Ratings and Reviews by Deboriole
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Dark, complex tale, September 22, 2011I didn't read reviews on this game before playing it so I expected an experience more like Bronze and less like Galatea - when in fact the reverse is true. As others have written, the majority of the game is asking questions and piecing together the back story. I didn't feel like trying to find all 18 endings because the plot is rather dark, and I managed to find a very nice ending on my third play, so I stopped there.
The story was not that appealing to me (It is somewhat of a gruesome tale and I prefer games with tangible puzzles rather than question-asking, anyway). I would give this story 3 stars but for the sheer impressiveness of number of authors, complex plot, and intricate dialog system.
One hint: You can shorten your inputs. For example, if the dialog prompts you with "You could ask about ..." just type "ASK" and it will assume you are talking about the prompted question. Similarly, "You could ask about X or Y" allows you to type "ASK X" and it will answer you as expected. Be careful of the words... for example, "I had a lot of schooling" would have to be "ask schooling" and not "ask school". Once you get the hang of it, you don't have to type as much as you might think!
My favorite pun: (Spoiler - click to show)"Lilith fair"est of them all. Ha!
I was excited for this game, September 22, 2011I really, really enjoyed Bronze so I was looking forward to playing this one. I enjoyed the whimsy of this game, although the manner of using objects was definitely unique and I needed hints to figure out what I was supposed to do. Once it was clear what commands to use, I was able to finish the game in a matter of minutes.
There was one glitch that got me completely stuck, I had to restart to be able to finish the game.
(Spoiler - click to show)I attached the hour to the window (which is on the top floor). 50 turns later, I was meticulously searching the middle level when my candle went out. Ok, I thought, I will just get another hour and restore the candle. I tried "get hour" but could not, because the hour was still stuck to the window upstairs. I went to the top floor and was able to take the hour. The text said that the candle was whole again -- but when I went down to the kitchen to light it, there was just a stub left. I was caught in a situation where my hour was on one floor and my fire source was on another floor!
I am sure I am the only person who would ever get in such a situation, but I guess that makes me a good beta tester? :)
No second chances, September 22, 2011I enjoyed this game to a point. That point came when I became completely stuck and had to look at a walkthrough. Turns out I missed one opportunity and therefore could never solve the game. There was no indication that I was hopelessly stuck, so I rambled about for an hour until finally throwing in the towel. That did not make me very happy! There could be a simple solution to this...
(Spoiler - click to show)I really wish the helicopter would have come around again... I failed to look out the window in the two turns I had, and was not able to finish the game as a result.
Harmless teenage fun, September 22, 2011This game is funny and there are a lot of endings so the replay value is high. I recommend saving early so you can choose different paths without having to start completely over. You can die fairly easily and take off your clothes most anywhere. Enough said.
I wanted more, September 18, 2011I just played Fate several times over, and then read much of the source (after I had gotten as many endings as I could on my own). I really enjoyed solving the puzzles, and was thoroughly excited about my prospects (and what I could achieve) later in the game. The story was very interesting, and I was glued to the game for most of the day. Why only 3 stars then? Let me tell you...
I enjoyed the game up until "decision time." (Spoiler - click to show)Admittedly, I was hoping for a "fairytale" ending for all my trouble. I took great care in planning out the game (not hurting my pixie, not snake-biting my servant, etc.) but sadly fate was not affected by these decisions. I felt that I should have been able to tip the scales in my favor by doing good... that perhaps my smaller actions would snowball into a better ending. Nope.
Also, I wish there was a little more guidance toward the end of the game. As a rule, I don't like to ask for hints until absolutely necessary. I was near the end of the game (let's just say my inventory was plentiful, but I had not made my final decisions) but by that time, apparently there were no hints available! I wish the hint system would have remained intact throughout the game so I could have gotten some clarity when I decided to break down and ask for it. (I ended up reading the source which answered all of my questions.)
The most frustrating three parts of the game (for me):
1. (Spoiler - click to show)The "Greater" spell calls for a silver crown. I had not noticed that Harold wore a crown. Even if I had, I had not made my final decision. My next thought was that there must be some other way to procure a crown. I scoured the kingdom for anything made of silver, and I finally found it. The goblet. I really thought there was some secret here, since when you see the goblet it does not announce it as silver until you examine it. I wanted to melt it down to make a crown! I realize this is a little bit of a stretch, but I was trying to innovate, not having seen a crown elsewhere.
