Veronica Rivers: Portals to the Unknown > iPad, iPhone, Android, Mac & PC Game

Overall rating

5 / 5

6 of 14 found this review helpful

Entertaining

PostedNovember 20, 2011

tilmalene

fromDenmark

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Skill Level:Intermediate

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

4 / 5

Level of Challenge

4 / 5

One of my favorite game, fne story, locations and grafic, good variation in the game

I recommend this game!

-2points

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Overall rating

4 / 5

16 of 18 found this review helpful

Fun Game

PostedAugust 27, 2012

rosekaufmann

fromLos Angeles

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Skill Level:Expert

Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object

Current Favorite:

Surface: Mystery of Another World

(224)

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

3 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

Story: Veronica is a rescue pilot who goes in search of an Alaskan geologist expedition gone awry, but she is so multi-talented, she may actually be a former Navy Seal. There are 14 chapters, each in different locations and with 3-5 scenes and mini-games. She travels through harsh winters, hot deserts, outer space, humid jungles and underwater as she visits the 14 separate locations (there is no ...Show more

Story: Veronica is a rescue pilot who goes in search of an Alaskan geologist expedition gone awry, but she is so multi-talented, she may actually be a former Navy Seal. There are 14 chapters, each in different locations and with 3-5 scenes and mini-games. She travels through harsh winters, hot deserts, outer space, humid jungles and underwater as she visits the 14 separate locations (there is no backtracking). I played this game a little over a year ago and it still is a fun and entertaining game – not too easy but not so challenging as to get exasperated.

Variety of well-done HOS: list of objects, silhouettes, photos, collect hidden evidence, etc. Nice thing about the silhouettes is that they appear in the scene the same way they show up on the PDA. Everything that you find has some relevance to the story and a little commentary appears at the bottom of the screen as items are found, You also have to copy runes and find differences (but the differences are things are added to only one picture - no different colors or shapes to find).

Puzzles are nothing new and although not too challenging, they are fun and they do become a little more complicated as the game progresses. They include several variations of stone games and untangling lines in order to connect to navigation satellites to know where Veronica is going next. Hints are useful and recharge rapidly, but each chapter adds a few seconds to the recharge time. There appears to be no penalty for misclicks (maybe there are if you go wild).

The developers put a lot of thought into this game; it does everything very well from the story to the gameplay. Artwork, animation and sound effects are fantastic and work together to create a terrific atmosphere for the storyline. Once you’ve completed the game, you can play any portal (i.e., chapter) in any order.

If there is one negative, it's that you cannot control the dialogue (written) and it sometimes goes too fast; you cannot repeat it so you could miss a small part of the story if you read too slow. Also, some people may find that each chapter follows a pattern of presentation too closely. The good side is that the end of each chapter presents a good breaking point for picking up the game a few days later. Show less

I recommend this game!

+14points

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Overall rating

4 / 5

10 of 11 found this review helpful

Dear to my heart

PostedFebruary 6, 2012

Woodjay

fromWales, UK

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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

Let me admit I have a soft spot for this game because it's the first one I bought from Big Fish. I probably wouldn't buy it now, but it does have some good points.
1. The story line works. It's very linear: basically you follow some geologists through mysterious portals until a final denouement.
2. The cut scenes which more recent games do as video clips are more like cartoons but work well.
3. ...Show more

Let me admit I have a soft spot for this game because it's the first one I bought from Big Fish. I probably wouldn't buy it now, but it does have some good points.
1. The story line works. It's very linear: basically you follow some geologists through mysterious portals until a final denouement.
2. The cut scenes which more recent games do as video clips are more like cartoons but work well.
3. The portals are admittedly quite similar but get more difficult as you go on. I love the way they spin and turn when you've got them right.
4. The sense of humour! (see below)

Things that might put you off:
1. You basically have two kinds of HO scenes: one where you find things and the other where you compare scenes. But you also have to take photos and find the place in a scene, and to find alien artifacts. Each time you find an object in one of the main HO scenes Veronica makes a comment about it, which I find quite amusing.
2. The mini games are rather repetitive. You have to draw alien symbols (that bit I DON'T like as it's easy to get them wrong and you might have to draw one a few times), locate your GPS position (untangling lines) and open
3. The locations are ok but the 'African' desert should be somewhere in North America (I think her GPS cracked up on that one).

I can see that some people might find it boring, but on the other hand you don't have to spend time trying to work out where to use an object and wandering back and forwards between scenes. As I said, I still have a soft spot for a game which I have played more than once. Show less

I recommend this game!

+9points

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Overall rating

4 / 5

1 of 1 found this review helpful

Better Than Expected!

PostedDecember 25, 2013

sadilin

fromCanada

Skill Level:Expert

Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object

Fun Factor

4 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

4 / 5

Level of Challenge

3 / 5

Storyline

4 / 5

After reading the reviews, I was not expecting much, but I really enjoyed playing this game! The HO were challenging enough and the games were fairly simple, but overall I found the game entertaining and fun.

I recommend this game!

+1point

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Overall rating

4 / 5

1 of 2 found this review helpful

Ahead of its time when it was created!

PostedAugust 11, 2012

TopazMystique

fromUSA

Skill Level:Intermediate

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

Current Favorite:

Dark Parables: Rise of the Snow Queen

(138)

Fun Factor

4 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

3 / 5

Level of Challenge

4 / 5

Storyline

4 / 5

I have had this game for awhile but just played it today knowing that it is almost 4 years old on Big Fish. With that in mind, I thought the game was ahead of its time when it was released. Yes, there are better games out there now and thankfully some of them are by the same company!

