Pros: Varied location design, easy navigation, clear objectives, complex puzzle design
Cons: Ghost rescue not an original idea, bonus chapter feels forced on game narration
Price:$13.99
As any successful author and they will tell you that more than failure it is the success that bugs them. House of 1000 Doors: Family Secrets is a rescue missions to save the dead- the haunted souls. It is a hidden object adventure of one player who actually is a writer. There is nothing path breaking in this game but yeah, it is one of the good games with intricately designed interface and gameplay.
The game starts with the game character, author Kate suffering from some writer's block. With nothing coming to her mind and her career as an author on the brink of going down there appears a strange box on her doorsteps. The box contains an invitation to a séance. Though the invitation is unusual but Kate always wanted to attend a séance. Relieved at this opening to take a break from here nowhere proceeding work Kate jumps at this opportunity, takes a cab and reaches the location to find it one a ruse- it is actually only an entry to an inter-dimensional mystery.
The center of game is a titular "House of 1000 Doors", which is a house continuously travelling through space and time. The house is filled not only with haunted spirits with various gifted mediums you help these spirits move on to the next plane. Reason best known to her, Kate is blessed with psychic powers that make her a prime candidate for the transcendental troupe, which are soon proved true by here encounters with the haunted spirits of the house. The aim of Kate in the game is help the spirits of the house to figure out the stuff and to uncover a murder mystery to restore her dead grandmother's name who was blamed for this murder. It might look quite a bit of work for a single girl Kate (one player) but thanks to the smooth interface and easy play, the game never feels to complex.
Most of the hidden object scenes use the easy way out in designing the interface. You enter a location, realize you need a hidden object and look for the item by way of a hidden object scene nearby. The basic gameplay of House of 1000 Doors: Family Secrets is totally similar but the puzzles, items and the answers to the puzzles are weaved together in the gameplay so intricately that the narrative feels as if it opening up as you go on solving a previous problem. This designing is unlike other hidden object games where the object finding feels like individual scenes, clumsily clubbed together.
The depth of the game is one of its biggest advantages. Except that a mechanic allows you to travel between different dimensions through dimensions. It provides a nice change of scenery and also opens up big scopes for designing of new titles of House of 1000 doors. The map has been cleanly designed which helps you to know your next objective and also teleport to that location easily. The graphics are mostly good except for some characters which looked unnaturally drawn. The audio is not world class but does the job without sounding strange.
Of course like most other games House of 1000 Doors is far from perfect. It has its own sets of problems. The first issue is with originality. A few ideas like helping spirits find their way towards light, evil theatre and toyshop owner are extremely exploited ideas. Add to that that every third hidden object is related to ghosts. Why can't developers of hidden object games find some new idea is out of my imagination? And the second disappointment is a forced abrupt ending. Though all other hidden object games end like this but while playing House of 1000 doors for one second I thought that Alawar developers are doing something ground breaking by offering us a choice of ending the game but it was not so. And finally the games bonus chapter does have a better game play but speaking in terms of game narrative it feels somewhat forced on.
House of 1000 doors is not a ground breaking game but is still a worthwhile and hard to miss hidden object game. Though the theme is copied and not much has been changed with the game play but the intricacy of the game, different location design and clear objectives along with easy navigation makes it a good game to play.
Cons: Ghost rescue not an original idea, bonus chapter feels forced on game narration
Price:$13.99
As any successful author and they will tell you that more than failure it is the success that bugs them. House of 1000 Doors: Family Secrets is a rescue missions to save the dead- the haunted souls. It is a hidden object adventure of one player who actually is a writer. There is nothing path breaking in this game but yeah, it is one of the good games with intricately designed interface and gameplay.
The game starts with the game character, author Kate suffering from some writer's block. With nothing coming to her mind and her career as an author on the brink of going down there appears a strange box on her doorsteps. The box contains an invitation to a séance. Though the invitation is unusual but Kate always wanted to attend a séance. Relieved at this opening to take a break from here nowhere proceeding work Kate jumps at this opportunity, takes a cab and reaches the location to find it one a ruse- it is actually only an entry to an inter-dimensional mystery.
The center of game is a titular "House of 1000 Doors", which is a house continuously travelling through space and time. The house is filled not only with haunted spirits with various gifted mediums you help these spirits move on to the next plane. Reason best known to her, Kate is blessed with psychic powers that make her a prime candidate for the transcendental troupe, which are soon proved true by here encounters with the haunted spirits of the house. The aim of Kate in the game is help the spirits of the house to figure out the stuff and to uncover a murder mystery to restore her dead grandmother's name who was blamed for this murder. It might look quite a bit of work for a single girl Kate (one player) but thanks to the smooth interface and easy play, the game never feels to complex.
Most of the hidden object scenes use the easy way out in designing the interface. You enter a location, realize you need a hidden object and look for the item by way of a hidden object scene nearby. The basic gameplay of House of 1000 Doors: Family Secrets is totally similar but the puzzles, items and the answers to the puzzles are weaved together in the gameplay so intricately that the narrative feels as if it opening up as you go on solving a previous problem. This designing is unlike other hidden object games where the object finding feels like individual scenes, clumsily clubbed together.
The depth of the game is one of its biggest advantages. Except that a mechanic allows you to travel between different dimensions through dimensions. It provides a nice change of scenery and also opens up big scopes for designing of new titles of House of 1000 doors. The map has been cleanly designed which helps you to know your next objective and also teleport to that location easily. The graphics are mostly good except for some characters which looked unnaturally drawn. The audio is not world class but does the job without sounding strange.
Of course like most other games House of 1000 Doors is far from perfect. It has its own sets of problems. The first issue is with originality. A few ideas like helping spirits find their way towards light, evil theatre and toyshop owner are extremely exploited ideas. Add to that that every third hidden object is related to ghosts. Why can't developers of hidden object games find some new idea is out of my imagination? And the second disappointment is a forced abrupt ending. Though all other hidden object games end like this but while playing House of 1000 doors for one second I thought that Alawar developers are doing something ground breaking by offering us a choice of ending the game but it was not so. And finally the games bonus chapter does have a better game play but speaking in terms of game narrative it feels somewhat forced on.
House of 1000 doors is not a ground breaking game but is still a worthwhile and hard to miss hidden object game. Though the theme is copied and not much has been changed with the game play but the intricacy of the game, different location design and clear objectives along with easy navigation makes it a good game to play.
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