Grim Facade: The Message Collector's Edition > iPad, iPhone, Android, Mac & PC Game

Overall rating

5 / 5

18 of 18 found this review helpful

Fun and Relaxing Game

PostedJanuary 10, 2018

Majestyx12

fromColoma, Michigan

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Skill Level:Intermediate

Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Arcade & Action, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Marble Popper, Match 3

Current Favorite:

Haunted Hotel: Personal Nightmare Collector's Edition

(44)

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

5 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

Based on the completed game and bonus.

I was really happy with the hops. They had 11 in the main game and 5 in the bonus chapter. The slide-ruled one was different because you put it over the top of a already there picture. No x-ray. The hops that you click two items like a duck was delightful. Don't forget the Platypus. Liked the Crustaceans. The bonus hops had a pretty one with fruits and ...Show more

Based on the completed game and bonus.

I was really happy with the hops. They had 11 in the main game and 5 in the bonus chapter. The slide-ruled one was different because you put it over the top of a already there picture. No x-ray. The hops that you click two items like a duck was delightful. Don't forget the Platypus. Liked the Crustaceans. The bonus hops had a pretty one with fruits and vegetable. I just was really happy with them.

I liked fishing, you have to click the square you want to be in. The mazes. In the correct order. Matching pairs and match three. I liked the window puzzle where you avoid the spot light. And more.

My detail awards goes to the piano fountain, Japanese Maple, miniature millstone and the Triceratops.

I thought the prism of souls was good. You use it when you see a cat in the scene. They had unexpected things in it.

Only 14 collectibles which are skulls and carved candles. Would of liked more. Liked collecting the money to buy things again in this makers game. Hope they keep it.

The music is the same as in there other games. It sounded like puppetshow to me.

Wasn't crazy about the fights. Liked the match three. I knew who the killer was before the big reveal. I liked the main game more than the bonus.

Replay 16 hops, 16 mini-games, 11 movies and 4 music tracks. Achievements, 6 wallpapers, 6 concept art, 6 screensavers. Show less

I recommend this game!

+18points

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Overall rating

5 / 5

47 of 59 found this review helpful

Who is the murderer ?

PostedDecember 28, 2017

nariiska

fromOntario Canada

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Skill Level:Intermediate

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

5 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

This game is fast paced and takes an interesting turn of events that leaves you in for a fight for your life. There are fun hop's and mini games and of course the portal of souls leaving you wanting more.

I recommend this game!

+35points

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Overall rating

5 / 5

4 of 4 found this review helpful

Imaginative Hidden Objects and Mini-Games

PostedJanuary 23, 2018

deddu

fromCalifornia USA

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Skill Level:Intermediate

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

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

5 / 5

Storyline

4 / 5

Enjoyed the entire game and bonus game (which was of a good length.) The slide rule hidden object was new.
Found the mini-games to be fairly easy and fun. Great graphics.

I recommend this game!

+4points

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Overall rating

5 / 5

3 of 4 found this review helpful

Very Good

PostedJanuary 3, 2018

banditkitty1

fromoregon

Skill Level:Intermediate

Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Mahjong, Match 3

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

5 / 5

Found this game very fascinating !!!

I recommend this game!

+2points

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Overall rating

5 / 5

119 of 235 found this review helpful

I FORESEE A GREAT GAME IN YOUR FUTURE

PostedDecember 28, 2017

sunnyglow

fromPeering into my crystal ball – here are my psychic predictions for 2018. I foresee many HOP games appearing in 2018. I also see a fish, a rather BIG FISH involved with these games somehow.

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Skill Level:Expert

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

5 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

OVERVIEW: Detective! Upon the death of a photographer - Madame Esperance, medium extraordinaire, has contacted you for help in locating the culprit. However, upon arrival in the town of Mordamo, the medium herself is murdered. Never fear, detective! Our swami will contact you from the other side to help in this investigation. Can you sort out who the mastermind is behind these murders?

This ...Show more

OVERVIEW: Detective! Upon the death of a photographer - Madame Esperance, medium extraordinaire, has contacted you for help in locating the culprit. However, upon arrival in the town of Mordamo, the medium herself is murdered. Never fear, detective! Our swami will contact you from the other side to help in this investigation. Can you sort out who the mastermind is behind these murders?

