The Slavic Fable and Grim Legends look good. Thank you for your input! :3
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I've played recently Eventide (which I won here) and it strengthened my resolve to never buy HOGs again or enter GAs for them.
Just record yourself saying "it's slavic, cute and creepy" and put it on a loop. I liked the second Grim Legends though, more because of the campy Bad Ass Swan Simulation thing than everything else though.
edit: also hated Dark Arcana: The Carnival and Mind Snares: Alice's Journey.
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Every game from those you dislike is on my wishlist. :D
WHy did you dislike those games?
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Both Eventide and Dark Arcana seemed very much par for the course, Dark Arcana more so, but it may be because it's an older (=smaller budget) game, I'm not sure. Mind Snares I hated for the manipulative, stereotypical depiction of the main character. I'm OK with HOG protagonists being just empty vessels for the player to inhabit, for Mind Snares it's less the case and for the worse.
Also a trait d'union between Dark Arcana and Mind Snares is that they present a wannabe nightmarish atmosphere that is also sanitized: it's not scary, disquieting, or whatever else, it cannot be, I just find the end result irritating.
In general the more HOGs I played, the more I've become sensitive to the following things: the depiction of women by the male writers; the total disconnection between gameplay and the story (QUICK! WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING BEFORE ITS TOO LATE - takes another 30 minutes of trawling through junk, collecting missing tokens from all over the place or whatever else, etc- before the story progression can resume), the 1001 Puzzles book approach to game design and how they're put together: cookie cutter, or building blocks if you prefer.
Now if you told me I'm being overcritical, I would understand whence you were coming, maybe you could say I've played more than my fair share of Artifex's and their copycats (which they publish) - but I also can't help hoping that someone would expand the formula, make something new, more ambitious, more interesting.
In closing, I just remembered about this one I have in my WL.
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Really? So the horror atmosphere is kinda washed out in those games? That makes me sad, because the trailer for Mind Snares really piqued my interest. I'm not saying it has to be Silent Hill 2 levels of atmospheric, but it sounds like a let down.
Like i said, i've never played a HOG before, so i can't comment on those issues, but i think i could look past those flaws if the puzzles and other mechanics are fun.
I wouldn't say you're overcritical, you just have different taste than other players. I'm sure you're not alone.
Holy crap! Tormentum looks gorgeous! Thank you for the reccomendation! :3
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I wouldn't say you're overcritical, you just have different taste than other players. I'm sure you're not alone.
I mean, they're "just" HOGs right? but, after you've played a bunch, you begin to see the patterns and similarities emerging, the repetition gets extremely tiresome, lacking any other worthy or redeeming element.
Anyway, besides those already mentioned, I liked Nightmares from the Deep (the first more than the second probably because of the reason I just mentioned), the first Enigmatis, and Pickers (which adds an atypical tycoon game on top of the HOG scenes, nothing terribly deep but a nice variation).
Angelica Weaver is one I didn't like, and I wouldn't recommend Time Mysteries - I've only played the first so far, but it's an old game which, nevermind the "Remastering", still shows its age with low resolution scenes that make it harder than it needs be.
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I have most of these because of indiegala bundles. This person still has the Secret Legends bundle for $1 if you're up for it? I paid via paypal (be sure to add the fees in if you're not paying with friends and family). I've bought from the person before and it's legit. It's cheaper because of the Happy Hour bundle. :) Hope this helps.
Ps: Still relatively new here and I'm not sure if the link is allowed on steamgifts. Let me know if I should be removing it.
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Ah, i don't use Paypal. Only gave me headaches in the past. I have an account on TremorGames and they have most of the recommended games in stock. :)
The link shouldn't be a problem.
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You beat me to it, was about to recommend AM games too!
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I've played bunch of Artifex's games as suggested above and they're ok enough.
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Artifex Mundi are some kind of specialists when it comes to HOGs?
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Yeah. Even on Android they publish HOG games lol.
Some of them look rushed, but nowhere near pure garbage. If you want to play HOGs they're good materials to play.
