Amaranthine Voyage: The Tree of Life Collector's Edition
4
5
80
80
Great HOPA !
The tree of life is real or a myth? Help to find out boarding on a zeppelin and traveling to a strange world full of surprises!
Superb graphics, neat in details, excellent music, great sound and VO, nice cutscenes.
Interactive HOS and you have to hit the riddle to find the last item.
Mini games are not difficult and many are well known.
Both the zeppelin and elsewhere have interesting locations with plenty to do.
Two play modes.
Has journal that includes objectives to be achieved, has a map, also with goals.
Many many items to collect: 40 zeppelins / 14 butterflies / 20 Owls / 14 story locations (which you can visit again).
The game has 6 chapters, bonus chapter, bonus mini games and 20 achievements.
The only con is that the game itself is little challenging, even in expert mode. I'll tell you why:
- The objectives appear on the screen well explained.
- When you click on an object, appears spelled exactly what to do with it.
- Hint explain exactly the next step.
- iHOS also explains what to do to pick up the objects in blue.
So many "helps" decreases the need of reasoning, one of the highpoints of other games.
Still, it's an interesting game and provides moments of good entertainment.
January 27, 2013
ANOTHER WONDERFUL ADVENTURE
I promised myself I would "wait" to buy this game later but I made the mistake of demo'ing it and was caught immediately in the story. For me this is one of those games where I have to know what will happen next. There is a map but it will not transport you. I didn't find that to be a problem because the areas are so close together that you don't wear out sneakers. There are 2 different types of collectables to find which are not hard to see. The HO's are also easy on tired eyes. I've also noticed in the "Bonus Area" you can replay puzzles, HO games, rewatch movies #although once is enough for me#, and there is one that is called "Before Amaranthine". I found the music to be soothing and now must purchase, DL and finish playing. I'm really enjoying this game. Happy Gaming to all.
January 27, 2013
Really fun game!
This game has it all for me - fun story, great graphics, music and ambient sounds, hard enough to make me think but not so difficult I have to hit the hint button overmuch. It isn't a dark game either in story or graphics, things are easy to see. A map, extra things to find and achievements. The few hog scenes I've run across are nice, and some have a riddle at the end to solve - love that! I finished the tutorial in 40 minutes - so it looks like it'll be a nice long game. Definite buy for me!
January 27, 2013
A DON'T MISS INSTANT CLASSIC
BASED ON COMPLETED GAME IN EXPERT (2nd of 2 modes)
SUMMARY
Outstanding Game with all the CE bells and whistles! Fun and engrossing start to finish. Graphics really stunning. They highlight a unique and beautiful world with lots to explore. The music was in lock-step with game play adding to the experience. Good balance of iHOS and Mini-Game. Many achievements and collectibles. Bonus Play was good - logical extension of main game and did not seem tacked-on.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS GAME, Details Follow:
STORY: As an archeologist an artifact you uncover takes you to the ailing Tree of Life that you must save. Bonus play allows the gamer to return home after mission accomplished.
THEME/MOTIF: This game offers a lot of scenes for exploration and avoided simple pass through areas that had no purpose. The music was integral to atmosphere so so it stayed on. The VOs were fine if a little stiff and over dramatic. The evil queen looked as if she were wearing white table linens complete w/napkin on her head and trowel applied Cleopatra style make-up.
iHOS: No junk piles, cluttered messes, or odd color schemes. Just well constructed scenes with light interaction such as "light a candle", "fix a broken plate" , or move a curtain aside. Often if a site were revisited it would be to locate numbers of things such as "12 Oars" or "Round Objects". As a nice twist, at the end of most HOS there was a riddle to solve in order to get the needed inventory item. Note in expert mode there are still sparkles for HOS which works for me because I don't like hunting and clicking for missed HOS from scene to scene.
MINI-GAMES: These are plentiful ranging from mostly easy to some with challenge. Many were new to me which was great and the others I had seen before were very nicely put together. This is a great choice for people who like lots of mini-games even if they aren't that challenging. They are all fun. Instructions provided and sometimes there is a reset button.
MAP: Yes, but what a disappointment! A top notch game with a lot of scenes and ground to cover that does allow jumping to locations. Seriously? Map gives objective/active areas and gamer location.
COLLECTIBLES: Yes. There are golden blimps, butterflies, and one other that if I mentioned it would be a spoiler so I won't. I don't usually care about collectibles but these added a lot of fun.
ACHIEVEMENTS: Yes. Many an achievement accessed from the main menu. Such as no mis-clicks during a HOS, speed of completion, use of hints, --all the usual fare. Note if you want to get the "won all achievements award" you must play the tutorial as there is an award for that.
BOW AND ARROW:These are found about mid-game and are shown in the right corner by the Hints. There are about 5 types of arrows to shoot and there is an award for managing to use all of them.
-----------------------------------
GREAT GAME. WELL WORTH CE PRICE. Loved the beauty, originality, and sheer fun factory.
January 30, 2013
Could have been excellent....
Even though this game offers everything I expect from a CE as achievements, collectables (40 zeppelins, 14 butterflies) the acting of the real characters somehow annoyed me?
