Silverain Plays: Crystals Of Time Ep7: A Most Unsatisfactory Ending For A Unsatisfactory Game.
1Finally it ends not with a bang but with a handful of text and the end screen.
Crystals Of Time is actually the fifth Hidden Object Game I have played and I must say it is a fine example of how terrible the game design in the genre can be. As a whole while on the surface it is visually appealing its biggest flaws beyond its inconstant interface are in its Hidden Object sections, puzzle logic and its story.
The lack of item clean up, poor item placement and occasional bad photoshopped image makes the Hidden Object sections visually unappealing and cluttered (the garden a prime example).
Each area often requires at least 3 visits quickly leading to tedium considering unlike most HOGs the junk items are not permanently removed when selected. The kitchen in particular suffers from overuse and frankly while I do recognise the design choice to ensure that assets are used to their fullest capability this is a poor way to do this.
The puzzles themselves are incredibly simple however the constant search for missing items with constant unintuitive backtracking slows the game considerably.
Finally unlike Sinister City that intentionally promotes itself as a homage to bad B Movies Crystals Of Time is simply badly written with plot holes left, right and centre in its unengaging story telling.
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