Detective Agency: Gray Tie Collector's Edition > iPad, iPhone, Android, Mac & PC Game

Overall rating

5 / 5

27 of 30 found this review helpful

Detective Agency: Gray Tie (released here 11-19-22)

PostedNovember 26, 2022

kerith90angel

fromNew England, USA

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Skill Level:Expert

Current Favorite:

Reincarnations: Uncover the Past Collector's Edition

(14)

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

4 / 5

Storyline

3 / 5

COMPLETED GAME
(I bought the CE)
When you first see this game's homepage, it appears to be a HOPA and it’s not. This one doesn't have the adventure aspect. It’s a HOG-Only (I call these HOGOs in my notes.) It's the kind of game that is multiple HOS with MG in between. It has a *very* light mystery/crime story without voice actors.

This game took me 2hr. 22min. over 2 days. It's way too ...Show more

COMPLETED GAME
(I bought the CE)
When you first see this game's homepage, it appears to be a HOPA and it’s not. This one doesn't have the adventure aspect. It’s a HOG-Only (I call these HOGOs in my notes.) It's the kind of game that is multiple HOS with MG in between. It has a *very* light mystery/crime story without voice actors.

This game took me 2hr. 22min. over 2 days. It's way too short to be a CE but I loved the game and glad I had the extra scenes the CE gives you. I just hope their next game is a lot longer. I did most of the minigames in the main game but skipped all of the CE MG aside from 3...so the game will be longer for those that like the MG more than me.

HOPs: I counted 32 HOPs in the main portion and 8 additional in the CE bonus content.
Most scenes have 16 to 20 listed items and some scenes have 2 parts. There are a lot of really fun "types" of HOPs such as lists, put items back into scenes, shadow items, find multiples of an item, and riddle items.

MG: I counted 16 in the main game + 8 additional in the CE bonus content.

Minor negatives:
(-) Some items were disproportionate. I found a pill in a bathroom cabinet the size of a barbell. Haha
(-) The story was too light and kind of lame. Our character is tracing the steps of a baddie named "Faceless" but we can clearly see the dude's face. Lol
(-) This game really needed environmental sounds instead of just HOG music. A couple of camping scenes in particular had a lake and fire so it would have been nicer to actually hear the campfire sounds at night.
(-) POINTS: This game gives you points but you don't use them for anything so no idea why they are there. You don’t purchase anything with them either. The CE display shelves auto filled instead of the gamer getting to purchase stuff with them, like the VA series, so I found the shelves pointless too.
Positives:
+ I really love how this developer puts many items in the search scenes that will make noise and react when you find them (ex: a blender actually works to make a strawberry shake and makes the blending noise too. ) I really pay attention to details like this. It feels like the DEV cared enough about the gamer to add these touches just to amuse us.
+ The graphics are clear and the scenes are interesting. Especially when you get to put items back into the scene or items that require additional steps to complete them.
+ I quickly became a huge fan of this DEV with the Big Adventure: Trip to Europe games because they pay attention to details and you can tell they care what the gamer is seeing. There are moving things in each scene (like the VA series). I want to own their CEs because of the TLC they put into their games.

CE EXTRAS:
8 addl. Minigames
8 addl. HOPs
18 wallpapers (not completely covered with character art)
Replay 20 music tracks (no DL- play only)
“Extra Objects”: Those extra objects you search for in the corner of each HOS are kept on some shelves to view. They auto-appear onto the shelves. (I would lose this feature.)

If you like this game you may also like the Faircroft’s Antiques series.

Developed by Avi Games Show less

I recommend this game!

+24points

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Overall rating

5 / 5

16 of 21 found this review helpful

Vince Gilio's Detective Agency Grey Tie Review

PostedNovember 21, 2022

vincefgilio

fromWestmead, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Skill Level:Intermediate

Favorite Genre(s):Arcade & Action, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Match 3, Puzzle, Time Management, Word

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

4 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

This game is very good. The puzzles are easy and the hidden object scenes are very good as well. I love how this game is made. It's a very good game for me to play. Challenging at times but very good.

