Surface: Return to Another World > iPad, iPhone, Android, Mac & PC Game

Overall rating

5 / 5

15 of 20 found this review helpful

When Two Worlds Collide Elephant Style

PostedJanuary 11, 2016

pcpat923

fromJersey Girl

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Favorite Genre(s):Large File, Mahjong

Current Favorite:

New York Mysteries: Secrets of the Mafia Collector's Edition

(100)

Fun Factor

3 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

4 / 5

Storyline

3 / 5

A rather odd game even for the original Surface series. Possibly Elephant Developers had a game that needed finishing and this is it. Can't say I've understood or even liked the entire Surface series although each game is part of my BFG collection. Why--because I'm an Elephant fan and not going to start booing them now.

Gamers will benefit by accepting the fact that this is a game to play just to ...Show more

A rather odd game even for the original Surface series. Possibly Elephant Developers had a game that needed finishing and this is it. Can't say I've understood or even liked the entire Surface series although each game is part of my BFG collection. Why--because I'm an Elephant fan and not going to start booing them now.

Gamers will benefit by accepting the fact that this is a game to play just to relax and enjoy--nothing strenuous. Mini-games and puzzles were fairly interesting. The artwork is beautiful so sit back and smell the roses.
Enjoy! -Mama Mia- Show less

I recommend this game!

+10points

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Overall rating

4 / 5

16 of 17 found this review helpful

Are developers losing their steam???

PostedDecember 20, 2015

skullfun

fromTennessee

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Skill Level:Expert

Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure

Current Favorite:

Surface: Game of Gods Collector's Edition

(80)

Fun Factor

4 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

3 / 5

Storyline

4 / 5

Play the role of Jill once again and save your hometown from destruction in Surface 8: Return to Another World. It’s called Lightfalls and you left it behind long ago. But your mom, dad and sister are still living in Lightfalls, so from time to time you’re coming to visit them. This time you're looking at home video made there, when mom phones you begging to come and help! You rush to Lightfalls ...Show more

Play the role of Jill once again and save your hometown from destruction in Surface 8: Return to Another World. It’s called Lightfalls and you left it behind long ago. But your mom, dad and sister are still living in Lightfalls, so from time to time you’re coming to visit them. This time you're looking at home video made there, when mom phones you begging to come and help! You rush to Lightfalls and when you arrived there you realize that a series of earthquakes, caused by the eerie device in the middle of Lightfalls’ lake, is slowly destroying the town of your childhood! This edition is 6 chapters plus a bonus game, which combined would make a decent game because it isn't a long playing adventure. While most of the gameplay in Surface is rather good (aside from the backtracking), and the story is at least fairly unique, the length and graphic issues bring the game down a notch. With so many hidden object games being released on a weekly basis, these minor details become more important than ever when it comes to spending that hard-earned money. Ultimately, Surface: Return to Another World is worth playing, but it would have been undoubtedly better had more attention been paid to how the story was actually presented to the player. Surface Mystery of Another World was executed far better than this installment. I have played all the Surface games and remain an Elephant fan so I give 3.5 / 4 stars... Show less

I recommend this game!

+15points

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Overall rating

4 / 5

6 of 8 found this review helpful

Good game, but nonsensical story

PostedApril 21, 2017

ninja226

fromwichita, KS

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Skill Level:Intermediate

Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object

Fun Factor

4 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

3 / 5

Level of Challenge

4 / 5

Storyline

3 / 5

Not a great story, but good game play. Mini games are mostly reasonable. Most actions are intuitive, but I had to use the hint more than I would have liked. The objects are well done, but the characters are not well drawn and look unnatural. There is a happy ending, but it is abrupt.

I recommend this game!

+4points

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Overall rating

3 / 5

66 of 73 found this review helpful

Return To The Greatness Of Yesterday's Surface Games, Please

PostedDecember 20, 2015

pennmom36

fromWhat a letdown

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Skill Level:Expert

Current Favorite:

Phantasmat Collector's Edition

(100)

Fun Factor

3 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

3 / 5

Level of Challenge

3 / 5

Storyline

3 / 5

I'm usually a fan of the Surface games, but this has the same ole same ole story, and monotonous tasks to do over and over. It's just not entertaining. Jill receives a frantic call from her parents telling her that her childhood town of Lightfall is in terrible danger. Yep, you guessed it, by the time she arrives, the town is void of people, why? Because there's something in the water, nope not ...Show more

I'm usually a fan of the Surface games, but this has the same ole same ole story, and monotonous tasks to do over and over. It's just not entertaining. Jill receives a frantic call from her parents telling her that her childhood town of Lightfall is in terrible danger. Yep, you guessed it, by the time she arrives, the town is void of people, why? Because there's something in the water, nope not something cool and creepy, it's another Kingdom, with Kings and princesses.

