Reviews by Deboriole

This was a very enjoyable game which is why it must be full of bugs. I like how the player needs to choose different paths to collect all of the items necessary for the win. A good 10 minutes of fun.

Go Pats!

Although this short game had one great puzzle at the start (for which I am giving the game an extra star), the second and third puzzles were not very intuitive. Playing as a dog I assumed my actions were somewhat limited and that I would need to get creative on the second puzzle. However, upon looking at the walkthrough, it turns out I simply needed to use a common action typically reserved for beings with arms. Hmm... but I'm a dog. How would that work, exactly? Anyway, the worst is yet to come. I inadvertently ruined the game for myself with the third puzzle. How was I to know that I would determine my fate based on (Spoiler - click to show)where I left the pipe? Leaving it in the garden (which is where I left it upon my first play through, just by chance) causes me to be beaten by my master and left shaking in my doghouse. A turn of events which made me really sad and a little angry. I wouldn't really recommend this game unless you can overlook the verb issue I mentioned, and you don't do what I mentioned in the spoiler tag.

This game is on my all-time favorites list now. It is the epitome of the type of game I like: escaping from a single room. The puzzles are great and there is enough humor to make it entertaining throughout. The only advice I would give someone who hasn't played before: Don't assume you have thoroughly examined something if you feel there is more to the object than you already know — because you are probably right. A minor spoiler showing what I mean: (Spoiler - click to show)I got stuck in one place because I typed "listen" assuming it would include all of the sounds in the room, but what I really had to do was listen to something in particular. I recommend this game to puzzlers everywhere!

I initially chose this game because it featured a dog. Unfortunately I found the lack of progress too frustrating and I did not complete this game. I don't really care for games that loop... especially if the loop is full of mundane tasks that I didn't enjoy the first time around. I love puzzles, but I felt this game's "puzzles" were more like virtual chores. There were also a ton of bugs which may or may not have been on purpose. For example, (Spoiler - click to show)when I filled the water dish and put it down for Rover, he seemed so thirsty that I picked it up and filled it again. But when I went to put it down, the game said I wasn't carrying it, and when I did "i" it wasn't in my inventory. In the next iteration the water bowl was already full, so maybe it is supposed to be "glitchy" based on the premise that you are building the simulation. I guess this game just wasn't for me. Two stars because I liked the humor.

I really enjoy one room escape puzzles so I gave this one a go. Unlike many of the other so-called "one room puzzles", this one really is restricted to a single room (yay!). The puzzles were really tricky at some points — but with some creativity I was able to get through the whole game without using my cat. The only place that tripped me up was getting the last ingredient. (Spoiler - click to show)I knew I had to put the golem in the trunk because he is the only object the game allowed me to place there. I also knew I had to have him fetch something for me, so I tried "fetch (object)" and he would bring me random stuff since he didn't know the names of anything. After an hour or so I broke down and looked at the walkthrough and saw all I needed to do was say "fetch." I am not sure why this didn't even occur to me, but it didn't. Other than that I had no problems completing the game, and I really enjoyed the entire thing! It was very satisfying to solve, and it was funny, too. :)

p.s. In case the author is reading these comments, I found a few bugs.
(Spoiler - click to show)1) If you POTPOURRI the stuffed puffin and then YOUDEAD the puffin, he will fly around the stuffed version of himself, looking for fish.
2) If you POTPOURRI the sky and then try it again, it will say something like "You have already cast that spell on the ."
3) There is a typo early in the game... instead of the word "stink" it said "stick".

Upon starting the game you are told to gather evidence to prove the existence of a ghost within the church. You are armed with a camera to capture ...well, anything you want, really. You also have a handy notebook in which you can look up any topic having to do with the church, which is a neat touch.

I admit, I had high hopes for this game based on other reviews. But even if I had gone in with no expectations, I believe I would still feel a little cheated. Don't get me wrong, I had a blast solving puzzles along the way, and I truly appreciate all of the work that went into building this game. There is just one major disappointment!

Spoilers (and whining) ahead:

(Spoiler - click to show)In my inventory I had a crook (a pole with a hook on the end) and a box (to stand on since my character is short). I came across an intriguing trapdoor in the ceiling and was able to open it using the box and crook. Once in the attic, I discovered the truth about the resident ghost.

Now, this would all be fine if there were multiple endings. For example, if you were to go into the attic without certain proofs, you would lose due to insufficient evidence. I would have much preferred that because then I would have replayed the game and made sure I was able to prove my case the next time around. Unfortunately there is only one ending, and once the attic is accessed the truth is made clear regardless of any proof (or lack thereof) I may have possessed. All of the evidence I spent time collecting and photographing was meaningless. I never needed to do anything at all other than get into that attic (although I will note that the crook is only found after solving another puzzle so it isn't like you can solve the game quickly). Still, so disappointing!

I would love for the authors of this game to make an extended version. I think that would be amazing! It would definitely get five stars from me. :)

I beat the second game! I am giving it five stars because I really liked it. I did not get frustrated like in the original Hard Puzzle, and I felt this one was very cleverly done. Patience is a virtue; I spent a ton of time playing this game before I was able to figure it out. It was very satisfying when I did! Now onto the third installment. :)

If you are looking for a quick, silly game, this is it! There is great humor throughout, and the game doesn't take itself seriously. The one downfall is that it's a "hand-holder" game and thus very easy to complete. If things were a little less conspicuous it might have led to a greater challenge. For example: (Spoiler - click to show)the jungle scene with the blatant dangling vine could have been more puzzly if you had to examine the jungle in order to spot the vine. Still, I enjoyed the narrative so much that the game was still very fulfilling despite its lack of puzzliness. I am still chuckling over some of the dialogue. I am going to check out some other Ryan V games now!

I have been obsessed with this series since the first Hard Puzzle came out. I have to say that the atmosphere of this installment is a little dark for my taste, but the solution makes sense (or as much sense as is possible in a surreal game like this!) just like the two games before it. Aside from the monstrous atmosphere (which I did not care for), this game was very satisfying to puzzle over and solve. Thanks Ade McT!

I have been obsessed with beating this game since it came out. I opened the game this morning (not expecting to get anywhere with it), and after a bit of tinkering I tried something I hadn't tried before and was stunned when a paragraph of text appeared followed by *** The End ***.

I can't decide if I think the solution is clever so I will leave the review centered at 3 stars to be as impartial as possible. Good luck to all of you who still have yet to solve it.