Dark Romance: A Performance to Die For > iPad, iPhone, Android, Mac & PC Game

Overall rating

5 / 5

26 of 31 found this review helpful

If you have talent he's going to get you!

PostedAugust 24, 2018

Majestyx12

fromGameland. Still Loving Games.

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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, Hidden Object

Current Favorite:

Dark Romance: A Performance to Die For Collector's Edition

(29)

Fun Factor

4 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

5 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

Christine and Raul want to marry. The problem is she has talent. Isaac is obsessed to collect talent. It's a ghostly tale in 1911. I just finished the main game and it's a long game. 6 Chapters.

There is a lot of back and forth. I used the map a lot and had to use the gold small arrows. There are 13 main hops and a few small hops. The hops are quite girly and pretty, which I loved. This maker is known for their mini-games. Being a hops girl I was happy that I found plenty I liked. I liked playing the piano. Didn't like the fool with it puzzles though. It could of been better with zero skip instead of 15 sec. You can play match 3 instead of hops.

I have all of the Dark Romance in CE. My favorites being Vampire in Love, The Swan Sonata and Winter Lily. Show less

I recommend this game!

+21points

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Overall rating

5 / 5

27 of 34 found this review helpful

BEWARE! YOU MIGHT HAVE A LEAD ROLE IN THIS GHOSTLY OPERA

PostedAugust 24, 2018

biscuitsmama

fromI couldn't keep myself from loving A Performance to Die For. Well Done Domini!

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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

Dark Romance A Performance to Die For, is the ninth game in the Dark Romance series and If the game seems familiar it is because it is loosely based on the novel by French author Gaston Leroux later to receive acclaim in the musical adaptation by Andrew Lloyd Webber – The Phantom of the Opera. Because of my love of the musical play, I knew that this game would be a must have addition to my gaming library. I am happy to say that as I have played a good portion of the game that I am not disappointed. The game is as good as I thought and did exceed my expectations.

As the game begins we see our heroine Christine as she is meeting with her beloved Raul shortly before a performance. Raul has just returned from a business trip abroad and as he promised he has a surprise for Christine. Shortly before Christine is to debut in a new opera, her beloved proposes to her. As he prepares to slip the ring on her finger, Christine is whisked away through a mirror by a strange masked man. Now Raul is left broken-hearted as he must save his beloved and get rid of the madman who kidnapped her.

As in previous games in the Dark Romance series the lovers each take part in the game as we switch between characters, in this case Christine and Raul. Each character has their sequence where they move the game forward as they help each other.

The game has all of the technical features we enjoy with a custom setting that has a couple of new features. The only issue I have with the custom setting, something I have noted before, is that the lower limit for the hint and skip settings should not be preset but that the gamer should be allowed to choose what the hint and skip limits should be according to how they like to play. Although there are some cute and not so cute critters in the game we do not have an animal helper.

The HOPS are nothing that we haven’t seen before but still some are very creative and well-designed. For those of you who might not want to search for items to complete a HOP scene, there is an alternate match-e game available. The puzzles are entertaining but very easy. Even though we are given an option to choose between easy or hard when solving the puzzles, I happened to find even the hard option fairly easy. Although I enjoy puzzles in a HOP game, I don’t always want them to be brain-drain difficult so it was a nice change that I found most of them easily solvable. The game has 24 puzzles and 18 HOP scenes that can be replayed if you purchase the CE version of the game.

In case you want to try the CE version of the game it includes the following extras: Collectibles to find that include Posters, 15 Theater Props, and Crystals to find and 36 Achievements to earn. Other extras include 10 Wallpapers, 10 Concept Artwork, 5 Music Tracks, Movies, and a Dressing Room that will be furnished by using the crystals you find in the game. The game includes a Bonus Chapter as well as a 55-Page Strategy Guide.

Although I have found most of the Dark Romance games to be excellent, this one is my favorite in the series. Perhaps it is because of my infatuation with Phantom but also because of the graphics and the characters in the game. The gameplay was fun and yes I am happy to report that I wasn’t disappointed as we do find the glass knife and a myriad of other recognizable tools that we love to hate. I have said it many times that I am a game addict and I happen to enjoy most games that come along. Recently I have felt a bit disappointed but when I find a game from this developer I know it will have a lot of value in the way of activities, HO scenes and mini-games. There is not much more that I could ask for in a game. Although I love the game, please try the demo to see if it is right for you. Happy gaming! Show less

I recommend this game!