I recommend this game!

+11points

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Overall rating

5 / 5

11 of 21 found this review helpful

Detective Agency: Grey Tie Collector's Edition

PostedNovember 20, 2022

andrewhow110

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Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

5 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

I enjoy playing games from this developer I enjoy playing games based on a mystery

I recommend this game!

+1point

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Overall rating

5 / 5

Deserves better ratings! Fun "HOPA lite"

PostedNovember 6, 2023

rainstormy

fromLufkin, TX

Favorite Genre(s):Brain Teaser, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Match 3, Puzzle, Word

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

5 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

How can this game possibly receive only two stars as the average rating? It's a five star game - IF your expectations are realistic - this is not a full blown HOPA, guys - it's (what I like to call) a "HOPA-Lite". There's a neat (but small) mystery plot, lots of excellent HOGs - where everything is bright and clear and easy to spot - no clicking around in dark areas - no magnifier but none is ...Show more

How can this game possibly receive only two stars as the average rating? It's a five star game - IF your expectations are realistic - this is not a full blown HOPA, guys - it's (what I like to call) a "HOPA-Lite". There's a neat (but small) mystery plot, lots of excellent HOGs - where everything is bright and clear and easy to spot - no clicking around in dark areas - no magnifier but none is really necessary. The minis aren't too tough - I enjoyed them! Good soundtrack, too. I like this casual game format very well. Not too heavy or involved and fun for a few hours to pass the time. Will AVI Games treat us to a third installment? I hope so! Show less

I recommend this game!

0points

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Overall rating

4 / 5

85 of 100 found this review helpful

OKAY, I'M KINDA DIGGING THIS HOG!

PostedNovember 19, 2022

pennmom36

fromRemembering you is easy, I do it every day. Missing you is a heartache that never goes away, until we meet again on the Rainbow Bridge one day. დ Loki

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Skill Level:Expert

Fun Factor

4 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

4 / 5

Level of Challenge

4 / 5

Storyline

4 / 5

At first glance, I thought this was going to be a new HOPA by a new developer. Once I started playing, I realized this was just a HOG, but it is more of a hybrid because it's more than just a HOG... yet not quite a HOPA, from the same developer who created the Big Adventure: Trip To Europe series. To be honest, I bought this game elsewhere last week and it is a pretty short game (it takes about ...Show more

At first glance, I thought this was going to be a new HOPA by a new developer. Once I started playing, I realized this was just a HOG, but it is more of a hybrid because it's more than just a HOG... yet not quite a HOPA, from the same developer who created the Big Adventure: Trip To Europe series. To be honest, I bought this game elsewhere last week and it is a pretty short game (it takes about 2-3 hours)

What I like the most is that the HO scenes take place in an entire room versus on a table or shelf in the corner of a room. The story is told via text and there are no voiceovers, but the devs did an excellent job incorporating the "case" before and after each scene without bombarding the player with a ton of dialog boxes on a clickfest that never seems to end.

The HO scenes are played in a Relaxed Mode, there are no Timed options as you search for 12-16 Items. The HO's vary with Listed Items, Silhouetted Shapes, Logically Related Pairs, Multiples of the same object, Find & Replace, and even Descriptive Finds where you find objects that match a brief description. Some of the objects are well-blended but for the most part, they are easy to spot which isn't necessarily a bad thing, sometimes I just want to enjoy the game and relax.

My only complaint is that several scenes had multiples of the listed item, such as a HAT, or KEY RING, and when you click on a large hat in the forefront of the scene you discover it isn't the correct "hat" which drives me nutz! Fortunately, there is no Misclick penalty! Also, they have slightly "off" items such as a "feeder" instead of a birdhouse, or a "wheel" instead of a tire...and I had to google "aerostat"

Items in "pink" text are hidden in or behind other objects (a magnifying glass appears over these areas) and items listed in "green" are objects that require a task. Each scene has two Zoom Zones that will appear and disappear as the objects shown on the list are found or added.

