Halloween Stories: Black Book Collector's Edition > iPad, iPhone, Android, Mac & PC Game

Overall rating

5 / 5

264 of 302 found this review helpful

GRAB A SHOVEL TO DIG UP THAT BUCKET, FIND A VALVE TO TURN ON THE WATER BECAUSE THIS DEV IS ON FIRE!

PostedOctober 11, 2018

pennmom36

fromWe all know the Halloween story of Bloody Mary. They say that if you turn off the lights and chant Bloody Mary 3 times it will summond her bloody corpse but did you know that seeing her may be real? Staring too long in a mirror can cause hallucinations

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Skill Level:Expert

Current Favorite:

Halloween Stories: Invitation Collector's Edition

(89)

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

3 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

Nobody knows for certain if Delilah was the culprit responsible for those missing children all those years ago, but the townsfolk needed answers, they needed a guilty party to end their suffering. In a fit of rage, they chased her to the point of no return, a horrific and tragic death that would not go without punishment. Some say Delilah returns every few years to steal the children of those who ...Show more

Nobody knows for certain if Delilah was the culprit responsible for those missing children all those years ago, but the townsfolk needed answers, they needed a guilty party to end their suffering. In a fit of rage, they chased her to the point of no return, a horrific and tragic death that would not go without punishment. Some say Delilah returns every few years to steal the children of those who wronged her all those years ago, but that's just another urban legend... or is it?

I know that many of you are not fans of this creepy genre, but Elephant Games is obviously pushing the envelope to see how far they can go with a psychological thriller. This is what I want, this is exactly the kind of storyline I crave, so please, please, please let them run with it, let them continue to push the envelope even further! HOPA games and HOPA players have evolved, and many of us are no longer content with the same old watered-down storylines of HOPA PAST, we want to be creeped out, we want to be frightened from the comforts of our computer chairs, we want more, we want what Elephant is giving us. Elephant Games-this genre is your niche-run with it!

The Black Book is actually a Gadget in the game, but it's not used that often and it's not your usual gadget or helper scenario. When the Book has a blue aura around it, you select the book to tear out a clue and place onto the scene indicated. It will show you how to play a game or what item is needed to overcome an obstacle. Each scene has a Morphing Object and there are Newspaper Fragments to collect that completes a picture in 4 different Newspaper articles about strange phenomena. Twelve of the scenes have a collectible statue that's Halloween related such as a witch, zombie or vampire. The graphics are amazingly realistic and the "horror" scenes are absolutely credible, I don't know what's going on lately, but Elephant Games is on fire! It's clear to see that the team has been rejuvenated and are trying very hard to create top-notched games.

The Hidden Object Scenes are mostly Listed Item finds with a few interactions required, but this is the old school style I prefer. Don't let the simplistic nature fool you though, because at the end of each scene, after finding all the items a sentence at a time appears saying "open the window" find door # 21, take the diamond, I found this feature alone a very interesting concept that wasn't as easy as you may think. The items are cleverly hidden, and there are a ton of Zoom Zone Hidden Object Scenes. Some have Silhouetted Shape finds and most combine a mixture of both. I particularly enjoyed the mannequin scene, as you click on a mannequin that has the item, they turn around to show themselves, and someone has a vivid imagination!

The Mini-Games are varied in difficulty levels, some are far too easy, some are standard favorites, and some are mind-bending, with just a dash of "selecting one affects others" (ps: I really hate those) I like that the mini-games slowly progress in difficulty, but they still throw in a relaxing "I've got this" quickie now and then. Below are brief descriptions of some of the games you'll encounter during the demo and a few worth mentioning afterward:

1-Paint by numbers that appear and disappear in groups.
2-Select columns & scroll until you've spelled the clue word.
3-Click a ball when an opening appears to navigate the maze.
4-Swap tiles to complete the image.
5-Select arrows to slide the bat into the slot using bumpers.
6-Rotate the board & slide gems into their slots simultaneously.
7-Use directional arrows to move colored tiles into matching columns.
8-Guide the ball thru the maze using directional arrows.
9-Rotate & place map fragments correctly.
10-Rotate 2 discs and attach color matching gear sections.
11-Turn all tiles silver, clicking 1 tile moves adjacent tiles. (nemesis)
12-Click 2 bats at a time to find hidden matching symbols.
13-Click to stop each disc ring when they align.
14-Align 3 matching disc sections using empty spaces.
15-Swap identical puzzle pieces to complete the portrait.
16-Slide all symbols to their matching colored slots.

