"Ahoy!" Hang Those "Jolly Rogers" or You'll "Walk the Plank!" – Sea of Lies: Tide of Treachery - A Hidden Object Mystery (Full) Review

I love the change in premise to a seafaring, nautical theme as you meet various seamen and explore a ship containing various rooms and relative artifacts, such as shark and alligator heads jutting out from the walls, gambling rooms with poker tables, and hidden cellars with crates and jars full of food and gold; you travel to islands with caves full of chained skeletal remains and treasure chests as well as abandoned, decrepit shipwrecks and old fortresses. The graphics are disappointing; they appear washed out and not very sharp or clear. The colors vary with many darker or brighter shades depending on the scene. There are no customized settings; I think this is the third one within the last five or so games that exclude desired optional settings. In second mode, I have to put up with sparkles and HOS penalties. The inventory is labeled, interactive, and puzzle-like; items require assembly. The teleport map has smooth transition, but I do not have "action available." There is no journal; you need to read all acquired reading materials. Transition between scenes is smooth and quick. The HOS are not that varied since they are mostly word lists; however, they are multilayered and can be sequential. For example, you start with a word list ending with a riddle; then another list initiates. The puzzles are simple and relative to the theme; I love the one where you adjust the shadows of boats by moving arrows to match the backgrounds. You have a collectible; they are easy to spot. I took off two stars because of the following reasons: 1. No custom settings. 2. Access of map through menu is time consuming. 3. No variety of HOS. 4. Gameplay is too simple, linear, and short. 5. I had a glitch in one of the puzzles where you rotate, place, and connect cogs to align them within background patterns. I kept returning to the same obvious solution multiple times; however, the game would not sense completion. Yes, I did press the red button. Finally, after consulting the SG, I saw my solution was correct. After rebooting my device and retrying, it worked. Very frustrating! All-in-all, I like the change in storyline to a less spooky premise; however, again not the best.
Review by KimTwilight69 on Sea of Lies: Tide of Treachery - A Hidden Object Mystery (Full).