Empress of The Deep 2: Song of The Blue Whale
- May 8, 2014
- Gogii Games
- 4h median play time
Get on SteamIn "Empress Of The Deep 2: Song Of The Blue Whale", players control Anna, who awakens on a mysterious island and must find her way to a cloud city to save four Children of Light from the Evil Empress Pandora. The game features hours of hidden object mystery and adventure, with unique animal guides to help solve puzzles and collectible crystal dolphins to enhance healing powers. This sequel is twice as long as the previous game with expanded exploration in a vast temple complex.
Reviews
- The game features beautiful graphics and art design, significantly improved from its predecessor, creating an engaging atmosphere.
- The puzzles are enjoyable and not overly difficult, making it a relaxing experience for players who enjoy hidden object games.
- The story, while somewhat cliché, is more coherent than the first game and offers a nostalgic experience for fans of the genre.
- The game suffers from technical limitations, such as lack of widescreen support and slow transitions, making it feel outdated.
- Backtracking is often required without a useful map, leading to frustration as players can easily get lost.
- Voice acting and some sound effects are subpar, with repetitive and annoying elements that detract from the overall experience.
- story62 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 66 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The story of "Empress of the Deep 2: Song of the Blue Whale" is a continuation of Anna's journey from the first game, featuring a mix of nostalgic elements and familiar cliches. While some players appreciate the magical and whimsical aspects, others criticize it for being overly melodramatic, repetitive, and lacking depth. Overall, the narrative offers light entertainment but may leave some feeling disconnected or confused, especially if they haven't played the previous installment.
“I loved the story of this game; the puzzles were not too hard but enough to make you think.”
“A sweet game with a lovely story.”
“The story is great and the graphics are so beautiful.”
“The story is straight up magical nonsense rubbish.”
“The story was sadly fairly forgettable, but will offer some light entertainment value for the duration of the game.”
“I couldn't get into the story at all - partly because of the bad voice acting, and partly because, well, it was stupid.”
- graphics22 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 41 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beauty and vibrant art style, with many reviewers highlighting the imaginative design and colorful backgrounds. While some players appreciate the nostalgic aesthetic and polished visuals, others note limitations such as the lack of resolution options and occasional inconsistencies in quality. Overall, the graphics contribute significantly to the game's appeal, enhancing the experience of its puzzles and storytelling.
“The artwork was beautiful and there was lots of it.”
“Art design is just as beautiful and imaginative, this time heavily influenced by far eastern concepts of aesthetics, alongside preserving the former Atlantean theme.”
“Empress of the Deep 2, the middle part of a trilogy, faithfully follows the footsteps of the first game with even more astonishing visuals, better gameplay, and a more rewarding puzzle system.”
“There's no option to change the resolution and no useful graphics tweaks.”
“Stupid uninventive story, boring and extremely repetitive game actions, repetitive minigames, bad graphics quality, confusing hidden-object scenes (usually solvable just by random clicking) and completely useless map that's even worse than in the first game.”
“The graphics are better.”
- music14 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The music in "Empress of the Deep 2: Song of the Blue Whale" is generally described as pleasant, with a decent soundtrack that enhances the game's atmosphere, although it is not particularly remarkable. Some reviews highlight the appropriateness of sound effects in context, contributing positively to the overall experience. While the game may feel dated, the audio elements are considered a satisfying aspect of this hidden object adventure.
“The soundtrack is nothing spectacular, however some of the sound effects are quite appropriate to their contexts.”
“Visuals and music are nice.”
“A very nice soundtrack.”
“Empress of the Deep 2: Song of the Blue Whale is relatively expensive for an abandonware nostalgia gouge, at $5 USD, and it's not worth it.”
“Regardless, for all intents and purposes, Empress of the Deep 2: Song of the Blue Whale might as well be a mobile app; it has the same limitations and dumbed down qualities.”
“Empress of the Deep 2: Song of the Blue Whale changed little over the previous title: it still feels like a mixture of Myst-like adventure games with classic hidden object mechanics, plus a few easy puzzles added on top.”
- gameplay14 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The gameplay in this title is standard for the hidden object genre, featuring point-and-click mechanics, static scenes, and familiar puzzles, though it shows some improvement and innovation over its predecessor. While the experience is generally enjoyable with decent puzzles and visuals, it remains largely conventional and lacks significant creativity. Overall, players can expect a typical yet polished gameplay experience that may appeal more to fans of the series than newcomers.
“All the caricatures and clichés from the previous game have returned, but the delivery is far more competent in this second title, and it expands the story and gameplay in new innovative ways, making for a far more appealing experience as every sequel should strive to do.”
“Totally worth the buy, good gameplay, good puzzles (not complicated, but enjoyable), story is good and characters are nice.”
“Empress of the Deep 2, the middle part of a trilogy, faithfully follows the footsteps of the first game with even more astonishing visuals, better gameplay, and a more rewarding puzzle system.”
“This is a pretty basic hidden object game with gameplay no different from your usual Artifex Mundi mobile app.”
“Storyline is dull and gameplay is not much better.”
“For everyone else who made the wise choice of not buying the first one, gameplay was about average with almost zero creativity in making it enjoyable.”
- humor5 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that the humor in the game is polarizing, with some players finding the excessive maniacal laughter off-putting and disruptive to the overall experience. Others suggest that a more subtle approach to humor could enhance the narrative and gameplay.
“There's no amnesia to get through, no wondering why she can't figure out that the laughing child is indeed evil; it all fits much more smoothly and leads you to a better story altogether.”
- atmosphere3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its engaging fantasy world, characterized by open locations that enhance the sense of mystery, contrasting with the more oppressive feel of its predecessor.
“Engaging fantasy world and atmosphere.”
“Very atmospheric.”
“The openness of the locations, all rimmed by sky, gives a greater sense of mystery than the oppressive atmosphere of the earlier game.”
“The game lacks any real sense of immersion; the environments feel flat and uninspired.”
“Despite the beautiful graphics, the atmosphere feels lifeless and fails to engage the player.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game suffers from poor optimization, as it is locked to a 4:3 aspect ratio and lacks support for modern display resolutions, resulting in a subpar experience on contemporary gaming PCs.
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game offers solid replayability through a fun unlockable mini-game upon completion, although the plot may be confusing for newcomers. The balanced difficulty and appropriate length also contribute positively to the overall replay experience.
“The plot is pretty incomprehensible to anyone who hasn't played the first game (like me!), but the difficulty level is good, the game is a good length, and upon completion, you unlock a replayable mini-game that is genuinely fun.”
“The variety of choices and outcomes keeps me coming back for more; every playthrough feels fresh and exciting.”
“With multiple endings and different character paths, I find myself replaying the game just to see how my decisions affect the story.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Users find the grinding aspect of the game to be somewhat tedious and lacking in creativity, though they note some improvement in the overall execution.
“The grinding in this game feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“I find the grind to be a chore rather than a rewarding experience; it just drags on.”
“The amount of grinding required to progress is overwhelming and takes away from the enjoyment of the game.”
