Phantasmat: The Endless Night Collector's Edition

[b]Phantasmat 3: The Endless Night[/b] (IHOG) A truly chilling tale. Options include separate sliders for[b] [/b]Music, SFX and Voices, Full-screen and Custom Cursor. Choice of Easy, Medium, Hard or Custom Difficulty, which can be changed at any time. [b]Story[/b]: It's prom night for your daughter, and also the 50th anniversary of the town's greatest tragedy. A moment's distraction from the road sends your car careening towards disaster, and then... Darkness. Now your daughter is gone, and you're trapped in your ruined car. You fight your way free, but where is your daughter, and why does the prom night banner say that it's 1965? Learn what really happened that night 50 years ago, and save your daughter in the process! https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1829358050 Although this third game in the series starts out the same way as the first - with a car crash - that is where the resemblance ends. After [i]Crucible Peak[/i] I was not expecting the game to be this compelling... or this scary! I don't often feel like I have to "Hurry... HURRY!" when I play an IHOG, but this one is an exception. We do not have a [b]Journal[/b], but the story is so memorable that one is really not needed. Puzzle clues will go into your inventory, rather than in a diary. [b]Gameplay[/b]: Be on the lookout for [b]collectible eye symbols[/b], one at each location. I think that this was Eipix's nod to the series' original developer, Codeminion, as it is their logo that we are seeking. The [b]MAP[/b] can be interactive, has insta-transport and directional [b]HINTS[/b] are available. If the location you need to go to is more than one scene away, you'll get a teleportation popup that you can use (or not). [b]Hidden Object Scenes[/b] are beautifully varied. Not only do we have multiple kinds of HOS, but we might do three different types all in the same scene. It may sound like an overwhelming amount of "finding", but they way they do it is so interesting that it didn't feel that way at all. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1829370199 For many (but not all!) of the HO sequences, you can do a [b]Match-3 game[/b], instead. The M3 has been improved since game #2, and I found it really fun when I was playing it. Match 4 or more tokens to super-charge random items, and cause an explosion when you match them. This keeps the symbols that you need to bring to the bottom of the screen from getting stuck, but there is also a 'Power' button that will help out if you need it. The [b]Mini-games[/b] were fun and inventive, and neither too easy nor too hard. [b]Sights and Sounds[/b]: The graphics are not immediately remarkable, but when combined with the sound work, they became a beautifully-immersive backdrop for this chilling tale. The voiceovers were pretty good for a casual title, and the music was perfectly-suited for the game. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1829357483 [b]CE Content[/b]: [list] [*]Integrated Strategy Guide [*]Bonus Chapter [*]41 Collectible Eye Symbols (can collect the ones you've missed from the Extras area) [*]In-game Achievements [*]14 Wallpapers (in four different resolutions) [*]14 saveable Music Tracks [*]16 Replayable HOP's (with scoring for time and accuracy) [*]24 Replayable Mini-games [*]Souvenier Room (a treasure hunt with a bonus item to find at each location) [*]'Making of' video (felt more like a mini-movie teaser for the game) [*]13 Cutscenes [*]Match-3 game (endless round with no goals) [/list] [b]Bonus Chapter[/b]: This extra chapter takes place during the main storyline, just from a different character's point-of-view. I can't really give any more information without spoilers, but will say that it was a little confusing for me, and didn't feel as immersive as the rest of the game. Still good, just not the amazing experience that I'd had up to this point. The remainder of the collectible eye symbols can be found in the bonus chapter. [b]Verdict[/b]: I am really impressed with this installment in the [i]Phantasmat[/i] series. It was unexpectedly immersive and deliciously-creepy, and actually caused some light anxiety (in a good way) whilst playing it! The combined impact of the story, sound work and graphics with the super-interesting and fun gameplay made for a compelling and enjoyable experience. A new favorite!

[b][u]Game Information[/u][/b] "Phantasmat: The Endless Night" Collector's Edition is a Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure game. The game was developed by Eipix Entertainment and published by Big Fish Games Studio. "The Endless Night" is the third episode of "Phantasmat." Previous episodes: "Phantasmal" and "Crucible Peak." Since this is a collector's edition, it comes with extra features that are not available in its counterpart; the standard edition. [b][u]The Game Review[/u][/b] Game Visuals I want to mention that the visuals in the game are nicely done. The visuals can be adjusted in the game's option menu. Game Audio I want to mention that audio for the game is well done. Even though the audio is somewhat simplistic and repetitive. The audio can be adjusted in the game's option menu as well. Gameplay There are four different difficulty game modes to choose from: Easy; Medium; Hard and Custom. There is an interactive map in the game. It allows the player to fast travel between each location quickly. It also indicates that there are tasks that can be completed at certain locations. The interactive map is not automatically given at the start of the game. There is a padlock feature that is available to lock the inventory panel in place to make it stationary. There are interactive items in the game. Some of these interactive items may require extra components before they can be interacted with. All interactive items are marked with a symbol in one of the corners. The hidden object scenes consist of the following: Riddled items; Find 'x' amount items;Shadow items; Traditional word list. Some of these hidden object scenes may require little or no interactions. Most of the hidden object scenes can be replayed in the game's extra feature section. The puzzles are fairly easy to solve without having the need to skip any of them. Most of the puzzles can be replayed in the game's extra feature section. There is a collectible in the game: Eye. They are scattered throughout the game for the player to find. Since this is a collector's edition, there is a bonus chapter, but it can be accessed only after the main story is completed. There are thirteen different achievements that can be unlocked from playing the game. Each of these achievements does come with some requirements that need to be completed before they can be unlocked. These achievements are in-game only. Miscellaneous There are extra features in the game: Bonus Chapter; Bonus Hidden Objects; Bonus Puzzles; Soundtracks; Wallpapers; Concept Art; Souvenir Room and Game's Strategy Guide. Most of these extra features can be accessed only after the entire game is completed. Final thoughts: I have found the game enjoyable to a certain extent. The replay value for the game is low. I would recommend this game, but not at the game's full price value.

