Spirits of Mystery: The Last Fire Queen > iPad, iPhone, Android, Mac & PC Game

Overall rating

5 / 5

4 of 4 found this review helpful

What a blast!

PostedFebruary 19, 2021

nwgoodstuff

fromOlympic Peninsula, WA

Skill Level:Expert

Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

5 / 5

Storyline

4 / 5

I don't understand the low ratings for this game. I played the demo several months ago and loved it. It has a great variety of puzzles in addition to HOPs, music that isn't irritating, and great graphics. That's all I need to enjoy a game. The storyline was fine, but I don't usually buy a game to get a great story. If I want a great story I'll read a book. I had it on my list to eventually buy. ...Show more

I recommend this game!

+4points

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Overall rating

4 / 5

71 of 87 found this review helpful

NOT 5-STARS BUT CLOSE

PostedFebruary 18, 2018

biscuitsmama

fromI hope the next one is a bit brighter!

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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

4 / 5

Storyline

4 / 5

When I tried the beta for this game I found it so gruesome and disturbing that I gave it a very negative review and said I wouldn’t buy the game. When the game was released this morning I don’t know why I tried it but I did and I am very happy to see that perhaps, along with me, others complained about extremely dark nature of the game as well because there were quite a few changes made after the ...Show more

King Wirth and Queen Gloria ruled the Fire Kingdom wisely until tragedy struck and Queen Gloria died in childbirth. Not only did the queen die but one of the babies was born with the mark of a curse near her heart. The king made a difficult and separated the twins at birth sending one to a monastery with her nanny and the other, the cursed child, he had imprisoned under the ice in a lake. Thus begins the tale that will take Princess Fara on her journey to find and help her twin and to save her kingdom as well.

The graphics are excellent and beautiful as they always are with this team but it seems we now have a new nanny. Gone is our bit rotund and wise nanny who has been with all of the princesses since the series began. Our new nanny is now a rather trim version who has her head swathed in a turban-like bandage. I guess the developer felt the new version fit into the style of the game better than the original nanny.

One of the HOP scenes early in the game stayed the same in spite of my notes to BFG that the items were almost invisible. I think that there should have been an alternate game available or perhaps a skip button after a certain amount of time. That particular scene was grueling and it took random clicking around the entire scene to find the items. There has been a trend with certain developers towards making very difficult HOP scenes and I think that developers should remember that most HOPA gamers are older and don’t have eyes that are generally as sharp as those of the younger gamers.

The puzzles are good and I found myself enjoying them a lot with the exception of the repeat the sequence puzzle. I generally enjoy most of the puzzles that this developer includes in their games and find that they always throw a few tougher ones into the mix to keep me on my toes.

With each new release of a game in the Spirits of Mystery series we see the games becoming darker and much less to my liking or taste. Although I love the developer and its capabilities, when the company changed from a family owned development team to a presumably corporate one, the games became darker in storyline. It doesn’t matter which series – Puppet Show, Dark Tales, Grim Façade, Redemption Cemetery or Spirits of Mystery, they all seem to be taking that slippery slope into titillating those who clamor for this type of dark and disturbing game while offending and ultimately losing their longtime fan base. As I mentioned above, I was pleased to see that the developer listened to some of the complaints and eliminated what I found quite objectionable from the final release. Now I am enjoying the game play and the storyline far more than I would have thought possible. Thank you AMAX and BFG for presenting a game that I can now play and enjoy. Happy gaming! Show less

I recommend this game!

+55points

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Overall rating

4 / 5

5 of 7 found this review helpful

~~THERE MAY BE HOPE FOR THIS SERIES WITH THIS EDITION!~~

PostedJune 17, 2018

skullfun

fromThe way AMAX keeps dragging out the Spirits of Mystery is almost astounding!