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Yeah, recently they started publishing as well - and there's quite a quality gap between self-made games of theirs and the published ones
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Nightmares from the deep have a nice undead pirates feel and look. Fish men and such... Kinda like Pirates of the Caribbean.
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Which one of the three games would you recommend the most?
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I recommend these games too. I'd go in order since there is some story connecting them.
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+1 on the rec. Start with the first, as the stories are linked.
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First one I guess. If you like it go for the rest. Kinda story heavy and connected.
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Bear in mind that the cutscenes in the first one will be of pretty poor quality due to the fact that they didn't update it for higher resolutions. They look quite blurry and pixelated. The game is still really fun, and the cutscenes are bearable.
The cutscenes improve dramatically in the second game.
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The ones I liked most:
http://store.steampowered.com/app/369420/
http://store.steampowered.com/app/406870/
http://store.steampowered.com/app/363330/
http://store.steampowered.com/app/372930/
http://store.steampowered.com/app/390200/
http://store.steampowered.com/app/399890/
http://store.steampowered.com/app/437420/
http://store.steampowered.com/app/393150/
I love HOG games and I own all Artifex Mundi games released on Steam. They do tend to be the best.
Hope I could help. :)
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Alice's Journey, The secret order and Dreamatorium look very interesting! Thank you! :3
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The most recent Artifex Mundi game is pretty good. Mythic Wonders The Philosopher's Stone.
Empress of the deep is nice. Christmas Adventure: Candy Storm is simple but fun, the story is meh though.
http://steamcommunity.com/id/Usako/recommended/
I have quite a few HOG games recommended since it's one of my favorite genres.
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Wow, those reviews are pretty good. Are you a professional reviewer?
I've added a few interesting games to my wishlist, thank you! :3
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No, it's just a hobby but it's nice to review games that otherwise might not get as much attention since they're not AAA titles.
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I played half a dozen HOGS. The ones I enjoyed the most were:
Drawn (The Painted Tower) (not exactly a HOG, but close; GREAT music and atmosphere!)
Enigmatis (The Ghosts of Maple Creek) (first one I ever played, and I was quite impressed)
Grim Legends (The Forsaken Bride) (great art, story ok, very good game indeed)
The other 3 kind of left me unimpressed for some reason... They are not HORRIBLE, but they left me... cold. shrug
Theatre of the Absurd
Grim Legends 2
Nightmares from the Deep (The Cursed Heart)
Cheers!
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I'm a big fan of point and click adventure games, but I had never played a hidden object game until a few months ago. I played Brink of Consciousness: Dorian Gray Syndrome. I found it somewhat easy and I enjoyed the game more than I thought I would. I did not enjoy the bonus chapter though, I thought it was kind of boring and dragged out compared to the main story. If you read the plot and think you would be interested in it, I would recommend it.
I have not played a game from Artifex Mundi yet, but they seem to be rated very high. Your best bet is probably to click on their name in steam, open up the highest rated games they have (linked in previous sentence), read the plots and pick the game that you find the most interesting.
Edit: I just copied and slightly edited this comment. I actually posted it a few months ago in another thread where someone asked the same question. You may want to check it out and read the replies there. There's probably some good info.
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I just took a look at Brink of Consciousness, looks like a psychological horror thing. I'm in! :3
Thank you for the link, it's some interesting reading! :3
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It is probably one of, if not the best hidden object games I ever played. And I started to play them in late 2006…
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Ah, the art style isn't my cup of tea. :(
Thank you for the input though! :3
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I don't think I have seen this one mentioned yet and it is on sale for $.49 right now - Frankenstein: Master of Death
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Looks interesting, added to my wishlist. Thank you! :3
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Where's that talgaby fellow when you need him? :X He loves HOGs.
I'd say most of the Artifex Mundi HOGs are pretty damned good, but I particularly liked the Nightmares from the Deep series. You know ... pirates and all.
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I've checked Nightmares from the Deep yesterday. They're definitely on my wishlist.
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There is not a single good hidden object game,
since they are all hidden object games.
