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Casual Games Thread
Tim’s AGSOTD yesterday reminded me that I didn’t get around to posting my eventual success with E.P.I.C. Wishmaster. I finally uninstalled everything, including my Flash player, and reinstalled the full version only, and it played at normal speed. Yay! But I did wind up playing the first chapter about four times. It reminded me fondly of the early days of graphic adventure. (And also of the Face of Boe from Dr. Who.)
These days I go everywhere with a carpetbag containing a crowbar, a flashlight, a screwdriver, an oilcan, a ladder, a zipper tab, and a chihuahua.
Thank you for the update. If we can ever find a reliable download site for PC, I would love to re-nominate this game for a CCPT. Right now, I think there may be (max) five of us that can actually play the game.
Karlok occasionally talks about “flash playthroughs.” In general is don’t think this is a good idea. But I might make an exception in this case.
If you have access to a working version of E.P.I.C. Wishmaster please post here.
It might be fun to try, even if there are only a few of us who can play it.
That said, if Lost Lands wins, that will be my priority.
For whom the games toll,
they toll for thee.
I just tested my copy of E.P.I.C. Wishmaster and it works. What would be involved in a “flash playthrough”?
It’s a playthrough that runs separately from the AGCPT or CCPT. It has a few players who, for various reasons, want to play the game as a group, but can’t because, in the case of Wishmaster, the game is unavailable. Think of it as a flash mob for gamers.
Edit: It’s probably far less structured than a regular playthrough. And while it has to have a leader, I’m assuming the leader’s role is much less structured because, as would be the case here, everyone has already played the game so there is little if any hand holding.
I mis-stated. Or left a period out. Maybe even a semi-colon. The game is played by a small group, because for various reasons, including game availability, it can’t attract a larger audience.
For whom the games toll,
they toll for thee.
Wishmaster could be a good one, because we could arrange that each person would take a different branch. There aren’t many, and they don’t diverge for long, apparently. But it might make a difference at the end?
However, that said, I’d rather wait, because I’d like to give the regular CPT a shot—sounds like a good one (ASA: A Space Adventure, remastered, with dev participation). And if we go ahead with the casual CPT, that would keep us busy, busy.
These days I go everywhere with a carpetbag containing a crowbar, a flashlight, a screwdriver, an oilcan, a ladder, a zipper tab, and a chihuahua.
A flash playthrough might make sense as an impromptu exercise when things are rather calm. Right now a lot of new adventure games are releasing and I’m scrambling to keep up.
Not to mention the Autumn AG Challenge that’s taking place… 
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
Reflections of Life: Equilibrium
This is a casual Hidden Object game that’s something of an outlier. Okay, yes it’s a fantasy game with portals to other realms, and yes somebody gets kidnapped (in this case, a member of the royal family of Creatos). But it also has an intriguing philosophical ethos going on—where each realm (Actualus, Creatos, Equilibrium, and Phobius) is distinct and yet linked to the others, and the final chapter takes you to in Actualus, which turns out to be surprisingly close to my real-life home.
This is a game with tons of interaction. Each screen contains 4 to 7 puzzles or inventory challenges – sometimes even the close-up screens will have two hotspots revealing and/or requiring inventory items and/or containing a mini-game. So Equilibrium is aimed at players who want to puzzle their way through a game rather than doing some unencumbered exploring. Most of the puzzle-solves trigger a small but clever animation, adding to the sense of satisfaction. The game also has more than 30 cut scenes. These vary in quality (some are a bit overdramatic, actually), but they do trundle the story along nicely. You can access the cut scenes as much as you want through a replay feature on the bottom left of the screen, which also contains important documents.
HOs are varied and include some sequences that deepen the plot. But the true highlights are the various mini-games, which are often creative and, in a few instances, wickedly difficult (it’s been a while since I hit the “skip” button this much). Particularly memorable are the photograph puzzles that must be solved at the entrance to each portal, with some interesting “takes” on using fragments to recreate a visual whole. There are also board-game-like challenges where you come up with moves to beat the computer (I mean, the villain Akvos, who is leaving a trail of obstacles to slow you down) plus some fiddling around with symbols and maps.
The environments are brightly colored and surreal and swathed with fantasy-game pastel mist. The architecture has an unusual organic sensibility, with an emphasis on natural forms that reminds me of the work of Antoni Gaudi. And I especially liked the room where transparent jelly-fish-creatures float in the air. The ending wraps up the story convincingly. I played the SE game, so I don’t know how good the bonus game is. But if you’re a puzzle maven, you might want to check this one out.