+20points

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Overall rating

5 / 5

3 of 3 found this review helpful

these are all Great Games

PostedAugust 30, 2018

lorialcorn2006

fromflorida

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

I love this series I have them all they are all Great this one being my favorite . I like you get to choose easy or hard on mini games and you can also do match 3 it ya just dont feel like looking through hops. These features make for great replay and I hope they continue to make them

I recommend this game!

+3points

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Overall rating

4 / 5

4 of 5 found this review helpful

The phantom of the opera's ghostly troupe

PostedAugust 25, 2018

ninja226

fromwichita, KS

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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):Hidden Object

Fun Factor

4 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

4 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

Love the gorgeous characters and interior scenes. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.
This is a long game with many puzzles and beautiful items to find in the HOPs. Can't say I liked all the puzzles, esp the ones where one action affects another and they were harder than they had to be. You have choice of hard & easy for puzzles and match 3 instead of HOP. Some actions to take are counter ...Show more

I recommend this game!

+3points

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Overall rating

3 / 5

23 of 29 found this review helpful

I LIKE THE CE VERSION BETTER BECAUSE IT HAS A TON OF BLING

PostedAugust 26, 2018

pennmom36

fromThat's a lot of Blurple!

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Skill Level:Expert

Current Favorite:

King's Heir: Rise to the Throne Collector's Edition

(53)

Fun Factor

3 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

3 / 5

Level of Challenge

3 / 5

Storyline

3 / 5

Domini has done a really nice job with the storyline on this episode of a loosely translated version of Phantom of the Opera. I'm still not a fan of the heavy blurple colors they feel the need to include on all of their games, I get that they think it adds to the glamor of a fantasy, but I'd much rather have vivid color contrasts than to have blurples with splashes of green. I also think they tried a little too hard to add "bad ghost vibes" having a restless spirit causing mischievous problems would be much more credible than a giant hand shooting up through the floor, did one of the beautiful and talented performers suddenly grow a 10' hand when she became angered or was one of the performers a giant from Jack's beanstalk?

If you like collectibles, a strongly suggest you opt for the CE version because there are a lot of different collectibles available, journal notes, posters, theater props, and crystals that allow you to purchase dressing room items. Each collectible has an icon that alerts you to which item is available, or you can disable this feature in the custom setting mode. Here's a recap of my review to help you decide which version, if either, is right for you:

A Performance To Die For is a Domini adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera, originally a series of articles published, followed by a novel in 1911, which incredibly, wasn't popular and went out of print. The character is based upon a real person and a real tragedy. The Phantom of the Opera was a man named Erik who helped to construct the Opera and was given his own Box #5. He was rejected by one of the singers at the opera which resulted in his suicide. From his personal box, he fell hopelessly in love, surely convincing himself that she noticed him as well and that the love was mutual. He certainly must have felt that he was as much a part of her life, as she was his, as he watched her amazing performances day after day, it truly was A Performance To Die For!

Where's the Dark Romance? Isn't the Phantom of the Opera supposed to be about a bashful man with no self-esteem because he was born with a facial deformity? Doesn't he fall hopelessly in love with a beautiful performer? Doesn't he take his own life because surely the Beauty could never fall in love with a Beast? Instead, you play duo roles as the fiance & fiancee, and the Phantom is a greedy, soul-stealing man who doesn't love any of these women, they are all just victims of a cruel psychopath. Oh well, maybe I should write these stories lol, any takers?

As usual, Dark Romance is one of the few games that has the feature of playing the game with a split personality, actually as playing the game from both character perspectives, as Christine Burns, the singer who has just gotten engaged, and as fiance Raul Delacroix. Fortunately, that's the only gadget, and it's a good gadget to have! There are Opera Posters and Theater Props to collect as well as not so hidden Crystals to find which allows you to virtually buy virtual items for your virtual dressing room. This game has 6 fairly long chapters and the Bonus Chapter is even longer, so you do get your money's worth from this game. I felt the game presented no real challenge, which kept me from "loving" this game, this is what I call a TO-DO kind of game, when you can finish the demo without pausing to think about what TO-DO, where TO-DO it, or how TO-DO it, you can pretty much count on being able TO-DO everything easily throughout the game.