The only saving grace this Surface has is with the Collector's Edition content of 12 morphing animals to find and the Collectible flowers that are a staple within the Surface games. There are the usual Plus Sign inventory items and Achievements to earn as well.

The Hidden Object Scenes are just okay, beginning with a Silhouetted Shape find puzzle, and ending with an interactive scene finding misplaced items and returning them to their correct placement.

The Mini Games are fairly abundant, again, nothing to knock your socks off. The following are brief descriptions of some of the Mini Games you will encounter:
1) A two stage puzzle, restore the image using the example shown, using stencils in the correct order, and then arranging three figurines to match their shadows.
2) Restore the image on the cover of a box using rotational buttons.
3) Activate all buttons without crossing lines, each button has specific number of moves.

The Collector's Edition has 10 Concept Art pictures, replayable Mini Games and Hidden Object Puzzles, 20 Achievements, 10 Wallpapers, 5 Music Soundtracks, 1 Screensaver (wow two would be over the top) Collectible Flowers, 12 Morphing Animals, a built in Strategy Guide and a Bonus Chapter. Show less

I don't recommend this game.

+59points

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Overall rating

3 / 5

33 of 39 found this review helpful

THIS SURFACE IS A REAL SNOOZE FEST!

PostedDecember 20, 2015

biscuitsmama

fromYou will definitely want to sleep through this boring story. Maybe it is time to put Surface to bed as well!

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Skill Level:Expert

Fun Factor

2 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

3 / 5

Level of Challenge

3 / 5

Storyline

2 / 5

In this latest game in the Surface series, Return to Another World, you revisit the previous game and once again play the game as Jill. After moving away from home you receive an urgent call from your mother telling you that your hometown of Lightfalls is in terrible danger. What is there to do but head for the little Beetle and rush home to see if you can help. Once you arrive you realize that ...Show more

In this latest game in the Surface series, Return to Another World, you revisit the previous game and once again play the game as Jill. After moving away from home you receive an urgent call from your mother telling you that your hometown of Lightfalls is in terrible danger. What is there to do but head for the little Beetle and rush home to see if you can help. Once you arrive you realize that mom wasn’t joking and some type of energy wave that emanates from the water is destroying the town. Not only is some supernatural force on a rampage, there is no one to be found except a boy roaming the streets. As you begin to piece the clues together a sad and terrifying story begins to emerge. Could the machinations of one misunderstood boy have created the disaster that has hit your home town? You will need to play this newest Surface game to find the answers you seek.

The game offers four modes of gameplay: Casual, Advanced, Hardcore, and Custom. In the custom mode you can set the hint and skip buttons to recharge in a range of 15 to 90 seconds. Although the graphics are okay they are sometimes not as crisp and often have a mistiness.

Tools for the game include an interactive map that is available at the beginning of the game, and my favorite of all tools – a diary. Call me a traditionalist when it comes to games but I love to follow the storyline as it evolves and is placed in the diary for review. It often proves quite helpful to look back in the diary to see clues that I might have missed, or to refresh my memory.

As is generally the case in games from this dev, no sooner than we reach our destination we will find a suitcase, car door or car trunk to open in order to access our first HOP scene. In this case we open the Beetle’s trunk to find what we need. The items are shown in silhouette but they are clearly depicted and easy to find with no interaction required. For some reason I thoroughly enjoyed the HOPS in this game more than usual. Not only were the HOPS very good but so were some of the puzzles. Not all of the puzzles were difficult but there is a super puzzle early in the game.

IMHO, the Surface series is another of those that should be retired and flushed down the drain. The further I got into the game the more I realized that it just wasn’t thrilling or even interesting. I quickly became bored because there was nothing new and it was the same old thing over, and over, and over again. When a series becomes stale and the devs are running out of ideas to keep it entertaining, it definitely is time to let it go! Although I did purchase the CE, I highly recommend you try the demo on this one because you will either love it or hate it. Show less

I don't recommend this game.