Cons:
o One cut scene preceding spot-the-difference repeated each time.
o Some of the graphics could have been ...Show more

I have had this game for awhile but just played it today knowing that it is almost 4 years old on Big Fish. With that in mind, I thought the game was ahead of its time when it was released. Yes, there are better games out there now and thankfully some of them are by the same company!

Cons:
o One cut scene preceding spot-the-difference repeated each time.
o Some of the graphics could have been clearer.
o Some of the movements in hidden object scenes were a little nauseating.

Pros:
o Works for lefties.
o Fast game play, i.e., able to click items quickly in succession.
o Graphics were fairly decent.
o Good action in cut scenes.
o Able to use hints and or auto-draw throughout game especially on spot-the-difference & copying symbols.
o Loved the portal puzzles.
o Story, even though a little disjointed, was intriguing to me.

All in all, given the age of the game, I thought it was a decent way to spend an afternoon and is much better than a lot of games being released now! Show less

I recommend this game!

0points

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Overall rating

3 / 5

2 of 3 found this review helpful

Fun But Old

PostedAugust 20, 2014

bluesycat

fromAlbany, NY

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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, Match 3, Puzzle

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

4 / 5

Level of Challenge

3 / 5

Storyline

4 / 5

Based on the completed game. This is a "true" HO game. There are lots of them here interspersed with some easy puzzles. Very relaxing because there is nothing particularly challenging. The artwork is good; the sound engaging.

This is definitely an "old" game, however. There are many chapters, taking the heroine to many places in the world and out of it. But each chapter is the same. One or two ...Show more

Based on the completed game. This is a "true" HO game. There are lots of them here interspersed with some easy puzzles. Very relaxing because there is nothing particularly challenging. The artwork is good; the sound engaging.

This is definitely an "old" game, however. There are many chapters, taking the heroine to many places in the world and out of it. But each chapter is the same. One or two HOS, and the same puzzles. Each of the puzzles gets a bit harder and a bit more complicated in each scene, but they are still the same. I found this OK, because I could go away from the game at the end of a chapter and come back and know exactly where I was. Some of the HOS were lists, some were silhouettes. One has the objects to find moving in and out of the scene, so you have to look at the right time.

Lots of fun for people who like to relax and not complete a game in one sitting. Not fun for folks who like the newer games with more complex practice. Show less

I recommend this game!

+1point

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Overall rating

3 / 5

2 of 3 found this review helpful

Barely making it

PostedJuly 30, 2012

LoneCleric

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:Expert

Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File

Fun Factor

3 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

4 / 5

Level of Challenge

4 / 5

Storyline

2 / 5

Although I'm recommending this game, I almost didn't. As others have pointed out, this game shows its age. But then again, it still looks good & plays well...

Gameplay-wise, the game is a straightforward HOG. You're railroaded through a bunch of scenes where you need to find items from a list or names (or silhouettes), plus a couple simple puzzles. The only part that was fairly original was ...Show more

Although I'm recommending this game, I almost didn't. As others have pointed out, this game shows its age. But then again, it still looks good & plays well...

Gameplay-wise, the game is a straightforward HOG. You're railroaded through a bunch of scenes where you need to find items from a list or names (or silhouettes), plus a couple simple puzzles. The only part that was fairly original was having to take photos (which amounted to finding a specific part of the image).

If you like good storylines, be warned that this game's, beyond its sci-fi theme, still seemed far-fetched. ("Oh, look, everybody's missing, and I just found this mysterious portal. Guess I *could* report to my superiors... Naaah, let's step right through instead!") Show less

I recommend this game!

+1point

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Overall rating

3 / 5

3 of 6 found this review helpful

Fun game initially, but becomes repetitive

PostedDecember 5, 2011

Pittsburgher1000

fromPittsburgh, PA

Skill Level:Intermediate

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

Current Favorite:

Mystery Case Files®: Escape from Ravenhearst™ Collector's Edition

(896)

Fun Factor

3 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

4 / 5

Level of Challenge

2 / 5

I really liked this game initially. The hidden objects are challenging but not impossible, and there are some interesting variations on the puzzles. Unfortunately, the same puzzles were repeated in each chapter, so the game become boring. The graphics are nice.

I don't recommend this game.

0points

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Overall rating

2 / 5

22 of 30 found this review helpful

Completely outdated !

PostedJune 5, 2012

Rebr2009

fromSP, Brasil

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Skill Level:Expert

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

Fun Factor

2 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

3 / 5

Level of Challenge

2 / 5

Storyline

2 / 5

I bought this game in 2009 ... Today I played again ... What a disappointment! Could not play more than 15 minutes!
Excessive HOS, not challenging. Mini games easy.
No dialogue or story that keeps attention.
Anyway, comparing the games developed nowadays, it has become obsolete.

I don't recommend this game.

+14points

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Overall rating

2 / 5

9 of 12 found this review helpful

There Are Better Games Out There

PostedJanuary 6, 2012

SongGypsy

fromNortheast Texas

Skill Level:Beginner

Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object

Fun Factor

2 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

2 / 5

Level of Challenge

2 / 5

Of the fourteen hidden object games I've purchased and completed, I definitely like this one the least. The story was weak and not very exciting. The puzzles weren't very challenging and the written narrative was less than good. In many cases the grammar was incorrect...so much so that I had a hard time trying to figure out what was being explained. I quit playing after 10 minutes but went back ...Show more

Of the fourteen hidden object games I've purchased and completed, I definitely like this one the least. The story was weak and not very exciting. The puzzles weren't very challenging and the written narrative was less than good. In many cases the grammar was incorrect...so much so that I had a hard time trying to figure out what was being explained. I quit playing after 10 minutes but went back and finished it later because I had purchased it and hate for my money to be wasted. One thing this game taught me...play the free hour before you purchase no matter how cheap the game is that day. Show less

I don't recommend this game.

+6points

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