2. (Spoiler - click to show)Pixie dust for the "Sleep" spell. Okay, I admit, I played this game about ten times before I thought of a clever idea (that did not pan out). I figured if I could avoid finding the viper altogether, I could smash the blue vial, ask for pixie dust, talk to Charles, slip the ingredients into his wine, and put him to sleep. I would then go get the red vial from Amy and ask for the "Snake" spell. That way the snake wouldn't have to die and I wouldn't have to cut my pixie's wings off either! Nope, no dice. The game still cautioned me to not put Charles to sleep until the viper was handled. Rats!
3. (Spoiler - click to show)The "Haunt" spell. Ugh, this drove me mad! I was carrying all of the ingredients for this spell but no matter how I tried, I could not make a paste out of the ingredients! I tried smashing them with the mortar and pestle. I tried putting the ingredients on each other. I tried "make paste". Nothing worked! I finally gave up and went to see the witch who vengefully made the paste. Really? Why was I able to perform all of the other spells but not this one?
On a side note, I found a bug. (Spoiler - click to show)Upon restarting the game I could not ask my servant to lift the covers for me to take a nap. I had to quit out entirely and start fresh to receive this option (Yes, I examined the bed first and saw there "might be something at the foot...").
Curses, indeed, September 17, 2011I really liked this game when I first started. Finding a map in the attic sounds like a wonderful puzzle! Unfortunately, my curiosity got me stuck very early on and I had no idea how to progress. (Spoiler - click to show)I read a book from the bookshelf and was transported to a garden. I had no Idea how I had gotten there or how to get back. It was completely frustrating and disorienting. I am not sure I want to even try this game again, if this sort of thing is bound to happen. I like games that make logical sense and so far as I can tell, this one doesn't.
This game is so good, I'm reviewing it before I finish!, September 10, 2011I almost didn't play this game because of its title (I am not that interested in religion and/or history), but I decided to give it a go. I was hooked from the very first puzzle! The story is intriguing and the puzzles are varied and plentiful. The hint system is perfect - there are clues available, but they are very loose so you need to actually use your brain. I felt more accomplished upon solving these puzzles than most any other game I have played.
Finding the solutions takes some effort, but everything is completely logical (and solvable) if you pay attention. There is a lot of "looking up" facts or people in books, but I just started jotting down every surname I came across and managed to progress just fine.** I definitely recommend playing the game and sticking to only the in-game hints (plus my spoilers, since I could have used them!). It is a very satisfying experience when you get past each obstacle. The one puzzle in the game that completely eluded me was the wire puzzle. Spoiler alert...
(Spoiler - click to show)I thought only one wire could be connected to any one socket. I thought the two wires in each receptacle were an "in" and an "out". It never occurred to me to plug multiple wires into any one socket! Electrician, I'm not.
** Ironically after I posted this review I became very, very stuck. I broke down and found an online walkthrough. Unfortunately I had made two crucial mistakes that prevented me from finishing the game this time. :( Even so, I still give the game 5 stars for its sheer genius!
My mistakes are listed below in a spoiler.
(Spoiler - click to show)Mistake #1: I mixed several liquids together since I only had a few containers. You need to keep everything separate until the end of the game because they are "ingredients." My advice is to pick up every container and every liquid you can find. Mistake #2: I gave away the Egyptian book before using it to look things up. Its new owner left partway through the game, so I was never able to recover it.
Cute and quick, September 7, 2011This was a cute game and was over really quickly! I must think like a dog because everything I tried pushed me toward my goal. I would give it more stars but there really wasn't much substance. I didn't get a perfect score, so perhaps more exploring would have made the experience richer. Fun little game.
Loved it!, September 7, 2011This game is absolutely fantastic. All of the evidence-gathering puzzles are solvable without needing any hints (another poster said the date puzzle was not solvable, but it most definitely was) but hints are available if you do need them. My only gripe was the ending... It wasn't clear to me when/how I was "done." Plus, I was carrying something I should not have taken, but the game would not let me drop it and then leave the room. Unfortunately I had not saved early enough and was stuck with the one ending. However, even with this disappointment, I still give the game 5 stars! I highly recommend it.
Innovative game, September 7, 2011I really enjoyed my initial playtime with this game. I had a lot of fun deciphering what magic words meant what, and how I could escape from my trap. Unfortunately, the solution (which I read after an hour of floundering) was a bit more scientific/technical than I had expected. That may not be a bad thing for some, but I have no interest iin that kind of solution -- it was more tedium than fun. Give me a locked door puzzle instead! I also didn't really read anything from the book in the game, which definitely put me at a disadvantage. My eyes glazed over while reading the book (ironic because the entire game is based on reading, I know), so sue me. I guess I am just not a science person.
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