Mystery of the Ancients: Three Guardians Collector's Edition Reviews

Recommend... with some warnings Pros .Excellent story... after the first act .Fantastical atmosphere... after the first act .Lovely, clean, clear artwork/graphics/scenes .Supporting music/sounds/voice acting .Three difficulty modes (no custom) .Mini-map wt fast travel and option for indicating available actions .Lockable toolbar .Gears appear when object in place for possible use .Easy/simple to challenging/intricate adventure play .Two types of beautifully rendered hidden object scenes (word and sequenced silhouettes) .Collectables (squirrels and statuettes) .Bonus chapter .Strategy guide .Good length with collectable hunting and bonus chapter Cons .First act of story was cluttered, disorganized and dull as dishwater .Hidden object scenes were mainly simple and easy .Hidden object scenes were repeated .Majority of mini-puzzles were simple and easy .Several types of mini-puzzles were repeated ad nauseam. ,One weird glitch (in both this game and the next): the map showed game cleared of collectables but the achievement count was short by one (I double checked the map four times at the end of the game). Final words (7/10): I found the first act such a boring mess, I quit before the 2 hour mark and planned on returning the game. Only seeing later game scenes posted by another player stopped me. And I am really glad it did because the story straightened out, the adventure play became entertaining and, yes, the scenes became much more creative and dramatic. As a bonus, the bonus chapter kept up the entertaining adventure play and the artwork was even more amazing. Another reason I was unhappy with the game was the sequenced silhouette hidden object scenes, a style of hidden object scenes I personally detest. However, these were easy and simple enough that that I never became frustrated and even enjoyed a few towards the end. Unfortunately, the mini-puzzles continued to be weak all the way thru. I think I had to do twelve connect-the-dots puzzles. It was not fun. And for the one-off puzzles, I had more fun figuring out what I was suppose to be doing than actually solving them (and I got achievements for doing it!). The last reason I was unhappy with the game is I think 'Mystery of the Ancients: Curse of the Black Water' is the best game I have played in this genre so far, so I was looking forward to another game like that, something challenging, mysterious, unique with odd bits of charm and astoundment, not the brightly-coloured, run-of-the-mill fantasy this game turned out to be. But I do feel this game does a good job of standing on its own laurels for the last two acts and can recommend it on those grounds.

I enjoyed this game very much & stayed up way too late to finish it. I should have just saved and come back the next day though, because I skipped some of the last puzzles since I was tired & just wanted to see how the story came out. In fact, I guess that is the biggest recommendation I could really give a HOG :) I found the story interesting enough to stick with it and skimp on my sleep. There are very few of these genre games I could say that about. The graphics were very nice, colorful and crisp. The objects in the HOS bits were large enough to actually see without breaking out a magnifying glass, and the puzzles were engaging. The only "Con" I could really give this game is just the one that kind of irks me with all the HOGs I have played so far... that is that a job that could be done with a tool in your inventory, is not done, because you have to find the exact whatever that the game wants you to discover. Scrape moss off a rock?? why not use the perfectly good knife you have in your inventory?? O no! you have to discover the right rock that has a paint scraper under it.... and so forth. Just a personal peeve of my own, not a knock on this particular game. If you like HOGs with a decent story, get this one. I liked it so well that I bought the 2 others in the same seiries!

fun atmosphere, variety of HOG and puzzles. i played on easy

Despite no steam achievements, the puzzles were pretty fun.

I've never written a review on Steam, but this game inspired me to. I've played far too many hidden object games and this is one of the best hidden object games I've ever played--maybe even *the* best! The story was interesting and the puzzles were more varied than usual. I really enjoyed playing it!

This is [I]Mystery of the Ancients[/I] #3, another excellent entry in this series. Graphics and animations are especially wonderful, but really the complete package is excellent, with solid hidden-object scenes and excellent puzzles. My only disappointment is in the voice acting, which veers from meh to annoying. Strongly recommended.

Collect it Worthy. Always wondered how it ended after finished 60 minutes in Big fish game demo. Seems the Full game is bit different like others. You play as Auntie, so Female Protagonist, aka female hero, who solves things where others can't. 1st story is intro of world into intrigue and magic. Like: I like intrigue bit, Every person is vanished by crow. Dislike: wish the intrigue was longer, need to find 20 chapter hidden object game. Hey Big Fish games do you know that sort game? Personal Opinion: art and music very amazing. Its a keeper. Not going ask for refund. I am going keep it.

And that's the HOPA game I can recommend without hesitation. Over 5 hours of gameplay, coherent, logical and interesting story filled with variety of puzzles. Definitely grab it if it's on sale. PROs: * Good story that makes sense (quite unusual with recent titles unfortunately) * 5 hours gameplay * Bonus chapter * In-game achievements/collectibles/guide * Decent graphics & music * Big variety of puzzles and HO scenes CONs: * No Steam achievements / cards * Some of the puzzles are used more than once what might feel repetitive but not boring * Somewhat cliche ending but it is not really an issue

I have liked the Mystery of the Ancients series of Hidden object games and this one keeps up the tradition. Great graphics and a good story makes this more then a random hidden object title.

Enjoyable HOPA game with nice visuals and music. Resolution suffers a little in widescreen, but it's not distorted. In this entry in the series, you head off to answer a distress call from your niece, whose long-time boyfriend has disappeared. By the time you arrive, ravens are terrorizing the town, most of the townsfolk have disappeared, and there are weird curses (and sparkly HO scenes) everywhere. The game blends a few genres, but it's mostly "present world meets fantasy world that we just weren't aware of". The game has some weaknesses, but I have no hesitation recommending it. Pros: - lovely art and scenery, nice music - standard but enjoyable story - bonus chapter is short but has plenty to do - hidden object scenes are varied and fun (shapes, word lists, and interactive) - minigames (puzzles) are varied, if on the easy side [and see under Cons, below] - interactive map and three choices of difficulty - in-game achievements - collectibles are the right level of difficulty (9 statuettes plus one squirrel per main scene) Cons: - objects were rarely re-usable - one puzzle used throughout the game was "connect the dots"; this was neither fun nor interesting, and if I weren't a die-hard achievement hunter I would have skipped them Neutral: - there is more back-tracking than in some games, but it usually made sense; I only found myself going to the guide a couple of times, and only because I'd had to leave the game for a day and needed to re-orient; in casual mode, there isn't a problem, because the map will show you were you have actions to take Overall: A standard HOPA game that's nice to look at and relaxing to play. If it weren't for the connect-the-dot puzzles, I'd rate it higher. 8/10