Странный сюжет игры сразу всё портит - мы попадаем на выпускной бал, а потом бродим по обычному городу, хотя и общаемся с призраками. А в обычном городе странно постоянно находить шкатулки, отпирающиеся разломанным надвое амулетом. Сама игра тянет в лучшем случае на 3 из 5, но дополнительные развлечения из Collector's Edition честно добавляют один балл.

Interesting story and HOGs were good. Be sure to read credits; they are fun.

Well, after the first in the series that I played (Crucible peak) I didn't go in expecting much, but was very pleasantly surprised. Just to begin with, I should say I found the first game to be quite corny, I wasn't struck on the story, and found it difficult to get into the game. Part of that may be a matter of taste, I don't know. It was an OK game that I wouldn't re-play, but I choked it down after I was a bit fed up with it (like if you get a few more fries than you can eat but, you sort of do, because you paid for them, even though there's not really any pleasure in doing so.) So this game, I wasn't sure about. However, with this one, unlike the previous one I played, I actually wanted to keep playing. So, of the positives of the game, first for me is the storyline. Okay, it's over the top (as they all are, let's be honest) but- without giving anything away- in the world we live in, IS it though? Is it REALLY? Well, yeah still probably, but it's buyable enough. It had some pretty real human motive elements to it with just enough supernatural stuff thrown in to make it fun. For that reason, I liked it. And it was just about dark enough for me. The gameplay was, for me, excellent. The hint- on easy setting- didn't take long at all to load, and had the handy function of being able to show you where to go and let you click to get there. Otherwise, a map is available. There were plenty of locations to avoid being too repetitive, and not too may hidden object scenes crammed in to make up for lack of creativity. The hidden object scenes were also rather good in my opinion, they have a mix of items to find by picture, name, etc, and- I hadn't realised until reaching the bonus content- there is also the option, at least in the bonus chapter when I noticed it, of switching to match 3 games instead, which I did all through the bonus chapter. The puzzles were overall enjoyably challenging for me, and for the most part didn't leave me just clicking like crazy not knowing what reason there was to it. And finally, no part of the game felt rushed to me either (sometimes you get a very good game ruined a little by rushing the last setting or location to get to the end, or they seem to run out of ideas and just cram in a few to many hidden objects- that wasn't the case here.) The lack of a diary/journal however was a minus for me as I like to keep track of the story. The graphics are pretty good, although maybe not the most realistic, not by any means bad. What I particularly liked is that the whole thing isn't all bright and garish, the colour tone suits the mood tone. The cut scenes again were pretty good, although unfortunately parts were, like the first game, quite corny. They did have characters talking with the moving mouths, and didn't do it terribly well, but to me it didn't seem quite as corny this time around (that may be that it's gotten better over time, or that my perception has altered with time, as it was a while since playing the former one) so my verdict on that aspect is bit mixed. The audio- again, pretty good, voices weren't terrible although again the voice acting was a bit on the corny side. BUT in this game you can turn the character voices down, so it's not so overwhelming. I did this and kept the music/effects up full. This being the collectors edition it has a bonus chapter which I also really enjoyed. Although I'd been hoping it might've been a different characters storyline it was good, not too short, and not so long it becomes tedious. Although not one of my favourites, I found this to be a very enjoyable game, which I may be tempted to play again- and if not, I'd certainly recommend giving it a go.

Always wanted to play one of the games! Its a bit fast, but it was enjoyable if you like interactive puzzles like these!

Good HOG

The visuals are good. The story is mildly interesting. The way that objects and clues are handed to the player is incredibly convoluted and confusing. Ended up having to use the hint button on things that were frankly silly, which just made me angry and frustrated. The game design needs to be improved.

Meh

Dieser Teil hat mir gut gefallen. Dieses Mal sucht man seine Tochter die von einem "bösen" Geist gefangen gehalten wird. Dabei erlöst man, wie üblich in den Phantasmat-Teilen, andere Geister. Zudem gibt es gibt viele Orte zu entdecken wie: Schule, Jahrmarkt, Einkaufszentrum und das Haus der Kindheit. Im Bonuskapitel begegnen wir dann auch unserem Vater und erfahren etwas über unsere Vergangenheit. Auch sonst kann das Spiel mit einer schön schaurigen Atmosphäre und guten Dialogen punkten. Für alle die die anderen Teile spielen, empfehle ich auch diesen. (Bis auf einen, siehe andere Rezensionen)