The Indie Mine » Gracie

THORG: The Hidden-Object Roleplaying Game Review

Gracie — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 10:46:52 +0000

Full disclosure: I enlisted my husband, Pablo, for help in this review because he has much more experience playing RPGs than I do. The best parts of this review are his.

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Pablo and I just finished playing THORG: The Hidden-Object Roleplaying Game on our iPads, and while it was fun, we’re left wanting more.

THORG is indie developer Armaan Khan’s attempt to bring new life to the gaming world by combining two usually distinct styles of games into one. Similar to how App Store favorite Sword & Poker is played, which combines classic RPG dungeon crawling with a poker-based card engine to handle battles, THORG changes it up with a hidden object-based battle engine.

When first loading THORG, the user is given a title screen with the instructions, “Touch Here To Begin,” as the only option.

While there is a Menu option available on all screens of the game, choosing it allows you only to adjust sound and music. Missing are familiar options such as Help and About, or a way to be directed to the App Store to rate the game. Even the URL for the developer’s web site is missing. The only URL provided in the game is for A-M Classical, the source for the music.

Help, or even an in-game tutorial for the first battle would benefit someone unfamiliar with hidden object or RPG games. While we were able to pick up what to do pretty quickly, less experienced gamers may become frustrated and give up. A little work here could really add a professional look and feel to the game, as well as help the author self-advertise to people who already enjoy the game.

As for the game itself, you are provided with a 7×7 grid containing one blue square. On the left is the generically named “Enemy” and on the right is the equally generic “Player”. Typical RPGs let you name your player, helping you engage with the game. Named enemies would be something we’d like to see, too. For a dungeon crawling style RPG, half the fun is finding crazy enemies to fight.

Below the Enemy and Player are statistics that aren’t entirely clear until you play the game a few times.

You’re not told what to do at this point and have to figure out that to begin, you tap the blue square. Then you receive the only real instructions the game provides, “Explore. Collect. Fight. Survive. (Last One Optional). Touch to begin.”

When you’re returned to the main screen, the blue square now displays an “i”. (We think this means “I” as in the player, but it’s lower case which usually denotes “information”. However, tapping it does nothing.) The four squares above, below, right and left of the “i” are now blue. These are your next options.

The object of the game is to explore this 7×7 grid. If you uncover all 49 squares, you win. We’re not sure what we’re searching through, however. It’s a grid reminiscent of minesweeper, but missing the strategy. Is this supposed to be a castle? A forest? Mount Mordor? Adding some graphics or a map so it looks like the player is searching a desert or dungeon would create a more fantasy-like environment. Perhaps even a simple story to base it around. “You come across a blacksmith and he offers to make you a sword. Attack +1 …”

Each blue square you tap uncovers one of four things: attack, defense, money and battles. Uncovering any of the first three things does exactly what is expected, you get more attack power, defense power or money, and you can see that reflected under the player stats. The fourth brings up a battle screen that says, “An Enemy Approaches!”

Here is where the game goes from an RPG to a hidden object game. Hidden object games usually consist of a picture and a list of items you’re instructed to find within that picture, but THORG is not your typical RPG or your typical hidden object game. Instead a screen of about 100 objects is displayed. When the battle begins you are instructed to locate one specific object among the others and you need to do this as quickly as possible.

The enemy’s time is set to 15 seconds and starts counting down when the battle begins. If you don’t find the object before it reaches zero, you will incur damage. This appears to be based on the Enemy attack hit points and Player defense hit points. As the game proceeds, your attack and defense will go up, however the Enemy’s seems to go up at the same rate as yours. So, if you find lots of attack and defense early on the grid, you won’t be more powerful–the Enemy seems to adjust with you. The only thing that appears to change as you progress is the number of hit points the Enemy starts with.

The key to the game is using the power ups, Heal, Hint, Stun, and Slay. These are four options that appear under the Player. They are initially crossed out but when a battle begins, they become available. Heal with restore five hit points, Hint will show you the area of the screen the object you are looking for is in, Stun will stop the timer until you tap the screen again, and Slay wins the battle.

