The Myth Seekers: The Legacy of Vulcan

[h1]Я гибелью Помпеи знаменит Я пеплом серым небо закрываю Скажу одно, когда внутри бурлит Я все в округе магмой заливаю…[/h1] Амелия – большой специалист по римской мифологии. Благодаря этому, её пригласили стать членом секретной организации «Искатели мифов», которая занимается странными делами, связанными с древними богами, мифами и легендами. Ей сразу дают задание по поиску недавно пропавшего сотрудника организации. Он изучал причины недавнего землетрясения в Италии и выяснил, что это связано с давней ссорой римских богов, после чего он пропал. По прибытии на место, Амелия встречается с местным агентом Лоренцо. Они вместе отправляются на поиски. Наша героиня побывает в живописных местах Италии, узнает тайну разбуженного вулкана и даже побывает в далёком прошлом, чтобы своими глазами увидеть, как всё было на самом деле. По сути, эта игра – стандартный, но хороший представитель жанра «поиск предметов». Ничего нового разработчики не придумывали. Как обычно, мы общаемся с персонажами, ищем предметы и куда их применить, решаем загадки. Разве что сделано всё очень качественно. Сюжет интересный настолько, что за ним даже любопытно следить. Задачки разнообразные, но не сложные. Предметы спрятаны хорошо, но и чёрных пауков в тёмных углах тоже нет. Есть даже очень хорошо запрятанные коллекционные предметы. Что отдельно радует - логика применения и хранения предметов практически не страдает. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3118385490 А уж выглядит всё так, что просто загляденье. Очень красиво нарисованы фоны с тщательной детализацией. Хорошо сделаны и сюжетные видеовставки. Озвучка и музыка тоже приятные. Ещё одна отличная казуальная игра от Artifex Mundi. Рекомендую попробовать.

Summary: Cool-looking, fun to play hidden object game, This is enjoyable, but SHORT! ✅Graphics: Nothing exceptional but quite pretty, colourful and imaginative (above the norm for HOGs) ✅Gameplay: Bog standard HOG fare (and even on the quite easy side, except for a few of the hidden object scenes where items were slightly obscured by background/foreground environments) but sometimes that's just what you want! It's fun, which is why we play games. ✅Plot: A little different from the run of the mill HOG, with a more epic and mythical plot-line that doesn't wear out its welcome.

Although this is a somewhat decent Artifex Mundi hidden-object puzzle adventure (HOPA) that could have possibly gained a recommendation, a game-breaking bug near the end prevents that. There's a puzzle with matching keys similar to a memory game except you can never pick the last key, cannot progress and therefore need to restart from the beginning. It doesn't happen all the time, but it happens too often if we read reviews and forum posts. It happened to me after playing more than three hours. The bug was not fixed for close to 9 years and at this time, I don't think it will ever be. I think the only safe recourse, if you're intent on playing this, is to skip the puzzle when it appears. You'll lose the achievement of solving all puzzles without skipping, but that's less frustrating than losing all your progress. A few extra review notes although they became secondary. It's a typical later-day Artifex Mundi HOPA. The decors are beautiful. Character faces are hit or miss. For hidden object scenes, not a ton and not just finding the word in the scene, so I appreciate that. The objects to find are well integrated.

[h1] Поиск предметов с сюжетом на околодревнеримскую мифологию с богами Марсом, Венерой и хитросплетениями вокруг вулкана Помпеи [/h1] В целом сюжет довольно завлекательный, хоть и не хватает звёзд с неба. Всё равно тут есть своя интрига. К тому же игра опять сулит +1 к идеальным прохождениям. Единственное - может немного заставит попотеть достижение на 45 секунд. Но там лучше вообще забить на ошибки и тыкать во всё подряд. Так удалось выбить это достижение хоть и во время второго прохождения. Также лучше с руководоством высматривать коллекционные предметы, чтобы потом не пришлось к ним снова возвращаться. Тут эти предметы хорошенько так припрятаны и без внимательного глаза так просто и не найти. А также есть экраны, где вообще нет никаких коллекционных предметов и можно там порядочно потерять время при поиске отсутствующих вещей. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3311626366 В остальном же всё по традиции от Артифекс - довольно простенький сюжет, также не особо сложные головоломки, местами довольно атмосферное повествование со своими драмами. Из плюшек магазина тут всё в наличии, хоть при игре с жёсткого диска есть подлагивания. Сложно сказать с чем это свяазано. но при переходе с локации на локацию или запуске сюжетной сцены жёсткий диск ощутимо так потрескивает. Но это всё мелочи. Игра так же радует сюжетом и простым прохождением в лавине довольно сложных игр, где порой просто невозможно получить очередное достижение. Тут же с этим полный порядок и игра в состоянии скрасить очередной вечер. И таких игр у Артифекс ещё много. Жаль, что в плане повествования и головоломок они как-то ощутимо топчатся на месте. Зато с графической части всё нормально - художники тут рисуют очень хорошо.