+27points

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Overall rating

3 / 5

6 of 7 found this review helpful

Treat your fellow man badly as children and you shall create revenge-ridden brutes with psychopathic tendencies!

PostedMay 9, 2016

SparkleGlow100

fromMichigan, USA

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Skill Level:Intermediate

Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure

Current Favorite:

Fear for Sale: The House on Black River Collector's Edition

(52)

Fun Factor

3 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

3 / 5

Level of Challenge

4 / 5

Storyline

2 / 5

Starts off so well. I loved the quality of the graphics too in the beginning. About 1/3 of the way into the game, the sophistication begins to wane, and instead we are left dealing with a game that completely fizzles out. It seems to turn into a child’s story with a plot that is annoying more than anything else.
Good puzzles though. Didn’t think much of the HOP quality of picture or layout.
I ...Show more

Starts off so well. I loved the quality of the graphics too in the beginning. About 1/3 of the way into the game, the sophistication begins to wane, and instead we are left dealing with a game that completely fizzles out. It seems to turn into a child’s story with a plot that is annoying more than anything else.
Good puzzles though. Didn’t think much of the HOP quality of picture or layout.
I really enjoyed Surface-Alone in the Mist, (the last one of this series) SO MUCH MORE. Had to play this game, mixed in with others to get to the end. Show less

+5points

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Overall rating

3 / 5

4 of 5 found this review helpful

So So (C+)

PostedFebruary 4, 2016

jmparke25

fromKennewick, WA

Skill Level:Intermediate

Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Adventure, Large File

Fun Factor

3 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

3 / 5

Level of Challenge

3 / 5

Storyline

4 / 5

The original game, Mystery of Another World, was quite good. It had a good plot, was full of interesting and fun puzzles, and used a novel twist in its HO puzzles where you sometimes had to use an item from inventory to complete the HOP.

Return to Another World was much less impressive. The game was too short, the HOPs were run-of-the-mill, and the puzzles ranged from ridiculously easy to ...Show more

The original game, Mystery of Another World, was quite good. It had a good plot, was full of interesting and fun puzzles, and used a novel twist in its HO puzzles where you sometimes had to use an item from inventory to complete the HOP.

Return to Another World was much less impressive. The game was too short, the HOPs were run-of-the-mill, and the puzzles ranged from ridiculously easy to impossible. I didn't pay much for the game so I guess I got my money's worth, but I didn't rate it very high. Show less

I don't recommend this game.

+3points

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Overall rating

3 / 5

3 of 6 found this review helpful

.

PostedApril 1, 2016

AsiaMinor

fromMassachusetts

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Skill Level:Expert

Fun Factor

4 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

4 / 5

Level of Challenge

2 / 5

Storyline

3 / 5

Disappointing.... Definitely not like the other Surface World. I played for 4 hours and excepted more. boring.................. 2016

I recommend this game!

0points

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Overall rating

2 / 5

4 of 5 found this review helpful

What a Pity!

PostedJanuary 2, 2016

gameonagain

fromU.K.

Skill Level:Intermediate

Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object

Fun Factor

2 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

4 / 5

Level of Challenge

3 / 5

Storyline

1 / 5

I have played and enjoyed all of the surface games accept this on. Bad mini games, bad story line.This lets the surface series down.

I don't recommend this game.

+3points

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Overall rating

1 / 5

8 of 9 found this review helpful

Not worth the money!

PostedDecember 21, 2015

4myDestiny

fromVancouver, WA

Skill Level:Expert

Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Strategy

Fun Factor

1 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

2 / 5

Level of Challenge

2 / 5

Storyline

1 / 5

I bought the SE version of this game with a free coupon code. I finished the game in less than 2 hours. So glad I didn't purchase the CE. This series has gone downhill as far as I'm concerned.

I don't recommend this game.

+7points

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	, share your thoughts about this game! Surface: Return to Another World Journey to a magical world! Heres what your review will look like once it’s posted. Click Submit if you’re happy. Your review should appear soon. To make changes, use the Edit or Cancel buttons. Thanks for sharing your thoughts about this game! You’ve already shared your thoughts about this game. Thanks for submitting the review below.