Sorry for the bad news ;)
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Please open your trade thread, I can trade some bundle leftovers of Artifex Mundi HOGs to you :P
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I stopped with trading long ago and the games that i have listed in my closed trading thread are already gone. Used them for giveaways. :3
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I just think I may have some leftover that you have interesting because I always buy Artifex Mundi HOG bundle and which usually included about half re-bundled games .
But not sure if it's ok to post trade list in discussion section.
Well, maybe I should post them in my trade thread.
May reply my link here after sorted.
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I own all bundled Artifex Mundi games, played 4 of them so far.
Abyss: The Wraiths of Eden
Left in the Dark: No One on Board
Mind Snares: Alice's Journey
Queen's Quest: Tower of Darkness
Abyss is the best one i play, maybe you can start with this one.
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Thank you for the reccomendation, Added Abyss to my wishlist. :3
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As many people said, Artifex Mundi's games are good to start with. Make sure to check if they are also the designers, not just publishers. Advised starters: Grim Legends, Nightmares from the Deep trilogy, Clockwork Tales, Abyss.
Second best bet: FIVE-BN GAMES (yes, all-capital). New York Mysteries and Lost Lands in this order.
Then, you may start some of the smaller-budget but great ones. Robin's Quest is in some bundle right now. Theatre of the Absurd is like its title. If you like the latter, try to get your hands on the Empress of the Deep trilogy and play them back-to back. Individually, they are mediocre. As a whole, one of the best HOGs.
And of course there is the one that started the modern format, Princess Isabella. Despite how the title sounds, the story is not all pink but rather good. The second game is still passable, the third one is terrible. Sadly, the second is not really working without the third.
I would also love to add Infected: The Twin Vaccine, but it is still not added back up on the store, but it should eventually.
After that, there are the pseudo-HOGs. Shaman Games Studios has a few on Steam, like Witch's Pranks and Dreamscapes.
Still, the best is probably Drawn from BFG, although if you want to play it, you are better off buying it at Big Fish Games as it has the entire series up.
And if you are still on-board, you may go old-school: Midnight Mysteries series, Adventure Chronicles, Mirror Mysteries 1, Vault Cracker.
And of course, there is Brink of Consciousness. I cannot stress enough how great those games are, among the best HOGs ever. Both, but the first one works better as a whole, while the second has a better plot.
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The Grim Legends games look very interesting, i've ordered them on Tremor Games. Nightmares from the Deep are a close second, i'll look into those if i get hooked on Grim Legends.
Read about Lost Lands, but the energy system and stuff like that put me off. And i'm not a big fan of elves in general. The New York games have that mafia setting, also not my thing.
Empress of the Deep looks like Bioshock. Can you tell me more about Twin Vaccine?
I'll check out Dreamscapes, it looks good.
Midnight Mysteries also looks interesting, which one of the four would you recommend the most?
I've already added Brink of Consciousness to my wishlist.
Thank you for the recommendations, and thank you for the great reviews on Steam! :3
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Empress of the Deep uses the same Verne-inspired art style and some of the themes are similar (an underwater civilisation but not Atlantis).
Infected: The Twin Vaccine looks like a zombie game, but it is a chase thriller: you play as a doctor trying to find a little girl whose blood is the key for stopping an epidemic. It takes place in an evacuated Canadian town with a mysterious guy seemingly trying to stop/kill you.
If I'd have to pick just one of the Midnight Mysteries, I'd go against the public opinion and recommend the third one, the one with Mark Twain (Devil on the Mississippi) over the fourth one, the Houdini game. The first one with Poe was an old-school HOG (only hidden object scenes, but there was already a story). My second favourite, but not suited for a newcomer.
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Even better, i'm ordering Twin Vaccine on TG then. The setting sounds interesting.
Thank you for the clarification! Put MM3 on my wishlist. :3
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No worries. ^_^ I'd advise trying out one of the Artifex Mundi ones I listed above, then you can decide yourself if this genre is for you or not. Most HOGs use the same few building blocks in various orders, so in a sense it is a repetitive genre, mostly defined by the quality of their hidden object scenes and the storytelling quality. This is why I would say definitely pick up Brink of Consciousness (or, if you are interested, I have a spare key to trade each for 90 cents worth of random cards) when you can in a bundle or sale, as it combines the two in the best ways possible.