"The Myth Seekers: The Legacy of Vulcan" is a mobile app that's been dumped on Steam as if it was a real PC game (it's not)... it's a cash grab from greedy mobile devs. This mobile app is a Hidden Object puzzle game, common on app stores and obviously improperly dumped onto Steam as a cash grab (the whole thing could be done in a web browser). There's literally hundreds of these on Steam, mostly published by Artifex Mundi, many of them free on mobile app stores, but this one will cost you money on Steam. There's a ancient Roman mythology/mystery theme to the game, but this is a just a veneer over a tired and overdone set of hidden object minigames and Adobe Flash tier puzzles, wrapped together with a bunch of static screens that you "move" through by tapping your finger on your iPhone screen. While these kinds of games are popular amongst casual gamers, it's difficult to argue this is a great value proposition as a PC game, especially considering the price of this compared to the hundreds of free HOGs on the mobile app stores. From a technical perspective, as a mobile app, this doesn't meet basic minimum requirements that most PC gamers expect as standard. The controls can't be customised because the game has such a dumbed down, simplified interface that it's just iPhone screen tapping stuff. The fact that the interface is this dumbed down might be seen as a problem in itself, however... this is a fairly shallow experience if you're the kind of gamer that likes to play games with deep, rich control schemes and interaction. You'll get none of that here. Because this is a mobile app, it carries a number of deliberate design deficiencies. Compromises were made to cater to the iPhones that the mobile app was designed for. These are unfortunate handicaps and limitations that PC gamers shouldn't be forced to accept, but it's evident that PC was an afterthought for the iPhone developers who are to blame for this. The mobile app is deficient as a result of these choices, and would have been so much better without the handicaps that designing games for mobile phones forces upon a game. Once more, mobile devs have made gaming worse for everyone. I didn't spend thousands on building a gaming rig just so I could pretend it's an iPhone. These technical defects push this mobile app below acceptable standards for any modern PC game. Reviewing SteamDB to check how popular this mobile app was with players reveals a surprise... there's a modest spike in player counts for the mobile app. But this only happened once, around the same time that trading cards were applied to the mobile app... so this is just card idlers getting their cards and moving on. A closer look at the numbers shows the mobile app just has a couple of players every week running up the mobile app and idling it for cards, then deleting it. We must ask how it benefits gamers for there to be so many mobile apps like this, with no merit as a serious game, that only generate sales from people idling and selling the trading cards. Once more we see greedy mobile devs trying to scam PC gamers. On Steam, this is $15 USD, on app stores, it's $7 USD. Mobile devs must learn PC gamers are not here to be gouged, and can't be expected to pay a MORE THAN TWICE THE PRICE FOR A MOBILE APP just because it's been lazily dumped on Steam. For comparison, the $15 asking price for this game could get you games like "Subnautica", "Bioshock Infinite" or "Hearts of Iron IV". This is unacceptable disrespect for PC gamers. Because this is a mobile app, is priced to insult and gouge PC gamers, and because of the other defects, it's impossible to recommend. Just who do they think we are?

A good Artifex Mundi hidden object game.

The setting was in Italy and the story was about Roman gods so that made it interesting. There was fast travel on the map. Like usual after a certain number of scenes older areas got locked off. The morphing collectibles were a bit difficult to find. They don't flash quickly so you really have to be watching for them. But there is an indicator on the screen when there is a collectible, so that is a good thing to pay attention to, to not miss any. The HO scenes were a bit tough. The one achievement of completing three in under 45 seconds each made them stressful also. There were a few easy HOs though where it could be done no problem if you are fast.

I love it! I recommend this game to anyone who love hidden object puzzle adventure games :D

