Donna Brave: And the Strangler of Paris > iPad, iPhone, Android, Mac & PC Game

Overall rating

5 / 5

58 of 65 found this review helpful

I WANT TO SEE MORE OF INSPECTOR LAROCHE! MAYBE HE AND DONNA WILL SOLVE MYSTERIES TOGETHER IN THE FUTURE

PostedSeptember 24, 2017

biscuitsmama

fromMy only disappointment is that I didn't see the inspector as often as I wanted. To bad because he added a bit more to the story IMHO

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Skill Level:Expert

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

5 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

Paris is under siege! Well, at least the Golden Circle is. You receive a letter from your uncle who is living in Paris and he urgently needs your help. He has sent a letter that is rather cryptic letting you know that he is sorry for the lack of communication in the past but he really hopes you will come to Paris and help him. He encloses your father’s medallion as a token of perhaps fence mending or maybe so that you will trust him and come to Paris. Oh and by the way, he will tell you more when you arrive and signs off with “don’t trust anyone.” Brave young American woman that you are, you pack a valise and travel to Paris. However, your arrival in Paris doesn’t start off too well since the friend your uncle sent to meet you is murdered before your very eyes. Now you must find your uncle and pray that you are not too late to save him. Welcome to Paris!

Donna Brave is perhaps the beginning of a new series by Mad Head and if so, it certainly starts off being very interesting with a rather paranormal mystery theme. The graphics are very good and capture the art deco feel of Paris in the 1920s. Even though the game is set in the 1920s I swear I saw what looks like a cell phone when rummaging through a drawer in Uncle Andre’s house. Guess Andre was a bit ahead of his time - lol.

You have several options when setting up the game that include five different modes of gameplay. You will find an interactive map after you meet your uncle. You also have your father’s medallion that will help you focus and see things that are not obvious to the human eye alone.

The HOP scenes are nothing new and follow the Mad Head tradition of including morphing objects in each scene. The puzzles are fairly easy and it doesn’t seem like there is anything new here either. Because things are the same doesn’t mean that they are less enjoyable. I am of the opinion that developers can only do so much and should really always have to come up with something new or different when creating their games.

Even though the HOPS and Puzzles are nothing really new I did enjoy them and enjoyed the gameplay even more. I know some gamers might find the gameplay easy but it was just right for me. I enjoyed each step as the story unfolded and I learned more. When the game first began it had a sort of Adam Wolfe feel to it although it is different. I have to say that Inspector Laroche is a bit of eye candy for some of us. I really hope we get to see more of him in the future. In fact, I think he would be a great spin-off character for his own series.

If you prefer the CE version of a game this one includes the following extras: Collectibles that are once again the Mad Head Swirl logo. IMHO, it would be nice to find something perhaps a bit more creative and enticing rather than always using the same old symbol in every game. There are morphing objects found in the HOPS and, again, I wish that the developer would locate the morphing objects in the gameplay scenes rather than the HOPS. It takes me forever to finish the HOPS because I spend all of my time looking for one tiny thing that morphs. Other extras include Achievements to earn, along with Wallpapers, Concept Art, Soundtracks, Replay of HOPS, Memory Game, Character Gallery, Strategy Guide, and Bonus Game. IMHO, this represents a fairly decent package of extras if these are things you enjoy.

As I mentioned above I found the storyline interesting and this is a mystery I want to solve. Who is this gigantic strangler and why does he only target a select group of people? What are the members of the elite Golden Circle hiding and will I be able to solve the mystery before Uncle Andre meets his end? Oh, and will I get to spend more time with that smoking hot inspector? All of my questions were answered by the end of this very entertaining game and it turned out to be just as excellent in the end as it was in the beginning Happy gaming! Show less

+51points

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Overall rating

5 / 5

14 of 15 found this review helpful

BEST GAME OF THE YEAR

PostedSeptember 26, 2017

Ashleaves

fromSpringfield, IL

Skill Level:Expert

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

Current Favorite:

Donna Brave: And the Strangler of Paris

(25)

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

4 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

This has been my favorite game so far this year. Money well spent. A longer game than many that are put out. Usually only takes me an hour and half to two hours to play these HOPA games, but this was over 3. Really enjoyed the graphics and story line. Easy play-ability. Highly recommend everyone to at least try the demo. Definitely hope to see this turn into a series. Excellent game!

