Reviews

• JadeRexEverything

  Jun 19, 2014

  After finishing out the first one, I started on the second one and I was more pleased with this one! The story was more put together, you felt more connected and weren't as annoyed with the main character. You play as Anna once again - waking up after escaping the underwater kingdom - but this time you must find your way up to the floating Temple of the Clouds with animal companions you save through the game and try to save the Children of Light from your evil sister before she unleashes the most evil of plans. There's no amnesia to get through, no wondering why she can't figure out that the laughing child is indeed evil, etc. It all fits much more smoothly and leads you to a better story altogether. I do recommend this one more so than the first, but I am also an avid member of the "play the series" club - but only when the story is a continuation. You can read my review here too: https://jaderexeverythingsite.wordpress.com/2021/09/04/empress-of-the-deep-2-song-of-the-blue-whale-game-review/
• gamedeal user

  Dec 13, 2021

  HOG are my go to relaxing game but I just can't recommend this one. The game holds your hand too much by making everything you can interact with sparkle and basically telling you exactly what you need to do. The voice acting is incredibly boring and made me want to sleep. You can't speed through conversations. You either skip the cut scene entirely or listen to the whole dialog. The only pleasant part of the game was during HOG scenes. Whenever you click on the correct item it makes a very pleasant sound. Most of my hour spent in this game was actually spent ignoring it while the screen was up. I maybe played 30 minutes but I can't take anymore. I guess I got my $1 worth.
• gamedeal user

  Feb 15, 2022

  Continue your journey as Anna as she attempts to restore her kingdom and memories. The complaint with the first game is that it was too short and as any true sequel Empress 2 is twice as big and has twice as much to offer. Since this is a hidden object game and since you've mostly likely already played Empress Of The Deep 1 there's not much else to say, it's bigger and there's more of it, so give it a shot if you enjoyed the first game. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2389293857
• gamedeal user

  Oct 9, 2014

  I wrote a detailed review for the first Empress of the Deep and I don't feel up to writing another so I'll just quickly list the similarities and differences. - Number 2 is slightly longer than 1, much more so if you spend time in the bonus area and playing the new ZEM game. - Graphics are better. In fact, I've played this game more than once simply to view the beautiful scenery. - Puzzles aren't too difficult. - More and clearer hidden object areas than the first game. - Story is still very cryptic. - Still has "Area Cleared" stamped on places where you've completed everything. Such a great feature! In my opinion, Empress of the Deep 2 is the best of the trilogy. However, as much as I love this game, I still recommend trying to find it on sale because of its short length. Really though, I think this is one of my favorite hidden object games. It's almost as if the developers took some of the lovely places I've dreamed of and placed them in their game.
• gamedeal user

  Dec 26, 2014

  [h1]Short version: 73%[/h1] Empress of the Deep 2, the middle part of a trilogy, faithfully follows the footsteps of the first game with even more astonishing visuals, better gameplay, and a more rewarding puzzle system. [h1]Long version:[/h1] Empress of the Deep 2: Song of the Blue Whale changed little over the previous title: it still feels like a mixture of Myst-like adventure games with classic hidden object mechanics, plus a few easy puzzles added on top. This continuity is reflected in aesthetics that feature the same Jules Verne-like design (with greater detail); plot which takes the Empress to a sky temple where she learns more about what happened during the century she spent asleep; and gameplay that makes you explore four different temples and makes you do another lap after you are seemingly finished– although this time the goal is to free the spirits of the four seasons by rescuing a number of animal guardians. Maybe these recurring elements will make you feel Song of the Blue Whale is just the same game packaged under a different title, but in reality it’s a solid middle pillar in the trilogy, which itself is a good, recommended series for all hidden object fans.
• gamedeal user

  Jan 4, 2015

  First off let me say, skip the first game, you don't really need to play it to get what's going on in this one, save yourself the cash and the headache. Much, much better job in this game, lots of content even if it did only take me a few hours to get through it. I guess it feels substantial because of all the things you need to do. Graphics are great once again, mini games now come with a question mark so you can see what you are meant to do and the HO scenes are the right side of difficult. There are better HO games by this developer but this one is worth a look if you need to kill time.
• gamedeal user

  Mar 8, 2015

  Been playing this with my 6 year old daughter. She loves the game. Its "interesting" enough for the parent to stay engaged. I recommend it to parents who wants to play a game with their kids.
• gamedeal user