[h1][b]🎮 Reseña de The Myth Seekers: The Legacy of Vulcan[/b][/h1] [h2]Resumen del Juego[/h2] The Myth Seekers: The Legacy of Vulcan es una aventura casual de apuntar y clic con rompecabezas y escenas de objetos ocultos, protagonizada por una heroína que se mete donde nadie la llamó… y claramente donde el sentido común no vive. El gancho: fantasía, misterio y un “legado” con vibra mitológica que promete intriga, sustitos light y esa sensación de “solo una escena más y ya me duermo” (mentira). La primera impresión es la clásica: entras, te sueltan una trama “buena” con tono familiar, te avientan un par de puzzles y, cuando crees que estás investigando como detective seria, estás buscando una llave minúscula en un cuarto lleno de cosas que nadie acomodaría así en la vida real. Es relajante, colorido y corto; o sea, el equivalente jugable a un episodio de serie dominguera… con logros. [h2]Objetos ocultos y rompecabezas: lo que brilla y lo que quema[/h2] Lo Bueno: ✅ 🧩 Rompecabezas y apuntar y clic bien digeribles: ideal para desconectar sin pensar en impuestos. ✅ 🎭 Protagonista femenina y tono de fantasía/misterio: cumple con la vibra de aventura ligera con “buena trama”. ✅ 🎶 Gran banda sonora y ambiente atmosférico: sorprende más de lo que debería en un juego tan casual. ✅ 🏆 18 logros + cromos: dopamina de coleccionista para justificar “una partida rápida”. ✅ ☁️ Steam Cloud: para que tus avances de cazador de baratijas existan en la nube, como deberían. Lo No Tan Bueno: ❌ ⏳ Es corto: cuando te encariñas con la investigación, ya te está despidiendo con una sonrisa. ❌ 🧍 Un jugador y con 1 jugador activo: básicamente estás investigando solo… como tus decisiones de vida a las 3 a.m. ❌ 👀 Objetos ocultos: a ratos se siente menos “misterio” y más “¿quién diseñó esta escena, un mapache?”. ❌ 😱 “Terror” pero familiar: sustos de parque infantil; controversial, sí, pero no esperes pesadillas. ❌ 🔁 Rejugabilidad limitada: una vez resuelto el truco, repetir es más rutina que aventura. [h2]Tabla de Evaluación[/h2] [table] [tr][th]Aspecto[/th][th]Puntuación (0-10)[/th][th]Comentario[/th][/tr] [tr][td]Jugabilidad[/td][td]6[/td][td]Apuntar y clic sólido, con objetos ocultos que cumplen sin reinventar nada.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Dificultad / IA[/td][td]6[/td][td]Retos accesibles; más “relajación” que “me siento genio”.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Contenido[/td][td]6[/td][td]Correcto, pero se nota lo corto: vas embalado y se acaba.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Gráficos / Video[/td][td]6[/td][td]2D colorido y caricaturesco; cumple, no deslumbra.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Historia[/td][td]7[/td][td]Misterio y fantasía con buen ritmo para el género casual.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Ambientación[/td][td]7[/td][td]Atmosférico y con vibra de aventura; el “terror” es suavecito.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Efectos (VFX)[/td][td]6[/td][td]Funcionales: nada ofensivo, nada memorable.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Música[/td][td]7[/td][td]Mejor de lo esperado; acompaña y levanta escenas.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Voces[/td][td]5[/td][td]No es el foco y se siente discreto; cumple sin brillar.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Diversidad[/td][td]5[/td][td]Protagonista femenina suma, pero no es un punto fuerte del conjunto.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Rendimiento[/td][td]7[/td][td]Aventura 2D casual: debería correr sin dramas en casi cualquier PC.[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Rejugabilidad[/td][td]5[/td][td]Cuando ya sabes dónde estaba “la pieza”, se va la magia.[/td][/tr] [tr][td][b]Total Puntuaciones (Bueno)[/b][/td][td][b]6.1[/b][/td][td]Una aventura casual cumplidora: entretenida, bonita y sin grandes riesgos.[/td][/tr] [/table] [h2]Conclusión (Bueno)[/h2] The Myth Seekers: The Legacy of Vulcan es el tipo de aventura casual que te atrapa con misterio, te alimenta con rompecabezas y te deja buscando objetos como si tu dignidad estuviera debajo del sofá. No pretende ser revolucionario: pretende ser cómodo. Y lo logra. Ahora, lo controversial: con 1 jugador activo, esto se siente como visitar un museo a solas… bonito, sí, pero con eco. Aun así, sus 137 recomendaciones no salen de la nada: es una experiencia agradable, de buena trama para el género, con música destacable y un cierre rápido (demasiado rápido). [h3]Recomendación de Compra (Recomendado con reservas)[/h3] Puntuación Total: 6.1/10 Número de jugadores activos al momento de hacer esta review: 1 Descuento máximo registrado: N/A Veredicto: [i]Cómpralo si quieres una aventura ligera de objetos ocultos con buen ambiente; sáltalo si buscas algo largo, retador o rejugable.[/i] Si te gustan las aventuras de apuntar y clic para relajarte, sacar logros y escuchar una buena banda sonora mientras “investigas”, aquí hay material. Si lo tuyo es exprimir contenido, competir, o sentir que el juego te respeta el tiempo… bueno, digamos que Vulcano no forjó eso aquí.

As is common with these types of games, we've entered the realm of mythology as we go on a journey to receive items of power from various ancient gods that are somehow still around in contemporary times. As a story it holds up ok. Visiting various gods gives an excuse to travel around, mixing up the locations and scenes quite well. Hidden object puzzles are on the average side (as is typical), as the game leans more towards the storytelling side, but I find very few games truly deliver for me, in terms of mess scenes, so I'm not too disappointed. Probably the biggest issue players will have with this game is the 'finish 3 hidden object puzzles in 45 seconds', and finding all morphing objects achievements. The first is brutal, until you realise you can just play on casual with no penalties for misclicks. I played on advanced, so I had to start again to smash out these two achievements. The morphing objects are SLOW. Be prepared to sit there and stare at your screen for longer than I did, as I ended up missing three. The worst part about this game is there is no balance for morphing objects and collectables versus how many screens there are. It's random, so you could get one, or the other, or both, or none on a screen - the only way to know is to use a guide, otherwise replaying to find what you've missed is extremely frustrating. Most of the puzzles are more of the same you see in other games, so there isn't any troubles there. Assembling items in the inventory is such a drag, I feel this mechanic is overdone, where more mess scenes would have been preferable. This is a very general gripe of mine though - I feel that way about most games in the genre. As is part and parcel with these types of games that don't offer much in terms of game time, be sure to look for a discount if you're interested.