Night Mysteries: The Amphora Prisoner

very not enjoyable

To be honest, it's pretty generic and it's not going to win any awards for its gameplay but I loved the 3D style and presentation of this game. So much so that I finished it in one go, which rarely happens.

First time playthrough: 2 hours 32 minutes
6/10

Positive:
The story is decent though a bit uninteresting and all over the place( for example there's a last minute romance scene coming out of nowhere).
The hidden objects scene are ok

Negative:
The puzzles are not only terrrible but they also don't really fit into the gameplay. What i mean is that instead of complementing the settings and overall gameplay it seem these two get put on hold in order for you to solve a pointless and often frustrating puzzle with the only saving grace being that they are in very low quantity.

t.l.d.r:
I feel like a mixed rating fits this game, if you like ho games buy it on discount otherwise don't buy it at all.

A fairly decent game. Would rate about 7/10. There were some annoying features like the fact that you can't pick up things until you need them, which made gameplay very linear. That said, the game had a decent storyline and introduced some mini-games that aren't typical of hidden object games which made the experience more interesting.

nice and short HOG with a great 3D spice added to it.

pros.
3D graphics
ok story

cons.
short (around 2 hours for the main story)
no bonus chapter
no voice acting
i had faced 2 bugs. one with a puzzle piece that was missing so i had to exit and re-enter the puzzle. the other one was a click that did not register
3 annoying puzzles 2 of which involves clicking or steering for 3 minutes the other one was remembering sequence for 8 switches 8 times and if you fail on one of the sequences all reset and have to do all over again.

despite all the cons i have listed and the game being released in 2015 i actually enjoyed this game especially the 3D concept of it. i like when the Devs experiment and bring something fresh to the HOG world.

6/10 for the game +1 for the cards =7/10

I don't normally go in for hidden object games, but this one didn't do a bad job with those sections and with no time limit I wasn't bothered by how well hidden most of the the items actually are, though to be fair I couldn't tell if it was mainly clever placement or the fact that anything of the same colour blends together. The unlimited skips and hints on the casual mode proved invaluable, as I think there was only one hidden object minigame I could finish without using that feature. the constant hunt for the pearls was pretty good too, though I did have to backtrack as I'd missed one the first time through. Speaking of which, there is quite a bit of backtracking. Unfortunately, the puzzles weren't nearly as well done with most relying on memorising a complicated series of actions or randomly clicking and hoping you get it right, so I ended up skipping most of them simply because I wasn't willing to put up with that B.S.

Besides those there are a few survival events that were interesting, if not always well designed. One in particular involving a ladder seemed to either give incorrect instructions or be entirely broken, so a skip was needed there too. One thing I do like is the feeling of satisfaction each time you solve a puzzle or survive such a scenario, with the game's short length it means that these brief moments of joy are pretty frequent.

There's a little bit of a light horror atmosphere, though it's mostly subdued by other features such as the display of fireworks one player cited as a negative aspect, although I wasn't bothered by that in the slightest. The developer clearly wasn't trying to recreate the feeling of the old Resident Evil games, mildly spooky is about the most one can reasonably expect. I have no issues with the graphics either, although the switch between hand drawn scenes and the in game environment could be off putting to some.

The story is serviceable, not great as the store page claims, but it's mostly well written and you don't expect a literary classic from a 2-3 hour point & click/ hidden object game anyway. Overall for the asking price I feel it's a pretty solid 6/10, I liked it but I probably wouldn't play it again. I'd say if you're picky about these sort of games then maybe find something else, but if all you want is an enjoyable few hours then you could do a lot worse.

Yay! I was happy to find out that the Developers of "Button Tales" made a Hidden Object Game! That means it had to be played! It has a cinematic opening and you actually want to help the lady out. After you get on a ship full of friendly people, the mystery begins! You can also turn off the camera movement, which makes people motion sick (Thank you for that option!) Then you are free to explore and do whatcha do in Hidden Object Games.

