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Blackwell seriesFinished the first game - Thoughts(23 posts)(23 posts)
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Posted February 20, 2014
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rtcvb32: I was wondering where to put my own thoughts on the game, this seems like a decent place.
They're all valid points; I agree with most of them. I got stuck a few times as well, but it was only a matter of using the age-old adventure game strategy – try everything on everything. I loved the banter between Joey and Rosa/Lauren, that's probably the strongest point of the series because the puzzles are a bit too generic. And the going back and forth between locations in Unbound was ridiculous.

I'll probably buy the last installment when it comes out this spring, just to get the closure in respect of the story. As long as it's not too expensive.
Posted February 20, 2014
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Charon121: They're all valid points; I agree with most of them. I got stuck a few times as well, but it was only a matter of using the age-old adventure game strategy – try everything on everything. I loved the banter between Joey and Rosa/Lauren, that's probably the strongest point of the series because the puzzles are a bit too generic. And the going back and forth between locations in Unbound was ridiculous.

I'll probably buy the last installment when it comes out this spring, just to get the closure in respect of the story. As long as it's not too expensive.
'Try everything on everything' although may work, it's a bad formula, it's testing the player's patience and not their intellect. Only the most determined (or ingenious) will finish the game without resorting to a walk-through. Games should be enjoyed, arcade and action are stunning and fast, strategy you employ your best skills based on scenarios. Point & click? That's just a story, and may as well play itself and be a graphic novel I can watch and enjoy over 20 minutes like a TV episode.
Post edited February 20, 2014 by rtcvb32
Posted February 21, 2014
Personally, I found the "try everything on everything" principle is not too present in the game. I was blocked a few times, but mostly because I didn't remember to use the notebook or because I didn't unlock the piece of dialogue or the comment from Joey that would advance the story, and it was quite uncommon. I loved these adventure game mostly because they're quite easier than the norm. Most games in that genre have ridiculously hard puzzles, be it the old Lucasart/Sierra classics, acclaimed games like "Longest journey", or recent pieces like "Deponia".

Much of the lenghth of these games (That I love, make no mistake) is due to that arbitrary difficulty level. Blackwell games are shorter mostly because their puzzles are easier. I had to check for hints maybe twice or thrice in the entire series, and I found that fact refreshing :)


I like point and click adventure games because when they're not too obstruse, they involve me in the narration. Maybe I've got no real control over the story (although some of them do a fair job at it, or at least at creating that illusion, like the "walking dead" telltale games), but I find them far more immersive than graphic novels or movies. Since I had to overcome the puzzles or guide the caracter, I get into the hero's viewpoint far more easily than any other media.
Post edited February 21, 2014 by Kardwill
Posted March 23, 2014
Just finished the first three games (I finished Deception some time ago, having bought it separately), and wanted to thank GOG and Dave Gilbert for a good time. Really looking forward to the next game, and I'll go back for the commentary and extras at some point. I went really clumsily through Unbound and didn't get any of the photo extras, so there is some replay value there, but I can't see replaying it right away. I think I'll go play something that isn't a point-and-click as palate cleanser.

I came across one or two bugs (I moved too far away from the fight between Joey and a certain character in the apartment near the end of Convergence and Joey and the other character disappeared, although the room messages saying I couldn't reach the door stayed the same), but I saved regularly and everything was fine. Deception is probably my favourite, as I felt a connection to both the main characters and some of the victims. Convergence was properly scary in places having played Unbound first, but the deaths didn't have the personal edge that they did in Deception. I don't know why.
Posted April 24, 2014
A review that I could not post in the game page

Legacy 5/5: the series starts strong, with adorable characters in a good sense; not original but little is, very likeable instead. Dialogues are witty and there is room for humour. The game itself is rather short (a few hours if you take it slowly like I did), but considering there are 4 in the series, it's not a fault. Quality over quantity in this case, and better a good story contrated in a meaningful handful of hours than diluited in days with sensless and frgettable distractions. If you want a comparison with a movie, this could be 'Ghost'.

