[b]Otherworld: Omens of Summer[/b] (IHOG)
[i]The Steam overlay does not work with this title[/i]
NOTE: I did not see anything in the story or the graphics to warrant a warning about content, so I'm unsure why it's "not suitable for persons under fourteen (14) years of age."
Options include separate sliders[b] [/b]for Music, Sound and Voices, Custom Cursor, Full-screen (has auto-widescreen) and Achievement Popups. Choice of Casual, Expert or Hardcore Mode. Difficulty cannot be changed during gameplay.
[b]Story[/b]:
We've rescued Fiona but the danger to her and all of mankind will not end as long as The Shade roams free. He is weakened but not beaten, and his minions will do anything to stop you in your quest to defeat him. With the help of Fiona's schoolteacher, Ms. Thomas, we search for a way to remove him once and for all.
Our [b]Journal[/b] has three tabs: Goals (task list), Clues (story) and Characters (background info). There is some extra story in the journal, and no hints are listed in the Clues area.
The story progresses via cutscenes, clues that we find as we play and "memory mirrors". These mirrors give us a lot of information in short bursts, giving us small amounts to read across several images. It's an effective storytelling technique, and especially good for those who don't like a lot of reading.
[b]Gameplay[/b]:
Be on the lookout for [b]Collectible Fairies[/b] as you play. There can be more than one on a scene, and they can also be on zoom-ins (I didn't see any during HOS, though.)
Our [b]MAP[/b] is interactive, and can show active areas, as well as give us insta-transport to other locations.
Using a [b]HINT[/b] during the adventure portion of the game will pinpoint an area on the screen, give you a directional hint or tell you what you need to do, ie. "I can open the mailbox now."
The [b]Hidden Object Scenes [/b]vary widely, but seemed like they were mostly interactive lists - sometimes VERY interactive with a lot of zoom-ins. Other HOS types include finding related pairs, solving riddles, finding inconsistencies, finding pictured areas on the screen, one fragmented object scene, find-x-number of items, etc.
There will come a point in the game when you can choose between three locations - in whatever order you choose - but I highly recommend playing them from left to right, as you'll get an early hint about a plot point if you play them randomly (like I did :p).
Gameplay was heavy on the adventure at times, and puzzle-heavy at others, but never felt HO-heavy. This may be due to the many different types of HOS that are present, though, so keep that in mind. The [b]mini-games[/b] themselves were sometimes hard for me to understand, so I skipped quite a few. You CAN use HINTS during the puzzles, however, which is very nice!
[b]Sights and Sounds[/b]:
The voice acting, sound effects and music were all good, and the artwork - while not eye candy - was very pretty at times.
[b]CE Content[/b]:
[list]
[*]Integrated Strategy Guide
[*]60 Collectible Fairies
[*]15 in-game Achievements
[*]Bonus Chapter
[*]14 Wallpapers
[*]34 Concept Art
[*]7 Replayable Cutscenes
[*]13 Music Tracks (no option to save)
[*]66 Replayable Mini-games
[/list]
[b]Bonus Chapter[/b]:
The extra chapter is basically all setup for the next game in the series, [i]Shades of Fall[/i]. We search for an elder Fae, who can give us the information that we so desperately need... Only he's a not an easy person to talk to!
The gameplay seemed especially puzzle-heavy during the bonus, but was otherwise much like the rest of the game.
[b]Verdict[/b]:
Otherworld: Omens of Summer took me about 5 hours to complete with the bonus chapter. This is a puzzle-heavy hidden object adventure with a lot of story, yet not a lot of reading. Recommended to those who love the genre!
