Reviews

• gamedeal user

  May 16, 2014

  For a casual Hidden Object game, this one was pretty good. It's especially worth it if you get it on sale. If you are looking for a hardcore challenge, though, this one is definitely not for you. Note: This is the Collector's Edition with bonus content. There's an extra mini-story to complete after the main story. However, it didn't offer much extra, and the last puzzle was just ridiculous. It was the only thing I used the strategy guide to get past. Pros: - Detailed artwork. The concept art gets unlocked as bonus content when you complete the game. - Objects are not so hidden that they are impossible to find. Only a few of the objects might be confusing. - Decent variety of different types of puzzles along with the Hidden Object ones. - Puzzles can be solved by an average user. These don't require a savant or prodigy to solve. - Ambient effects and animation keep it from looking like still frames. - Hints and a complete "Strategy Guide" (walkthrough) are built-in if you do get stuck. - Sparkles to indicate when something in a location can be interacted with. This is especially helpful with all of the backtracking. Cons: - Somewhat cheesy story and voice acting. - Lots of backtracking and re-use of previous scenes for Hidden Objects during the course of the story. - Use of shadows as objects. - The lighting effects in Hidden Object scenes can make it difficult to see certain objects. Sometimes I had to wait for the light to change in order to see something. - Fixed 4:3 aspect ratio. The in-game copyright says 2012, well past widescreen adoption, yet they didn't at least put in a decorative border. --- [i]For more...[/i] [b][url=http://steamcommunity.com/id/abbydonprime/recommended/]My Reviews[/url][/b] || [i]My casual gaming... [/i] [b][url=http://steamcommunity.com/groups/bytesizedgames]Group[/url][/b] | [b][url=http://store.steampowered.com/curator/23861276/]Curator Page[/url][/b]
• gamedeal user

  Oct 7, 2014

  [i] Its absurd to think this is a decent HOG compared to others available... [/i] [b]The Good: [/b] [list] [*] Beautiful artwork [*] Animations are nicely drawn [*] Somewhat nice variety of locations [*] Protagonist's voice acting is good [/list] [b]The Bad: [/b] [list] [*] Bonus content voice acting is terrible [*] Hidden object searches were not accurate (I could easily pick off 3/4 of the items just randomly clicking) [*] Cannot skip conversations, narrations, most cutscenes. Even clicking descriptions, you have to wait for protagonist to finish saying "I have to put something in there" [*] Story length is short. Finished game in less than 4 hours + 'bonus content' on Expert first time [*] UI is not intuitive or consistent. Sometimes you drag an inventory item, sometimes you just click, sometimes you click lots for multiple items.. who knows until you have to try! [/list] [b]The Ugly: [/b] [list] [*] Collector's edition has extra content- they remind you on every screen in there and on your items (serious example: Ruby [Collectors Edition]) [*]Story didn't flesh out at all and don't really explain very much. Bonus content only serves to open more holes while badly plugging the ones you had finished with. [*] No extra features - no achievements, no cards, no side quests, no lore, no epilogue (I lie a little, you get to see... concept art after bonus is completed). [/list] [b][i]For people who know their HOG's: [/i][/b] This game is probably one of the lowest ranked HOG's I've seen in a long time. There are games in the Apple store for tablets that go for $2 that are better than this. The story is unengaging, short and unpolished; the puzzles either easy or annoying. This is the first time I've felt like skipping easy puzzles because I couldn't be bothered, as there was no motivation nor interest from story to encourage me, let alone some of them were very arduous. The fact you can't skip most of the dialogue in the game, including 'monologues about what to do next' really kills your interest and since you're left with no epilogue or extra features makes you feel like the whole game was a chore with little to show for it. For $A5, you're not getting your money's worth. I would buy it at <$1 sale as it still had beautiful artwork and well, its still a HOG :) [b][i]For people who are new to HOG's (Hidden Object Games): [/i][/b] This is not one of the better ones on the market folks. There are much more fun HOG's on Steam that give you so many extra features that they're now generally accepted as standard including Steam Cards, side quests (e.g. extra hidden objects in different maps), achievements and more. It is especially important to note that this game did not have a very good tutorial nor really orientate you to what you're meant to do so it may not be the best one to start with or base your opinion of HOG's.
• gamedeal user