  May 5, 2015

  Game 2 in a series, though story wise ok-ishly independent; the game gives you a summary of game 1 to read if you so wish. You play Anna in first person, trying to save the Temple of the Sky from the curse set upon it. Decent, linear story, with quite a bit of backtracking, much like the first game. Very averagely entertaining, as the first game. Enjoyable art though the 'blurryness' of it makes it harder to see the hidden objects in puzzles. Hidden objects outside of the puzzles in this game are less obvious than in the first game, but still easy to find as they sparkle if you're in the area for too long. Like the first game, you know you've finished an area because of the 'area cleared' stamp. This game's puzzles felt easier than the first one, and the addition of things like magical flying dolphins underlines pretty heavily that this game is directed at kids and pre-teens. You get to save animals and collect flowers and butterflies to solve puzzles. The game adds a new feature by having a minigame at the end that you can play for trophies or a high score. The main character's voice annoyed me less than in the first game, maybe I just got used to it, and they fixed the terrible font. The art is still really good. Buy when heavily discounted if you are/know a 12 year old girl for full enjoyment or if you want some easy entertainment when you're procrastinating school work. Again recommended in lack of a 'meh' button.
• gamedeal user

  Aug 15, 2015

  Remember Empress of the Deep? After failing to save the Ark, thanks to your evil twin sister Pandora who had with her a giant explosive, you're waking up on a beach, with a new mission: get in the Temple of the Clouds or the Palace of the Sky and free the Children of the Lights and their guardians. However, another voice is also speaking with you, so, unless Pandora faked her death, you have to listen to Jacob and this new protagonist... The plot is expanding: Pandora cursed the floating Palace and it's up to you to restore harmony, as the Empress of the Deep that isn't still crowned (but when would you have found time previously?). Once again, the settings are really good: colorful, cheerful, dark,... anything related to the four seasons. Based on the same mechanisms as the first Empress of the Deep, this sequel is worthy. The puzzles aren't too hard though I had to skip one: despite pressing the right button, the game kept telling me it was wrong - a problem of a hitbox too small, making me go back to square one, which is annoying. BUT yeah, I've said "Skip". I found a Skip button :). The Collector's Edition is also giving more information on your life before being pushed in the water by Pandora and on her state of mind. The extra game (ZEM) is also challenging - I will not say addicting but it is really a good idea. The soundtrack is also quite good, as the voice actings. And guess what? There is a To Be Continued. I don't understand why, as you're restored harmony but by reading the plot of the third game, the TBC is kinda... not really tied to the main plot. I mean, there is no cliffhanger in the ending. I recommend the game. Really. I enjoyed it a lot.
• gamedeal user

  Oct 15, 2015

  Well done! After playing the first installment, I wasn't expecting much from this game but I'm glad that I decided to play it anyway. There is a decent amount of progress both in HOG scenes and puzzle design. Also Gogii Games managed to fit in some well processed plot explanations, accompanied by some bonus content. Following the explosion of the Arc of Humanity, Anna manages to escape in the nick of time. We awaken - this is becoming a thing now: passing out and waking up in completely unfamiliar territory - on a small island. The book that lets us communicate with Jacob is badly damaged, and our only clue is a doming piece of land far up in the sky: the Sky Temple is our next target. There, once again Anna's resolve and judgement will be tested by mystical forces. Will she be able to don the royal tiara and take the title of the Empress of the Deep? Let's see what has changed since the first game, shall we? Art design is just as beautiful and imaginative, this time heavily influenced by Far Eastern concept of aesthetic, alongside preserving the former Atlantean theme. I'm glad to inform you that resolutions are much better and the former grainy texture is no more. Voice acting is nothing spectacular - still a bit tedious and unimaginative - but there is a certain amount of improvement. This time, we face better HOGs thanks to resolution changing, but they are still considerably hard for the genre. Puzzles are ordinary, with still pretty art design. Now, [i]Empress of the Deep 2: Song of the Blue Whale[/i] being a collector's edition here, contains some bonus content which would present you a brief glimpse on Pandora's perspective, our evil twin sister. When you complete her story through some memory logs, you'll gain access to a pretty fun casual game. Scenario presentation is far better than the first game, and this time we face far better plot deceptions. There is an explanation for constant puzzles, the cause lying behind Pandora's evil, and even a second look on Jacob's personality and loyalty. The ending was somewhat foreseeable, yet made it obvious that Anna's story still didn't end. There are still questions to be answered and I'll salute the developer if all will be properly revealed in the last game. As it is, [i]Empress of the Deep 2: Song of the Blue Whale[/i] is a beautiful and imaginative HOG, with the only minus being that one should play the former game to establish a decent understanding of the storyline. If you managed to bear the first one, you'll most definitely enjoy this one! 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!