I like the "soft feel" of the puzzles. It just feels right. Also, I found matches that said "XAX Fire", that was funny. Oh and the sparkles for completing the puzzles? Feels good to get 'em complete.

The eerie music fits itself so well with the atmosphere. At one point I just sat there and listened to it. The game isn't overly complicated and that fits well when you need to feel good about your skills and if you just want to enjoy solving the mystery. Oh but you can make it more difficult if you feel like it. :>

Everything worked well, except for times when I had trouble dragging an item to the scene, but when it worked, I forgot about it. That and I had no idea about the relationship of the two people, BUT when life is in danger and a savior appears... you feel like you owe them your life. After the mini game with the "Dodge the Water Spikes" success, I am now able to sail a boat out to sea anytime. (This is a joke).

Also, the way it ends... there could be a possible sequel. Good job! :D I think that about covers it. The rest could be found out through game play, if ya feel like it. Thank you for another fun game!!! :> =) :)

There's a whole bunch of things that make this game terrible. A 25/100 effort.

The good

Decent graphics
It has trading cards

The bad

Everything else, specifically:
Terrible action sequences - steer a boat, repel rats with insect repellent etc
And you need to do them for three minutes
Lack of clues on what to do
Ho-hum story
Pixel hunting involved
HO scenes are dull
Music is repetitive

You' re probably seeing some bad reviews here and wondering if you should you buy it? - the answer is no. You might see this title on sale at 60% off and think it can't be that bad - trust me it can.

I did not like this game. I bought it for a dollar and I got a lot of frustration for my time and money. Point and click actions are very fussy about where you click. Any mini-games with click and drag mouse motions did not work on my PC - raise the damn bucket (twice for goodness sake) or climb the damn ladder. I just had to wait for the skip timer to run out. The hidden object games had items so completely obscured that I had to use the hint button several times - I hate using the hint button. The artwork is below average. I did like the cartoon cut scenes.

I give this game 4 out of 10. I don't recommend it even if it's 90% discounted.

Ok. Only buy this on sale. It's a decent HOG but there are much better ones out there. The controls are a bit wonky and I seemed to do a lot more random clicking then I like. Decent stroy though. Only got it because it was in a bundle. Again only buy if it's on sale.

The story line is all over the place, don't even get me started on the ending. Yeah, this is a hidden object game, but the objects you are supposed to find (not including the pearls, which I think those are great) are completely ridiculous. They don't even explain the ghost guys. I can totally see why this is barely worth 74 cents...This should be a free game, Don't make people pay for terrible content and game play.

It's not that this is a terrible game it's just that there are much better out there.

The story is actually a bit dull. The hidden object puzzles are really, really small, so forget finding them unless you like mindlessly clicking or have a massive TV sized monitor. There are also stupid puzzles - why oh why would I want to have to repeatedly click on a bucket to raise it? Who thought that would be fun?

Oh, and whatever you do, don't adjust the brightness to their suggestions - you'll never find anything!

So. I'd recommend this game if it's ON SALE. As low as you can get it. It's not the worst game out there, the puzzles can be skipped after you spend a certain amount of time on them (and I think you can change that in your settings) so you'll never get stuck. It's a nice game if you're bored. However, I was disappointed by two things: 1. the lack of evil-when I first started the game I was a little freaked out by the "evil entity", because it was a stressor like "how am I going to be THIS challenge it throws at me!?" It was also REALLY creepy, what with the creaking sounds. But then after the second or so time it pops up and "challenges" you, it disappears and doesn't bother you the rest of the game. And most of the eerie feeling came from that entity, so that was a let down. And it made the ending WAY to anti-climactic. No last showdown. 2. the ending. Was stupid. She missed her boat and ended up on that ship and then at the end, after the evil was defeated (too easily btw, no challenges, timed or hard or otherwise), theyre apparently in a relationship? At least that's what the animation looked like? Like it's not a 5 star game, or a 3 star game and it might be a 1 star game, probably. But if you can get it on sale, it's a nice way to knock out some time, because there's still a lot to do. The navigation is easy, the puzzles range in difficulty but are skippable.

