Adventure Gamers - Forums

Interplay - 19 May 2013 03:04 PM

A while back, I had purchased Nightmare Adventures: The Turning Thorn.  When I started it playing it, it was obvious that the plot was totally incomprehensible without playing the first game (unlike most casuals), so I put it on the back burner until I bought and played the first one.  So, I just got around to playing the first title Nightmare Adventures: The Witch’s Prison.  What a great game.  Except for the casual style of play, I would call this a straight-up adventure game.  There are no hidden object scenes.  I’m not exactly sure what to call this genre, then, but I’ll call it adventure-lite. 

The story involves you being sent a letter suggesting more information on your family history.  It calls you to your family homestead, an old asylum.  I know this sounds terribly generic, but the story is quite excellent.  The way the story is revealed is much more in line with a standard adventure (eg finding old journal entries, etc.).  Suffice it to say, the plot is good and the game has a definite ending (though it does set up a cliffhanger of sorts - thank goodness I didn’t play the game when it first came out 3 years ago).  Another thing that I liked that seemed more like a regular adventure game, is that when you click on a non-interactive object, the character will give their thoughts about it.  Like an adventure game, this helps flesh out the character and their motivation more than the standard, “It’s a lamp”, “That door is locked” you find in the typical casual.

The puzzles are very fun and unique.  They also make an effort to fit into the story well, again more like the puzzles in something like the 7th Guest. 

The game has rare voice acting, but mostly it is just text on the screen.  Likewise, music and sound effects are relatively sparse, and I would have preferred more.  The artwork is typical for a game that came out almost three years ago, but is nothing special. 

The above paragraph, and the fact that the game seemed a little short, are the only negatives I found.  Overall, it was an excellent game, and I would give it 4.5/5.  I have now eagerly started the sequel that I originally purchased, and in the first few minutes of play, it seems excellent as well.  Highly recommended.

I’m playing Turning Thorn now and it is one of the best puzzle games I’ve played in a while.

rtrooney - 27 May 2013 07:15 PM

BFG had a “Buy one, get one free” sale this weekend. I believe it ends tonight.

I took advantage of the sale and picked up Nightmare Adventures - The Witch’s Prison to see if the backstory to Turning Thorn makes a difference. I did play the demo first.

As the freebie I picked up Vampire Legends - The True Story of Kisilova. So far the game is quite easy. Almost too easy. But every now and then you, meaning me, want a game that you can breeze through. This one fits the bill.

I also took advantage of the sale and used a couple of credits to get a bunch of games.  I picked up some older Puppet Show and Awakening games but also picked up the new Fear for Sale: Nightmare Cinema game which is supposed to be very good.  I’ll leave some thoughts when I play it.

Also, I finished The Turning Thorn.  I thought it was great and the puzzles are fantastic.  I’m ashamed to say I had to break down and use a hint on one of the puzzles (some of them are tough!).  I would say that taken as a pair, the two Nightmare Adventure games probably have one of the best stories I’ve encountered in the casual genre.  The second game ends with another cliffhanger.  Here’s hoping I won’t have to wait another three years to find out what happens.

I played Nightmare Adventures: Witch’s Prison when it first released, and I’m playing the sequel Turning Thorn now. The sequel’s story is more ambitious, and I’m still hanging on for dear life, trying to figure out what’s going on. And some of the puzzles are ridicuously difficult.

For instance—the statues where you place the eyes and other items according to the clues on the plaques. Why didn’t the statue that favored green eyes GET green eyes? And if he says he has a death’s head in hand, why doesn’t he get the skull? I’m sorry, but an urn (though it might contain ashes of a skull) is not a death’s head. Especially when a skull is actually available. How did everyone solve this puzzle—trial and error? Or did I miss something somewhere (extremely likely, going by past experience).

Becky - 30 May 2013 05:17 PM

I played Nightmare Adventures: Witch’s Prison when it first released, and I’m playing the sequel Turning Thorn now. The sequel’s story is more ambitious, and I’m still hanging on for dear life, trying to figure out what’s going on. And some of the puzzles are ridcuously difficult.

