Vermillion Watch: Parisian Pursuit Collector's Edition

[Note: Second game in this series available on Steam, but there are clearly others in the series that aren't on Steam yet. I definitely recommend playing Vermillion Watch: Moorgate Accord first.] The first game in this series, The Moorgate Accord, introduced us to "Young Hawkes", who becomes a member of the Vermillion Watch at a time when the Watch has been all but disbanded under the terms of a treaty between the forces of Good and Evil. Naturally, Evil isn't keeping its bargain, and strange things are afoot. The series is set in the very late Victorian period, shortly before the turn of the century. As you would expect from the title, this chapter in the series takes place in Paris. In particular, the protagonist has to look into strange happenings at a display of allegedly magical wonders housed at La Sorbonne. While not quite as entertaining as the first game in the series, Parisian Pursuits is still a well-crafted game. The art, HO scenes, and puzzles are all very good, and the voice acting is solid for most characters (although the French accents got a little much after a while). The main downside for me was the story, which never quite materialized. Very little of the antagonist's motivation is revealed, and he was too much of a two dimensional character for me to feel invested. Maybe I missed something, but he felt a little like an old style Batman villain to me :) Summary: beautiful historical setting, nicely executed game; story is lacking compared to the first game; 8/10 I suggest buying Parisian Pursuit on sale, but otherwise I have no hesitation recommending the game to those who enjoy HOPA games.

I am not a huge fan of HOG's but I do play them from time to time in between a more favored genre. I have to say this one was a lot more fun and challenging than the run-of-the-mill HOG. Artwork was great, games and HOS's were more challenging than usual and the story was less fantastical than a lot of them. I don't mind replaying to get all the achievements. One of the achievements was earning a "gold medal" (based on speed and accuracy) for all the HOS's in the extras menu, which was challenging and fun. I even learned a few things about Paris along the way. I recommend this game.

Second in the series to reach Steam, this seems to actually be the sixth case that young Hawkes has partaken in. Since all of the tales involve literary figures, I suspect being in Paris might involve a certain Phantom. Anyway, you have been invited to Paris to see the World Magic Exhibition… and also to help solve a mystery unfolding there. Soon after arriving at the exhibition, the gentleman thief Lupin steals the centerpiece. Which appears to be a very powerful and dangerous item. Luckily, he didn’t steal the things needed to use it. Of course, you have to find them before he does. HO scenes are fun, minigames challenging, and the plot engaging. Fully recommend.

I definitely would not recommend. What started out with promise quickly turned into a grey washed out blobby mess of put this thingamabob into this whoseewhatsit. It actually got worse as it went on. The bonus chapter should be classified as torture as all the screens look the same, the puzzles make no sense and it's just a barren mess with nonsensical crap hunts. Lazy. Next time make a game which has more people to interact with, keep up the pace of how it started which seemed promising and don't just make it one big crap puzzle fest; actually have a few interesting locations with goals instead of ugly repetitive puzzle hunts.

Not bad overall, for a game in this genre. Admittedly, the bar has been set criminally low for hidden puzzle games. Usually, my friend and I will play these things to make fun of how bad they are, but I can honestly say that this one was almost completely enjoyable. The puzzles were varied and interesting, and they tended to avoid the usual traps of the genre (different screw types, the same tool but with a different name, too many emblems, etc.). Most of they time, they actually made sense, minus the occasional "because game" logic. However, I do have two major criticisms: 1) The whole "World Exhibit" section had about the same level of respect for the various cultures they showcased as the "World Expo"s of old did. Which is to say, not great. This could be a plus for some people for historical accuracy (note: not a historian)? For me, it was kind of a mood killer. 2) By the time we were searching around Paris, I was already getting bored of the game. I liked the Notre Dame portion, and the Eiffel Tower had some unique things to offer. But after going through two multi-stage areas, the graveyard felt more tedious than fun and interesting. By the time we got to the end stage, it felt like we were trapped in parisian purgatory. I don't necessarily have a solution for this, but I would maybe try breaking it into two locations instead of three with a bonus fourth location. Overall, though, this was a fun ride. If you like these games for their puzzles, this is a nice one to tackle.

J'avais bien aimé le premier opus, et j'aimais bien celui-là aussi, jusqu'à ce que le jeu refuse de lancer ma sauvegarde. Après 2 heures passé dessus, pas la foi de recommencer. J'ai lancé un hog, et ai quitté à ce moment-là. Il a pas eu l'air d'aimer. Dommage que Steam ne propose toujours pas de bouton "oui mais non".

Top quality hidden object game.

Nice ;)

puzzles, atmosphere and music!

Although not as good as Moorgate Accord, this Vermillion Watch title delivers all the important aspects of a great HOG. The artwork was excellent, the story was interesting and the interface had all the bells and whistles. Definitely worth pickup up on sale.