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Skill Level:Expert

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

Current Favorite:

Spirits of Mystery: The Dark Minotaur Collector's Edition

(96)

Fun Factor

4 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

4 / 5

Level of Challenge

3 / 5

Storyline

4 / 5

This adventure begins in the peaceful realm of the Fire Kingdom ruled by King Wirth and Queen Gloria for a long time until a tragedy struck and Queen Gloria died right after she gave birth to the twins. One of the twins was born with a curse mark near her heart and was sent by the King to imprisonment in fear of bad fortune. The other half of the twins, Princess Fara, was sent to a monastery with her nanny. Now that Princess Fara has finally woken up and the Great Flame that fuels the kingdom is nearly out, she's desperate to find her long-lost twin sister, while also saving King Wirth from his descendant to insanity, and save her kingdom...

Spirits of Mystery: The Last Fire Queen starts off with a fascinating storyline that is unusually complex for this long-standing HOPA series. Unfortunately, the illogical story detracts from the overall gameplay of this edition in the series. Moreover, none of the characters in The Last Fire Queen develops enough backstory to establishes any connection with fans who play this edition. The plot feels too complex to retain your interest in the game after about 20 minutes in. On the gameplay side, Spirits of Mystery: The Last Fire Queen does not impress me like previous editions. The adventure aspect of the game is pretty much by-the-book, the hidden object scenes are basic and bland, and the puzzles are ones that we have all seen countless times before. I did appreciate the difficulty selection for the puzzles, although the “Hard” mode usually only increases the tediousness of the puzzles. One redeeming quality in this lackluster game is the graphics. Spirits of Mystery: The Last Fire Queen showcases some of AMAX Interactive’s best visuals. The fuzzy quality that usually presents in this developer’s previous works was replaced by much sharper, higher-quality graphics. The animations, along with the special effects are also extremely well-done and always give the player something eye-catching to look at. Spirits of Mystery: The Last Fire Queen took me four hours to complete the main game which I enjoyed. Usually Amax Interactive games offer roughly two hours of game play to finish the main game, even for beginners. When ERS Game Studios changed their name to Amax Interactive in 2017 I noticed a big difference in game development and not to the development teams advantage. I miss the SHOCK VALUE (which never offended me) and bizzare themes that made this game company very unique! I hope the next edition will be more like the earlier versions of this series when the developers were ERS. Cheers! Show less

I recommend this game!

+3points

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Overall rating

3 / 5

30 of 36 found this review helpful

Not quite (again)

PostedFebruary 18, 2018

eric72

fromLe Mans (France)

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Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object

Current Favorite:

Stray Souls: Stolen Memories

(72)

Fun Factor

2 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

3 / 5

Level of Challenge

2 / 5

Storyline

2 / 5

With a storyline on the dark side , and -especially at the beginning- animations or special effects often gratuitous and failing to impress, this game did not appeal to proceed farther. Well, I did it neverless , the middle of the game is so-so and the end being more pleasant than the beginning and the middle , but it was a bit too late.
The Hidden objects scenes are varied and pleasant, a bit too easy. The mini-games on the other hand did not interest me at all, too easy or boring. One of these is a Match3 type repeated several times (!). I like Match3 games but this was too poor, and only once would have been enough.
The music is a pain in the neck, I rarely do that , but by turning the volume at the lowest , I could at least better appreciate some nice natural sounds such as the blizzard
or the rustling of steps on the snow or the hullulument of owls. Beautiful snowy decors and fancy architecture for some of the buildings. A Spirit of Mystery different from the previous ones for the setting , but gameplay and storyline lacking again inspiration , we are still far from the first in the series (the graceful Amber Maiden or the good enigmas of Song of the Phoenix,...) Show less

I don't recommend this game.

+24points

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Overall rating

2 / 5

36 of 41 found this review helpful

Sometimes the Second Time Around is Better, or NOT

PostedFebruary 18, 2018

Granny_Gruff

fromIt's hard to buy into a sad story with little challenge and lack of logic.