Each of these options has a price tag and this makes money very important to being able to complete the grid. Later battles will have enemies that do more damage and the timer decreases a bit as the game progresses.

That’s basically it. When you find the object, you “hit” the Enemy. If you take too long, the enemy “hits” you. Whoever gets their opponent to zero hit points first wins the battle. Win the battle and you can keep exploring the grid, lose it, and you have to start over.

While the developer claims, “the game is not about winning or losing, just about playing”, there is a timer that turns the casual exercise of finding an object into a stressful one. We understand why he cannot remove the timer, as the battle is based on it, but if the game continues to develop into something larger, we could see a practice mode for beginners with no timer, or maybe with extra hit points, being a nice feature.

And of course, some instruction or tutorial. Successful games should appeal to all levels of players and it seems the author is trying to be minimalist by leaving these things out out, claiming the game to be simple enough to play without any instruction. But rather than sleek and Applesque, unless the player searched out the author’s blog for this explanation, this design idea could appear to be lazy development or worse, result in someone believing a feature is missing.

All in all, we both enjoyed THORG‘s fresh take on traditional RPGs. It’s an interesting first start and we’re both excited to see where it goes.

Overall Rating: ★★★☆☆

This game was reviewed using a copy of the game provided by the developer for that purpose.

The Search for Amelia Earhart (Review, iPad version)

Gracie — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 21:44:17 +0000

Several years ago when my husband and I purchased our first iPad, he went hunting for first person shooters and I went hunting for adventurish, puzzley, mystery-type games like Myst. I bumbled upon Big Fish’s Everest: Hidden Expedition in an old dusty app store on a rainy day in New England where the brief online description promised an exciting race to the top of Mt Everest. I should have read that description further because the game wasn’t at all what I expected. It was my first introduction into “hidden object” games where players are given scenes, and they must literally search for and find items from a list before progressing to the next scene. Simplistic and undoubtedly geared toward children, to my secret shame, it was addictive. Late at night, I climbed Mt. Everest several times hunting for traffic cones and beehives and other ridiculous items in each base camp.

Over the years, Big Fish has improved upon this hidden object theme incorporating other puzzles into the mix, along with complete and sometimes surprisingly compelling story lines.

Over the last couple weeks I’d heard some buzz surrounding one of Big Fish’s newer games, The Search for Amelia Earhart. Because I’ve been captivated by Earhart and the mystery of her disappearance since childhood, this game was my first free download when we picked up the new iPad.

While the graphics aren’t necessarily designed for the retina display, the HD version looks fantastic on the new iPad. The music, while brief and repetitive, is only moderately derivative of every uplifting theme you’ve ever heard. That said, I did find it wholly identifiable which is something I enjoy when revisit a game. (I’m calling out the Big Fish Rhinna Ford line of games here and their clearly ripped off X-Files theme. Not fair!)

The Search for Amelia Earhart combines a bit of hidden object with a few other types of puzzles along with a full multimedia experience to create a wholly realized, if abbreviated, biography of this enigmatic historical figure.

I’m typically hyper-critical of attempts to blend history or science into games. Confuse astrology with astronomy and you’ve lost me for good. However, The Search for Amelia Earhart holds it’s own. Like all Big Fish games I’ve encountered, it is designed for young adults, but there is enough substance that it needn’t fall into the total fluff category. I can easily imagine it being a great game to play along with your kids.

As a player you’re taken on a journey through Amelia Earhart’s life. When you progress through each hidden object quest, puzzle and challenge, you’re presented with interesting and little-known facts about Amelia. And as you complete each part of the game, you’re treated to first direct quotes, and ultimately video footage of Amelia herself. The quotes, footage and music are designed to inspire.

Each segment of the game further advances one of the theories surrounding Amelia’s final flight. While none of the theories presented by the game are entirely outlandish, you might find yourself a bit skeptical. It’s up to you to do the research after you finish the game. This shouldn’t be difficult because, coincidentally, the search for Ms. Earhart is all over the news right now based on some newly discovered evidence. It will be interesting to see if the game is updated in the future to incorporate this new information.

