[b]Chimeras: Tune of Revenge CE[/b] (AHOG)
[i]February, 2013 review updated in May, 2019 after replaying the game[/i]
What a delightful adventure game this is! There are hidden object scenes, but they are widely spaced, and do NOT repeat. You must complete some kind of action to access the HOS, and there is light interaction on each scene.
Backing up now... *beep beep beep* XD
Options include four separate sliders for sound, gamma, full-screen/widescreen, special effects and custom cursor.
Choice of Casual, Advanced or Hardcore mode, and you can adjust the difficulty at any time. In Advanced/Hardcore mode there are NO sparkles, not even to indicate hidden object scenes. In THIS game it isn't a problem not being able to see where the HOS are, since you always have to complete an action to view them in the first place.
[b]Story:[/b]
A mysterious organ grinder has appeared, bringing misfortune with his cursed cards. What could these people have done to deserve their terrible fates, and will you be able to stop him? Face mythical beasts and overcome a myriad of obstacles in your quest to save the town and its people.
The story progresses through a series of frequent, short cutscenes. There are notes that we find periodically, as well as cursed cards that we collect. The cards can be accessed like a journal would be, with each having a blurb of extra story in the description. Clicking on a card will replay the narrative cutscene describing the curse.
[b]HINTS[/b] are refillable (assuming you're not on Hardcore mode), and there is no misclick penalty. Using a hint during the adventure portion of the game will get you a bit of text telling you exactly what to do next, so if you don't want to know, don't click! No directional hints available.
The story is intriguing, the graphics are great and the gameplay is quite fun. There is an interactive [b]MAP[/b], which not only shows you where there are currently actions to be completed, but also shows you a small pop-up of what the location looks like, and (if applicable) what long-term task you need to accomplish in that particular place (ie. find a way to put out the fire.) There is a LOT of to-ing and fro-ing, but the map has [b]insta-transport[/b], so that cuts down on travel time a lot.
I am SO pleased with the way the devs handled the "I JUST had that a second ago - what's wrong with the one I just used??" syndrome. Example: Early on we used a screwdriver, then it disappeared from our inventory, per usual. Later we needed a screwdriver, and just when I was about to *face palm* because I'd just had one, I realized that the one we had wouldn't have worked! In one case we needed a hex wrench, and in the other, a triangular-shaped screwdriver. Nicely done, devs!
A few of the [b]mini-games[/b] were insultingly easy, but others were inventive and a proper difficulty level.
[b]CE Content[/b]:
[list]
[*]10 Lost pets (they appear and disappear - kind of like morphing objects)
[*]Bonus chapter (which shows us the fate of one of the characters)
[*]7 Wallpapers (only one of which is from gameplay -- the rest are originals)
[*]4 Downloadable music files
[*]Bestiary - 9 mosaic-like puzzles to do along with information about each mythical creature you are reassembling
[*]Extra Minigame - putting together the organ in three different ways in order to hear songs in a music-box style
[/list]
In the [b]BONUS chapter[/b]:
There are 10 locations in the bonus chapter, none of which looks like it did in the main game, and much of the artwork is totally new! The gameplay is excellent -- I enjoyed it just as much as (or more than!) the main game. The bonus is not necessary to wrap up the original story, but it sure does add to it nicely, tying up some loose ends we didn't realize were there.
My favorite parts of [i]Tune of Revenge[/i] are the immersive environment and the antagonist, the organ grinder. His character is so very rich in detail -- both literally and figuratively -- that I couldn't help but like him. The frequent cutscenes just *worked*, and helped draw me in, even though I hadn't planned to play this all the way through again. lol~
This is a beautifully-made game all the way around, and I enjoyed it just as much today as I did when I first played it in 2013. Definitely recommended!
NOTE: Playtime does not include the bonus 'Bestiary' puzzles.
