Recent reviews by Talana 💃

This is a really nice indie game-gem , which will look good in every RPG fans` library. And as a vn, it is decent, too. AN feels more like an rpg/dungeon crawler/survival game, than a vn, though.
So what do you get ?
1. A "Whodunnit"- and Why ? - mystery. I love those :)
2. Decent story, for a "short" game - though really weird at times ( Why on earth is the chief of security 15 years old ? )
And the conversation is a bit off now and then. But overall, absolutely decent.
You wake up in a sinking ship , an Ark filled with refugees and animals in cages .
You have to make it 5 floors up to the lifeboats, while saving people ( or not - if you want the baddie achievement ), while finding out the truth about who and why, and while fighting lots of scary savage creatures ( they have broken free from their cages, of course )
3. Resource management - very well made.
4. Perks - or skills. If you die, you have to start from floor 1 again, and the only thing you can keep is some skills. Which get more varied and better with playing.
5. Roguelike Point & Click RPG - and yes, you will die. A lot.
6. 3 different characters to play, each with their own story, and each with different starting attributes.
7. Relaxing game - but it still keeps you on your toes !
8. Several different endings, according to your actions, choices - and luck .
9. Very difficult to start with, but it gets easier - but never ! Easy.
10. Not so short a game after all, then , - I have 59 + hours in it, and while writing this, I still have to figure out the last 2 achievements .
11. One of of my "Just-Need-To-Try-One-More-Time-Before-I-Go-To-Sleep" - games ;)
12. Cards and Steam achievements :)

Here`s a gameplay-video, very well made - you will get the true feeling of what the game is like, watching it .
Made by "Webweaver Actual Filler" ( or "RollPlayingGamer" - his Steam name) :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llaeC9fzcHM&t=1909s

Anything I don`t like ? No, not really - maybe it could have lasted longer, and had more varied and interesting conversation. but overall I really like this game as it is.

This game is a turn-based tactical story-driven RPG .
I believe people too often think about this as a sequel to Loren, the Amazon Princess. It is Not.
But it is similar in gameplay in many ways.
ToA really deserves it`s own place in your game library.

What do you get if you choose to play ToA, Seasons of the Wolf ?
1. A nice fantasy story, with surprising twists and turns .At times disturbing.At times beautiful.
2. Turn-based tactical combat , easy to learn, fun to play, difficult at times, especially on hard - which is a must difficulty setting throughout the game, if you want all achievements . (But hard is not impossible - take it from me, I managed to do it, and I am a huge fan of normal in most games ). Go for "nightmare", if you truly want a challenge.
-about difficulty options ; You can change them in-game whenever you like ( if you choose to ignore the achievements - or you already have them ! )
3. Great skill management system !
4. Romance options .
ToA has "nudity" as one of it`s tags.
The nudity here ( and in other Winter Wolves games, like Loren ) , is very decent and respectfully made - absolutely no need to make that a reason not to play this. Unless you are a totally non-nudes-anywhere-in-any-form person.
Even if so, it isn`t a reason , because romancing is just an option, and you do not have to play those parts at all.
But it`s fun, so I hope you will :)
5. A huge variety of weapons, armors, and items to buy or/and find. ( I`m a girl, so naturally I love shopping ! Oh Yeah !)
Weapons, armors and items choices is very important in ToA ! And money isn`t always easy to come by.So choose your buys carefully.
6. Choose between two main characters to play, snow elves, Althea and Shea - sister and brother .
7. Eight different playable characters in total ( and eight different classes ), each with their own stories.
8. Replay-ability - thumbs up ! ( Almost a must ! I liked the game in my first playthrough - but fell in love in my second ! )
At the beginning of my third now, because I want to do it before I start the DLC . Which is not necessary, that`s just me wanting to . )
9. Choices matters.
10. Nice music - sometimes lovely.
11. Nice voice acting.
12. When conversation get`s boring, because you`ve already played the game and know it all - just skip through it . Easy.
13. ToA has cards and Steam achievements ! :)
14. Like someone in the forum said ; This is not a game about heroes saving the World. It is a game about "ordinary" "people" saving "ordinary" "people". Which I think is beautiful . I love saving the World-games - but ToA is a really nice difference to those.

