[b]Rite of Passage 1: The Perfect Show [/b](IHOG)
Options include separate sliders for Music, Ambients, SFX and Voices, plus Full-screen and Custom Cursor. Choice of Casual or Expert Mode. [b]PRO TIP[/b]: Widescreen is not available, but if you switch your desktop resolution to 1024x768, the game will run full-screen (no black borders).
[b]Story[/b]:
The children of Everlake have been disappearing, and the police have made no progress in their investigations. A music teacher for many years, you have never once been late to a lesson... Until today. Young Amber waited for you, but your absence gave the abductor the perfect chance to strike. Now, overcome with guilt, you will do whatever it takes to find the children and bring them home.
Something I loved is that the game addressed reality several times during our adventure. A detective leaves his evidence behind? You're keeping it because you feel justified by your need. Tampering with evidence and impersonating an officer of the law? Extreme circumstances! Most games just gloss over these things, but my logic always takes note of details like these, so I was happy to see them address it all within the story.
Our tale progresses through a combination of cutscenes and Mad Head Games' brilliant use of interactive storybooks (or in this case, puppet shows). Our [b]Journal[/b] is chock full of information, including things that you can't learn unless you read it. There is also an Objectives tab in there should you need it.
[b]Gameplay[/b]:
Be on the lookout for [b]collectible theater masks[/b]. The optional tutorial doesn't mention them - I noticed them by accident. There is a glowing green mask in the bottom right corner of the screen if you've not yet found the mask for that location.
We have no [b]MAP[/b], but each chapter keeps to a limited number of locations. When we do need to trek across town, it's usually to unlock a new area to explore. This is the kind of backtracking that I actually like. It's purposeful, easy to figure out where you need to go and everything is laid out in a way that keeps you from getting lost easily.
Using [b]HINTS[/b] during the adventure portion of the game will either pinpoint an area you can interact with or give you a directional arrow. When you're zoomed in on something and use the hint, you'll get an actual [i]hint[/i], just showing you where you can interact - not blatantly telling you what you should do by highlighting something in your inventory.
The [b]Hidden Object Scenes[/b] are all lightly-interactive items that you find via list. Items listed in yellow are hidden inside of something else, while those listed in green need to be put together in some way. HOS do repeat, but are nicely-spaced, and objects you found the first time there will remain gone when you go back.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1815487461
I mentioned the [b]interactive puppet shows[/b] earlier, and basically, you'll get a portion of the story, then you have to find four things that are out-of-place and put them where they belong to get to the next part of the show. There are maybe five of these in the game, and they progress the story beautifully.
The [b]Mini-games [/b]were interesting and varied, and while none were so hard that I couldn't complete them, they weren't overly-easy, either. Instructions are given in picture form, and give you a hint about how to go about solving the puzzles without coming right out and saying it.
[b]Sights and Sounds[/b]:
I really didn't like the art style when I was first playing the game, but it grew on me. By the time I got half way through the story I was really enjoying the environment!
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1815245510
There was a lot of extra work put into the game that most people will never notice. Usually when you try to use something in the wrong place, you'll get a generic, "That won't work" type of response, but not so in [i]The Perfect Show[/i]! The devs added snippets for each inventory item, so try using them in weird places if you want to see what I'm talking about!
The voiceovers are all well-done... All of them! Much better than you usually see in a hidden object game. The music was great - very environmental - as were the ambient sounds. The SFX were annoying me, so I turned them down (thank you for separate sliders, devs!)
[b]CE Content[/b]:
[list]
[*]Integrated Strategy Guide
[*]55 Collectible Theater Masks
[*]Bonus Chapter
[*]6 Wallpapers
[*]6 Posters*
[*]15 Music Tracks (can be saved)
[*]20 Replayable Hidden Object Scenes
[/list]
*The [b]posters [/b]are mosaic-type puzzles to put together, and aren't difficult at all. The best thing about them is that when they're completed, you get a full page of background information on the character who is pictured. Some of this information is very important and can't be learned during the game!
There are no achievements, and no way to go back and collect any theater masks that you might have missed, but you CAN get a count of how many you found by going into one of the replayable HOS and opening your journal. You'll find your collectible count there at the top left.
[b]Bonus Chapter[/b]:
The main game ends at a good enough stopping point, but the extra chapter gives us not only real closure, but a really great ending as well. It also has my favorite graphics from the game!
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1815477332
The gameplay is just as good as in the standard portion of the game, and is a decent length (although I forgot to time it.)
[b]Verdict[/b]:
I wasn't sure that I was going to enjoy this game, but I am SO glad that I finally played it! I had fun with every bit of the gameplay, the music and acting, the story and even the graphics that I originally didn't like. This is really a quality offering, and one which I recommend to any IHOG fan!