Wow, this was surprisingly well-done for an indie developer's first attempt for a HOG. Night Mysteries: The Amphora Prisoner is a HOG indeed, with the atmosphere of a light weight adventure game coming from Anvate Games. It is not revolutionary, neither the best thing since sliced bread; but it is a decent HOG with some creativity put into it.

It's 1872, Portugal. Our protagonist Natalie is a young author at the end of her luck. She is going through financial problems after the passing of her father, critics mauled her new novel and now she conveniently misses the last steam ship to Americas for that week. Talk about Murphy's Laws, huh? Luckily - or unluckily enough, she manages to get herself passage on a small cargo boat which will be travelling towards Americas also. She quickly befriends the captain and the crew, and starts on a pleasant voyage, hoping to use the travelling time to pen a new adventure novel maybe. One night though, the adventure happens to her directly. As she wakes up to an eerie sound by the middle of the night, she quickly realizes that she is the only one on board. With an uncanny, glowing amphora residing in the cargo hold, she has time only until dawn to figure out what happened to the crew and bring them back. It seems that Murphy has spoken to Natalie at the end anyhow.

We are mostly used to hand-drawn environment art in HOGs - starting with Artifex Mundi and Big Fish classics - but Night Mysteries: The Amphora Prisoner utilizes a 3D environment, much like an old school adventure game for our exploration. Cinematic cut scenes are hand drawn art already but gaming environment is all 3D models with a full blown environment design for the ship. There are certain effects that really brings out the atmosphere: like as the ship sways, our camera sways slowly to mimic the motion. I hope you wouldn't be prone to sea sickness. Flickering lights, eerie sound effects, triggered time bound survival mini games are all welcome flavors, successfully presenting a light horror atmosphere. 3D environment makes the HOG progression somewhat challenging in an enjoyable way too.

The game itself uses a HOG interface nonetheless; with your journal, inventory slots, clue button etc. You'll have 10 or so HOG scenes with creepy-crawlies walking around and the same amount of puzzles - some usual, some definitely creative. Items - mostly pearls - are easy to miss since there is little indicator that any object can be picked up and utilized, but the environment isn't large enough to get lost in a pixel hunt anyway. You easily get by.

As a last verdict, I can sincerely recommend the game for a casual time kill. It was a refreshing approach to the genre, and a successful trial at blending different genres into one casual game. Enjoy!

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Honestly this HOG bored me alot. I am just happy to finish it. Finishing the game was the best part of the game for me LOL.

Pros
One thing that was different was the game wasin 3D which I found unique and cool.

I also liked how the cutscenes where cartoon style.

Music was nice.

Cons

There was no voice acting at all. I think it's the first HOG I've played that had no voice acting at all.

Puzzles were ok. Some I just couldn't care about. In perticular the ones that had a countdown on them. I think there were three puzzles with counting down. I also hated the find the items I usually never hate the find the items part. But in this one the hidden objects on some were just hard to find. I abused the hint button a lot on the find the objects portion.

The hint button recharged very slow even at casual.

The map sucks. No fast travel. But the boat didn't have a lot of places to go. So getting lost wasn't a problem. The map doesn't even tell u where there is an action in a room. This made it difficult for me to remember which place to go to. Once again I abused the hint button a lot here. I think this HOG is also the first time a map didn't tell u where there is a action in a room.

The story sucked as in like it just wasn't developed at all. I couldn't care about the characters at all.

HOG was really short.

Can't remember what else I hated about this HOG as I hated a lot about this HOG.

