I'll Skip The "Punish"ment! You can Steal This One! – Punished Talents: Stolen Awards HD - A Mystery Hidden Object Game (Full) Review

The main attraction here are the graphics. They are visually and exceptionally stunning with skillfully polished and finely detailed, hand drawn scenes that create a realistic portrayal of the environment; presentation is superior in sharpness, crispness, and clarity. The colors are rich in texture and are embellished with prominently darker shades that overshadow the sparser, lighter ones. The storyline is recycled, as is the setting or ambiance, with the same-old "explore the creepy mansion while trying to track down a murderer as the rain is pouring down from the heavens." The custom difficulty mode is well presented and consists of various options. The inventory is labeled and interactive; items require assembly. However, items are oddly placed so that they rest slightly above the bar within the scene, as does the bar lock itself, which obstructs the view of the lower part of the scene. The textual information is contained in the form of acquired reading materials, which does little to refresh my memory of story progression. You will need your magnifying glasses; this developer must think we are mice with beady eyes that can read text in font sizes of 4. The teleport map was most unusual in its layout and coherence; its color coded indications lack clarity. For example, if I were in a location, the location was green coded; however, there could be something to do there. That location would not change to a blue code until I moved away to a different location. The HOS do have some variation and interactivity; however, they are short, abrupt, and uninspiring. The puzzles are unoriginal and very short of spectacular; some test your dexterity skills. One in particular was technically cumbersome; I was finally able to get the safe dial to respond and be accurately set after some frustratingly repeated tries. There is a back button for needed convenience. There is a collectible; they blend in well into the background. They are informative, which adds more than just discovering them. I had no problems with transition; fairly smooth and quick. I did find the music to be irritating as it caused lack of concentration. Overall, the game did feel outdated; other than that one puzzle, I did not experience any glitches. Unfortunately, it was ridden with numerous user-friendly setbacks that impeded gameplay. For the reasons set forth above, I round off my rating of 2.5 stars to 2 stars.
Review by KimTwilight69 on Punished Talents: Stolen Awards HD - A Mystery Hidden Object Game (Full).