Bonfire Stories: Heartless > iPad, iPhone, Android, Mac & PC Game

Overall rating

5 / 5

44 of 50 found this review helpful

CAN YOU SOLVE THE MYSTERY OF THE HEARTLESS?

PostedOctober 19, 2018

biscuitsmama

fromTrying to save Margaret and escape the Hunt

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

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

5 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

Yes, folks as we enter autumn it is time for BFG to delight us with a bunch of scary games to fit the season – after all Halloween is right around the corner! Bonfire Stories Heartless is the second game in the series and for me it seems much better than The Faceless Gravedigger. This time around you play the game as Tom Gilbert who has been seeking answers for his father’s death during a camping ...Show more

Yes, folks as we enter autumn it is time for BFG to delight us with a bunch of scary games to fit the season – after all Halloween is right around the corner! Bonfire Stories Heartless is the second game in the series and for me it seems much better than The Faceless Gravedigger. This time around you play the game as Tom Gilbert who has been seeking answers for his father’s death during a camping trip to Calispell Forest. Year after year Tom, who is still haunted by nightmares after seeing his father captured by half-human beasts with the heads of animals. When Tom arrives at the campground he soon realizes that this year he might find the answers when another camper is dragged into the swirling red mist by the same creatures who took his dad years ago.

Since other reviewers ptovide in-depth details of the game I will only tell you what I did or didn’t like about the game. For me this game is all about the storyline that grabbed me right from the beginning scene. It is not often that I am so engrossed in the storyline that when the demo ends I am totally surprised by how involved I was with the game. For me at least the game was a bit difficult because it was not always easy to figure out what my next step should be. Of course, there was always the obvious item that would be used right away but there is a lot of back and forth between scenes to find items and then remember where they fit. I don’t mind the back and forth between scenes as much as some gamers because for me it makes the game far more interesting when I must remember where I can use a specific item.

As much as I loved the storyline and trying to solve the mystery, for me the HOPS were a major disappointment. Although the HOPS might have been creative, or at least an attempt at something different, I think they are the weak point in the game. I disliked the scene after scene of finding twelve of a specific item or even finding sets of specific items. I much prefer the old school and more traditional HOP scenes where there is some interaction and a variety of items to find.

The puzzles were good and some were difficult but none, IMHO, were super challenging. Recently, I am seeing more of those toggle type puzzles in games and I dislike those particularly when there seems to be no consistent pattern to the sequence. There were some puzzles that I enjoyed such as those where you must remove posts in a particular sequence, or the one where you must move tokens simultaneously on different sides of a grid. All in all the puzzles were not horrible but I hope to see those toggle type puzzles go away!

As I mentioned above, for me the game was about the storyline and about the gameplay. I felt that this was an excellent game with terrific graphics and just the right touch of fear factor. There were times when I found myself holding my breath because I wasn’t sure what was behind the next door or hallway. The story was told in a very consistent manner and I wasn’t left feeling like it skipped all over the place and half was missing as happens with some games. As another reviewer noted, kudos to the script writer because they did an excellent job with telling this this Bonfire Story. The gameplay had me very entertained as I tried to rescue Margaret and get both of us out alive. Even though Bonfire Stories Heartless is one that I had to buy, please try the demo to see if this is a game you will enjoy. Happy gaming! Show less

+38points

44of 50voted this as helpful.

Was this review helpful?Yes44No6

Flagged as inappropriate.

Overall rating

5 / 5

18 of 18 found this review helpful

I enjoyed it

PostedOctober 29, 2018

bessiegirl

fromOcean Shores, WA

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

Fun Factor

4 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

4 / 5

Level of Challenge

4 / 5

Storyline

4 / 5

An interesting, smooth flowing game. Scenes could be a little dark (color wise) but I found the game quite enjoyable. Options allow you to customize your own game which is always a plus.

Not a puzzle player I actually found most of the puzzles/mini games to be easy and was able to immediately skip those I didn't want to spend time with. HOS were creative and clever.

Story line was something ...Show more

An interesting, smooth flowing game. Scenes could be a little dark (color wise) but I found the game quite enjoyable. Options allow you to customize your own game which is always a plus.

Not a puzzle player I actually found most of the puzzles/mini games to be easy and was able to immediately skip those I didn't want to spend time with. HOS were creative and clever.

Story line was something I haven't seen before and had a very interesting twist at the end. Transporter map was excellent and the hint was also a transporter.

A fair amount of dialog, some you can skip, some you can't but the cut scenes were actually kind of interesting and did fill out the story. Show less

I recommend this game!

+18points

18of 18voted this as helpful.

Was this review helpful?Yes18No0

Flagged as inappropriate.

Overall rating

5 / 5

13 of 13 found this review helpful

I knew I'd like this game...

PostedFebruary 8, 2019

katnap123

fromAs usual, my humble opinion of a completed game.