Unbound 4/5: still a good story, different in the mood than the first. Protagonist is Aunt Lauren, and everything in it is permeated by a feeling of subtle desperation and meaninglessness. Humor is still present, in its bleakest form, but that's another plus. Still short and still well made. A movie comaprison in this case, more pertinent to the mood and the musical score than the plot, would be 'Leaving Las Vegas'.

Convergence 2/5: unfortunately this episode is very weak. Graphics are better but these games aren't about it. While in the first episode the girls won't talk about the ghost, and would rather kill themselves, here you get your first 'assignment' from a lady in an art gallery, who talks about it as she would if it were about some barking stray dog. Not much room for emotions nor realism this time. Turns out to be some sort of 'Ghostbusters', and that's not a good thing, because it isn't even as funny. Also gameplay-wise it's a step back: very easy and linear, it's not possible anymore to combine clues in the notebook, overall it's hardly an adventure game.

Deception 5/5: from barns to stars again. This is my favorite episode, and if you don't mean to play them all I'd go for the first (an introduction is necessary to enjoy the series and also this chapter) and this one. The themes of the plot become intimate again, and some passages are even touching. Combining notes is possible again, and the game is much longer than the previous chapters. It's harder for me to find a movie reference, it's a detective story with a supernatural element. Dialogues this time are great, humor doesn't lack, and it's a rather tough game, compared to the rest of the series.
Posted June 15, 2014
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mg1979: snip
I had to research a little into the continuity of the series, since they don't use a conventional numbering title sequence. I ended up playing the Convergence episode first, and despite it being the third in the series, I thought it made a really good introduction into the series by forcing me to learn about the characters and the world on my own rather than having the game explain it for me.

That having been said, I really really liked Convergence. So if your reviews are anything to go by, then I should definitely give the other ones a shot as well.
Posted July 19, 2014
Each game gives enough background to be played seperately, although the things that build upon each other make the experience fun and powerful.
Posted December 12, 2015
Since i beat the first four games a while back (nearly 2 years ago) it's only fair i finish the series just to see how it ends.

So my Blackwell Epiphany thoughts:



Perhaps it's due to not touching Point&Clicks for a while, but it felt a lot like it was way too hard and way too easy at the same time. Yet that didn't keep me from having to refer to a walkthrough once every 15 minutes until i beat the game. I ended up needing it for at least 1/3rd of the game it seems. This is what i hate the most about point&click games, since if i can't come up with the solution myself i feel like i cheated :(

Most of the ghosts you have to save seem unrelated to the main plot, but they all are related anyways it seems.

The puzzles themselves are all pretty simple, nothing too complex. The 'matching multiple items together' mechanic from the first game returns. So if you have a list of something you can check a name against the list and see if they are somehow connected. However that doesn't mean you'll know you need something without a lot of thinking. Blow off a note and have Rose pick it up after having 'dropped her pen' or something. One of the more annoying ones early on was investigating bricks. After hearing Rose say two of the bricks were plain old bricks i stopped. Also confusing since the 'left the key' reference mentions checking the stairs, and not bricks outside (So...).

Half the time Joey says 'i am not going to blow on everything' which of course means after you hear him say that half a dozen tries you might end up stopping instead of trying it on something that might seem intuitive. If he tried and failed i would have accepted it rather than him just complaining. I'd rather have the blow option up and then he tell me what he's willing to blow on instead of hearing his annoying voice repeatedly.

Graphics feel older due to the low resolution. I had half expected the Anti-aliasing and option to increase sprites to improve the graphics a bit, but in the end it looked very much the same.

Voice acting was good, no complaints there. Written pretty well too.

The story felt... like it was contrived only so it could close the series up entirely. The ending felt bare, but satisfying, better than the fourth game.

I'm glad i played it, but i almost wish more i watched a play-through with someone who explained their logic while they were playing so you didn't feel lost as to why they were doing something.

So that's it. Decent game, not too complex, needed help, and glad it's over. 3/5
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Blackwell seriesFinished the first game - Thoughts(23 posts)(23 posts)
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