Each HO scene has a hidden Raccoon (developer's mascot) and a Silhouetted Shape to find for extra points. Once the Silhouetted Shape is located, it can be viewed by clicking the "Extra" tab, oddly, it is considered an Achievement. You will earn a Bronze Star for completing the Hidden Object location, a Silver Star for finding the Silhouetted Shape Extra, and a Gold Star for finding the adorable Raccoon.

After each Hidden Object Scene, (some of which have a secondary HO in a different form, immediately afterward) you will play a mini-game, such as Rotating & Placing Fragments of a picture, Finding Matching Pairs of Footprints, Rotating Ring sections, Following a path that lands on each house only once, Swapping & Rotating honeycomb-shaped puzzle pieces, Placing shaped puzzle pieces, and even Spot The Difference scenes.

COLLECTOR'S EDITION EXTRAS:
18 Wallpapers, 20 Music Soundtracks, 8 Bonus Levels, 8 Extra Puzzles, a Hidden Raccoon in every HO scene, a Silhouetted Shape Achievement in every HO scene. As I said earlier, I purchased this game way cheaper so the game was well worth it for me personally.

If you miss the BF forums you'll be delighted when you see all we offer at The Woods Forum, from game help to hilarious cat memes and even a MCF bus trip so scurry on over to The Woods Forum folks! thewoodsforum.boards.net Show less

I recommend this game!

+70points

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Overall rating

4 / 5

22 of 22 found this review helpful

Old School HOG

PostedNovember 19, 2022

purpleziva

fromSC, USA

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Skill Level:Expert

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

Fun Factor

4 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

4 / 5

Level of Challenge

4 / 5

Storyline

3 / 5

I enjoyed playing this game. It's definitely an original type of Hidden Object game, old school.
Some of the wording is odd, for example a coat hanger is what I call a coat rack. But not a factor in my rating.
It has a simple storyline, detectives and thief scenario. More game play and very little chat which was nice.
Be warned it is a very short game for a CE.
My suggestion is grab it while ...Show more

I enjoyed playing this game. It's definitely an original type of Hidden Object game, old school.
Some of the wording is odd, for example a coat hanger is what I call a coat rack. But not a factor in my rating.
It has a simple storyline, detectives and thief scenario. More game play and very little chat which was nice.
Be warned it is a very short game for a CE.
My suggestion is grab it while its on sale because its definitely worth purchasing with a good sale or at most at standard price, if you like the old basic HO games. Show less

I recommend this game!

+22points

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Overall rating

4 / 5

A plod

PostedFebruary 2, 2023

Oldpilot38

fromBusselton, Western Australia

Skill Level:Intermediate

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

Fun Factor

2 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

2 / 5

Level of Challenge

4 / 5

Storyline

2 / 5

Not an exciting story line. Discontinuity between scenes though each individual scene was visually good and some of the hidden objects well hidden. The end result of the game was that the villain got away.
In addition, best played with the sound off. The repetitive brainless noise in the background was pathetic.
Disappointing. Barely 4*.

I don't recommend this game.

0points

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Overall rating

3 / 5

9 of 9 found this review helpful

Not worth CE price for me

PostedNovember 20, 2022

JulieJay

fromWashington, Tyne & Wear, England

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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, Puzzle

Current Favorite:

Art Coloring

(39)

Fun Factor

3 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

3 / 5

Level of Challenge

2 / 5

Storyline

3 / 5

This is another example of devs jumping on the CE bandwagon when a game is quite simply not worth the CE price.

First off, I've never heard of the developer and an internet search brought up nothing.

