I'm Not So "Haunted" By This One! I "Wish" This Was Better! – Haunted Legends: The Dark Wishes - A Hidden Object Mystery (Full) Review

You are a Professor of Mage; and your friend and former pupil, Roberto, gives his fiancé, Lucia, a pendant known as the "Philosophers Stone" on their wedding day. As he is writing to you requesting assistance, an evil manifestation comes for Roberto and appears to have killed him. Lucia finishes the letter and asks you to come to Florence "asap" to help investigate the incident since she is accused of his murder. What role does the villainous Vox play in all of this? This game has some fun elements, such as using a magic staff to absorb energy to gain parts of the story. You also use a travel portal to instantly take you to your destination. The graphics are gorgeous, crisp, and clear, as usual in this series; and the artwork is embellished with well-drawn scenes to intricately portray a realistic environment. I've said before that I love to traverse through old European villages around winding streets with shops and alleyways to explore. There is the ability to customize your settings. The inventory is labeled and interactive; you start to manipulate items quite a few scenes in. The teleporting map is not beneficial in that it is sluggish and does not indicate objectives or available actions in custom mode; it only lets you know that a scene is not complete. Transition between scenes is also delayed by several seconds. There is no journal, but you read numerous snippets of info in the form of cards, notes, letters, etc., to keep you updated on the story. The recycled HOS started out as mainly word lists with some interaction, but they became more varied further along. You had to match pairs of items and find the numbers as well. Unfortunately, you do not have the "find and use" type that "Curse of Vox" had. I thought there was a glitch in one where you dip a brush in red paint to paint a flower but the brush would not dip in; you need to touch the rose first and then the brush to complete the action. The puzzles are easy but redundant; many are the type where you swap or slide tiles or other items around. You collect pigeons in some locations, and some are well-hidden. The extras include replay of puzzles and HOS, photos, and other usuals. I gave this game three stars because it seemed outdated and transitionally glitchy. There was not enough variation for the puzzles. In addition, the map had no indicators although I was able to find things to do on my own. Just to let you reviewers know, Artifex Mundi has some games on sale right now at a discounted price of $2.99. I suggest playing either "Eventide: Slavic Fables" or "Dreamatorium 2." They are both great games with many components that you all love. Go check out some reviews and have fun!
Review by KimTwilight69 on Haunted Legends: The Dark Wishes - A Hidden Object Mystery (Full).