This Collector's Edition version has 8 Wallpapers, 8 Concept Art pictures, 4 Music Soundtracks, 21 Achievements to earn, 32 Fragmented Newspaper Articles, 4 Completed Newspaper Articles (8 Fragments required for each) 24 Morphing Objects, 12 Collectible Halloween Characters (vampire, zombie etc.) A Secret Room with 14 Re-playable Mini-Games and 16 Re-playable Hidden Object Scenes (can only be accessed after completing the BC a feature I don't agree with because sometimes the BC is downright boring) 3 Main Chapters (don't let that fool you, they are lengthy chapters & the BC is even longer) +Bonus Chapter (sequel of returning to the Halloween Nightmare..curse that black book!) and a built-in Strategy Guide, enjoy the Nightmare!

HALLOWEEN STORIES SERIES LIST
Title***Collector's Edition Release Date***Average Rating

1-Invitation (October 11-2017) 4.3
2-Black Book (October 10-2018) n/a Show less

I recommend this game!

+226points

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Overall rating

5 / 5

105 of 129 found this review helpful

A TOTALLY CREEPY AND SCARY HALLOWEEN STORY

PostedOctober 11, 2018

biscuitsmama

fromI’m holding onto my chair as I play – frightened and afraid to look up. Ewww, what is that hanging from the ceiling?

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This "Key Contributor" plays, rates, and reviews a lot of games. We think you'll trust their thoughts and opinions about games.
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Skill Level:Expert

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

5 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

Let me begin by saying that I am mostly a fan of the fantasy HOPA game BUT as we approach Halloween we have seen a few creepy games and Halloween Stories the Black Book is by far the best of the best. This is one awesome, scary game. There were times I had to stop and catch my breath as I was playing. I never liked horror movies or even wanted to go near a haunted house when I was a kid even ...Show more

Let me begin by saying that I am mostly a fan of the fantasy HOPA game BUT as we approach Halloween we have seen a few creepy games and Halloween Stories the Black Book is by far the best of the best. This is one awesome, scary game. There were times I had to stop and catch my breath as I was playing. I never liked horror movies or even wanted to go near a haunted house when I was a kid even though my dad, being the big kid that he was, set one up in our garage each Halloween. If you love being frightened, and I mean having some great jump-scare moments, then this is definitely the game for you.

Although I don’t generally care for this type of game, Elephant Games did such an awesome job creating the characters and the real haunted house feel. While playing the game as Jen, I actually felt like I was walking the halls and entering the rooms of the haunted house and other areas in the game. Never knowing what was behind a door, or hanging from the ceiling kept me playing this game. When I had to stop and play a HOP scene or a puzzle it was almost a relief from the scare factor that I felt as I moved around the scenes. The HOPs and Puzzles were well integrated into the game and they didn’t feel as if they were added to the game as an afterthought simply to have the required HOPs or Puzzles.

If you love Halloween, you will most likely love this game. The Black Book is much better than the first game in the series that was child’s play compared to this one. I would not recommend this game for young children as this is a game that really should have a PG-13 rating or at least one of those generally meaningless warnings that BFG once put in some of the games. This is one very scary game that I think most older players will appreciate. I don’t do creepy, but I found myself involved in this well-crafted game and although I can’t say I loved it, I do think it deserves a 5-star rating because the game is everything that Halloween is all about. As always, PLEASE try the demo to see if this is the Halloween game you have been waiting for. Happy gaming! Show less

I recommend this game!