For instance—the statues where you place the eyes and other items according to the clues on the plaques. Why didn’t the statue that favored green eyes GET green eyes? And if he says he a death’s head in hand, why doesn’t he get the skull? I’m sorry, but an urn (though it might contain ashes of a skull) is not a death’s head. Especially when a skull is actually available. How did everyone solve this puzzle—trial and error? Or did I miss something somewhere (extremely likely, going by past experience).

I had trouble with that one too. The solution didn’t make sense to me given the clues.

I have an extra unused Steam key to Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles, Frogwares’ foray into the casual scene.  I remember it being quite good.  If someone wants it, please reply.

I just finished Nightmare Adventures: The Turning Thorn. I liked the game better as I got further in. The story was unusual, especially for a casual game, and it had me guessing. At one point Kiera Vale, the heroine, says that she wonders if she’s on the right team, and I was wondering exactly the same thing. The ambiguities in the characters’ motivations and the evolving knowledge of the backstory are handled well.

I enjoyed Kiera’s comments, which are irreverent without being snarky (a hard balance to strike), and whoever voiced Kiera is a pro. Kudos to the unicorn satire.

A lot of work was put into the story. The characters – though encountered only briefly – are memorable.

This may seem a small thing, but the note posted on the glass partition, warning of the containment breach, is exactly what I would expect from someone competent enough to land a job in a highly secure facility (in contrast, for example, to the self-serving or panicked behavior on the part of science and/or security professionals found in other science fiction adventure games – The Experiment, springs to mind).

This game is very adventure-like. It laughs down its sleeve at HO screens. You can combine items in inventory, making the inventory challenges more than just “match the item with the hotspot” puzzles. The emphasis on a twisty story is also adventure-like.

The Turning Thorn leans toward the casual genre in its limited environments and frequent use of mini-games.

The mini-games are a mixed bag. Many are quite challenging (a plus for gamers who like difficult puzzles). Some are also downright finicky. I found that sometimes the game, even when a mini-game was solved, failed to acknowledge the solution. A few times, after solving a mini-game that failed to progress, I would back out of it and then go in and solve it a second time in exactly the same way—which the game then acknowledged. I have no idea why it would work on a second attempt, but not on the first.

Twice I had to “skip puzzle,” even though, as far as I could tell, the mini-game was solved – in these cases, the second attempt was also unsuccessful.

One mini-game I failed to solve because (after skipping the puzzle and then looking at a walkthrough) I realized that I had placed a blank tile over the wrong blank spot on the board—this is how precise these games are. One of the riddle solutions (as I mentioned earlier in this thread) was nonsensical.

It’s too bad, because some of the mini-games were off-the-beaten path in terms of concept, which I like to see.

A question for those who have played the game – was the ending what you expected? Are we looking at a third Nightmare Adventures game in the future, do you think?

Here are three recent releases—I’ve played part of the way into the demos and thought each looked intriguing:

Namariel Legends: Iron Lord SE  Steampunk environments and themes. Save the world from (what seems to be) a Machiavellian robot. Help your guardian Davincio (engineer/tinkerer) escape from prison. Lots of inventory challenges and mini-games – some assembly challenges, working with gadgets. No Hidden Object screens!

House of 1000 Doors: Serpent Flame CE Attention-grabbing opening cut scenes. Save the world from giant snakes. Characters from previous House of 1000 Doors games to guide you along. More story and sense of exploration than is usual in casual/adventure hybrids. Mostly inventory challenges, two HO screens (so far); one where you place objects in the scene rather than a traditional list.

Calavera: Day of the Dead CE I’m in the land of the dead, looking for a transformation altar so I can make myself temporarily undead and get into the city. I’m being assisted by a monster book named “Guide”—he seems to have a rather quirky sense of humor. Lots of inventory challenges, one timed puzzle (so far) and two traditional HO screens (so far). Thematic similarities with Grim Fandango (in case the game title didn’t already give that away).

Thanks Becky for the heads up on the House of 1000 Doors game.  I played the first two Doors games which I really enjoyed and will certainly play this one!

The other two sound intriguing also.