Mystery of the Ancients: Deadly Cold Collector's Edition

[b]Mystery of the Ancients 4: Deadly Cold[/b] (IHOG) [i]This is a standalone story.[/i] Ice giants are ravaging the city. What do they want, and who is controlling them? Options include separate sliders for Music, Sound and Ambients, Custom Cursor and Full-screen. Choice of three preset difficulties, or you can go with Custom Mode. Difficulty can be changed at any time via the Menu screen, and your inventory can be locked. [b]Story[/b]: You haven't seen your best friend to way too long, and she even up and got married since you last saw her! Of course you were happy to take her up on her invitation to visit and have a nice vacation. You've only just reunited with Kira and met her husband, Victor, when you hear an ominous rumbling, feel the ground shaking under your feet and see a large castle emerging from nowhere in the distance. Snowy missiles tattoo the city, and Kira is trapped! Help Victor find a way to free her - and the city - from the cold's deadly embrace. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1833252127 I have to say that this is probably the only IHOG I've played where you can actually get help from the people around you. Sure, in some titles you might get one person to help you, but in [i]this[/i] game, everyone you meet actually does whatever they can to assist you, rather than standing around expecting you to do all the work. How refreshing! Our Journal is a task list where we can also re-watch cutscenes. Any clues you find will go into your inventory. [b]Gameplay[/b]: Be on the lookout for [b]collectible hares[/b] and [b]statuettes[/b] as you play. Pro tip: There is a non-timed, non-dexterity-reliant action sequence, and it DOES have a collectible! It's the only one I missed. *face palm* The interactive [b]MAP[/b] has insta-travel available, but everything is so memorable and intuitive that I didn't need it much. Directional [b]HINTS[/b] are available if needed. Hidden Object Scenes are wonderfully-varied in type, ranging from lists to matching pairs to silhouette puzzles to riddles and more! They aren't all this beautiful, but they [i]are[/i] all interesting and fun: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1831349731 Interactive story HOS are also used to progress the storyline - something I absolutely adore, as it feels like they pull you more deeply into the tale. Mini-games were sometimes interesting, but many were absurdly easy to solve. There is one mini where you have to move quickly (by clicking the mouse to change "lanes") that my dexterity-challenged friends might have trouble with, but you have three tries before you have to start over, and like the rest of the puzzles, it can be skipped. Although I really loved the gameplay, it felt like we spent an awful lot of time hunting for things to unlock other items... Way more than usual for this game type! [b]Sights and Sounds[/b]: The graphics are just stunning. I love this style, and Mariaglorum does it beautifully. ♥ https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1831349543 The voice overs are well done, especially for a casual game. As usual, I didn't really notice the music, meaning that it suits the environment well. [b]CE Content[/b]: [list] [*]Integrated Strategy Guide [*]Bonus Chapter [*]25 Collectible Hares (one at each location) and 6 Statuettes (at scattered locations) [*]In-game Achievements [*]15 Wallpapers [*]24 Concept Art [*]6 Music Tracks (can be saved) [/list] For each [b]achievement[/b] you earn, you'll get a picture scrap. Once you've collected all of the pieces, you'll have a nice mosaic-type puzzle to put together. [b]Bonus Chapter[/b]: The extra chapter takes up literally 1 second after the main game ends, meaning that you have to play the bonus to find out what happens next. The gameplay was good, but because the story was (intentionally) a bit disjointed, it didn't feel as fun as the rest of the game. There are no collectibles in the bonus chapter. [b]Verdict[/b]: I have had so much fun with this series, and [i]Deadly Cold[/i] was no exception. I was immediately charmed by the environment. The gameplay is solid and fun overall, but surprisingly, it was the interesting hidden object scenes that I enjoyed the most. [i]Mystery of the Ancients[/i] is a fantastic and underrated series, which I recommend to all fans of the genre.

