Author Archive for ChiffaN

Discover the life of the genius in Secrets of Da Vinci HD

As a big fan of adventure games it warms my heart to see a tiny trickle of new new titles turn into a steady stream, both from indie developers and more well-established companies. Coladia, developers of the superb Secret of the Lost Cavern, one of the best adventure games on the platform and responsible for Destination: Treasure Island HD, along with the soon to be released iPhone version of the adventure of Jim Hawkins after the famous novel, have just released Secrets of Da Vinci HD for the iPad — a title that presents a unique opportunity for gamers to dive into the world of the famous artist, philosopher and inventor, Da Vinci. You play the part of a young apprentice to one of Da Vinci’s students, sneaking into his mansion to study the inventions that still reside there. And all that is available at the low intro price of just $1.99! Full info and screens after the gap.

Coladia, Secrets of Da Vinci HD, 871.08MB – $1.99

Take the future into your own hands in Nostradamus The Last Prophecy – Part 2

A couple of months ago I had the pleasure of reviewing Nostradamus The Last Prophecy – Part 1 (TMA Review) – the latest adventure by the Tetraedge games team, released under the watchful eye of Anuman Interactive. You play the role of Madeline, Nostradamus’ daughter, who has to unravel the enigmatic series of murders in the court of Catherine de’ Medici. Not everyone, however, has the same trust in her abilities as the great prophet and so Madeline has to disguise herself as her brother Cesar, who is out travelling.

I felt the story was off to a great start and had a nice balance of puzzles and narrative. The second part that has just been released offers even more puzzles centered around the mystic arts of Astrology, Alchemy, Pharmacy and runic symbols. Can you change the future and defeat Nostradamus’ last prophecy?

Anuman, Nostradamus The Last Prophecy – Part 1 - $3.99
Anuman, Nostradamus The Last Prophecy – Part 2 - $3.99

Massive Updates to Aralon and Rimelands

Yeah I know I’m a bit late to the punch but with everything that has happened the past few weeks I simply was buried under mountains of work and personal stuff. Nevertheless I decided that it was worth mentioning that two of the best RPGs of 2010 have recently received massive updates, adding among other things the long awaited universal support for Rimelands: Hammer of Thor (TMA Review) and some nifty features and updates for the nearest thing to Oblivion on the iPhone – Aralon: Sword and Shadow HD (TMA Review).

I previewed Rimelands and did quite a thorough review of Aralon during the last few months and can say that both are a definite must have for any RPG fan, so if for some reason you’ve been holding out, now is a good time as any to nab one (or both); the games will surely keep you occupied for the next little while.

Crescent Moon Games, Rimelands: Hammer of Thor - $4.99
Crescent Moon Games, Aralon: Sword and Shadow HD - $9.99

Full update details after the gap!

Official walkthrough for 7th Guest released on the App Store

When I reviewed the port of The 7th Guest, the legendary PC adventure, I noted that some of the puzzles there can be quite tricky. And that even despite the built-in hint system in the game. Apparently I was not the only one thinking this and due to popular demand Trilobyte released an official walkthrough app for this excellent game – The 7th Guest: Book of Secrets.

One might argue whether it is actually fair to charge an additional $0.99 for the information, already freely available on the internet for anyone who cares to look. But then again, those web-savvy people probably won’t buy this app. For those who are stuck, however, and don’t wish to burden themselves the Book of Secrets presents a great way out of the conundrum.

Trilobyte, The 7th Guest: Book of Secrets, 11.10MB – $0.99

Hysteria Project 2 in Review – Out of the frying pan and into the fire…

When Hysteria Project (TMA Review) appeared on the App Store back in 2009, it created quite a buzz. As one of the few interactive movies on the platform and the first originally created for the iDevice, it offered a unique experience, both technically and in terms of gameplay. Putting you in the shoes of a careless victim desperately trying to escape the hooded maniac that seems to be in multiple places at the same time, it was a revelation for many thrill seekers on the iOS. The latter can get ready for their second dose as the eagerly awaited  Hysteria Project 2 has just been released.

iTête à iTête – Interview with Charlie McHenry from Trilobyte Games – Like a phoenix, rising again from the flames of the AppStore

The App Store model has certainly revolutionized software development as a whole and games development in particular. Thanks to the extremely low entry cost and a centralized distribution system, it has become a launch pad for many new indie developers both successful and not so much. But that isn’t much of a surprise to anyone remotely familiar with the market. What’s more interesting is that this new platform actually allowed some veteran companies many thought long gone to get back together as well.

And of such phoenixes, born again from the flames of App Store, is Trilobyte Games – the company behind the legendary PC adventure – The 7th Guest (TMA Review), recently re-released for the iOS. Today I’m joined by Charlie McHenry, the current COO of Trilobyte, to talk about their resurrection, work on The 7th Guest, future plans, and more.

Riven: The Sequel to Myst in Review – I’m lost and mysty-eyed…

I still remember the awe I felt on first booting up Myst (TMA Review) for the iPhone. This legendary game, one of the first in the genre to promote the sales of CD-ROMs all those years ago, as well opening up a whole new age in PC adventure gaming, was surprisingly well suited for the modern iDevices. And when I was offered a chance to review Riven: The Sequel to Myst, naturally I jumped at the chance.

Star Wars Arcade: Falcon Gunner in Review – It’s the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs

One of the more underpopulated genres in the App Store is still the augmented reality variety. Despite having been introduced shortly after release of the iPhone 3GS (almost a year and a half ago) it still features barely a handful of noteworthy titles. Nevertheless, slowly but surely it’s starting to pick up steam. In September, we saw an original proof of concept action-shooter title ARDefender (TMA Review). And just recently THQ released their own view on the concept with Star Wars Arcade: Falcon Gunner.

The 7th Guest in Review – If it were not for guests all houses would be graves… and some still are…

In the 90′s adventure games came to a crossroad. On one hand there were the golden age point-and-click adventure games that defined the genre. But a new subgenre, born with the arrival of CDs, was gaining more and more traction. I’m talking, of course, about the first person Myst-like games with heavy usage of FMV cutscenes to convey the story. And of the most well-known, as well as having the distinction of being the first game that came exclusively on CDs, was The 7th Guest.

The Lord of the Rings: Middle-earth Defense in Review – My preciousssss tower defense.

Gather round fair travellers, for have I a story to tell you. A story of friendship, bravery and tower defense. Arguably one of the best known fantasy books ever, Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings have become a genre in its own right. Such a legend just could not avoid interest from the game development community. From early 80s interactive fiction to RPGs to massive scale strategy games, it seems the devs have thrown almost anything they could think of at the franchise. And with all this attention it’s obvious that a Lord of the Rings iDevice title was just a question of time. Well, the time has come and quite surprisingly the release took form of a Tower Defense game by the name of The Lord of the Rings: Middle-earth Defense.