Royal Detective: The Lord of Statues Collector's Edition

Options include separate sliders for Music, Environment, SFX and Voices; slider for Brightness; Full-screen or Wide-screen; Custom Cursor and three Difficulties, which can be changed at any time. [b]Story[/b]: The statues in Martlet have come to life, and are waging a war against each other whilst the townspeople cower in fear. To top that off, local craftsmen have been disappearing and the Crown wants answers! Cue your dispatch -- the Royal Detective -- to solve this mystery and save the town. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2295954359 Our narrator speaks very slowly, but he has a bit of a Morgan Freeman vibe to his voice, which makes it less irritating. You CAN click through the dialogue to speed things up if you like. There is [b]NO Journal[/b], but only one instance where you'll have to remember a sequence that you saw in another room in order to solve a puzzle. Luckily, the solution was only a room or two away. [b]Gameplay[/b]: There is a nice balance of adventuring and [b]Hidden Object Scenes[/b], which are very lightly-interactive lists. During the adventure portion of the game there is a LOT of backtracking. Thank goodness for the insta-transport [b]MAP,[/b] which can show active areas (depending upon which difficulty you are currently using). [b]HINTS[/b] will have your narrator tell you exactly where you need to go and what you need to do there (even if it's a location you haven't been to yet). https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2295954181 As mentioned above, there are statues at odds with one another. Some of them are on your side, and are amazingly-helpful! I became very attached to one of them in particular. haha! The [b]Mini-games[/b] nicely-varied, and not just the same-old, same-old we long-time HOG players are used to. Some of them are quite complex, although they can be [b]SKIPPED[/b]. [b]NOTE[/b]: There is ONE mini-game that is timing-based. You can pass it by memorizing the order in which you need to do the sequence, but you'll fail if you don't make that move in time, requiring you to start over >_< [b]Sights and Sounds[/b]: The graphics aren't as stunning as some of the more recent titles, but I was really impressed by the amount of work they put into their animations. They showed a lot more than they technically needed to, which is something I really noticed and appreciated. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2295952518 [b]CE Content[/b]: [list] [*]Integrated Strategy Guide [*]In-game Achievements [*]Bonus Chapter [*]11 Wallpapers [*]16 Concept Art [*]4 Music Tracks [*]13 Videos [/list] [b]Bonus Chapter[/b]: The extra chapter gives us a little wrap-up, and has two of my favorite scenes from the game. It was, however, very short. It felt like it was about 30 minutes, and it was heavier on the hidden object scenes than the main game. [b]Verdict[/b]: There are TWO different endings, depending upon the last decision you make in the game. They do not affect the bonus chapter, nor (I'm guessing) future games in the series. I got the bad ending by accident, and looked up the good ending on YouTube so that I didn't have to replay the whole game. ;) Although I didn't find the story to be all that compelling, I found myself enjoying the game a lot more as I progressed. A very nice start to the series. :D

This is an older game (2016 for Steam, older according to copyright), but has obviously been updated. It works smoothly, uses a wide screen without distortion, and has an interactive map. The game also has a fully integrated guide, although it is less necessary than for many of these kinds of games. [Forgot to mention in original review: the bonus chapter is short and felt contrived (more than usual).] Pros: - excellent dry humour - coherent, interesting story - continuing character (protagonist) - the special feature of the game (acquiring certain living statues with different functions) is used intelligently by the writer(s), and feels much less gimmicky that expected - collectibles aren't obvious, but are reasonably noticeable if you're looking - about the right number of HO scenes (word lists) - excellent cut scenes, I enjoyed the fantasy movie feel :) [a note on the HO scenes: they're not easy, but all of the objects are distinct and visible; for the most part, objects are hidden by being well-placed; however, there were a few instances where there were too many neutral colours, or objects were hidden within a spot of the same colour] Cons: none to mention except as immediately above. This is an excellent game for any HOPA collection; a 9/10

[h1]Short version: 72%[/h1] Royal Detective 1 is a great hidden object game in many aspects, including story, puzzles, pacing, and visuals. However, it carries a fatal flaw of having bad hidden object scenes, which can tarnish the rest of its design. [h1]Long version:[/h1] It is difficult to rate Royal Detective: The Lord of Statues, because it is a hidden object game that does [i]almost[/i] everything right. It has wonderful graphics. The music (when it plays) is incredible. The puzzles are varied, although sometimes a bit long. The classic point-and-click elements sit in a comfortable position between being both casual and challenging. However, the hidden object scenes are bad. They are often monochrome, the items are tiny, and the placement is lazy. If this happened in any other area, it would be a minor complaint, but these scenes are supposed to be the lifeblood of a HOG. As for the story, it is a mixed bag. The plot is remarkable for the genre's standards; for example, its big twist is genuinely surprising and witty. Alas, we seldom see traces of said plot, as we spend most of our time exploring the desolate town to search for clues on how to stop an army of rampaging living statues.

nice ;)