This fast-paced game is a vast improvement from the other games within this series. AMAX has spruced up this game series with some new, creative touches in both the HOP scenes and the puzzles as well. This whodunit has captured my interest and was an automatic purchase. I want to find out who the culprit is behind this intrigue. The pace is excellent with plenty of activities.

You can choose the physical attributes of your character in the game. You collect items which belong to the medium such as skulls and candles. You also collect coins to purchase items for the games. The gimmicky spirit collector returns in this game. This device reveals spirits hiding within the scene. It also shows hidden elements within the scene as well. You can replay some of the HOP scenes within the game. I wish that AMAX would provide a replay of the puzzles as well, especially those which have two levels of difficulty.

Despite loving this game, I do have two small complaints. I am tired of collecting coins in this developer’s games. I hate running back-and-forth to purchase some item from some vendor to be used in the game. I also dislike gimmicks. The spirit collector is overused in this developer’s games. Gimmicks are not needed with a quality game such as this. The game stands on its own merit without the need for these devices.

HOP SCENES: The HOP scenes in the demo are creatively designed. Some of the scenes have puzzles within them.

PUZZLES: There are new puzzles within this game. The developer also provides more puzzles with the choice between casual and hard settings. I found assembling a dreamcatcher a clever variation for a sequence puzzle. I also enjoyed the rope puzzles which involve untangling ropes on two objects – a doll and a ship. There is also a cleverly designed matching puzzle in which you switch tumbler halves so that the halves mesh together.

FAVORITE PUZZLE: Go fish! I enjoyed trying to assess which squares within an aquarium three (3) fish and a crab would land in order to catch and remove them from the tank. This is a very creative approach to a logic puzzle.

LEVELS: Casual, Advanced, Hard, Custom
Hints and Skips: 5 to 200 seconds

EXTRAS:
Map is provided as you play the game
20 Achievements
Collect 14 items used by mediums and coins to be used throughout the game to purchase items.
Replay 16 HOP scenes
Prism of Souls: Gimmick used to collect spirits within a scene
6 Wallpaper, 6 Concept Art, 6 Screensavers, Music, Movies

HERE ARE THE DETAILS (SPOILERS) FOR THOSE WANT MORE INFORMATION ON THE HOP SCENES AND PUZZLES IN SEQUENCE

HOP SCENES:
(A) List of items. (Has an assembly puzzle within it) (B) Storybook. Locate each item individually within several scenes. (C) Silhouette items. (D) Mini-HOP scene. Locate six items to complete a lock.

PUZZLES: (1) Easy 2) Moderate difficulty (3) Difficult
A. Switch puzzle. Switch dials on a Zodiac chart so each dial matches up with its sign on the chart. Rating: 1
B. Choice between Casual and Hard. Matching Lock puzzle. Using two picks, exchange tumbler halves so they match up.
C. Maze puzzle. Move a maze to lead a ball to the center of the grid. Rating: 1
D. Assembly puzzle. Assemble a dreamcatcher placing feathers and string in correct sequence. (In a HOP scene) Rating: 1
E. Choice between Casual and Hard. Match-3 game. Punch the evildoer in the snout! Match up 12 each of fists and shields to knock him out!
F. Choice between Casual and Hard. Maze puzzle. Use a map to find your way through an underground set of tunnels.
G. Rope puzzle. Swap rope pieces on a doll and a ship so that no piece of rope intersects with any of the others. 2X Rating: 2
H. Maze puzzle. Using a magnet, lead a pin through a labyrinth without touching the sides of the labyrinth. Rating: 2
I. Go Fish! Logic puzzle. Using a makeshift fishing pole, try to catch three (3) fish plus an old crab. Figure the pattern used in which the fish move and click on that square to catch the fish. Rating: 2 Show less

I recommend this game!

+3points

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Overall rating

4 / 5

8 of 9 found this review helpful

~~WHO MURDERED MADAME ESPERANCE?~~

PostedJanuary 4, 2018

skullfun

fromERS/AMAX interactive's creepy fun series was the inspiration for my screen name!!!