I recommend this game!

+13points

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Overall rating

5 / 5

23 of 29 found this review helpful

Worth buying the collectors edition

PostedSeptember 24, 2017

gg3000

fromSunnySC

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Skill Level:Expert

Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Large File, Mahjong, Marble Popper, Match 3, Puzzle, Strategy, Time Management, Word

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

5 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

This game is so much fun to play that I bought the collectors edition so I could play the bonus chapter, as well. The mini-games are all well done, but it was the story line that had me hooked and I wanted to see how the tale ended.

I recommend this game!

+17points

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Overall rating

5 / 5

9 of 10 found this review helpful

MAD HEAD IS ONE OF THE GREATESTS HOPA STUDIOS OF THE DECADE!

PostedSeptember 26, 2017

skullfun

fromTennessee

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Skill Level:Expert

Current Favorite:

Lost Lands: Ice Spell Collector's Edition

(52)

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

3 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

They keep spinning out new sequels and producing series, all of which are excellent in quality and impossibly captivating. In this first Donna Brave game, the Golden Circle (an exclusive club in which your uncle is a part of) is under attack from the “Strangler”. The members of the Golden Circle are being murdered one by one, can you save your uncle Andrea before he reaches the same fate as his friends? It is worth noting that Donna Brave’s storytelling is impeccable. The game grabs your attention right away with its cinematic opening sequence and never lets go. The unraveling of the plot is done in such a sophisticated fashion that always makes you want to know more, the fast-paced nature of the storyline is extremely engaging, and the characters are distinctive and memorable. The art style of Donna Brave: And the Strangler of Paris perfectly captures the art deco era of 1920s Paris. Each location is packed with exquisite details and astonishing colors, not a single scene in this game is not wallpaper-worthy. The audio also plays an important part in this game. The beautifully-composed soundtracks are fitting for the theme of the game. Moreover, the voice-overs come with near-perfect lip-syncing and are appropriate for the characters. Donna Brave: And the Strangler of Paris even excels in the gameplay department. Nowadays, the market is cluttered with cookie-cutter adventures, it is refreshing to see a game that attempts to break the mold. Donna Brave does not exactly do anything revolutionary, but it is evident through its gameplay that a lot of brainstorming occurred during the development process. Donna Brave involves an unusually high amount of multi-level tasks and interactive inventory items. Thus, this is guaranteed to be a challenging game, even for advanced HOPA players. The hidden object scenes are equally creative and are all very entertaining. I feel like the puzzles could have been more unique, but I appreciate the integration into the storyline. Donna Brave: And the Strangler of Paris offers around four hours of fun in the game for casual gamers. This new series is definitely worthy of purchase or use of game credit. Show less

I recommend this game!

+8points

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Overall rating

5 / 5

7 of 7 found this review helpful

Nice New Series

PostedJanuary 2, 2018

RavenCorbie

Skill Level:Intermediate

Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Puzzle, Word

Current Favorite:

3 Cards to Midnight

(29)

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

4 / 5

Level of Challenge

4 / 5

Storyline

4 / 5

This is a review of Donna Brave: And the Strangler of Paris, Standard Edition for PC, which I completed in full on 12/31/217 in a custom difficulty mode.

INTRO: You play as Donna Brave, an American woman visiting her uncle in Paris, France in the 1920s. But of course, things start getting strange from the beginning! The storyline is a major factor of this game, and I was very much immersed in the story from the start. I found the puzzles and other game elements to be almost distractions because of how compelling the story was, at least at first. Later, the story got lost in the game, which was unfortunate.

GAMEPLAY: (don’t forget to mention the map, if any)
This is mostly an adventure game, with some puzzles and some HO scenes. Compared to other games, there are very few HO scenes, but there are more of them towards the end of the game. In general, I would have preferred more HO scenes, especially since they were so well done in this game. Adventure (or using items to complete actions) is my least favorite part of this type of game, but it was done well in this game and tied well to the story, so I only got bored and frustrated near the end of the game.