There is music and sound effects but no voiceover. Text dialogue is very old school but on the plus side you can just click to get rid - even better, you can click anywhere - it doesn't have to ...Show more

This is another example of devs jumping on the CE bandwagon when a game is quite simply not worth the CE price.

First off, I've never heard of the developer and an internet search brought up nothing.

There is music and sound effects but no voiceover. Text dialogue is very old school but on the plus side you can just click to get rid - even better, you can click anywhere - it doesn't have to be on the 'continue' button.

There's an 'Extras Objects' to find in every scene. There is a clear picture of it in the bottom left corner. So.... that's just one more item to find? Nothing special there.

You find a big easy to spot raccoon in every scene.

There are hidden zones which sparkle when there's something to find and then closes automatically when you're done. I like that feature.

There's an album which shows every scene and indicates if you've finished the location, found the extra and found the racoon. You can replay immediately - no need to wait until the end of the game. Another feature I like.

There are 32 HO scenes plus 8 in the bonus chapter.

There are 16 puzzles and 8 in the bonus chapter.

Everything is easy. There's nothing to test you.

I will buy the SE when it's released as it is a nice relaxing game. I will not pay CE prices for a simple HOG. Show less

I recommend this game!

+9points

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Overall rating

3 / 5

5 of 6 found this review helpful

Seems Like An Older Game-No Thinking Involved!

PostedNovember 19, 2022

lamp_post

fromPittsburgh, 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:Intermediate

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

Fun Factor

3 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

2 / 5

Level of Challenge

2 / 5

Storyline

4 / 5

This game is not really bad it . It is somewhat fun but there are no voice overs and the music was LOUD...turned it way down.

The graphics were okay. Some of the scenes were slow catching up to what I was clicking on-which you can click on anything and everything and it does not affect your score.

The racoon in each scene is very noticeable which you get extra points for finding it.

When ...Show more

This game is not really bad it . It is somewhat fun but there are no voice overs and the music was LOUD...turned it way down.

The graphics were okay. Some of the scenes were slow catching up to what I was clicking on-which you can click on anything and everything and it does not affect your score.

The racoon in each scene is very noticeable which you get extra points for finding it.

When I started the game it did plunk me down into the game with out any choices but this could be because I did not choose a player I simply clicked on play. Try the demo. It is a fun game if a tad boring. Show less

I recommend this game!

+4points

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Overall rating

2 / 5

29 of 37 found this review helpful

The Detectives Might Get Bored With This Case

PostedNovember 19, 2022

HeavenBound7729

fromOcala, Florida

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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

2 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

2 / 5

Level of Challenge

2 / 5

Storyline

3 / 5

A detective HOG that's far too easy to be fun. No play modes, no special features/options that you would expect to find in a CE. The extra content is sparse and ordinary, there's a long music list, the wallpapers are not appealing. Graphics are quite dark, no voices, dialogue can be skipped.

All objects are huge and can't be missed, except for a few tucked away, under or inside something. But ...Show more

A detective HOG that's far too easy to be fun. No play modes, no special features/options that you would expect to find in a CE. The extra content is sparse and ordinary, there's a long music list, the wallpapers are not appealing. Graphics are quite dark, no voices, dialogue can be skipped.

All objects are huge and can't be missed, except for a few tucked away, under or inside something. But even those are a snap to locate. Everything is out in the open ineach location, not really hidden at all. The zoom zones contain a couple of items, not hidden either. The special racoon in each scene is big and in your face, other special items easy to spot.

There's a variety of list styles but none offer any challenge to the hunt. You can basically start clicking around and hit upon every object within seconds or a minute or two. The dark graphics don't even succeed in concealing anything. If anything is hidden here I would say it is the info on this developer. I tried to get into the credits but I guess that has to wait until the game is completed.

The demo was boring and the easy play allowed me to progress through many levels, so I'm wondering about the length of the game. I think this may not be a good CE value. But you may enjoy the game for the simplicity, I just require more challenge to keep me entertained. Show less

+21points

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