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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, Puzzle

Fun Factor

4 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

4 / 5

Level of Challenge

3 / 5

Storyline

4 / 5

Grim Facade: The Message is part of the long-running hidden object series that focuses on the supernatural and grim murders. In this latest edition the story begins when a medium calls for the main character in order to investigate some dark premonitions, but as it turns out, you are too late to save her. To make matters worse, you are wrongfully accused of her murder as well, which makes your ...Show more

Grim Facade: The Message is part of the long-running hidden object series that focuses on the supernatural and grim murders. In this latest edition the story begins when a medium calls for the main character in order to investigate some dark premonitions, but as it turns out, you are too late to save her. To make matters worse, you are wrongfully accused of her murder as well, which makes your investigation even more difficult. Naturally, there are other interesting events along the way too, so you are rarely bored with the action or the story. I enjoyed the unique puzzles to test your wits even if the underlying mechanics are not very different from what you may be accustomed to, but some of the puzzles push the limits a little bit. This is a great way to keep you engaged, because regular hidden object sequences can only be fun for so long before they become repetitive. In addition, the eerie environment plays a major role in certain puzzles, which helps with the overall atmosphere. Speaking of which, the graphics are pretty dark, given the theme of the game, but the artwork is very detailed and enjoyable. Almost everything you see in the scenes is hand-drawn, and the artists did not hold back when it comes to backgrounds and character design. As usual, the cuts-cenes are a bit stiff and basic, but they get the point across, and they are usually pretty short anyway. This edition proved to be a worthy mystery for a seasoned detective and to sum things up, armchair detectives everywhere should have a blast with Grim Facade: The Message, especially since the mystery is pretty fun and convoluted. In addition, the gameplay is fun and quite diverse for the most part. Whether your a medium or an extra-large, casual gamers of all sizes and all levels should enjoy this adventure. LOL! Cheers.

In this series:
•Grim Facade: Deadly Dowry
•Grim Facade: The Red Cat
•Grim Facade: Monster in Disguise
•Grim Facade: Hidden Sins
•Grim Facade: The Artist and the Pretender
•Grim Facade: A Wealth of Betrayal
•Grim Facade: The Cost of Jealousy
•Grim Facade: Sinister Obsession
•Grim Facade: Mystery of Venice
•Grim Façade: The Message


  Show less

I recommend this game!

+7points

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Overall rating

4 / 5

30 of 48 found this review helpful

Murder on a medium

PostedDecember 28, 2017

rainworm

fromPlease take this advice away!

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Skill Level:Expert

Fun Factor

4 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

4 / 5

Storyline

4 / 5

Grim Façade, The Message, offers a story on a medium, who is murdered with us standing before her window but not able to get in and help in time. Finally, but after she’s been stabbed with a knife, we can enter her house through the window and talk to the dying woman. In our attempt to rescue her, we get in touch with her wounds - our hands are smeared with her blood, when minutes after our entry, ...Show more

Grim Façade, The Message, offers a story on a medium, who is murdered with us standing before her window but not able to get in and help in time. Finally, but after she’s been stabbed with a knife, we can enter her house through the window and talk to the dying woman. In our attempt to rescue her, we get in touch with her wounds - our hands are smeared with her blood, when minutes after our entry, the police is at the door and immediately arrests us for murder. Being electroshocked in the arrest, we awake in the cell and the murdered medium appears, as in a dream, talks to us and shows ways to get out of prison, to help her, save her soul.
Later we are allowed to have a look at the case folder. Apparently a man has come up who alleges to be a witness to the murder.

Next scene: we are in her house and learn, that her murderer wants her soul and by that her powers. We have to assemble our device (the one, we got used to in the preceding games of the series) and search for souls. Again there are coins for us in the game, with those we are able to buy useful things, as first of all a fare to the witness, the owner of the city‘s auctionhouse.

Coming there, he has been taken prisoner too, sits bound in a chair, threatened by a tricky trap. His attacker has left tasks for us to solve - a couple of puzzles, then he is free. He had been bribed to testify and when he backed out of the foul trade, was taken himself. Behind his attacker seems to be the publisher of the town’s newspaper, the Mardano Daily, who bribed him in need of a good story. He acts as our merchant further in the game.