I choose to add this to show you the gameplay ( thank you for making it, "rmp792" ) :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wh97WUA_His

Anything I don`t like ? No, not really. But I have a couple of heartfelt sighs ;
Well, I really wish Winter Wolves would make an official guide . Would be great for when you want to replay the game, and want to get it all, and for all achievements. ( But you will find several nice hints and tips in the discussion forum - especially when it comes to secret places ;) )
What`s my other sigh ?
I really would have liked a more masculine hetero romance option ( obviously I prefer romance according to my own preferences ) for Althea, than Jariel . He is ... a bit too boyish .
And for Shea , the only hetero option is Krimm - who is a bit scary ( though still really cute !) - - - I feel she might crush him ... might say a bit more about Shea than Krimm , actually ;)
It is the same for same sex romances, only one alternative.

But I am truly sad about Chalassa :
She is only a romance option for Althea. and it is the only way to save her

Hidden object ? Well, that`s true - but the whole game is shorter than any single hidden object scene, in any other HO game .
Took me 14 minutes !!?! to finish, and that`s because I didn`t know what a couple of words meant - or it would have been shorter !
And there is no reward whatsoever to play it - no achievements, no in-game purpose other than reach next level ( in a couple of secs ! ), no cards ,
no nothing.

Fun !
Challenging !
Replayable !
Nice music !
Casual, rpg, Rogue-like, - the kind of game you say ; Just one more floor, and I`ll go to bed ...but you don`t , of course ;) Go to bed, I mean ;)
Hours and hours and hours of gameplay, and some very hard achievements to reach ( I still have some left to take ).
Not pretty, - but that sure does not matter in this game.
Make a little effort to really get into RK, because it is worth it. This game is not as easy to understand as it seems at first glance .
Happy gaming :)

Just one of the best rpg`s ever made - This game has it all : Story, personalities, Character and equipment developement , puzzles, side-games, - Forever a favorite, and a must for every serious RPG collection.
You can play through it without engaging in every side-quest - But the reward is so much greater , and the story so much more interesting, if you explore it all .

I received a copy of this, to test it - and I actually fell in love :)
This is an old-school looking dungeon crawler, but with really nice graphics ( My first try on a game looking like this ).

Pro`s :
First of all - This is Fun ! Easy , partly relaxing, partly exiting ! Fun ! - Highly recommended !
1. Easy to understand the controls (I use an Xbox 360 controller and mouse, but keyboard works perfectly , too )
2. Game-play is perfectly smooth .
3. Well made surprises and puzzles .
4. Beautiful music ! - actually a bit chilling and haunting, especially if you play this a late night, sitting alone .
The music made me think partly of Twin Peaks, and partly Neverwinter Nights 1 !
There are also an option to listen all music, if you want to - well done !
5. Characters are very well made. You can choose between warrior ( who will specialize in every weapon - the only character to do so ), barbarian, rogue , monk, priest, elementalist and archer . All with different skills.
6. The difficulty settings are very well balanced .
7. Nice graphics and well made map .
8. Secrets you really will want to uncover ! Might become very tricky on Hard difficulty - as it should be :)
9. You can sleep to regain health - and helpful hints are showing on the sleep-screen .
There are also a "pool" on each level, where you can regain all health, and resurrect evt. dead characters.
But be careful : The pool only works once - so a priest is almost a must to have in your party.
10. The skills works just like they should do. Choose an intelligent rogue, and you will find secrets. Choose to be dexterous, and you will be able to dodge , Strength to add fatal blows - whatever you choose, the skills works perfectly! I have yet to try and play a Barbarian, but I have tried every other character.
12. Achievements and Cards !
13. Fun to replay , to try out different characters, and to try and get all the achievements .
14. No actual story to talk of , but you get to be a Hero - and that`s a good thing, of course ;)

So to the minuses :
1. The game is a bit short . Some say 5 hours ! - But if you are anything like me, and like to examine
every nook and corner - it should last 10 - 11 hours.

