Annabel
3.6
5
8
8
An Ideal Introduction to Adventure Games
Annabel, the very first game I purchased from BFG long ago, was, for me, an initiation to casual games, a refreshing change from the 3D hard core [not pornographic..!!! LOL] and more mature FPS games I was used to. I played it with great pleasure then, and replayed it recently with equal satisfaction.
Annabel is a search-and-find adventure, not a HOG. The items you need are scattered in different locations. There is plenty of tasks to accomplish and objects to find and combine,
You navigate from locale to locale using the arrow keys or your mouse, you can zoom in on a particular spot, and scroll to have the full screenshot.
Set in Ancient Egypt, the storyline is simple but effective.
There is nothing truly difficult in this game, although it will often challenge your wits. But if you think outside the box, use logic and common sense, as well as creativity, you will get to the end without much trouble. This, by the way, applies to any adventure game that is purely an adventure.
The artwork is quite good, the music nice, and the minigames/puzzles interesting yet not all that difficult. Since they all are classics, one could deplore their lack of innovation, but Annabel is not a new release. What was the norm when it came out might now be considered outdated as later games offer variants of classics or novelties as well as a few genuinely diabolical puzzles, sometimes for the better, but not always.
It is true that no puzzle can be skipped, but as I said, they are not tricky; a bit of patience and common sense are what it takes to solve them... and they all are solvable ! One good feature: they can be replayed via the main menu....just for the sake of pleasure or as a mental exercise.
Annabel is good fun to play. Due to its relative simplicity, it is also the perfect game to introduce players to adventure games, as a first step before tackling much tougher ones like Nancy Drew, the Art of Murder series, Syberia or any Large File Game.
December 26, 2011
Fun adventure game
I like these kind of games where you have to think and search for things keeps the game going no time to get bored theres so much to do..
November 16, 2011
Good for beginners
I found this game fairly easy so perhaps it's not ideal for an experienced gamer but better suited to a beginner. In a nutshell:
Storyline is fairly logical and consistent.
Backgrounds are acceptable, not too grainy or washed out.
The story unfolds largely from a first person POV but manipulating the camera does not lead to too much dizziness seen in other games of this type.
Hidden objects are fairly easy to locate and experienced players will notice them long before they're needed and so will be able to recall where to find them. Even new gamers will be able to spot some of them immediately simply because they stand out. Others, however, you will really have to search for especially as the game progresses.
Puzzles are of a suitable level although some new players may find them challenging simply due to their inexperience with BFG games.
Game length is fairly decent.
No classic HOG scenes although there are FOGS where you will have to search for key pieces in order to construct items. These are not overly difficult to complete.
Hint button is available throughout and refreshes at a reasonable rate.
Acceptable price for the general version. Not worth the price of a CE though.
Major dislike: The voice talent is absolutely terrible and irritating, particularly the male using falsetto to voice some of the female characters. I quickly found it much better to play with no sound and simply read the information.
Warning: Not recommended for a slow computer. It takes a short while to load the new scenes even on a reasonable computer because of the kind of graphics used. On a very slow computer it would be maddening.
Overall: Not a bad effort. For an experienced gamer, the kind of thing you'd play when you want to kick back and not have to think too hard. For a new gamer, a good place to begin.
May 15, 2012
Loved This game....
not your common HO Great story wish there were a few more hints. You are really on your own. really very different type of game. Own it
September 5, 2012
Good Game for Kids
This game is an easy and enjoyable outing for children, although as an adult, I enjoyed it as well. It's a cute love story set in ancient Egypt, complete with all the cliche's you would expect. I almost couldn't call it a hidden object game because the objects weren't exactly "hidden". However, this game does have one claim to fame that I haven't seen in most other games: the motion camera effect when changing scenes. There were times when I could actually feel like I was moving. I think this, in itself, would give most kids a thrill.
September 4, 2012
Annabel mini puzzles
This game has good graphics with a motion camera when you go to another level, but the characters speech is really awful. Most of the mini games are fun to use, although 2 of them are very tricky to complete. My recommendation would be to have a "skip" function as now I'm stuck on the last puzzle, and unable to complete the story, and looking at the help pages I'm not alone!!!
October 24, 2012
Annabell sucks!
Never buy a game that doesnt let you skip the puzzles. Have never been able to get through it.
November 13, 2011
So much potential, but...
When the game first opened up, I thought it looked like it could be really fun. I like the comic book font that is used, and the art wasn't bad.
As soon as the people started talking I was disappointed. The voice-acting is really bad. I think I could've done a better job (and, believe me, I'm no actress!). And the camera movement... ugh. Reading previous reviews I saw the majority were quite impressed with it. I just played for about 15 minutes and I am really dizzy.
I like the idea of the story, and I have played so many HOS games and time management games, I was excited to try something else (something more "video-game-esque", having more control of the character I am playing).
I'm sad this didn't pan out. I'll keep looking
March 10, 2013