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Enigmatis 1-2, Grim Legends 1 (and 2), Nearwood and the Brink of Consciousness games were the very best for me.
To repeat Talgaby - Nightmares from the Deep, Abyss, Clockwork tales are also good
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I've only played a few HOGs at the moment (even though I own a whole bunch of them), but I highly recommend Grim Legends: The Forsaken Bride, Enigmatis: The Ghosts of Maple Creek, Enigmatis 2: Mists of Ravenwood, Nightmares from the Deep: The Cursed Heart, Nightmares from the Deep 2: The Siren's Call.
These are all really fun, have Achievements, and are a good challenge.:)
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One more thing: Artifex Mundi are also a distributor, not only a creator.
They can sell games created by another studio.
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Example:
http://store.steampowered.com/app/363330/
Producent: World-Loom
Wydawca: Artifex Mundi
http://store.steampowered.com/app/284750/
Producent: Artifex Mundi
Wydawca: Artifex Mundi
http://store.steampowered.com/app/458480/
Producent: Organic 2 Digital Studio
Wydawca: Artifex Mundi
If you like game, check who is a producer and search for aniother game of this studio.
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My favorite Artifex Mundi game - Mind Snares: Alice's Journey
And If we talk about another developer, maybe Jetdogs Studios? Dracula's Legacy, Alchemy Mysteries: Prague Legends, Frankenstein: Master of Death are awesome ^^
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I have Mind Snares and Frankenstein on my wishlist, thank you! :3
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i only heard about grim legends being good, unfortunately i come from times when 99% of those games were so weak that i now fear to touch any of them myself.
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How were they weak? Can you tell me more about it?
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It's a complicated thing. The jist of it is that the market is flooded with cheap Eastern European knock-off shoddy HOGs, but where he is a little wrong is that this trend has been constantly going on since 2012-ish. Titles like Space Legends: At the Edge of the Universe, Showing Tonight, Green Moon, Sinister City, are all part of that. Funny enough, most of the really good stuff also comes from the same region (Brink of Consciousness, which I frequently mention, was made in probably the poorest and most corrupt country on the continent, Moldova.)
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Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of baskervilles -http://store.steampowered.com/app/209230/
One of the best on steam and much more difficult than your average HOG
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You say it's difficult, i might consider it if i get hooked on the HOG genre. Thank you for the reccomendation! :3
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It is a very special type of HOG, where you collect fragments from various places in order to progress. Not fully a FROG (fragmented object game, a sub-genre where you don't look for items, you look for item parts), but it is an interesting one. A great one, but I would hold it off under you get a dozen or so HOGs under your belt. But he is right in that it is an enjoyable game, one you should try if you can.
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The only HOG I ever liked is Nick Chase and the Deadly Diamond. It's got great film noir style artwork and interesting detective story. I really loved the game. There's also Nick Chase: A Detective Story which I haven't played, but I'll assume it's at least as great as the previous one.
Unfortunately neither of them are on steam. You'd have to get them from BigFishGames or perhaps you could find them somewhere else. Someone really needs to get those two on steam.
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I'll go and check out BFG's site, thank you for the recommendation! :3
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If you care for history of HOG's than you should try first game of this genre - Mystery Case Files: Huntsville. It's not on Steam but you can find it on Big Fish Games website.
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Be careful: it will be unforgiving. Playing an old HOG now is like as if a console kiddie tries to play in a ranked expert Quake Live match with a controller for the first time: the difficulty spike is tremendous.
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Guess i'll wait a bit and see if i get hooked before trying that one.
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Yeah, i've seen the kitty in the trailer. I just had to have the game. :3
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Hi, i've given away a few HOGs in the past and it got me thinking: "Why don't i try one of these games?", but i have zero experience with this type of game. It would be really nice if you could recommend me some HOGs that are good or interesting and beginner friendly.
Thank you! :3
Edit: Many thanks for the recommendations! I've added loads of games to my wishlist and have gotten Grim Legends 1&2! :3
Small GA
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