Punished Talents: Dark Knowledge Collector's Edition > iPad, iPhone, Android, Mac & PC Game

Overall rating

5 / 5

96 of 109 found this review helpful

A LONG AWAITED AND EXCELLENT PUNISHED TALENTS GAME

PostedOctober 27, 2018

biscuitsmama

fromIt might take a while but I will find out who is trying to even the score by kidnapping my brother

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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

Punished Talents Dark Knowledge is the long awaited third game in the series as the last one was developed over two years ago. Since I thought that both of the previous games were excellent, I knew this would be a game that I would enjoy. That being said, the rather gory opening scene put me off and I almost didn’t bother with the game, but I am happy that I decided to give it a try.

I found ...Show more

Punished Talents Dark Knowledge is the long awaited third game in the series as the last one was developed over two years ago. Since I thought that both of the previous games were excellent, I knew this would be a game that I would enjoy. That being said, the rather gory opening scene put me off and I almost didn’t bother with the game, but I am happy that I decided to give it a try.

I found the game to be a great mystery and one that I enjoyed as I put together the clues to save my kidnapped brother and solve the murder that was committed to get my attention. For me at least the game was very entertaining since we don’t often have a good mystery game come our way here at BFG.

Although some might find the HOPS and Puzzles a bit old-school, I loved them. I happen to like HOS where I can identify the objects to be found particularly when they are not hidden in dark closets or corners where they are barely visible. Even though most of the scenes are the standard list type they don’t bother me at all. Sometimes I become tired of all the interactive scenes and long for a bit more simplicity where I can search for items without having to figure out what I must do before I find the one object I am trying to find. The Puzzles were not difficult and some are old favorites that I haven’t seen in a while.

Even though the game might seem old-school I still think it is an excellent game. I loved it when I had my “aha” moment in the game and figured out what to do with a wet dollar bill. It has been fun trying to determine my next move and what I needed to do to progress in the game. At least for me this is a great game and I encourage you to try the demo to see if it is a game you will enjoy as well. Happy gaming! Show less

I recommend this game!

+83points

96of 109voted this as helpful.

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Overall rating

5 / 5

17 of 20 found this review helpful

Sure Like This Game.

PostedOctober 31, 2018

Marja67

fromSpokane, WA

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Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

5 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

Really like this one. Good graphics, music and story line. Lasts a long time.

I recommend this game!

+14points

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Overall rating

5 / 5

45 of 75 found this review helpful

Excellent Game Very Different

PostedOctober 27, 2018

bonnadonna

frompittsburgh.pa

Skill Level:Expert

Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

5 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

Not to easy, makes you think go for it

I recommend this game!

+15points

45of 75voted this as helpful.

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Overall rating

4 / 5

101 of 116 found this review helpful

FOLLOW THE BREADCRUMBS OF VICTIMS TO CATCH YOUR BROTHERS KIDNAPPER BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!

PostedOctober 27, 2018

pennmom36

fromCharles Lindberg became famous for making the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight & even more famous when his baby was kidnapped from a 2nd story nursery & murdered. Richard Hauptmann was found guilty with no evidence linking him to the crime.

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Skill Level:Expert

Current Favorite:

The Legacy: The Tree of Might Collector's Edition

(43)

Fun Factor

3 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

3 / 5

Level of Challenge

3 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

There's a madman on the loose tonight at the University and he's taking great pleasure at watching you play his cat and mouse game. As you follow the breadcrumbs left behind as clues, they lead you to one victim after another. Each victim, you find has a recorded message of clues to taunt you onward. The stakes are high in this who-dun-it mystery, the grand prize is the final victim, your brother! ...Show more

There's a madman on the loose tonight at the University and he's taking great pleasure at watching you play his cat and mouse game. As you follow the breadcrumbs left behind as clues, they lead you to one victim after another. Each victim, you find has a recorded message of clues to taunt you onward. The stakes are high in this who-dun-it mystery, the grand prize is the final victim, your brother! Why has this madman chosen you to play his twisted game? How does he know you? Why is he so desperate to destroy you? The biggest question is, will you find out all of the answers a little too late?