The Hidden Object Scenes are a bit scarce, and unfortunately, they aren't very impressive. In the demo, there are only a few, the first was a multi-layered scene with Silhouetted Shape finds and an Interactive Listed item find, followed by a Reversed HO scene where you had to take items from the inventory bar and place them into the scene where they logically fit, which were super obvious and not very challenging. You can opt to play a Match 3 Game if you're not thrilled with the HOP's.

I like the fact that Domini always gives you two difficulty mode options on their Mini-Games, Easy and Hard, but wouldn't it be really cool if you could play the game in both modes? I'd love to be able to solve the game on the Easy Mode, and then turn around and complete the same game on the hard mode if I so desired. I realize the CE version offers re-playable mini-games, but not all of them are offered, and you don't have that option in this SE version, so it would be really cool to have that option available. Below are brief descriptions of some of the games you'll encounter during the demo:

1-Move 4 puzzle pieces to the center in the correct order.
2-Guide a ball through the symbol w/o touching the sides.
3-Use the magnifying glass to locate the numbers shown.
4-Untangle the ghostly chains.
5-Light all handcuff components, one may affect others.
6-Swap tiles to complete image, select the knob to change positions.
7-Swap and rotate tiles to complete the image.
8-Apply make-up to match the mirror's reflection.
9-Flip 2 tiles at a time to find matching pairs.
10-Restore the image by selecting a central tile on a disc to rotate the tiles.

The Collector's Edition version has 10 Wallpapers, 10 Concept Art pictures, 5 Music Soundtracks, 42 Movie Cutscene Videos, 18 re-playable Hidden Object Scenes, 24 re-playable Mini-Games, 36 Achievements to earn, Missing Journal Notes to discover, 15 Opera Posters and 15 Theater Props to collect, 15 Dressing Room items to buy with 48 collectible Crystals (note: you can opt to disable the "extra indicator icons" in the Custom Setting Mode, otherwise, icons will glow when a collectible is available in that scene or zoom zone) 6 Main Chapters +Bonus Chapter (very long BC!)

DARK ROMANCE SERIES LIST
Title***Standard Edition Release Date***Average Rating

1-Vampire in Love (March 9-2014) 3.7
2-Heart of the Beast (May 22-2015) 4.0
3-The Swan Sonata (November 15-2015) 3.8
4-Kingdom of Death (May 20-2016) 4.0
5-Curse of Bluebeard (November 11-2016) 4.4
6-Romeo and Juliet (March 26-2017) 4.4
7-The Monster Within (October 6-2017) 3.3
8-Winter Lily (February 16-2018) 4.2
9- 9-A Performance to Die For (August 24-2018) n/a)

by: Domini Games Show less

I recommend this game!

+17points

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Overall rating

2 / 5

9 of 11 found this review helpful

I Must Have Missed Something

PostedAugust 27, 2018

PATinPNS

fromPensacola, FL

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

Skill Level:Expert

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

Fun Factor

2 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

3 / 5

Level of Challenge

4 / 5

Storyline

3 / 5

This is posted after playing the demo.

I read the other reviews and I must have missed something in the demo, because I did not like this game one bit. I couldn't wait for the demo to end, which seemed like forever.

One of the positives of this game were the graphics. They were colorful and pleasant on the eyes. Voice overs were very well done and the music and effects went along with the ...Show more

This is posted after playing the demo.

I read the other reviews and I must have missed something in the demo, because I did not like this game one bit. I couldn't wait for the demo to end, which seemed like forever.

One of the positives of this game were the graphics. They were colorful and pleasant on the eyes. Voice overs were very well done and the music and effects went along with the action in the scene.

There are two offers of challenge in the mini games. I chose the easy, because I'm not a big fan of minis. I was able to complete most of them, but it got to the point I wanted this to end so I just started skipping. Hidden objects were very well done. Just enough difficulty to make them interesting.

The story was okay. I never got into it and just didn't care for the characters at all. They seemed to be tossed into the story line as a last minute thought. I don't care much for this genre of game and perhaps that is the greatest problem I had with the story. It's a turn on Phantom of the Opera, mask and all, but Phantom was much better.

Play the demo. Perhaps you will find this a better game than I. Show less

I don't recommend this game.

+7points

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