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Skill Level:Intermediate

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

Fun Factor

2 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

3 / 5

Level of Challenge

2 / 5

Storyline

2 / 5

I always think that I may like a SE version better than the CE, just for the break on the price as the extra chapter in CEs are shorter and add nothing to the overall story.
This time I was disappointed, which is not unusual. The biggest sorrow in this game is the story line, which is just odd,
The King and Queen have twin daughters, one of whom is born with a curse mark on her body. So oneis imprisoned in an ice lake and banish. The other is sent to a monastery with a nanny. Theoretically both girls sleep through the first 25 years of their lives.
Fara, in the monastery, awakens from a bad dream at the end of her 25 years nap and Nanny sends her to find keys and seals and other gratuitous objects to get out of the locked monastery and rescue her sister who, Nanny guesses, is in peril.
Good stuff: Maybe this is the last game in the series.
Bad stuff: Everything else! The story makes no sense. The puzzles and HOPs are very familiar. Almost everything is locked and sealed. If it is not locked and sealed, it is frozen or missing.
The new Nanny character has bandages that encompass a weird headdress and her eyes, leaving the impression that she is blind. This is not the slow meandering Nanny we've come to dislike in the series. This is a whole new one to frown upon.
You play as Fara, the princess left to sleep away her first 25 years in the monastery. You are awakened by a nightmare of your sister, Sybil, in peril. You hope off your couch already to do battle to rescue her. Presumably you have no need of food, clothing, or facts.
The first few games in this series were better than the ones we've been seeing lately. Unfortunately this new entry is a giant leap downwards.
Please play the demo to see if you see something I missed out on while slogging through the demo. Show less

I don't recommend this game.

+31points

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Overall rating

2 / 5

0 of 1 found this review helpful

Weak storyline

PostedMarch 17, 2021

AdrianaIP

fromState College, 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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Fun Factor

2 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

3 / 5

Level of Challenge

3 / 5

Storyline

2 / 5

AMAX has decided to ditch the charming ERS look and instead go for grimmer graphics. Only that the storyline does not rate those scary visuals. Other games go for a grimmer look, but they deliver on it. This is just a tacked up attempt to say "look how grim and serious we are"

The storyline does not make sense. A baby that goes into a deep sleep and wakes up 25 years later and knows how to ...Show more

The storyline does not make sense. A baby that goes into a deep sleep and wakes up 25 years later and knows how to talk, how to accomplish different tasks, and is aware that she has a sister? Please.

With a few tweaks and visuals better suited to the story this would have been a decent game. As it is, it is just a warning to avoid AMAX in the future. Show less

I don't recommend this game.

-1point

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Overall rating

1 / 5

19 of 25 found this review helpful

ONE THING'S FOR SURE, THAWING OUT YOUR TWIN SISTER'S GONNA BE TOUGH!

PostedMarch 7, 2018

pennmom36

fromWhy did both children get banished if only one had been cursed?

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Skill Level:Expert

Current Favorite:

Phantasmat Collector's Edition

(100)

Fun Factor

1 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

4 / 5

Level of Challenge

2 / 5

Storyline

1 / 5

I think Amax Interactive has lost their way in the HOPA darkness. I actually had high hopes that they would be able to pull these older game series from ERS out of the slump, but sadly, they're spiraling downhill. I wish they would just slow down production, and pour their heart and soul into a single game, instead of releasing one game after another, at a breakneck speed, quality over quantity. I understand that they probably have a different team for each of the series, but it just appears that they are trying to rely on pleasing the few not the masses. They have tried a few new features here and there, and I have to give them credit for trying, and I will also admit that the hand drawn graphics have improved by leaps and bounds!

One of the biggest issues I have with all Amax Interactive games, is actually a tech issue. I have to first go into my computer's display options, and reset the screen resolution, and of course reset it again when I exit the game. I can also choose to play their games in a windowed mode, which ends up being a teeny tiny 8 x 8 window. If I don't jump through all these hoops, the screen doesn't automatically adjust to my 27" monitor, and the game is so stretched out, that it's impossible to access any objects on either side of my screen. I even have a difficult time trying to find the game menu option tab, if I choose to play in a windowed mode. I have played a ton of games, and I own a ton of games, and there is not one single game I've played that does this, from any other dev, it only happens on Amax games, and not just one or two games here and there, it's the same scenario with all Amax games in every series they make!