Happy Gaming :)

Lovely ! Wonderful !
One of the absolute best ! Beautiful graphics, lovely music, great story , and great puzzles !
In addition, you have three different types of hidden stuff to find , which makes the game even better !
You play as a Fairy-tale investigator - what could be more interesting and fun ? :) And this time you have to
investigate the story of The Little Mermaid .
Some said the game is pricy, but I do not agree - it is worth every penny.

And now there are cards added ! The Mermaid background is Beautiful !

So , the only thing missing here, is Steam achievements - ! But !
There are lots of achievements in-game, and really fun ones to try and get !
These achievements added to Steam would have made this game Perfect !
Highly Recommended !

So, I`ve played about three hours. And sorry to say, this game is nowhere near to be the lovely Artifex Mundi magic, which made me a die-hard fan.
I might finish this, because I bought it. And to get some achievements. And because it is ok in a so-so way .
Would I have fallen in love with Hidden Object games, if this was my first game in that genre ? Nope. I would probably have kept away forever.
Because it is boring. Story is boring, and there is nothing new. Too many hidden object scenes, which do not fit in, do not make sense, and same old - same old.
I am supposed to save a bunch of children from the evil puppet-master, but the story is so bad, I am unable to even care. Scary scenes ? Nah. None. Need to know what happens next ? No.
So why play through ?
I am a die-hard fan, - that`s probably why.
And mentioning that :

- Artifex Mundi IS making a lovely new game - mainly Grim Legends 3, The Dark City.
I was lucky to play the Beta, and I can tell you all :
Don`t waste your money on The Puppet Thief, - Buy Grim Legend 1, 2
- and wait for 3 ; Those games are brilliant, and makes you fall in love :)))

And please, Artifex Mundi - make some new interesting achievements to reach - add the parabels and hidden stuff to find, and make your games look new ?
And do not take away the colors, like you did in The Puppet Thief :(

The graphics are a delight to look at ( especially considered the first game was made in 2005 ! ) , great gameplay, interesting and fun character creation and skill system. I am really falling in love with this game!
I also play D&D online, and I love that game too. The big differense between these two is definately to GW`s advantage: GW has a way better story(ies), it is much easier to play single ( which I prefer, and many with me),
- And : You buy the game once, and then it is fully paid ! With D&D online and most other MMORPGs , you have to pay a fee continually .
Think I`m gonna play this for years! :)))
.........................................................................................
Added to my review :
I had some trouble when I needed to contact GW support, - which seemed impossible for a while, and I stopped playing . This might be one reason a lot of people left GW1, even if they loved it .
It does not say so anywhere - but to contact support, you have to contact the GW2 support ! It`s really strange that the devs never added an easy way to do that , - there is no way to find out in game options !
Even worse ; I was able to purchase in-game items, like armour appearance, - but these items never showed up in my inventory !
How come , when the support and devs left this game - what they obviously did ! Why could`t they simply add a click to reach them , - and Really !!! Remove the option to purchase stuff that`s not available any more !!!??!

For those of you who might need it : GW 2 support :

support@guildwars2.com

This should maybe be a reason for me giving GW1 my thumb down - but I still choose not to, because it is so much fun to play !

Hours and Weeks of gaming thrills and fun. Really addictive!!!
You are the commander of a military force who fight an alian invasion on Earth. You have to build your base, research and develope new tech based on alien tech, do post mortems on aliens (Ewww!) , fight them in mission after mission .
You can name and personalize your soldiers, and the character developement is great.
This is a new game in the old X-Com style, but not the same (Why should it be ?? The old games are already there !!??!!! ) . There are of course stuff from the old games I would like to see included . But it is a fabulous game as it is - So if you are thinking of "to buy or not to buy" - Just buy it :))))
Save the Earth! It`s the only planet with Chocolate!! ;)