Aside from the game being relatively short, my real disappointment was the timing involved when prompted to upgrade from the free version to the paid version. I didn’t know this then and without giving anything away, I was fully halfway through the game at this point. That alone isn’t a big deal, but I will reveal that there are no new puzzle types to encounter when you pull the trigger on the paid version. Yes, there is more game to play. Yes, some of the puzzles become a wee bit more difficult. And yes, there are more theories, more Amelia videos and a tiny denouement.

If you’re a huge dork like I am for strong female historical figures shrouded in mystery, and like your hidden object games beefed up with puzzles and, of course, the online equivalent of flying lessons, you can’t go wrong downloading the free version of The Search for Amelia Earhart for your iPad. You’ve got plenty of game to play before you have to decide whether or not to spend $4.99 on the complete version. Frankly, I’m not convinced I’d do it again. I’d probably play through the free part, spend the money on a latte and google search the hell out of Earhart to satisfy any remaining curiosity.

Final note: The latest iPad HD version of the game is not the same as the PC/Mac version of the game. If you’re researching the game and read any of those reviews, there are no clairvoyants or detectives or intrusive voice overs in the iPad version.

Overall Rating: ★★★☆☆

Broken Words: The Abuse of Science and Faith in American Politics

Gracie — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:22:25 +0000

With the Republican nomination looming, there’s no avoiding the polarizing controversies surrounding abortion, homosexuality, evolution and environmentalism. Liberals and conservatives are more divided on these issues today than at any other time in history.

In Broken Words: The Abuse of Science and Faith in American Politics, Jonathan Dudley objectively examines these four ideas, which in the past few generations have become the “big four” tenets of evangelical Christianity.

Dudley grew up as an evangelical Christian and was raised to believe “abortion is murder; homosexuality, sin; evolution, nonsense; and environmentalism, a farce.” However, his higher education in the sciences (he’s currently a med student at Johns Hopkins) and intellectual curiosity prompted him to reevaluate these issues with a unique perspective. The result? He navigates the intersection between faith and science with surprising grace. He addresses these hot button topics clearly, succinctly, systematically, and with numerous citations like … well, like a scientist.

If you’ve ever longed to debate intelligently about any of these issues, Dudley has done the research for you. While the book is filled with hundreds of biblical quotes, references and citations (that are easily, in this age of the internet, independently verified), the author provides more than just evidence for his positions. He weaves a cultural context by including with each argument detailed explanations of the historical and social interpretation of that evidence.

Underlying all of this research is is the discovery that evangelicals who stray away from even one of these ideas, including evangelicals with clout and political influence, have their faith questioned and are threatened with outright dismissal from their communities.

Despite the fact these are deeply personal and highly sensitive issues, Dudley approaches arguments like “does life begin at conception” and “is homosexuality a sin” without volatile rhetoric or inflammatory language. His approach in presenting what could be considered difficult information to digest for some, including close members of his community, is respectful, measured, thoughtful and engaging. The book fosters a desire for intelligent discussion.

While Dudley no longer identifies as an evangelical, he still considers himself a Christian. Ultimately, he encourages a new kind of evangelical Christianity that embraces science and recognizes dynamic theology.

I’d highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in truly understanding why evangelical Christians believe what they do and how they influence and are influenced by the current political climate. I’d also recommend this text to book groups who are interested in having a lively debate.

This book was provided for review by Jonathan Dudley through Bostick Communications.

Releasing Gillian’s Wolves

Gracie — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 02:51:50 +0000

Set on a lake in the mythical town of Lacland, Wisconsin, Releasing Gillian’s Wolves tells the story of a woman coming to terms with her husband’s infidelities and transgressions, and taking control of her life. This could very well be considered a coming of age novel where the main character just happens to be in her early fifties.

Gillian Wolf is an independently wealthy housewife and artist, whose cooking is admired by all. Yes, she has an unhappy marriage, but those who know her rave about her many talents. Gillian can simply do no wrong. In fact, her life would be perfect except for her insensitive, ungrateful, philandering husband, Congressman Jack Sach.