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

Current Favorite:

Maze: Subject 360

(91)

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

4 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

because I liked the first Bonfire game, and this one is a continuation of where the first story left off. A small group of people are sitting around a campfire telling scary stories, and now it's the second person's turn to tell his story.

Although this game does get suspenseful at times, the dark horror factor isn't there, and that suits me just fine. I tend to stay away from games that are ...Show more

because I liked the first Bonfire game, and this one is a continuation of where the first story left off. A small group of people are sitting around a campfire telling scary stories, and now it's the second person's turn to tell his story.

Although this game does get suspenseful at times, the dark horror factor isn't there, and that suits me just fine. I tend to stay away from games that are too depressing. I wont give the plot away. I'll just say that the story is involved and interesting, and I really enjoyed it.

The colors and ambiance are just right, just dark enough to add to the overall feel of the game. The puzzles are unique and interesting too, not too difficult but not so easy a small child can do them.

If you liked the first one, you'll love this one, and it gets even better the further along you play. Show less

I recommend this game!

+13points

13of 13voted this as helpful.

Was this review helpful?Yes13No0

Flagged as inappropriate.

Overall rating

5 / 5

15 of 16 found this review helpful

This is in my top 2 favorite games of 2018

PostedFebruary 14, 2019

kerith90angel

fromNew England, USA

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

Current Favorite:

Paranormal Pursuit: The Gifted One Collector's Edition

(74)

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

5 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

BASED ON COMPLETED GAME & CE BONUS PLAY

I LOVED this game. I wish I could rate it higher than 5*. The story is SO thought out, and you don’t even learn most of it until you get some files in chapter 6. They look like authentic documents with life like photos. They were so incredible I found myself reading every little thing about each character to learn more of the story. The storyline is way ...Show more

BASED ON COMPLETED GAME & CE BONUS PLAY

I LOVED this game. I wish I could rate it higher than 5*. The story is SO thought out, and you don’t even learn most of it until you get some files in chapter 6. They look like authentic documents with life like photos. They were so incredible I found myself reading every little thing about each character to learn more of the story. The storyline is way more involved than the demo suggests; like reading a great book you don’t want to put down. This game will keep you on your toes until the very end. You think it’s going one way and a twist happens here and there. This DEV took the time to create the most incredible end to the main game. I actually did a fist pump (that caught me by surprise LOL) at the end of the main game. :)
I did a more detailed review under the CE page for this game in case someone may be interested about you might be missing in the SE- you may want to read that one instead.

The SE portion took me 3hrs 15min (my total game play for the CE version was 4hrs 05min).
I play on custom, @ a normal pace, and like to work things out on my own. I don’t like a lot of the fiddle type of MG and will skip them the second I’m frustrated. I adore HOS and play with penalty when I can- so it will take some ppl a bit more time than me.

So much time, effort & detail went into many things such as notes, articles, photos, as well as environmental sound effects with A+ voice actors. The people that did the background effects and the voice actors need to be commended. I’ve been playing games for years and this game did it the best I’ve ever encountered. Just before the demo ends you hear people shouting through the woods and it wasn’t just a first person voiceover with a mic. The way it was done here, the player feels a part of the action because the baddies voices are “off in the distance” and it makes the fear of the player heighten because you as the player feel like you are actually there with the action. Some voices sound far off and some sound like they are right beside you. I’ve never seen this done in casual gaming and it was PERFECT. You can hear the echoes off in the distance and other woodland effects. I even liked the game effect sounds which aren’t too loud or annoying; they are understated.

The graphics are incredible from the beginning to the end of this game. I adore when a DEV still make game scenes beautiful to play in (gorgeous waterfall and woodland scenes) despite being a paranormal/horror game while at the same time give the player a sense of urgency and fear. PERFECTLY DONE HERE! Inventory items are not held all that long so you actually remember where they go. The cut scenes were also done with care.

There were only a few things about this game I didn’t like. The first were metal animal traps (thankfully they were not used on animals). I just wish the game didn’t have them at all because in a perfect world they wouldn’t exist. The other, was the effects modulator applied to the bad guy’s voice over was a bit hard to understand. I wished the MAP was set up so you could click on it directly because as it is, it requires a 2 step process to open.
There is no journal/diary in this game and it would have really benefitted from one since the story was so well done. I prefer when a journal is provided (with the cutscenes added to the journal) because quite often I will wait to buy the CE on sale, or play other games in between and can’t remember the storyline from the demo to when I purchase the game. That creates a disconnect for me with the game in general. By having a journal, I am way more invested in the characters and story if I have a way to refresh the story to what I’ve played so far before buying the game.