Yes, there is a gadget, possibly two if you count the fact that there's a device that morphs you to the Crime Lab, as a gadget. The first device is a Magic pair of sunglasses that allows you to find evidence in a room after a crime took place. No, this gadget was NOT necessary and should NOT have been used. As I'll explain in the HOS section, the end result of finding evidence HOS style was an excellent concept, but Magic Glasses took away all credibility. They should have stuck to just being a regular detective doing a regular investigation and this would have been an exceptional game, a memorable game. There is a Morphing Handprint in each location that morphs at a nice pace and is a perfect size, not so large that it's impossible to miss, but not so small that you need a pair of magical glasses to search for it.

This is a good game, yes, the graphics are kind of "old-school" and the game seems a bit dated, but there is a reason for it. The last Punished Talents game was released two years ago, the beta for this game was released last year, so it probably sat on a shelf for a while for unknown reasons. Blam Games has recently been acquired by a new dev who undoubtedly dusted the game off and decided to let it take a spin around the gaming block to see what happens. I'm certain that the new devs are going to read every review to see what we liked and didn't. I'm not going to slam this dev because the storyline piqued my interest, I love a good who-dun-it, and this is a great who-dun-it. I want to continue playing so I can find out why me, how do I know you, why do I know you, why are you leaving a trail of clues and taunting me every step of the way? I have explained the reason's for my own personal likes and dislikes in this review, and I have given some suggestions, but I want to encourage them to continue. We have a unique opportunity to help mold this dev into creating games the way WE like them, and I really hope everyone writes their own review to tell them how you feel and ways to improve it.

The Hidden Object Scenes are all Listed Item finds with slight Interactions. One of the reason's I only gave this game 4 stars was because some of the listed items had multiple items that fit the description, such as coins. There were 2 different piles of coins but only one was acceptable. One HOS listed item was a screwdriver, but no matter how many times I clicked on the screwdriver, it wasn't accepted. Out of frustration, I clicked the hint, and the hint led me to the same screwdriver. It wasn't accepted until I clicked on a small, very specific area of the screwdriver! I wouldn't normally care but forcing me to use a hint or clicking the wrong object will knock you out of earning a couple of Achievements as well! There were items in the scenes that were small and blurry and unidentifiable. On the brighter side, I loved the HOS that involved finding evidence in a room. As you found an item from the list, the item would have a pop-up window that explained how the item was used in the crime or how the clue related to the kidnapper or victim. To me, this makes the HOS relevant, especially in a who-dun-it crime, and in my opinion, all of the HOS in this particular game should have been that same way.

The Mini-Games could have been better but they aren't horrible games either. I actually found the video surveillance clue game rather interesting, and it would be beneficial for these devs to run with that type of game. If it was tweaked a tad bit to make it a little more complicated, such as jumbling up the numbers and leaving spaces blank so you had to figure out which numbers went into which placement, it would be a really fun way to allow us to "solve" problems rather than just practically give us the answer. Below are brief descriptions of some of the games you'll encounter during the demo portion:

1-Select directional arrows to navigate the ball through the maze with a flashlight.
2-Choose details to match the victim's photo, face shape, nose, hair etc.
3-Use clues found to enter the correct word to open the door.
4-Use directional arrows to move the drone until both heartrate windows match.
5-Watch the surveillance video and find the numbers that are entered for the same 3 products.

This Collector's Edition has 9 Wallpapers, 8 Concept Art pictures, 11 Music Soundtracks, 17 Movie Video Cutscenes, 14 Achievements to earn, 15 re-playable Mini-Games, 25 Morphing Handprints, 3 Main Chapters +Bonus Chapter and a built-in Strategy Guide, enjoy the mystery!

PUNISHED TALENTS SERIES LIST
Title***Collector's Edition Release Date***Average Rating

1-Seven Muses (November 16-2013) 4.3
2-Stolen Awards (March 5-2016) 3.6
3-Dark Knowledge (October 27-2018) n/a

by: Mecada Studio (formerly Blam! Games) Show less

I recommend this game!