  Feb 9, 2015

  I only played a bit but I really love this one. Honestly I was expecting another average game as I have played some hidden object games before but wow it proved me wrong! This has to be one of my favorites. The art is great as with most in this genre, but the mood and feel surpasses most. It really draws you in. The soft music actually increases teh spooky part. Normally I don't mention the voice actors, but the woman's voice is well fitting. The story is intresting so far but thin (maybe it changes over the course of the game). Maybe I love this one so much because it is intense and in my favorite style: horror. Yup I love hidden object scenes with death things, weapons and severed limbs.. A kewl extra is that at a certain point you come across a room that you can't open. Not untill you finish the main storyline as it holds the bonus contents. How kewl is that? One lesser point on casual the puzzles are too easy. But then is it really negative?
• gamedeal user

  Feb 23, 2015

  I tentatively recommend this game to people who are open to point and click hidden objects games. It's fun and interesting with new mechanics introduced every so often to keep it lively but Theatre of the Absurd is really just one long fetch quest with a mostly unexplained plot and poor voice acting. Here's a bit of a breakdown: It introduces new mechanics in the form of magic spells which you use to access other areas of the castles and solve puzzles that you couldn't otherwise. But the spells are limited in number and the puzzles you solve using spells are generally as involved as clicking on the spell and watching the puzzles solve themselves. Everything in this game is pushed by the drive to save a possessed girl named Bethany by collecting several bell fragments. But before that you have to collect sets of a bunch of other objects, some of which you find in hidden object puzzles and others you find just by clicking around randomly on the screen. There are a few non-hidden objects and non-fetch quest style puzzles, but those are limited in number. The story is interesting enough to keep me entertained through it, but at the end of the day I'm left feeling starved. Hidden objects games generally have exceedingly beautiful artwork, soundtrack, and well developed storylines to compensate for their lack of real meaty gameplay. This game has 2 of those, and it isn't the story. The voice acting sure as hell isn't helping. I could forgive a lot if this were an indie game, but apparently it's not so there goes forgiveness out the window. I expect a lot better from a B class developer than this (it's not triple A developed but still). I can still recommend it for some of its intrigue and twists but only if you're able to put up with a lot of backtracking and have a lot of patience. You can check out the first part of my let's play in the video below. I cover the core game but I don't cover any of the extra bits tacked on in the collectors edition on camera. I did, however, finish them off camera and that's what my Steam Review is based on. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uI6Dw2WUdcw
• gamedeal user

  Apr 24, 2015

  Crap. Got it on sale and too much. Stay away from Strategy First Games. Read carefully who publishes games. If you see Strategy First run away.
• gamedeal user

  May 10, 2015

  This is a lovely little gem of a game made by the same people who did the 3 Empress of the Deep HOs. Pros: - The graphics are well done - lots of nice artwork. - The voice actor for the lead female is, in my opinion, quite good. - Along with hidden objects and puzzles, a very fun game pops up on a regular basis. You get a picture and, underneath, a number of little spheres with tiny details of the picture. You have to find and click on those details in the picture. Hope you have a good eye. :) - For HO lovers, there is a large amount of great hidden object scenes. Fun to look at and items are usually easily identifiable while being sneakily hidden. Sometimes I had to search around for a bit but I never had to use the hint button. - Puzzles range from easy to manageable. There's nothing that should stump you. - There's a bonus chapter. Though it's very brief, it leads to an artwork gallery. Cons: - The story is a bit creepy and disturbing. While this may be a pro for many, I'm placing it under cons because the plot is also confusing. I've played this game (and the bonus content) twice and I'm still not sure exactly what happened. :p Maybe you're smarter than me though. - Very very short game length. If you find this on sale, I definitely recommend it to all you HO fans. Even though I couldn't wrap my head around the story - the voice acting, artwork, and hidden object scenes were a pure joy.
• gamedeal user