At the newspaper’s headquarters we finally learn more about the police officer, who arrested us in the first place - he seems to be behind the murder and more weird things in this game.

Puzzles are so-so. Not all very easy, some quite redundant and well-known to all players. HOS are ok, nothing special. As this is a Grim Façade - again the device ! In the first games it was new and had a certain charm, now it just takes time. Amusing detail is the merchant, where we, same procedure in every game, buy our stuff.
A con against this game are the tiny steps in which we sneak through our tasks in the beginning at the house and in the cell. One big pro for the game is the story and of course the visual pleasure. Show less

I recommend this game!

+12points

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Overall rating

4 / 5

2 of 2 found this review helpful

Trial: Interesting Journey. Well Crafted. Moves Forward.

PostedJanuary 28, 2018

Yurnmesis

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Skill Level:Intermediate

Fun Factor

4 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

4 / 5

Level of Challenge

4 / 5

Storyline

4 / 5

Excellent Graphics, good sound and music, hints work well, excellent HOG, well-designed Mini Games.

Overall: Good Intro, you select your character which is a little different and fun. Escape from cell made me laugh, how much stuff can one find in a barren cell to use to escape, well surprise, you find what you need. Good details. Soapy sponge looked like a real one! Mini Games are well done, ...Show more

Excellent Graphics, good sound and music, hints work well, excellent HOG, well-designed Mini Games.

Overall: Good Intro, you select your character which is a little different and fun. Escape from cell made me laugh, how much stuff can one find in a barren cell to use to escape, well surprise, you find what you need. Good details. Soapy sponge looked like a real one! Mini Games are well done, yet some are very time consuming. HOG are interactive and equally well developed. Interesting journey so far and like that it moves forward instead of a lot of back and forth. Will purchase. Show less

I recommend this game!

+2points

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Overall rating

3 / 5

24 of 27 found this review helpful

a bit short , a bit absurd , but rather fun

PostedDecember 28, 2017

eric72

fromLe Mans (France)

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Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object

Current Favorite:

PuppetShow: The Price of Immortality Collector's Edition

(81)

Fun Factor

4 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

3 / 5

Level of Challenge

3 / 5

Storyline

2 / 5

Easy and a bit on the short side , the main adventure can be made under 3 hours. It will not stick much in mind, but altogether it is a funny one. in any case more dynamic than Deadly Dowry.
Big drawback : the amulet to detect spirits. It is so disappointing to see so many HO games with this gimmick !
The storyline is about the mafia with a supernatural aspect , the plot is preposterous with ...Show more

Easy and a bit on the short side , the main adventure can be made under 3 hours. It will not stick much in mind, but altogether it is a funny one. in any case more dynamic than Deadly Dowry.
Big drawback : the amulet to detect spirits. It is so disappointing to see so many HO games with this gimmick !
The storyline is about the mafia with a supernatural aspect , the plot is preposterous with incoherences, but the characters without being very deep are funny in their own kind.
It came to mind that there are no differences between a PuppetShow and a GrimFacade (except for the puppets): the same graphics, the same musics, the same pace and actions,
I like the HOS and the mini-games are easy and varied.
In the bonus level, we play as Mrs Esperance who gives a hand to the police, the level has a correct duration (under one hour though) and is a bit less obvious than the main game.
Extras : 16 replayable HOS and 16 Mini-games , 4 musics , 11 movie videos, 6 wallpapers 6 screensavers, and of course the strategy guide. Show less

I recommend this game!

+21points

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Overall rating

3 / 5

103 of 137 found this review helpful

ALL WE NEED NOW IS A CARNIVAL FOR MADAME FATE....er MADAME ESPERANCE

PostedDecember 28, 2017

pennmom36

from"Dear Friend, although we don't know each other" and apparently are NOT friends????

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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

Either I'm experiencing Deja-vu or this story is hauntingly familiar, and nowhere near as good either! The Message is loud and clear, Madame Esperance (that's way too long of a name, let's just call her Madame E) is a physic medium who foresees the future, even her own! Unfortunately, things aren't looking too good for Madame E, but at least her vision will buy her some time to contact a ...Show more

Either I'm experiencing Deja-vu or this story is hauntingly familiar, and nowhere near as good either! The Message is loud and clear, Madame Esperance (that's way too long of a name, let's just call her Madame E) is a physic medium who foresees the future, even her own! Unfortunately, things aren't looking too good for Madame E, but at least her vision will buy her some time to contact a detective, to get the ball rolling on her pre-murder investigation..

