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Casual Games Thread

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colpet - 14 June 2018 07:09 AM

Stray Cat Doors

I played that one on my phone (Android). I found it really cute, with a nice array of the typical elements you find in room escape games. I appreciated the option to go back to each level to retrieve a special item once you have finished them all.

     
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I’m not even sure what page this thread was on. I found it by going to TimovieMan’s magnificent database post.

I don’t want anyone to think that I have given up on casual games, because I haven’t. I still play one or two a month. But the trouble is that the best thing I can say about the games being released these days is that they are, at best, mediocre.

Why bother writing a review when the best thing I can say is that the game rates 2/5 Stars? Well, I guess if you trust my opinion I ought to do it if only to save others from wasting their money. I’ll think about that.

The latest game I played was the SE version of Mystery Trackers - Darkwater Bay. The first game I played from this series was Four Aces. And the next two or three games were good as well. But this iteration is now close to being the “X-teenth” game, and it shows. I can tell you that your boon companion, Elf, the chihuahua, is alive and is apparently still in good health. That’s the end of the good news. Mediocre at best. 2/5 Stars.

Save your money until something better comes along. Don’t know when that will be.

     

For whom the games toll,
they toll for thee.

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I have a box of sixty unplayed adventure games I got from Half Price books for 1 - 4 dollars each. They got dumped on Half Price books when the PC went to being supported primarily by digital releases.

I also got several casual games to include:

Hidden Mysteries Titanic

Hollywood Mysteries

The Stolen Venus

Natalie Brooks

Drawn - Painted Tower

Drawn - Trail of Shadows

I loved playing casual games back in the Nintendo DS days so I hope they are as much fun on the PC.

     

I enjoy playing adventure games on my Alienware M17 r4 and my Nintendo Switch OLED.

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You can’t go wrong with the two Drawn games. Although you’re missing the third, and they really should be played in sequence. Since all three were played in order as a CCPT, you can find what you need to know about them in other Tim’s database.

Edit: I should have said you will find links to the three Drawn playthroughs in the other Tim’s database.

     

For whom the games toll,
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I just finished playing the CE demo of Vermillion Watch - London Howling. I’ve played at least one other game in the series, and I enjoyed it. And I enjoyed this demo as well.

The series isbased on the premise that you, the protagonist are part of a group of detectives. These detectives are made up of fictional characters from literature. E.g. on of your cohorts is Phileas Fogg of Around the World in Eighty Days fame. And, as is appropriate, the antagonist is also a fictional villain. In the game I remember playing Jekyll/Hyde was the villain. In this game the werewolf is the villain. Except, in a surprising twist, the villain is actually one of your own.

So, your objective is to a) cure your cohort of his werewolfhood, and b) stop his werewolfian deeds while you search for said cure.

Meanwhile, in the background is another set of villains, led by someone known as the “Red Queen”, who are trying to find a way to weaponize the primary villain, in this case the werewolf. There are lots of plots and sub-plots that keep the story interesting.

The game is produced by Eipix which, along with Artifex-Mundi, are the two developers of note of high-quality casual games.

This is a fun game from what I saw in the demo. I can do without the collected objects or morphing object achievements. The SE version will work perfectly well for me. I will definitely buy it when the SE is available.

     

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^I watched a video, and the game seems interesting. Thanks.

It also got me to remember a question I’ve been meaning to ask:

Aside from a few demos, I’m new to casual games. Could someone maybe recommend a few games that blur the line between traditional adventure games and casual games?

I’m thinking a good story and/or interesting characters, and few or no hidden object segments.

     
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First thing I would do is go to this database. There you will find links to several things casual. Including this thread. You might also check out the AGSotD thread. Particularly the latest iteration. I wrote the Casual Friday segments which appeared, as you would guess, every Friday. They included a select scene from the game as well as a mini review of the game. You might also look at the Casual Community Playthrough thread where many of the “better” casual games were played by a group of players.

That said there are several games that stand out. The Drawn Trilogy is one. Also Emerald City Confidential. There are also some games produced by ERS Games thatare casual in nature, but have no hidden object scenes. Azada in Libro and Penumbra Hotel are two. Finally, you might look at the Enigmatis Trilogy. Not only are the games very good, but they show the type of progression people wanted to see. From the first game which was quite casual, with many HO scenes to the last game, which was very plot and character driven with much fewer HO scenes.

Hope this helps.

     

For whom the games toll,
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Good suggestions, I appreciate it.

I went with Vermillion Watch: Fleshbound, since I’m in the mood for a detective-type game in an urban environment, and it seems like a better game than the first entry in the series.

I don’t know much about the amount of HO scenes, but I did skim parts of a video walkthrough, and they seemed few and far between.

I’ll write a little about the game, when I’ve completed it, or played an hour or two.

     
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Also see post #1669. It’s only a page or two back in this thread.

     

For whom the games toll,
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I recently played The Legacy - The Tree of Might. It’s a standard “alien entity is trying to conquer Earth-type of story. So it doesn’t get any bonus points for novelty. Also, the graphics are only so-so. The illustrations of the characters in the story are particularly bad. There are a few HO scenes, but they are quite varied, so that’s a plus. With those negatives you might think I would give this game a fairly poor score. Not so!

If there is one thing that the game does really well it’s the puzzles. They are similar to puzzles I’ve seen before, but something new has been added to them. The inventory puzzles have a nice twist to them as well. You find something hidden in a shrub. You need a knife to cut down the shrub. You find a knife and cut the shrub and the knife disappears from inventory. Typical inventory puzzle. But not here. You need a knife and you find a knife, but instead of it disappearing, the knife stays with you for almost the entire game ... ready to cut anything that needs cutting.

So I actually found myself really enjoying this game despite its shortcomings. If you play games for the puzzles and skip the story, this is a game I recommend. (BTW, I played the SE version of the game.)

     

For whom the games toll,
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I’m planning on playing the two new Artifex Mundi games in the near future. One of them, Brother Rabbit was reviewed by our very own Jackal. I’m curious to see whether I agree with his casual/adventure-lite categorization.

     

For whom the games toll,
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rtrooney - 12 December 2018 09:22 PM

I’m planning on playing the two new Artifex Mundi games in the near future. One of them, Brother Rabbit was reviews by our very own Jackal. I’m curious to see whether I agree with his casual/adventure-lite categorization.

It sounds pretty clear-cut. When a game has puzzles like “collect 10 balloons” then it’s casual.

Looks like a cool game though.

     

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cyfoyjvx - 12 December 2018 09:59 PM
rtrooney - 12 December 2018 09:22 PM

I’m planning on playing the two new Artifex Mundi games in the near future. One of them, Brother Rabbit was reviews by our very own Jackal. I’m curious to see whether I agree with his casual/adventure-lite categorization.

It sounds pretty clear-cut. When a game has puzzles like “collect 10 balloons” then it’s casual.

Looks like a cool game though.

I get where you are going with this but it doesn’t always follow. I remember the sequel to The Riddle of the Sphinx, The Omega Stone, had you collecting both skulls and another item I don’t recall. I didn’t think there was much of a point to collecting either one although I did like the game.

     
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Does the categorisation matter if the game is good and fun? Wink

     

The truth can’t hurt you, it’s just like the dark: it scares you witless but in time you see things clear and stark. - Elvis Costello
Maybe this time I can be strong, but since I know who I am, I’m probably wrong. Maybe this time I can go far, but thinking about where I’ve been ain’t helping me start. - Michael Kiwanuka

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For most people, the categorization is what determines whether something is good and fun. I have yet to meet anyone who’s an exception.

     

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