glitch of some kind or like Green Moon, a real brain teaser which in my case, I am defintly up to the challenge. Initial game play involves clicking around everywhere unit you hit something. You then need to figure out exactly where you need to use it. I liked the mini-games, not very hard but unique in design. Unfortunately there is no map and the journal is no help at all and although I have spent 45 minutes and have still yet to cross over the gate and get on with my mission. I assume that like many players, I will be either loving this adventure or hating it; I am definitely going ashead to find out. Besides, I have the need to exercise those little grey cells of mine.
July 7, 2012
a delight!
there are so many things to like about this game, particularly that it can be had for one coupon redemption: it is not often, i have found, to get decent games for my free game credits.
the story line is good--escaping from a monster and the graphics are above par, but what i really loved (in the demo) was the interactivity of the HOGs... this approach is highly interactive, with minigames within the HOS...
i am not a huge fan of HOG - laced adventure games, but this one is fun!
the other puzzles are fun too. not difficult enough to put you off but hard enough to keep you focussed.
i just finished the demo, but had to continue. it's addictive :)
July 7, 2012
Really Impressed
I love this game. The devs were super creative with this one. Based on most of the 6.99 games that are coming out lately, this one blows them all away. There are many hidden object scenes and within each scene there are many interactive objects and also mini games. These devs were really thinking outside the box. Kudos to the devs on this one. I will recommend this game to everyone I know. Please, more like this one. I also love the sound effects. Very creepy.
July 8, 2012
Hope 'DARK PAST' developers have a BRIGHT FUTURE! :)
YAY, based on their initial presentation, I would say this developer will be a shining star in the gaming industry and I, for one, will look forward to more from them!
Other than the title, which I thought was a bit cheesy, the game itself is one super and original puzzle after another with vintage/dated scenes, interesting H0G's, all appropriate to game's theme and enveloped in a very 'different' and engaging storyline.
Two thumbs up and a huge smile from this little fishy.
Give it a go.... well worth the price tag (at least!).
July 8, 2012
The Apple logo is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.
The Windows logo is a trademark of Microsoft, Inc.
The Windows logo is a trademark of Microsoft, Inc.