+86points

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Overall rating

4 / 5

69 of 79 found this review helpful

Adventure Tracking

PostedOctober 27, 2018

0Jade

fromUSA

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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, Brain Teaser, Card & Board, Family, Hidden Object, Large File, Mahjong, Match 3, Puzzle, Strategy, Time Management

Fun Factor

4 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

4 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

Since the first review, although negative, thoroughly covered the details of the game, I'll just say, I disagree with their assessment of the game and the comments that it was old-school.. The developers did there best to come up with a different storyline than most. Adventure gamers should enjoy it; hidden object people not as much, as it's more figuring out how things work together than it is ...Show more

Since the first review, although negative, thoroughly covered the details of the game, I'll just say, I disagree with their assessment of the game and the comments that it was old-school.. The developers did there best to come up with a different storyline than most. Adventure gamers should enjoy it; hidden object people not as much, as it's more figuring out how things work together than it is about finding hidden objects. I thought of it as many small games sewn together into a common storyline that makes up the larger game. I was disappointed when my demo time was up - I did want to continue on. Try it. Show less

I recommend this game!

+59points

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Overall rating

4 / 5

33 of 36 found this review helpful

Wintry Whodunnit

PostedOctober 28, 2018

Valdy

fromWhere Pixies meet...

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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):Card & Board, Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management

Fun Factor

3 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

4 / 5

Level of Challenge

4 / 5

Storyline

4 / 5

With most games, I have lost interest in searching for hidden objects, but liked the HOS I have played so far in this game.

Usually I don't care for mini games, especially when they appear one after the other, but the puzzles I have come across so far were easy and fun enough so that I didn't want to skip them.

Colour scheme, gameplay and characters were, so far, of quality.

By the time ...Show more

With most games, I have lost interest in searching for hidden objects, but liked the HOS I have played so far in this game.

Usually I don't care for mini games, especially when they appear one after the other, but the puzzles I have come across so far were easy and fun enough so that I didn't want to skip them.

Colour scheme, gameplay and characters were, so far, of quality.

By the time I am close to the end of a game, I am usually tired of it, and don't want to go into the extra bonus chapter. Therefor the only reason I would buy a CE is if the collectables are fun and plenty, and even better if the collectables are related to furnishing a room or something similar.
Just looking for morphing handprints is not what I would call fun.
For me, most CEs aren't worth the double price. I don't want to replay HOS and puzzles. I don't care for wallpaper that has the dev's name and/or game's name printed on it nor do I want to look at the concept art. Those are simply not worth the extra price. At least for me. So I would rather wait for SE to come out. Show less

I recommend this game!

+30points

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Overall rating

4 / 5

18 of 19 found this review helpful

No regret to have purchased this game

PostedOctober 29, 2018

eric72

fromLe Mans (France)

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Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object

Current Favorite:

Living Legends: Fallen Sky Collector's Edition

(51)

Fun Factor

4 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

4 / 5

Level of Challenge

3 / 5

Storyline

3 / 5

..despite its shortcomings in the realism department.
This was a game i reasonably enjoyed playing. I really appreciated that the character we play is a man and that he talks only when needed.
The game looks modern and have a good fluency , sometimes you have to think a bit but it is rather easy.
Many different audios tracks, the graphics are realistic.
Not a lot of mini-games , you can ...Show more

..despite its shortcomings in the realism department.
This was a game i reasonably enjoyed playing. I really appreciated that the character we play is a man and that he talks only when needed.
The game looks modern and have a good fluency , sometimes you have to think a bit but it is rather easy.
Many different audios tracks, the graphics are realistic.
Not a lot of mini-games , you can replay all 15 of them (bonus included ) in the extra section but some are interesting to solve.
The HO scenes are a bit disappointing , easy and are mostly lists with a bit of interaction. There is this gimmick with glasses but you use them only 5 times if i remember well.
The bonus level turns out to be a survival kind of story where you play the same man who has to deliver his wife and daughter, then both of them help you and some situations
made me smile. The game duration is about 3 hours plus almost 1 for the bonus. Show less

+17points

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Overall rating

4 / 5

10 of 10 found this review helpful

LOVE THE SNOW

PostedNovember 14, 2018

WPLUBEGIRL

fromSandusky, Ohio

Skill Level:Expert

Favorite Genre(s):Adventure

Current Favorite:

Nevertales: The Beauty Within Collector's Edition

(293)

Fun Factor

4 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

4 / 5

Storyline

4 / 5

It seems that reviewers are not fairly rating some games anymore. Yes this game was not perfect however, it surely doesn't deserve the one star ratings. I only have played the demo but I will be purchasing this one. I love the realistic scenes and being out doors in the snow and the best part, there are no monsters, hieroglyphics or scenes that all look alike. The graphics were excellent and the ...Show more

