Nightmares from the Deep: The Cursed Heart - Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 Review

During our coverage of Casual Connect a few months back, nosotros interviewed Polish developer Artifex Mundi about some of their adventure titles. I also promised to start reviewing those titles, and now information technology'southward time to do simply that.

First upward is our review of Nightmares from the Deep: the Cursed Eye for Windows Telephone 8 and Windows 8. Cursed Heart is the first game in the Nightmares from the Deep serial of hidden object puzzle run a risk games (HOPA). With a mix of gameplay styles and plenty of ghostly pirate adventure, Cursed Heart is a corking introduction to Artifex Mundi's games. Read on for our full review!

Where do cleaved hearts become?

While the Nightmares from the Deep games all feature eerie nautical settings and themes, each title so far has a standalone story. Cursed Middle centers around a supernatural pirate named Remington whose decayed body comes to life inside of a museum. Soon he wrecks the museum and kidnaps the museum director's daughter. Equally the director, you must to follow Remington to his isle base and rescue her before information technology'south also tardily.

Cursed Center's story comes to life via fully voiced and decently acted dialog, though an occasional line here or there might exist missing a voice sample. The cinematic sequences come up in two forms: CG animation and mitt-drawn animation. The CG rendered movies look great and match the in-game background artwork in terms of beauty. The mitt-fatigued sequences are passable, but their character art and grasp of anatomy often leaves something to be desired.

Pirate'due south dozen

Besides rescuing your daughter, the principal goal in Cursed Middle is to notice 12 special doubloons subconscious throughout the game. When gathered together, the doubloons will open a magical quest and reveal its mysterious contents.

Each doubloon placed on the breast besides causes a film to play that will reveal a little more than of the game's backstory. The only problem with these scenes and the game's story in full general is that it'due south too front-loaded. You'll learn how the captain got his power, the importance of a woman from his past, and his plans for the director's daughter far too early in the game. Each doubloon's story scene fleshes things out a bit more than, but you'll have the whole story figured out long before collecting the concluding one.

Puzzles

As an take chances game, Cursed Heart has more than its off-white share of puzzles. Oftentimes these involve scanning the surround for objects to get together and apply afterwards. Things y'all pick upwardly appear in your inventory, which is always attainable from the bottom of the screen. To use an item on something in the environment, only tap/click and elevate it to the desired location.

The game classifies more complex puzzles as minigame puzzles. These come in the standard varieties like assembling a painting from pieces, rotating starfish to make a pattern, mixing a chemic formula, and more.

A few puzzles go besides esoteric or unintuitive for my liking, such as a minigame involving reassembling a cleaved record. I had all the pieces together seemingly perfectly, simply the game didn't lock them in place and register the tape as reassembled.

Thankfully, players tin can skip the occasional problematic puzzle on the default difficulty. You can besides employ hints to directly you to the next location or of import items in the background. Both functions operate on timers, and so you can't merely use them nonstop.

Another helpful function is the map arrangement. Later on leaving the museum, yous'll take admission to maps of each subsequent environment. Likewise the obvious aid in navigation, maps besides indicate locations of the next puzzle or action y'all're supposed to practice. Maps are still present on the hardcore difficulty option, but the residuum of the hints volition exist disabled.

Hidden objects

Without hidden object sequences, a HOPA would simply exist an chance game. Cursed Heart does have a number of hidden object scenes, though they're spread out a bit between the other types of puzzles. Each scene provides a list of nine or so items to find. Sometimes you'll have to combine, open, or move things in guild to observe the right items.

The hidden object scenes, like the background fine art in full general are gorgeously drawn and filled with luscious details. In some games, these scenes are simply chaotic with randomly-placed junk and seem to be designed more for challenge than anything else. Cursed Heart's hidden object sequences show more artistry and less incommunicable object density, making for much more plausible scenes.

Matching tiles

Players who don't care for hidden object games volition be pleased to know that Cursed Middle provides an alternative to those sequences. Whenever one comes up, you tin cull to play mahjong solitaire (also known as Shanghai) instead! You know, that's the game in which players must match pairs of tiles that are stacked in a pattern. The tiles have pirate themed artwork and everything.

The mahjong solitaire puzzles are focused more than on fun than challenge. Players tin can cull to reshuffle the stack at any time, and information technology will automatically reshuffle whenever no moves are left. The puzzles do increase in complexity equally the game progresses, though.

Variety lovers can mix and lucifer between subconscious objects and mahjong as the game goes on, though you lot'd miss out on a non-Xbox Achievement or two past doing so. Completing either type of puzzle e'er rewards you with an inventory item that volition exist needed in society to progress.

Collector'due south Edition features

The Windows Telephone and Windows 8 versions of Cursed Center carry a "Collector's Edition" subtitle. So does the game on other platforms, then it seems like the default edition to me. But the game does include some unlockable bonus features that you wouldn't find in run-of-the-mill HOPA titles:

• Mini-games: Replay whatsoever of xvi mini-games from the main adventure.
• Hidden object scenes: Choose from the 19 hidden object puzzles found in the principal run a risk.
• Videos: Nine regular story videos and 12 doubloon videos to watch
• Concept art: Nine paintings representing scenes from the game

You lot can't select the mahjong solitaire puzzles directly, but they can exist replayed from within the individual hidden object puzzles. Other than a dedicated mahjong menu, the simply bonus characteristic the game really lacks is a sound test.

Epilogue

Cursed Heart's Extras menu holds i more than special feature: a Bonus Adventure. This mini adventure functions equally an epilogue and lasts an hour or two.

The museum director has survived the main adventure but she must make full find a way to become back habitation. The Bonus Adventure contains the same exploration, puzzles, and hidden object gameplay you'd find in the chief game. It even has voice acted dialog.

While information technology'south classified every bit a Bonus Adventure, the epilogue could accept just as hands been included within the main game. I guess having it equally a separate option is handy for mobile play.

Overall Impression

If you bask adventure games, finding hidden objects, or matching mahjong tiles, Nightmares from the Deep: The Cursed Heart is a must-play. The sequel Nightmares from the Deep: the Siren's Phone call is likewise available on Windows eight, but the Windows Telephone version hasn't launched yet.

Cursed Center is available in a complimentary version that is essentially a trial or a full paid version. The paid version offers a trial anyway, so don't carp with the free one.

• Nightmares from the Deep: The Cursed Middle – Windows Phone 8 – 249 MB – $2.99 – Store Link
• Nightmares from the Deep: The Cursed Heart – Windows 8 – 475 MB – $6.99 – Shop Link

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Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/nightmares-deep-cursed-heart-wp8-windows-8-review

Posted by: deaninteall.blogspot.com

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