  May 13, 2015

  Gamebreaking bug on the plaquets puzzle, be careful.
• gamedeal user

  Aug 28, 2015

  It's been a while since I played this game, but oddly enough I still remember the setting and the story very well. That, I can say for a select few games in the HOG genre. I remember basically devouring the game within a couple of hours, due to its creepy and intriguing atmosphere, alongside the main character's otherworldly abilities. [i]Theatre of the Absurd[/i] is an exceeding game for its genre. We take a close look on Scarlett Frost - god, I wish there would be a series based on this character - , an occult expert who was invited to a remote castle to identify a dangerous occult object known as the Habsburg Cube, which is said to contain a powerful demon. Our employer/mysterious gentleman Dr. Corvus decides to throw a tantrum when Scarlett declares the item as a fake, and smashes the artifact to pieces at the opening scene. Then... yeah, you have guessed right: everything goes to hell, and yeah, the item WAS the real deal. Now Dr. Corvus is possessed by the said demon, and the whole castle has just became his playground. Following Dr. Corvus' last wish, Scarlett takes Bethany - his young and innocent daughter - to the bell tower, the only place that the demon's taint couldn't reach for unknown reasons. Now Bethany's soul is in grave danger, and above all things, Scarlett's right hand is infused with some uncanny, demonic energy which spells full sentences of advice out of nowhere, probably with an agenda of its own. Your immediate task is to wonder within the castle, and discover its many wonders and horrors in hopes of both finding means to protect Bethany and bring an end to this demonic infestation. As I've stated at the beginning of my review, the atmosphere is grand. Every singular animation was a cross breed between Vertigo comics' eerie style with beautifully drawn gothic artwork. I was sold within the first 5 minutes of gameplay, both thanks to the story and the artwork. Voice acting is taken seriously, you can listen Scarlett making a comment on everything. Another charming factor is that the developers were fascinatingly attentive to detail. Considering Dr. Corvus himself was an occultist, all areas that you encounter are weaved with occult, mythological and historical references for your enjoyment. I know that I enjoyed it thoroughly. And the Theatre of the Absurd itself... No, I won't make a comment on that. Lets not spoil the experience for you, shall we? The gameplay is fairly generic for a HOG. It is an adventure with hidden object scenes and puzzles. Nothing new in that department. What was both refreshing and intriguing is checking your arm for instructions and advices, and wonder whether it be in your best interest to follow it or not. Hidden object scenes are not the greatest, and puzzles are nothing extraordinary. It just takes some attention, is all. There is some backtracking, but the game itself is not that long anyhow so it won't bother you much. There is a bonus content at the end to present us some more information about the mysteries within the Theatre of the Absurd, but as a fair warning: the ending is incredibly vague. There are scattered clues indicating Scarlett's relation with this odd family, but nearly nothing is explained. After completing the game, nearly half your questions shall remain unanswered. I'd love a sequel for this game. There is room for the story improvement and mysteries to be enlightened, if there would be future installments. I'll recommend the game based on the incredible setting, and original plot ideas. If you enjoy the HOG genre, or at least enjoy beautiful artwork, here is a sweet present for you. Please also check out Lady Storyteller's Curator page [url=http://steamcommunity.com/groups/ladystoryteller#curation]here[/url] - follow for regular updates on reviews for other games!
• gamedeal user

  Jul 5, 2018

  pros + good looking graphics + creepy atmosphere and story. + easy puzzles (if you don't want to challenge) + good voice acting + hidden object elements are fun. + hint system helpful + there is auto save + game is not too short cons - annoying last puzzles in bonus level. i skipped them. - there are no steam achievements - game doesn't drop cards. - too much backtracking
• gamedeal user

  Aug 1, 2018

  I'm hesitant to reccomend this game, but I'm doing so based off the discounted price that I paid. The story feels incomplete and the "extra" content does nothing to help that. Most puzzles were very easy and as someone said previously, you can randomly click to complete most of it with very little consequences. The two "hardest" puzzles were actually in the CE content and had no explanation on how to complete them or what the goal really was. I didn't encounter any of the game ending glitches I read on some of the prior comments, even with putting items in their locations before having all the components, so I was either lucky or the developer has fixed the issue. All in all, for the extremely discounted price I was happy and felt like I got my money's worth. Wait for the 80-90% off sale.