+81points

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Overall rating

5 / 5

72 of 89 found this review helpful

Spooky Enough for me

PostedOctober 11, 2018

Ndwelt

fromRedding, CA

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This "Key Contributor" plays, rates, and reviews a lot of games. We think you'll trust their thoughts and opinions about games.
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Skill Level:Intermediate

Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Match 3, Puzzle, Time Management

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

5 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

Wow! It's going to be hard to top this Halloween game. Everything is done so cleverly it's refreshing. Though not a fan of Halloween this game is an absolute buy. The music is perfect and the graphics awesome. Once you start, it is hard to quit playing. Great job, Elephant!

I recommend this game!

+55points

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Overall rating

5 / 5

48 of 60 found this review helpful

Based on Demo

PostedOctober 11, 2018

A1psyko

fromGeorgia

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This "Key Contributor" plays, rates, and reviews a lot of games. We think you'll trust their thoughts and opinions about games.
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Skill Level:Expert

Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Mahjong, Marble Popper, Match 3, Puzzle, Strategy, Time Management, Word

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

5 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

Whew a challenging game. Plenty of hidden objects, some are a little hard to see due to the darkness of the sceen. BUT the individual games are great, challenging and sometimes not sure what to do but loved it. There are plenty of ghosties and goulies and things to do, morphing objects and other items to find. I really enjoyed this game. Note, there are ghosts and some goulies are a little ...Show more

Whew a challenging game. Plenty of hidden objects, some are a little hard to see due to the darkness of the sceen. BUT the individual games are great, challenging and sometimes not sure what to do but loved it. There are plenty of ghosties and goulies and things to do, morphing objects and other items to find. I really enjoyed this game. Note, there are ghosts and some goulies are a little frightening so if that scares or upsets you, beware. May not be for younger audiences. I do not have sound turned on so can't rate that portion. Show less

I recommend this game!

+36points

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Overall rating

5 / 5

43 of 55 found this review helpful

Halloween Stories

PostedOctober 11, 2018

molliesu

fromPennsylvania

Skill Level:Intermediate

Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

5 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

This is by far the most fun I've had with a game in quite a while. The graphics are beautiful; the originality is delightful and - that hint button recharges almost immediately! Seriously, this deserves the five star review from almost all its critics. Wasn't even half-way through the demo when I decided I had to have it. Treat yourself!

I recommend this game!

+31points

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Overall rating

5 / 5

135 of 202 found this review helpful

A WONDERFUL HALLOWEEN TREAT TO PUT INTO YOUR BAG OF GAMING GOODIES

PostedOctober 11, 2018

sunnyglow

fromThis game creates a whole new venue for Halloween parties. Instead of haunted houses and bobbing for apples, how about entering the astral plane and bobbing in-and-out of other dimensions?

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This "Key Contributor" plays, rates, and reviews a lot of games. We think you'll trust their thoughts and opinions about games.
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Skill Level:Expert

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

5 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

REVIEW BASED UPON THE ENTIRE GAME:
3 Chapters plus a Bonus Chapter – Strategy Guide: 36 Pages

OVERVIEW: Big Sis Jen! Get prepared for the ultimate Halloween fright night! When your parents leave on a trip during Halloween, you are left home to babysit your little sister, Mary. You are planning a fun-filled experience with her. However, your fun-filled evening will be anything but fun. While ...Show more

REVIEW BASED UPON THE ENTIRE GAME:
3 Chapters plus a Bonus Chapter – Strategy Guide: 36 Pages

OVERVIEW: Big Sis Jen! Get prepared for the ultimate Halloween fright night! When your parents leave on a trip during Halloween, you are left home to babysit your little sister, Mary. You are planning a fun-filled experience with her. However, your fun-filled evening will be anything but fun. While playing, Mary discovered a black book in your back yard – one containing Delilah, a witch out for revenge. After you read her a story from this book, Delilah pops out kidnapping Mary, taking you both into a nightmare world. Now you are off to to the astral plane to save your little sister and to discover the reason Delilah kidnapped her.

OPINION: This is a wonderful Halloween spookfest. This game should get you into the holiday spirit. It is decorated with skeletons, bats, ghosts, carved pumpkins, cobwebs, and, of course, an angry witch. The story is excellent. The pace is as well with plenty of activities to keep you busy. The main game is short; however, the bonus chapter is long. You will be running to-and-fro searching for inventory items. I thought the back-and-forth motion throughout the game a little excessive. Nevertheless, this is a wonderful addition to this series. If you are not in the Halloween spirit, this game will get you into the mood.

