Disclosure: I own and play this on mobile. One of my new favorite games, and I always look forward to a time when I think I've forgotten enough of the puzzles to play again. The first in the series was great, albeit just a little clunky, but this third installment is a powerhouse of Room/Myst-like fiddly puzzle boxes and ancient mystery. Did you like The Room series? House of Da Vinci has you covered with every game. I'd recommend playing them all in order to follow the story, but jumping in on HoD 2 (also top notch) will give you plenty of primer for this conclusion. The presentation and puzzles are absolutely beautiful in appearance and execution alike. With this entry, I feel HoD even outpaces The Room series in spots. The difficulty may be a bit middling, but I have no complaints. The few character models and body animations are antiquated and buggy, but they are unobtrusive and they don't detract from the main gameplay one bit. I'm excited to play the next game from the Blue Brain, House of Tesla. I'll be first in line.
I'm a few hours in and finding it very satisfying. I'm playing on PS4, but plan to pick it up here as well. Did you like Wing Commander: Privateer? Personally it was my favorite thing to play at the time. This is Privateer, prettier with more stuff, but I'll admit it still feels like a remaster as opposed to a more modern take on the game. For me, this is the highest form of comfort food and I don't really have any complaints so far.
I originally played this as a kid when it first came out and it holds up beautifully. It's the most Star Trek-y game IMHO (along with Judgement Rites, which is basically more chapters of the same game). You get a classic point and click and control the core crew members for most of the game. The ship combat is VERY basic, but still a charming space shooter mini game with some damage and power management. It doesn't take up much real estate time-wise, so you get to the more outstanding stuff pretty quick after you find your destination and either hail, consult the computer and bridge crew before beaming down. (Pair this with Bridge Commander and all your bases are covered.) The real meat are the point and click portions and truly feel like solving a mystery or problem each episode in classic TOS fashion. The actions are pretty unique from other PnC's as well; you can use any of the crew members directly in a situation (Spock might do a Vulcan neck pinch or calmly try to communicate with an alien depending on the situation), or you can apply the expected tools (communicator, tricorder, phaser, etc.). There's often item management and combination, but it's never tedious or so random as to be unguessable as to what the solution is. A few even require some basic science knowledge, like the episode where you're converting and combining liquids and gasses a la 7th grade science class to get a specific result. I first played the floppy disc version, but the cast voices were added for the CD-rom version for even more flavor. Definitely one of my first all-time favorite games (and still the case almost 30 years later!)
Amazing games, but the price point doesn't fit. Not when three Space Quest games are less than $6. Wait for a rethink.
Every gripe I have about this game so far (I'm only on chapter 2) is covered by TigerLord's excellent and comprehensive review. Fans of the first Witcher game (which I consider to be a 10/10; and possibly my favorite game of all time) should take special note of his review, which covers some of the unwelcome changes beautifully. I'm not at all accustomed to needing a gamepad to play PC games, but I bought one especially for this game. I simply could not adapt to the console-style combat with my keyboard. I've never really owned a console past Ninitendo GC, so I've essentially been learning to use the modern dual-axis control system while trying to enjoy the game. It's been distracting to say the least. All in all, I'm really happy with the game. It's much prettier than Witcher 1, they just altered the gameplay to be more console-oriented, and it's a bit sloppy and frustrating at times. If you haven't played the first game, get it immediately (I envy first-time players). Witcher 1 will have you aching for Witcher 2 in no time.