Because I didn't feel entertained by any facet of the game, I really don't recommend this game, and I would strongly urge you to try the demo before buying it. In case you're still interested in the game, here's a recap of my review to help you decide which version, if either, is right for you:

I know it's just a game, but I have a problem with the storyline on so many different levels. First of all, the King and Queen give birth to twin girls, and ONE of the precious little infants supposedly has the mark of a curse near her tiny little heart. Does the King and Queen defy all odds and agree to love and raise their children the same, even though the one has a birthmark? Do they put aside their superstitions and agree that only a parents love can overcome any evil their child MAY have? Nope! They give away BOTH children, one condemned to a life of imprisonment under a frozen lake, the other to be raised hush hush by a nanny in a monastery? (who obviously doesn't do a good job) Fast forward 25 years and surprise! Both children are suffering, and must find a way to reunite. Could be a happy ending, who knows, but how is it that a newborn baby was comatose for the first 25 years of her life, yet the moment she snaps to, she can walk, talk and reason?

I wasn't particularly impressed with the collectible Spells offered within the Collector's Edition version, that's mainly because I'm not impressed with the battle type Match 3 games that they are designed for. And also because I want to play Mini Games and Puzzles in a HOPA game, if I want to play a Match 3 game, I'll buy and play a Match 3 game.

The Hidden Object Scenes were just okay for me, although I did like the challenge of the HOP with all the skeletons. There are Interactive List item finds, Fragment Finds and scenes requiring you to replace items into their logical location.

The Mini Games are a bit too simplistic, some of which are more frustrating than skill based. Below are brief descriptions of some of the games you'll encounter during the demo:

1) Find and select identical runes by selecting two skulls at a time.

2) Use the top and bottom runes to recreate the symbols in the center. (click until they turn green, that easy)

3) Use directional arrows to figure out the path to take. Three wrong selections before filling the meter requires an extra step (see # 4)

4) Click on the bar when it passes through each lighted cell.

5) Repeat the sequence.

6) Select the deadbolts to release them, clicking on one may affect others.

7) Select and place banner fragments that are next to each other, scrolling up and down the length of the banner.

8) Match 3 or more tokens in a row in a Match 3 battle type game. This is where you will use your collected "Skills" which can block enemies once, remove a vertical line, or remove a 4 square area on the board for example. You can choose 3 skills to use per game.

9) Catch your sisters hand by clicking fast, really? What happens if you don't?

The Collector's Edition version has 8 Wallpapers, 8 Concept Art pictures, 4 Music Soundtracks, 7 Screensavers, 7 Movie Videos, 15 re-playable Hidden Object Scenes, 19 re-playable Mini Games, 5 Achievements to earn, 12 Skills to collect and use in the Match 3 battles, a built in Strategy Guide and a Bonus Chapter.

SPIRITS OF MYSTERY GAMES AVAILABLE
Title***Collector's Edition Release Date***Average Rating

1-Amber Maiden (January 5-2012) 4.2
2-Song of the Phoenix (April 12-2012) 4.7
3-The Dark Minotaur (December 27-2012) 4.4
4-The Silver Arrow (December 12-2013) 4.2
5-Chains of Promise (August 13-2015) 3.5
6-Family Lies (March 24-2016) 3.6
7-The Fifth Kingdom (January 12-2017) 4.2
8-Illusions (June 15-2017) 3.0
9-The Moon Crystal (August 19-2017) 3.3
10-The Last Fire Queen (January 20-2018) 2.8

Amax Interactive Games
Spirits of Mystery, PuppetShow, Dark Tales, Redemption Cemetery, Grim Facade, Haunted Legends, Gothic Fiction, Maestro, Shadow Wolf Mysteries, Hidden Wonders of the Depths, Dragon's Abode, Many Years Ago Show less

I don't recommend this game.

+13points

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Overall rating

1 / 5

8 of 9 found this review helpful

Very Disappointed

PostedMarch 3, 2018

nonameplayer

fromFlorida

Skill Level:Intermediate

Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object

The game started off without any problems but as soon as it tried to change locations it locked up and stopped. I rebooted and reopened the game and continued playing for a while. The same thing happened a couple more times but I kept trying. Now it has given me a runtime error and shuts down as soon as I try to use the cursor. I'm running Windows 7 and haven't had this problem with any other ...Show more

I don't recommend this game.

+7points

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