I do like hidden object games, but am very choosy and this game really caught my attention. I was entranced by the winter setting where there is lots of snow and ice. The story was interesting, even though is started from a modern surrounding to fantasy type genre surroundings. Pros: +Stunning wintry looking graphics. +Nice snowing effects on each screen when outside +Nice backgrounds of clouds moving in different direction depending on which screen your at. +Some nice mixture of art with what looks like real photo like snow. +Some really nice music but its mostly the atmospheric wintry sounds effects like the wind howling +Love the main screen which looks like a wintry screensaver +Some interesting game play with unusual scenarios +Interesting story. +Mystery/puzzle solver. +Fast travel map. +Nice wintry cut scenes. +Some nice character voices even though there are only few. +Tons of hidden objects scenes. +Collectibles. +Steam achievements. Cons: -Replay value if you want a harder setting. -The game starts off with a modern look before mixing it with fantasy ( it should have been one or the other. Not both. -Cut scenes can look a bit blurry -When a character speaks their portrait appears on the top right hand screen even though you see them in front of the screen when talking -Bad lip synching which I think is big downfall as it cheapens the look of the game I really enjoyed the game and was completely involved with it as the graphics, art, sound and music which made you want to progress further into the game in hope to see more winter art/cut scene which you do. There 3 different morphing objects tasks to collect and I collected them except for the main one which i missed due to the being more active in the gmae/story. I thoroughly enjoyed this game so much as I was immediately delighted by the wintry environment and story. The game play is good, but surprisingly, it was the interesting hidden object scenes and the some different puzzle scenarios that caught my attention. I thoroughly recommend this game especially on these dark and cold nights.

Very good HOPA game, with some definite vibes of Marvel's Thor (but not too much). A visit to your best friend is interrupted by the appearance of an ice castle and rampaging ice giants. Your friend's new husband happens to be a seven foot Viking-type dude who turns out to have some unusual abilities - and he recognizes the ice giants. Ultimately, you have save both of them, and yourself, with the help of a warrior ice princess. Pros: - good story and world-building - engaging secondary characters - good voice acting - nice art and music (repetitive, but not irritating) - variety in puzzles and HO scenes - choice of difficulty level - interactive map - bonus chapter is moderately interesting - in game achievements and two kinds of collectable items (25 bunnies, 6 statuettes) Cons: - feels slightly short ~ very enjoyable, but the ending felt rushed (many of these HOPA fail to add a short final scene, so that you go straight from saving the world to the credits) - the HO scenes were okay, but I would have preferred more objects and fewer runes; also would have liked a bit more challenge or detail [b]Overall:[/b] I liked the game and recommend adding it to your HOPA library. It's not the best out there, but it's fun, and it has a good story (as these things go). I would (and will) buy it for the HOPA fans in my family. Buy it on sale and check out the bundle. Note: The games in the series are independent stories.

Recommend but only on sale. Pros .Fantastical atmosphere .Clean, clear artwork/graphics/scenes .Supporting music/sounds/voice acting ,Four difficulty modes (including custom) .Mini-map with fast travel .Lockable toolbar .Gears appear when objects in correct position for possible use .Great variety of hidden object scenes and puzzles .Collectables (hare) .Bonus chapter Cons .Mini-map had an incomplete legend .Mainly simplistic adventure play .Mainly easy hidden object scenes .Mainly very easy mini-puzzles ,Short even including bonus chapter and collectable hunting .A few nonsensical required moves during the adventure play (ie having to put the bowl of molten metal on table before pouring it into the mold). Final words (6/10): It was okay, more gloss than charm. Offered little challenge on advanced mode. The story started out quite entertaining but slid into outlandish territory towards the end. The bonus chapter didn't really add anything, story- or entertainment- wise. I have to confess to being quite disappointed. The second game in this series, 'Curse of the Black Water' heads my best hidden object games list while this one did not even make the top thirty.

This is [I]Mystery of the Ancients[/I] #4. Though it seems like a different team made this one, it's still excellent. The story is the best in the series so far, and once again graphics, animation, and gameplay are all terrific. It does seem a bit shorter than previous entries in the series, but still lots of good content. Strongly recommended.

I loved this game, mainly because of the fantastic atmosphere (a cold and dangerous winter to defeat) and the solid plot (it's one of the few puzzle games that has an engaging and consistent story). The other aspects of the game are great as well: sensible mechanics, very good HOPs and minigames, nice graphics and music. Difficulty-wise it is rather on the easy side, recommended for beginner or casual players.

An a bit uninspired member of this great series. Especially the story is not that great and uninvolving. The game play is great as ever. The only drawback is the fact you can't click away part of the dialog: Or hear all or skip all.

NICE COOL ;)

Bellissimo!

Well this is disappointing. In one of the puzzles (see screen shots) I got the combination right, but the puzzle didn't complete, so I am unable to continue the game. If anyone knows a work around for this bug please leave a comment.