Siren's Reef
Developer: Vonwert
System: RM3
Genre: Puzzle/Mystery/Horror
Released: October 2009
General: This is a sequel to "Whispers in the Woods." It is not necessary to play "Whispers in the Woods" first to enjoy this game though.
Gameplay: It's basically playing through a story. There are no battles. It's all about unraveling the mystery of the island and the relationships between the people in the present and the past. You control Lex as he moves from story to story and puzzle to puzzle.
Flow: Playing the game for about an hour at a time proved challenging to me because I would forget what I was supposed to do next when I picked up the game again after a couple of days. If I had written down a brief note for myself, it would have helped me. This is more my fault that Vonwert's. I would recommend playing "Siren's Reef" in one straight shot. The full game doesn't take very long, perhaps four hours or so.
Battles: There are none at all. Battles wouldn't fit with a game like this anyway.
Fun Factor: I enjoyed the game for the most part. You need to be prepared to do lots of reading. As my wife put it, it's like playing a story instead of a normal game. That is Vonwert's intent, so yeah. It was really cool to see how Vonwert figured out ways to manipulate the set graphics to make new areas and objects. I always like Vonwert's puzzles, and he had a nice selection of them here, from sound puzzles and visual puzzles to just regular logic ones.
Bugs/Glitches: There were some spelling mistakes, but they didn't really take away from the gameplay. However, there is a cave that has no way out once you warp there. Also, there is one warp point that sends you atop a mountaintop. Once there, you cannot get back into the regular game-playing area. Those proved to be a bit frustrating for me.
Recommendations to the Player: Take notes if you play in short spurts. Keep in touch with Vonwert. He was helpful when I sent him messages regarding the game. Stick to following the story exactly as you are led. Don't go exploring off the beaten path too much or you will run across those inescapable warp places as previously mentioned.
I would score this a 8/10. The puzzles are nice and varied. Because of the warp glitches, I didn't like this game as much as "Whispers." The story in this game is very cool, though.
Now, don't take my word for anything. You go play it, and write a review of your own!
Here are some mini screenshots.
Developer: Vonwert
System: RM3
Genre: Puzzle/Mystery/Horror
Released: October 2009
General: This is a sequel to "Whispers in the Woods." It is not necessary to play "Whispers in the Woods" first to enjoy this game though.
Gameplay: It's basically playing through a story. There are no battles. It's all about unraveling the mystery of the island and the relationships between the people in the present and the past. You control Lex as he moves from story to story and puzzle to puzzle.
Flow: Playing the game for about an hour at a time proved challenging to me because I would forget what I was supposed to do next when I picked up the game again after a couple of days. If I had written down a brief note for myself, it would have helped me. This is more my fault that Vonwert's. I would recommend playing "Siren's Reef" in one straight shot. The full game doesn't take very long, perhaps four hours or so.
Battles: There are none at all. Battles wouldn't fit with a game like this anyway.
Fun Factor: I enjoyed the game for the most part. You need to be prepared to do lots of reading. As my wife put it, it's like playing a story instead of a normal game. That is Vonwert's intent, so yeah. It was really cool to see how Vonwert figured out ways to manipulate the set graphics to make new areas and objects. I always like Vonwert's puzzles, and he had a nice selection of them here, from sound puzzles and visual puzzles to just regular logic ones.
Bugs/Glitches: There were some spelling mistakes, but they didn't really take away from the gameplay. However, there is a cave that has no way out once you warp there. Also, there is one warp point that sends you atop a mountaintop. Once there, you cannot get back into the regular game-playing area. Those proved to be a bit frustrating for me.
Recommendations to the Player: Take notes if you play in short spurts. Keep in touch with Vonwert. He was helpful when I sent him messages regarding the game. Stick to following the story exactly as you are led. Don't go exploring off the beaten path too much or you will run across those inescapable warp places as previously mentioned.
I would score this a 8/10. The puzzles are nice and varied. Because of the warp glitches, I didn't like this game as much as "Whispers." The story in this game is very cool, though.
Now, don't take my word for anything. You go play it, and write a review of your own!
Here are some mini screenshots.