Yes, there aren't always logical solutions to the puzzles, but it is so fun and funny trying to discover them! I initially played these games as a young teen, so finding them again as a 40-year-old was pure delight. I used to have to write letters requesting clues for when I was stuck and send them to Sierra in the postal mail and wait for their reply to proceed with the games. The humor interlaced throughout is so refreshing. These are by far at the top of my list of all-time favorite puzzle/adventure games. I loved the colorful and creative animation then and I still love it now.
I think that I have 500 hours into this game, which is what it took for me to earn all of the achievements and defeat Radiance in the Pantheon of Hallownest. I was more of a puzzle gamer before playing this one and am forever converted. The expansiveness of the map is incredible. Throughout your conquest, you gain access to a seemingly endless labyrinth of lands and gain powers that help you to reach even farther into their secret portals. There is so much battling and so much dying needed to perfect your skills, but it is so worth it. It seems like you find something new each time you play the game. You will want to immediately go back and play again. You might take a break until you feel that gnawing desire and you're right back at it again. And again. And again. The characters and the landscape are undoubtebtly the most creative and unique that you have seen. The musical composition is heartbreaking and beautiful. My family eats dinner with this soundtrack playing in the background for God's sake. The artistry and attention to detail are unmatched. Congrats Team Cherry.
It is a Sierra game, so it has to be good. And it is. But it is hard to follow the best game of all time in Shivers I. It begins to rely more on the live video animation, but is not as committed as, say, Gabriel Knight 3 or Phantasmagoria. It is successful in delivering the creepy effect and does a great job of tying in the theme of having to connect puzzles in order to progress. If you liked Shivers I, you should also enjoy this game immensely. Just don't have expectations for the same level of greatness, because it doesn't exit.
I have been playing PC puzzle games regularly since 1992 and I was as mesmerized by this at age 40 as when I first played at age 15. It is challenging, exciting, heart-palpitating, well-written goodness. Sierra could do no wrong with their puzzle games, but this one takes the cake. There is a good mix of live action video and animation true to the 90s with an overall creepy musical atmosphere. When I finished this game for the second time around, I felt like I could die happy.