Only get this HOG on a sale as it's $1.00 while I'm writing this. This HOG is not worth $4.99

I usually enjoy hidden object games, but I found this one very frustrating to play. I finished up skipping most of the mini-games. The ones that wanted you to click, hold and drag to climb a ladder, haul up a bucket of water etc just couldn't reasonably be done. 90% of the time, you'd click, hold and nothing would happen. Maybe you had to click on a precise point on the bucket, or the ladder but as that wasn't made clear, it made those games impossible and, for me, made the game unenjoyable as I was spending more time failing at those than I was on the main story/HOS aspect of the game.

This is an original, excellent, but flawed take on the hidden-object scene genre.

It's quite hard: some of the hidden-objects scenes and puzzles would be difficult to solve if you're not very experienced with the way in which such games try to trick you. I found one puzzle impossible to solve without skipping, and I'm usually quite good at these! Likewise, the point-and-click adventuring is not easy. Luckily, you can use the hint key without penalty.

Despite the difficult, it is fair. The ship is not very big, and you can wander back and forth without frustration until you think of a way to solve a problem.

Also nice is that the collectibles are actually part of the game. It's fun finding them on your own, and then looking for them more carefully in the end in order to finish.

The graphics, a mix of 3D models, gently swaying in the ocean ways, and drawn cut scenes, are terrific and capture the eerie mood very well. The story is cliché but told simply and without nonsense.

Unfortunately, the game engine is a bit buggy. There were a few places where clicking the first time didn't register for me. Also, there are a few scenes where you have to use mouse gesturing to move through them. I found these buggy and frustrating experiences, and unlike the puzzles they are not skippable. I think they don't really have a place in this genre, and the game would be better without them.

I somehow regret buying that game even in sale. The story is weak and even not really explained. It is quite the opposite of the advertised "outstanding storyline" - you just get some basic information, but there is a huge lack of story details. And the few hints of the story you get aren't able to create a nice and interesting setting.

The HOGs are okay, but many of the minigames are just boring, at some point quite annoying and only sometimes logically connected to the actual events. There is no difficulty in this short game, I finished it in about 2 1/2 hours.

To say something positive: the artwork is quite nice and detailed.

I would recommend this game to children between age 6 and 12, maybe that would fit the level of difficulty and trivial storyline.

Visually different, perhaps a touch short, but an enjoyable game. A little on the harder side for a Hidden Object game, but also one that tries something different in rendering both the setting and the HOGs. Overall, very fun.

Natalie is a young writer that missed her boat. She finds another one ready to accept her but she is warned that they're also carrying a box full of antiques. When she wakes up, she found the boat empty and a strange sound coming from that box... Now, it's a run against the clock to free the crew and to jail again an evil spirit.

Nice little casual game: not only the music is good but the story is also well written - I didn't really find any plothole (apart how the captain and our heroin seemed in love without any indication from her to have feelings). I find also the place very great: it's a boat and you're staying in it. Though the map isn't interactive at all, it's easy to find your way.

The minigames themselves are varied and I've appreciated the timed ones - though 3 minutes is too long for my taste. And the HOG are also challenging: some items are really obvious while others, being partially hidden or really well hidden to the point where you think they're part of the scenery or another object, are quite challenging.

You can also replay the HO or the minigames in the menu, which is a nice bonus.

The graphics are also good: while the cutscenes are clearly a drawing, the main game is a false 3D. Besides, as you're in a boat, the screen is moving. If you're getting sick, you can disable the feature.

Night Mysteries: The Amphora Prisoner isn't really the game of the year, as there are better games out there but still, it's a refreshing one, with a good difficulty, with nice bonuses and with a nice concept.

Good story.
After the death of your father, you miss your boat back to the US. But a friendly cargo captain accepts to bring you aboard. He explains that it is usually very boring voyages, taking cargo from Europe to the US, but with her, the conversation are different and refreshing. He explains that on this voyage, he's carrying some antics for a collector.
On the first night, she can't sleep because of a weird noise. She gets up to find the source of the noise. You investigation and mystery solving starts now. I'm not saying anything else. Enjoy!
I recommend.