Who, by the way, can do no right.

If the characters in this romance novel seem one dimensional it may be because it’s written in the first person, and that person is Gillian Wolf. Without a narrator to balance various points of view, we are left with Gillian’s perspective alone. Throughout the novel characters lavish praise and support upon Gillian and heap scorn and ridicule on her husband. As a result, it reads a bit like a diary where events are twisted in a way to make the writer feel good about a supremely awful situation. I confess there were times I found it difficult to suspend my disbelief.

However, that is just one reviewer’s opinion. There is an audience for Tara Woolpy’s first self-published novel as evidenced by the tremendous number of overwhelmingly positive reviews around the internet. And there are good bits to enjoy. Especially when the author herself has a great deal of experience in a particular area, for example, her background as a science writer and her family history in politics. She’s able to weave those experiences into the story, creating some of the more engaging passages. And, while I may not have agreed with how the characters spoke or behaved, and more importantly without giving anything away, the novel indeed moves forward toward a satisfying conclusion.

Releasing Gillian’s Wolves, by Tara Woolpy. Originally published in ebook and paperback form by Bats in the Boathouse Press, 2011.

Queen of the Sun: What Are the Bees Telling Us?

Gracie — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 01:02:50 +0000

Sara Mapelli, performs a ritual dance with 12,000 bees

In 2006, millions of honeybees in the United States mysteriously vanished. Referred to as colony collapse disorder, the phenomenon continues in the U.S. as well as in countries throughout Europe. In Queen of the Sun: What Are the Bees Telling Us?, director Taggart Siegel (The Real Dirt on Farmer John) continues his exploration into the unique relationships between people, agricultural livelihoods in trouble, and the curious ways in which some of us are moved to extreme measures in order to overcome potentially insurmountable problems.

Inspired in part by Einstein’s quote, “If bees die out, man will only have four years of life left on earth,” Seigel devoted three years of his life to researching and interviewing entomologists, biologists, botanists, beekeepers, authors, philosophers, and other environmental and ecological activists about the issue. Each provides their own explanations as to why this is happening and the catastrophic effect it may have on our own human colony. His subjects are at times inspirational–Gunther Hauk, a beekeeper who came out of retirement to create a biodynamic and organic honey bee sanctuary, and at other times hilarious–bee historian Yvon Archard, who demonstrates the best way to pet bees. With his mustache.

Mustachioed bee historian, Yvon Achard

Neither scientists nor those interviewed know the exact reason why bees are disappearing. Some blame monoculture, the practice of growing a single crop over large areas of land. Some point to genetically modified foods, claiming the process introduces bacteria and other foreign agents that are harmful to honeybees and anyone who consumes them. Others suggest the poisons used to treat honeybees affected with a common parasite are to blame. This issue is doubly problematic because the parasites have turned these poisons into a resource and are using them to become super-parasites. Yet others blame a lack of genetic diversity as the result of queen bees being manufactured using artificial insemination. It is now not uncommon to “re-queen your hive” every year or so because these queens fail to thrive.

Many of these arguments are compelling and frightening, and one can see why Seigal was driven to create awareness. However, portions of the film veer off into territory that while is entertaining and provides a sense of hope to offset the tragic consequences that may occur if colony collapse disorder is not resolved, does little to address the issue. We’re presented with astonishing facts about the miraculous curative powers of honey, we’re shown bee-themed stage productions complete with caged queens, and we’re delivered more than just a little psuedo-science.

There is no doubt that people close to the issue feel passionate about honeybees and their plight, but I worry that in their enthusiasm for affecting change, some misinformation may be presented here. Combining science with speculation-as-fact may cause this film to be dismissed in wider circles.

In the end, however, the film’s message–that no honeybee can survive alone and while a few people can, for the most part we can’t survive alone either, is evident. This documentary is about more than just raising awareness. It is a call to action.

To learn more about how you can help honeybees, visit http://www.queenofthesun.com/get-involved.