At the beginning of the game, you only have a few scenes at a time, where you do everything you can and then move on to a new area. But later areas have more scenes in them, and thus, more back-tracking. There is not, however, a lot of moving from one main area to another, so the back-tracking is limited to one or two main areas at a time, which is nice.

You do not start off with a map, but do acquire one in the course of your investigation, pretty early on, percentage-wise, and it fits in well with the story. I never checked to see if the map was interactive, but I suspect not, since you always needed a vehicle or other means of transportation to get to the next area and there usually wasn’t much to do at the previous area. Oops, nope, just read another review that said it was interactive. Nice! But it’s even nicer that I didn’t need one :).

There were two main types of HO scenes. The first was your typical screen of objects to find. Sometimes, you needed to find pairs of objects. Other times, there were silhouettes. And still other times, you just had a regular list. On the list, at least on the difficulty setting I used, the items that required additional work were shown in a different color of font. At times, once you found an item, another sparkling item would be uncovered, and it was used to create another item. In general, every HO scene gave you a new inventory item, usually an important one.

The other type of HO scene involved using the medallion. When you had the right item, the medallion would start bouncing up and down. You then open the medallion and place the object into it, and it transports you to a memory. In the memory, can look through a spyglass to find fragments of a new item. When you find all the fragments, you get the item, again, usually an important one.

The mini/games and puzzles were generally well-tied to the plot. For example, one of the earliest ones involves navigating the streets of Paris. Another of them involves analyzing the handwriting on a napkin to find out who wrote the message. And yet another one involving knowing who the members of the club are -- I really liked that idea and would have liked that to have played more of a part in the rest of the game as it did in the Cadenza game, also by Mad Head.

The adventure part was, well, pretty typical of adventure games. You had to make a chemical solution, find specific-shaped keys and/or box insets, and so on. There were a few that were a more interesting, like luring a parrot back to its cage, but mostly it was all about opening boxes and doors and getting stuff out of them and then putting that stuff in other places. Finally, there were some interactive items that, once in your inventory, needed to be combined with other items to make them into a new item. Some of these were really confusing.

CHALLENGE: The game was difficult and confusing at points, and very easy at other points, which made for a nice variety. As mentioned in the intro, I used a custom difficulty, and I chose to enable helpful messages. At times, I found them too obvious, but would have been lost without them. Some of the ways to use objects were very obscure. As I had the Standard Edition, there was no strategy guide, but I occasionally consulted the online walkthrough. I also occasionally used the Hint button. It was a really good Hint button. If there was nothing to do in the current scene, it directed you to the next closest scene to where you could do something, without actually being “used” so there was no recharge when you got to the new location. Then, if you used the Hint again, it would point out where to go next and it would recharge if it was something at that location. It worked well outside of the HO scenes, and I never had to use it in an HO scene, but I suspect it works fine there, too, as the usual problem, if there is one, is only working in the HO scenes and never working elsewhere.

STORYLINE: The story is the center of this game. Without the story, none of the other parts would have amounted to much, especially since they tied in so well to the story. It was extremely compelling at the beginning, but the more you learn, the less compelling it became. I found the end to be a little anti-climactic, and the introduction of a new character to be over-complicating things just to prolong the game. But for the most part, the story was good. It was just a lot better in the beginning of the game than towards the end.

OPTIONS: You have the usual assortment of audio and visual options, as well as five options for difficulty. There are four set levels of difficulty: Seeker (easiest), Adept, Master, and Secret Master (hardest), and one custom option, Alchemist. All the settings mentioned in the descriptions for the set levels are customizable with the exception of penalty for rapid clicking in HO scenes. I didn’t click rapidly so don’t know whether it is on or off by default. I suspect it is probably on because the only set difficulty that doesn’t have the click penalty is Seeker.

AESTHETICS: The visuals, voice acting, and music were all superb, and they enhanced rather than detracting from the game . . . aside from the terrible not-French accents!

Final Assessment: I very much enjoyed this game even though I usually prefer more classic HO and puzzle games to adventure. It really was the story and the Hint button that made the game work for me despite my usual preferences.