But the scenes are beautiful drawn! Gameplay is fluently. Good mixture of interactive HOS and not very challenging minigames/ puzzles. Found items are used soon. We have a map (no transport-function) together with a tasklist. 2 modes to choose. Nice: There is a control panel attached to the inventory, which contains helpful tools you will find during the game, like bow and arrow, spear?
This is a perfect game to light up a rainy day!!
January 27, 2013
Tree of life is in danger !!!!!!!!
Played 30 minutes, regular
- 2 modes, regular, expert
- Integrated SG which stays on the page you leave, only shows 3 chapters in the sample
- Notebook
- Objectives' tab, bottom left side of your screen
- Map, not interactive, shows with golden zeppelin H0 zones and area of interest
- Voice overs
- You have to find 40 blimps throughout the game and 14 butterflies
- You get rewards for using no hint in a H0, no skip in a mini game, etc...
- H0, you interact and get a riddle to find your last item
- Good mini games, not over difficult
- Hint is useful outside H0, shows you the way, refill quickly in regular mode
- Skip button, didn't use it so I don't know how long it takes to fill
- Beautiful graphics
- Good music
One more time a fight against evil, this time the tree of life is in danger. This looks like a very good game and is a buy for me.
January 27, 2013
Very enjoyable game!
This game is different than the usual HOG and/or adventure games. Actors are real people. The voiceovers are a little bit odd, but not a problem. HOS are interactive and once all items are found, you are given a clue to find the last item. Most things were just common sense to solve. There is a map, and collectibles. Hint button charges fast, although I didn't use it much. This is based on the demo. There didn't appear to be a lot of HOS, but they were very clear and easy to find.
Not sure if I'll buy the CE, but will probably buy the SE.
January 27, 2013
Sometimes Less is More!
A Sci-Fi Fantasy story that takes us to a mysterious world filled with Hidden Objects, Puzzles and Adventure. You play the role of an Archeologist who has recently stumbled across an artifact that seems to have a link to the Tree of Life. After your airship crashlands, you discover the the Tree is no longer just a myth and there are strange beings who are trying to take the artifact from you. Your mission begins as you travel through a dying world and uncover the mystery of the artifact.
A beautifully rendered game that should have qualified for five stars but unfortunately just missed the mark due to some annoying features. First off, the graphics are beautiful to look at but were blurred. At times it seemd like there was a mist that covered your screen, making everything look ethereal. Still, the artwork is stunning and real actors are used during the cut scenes. Be prepared for what seemed to me to be alot of cut-scenes at the beginning. Voice overs are good as is the music.
Game features two play modes however much to my disapointment, you get sparkles and black bar tips in the advance mode. What really was annoying was the constant objective tip-bar that kept popping up on the screen. Way too much hand-holding in this game which is a pity. Also included are a journal, again with a list of objectives and tasks as well as a map that also indicates objectives and tasks. It seems that the game really wants you to know what your objectives and tasks are. The map offers indicators but does not allow you to travel so be prepared for alot of back-tracking.
I got through the demo and found the game entertaining. The HO scenes are crowded and interactive. Again graphics were a bit blurred and some items were difficult to make out. What I did like was that you are given a riddle for your final inventory object and some of them were not that easy to figure out. Mini-games were relatively easy and the ones that I came across were the usual games we have seen so many times. Adventure game play is your standard point and click to find your invetory tools that either open, unlock or repair.
As for extras, this game offers alot of extras like achievements and two types of collectables Also I noticed that there is a mystery included in your list of acheivements that you need to figure out what it is. That definitely will make the game interesting. Also include in your extras are HO scenes and puzzles to play along with the bonus game.
Tree of Life should have been a five star game and I so wish I could rave and rant about it. Unfortunately where visuals are concerened and the constant tips and objective that keep popping up in both play modes just atook away the fun. The storyline also moves rather slowly and I actually found that I did not pay too much attention to it. All in all, a game that offers everything including the kitchen sink but seems to lack substance. I will nevertheless buy the game as it does seem to be of a good length and does offers re-play value. I guess it is true what they say, sometimes less is more.
January 27, 2013
What a voyage!
Oh yeah, this game has a lot going for it. A very good story, beautiful graphics, ancient ruins, beautiful relaxing music, achievements to earn, and collectables (butterflies & blimps) The story begins with a zephlin ride and evil spirits attacking the vessel trying to get the ancient artifact you just found,causing the blimp to crash into the "tree of life." The HO's require some interaction such as putting the cheese on the mousetrap. There are also scenes where you have to find 12 hammers etc. The puzzles don't seem to hard but you can skip those if desired, and you have a map that shows you where you have things to do, and a blimp indicater that stays gold until you find the blimp in that scene.I think you will become absorbed in this game. I enjoyed playing the demo and will probably buy it.
January 27, 2013
Based on Demo
Three levels.
Achievements.
Collectables (butterflies and blimps).
HOS: A little too many HOS for my taste, but they did mix it up with a written riddle at the end to collect your item. They also (so far) have a mix of standard lists, and collect x amount of items. Most have been the lists (with the riddle at the end).
The storyline has been engaging.
The map is not interactive.
I can't comment on the length or if the standard game completes the story yet.
Based on the DEMO I did puchase.
January 27, 2013