Thanks for the review, Becky. I’m going to check this one out; I like puzzles.
Has anyone here played Subliminal Realms: The Masterpiece? I like the look of the surreal environments, but the opening sequence involves…yet another kidnapping plot. Does the game improve further in?
There’s a BOGO sale for Halloween at Big Fish. So this might be part of a pairing.
Has anyone here played Subliminal Realms: The Masterpiece? I like the look of the surreal environments, but the opening sequence involves…yet another kidnapping plot. Does the game improve further in?
There’s a BOGO sale for Halloween at Big Fish. So this might be part of a pairing.
I played it and unfortunately would rate it a 2.0/2.5. The environments are nice and offer a good change from the purple/pink stuff and the villainess is downright creepy, but I would rate the gameplay as almost child level. There are a few good puzzles but mostly not. I was excited when I saw that it was Boolat games who did Timeless: the Lost Castle but this is nothing like the Timeless series.
Furgotten—thanks for the input, that helps.
There’s a BOGO on at BFG. I bought Reflections of Life: Equilibrium based on your recommendation. I also bought Secrets of Da Vinci. It’s not a casual, but, like Syberia, it ended up being sold by them. I’ve played it before. I think I may have originally bought it on disc. Don’t remember much other than I liked it. (I’m hoping it’s the same game I remember.) Very interesting puzzles.
For whom the games toll,
they toll for thee.
Some interesting “general” casual game talk was made in last “casual Friday”‘s AG Scene of the Day. Due to the relevance here, I’ll copy/paste it in:
If you’ve followed the reviews and conversations in the Casual Games thread, as well as some comments made here on the AGSotD thread, you know I’m not the greatest fan of ERS Games. Again, if you’ve followed the Casual Games thread since its beginning, which probably needs to include the archives as well, you know that was not always the case.
With eager anticipation I looked forward to playing the next release coming from ERS Games. Then things started to change. ERS created great franchises. Grim Facade, Haunted Legends, Resurrection Cemetery, and perhaps one of the most popular, Puppetshow.
But by the time each franchise reached its third game, it was obvious that ERS was going to beat them into the ground. By the time Puppetshow 6 came around we knew that Puppetshow, just like the Rocky movies, had become a parody of itself.
And it got worse. Eventually ERS started developing games with cliffhanger endings. Not the kind that would be resolved if you purchased the CE version. More the kind of the legendary movie cliffhangers such as Flash Gordon, where you would have to return to the theater for the following Saturday matinee in order to see the continuation of the adventure.
Only, in this case, ERS requires you to purchase the next game in the series in order to find out how the last game ended. And some of those series are in their fifth or sixth game.
So I have gone from being a staunch supporter of ERS games to being a fairly harsh critic.
With one exception.
The above screenshot is from ERS’ Dark Tales series. Specifically it’s from Dark Tales - Edgar Allen Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher. The games have covered Rue Morgue through, what I think is the latest, Marie Roget.
The earlier the game, the more HO scenes it contains. The games don’t purport to be accurate to Poe’s story. But they are just accurate enough to allow comparison to his written word. And since they are individual stories, each must stand on its own. A franchise by title, perhaps. But not a francise by theme.
If you are interested, I think Black Cat was the best.
Black Cat is one of my favorite ERS games as well.
Just curious—I’ve played a lot of ERS games, and have never encountered one with a cliffhanger ending that then required playing the next game in the series to see how the previous story ended. In which series did you find that happening?
Several of the Shadow Wolf Mystery games fall into that category. But that is only my opinion.
I haven’t played the Shadow Wolf series. Just in case you haven’t played them yet, I strongly recommend two other ERS games to try—Azada In Libro and Spirits of Mystery: Song of the Phoenix.
I’ve not played Song of the Phoenix. Another ERS game in the style of Azada, (i.e. no hidden objects,) is Dark Alley: Penumbra Hotel. Not one of my favorites, but a nice attempt to do something different.
Different is good. Penumbra Hotel is now on my list. I just googled “penumbra”—which means “the partially shaded outer region of the shadow cast by an opaque object.” I wonder what I can expect when checking into Hotel Partially Shaded Outer Region of a Shadow? Sounds…ambiguous.
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
I’ve just started playing Reflections of Life: Equilibrium. So far there’s nothing not to like. I’m holding off on Da Vinci. For quite some time it was a top-five AGCPT vote getter. Then it just slipped off the radar screen. Maybe I will nominate it when the current PT is over.
And, once the clouds clear after the first of the year, it, like Wishmaster, might be a candidate for a flash playthrough.
For whom the games toll,
they toll for thee.
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