It seems that reviewers are not fairly rating some games anymore. Yes this game was not perfect however, it surely doesn't deserve the one star ratings. I only have played the demo but I will be purchasing this one. I love the realistic scenes and being out doors in the snow and the best part, there are no monsters, hieroglyphics or scenes that all look alike. The graphics were excellent and the story was easy to follow and somewhat unique. I like the hands on approach to solving the murder mystery and the h.o. scenes that you search for evidence in. If you like being out doors in the snow, realistic scenes and a good murder mystery then try this game out. Note, us reviewers need to start saving the five star ratings for extraordinarily highest quality games and one star ratings for games that are of the poorest quality and all others in between somewhere. Its not fair to the developers who have put so much effort into making these games to not rate them fairly. Show less

I recommend this game!

+10points

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Overall rating

4 / 5

21 of 28 found this review helpful

Oh no I didn't!

PostedOctober 27, 2018

dancemom1

fromYakima, WA

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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, Card & Board, Family, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy, Word

Fun Factor

4 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

3 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

Hello friends! Looks like we have #3 in this series. As usual, I review mostly on the game play and leave the story line to others. Like the other two in this series, the graphics are excellent. I did not see any blurring when going in and out of close ups or anywhere else. Colors are very bright and true with no faded or foggy type color. Excellent animation, very realistic, except that the mouth ...Show more

Hello friends! Looks like we have #3 in this series. As usual, I review mostly on the game play and leave the story line to others. Like the other two in this series, the graphics are excellent. I did not see any blurring when going in and out of close ups or anywhere else. Colors are very bright and true with no faded or foggy type color. Excellent animation, very realistic, except that the mouth movement didn't quite keep up with the voices...they kept moving after the dialog had stopped. Not a deal breaker. Voices are well done, age and character appropriate. I loved the very sinister voice of our "bad guy." Very nice sound FX throughout. I did find the footsteps a bit off putting, whenever we moved around in a room. That seemed to disappear as the game progressed. Music is very soothing and quiet enough to be background sound, rather than overtaking the game with noise. We don't have a helper, but we do have investigative glasses to help find clues. In order to get the clue, you play a HOP. I did note that the glasses did not always let you know you needed to use them, so click on them in every room just in case, or you may miss something you need.

HOPs seem to be interactive lists, but are well done. Scenes are very clear and items are not difficult to find. I think the only puzzle I have run across is the clue board. Everything else just seemed to be finding and using inventory items. Hint system is very helpful and we do have the transport feature. We do a lot of back tracking, so this comes in real handy. Some inventory items in a scene can be a little small and we don't always have the close up feature to help us out.

Collectibles were a little disappointing. Unless I missed something, all we have are 25 morphing hand prints. These are very large, but not as easy to spot as you think. They are well placed in a scene. Definitely needed more.

I was pretty much drawn into this one from the opening scene. Yes, a family member is missing, again. And so are some other people we need to find and help out of some very cold situations. However, the story is a well done "who dunnit." We need to investigate the clues and determine who and why. It isn't really a challenging game, but interesting and it flows very well, with constant action and movement. I downgraded this one to a 4.5 because of the voice vs mouth movements and the lack of better collectibles. That said, I like this game and I think most all levels of players will too. I have the need to find out what's happening and why. Yes, I am adding it to my collection of CE games.

As always, try it for yourself and see what you think. We all have different tastes in games and you may not care for this one at all. Thanks for the reviews. Play on! Show less

I recommend this game!

+14points

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Overall rating

4 / 5

8 of 8 found this review helpful

Continuing an Old Favorite!

PostedNovember 4, 2018

GoneFishin86

fromBaltimore MD

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Skill Level:Expert

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

Current Favorite:

Dark Parables: The Match Girl's Lost Paradise Collector's Edition

(53)

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

5 / 5

Storyline

3 / 5

I have always been a fan of this series ans have waited for the next installment with bated breath. The new addition is very well done. The mini games are a pleasant challenge and the HOP are good fun. The only complaints I have is that it is too short and the story line id kind of generic. Even with the generic story it was still very engaging.

I recommend this game!

+8points

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