Dark Romance: Ashville Collector's Edition

Game starts with you playing as an intrepid reporter who has been assigned to research facts on the disaster at Ashville that occurred fifteen years earlier. (Apparently, it is 2000, as the explosion happened in 1985.) There are some issues on the way, such as the road cracking as you approach the town. (Side note: I think the game developers took some inspiration from Centralia for the backstory.) And then you encounter forces who wish to cover-up the cause. At which point… you switch to Robert Lawson, who is a historian… living in the days before the explosion. You will switch back and forth between these two people throughout the game. HO scenes are challenging, minigames fun, and the plot is decent. Get in the bundle if you can.

I felt in love with this game. In fact, I have played a Dark Romance game in the past called Vampire in Love. I was not disappointed about anything in that game! Now, this is a new game that came out last year and I'm super hyped! Two games from the Dark Romance series and I'm already loving it! I can't wait to try other games of this series! As always, I'm giving you a list of advantages (PROS) and disadvantages (CONS) that I've found during my gameplay. PROS: - Two protagonists (as in the case of Dark Romance: Vampire in Love); - Beautiful scenes from both Main and Bonus game; - Few, but spot-on jumpscares; - Suprising map design with fast-travelling feature; - Three sets of collectibles (especially Moolah!); - In-game achievements are easy to achieve; - The collectibles show the dark past of the city of Ashville and the money necesary to furnish a room; - Minigames vary in difficulty and variety; - HO games are sweetly different from each other; - Story contains elements of the supernatural, journalistic pursuit, mystery, time-travelling, the culture of the 1980s, youth protesters, environmental protection and the everyday problems of a particular mining city. CONS: - No journal entries (although you get Robert's diary, it acts as a means of communication rather than a game feature); - No trading cards. If you're a HOG fan, then this is your game. If you're a story lover, you'll do fine to play this game. If you're looking for a mystery adventure mixed with the supernatural, then this game is for you. If you're looking for a good game, here it is!

There are some excellent elements to this game, but it does not live up to others in this series. For a start there is no real romance and a mish mash of a story. Large chunks are without music while you collect objects for things that haven't happened yet. Some of the games are childishly simple and others can't be done without the Strategy Guide, and even then didn't make any sense. The collectables are confusing as it takes a while to follow that there are two sets for the same scenes in different timelines. Some of the achievements are unachievable. Luckily the whole game only took four and a half hours, with the bonus an extra one and a half. The timelines are peculiar 1985 with 1975 costumes and soundtracks, with the year with the 'modern' version set in 2,000. I get the impression this is an old game with attempts to update it. Would only get this when on offer

Initially when I choose this game I saw it as a breath of fresh air with a more modern day setting; so many HOGs focus on the fantasy or Victorian settings which can get stale. As I got into this game I realized this game really cooks, there was much that made this one fun: [list] [*]Two main characters to play as [*]Two different timelines to work through [*]Violent journalist vs journalist competition [*]Psychic telling my fortune through coffee [*]A sheriff with a gaming addiction [*]Bowling against the villain [/list] Overall, one of the most exciting and fun HOGs I have played in a while with a solid story and character interactions. The hidden object scene were a wide variety which was nice, puzzles were pretty decent too although I found a few to be worth skipping.

Excellent game! I'm looking forward for more of this saga!

This is a easy relaxing game. I would purchase it on sale. It took 9 hours to play including the bonus game. There was 1 particular puzzle that was challenging that I enjoyed. Puzzles give you a hard & easy choice, I always choose the hard puzzle because I enjoy the challenge.

excellent

love this game

Nice ;) ;)

Yet another fantastic game with a great story line. All the usual things that you want are included, hint button, bonus chapter etc. Wonderful graphics as always. Both relaxing and intriguing. I will definitely replay this game. Thank you once again to all the people involved for a pleasurable gaming experience. Thanx