Spirits of Mystery: Amber Maiden Collector's Edition

This is the first game of the Spirits of Mystery HOG series with 12 games in total. Only 5 of them are currently on Steam. Being first released in 2011, this game really shows its age in its graphics and game play. If you like lists of items to find in every new scene, this is for you. HO scenes are very jumbled and items are quite challenging to find at times, especially when the scenes are darker than the rest of the game. I used a magnifying glass a lot!! You are a princess and have been hidden away by your nurse. When you were a baby, a dark sorceress took over your castle, turning most residents and objects into amber. Now an adult, it is time for you to return and claim your kingdom and restore everything to its rightful order. Story was believable and flowed well. There was a nice twist at the end (which I saw coming!) The game is very linear, so you can't wander off to explore or get lost. There is no map, so a fair bit of backtracking, no instant transport, no collectables to find and no Steam achievements. The latter means no penalties in using the hint button. There is no hand holding in this game because the hint button reloads very slowly! When the hint is used in a scene, it just says "nothing to do in this area". So you have to be in the right scene for it to be any help. Mini games were quite easy. Music only had 4 themes, so became a little repetitive. Voice acting was minimal, but good. No glitches at all. I have a widescreen laptop and that was accommodated well. Main game was 4.5 hrs and 30 minutes for bonus game. So quite short for it's price. The game after this one "Song of the Phoenix" was much better, but this introduces the characters for the rest of the series. I found it interesting to see how HO games have evolved over the past 10 years. Not all changes have been for the better. Recommend. A good game for those new to the genre. 6.5/10

So, you are a princess, or at least the heir to the kingdom. Seems that shortly after your birth, a dark sorceress took over the realm by turning your parents (and quite a few others) into amber. Now, it is your duty (and perhaps destiny) to oppose this Dark Queen, and reclaim your kingdom. HO scenes are interesting, plot fun, and minigames exciting. Purchase in the bundle.

Amber Maiden is the first in the Spirits of Mystery series and has the look and feel of an older HOPA game. It doesn't support widescreen, there is no map, and the HO scenes are made up of many jumbled objects (although always objects that fit the scene). There are no achievements, and thus no penalties for using hints when you need them. Despite what may appear to be a list of negatives, this is a well-constructed game with nice visuals, and I have no hesitation recommending it to those who enjoy HO scenes. In fact, if you enjoy word lists and more old-style HOPA games, you may enjoy Amber Maiden more than more recent games. [b]Overall:[/b] An enjoyable game despite the lack of fancy options, collectibles, or map. It's old-school, but has lots of game play and looks nice enough since there is no attempt to force it into a wide screen setting. Buy it on sale and relax! Pros: - lots of HO scenes - a reasonable number of puzzles (mostly easy, a few more challenging) - no glitches (running in Windows 10) - bonus chapter (short, but adds new HO scenes and locations) - basic story that provides a coherent vehicle for a straightforward HO game with nice art and locations - music is slightly repetitive, but not bad - voice acting is limited but generally decent Cons: - no map, no collectibles, no variety in HO scenes (word lists with 2-3 concealed objects) - very basic, linear story (but it flowed well, and the various locations fit together) - no widescreen - resolution for HO scenes is moderate

This was a pretty good HOG. Like almost all of them, they are WAY too short for the price, but this one was at least longer than some. It does not have a map, though it is not designed for it, so it didn't bother me. However, the hint system was less sophisticated than for later games. Still, it's a good game. Better than some of the newer HOGs as for as originality, story, fun mini-puzzles and the like.

This was a fun game. I really enjoyed the story and while parts of it were kind of basic, it had an interesting twist or two. Nothing Twilight Zone-esc but enough to be entertaining. Very much enjoyed the puzzles. None were too daunting and a few were ones I'd not quite had in that form. The short story you can play as part of the 'extras' was nice too.

please I just want to play but the game refuse to start help me please!!! it's not the first but I am sad because I have been waiting all night to play zero nothing has stared but the money was taken from my account per us ni I payed full price I just want to play please HELP ME!!!!! thanks jane

I played this soo much as a kid and I remember having soo much fun doing the puzzles. I somehow remembered the name and decided to search it here, and found it :D Brings back good old memories and i love the tricky puzzles and story line and the art! The art's prolly one of my favourite parts of the game, every room and puzzle is suuper detailed. Feels refreshing to play this instead of modern games idk why-

A classic for the genre, simplistic puzzles and complex (yet pretty) hidden object activities. This is a game from my childhood and is always a pleasure to play when your short on time (since completion only takes 2-2.5 hours).