Re: What Casual Games Are You Playing Right Now? - Part Two
[Re: Marian]
#1249343
06/09/21 03:11 PM
06/09/21 03:11 PM
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 48,412 near Yosemite
Marian
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OP
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Sonic Boomer
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 48,412
near Yosemite
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8dognight reviewed Macabre Mysteries in our Reviews thread. Here is the post: Macabre Mysteries: Curse of the Nightingale
Blue Tea, 2011
Most people who play these games already know that Curse of the Nightingale, apparently a stand alone as I could not find any others available in a Macabre Mysteries series although there may have been some, is a great game. The plot doesn't revolve around a kidnapping. The graphics are pleasing, particularly in the HO screens. At some point, Blue Tea went a hair blurry in the overall look of some of the games, although I hasten to add that those games are usually well above average, too.
One particularly useful facet of Curse of the Nightingale is the diary/journal which contains a map and cast of characters with blurbs about them that are fleshed out as the game progresses. The map is also a minor hint system (it's easy to get a bit lost in the theater) but not one that overpowers exploration. The same is true with objectives; they're in the journal but you don't have to consult them. For inventory hints, I discovered this time around that I could place an object over the eye on the extreme left of the inventory bar and get a close-up of where to use it. I should mention I usually skip tutorials even when I could have used one later.
I normally avoid playing games set entirely within a theater because they feel too confined. Not this one.
HO screens give off a slightly out of focus bubbly quaver to alert the player, and sometimes a spark or two rises from other hotspots. But this is a wonderful game, so those visual cues are forgivable. There were two inventory items I wouldn't have found otherwise although in my defense I am less observant when developers hold my hand than when they don't.
Steven Xhao was the main creative force behind this game. From cursory googling I gather he is now making VR games. It's almost enough to prod me into investigating them.
To get a 2018 HOPA as immersive as Nightingale, I would pay twice the price.
ETA: I noticed another good quality. After finishing the game, I started the bonus game then closed out. When I returned, I carelessly clicked on the main game which started up again from the beginning. I thought, "Darn, now the bonus game will be chained up again." No, that didn't happen. Under the same profile, the bonus game remained open. Very thoughtful of Blue Tea.
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Re: What Casual Games Are You Playing Right Now? - Part Two
[Re: Tally Ho]
#1249365
06/10/21 12:03 AM
06/10/21 12:03 AM
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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 34,381 United Kingdom
Mad
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Sonic Boomer
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 34,381
United Kingdom
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So Mad - yes I did buy that game, and yes I like it. Will likely do more of the series. I'm onto the bonus game of Chimeras : Cherished Serpent now, Tally Ho. The main game didn't seem as long as that of the Mark of Death one and I, personally, didn't think it was quite as good a main game either .... although it WAS still pretty enjoyable EDIT : Yes. I definitely found it shorter - and have now finished the bonus game as well
Last edited by Mad; 06/10/21 02:08 AM.
Time : The Most Precious Commodity
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Re: What Casual Games Are You Playing Right Now? - Part Two
[Re: oldbroad]
#1249703
06/15/21 02:13 AM
06/15/21 02:13 AM
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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 34,381 United Kingdom
Mad
Sonic Boomer
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Sonic Boomer
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 34,381
United Kingdom
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Weirdly, over the years, games I have bought on disk have, at some time, appeared without warning or a given reason, in my Big Fish Purchase History So I've tended to play the BF version on a re-play. And I do have the two "Drawn" games on disk but haven't noticed if they also have appeared in my account as BF versions. So I will look .... when I think on !!
