Crossroad Mysteries: The Broken Deal Reviews

Short version: 7.5 (I'm glad I played it, but I'm glad I got it on sale and bundled) Long version: Atmospheric, good music, appropriately creepy art. Not horror (except for one partly-seen burn victim), just well-staged shivers. One or two places that feel unexplained or just... odd. Steam achievements are easy, because they are only story-based (not skill, challenge, or collectible based). A number of the puzzles are challenging. Hidden object scenes are generally good, and the story keeps you wanting more - except it feels like you never quite get the "more" you want. I suspect that the story is clearer, and therefore more satisfying, in the game's first language. The translation is fine (with a few small errors), but it makes the story a little flat - at least, that's my guess. Either way, a bit more of an intro and a bit more of a conclusion would improve the game for sure. Overall, still recommended if you enjoy adventure-HOG games, but it doesn't have the wealth of detail that makes for a really strong game of this kind. Interesting the first time, very little replayability. The demon is evil. I'm worse at poker than I realized.

I really enjoyed this older game. Made in the time when HOG were not yet "cloned games/cooky cutters" and had original puzzels! Finished he game within 5 hours with all 100% achievement. It's not an easy game. This is because the hotspots are only activated after certain action had taken place or an puzzel has been activated. And there are not always tooltips or sparkles to help you find all hotspots, or puzzels. A helpfull maps helped me out whenever I did not know what to do next, Trying every inventory item on every hotspot also helps to proceed further into the game. The story and its ending is dark and grim. I liked the graphics and interesting (partially interactive) hidden object puzzels, without helpful highlighting of object when hoovering with the mouse as in the modern newer games. I especially loved the challinging minigames. The minigames are the best part of the game! Although the puzzel explanation were not always helpful. They were fun and challenging to solve.

This is a good HO game. Interesting mysterious (at first) story, some challenging mini-games and HO scenes, and unique mini-games. The sound and music fit the game very well.

I guess I can't complain given that the game only cost me less than £2 but I don't think I've ever used the skip button on so many mini games in all my years! So much reading to try to understand what the heck was going on, though I don't think I really got the point! Dark and gloomy setting did lend an atmosphere of impending doom but basically I trudged my way through this game, quickly realising I was only playing because I thought it might get better - it didn't! But there you go, sometimes you get a good one, sometimes you don't.

A really cool game. The first HIO where your decision really maters. The style and the story is pretty cool. It was pretty fun to play. The difficulty levels were a pretty cool choice and nicely challenging. I can really recommend this game

This game started off very well. Some good puzzles and some good HO. As the game progressed the puzzles become nonesense and the rules just stopped making sense. Luckily this is a short game so didn't outstay it's welcome.

SERIOUS, MOODY & MYSTERIOUS- A thoroughly enjoyable HOPA. It hits all the right notes with me. The graphics are clear, with neutral colors, and have an almost painting like quality. I love these kinds of graphics. The story is serious and not childish, infact there's nothing for children here. You collect hints along the way, and I did need to use them a few times. I loved the way 'dilapidated' is done, and there was no lag in the story. 12 or so HOPS to play, of wordlists, with some items requiring a further step. The game is chaptered into sections -you can't roam freely. You can change difficulty levels during the game. I really liked a particular feature of this game (which I don't come across in most HOPA games), which was that the chapters are saved automatically! Maybe that's a feature of 'Steam' ? Anyway, it's a great, and features under the Menu option as 'Load.' I experienced a glitch of an item not going into the inventory, and I was able to instantly pick up the game again, by choosing the most recent save option.

[h1]Short version: 60%[/h1] There are some okay puzzles and a decent supernatural hidden object game here somewhere, buried under a snail-paced plot and the clunky controls. [h1]Long version:[/h1] I love the premise of Crossroad mysteries: an amnesiac woman arrives at an eerie town in search of her past, but what she finds chills her bones. As it turns out, her mother had to commit some dreadful crimes to save her from a childhood illness. On top of that, the eerie atmosphere helps a lot to immerse ourselves in the plot. There is only one issue with it: the pacing feels terrible. It is as if the game lacked a director to keep it in check. This unnerving feeling accompanies the gameplay as well. The hidden object scenes are okay—as few as there are—and even the puzzles have some refreshing ideas, despite the last one taking forever and a half. There is something off though… as if the controls were not responsive sometimes. That can pose issues, especially in the point and click adventure segments. Therefore, here we are. A game with decent ideas at the core, but failing to package them appropriately. Still, HOG lovers should be okay with it.

A short dark HO with a bunch of mini games to flesh out the time. I played on normal setting and it took me under 5 hours....and I'm certainly not a speedster! You have marks on your hands which cannot be explained medically, so you decided to go back to your childhood town to discover what happened in the past. Your memory is murky and you wondered how you ended up in an asylum. The graphics are suitably spooky and menacing with complimentary music. You have to make a few choices along the way and I did die a few times.....which is unusual in a HOG. The mini games were challenging, but game play was pretty linear with multiple hints to aid you. I loved the fact that you find a block of chocolate, eat it and it gives you more hints!! There is an excellent journal and a fast travel map to show what areas have something to do. A little bit of pixel hunting for some objects, but on the whole fairly easy for an experienced HO player like me. No collectables and very easy to get all achievements if you solve all the mini games. There were a few religious overtones to the game, but quite lightly done....and mainly towards the end. I've played much heavier biblical themed games. Just scrapes through as a recommendation. 6/10.

*Free of Spoilers* "Crossroad Mysteries: The Broken Deal" is a HOG/Adventure Point & Click type of game. The story will take us to the dark and mystery locations with detailed atmospheric graphics, many interesting mini-games and hidden object scenes. The new feature in this game is making your own choices, which is building the tension. Game is pretty dark and the story have some intense moments so be ready :)