Reviews for Otherworld: Spring of Shadows Collector's Edition

Joyfullady, are you playing the same game as we do? And about the torn drawn pictures you mentioned, don't they belong in the game called "Witches' Legacy"?

i find it more fairy tale then occult,,,,,,

bella81762 wrote:i find it more fairy tale then occult,,,,,,

I didn't see anything that screamed "occult" at me either. I think Joyfullady is mistaken this game with "Witches' Legacy", the other CE that came out just a few days ago. They had demons in them, and torn drawn pictures...

Definite buy for me as well. I like Boomzap games. The graphics are great but on a tiny scale. Very nice fairytale. The best scenario on the logistics of the game are with Valdy. I agree with her so no need to repeat. Not alot of walking as in the last game. Some of the developers need to develop games without all the walking from one site to another. Can get rather tiring. However, this is not this type of game. Clean graphics. No ugly scenes or people in this one as well., just some monsters. Nice little game. For me, I like adventure not HOGS, so a real gem for me as well.

joyfullady - don't miss out - it's brill and not occultist at all.

Valdy wrote:

bella81762 wrote:i find it more fairy tale then occult,,,,,,

I didn't see anything that screamed "occult" at me either. I think Joyfullady is mistaken this game with "Witches' Legacy", the other CE that came out just a few days ago. They had demons in them, and torn drawn pictures...

I'll bet that's the one she's thinking of. Two great games in the same week can be overwhelming I guess.
But this one doesn't strike me as "occult" at all----just a fairy tale and a very well done fairy tale.


Edited for typos

I am SO on the fence with this one. The storyline is interesting. Love the Achievements challenge. The couple mini-games played so far haven't caused me any frustration. And for some reason, I have a feeling the length may be good.

However, for a CE, the graphics are...well...just awful. They're grainy. Don't know what else to call it. The colors are nice, but the colors alone do not make me want to stop and enjoy the scenery.

The music does nothing for me, but that isn't a deal breaker when it comes down to whether I want to purchase the game. At the moment, the art work may be the deal breaker.

Still have 30 minutes left on the demo. We'll see.

This is a truly beautiful game in every way but one. The navigation. It's terrible. It lags for about 10/20 secs half the time and the other half is still not fast enough.

I had the most annoying time with it, which really detracted from my enjoyment of a very well thought out game overall, with lovely graphics, story, creatures, puzzles, not too many hogs, a really good SG and a very decent length.

Twice I had to log off and re-enter because it become completely frozen. I have checked all the necessary aspects of my (comparitively new) computer and everything is as it should be.

I notice I am not the only one complaining of this, though the majority had no such problems.

It remains an enigma why this should be.

Still, I do congratulate Boomzap on this game. It's refreshingly different from the run-of-the-mill stuff we have been served up lately and that is ALWAYS appreciated.

Charming and delightful without being sappy or childish. Fine achievement all round.

Thoroughly enjoyed this lovely game. Plays like a dream - no issues, no problems, and was GREAT gobs of fun!

Length was well worth the CE price to me. Heck, you spend more going to the show for a 2+ hour movie, and THIS far surpasses that..plus, I can play it again whenever I want.

Not overloaded with the common junkpile hidden object scenes (in fact, there are only a handful..YEA!), and the puzzles were not too difficult, not too easy. Was perfect to suit my taste.

I really LOVED this one. More like THIS, PLEASE!!

Thank you for your concerns. No I haven't mixed up the games - only wished I had. The people with the horns on their head - like the girl's guardian attached to the tree, the demon with the big teeth are all products from occultism and the underworld. I can't get to the "fairytale" part if I can't get past these beings. It is different from the fairytale witches from Cinderella/Snow White. If you can then please enjoy the game.

I thank Valdy for the great reviews... he or she always tells it like it is and isn't afraid to admit not being the smartest, fastest, and greatest like some here.

I like the games on the easy side myself. Not too easy, but sometimes you do get frustrated... and I absolutely hate being stranded in a game without a clue what to do next. I don't want a game to point it out blatantly but a little hint is helpful.

I usually skip down the reviews until I find Valdy's to decide if I'll even demo the game.
I haven't demoed yet but I have a feeling I"ll end up buying this as a CE and I hardly ever buy CE's... but I'm just so excited that there are no junkpile HOG scenes! I have credits stored up just for this type of game.