CE or no? I think I would have preferred the Collector’s Edition, both in order to spend more time in the game world and for access to the Strategy Guide. Unfortunately, the sale I bought the game in was only for the Standard Edition. Show less

I recommend this game!

+7points

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Overall rating

5 / 5

7 of 7 found this review helpful

Gorgeous Game

PostedOctober 6, 2017

Kimmycoo

fromVirginia USA

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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

Current Favorite:

Donna Brave: And the Strangler of Paris

(25)

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

5 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

I really appreciate the time and effort put into this gorgeous game. The graphics are amazing. I loved the game play and the scenes are breathtaking.
I enjoyed the HOS and mini games!
Highly recommend!

I recommend this game!

+7points

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Overall rating

5 / 5

27 of 39 found this review helpful

Great New Series

PostedSeptember 24, 2017

2020moonlanding

fromOuter Hebrides

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

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

5 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

Mad Head has done a superb job with the development of this game. Other developers need to take note that Mad Head is pulling ahead of the competition. This game has it all. Great HO scenes and a variety of mini-games. The story line was well thought out with great voice acting, action packed cutscenes, and good game flow. It has a decent satisfying length. I am looking forward to Donna Brave's ...Show more

+15points

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Overall rating

5 / 5

5 of 5 found this review helpful

GOOD GAME FUN FOR ALL

PostedSeptember 6, 2018

pcpat923

fromGood To Be Home! Yay!

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Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Large File, Mahjong

Current Favorite:

New York Mysteries: High Voltage Collector's Edition

(75)

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

5 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

Mad Head Developers presents quality game play. The puzzles and hidden objects are exceptionally well thought out and creative. There was actually a good story as well. On it's own merit and comparatively speaking, this game is worth 5 stars.
Enjoy! -Mama Mia-

I recommend this game!

+5points

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Overall rating

5 / 5

5 of 5 found this review helpful

Solid and Enjoyable Mystery

PostedOctober 22, 2017

coffeyfan77

fromPhiladelphia, PA

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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, Hidden Object, Large File, Time Management, Word

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

4 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

Donna Brave has a pretty lame name, but that's the worst thing I can say about this very fun adventure and mystery hybrid that had me hooked from the first second. Your character is summoned to visit your uncle and gets involved in his semi-secret society full of creative types and, needless to say, things pretty much immediately go awry. A monster is stalking members of said club and you have to ...Show more

This game does have hidden object scenes, which I enjoy, and they look good but are not the focal point. You will collect individual objects and pairs, and generally they are attached to another action, like opening a drawer, before you complete them. The attention to detail really impressed me, especially when you zoom into a larger scene for the HO.

The game looks great and moves very quickly. Voice acting I found above average, and the music was fine. Really liked the pace and the twists of the mystery. It plays and feels like an adventure, and while there may be a few too many items missing one piece conveniently found in the next scene, it rarely drags. Minigames were just hard enough for your average player to be challenging and not frustrating.

All in all, I really enjoyed this game. It's good value for the money and the speed and creativity of it were refreshing to me. Highly recommend. Show less

I recommend this game!

+5points

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Overall rating

5 / 5

5 of 5 found this review helpful

Gorgeous Hidden Object!

PostedOctober 8, 2017

Ruckus777

fromHuntington Beach, CA

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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

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

5 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

Where to begin? I loved the opening cutscene and screen, with lovely visuals and hauntingly beautiful music. I already was hooked the second I started the game!

The voice acting was excellent, it felt very realistic for a game set in Paris. Storyline was fantastic, I felt involved and intrigued for the entire game. Minigames were all the right level of challenge and spread across the game, instead of predictably placed and sparse. The game overall was very interactive, such as taking something from a character during dialogue and the level of interaction between your inventory and the scenes.

Hidden object puzzles were incredibly unique, at least what was seen in the demo. Instead of only finding objects on the scene, players also placed objects in the inventory back onto the scene where they belonged.

Overall would recommend this game! Show less

I recommend this game!

+5points

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	, share your thoughts about this game! Donna Brave: And the Strangler of Paris A mystical strangler's on the loose! 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.