MECHANICS: There are four (4) levels of play including a customized version. There are twenty (20) achievements. Collect thirty-one (31) fragments to complete four (4) newspaper photos along with twelve (12) Halloween characters and twenty-four (24) morphing objects. There are eight (8) wallpapers along with concept art and music selections. You can replay sixteen (16) HOP scenes and fourteen (14) puzzles which are hidden in a secret room.

BONUS GAME: It is a sequel. While sleepwalking, your sister walks through a wall, returning to the nightmare realm of the dream world. This time she will meet her alter ego who will stop at nothing to keep her in this world. The chapter is long and in my opinion worthy of a collector’s edition designation. There are ten (10) puzzles and six (6) HOP scenes in this chapter. I feel the chapter is equal in quality to the main game.

HOP SCENES: The scenes are thematic and full of Halloween decor. There are twenty-two (22) scenes in this game, which include four (4) mini-HOP scenes in which you locate a small number of items. Most are lists of items and silhouette. There are some storybook scenes and some with morphing objects. There are a few multiple-step ones as well. Most are standard fare; however, there are two which I felt were unique. In one, you must rotate circles to connect two halves of an item before removing it. In another, you must place the other half of a symbol into a grid to remove it. Once it is removed the scene will rotate hiding some of the symbol halves to be matched.

PUZZLES: There are thirty-five (35) puzzles within the game. The puzzles vary in difficulty. There is an assortment of different styles; however, most of these puzzles have been seen in other games. In my opinion, the puzzles increase in difficulty after the demo. Nevertheless, there are some easy ones as well.

SPOILERS: HERE IS A SAMPLING OF PUZZLES AFTER THE DEMO:

A. Jigsaw puzzle. Rotate and place pieces back into position to create a map.
B. Matching puzzle. Match up images under bats until all the bats disappear.
C. Search puzzle. Use a magic glass to locate 5 hidden symbols within a scene.
D. Matching puzzle. Using two (2) sliders, slide a silhouette of a symbol onto the actual symbol to remove it. (I have seen this as a HOP scene in other games)
E. Switch puzzle. Switch tiles to restore a picture. However, you may work on only one-quarter of the image at one time.
F. BONUS CHAPTER: On a sliding grid, place a series of red and green tiles into the proper location as per a given code. Use arrows on a red dragon and a green dragon to move them and change their color as well.
G. BONUS CHAPTER: Beat the computer. Skipping stones puzzle. In this case, you will remove Halloween symbols. Remove three or more to fill up a power grid. You must beat the evildoer by getting your three (3) power cells filled before he does. Show less

I recommend this game!

+68points

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Overall rating

5 / 5

20 of 26 found this review helpful

Nothing light or fanciful here! Oh my!!

PostedOctober 13, 2018

SparkleGlow100

fromBeyond the Invisible-Darkness Came, Medium Detective- Fright from the Past, Empress of the Deep- 1,2 & 3, Legacy-Mercy of the Gallows, Untold History-Descendant of the Sun, Dominic Crane 1 & 2.

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Skill Level:Expert

Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Match 3, Puzzle

Current Favorite:

Halloween Stories: Black Book Collector's Edition

(58)

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

4 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

This review is based on the demo only. 2018 game.
Exquisite graphics, dark theme and a bit twisted. NOT a fun, cute Halloween game for kids to play!!

I think the reason dark themed games are often appealing is because of the solitude that is experienced as you move around from place to place (not a people-packed experience) and because you really don't know what to expect at any ...Show more

This review is based on the demo only. 2018 game.
Exquisite graphics, dark theme and a bit twisted. NOT a fun, cute Halloween game for kids to play!!

I think the reason dark themed games are often appealing is because of the solitude that is experienced as you move around from place to place (not a people-packed experience) and because you really don't know what to expect at any moment...