Once again, I play the role of a Detective, and apparently I'm not very good at it, because I never have a single penny to my name. To make matters worse, I have to resort to thieving coins in order to buy objects from shady vendors. I never get a receipt so I'm assuming these are stolen goods, which is surely another reason I'm not a very good detective. As with most of these games, you get to choose profile picture avatars. There are 3 different male characters and 3 different female characters to choose from. Basically a brunette, blonde and red haired detective available for either male or female avatar. Another unfortunate scenario in my detective career, I once again get equipped with a Spirit Collector. I don't want to talk about it, seriously disappointed, nuff said!

Amax Interactive is definitely digging their claws into these older games, as they desperately try to revitalize these long time standing series' they inherited from ERS. Each game they release lately, are ever so slightly better, it's clear to see they are putting forth great effort, but in the process, they seem to have lost sight of what a Collector's Edition is all about. I expect more collectibles in a CE, not less, and they've never even attempted to add Morphing Objects or any new features, why? Besides looting coins, the only collectibles offered in this Collector's Edition version, are a handful of Madame E's personal belongings! I remember filling out a BF survey a while back that was intended to provide insight from game buyers, as to what they desired within a CE. Did they receive hundreds and hundreds of requests to remove CE bling?

The Hidden Object Scenes are in typical form by this dev, but fortunately, they have called for a cease fire, on doubling up HOP's in repeated locations. There are Interactive List finds, but most of the Hidden Object Scenes are in the form of Keywords in a sentence, which is a very popular way devs use to incorporate more details of the plot. When I say popular, I mean that almost all of the devs use this method, which is why I loved the method used in Phantasmat, of telling the story through unexplained "visions" which is so much more realistic and far creepier. There aren't any alternative puzzles to opt for, but there are some HOP's that have a small puzzle of some kind to solve.

The Mini Games are just okay, neither good nor bad. Most of the games are available in a Casual or Hard difficulty mode. Below are brief descriptions of some of the games you'll encounter during the demo:

1) Move the dial hands so they land on their matching symbols, by selecting a dial and swapping icons to a highlighted slot.

2) Several mini games that require you to click buttons, piano keys etc. in a specific order by trial and error.

3) Move the inner lock pieces so they fit in the outer lock pieces by swapping one key piece from each side.

4) Use directional arrows to guide the ball through the labyrinth to the hole.

5) Assemble the dream-catcher by attaching the string and hanging feathers.

6) Make matches of at least 3 identical tiles by swapping adjacent tiles, in a Match 3 game to collect 12 Fists and 12 Shields.

7) Move the ropes by selecting and swapping 2 rings making sure none of them intersect.

8) Use a map to navigate through the tunnels.

9) Use a magnet to drag a pin through the paths without going outside of the lines.

GRIM FACADE GAMES AVAILABLE
Title***Collector's Edition Release Date***Average Rating

1-Mystery of Venice (June 2011) 4.2
2-Sinister Obsession (July 5-12) 4.1
3-Cost of Jealousy (February 28-13) 4.0
4-A Wealth of Betrayal (April 24-14) 3.2
5-The Artist and the Pretender (September 18-14) 3.6
6-Hidden Sins (June 18-15) 4.2
7-Monster in Disguise (May 19-16) 4.0
8-The Red Cat (October 22-16) 3.8
9-A Deadly Dowry (September 23-17) 3.2
10-The Message (December 28-2017) n/a

by: Amax Interactive

This Collector's Edition version has 6 Wallpapers, 6 Concept Art pictures, 6 Screensavers, 4 Music Soundtracks, 11 Movie Videos, 16 re-playable Mini Games and Hidden Object Scenes, 20 Achievements to earn (one of which is to skip a mini game?) 7 Collectible Madame E personal items) collectible Coins, a built in Strategy Guide and a Bonus Chapter. Show less

+69points

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