Time : The Most Precious Commodity
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Re: What Casual Games Are You Playing Right Now? - Part Two
[Re: oldbroad]
#1249712
06/15/21 03:46 AM
06/15/21 03:46 AM
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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 34,381 United Kingdom
Mad
Sonic Boomer
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Sonic Boomer
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 34,381
United Kingdom
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Oh, yes !! I had forgotten about a third game. I don't think I ever bought it. But I'm not sure - without going to look 🙄
Time : The Most Precious Commodity
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Re: What Casual Games Are You Playing Right Now? - Part Two
[Re: Marian]
#1249816
06/16/21 01:26 PM
06/16/21 01:26 PM
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 4,229 San Francisco Bay Area, CA
Reenie
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Addicted Boomer
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Posts: 4,229
San Francisco Bay Area, CA
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I just finished replaying the CE version of Nightfall Mysteries: Black Heart. It is a satisfyingly long game with a combination of hokey stuff ("NYAH-HA-HA" villains with outrageously bad accents) and great graphics with tough puzzles. I think it is about three years old but has held up well. Good Game Manual if you get stuck. The Map keeps track of where you are and locations where there is action to be taken. Most of the time, you are alone inside the castle, but there are a variety of outdoor environments, occasional meetups with others and a lot of running back and forth. The HO scenes aren't bad on the whole; just a few with VERY small parts or very well camouflaged. The story is loosely based on a vampire family wanting to resurrect its leader but you, as the intrepid detective, are tasked with preventing this. It is a good, long game and I think I enjoyed it more on replaying it than originally. The last scene foreshadows a follow-up story/game, but I don't know if one was created.
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Re: What Casual Games Are You Playing Right Now? - Part Two
[Re: Marian]
#1249820
06/16/21 01:48 PM
06/16/21 01:48 PM
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 48,412 near Yosemite
Marian
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OP
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near Yosemite
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There are four Nightfall Mysteries games.Black Heart was the third game and Haunted by the Past was the fourth. Not sure if the fourth game is a continuation of the story in the third, but it apparently has some of the same characters from the third game. Black Heart, by the way, was released in 2012. Haunted by the Past was released in 2015.
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Re: What Casual Games Are You Playing Right Now? - Part Two
[Re: oldbroad]
#1249821
06/16/21 02:25 PM
06/16/21 02:25 PM
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Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 790 Virginia Beach, VA
Uncle Reg
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That doesn't particularly sound fun Uncle Reg. I do plan on playing all three games though. If I remember correctly, it doesn't matter if you win the game or not, you'll still get what you need, so it's really not so bad.
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Re: What Casual Games Are You Playing Right Now? - Part Two
[Re: Uncle Reg]
#1249825
06/16/21 04:37 PM
06/16/21 04:37 PM
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Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 18,227 Chicago
oldbroad
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Graduate Boomer
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Chicago
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That doesn't particularly sound fun Uncle Reg. I do plan on playing all three games though. If I remember correctly, it doesn't matter if you win the game or not, you'll still get what you need, so it's really not so bad. Sounding better.
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Re: What Casual Games Are You Playing Right Now? - Part Two
[Re: Marian]
#1249870
06/17/21 12:03 PM
06/17/21 12:03 PM
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 5,470 Between Buffalo and Syracuse
Tally Ho
BAAG Specialist
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BAAG Specialist
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 5,470
Between Buffalo and Syracuse
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Playing Macabre Mystery - Curse of the Nightingale. I quite like it! The hidden object scenes are that style where you assemble an object from twelve hidden pieces, all very ornate. I admit to using a technique that might not be totally legitimate, but it works well. Instead of looking at the necessary pieces first, then searching the scene, I scan the scene picking up what looks like pieces without even knowing what they are yet. Goes pretty fast, and usually results in finding 9 or 10 right off, then actually searching properly for the last few.
I remember seeing the Blue Tea logo before, but can't recall what games I might have played. (Not this one, to be sure)
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Re: What Casual Games Are You Playing Right Now? - Part Two
[Re: Tally Ho]
#1249880
06/17/21 01:56 PM
06/17/21 01:56 PM
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 4,229 San Francisco Bay Area, CA
Reenie
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San Francisco Bay Area, CA
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I just replayed Macabre Mysteries, Curse of the Nightingale and enjoyed it all over again. And yep, I'm another one that does a "Scan/Click" of the pile first, too. Sometimes, more than half the items will pop up readily, then you pick out the stragglers. I really don't enjoy "make work," like HOG scenes, and just want to get through them and go on with the game.
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