What I loved: Elephant games- I really appreciate their comprehensive sound control options and this game has detail that's out-of-this world, both in the scenes and sound-wise. Lights and shadows, gouls and foul creatures... Lots of gray, lots of unseen corners, lots of skeletal bits and pieces reassembled to create monstrosities, but not in a bloody, gross, fleshy way, more in a "that's really weird" way.

Sometimes, if the kid in the game seems too familiar to me, I'm unable to play it, but in this case, I was ok. So if you are a family person, you might want to trial it, to make sure it doesn't make you uncomfortable.

Best game out for a while! Show less

I recommend this game!

+14points

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Overall rating

5 / 5

14 of 18 found this review helpful

Witch pursuit opens portal into Halloween dreamland

PostedOctober 15, 2018

matai9

fromAnderson, MO

Skill Level:Intermediate

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

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

5 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

The Halloween fantasy that unfolds in the search for your sister is a dream for fans of this holiday and all of its symbols. Wraiths float from floorboards, jack-o-lanterns glow and flicker, and bats flap their wings in a flurry of activity.
Standout scenes: A paint by numbers challenge that is anything but standard. The numbered sections morph as the player quickly dabs the brush in the ...Show more

The Halloween fantasy that unfolds in the search for your sister is a dream for fans of this holiday and all of its symbols. Wraiths float from floorboards, jack-o-lanterns glow and flicker, and bats flap their wings in a flurry of activity.
Standout scenes: A paint by numbers challenge that is anything but standard. The numbered sections morph as the player quickly dabs the brush in the corresponding paint to complete the image. A black book collected early on in the game will help you with clues to several puzzles.
I loved the HOP where you look at a single rune type symbol, and each mannequin turns around with a freaky surprise.
The bonus chapter offers up just as much spooky fun with a scarecrow battle. You match at least three Halloween symbols such as a cauldron, broom and pumpkin by drawing a line between them to defeat the creepy scarecrow and advance along into the world of dreams.
I didn't locate all the morphing objects, which are challenging to find, but I found the newspaper fragments which make up four front pages that are fun to read. It's really more of a challenge just to see if you can find them all.
The pumpkin figures are scattered throughout the game and are animated, all as pumpkins tricked out as different Halloween characters. Favorites are the vampire pumpkin sipping a blood-filled goblet, a cackling witch and stone gargoyle with flapping wings. So much detail and attention in this game. Love it and will probably play it again around Halloween! Show less

I recommend this game!

+10points

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Overall rating

5 / 5

8 of 9 found this review helpful

Excellent!

PostedOctober 25, 2018

Cherubabies

fromAustralia

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This "Key Contributor" plays, rates, and reviews a lot of games. We think you'll trust their thoughts and opinions about games.
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Skill Level:Expert

Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Match 3, Puzzle, Time Management

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

5 / 5

Storyline

3 / 5

A really enjoyable Game with excellent very high quality Graphics. The Storyline was OK, could have been spookier. Very happy with this purchase!

I recommend this game!

+7points

8of 9voted this as helpful.

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Overall rating

5 / 5

32 of 48 found this review helpful

Halloween Fest with Amazing Graphics

PostedOctober 11, 2018

Majestyx12

fromHappy Halloween!

Key Contributor
This "Key Contributor" plays, rates, and reviews a lot of games. We think you'll trust their thoughts and opinions about games.
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Skill Level:Intermediate

Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

5 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

All the movement going on with ghosts and other creepie are amazing. I didn't think it was scary but festive. I think Elephant has the best morphs, fragments and collectibles. I always miss something and wish I could go back and retrieve it. So I play again. I would like a indicators for all these things. I noticed now they at least have the fragments on the map. Why not include every thing else? ...Show more

All the movement going on with ghosts and other creepie are amazing. I didn't think it was scary but festive. I think Elephant has the best morphs, fragments and collectibles. I always miss something and wish I could go back and retrieve it. So I play again. I would like a indicators for all these things. I noticed now they at least have the fragments on the map. Why not include every thing else? They need larger pictures in the guide also. They included Brightness in the options which is great. The Task stays on the scene too long.

I really liked some of the puzzles. Love the Hops. Want Agnes' dress. Show less

I recommend this game!

+16points

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