Nevertales: Shattered Image Collector's Edition

The high quality of the Nevertales series continues in this second game. The main game and bonus chapters took 8 hours for me to complete, so good value for money. I got this on special. Be warned that this is a Big Fish HO game and there are no achievements linked to Steam. In-game there are achievements for multiple things. Each HO scene has a morphing object which are very hard to find, but you are unable to go back at the end of the game to chase these down, so take your time to find them. Each HO scene also has a hidden glyph which helps you complete a game in the extras. These you are able to go back and find if you miss any. I was able to find all glyphs, including the one during the duel. Graphics are good, stunning in parts. You have a map which is instant travel and shows where you have objectives to complete. The journal is handy when you have to know sequences for certain puzzles. Overall, the puzzles were fairly easy as I didn't need any assistance. Game moved quickly and you weren't backtracking overly much. I found the story a little convoluted and although an interesting concept, it didn't grab my attention as the first one. Music was good, but was repetitive at times. Voiceovers were average. There was a bonus chapter and 3 hidden chapters, so plenty of game play. These chapters tidied up a few loose ends. Be sure to try everything, in case you miss some chapters....they are hidden after all! You have a sleepy mechanical owl called Gears who is your little helper....when he is awake! He tends to nod off to sleep. One of the better HO games to play. 8/10

I am so disappointed in this game and it is all because of the achievements! First of all no steam achievements (just in-game), second of all I know I spent many hours getting all the achievements yet it did not give me the achievement for "reading each note at least once." I have been through the journal multiple times and the achievement never popped. So I thought well I will just go back into the bonus chapter and re-read each page. NOPE! You CANNOT replay either the main game nor any of the bonus/hidden chapters under the same profile. You have to start a new profile to replay the game. That means you have to redo EVERY achievement just to get the one thing you missed. What I usually like about mad-head games is that they give you the opportunity to replay the HOGs and find all the morphing objects after you have completed the game. Unfortunately, they don't give you access to the journal to read all of that after the game nor do they allow you to re-play the game. As to the story line and the HOPs and Puzzles, it was "Ok." A lot of the puzzles were kind of silly and didn't take much thought. The HOPs were plentiful and challenging, but several of them were just a lot of twigs or flowers that you had to count the petals or leaves/stems to find the correct objects. Not my idea of fun. The story felt jumbled and not that rich. I did enjoy the "hidden chapters" as they were just short little puzzles that were kind of fun. So from now on, no more MadHead games for me unless they come with STEAM achievements. Wouldn't take much for them to add them. I don't recommend the game just for that reason.

The Nevertales series is a good series. I was really happy to play the first one and bought the 4 nexts in a bundle this sale. And guess what ? I'm very happy to have played the second one and I'm glad that I still have 3 to go and I encourage you to have a look at the series, the first episode being cheap enough for you to give it a try ♥ ! As I said elsewhere, the only issue with that series is that they aren't all available on Steam, a part is on Big Fish website and Big Fish isn't on GOG. We'll see over time if I want to continue on Big Fish or simply wait while binging other series.

Surprisingly good. The acting in the bonus level was a bit over-the-top at times, but whatever. No issues with bad or incorrect translations, a couple interesting twists on the usual mechanics. If you play a ton of these games, even the most difficult setting might be a bit easy. The game has achievements in it, so it's disappointing to not see those hooked up to Steam achievements; maybe they can do that in an update. This is hardly game of the year material, but it's one of the better P&C/HOG I've seen lately.

Recommend... but it is a mixed bag. Pros .Fantasy atmosphere .Lovely clear artwork/graphics/scenes .Complimenting music/sounds/voice acting .Four difficulty modes, including custom .Mini-map with fast travel .Lockable toolbar .Gears appear when objects in position for possible use .Simple to moderately complex adventure play .Clever challenging hidden object scenes .Collectables (book icon) .Morphing objects in hidden object scenes .Average length .Bonus chapter .Hidden chapters Cons .Story was all over the map; no flow, little cohesion .Adventure play could be less than logical (ie. rag in tied-up box) .Very simple, easy mini-puzzles .Dollhouse component stretched credibility (ie. was I carrying it around with me?) to point of breaking immersion Final verdict (6/10): Averages out to okay. I was really entertained by the hidden object scenes and parts of the story (long live King Midas!!!) but the mini-puzzles were boring and the overall story was just a mess. P.S. You can return to find collectables and morphing objects if you miss them in your playthrough by selecting 'Extras' in the main menu, then selecting either 'Travellers' to return to adventure play scenes to find the collectables or 'Gallery' to return to hidden object scenes to find the morphing objects. I had to do both.

Awesome Game & I Hope They Make More Of Belle's Story

Another decent game from a great developer. MadHead games always feel like they took the time to think through the story and throw in as much quality content as possible. Unlike other developers, they don't just race to release the game so the paychecks clear. It's really a shame MadHead doesn't make this kind of game anymore. Why change it up when you have a great niche audience who is loyal to you and your games? Not every developer is going to make Call of Duty! The game is visually appealing too (as usual). Though there is some predictability in some of the inventory puzzles (grappling hooks, wrenches, taping wires, and making ladders), there are more than enough interesting puzzles to hold interest. The only problem I had was the voice actress for our hero(ine). To label her an airhead would be doing airheads everywhere a disservice. At one point, she boards a submarine and says, "uhhh, is that a SUBMARINE?" As though she had no idea where she was, how she got there, or even WHO she was. She was a total idiot and it made no sense for the character who had proven herself to be a strong, take charge kind of chick in the previous game. I don't like HOPA voice actors as a rule since they rarely know how to insert nuance into the characters. In one of the other MadHead games, the actress regularly mispronounced words and place names. I'm starting to wonder if these people are being chosen for other reasons than their acting ability. Despite the long history of bad voice actors in HOPA games, this lady was particularly godawful. It's true the game doesn't have Steam achievements. That doesn't bother me because I was raised with parents who loved me so I don't need to show everyone how good I am at computer games. There are in-game achievements if that's important to you. All in all, another solid effort from MadHead despite Susie Bubblehead as lead actress.

Great game! Me and my wife love playing it together! <3

Good HOG with decent puzzles. However, in each scene is a hidden glyph. If you don't find some of them before you do anything there gone. You need to find all the ones in the main quest for the bonus quest. And you need all the ones in the bones for the secret level. If you like HOGs get this one. If your a completionist... see after spoilers. SPOILERS [spoiler] I did not manage to get the last glyph because you enter the final room of the bonus quest and start a duel. I could not click on the glyph even though I could not see it. I don't recall ever havning a change to get it. And I am not deleting my game, redoing the main quest with all the glyphs and then the bonus level with all the glyphs. [/spoiler]

NICE!