I'm not too sure about this either. Game play was nice, music nice, games very easy. HOGs, what HOGs? I didn't run across anything that I would actually consider a HOG at all. Graphics a bit grainy. I prefer voice-overs...don't like wasting my time reading. I like BoomZap games, I have all of them, but this one left me wanting more. I finished the first chapter in the demo hour. Don't know how many fairies I collected, cause nothing showed me a number (unless I just missed where to find it). Maybe it was in the book and I just didn't see it.

Anyway, not kicked out about this one. Disappointing and left a lot to be desired. Will put this at the bottom of my "puddle" list in case nothing better comes along this month.

Still looking for a good SE for a change. Thanks for the reviews.

Now have 15 inches of snow and still coming down. At least the freezing rain missed us...so far. Good day to stay in and play a good game.

(Edited for spelling)

Joyfullady wrote:Thank you for your concerns. No I haven't mixed up the games - only wished I had. The people with the horns on their head - like the girl's guardian attached to the tree, the demon with the big teeth are all products from occultism and the underworld. I can't get to the "fairytale" part if I can't get past these beings. It is different from the fairytale witches from Cinderella/Snow White. If you can then please enjoy the game.

actually witches and such from fairy tales were much darker then they are depicted in mother goose, they were originaly written as very dark and sinister as cautionary tales to children of ages gone by

just go online and look for illustrations from the original works,,,

not arguing with ya joyful, just musing

I'm really tired of wide screens on these games, just kidding!!!! I don't love the game, I like it. The scenery is pretty, lots of things to do and areas to check out, but it's just not grabbing my attention. Might be because i'm not fond of fairy tale type games, I didn't like beauty and the beast, it's the genre type I guess. Like I said, I like it and maybe I'll come back later and purchase the se when it comes out.

This is NOT a CE game!!!!! Come on guys. It's more of a puzzle game than HOG for sure. False advertising. And stop with the CEs unless they are worth the price!!!!

Deleted.

sjsullivan wrote:This is NOT a CE game!!!!! Come on guys. It's more of a puzzle game than HOG for sure. False advertising. And stop with the CEs unless they are worth the price!!!!

Hey Sjsullivan--If you're looking for a game that's "H0G-heavy" with lots of SG pages that show nothing but two-dozen yellow-outlined items, then this probably isn't the game for you. But if you like an "Adventure-heavy, H0G-lite" choice that smartly uses inventory items and puzzle-solving skills, then here you go!

This is more fantasy than "dark and eerie" (although I do like those types). And I'm not sure why you equate "CE" with "H0G."

Regards, elldee

Well now, this is something different! Bravo Boomzap!

A story that starts in a haunted house and heads out into parts unknown, H0-inspired, not H0 scenes, nifty little mini-games and puzzles, a hardcore mode that has conversation but few hints, and dreamy artwork.

I do wish the puzzles and inventory items were a little more tricky but that's just a minor quibble. It won't stop me from buying the CE of this game and staying up too late playing.

I always appreciate when a developer is willing to try something new instead of relying on the same old formula (Yes, Ers I'm looking at you.) It takes guts and a dedication to making good games. Even if it's not perfect, it makes the game feel fresh and that's a rare and wonderful thing these days.

GOOD JOB big fish great game .I am buying .

This review is on the completed game (minus the bonus game) and will serve as an addendum to my prior review.

The storyline in this game is so well developed. The supporting background characters are well formed, documented and beautifully done. (Some may be alarmed at what others have said, but I can assure you that dryads are not demons - they are female spirits of nature from Greek mythology. Shades are merely different elements in the spirit world - no more than ghosts. So rest easy - there are no occult references in this game. No crystal balls, no demons, no ouija boards, no tarot cards, no pentagrams, etc. You do, however, have to mix a couple of potions.)

The puzzles are of good variety - there are several logic puzzles, several involving dexterity, some that involve skill and others that are a puzzle/jigsaw in nature. All are fairly original and presented in very imaginative ways and beautifully done. I enjoyed them all (I experienced one problem with carding wool - but I think that was due to my ailing mouse and 'achy-braky' hands - I couldn't get the motion quite right. And I tried to make a mountain out of a mole hill cutting the stain glass - what a fool I made of myself on that ).

My total play time for the main game ten minutes shy of 12 hours. I haven't started that bonus game. I missed 3 of the collectibles (grrrr) and I got all of the regular achievements except Complete the Game in 6 hours or less (I think this should be altered for Hardcore players to "6 hours or More" ) Find All the Collectibles and Complete All the Achievements.

Definitely the best game I've played in a very, very long time. Five out of five stars from me with sincere hopes there will be many more like this one. . Thanks so much, BoomZap. My continued admiration.