I loved the color theme used in this game. Gray & natural tones are mostly used and they feel realistic, which again makes the player feel like they are in a more authentic environment as a whole. I’ve grown so tired of neon colors in games or oversaturated scenes from the beginning to the end of a game that has no change in the color scheme. I’ve noticed I want to buy a game ASAP that is using natural, realistic, colors that make it way easier on my eyes to spend a few hours looking at and that’s what I did with this CE, bought it right away.
If you liked this game, I thought these had some similarities, so you may want to try the demo here @ BFG:
1. Enigmatis 2: The Mists of Ravenwood
2. Shtriga: Summer camp
3. Paranormal Files: Fellow Traveler
4. Fear for Sale 11: The Curse of Whitefall
5. Phantasmat: Curse of the mist
6. Campfire Legends Trilogy

Thank you to BFG & all of you at Mariaglorum that worked on this. You should be so proud of this series!
I am such a fan yours, and can't wait for the next one. Show less

I recommend this game!

+14points

15of 16voted this as helpful.

Was this review helpful?Yes15No1

Flagged as inappropriate.

Overall rating

5 / 5

9 of 9 found this review helpful

Best game i've plated in a long time! Brilliant!

PostedOctober 26, 2018

march44

Skill Level:Expert

Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Time Management

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

5 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

the story was immersive and the art was beautiful!

I recommend this game!

+9points

9of 9voted this as helpful.

Was this review helpful?Yes9No0

Flagged as inappropriate.

Overall rating

5 / 5

8 of 8 found this review helpful

A good game

PostedOctober 29, 2018

MetLaugh

fromTexas, USA

Skill Level:Intermediate

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

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

4 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

This is a good game with a lot to offer for not being a collector's edition. I played quite awhile on the simplest setting even though I am more experienced than that. If you have a free game coupon, go for it.

I will replay on a tougher setting buy I highly recommend this. I would really like to see the CE if it has morphing objects or collectors items to find. The regular game is pretty ...Show more

This is a good game with a lot to offer for not being a collector's edition. I played quite awhile on the simplest setting even though I am more experienced than that. If you have a free game coupon, go for it.

I will replay on a tougher setting buy I highly recommend this. I would really like to see the CE if it has morphing objects or collectors items to find. The regular game is pretty straight forward and I missed the challenge of those little extras.

The story is sort of on the line of the usual Hidden Objects but has some flair usually missing. I really appreciate the extra effort.

The art is great. The music is unobtrusive. I will target more of this company's games when I am using earned chips etc.

Thanks! Show less

I recommend this game!

+8points

8of 8voted this as helpful.

Was this review helpful?Yes8No0

Flagged as inappropriate.

Overall rating

5 / 5

5 of 5 found this review helpful

Love it

PostedFebruary 28, 2019

jancar26

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

5 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

The storyline was fantastic! I got lost in the character. Graphics were great. Will defiantly be buying this series as games become available.

I recommend this game!

+5points

5of 5voted this as helpful.

Was this review helpful?Yes5No0

Flagged as inappropriate.

Overall rating

5 / 5

5 of 5 found this review helpful

Another Winner, this is an Excellent Series, Bring them on!

PostedJanuary 29, 2019

tophatmcgee

fromKC, MO

Skill Level:Expert

Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object

Current Favorite:

Living Legends: Beasts of Bremen

(17)

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

5 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

I have really enjoyed both of the Bonfire stories, the games are bright and quick, the stories are engaging, the puzzles and games are challenging without getting frustrating. There is a good variety. The length was good as well, it did not drag at all. This is one of my favorite series, I hope that they come out with more soon!

I recommend this game!

+5points

5of 5voted this as helpful.

Was this review helpful?Yes5No0

Flagged as inappropriate.

Overall rating

5 / 5

3 of 3 found this review helpful

Best Game I've Played In Awhile!!

PostedJuly 7, 2020

megwoman25

fromNorthern California

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, Large File, Mahjong, Puzzle, Strategy, Time Management, Word

Current Favorite:

The Other Side: Tower of Souls

(56)

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

4 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

I decided not to get the CE and I didn't regret it at all because this game has such a great story! I only like CE's if I need the filler of collectibles/achievements because its the same old story but this one kept my attention the entire time and I loved it.

There was a nice mix of hidden object scenes/mini games. None of the mini games insulted my intelligence level and some even stumped me ...Show more

I decided not to get the CE and I didn't regret it at all because this game has such a great story! I only like CE's if I need the filler of collectibles/achievements because its the same old story but this one kept my attention the entire time and I loved it.

There was a nice mix of hidden object scenes/mini games. None of the mini games insulted my intelligence level and some even stumped me (I see you puzzle near the end). The story line was fantastic and played like a real movie. Whoever wrote this story line needs to keep going because it was fun, scary and intriguing like I couldn't wait to keep going and find out everything. And then when you learn whats going on, WOW! Some of it I figured out but there was a part near the end that surprised me and I'm a seasoned veteran of HOG games, been playing them since 2007 and not much is new to me so that was a big plus!

Curious to see if they do a sequel to this game because although the conclusion was satisfying, there is still potential there.

Browse by Genre:

Browse by Genre:

Bonfire Stories: Heartless

Reviews

Bonfire Stories: Heartless

, share your thoughts about this game!

Bonfire Stories: Heartless

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.


	, share your thoughts about this game! Bonfire Stories: Heartless Death arrives in the red mist. 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.