Forgotten Places: Lost Circus

43%
Game Brain Score Based on 42 reviews
  • story
  • music
  • graphics
Forgotten Places: Lost Circus Game Cover
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In "Forgotten Places: Lost Circus," Joy is plagued by recurring nightmares of a mysterious circus and embarks on a journey to uncover the source of her distress. Explore an abandoned circus, solve puzzles, engage in mini-games, and collect items to help Joy uncover her forgotten past in this Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure game. Delve into a hauntingly beautiful environment with the option of Casual or Expert mode.

  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

43%
Audience ScoreBased on 42 reviews
music8 positive mentions
gameplay3 negative mentions
  • The game features a variety of hidden object puzzles that can be challenging and enjoyable for fans of the genre.
  • The visuals and atmosphere are well-designed, particularly the contrast between the spooky abandoned circus and the colorful flashbacks.
  • The music is relaxing and fits the game's theme, enhancing the overall experience.
  • The story is weak and often feels disjointed, with a lack of depth and coherence that leaves players unsatisfied.
  • The game suffers from technical issues, including poor UI, unresponsive controls, and a lack of customization options, making gameplay frustrating.
  • Many hidden objects are too small or poorly defined, leading to tedious pixel hunting that detracts from the enjoyment.
  • story45 mentions

    The story in this game is generally perceived as weak and underdeveloped, revolving around the protagonist's quest to find a missing tiger cub within a circus setting. While some players appreciate the game's visuals and music, many find the plot tedious, lacking coherence, and ultimately unsatisfying, with a mix of childlike themes and adult-level puzzles that fail to engage. Overall, the narrative is described as mediocre, with little emotional impact and a frustratingly slow progression.

    • “Overall story arc is fun, you're trying to catch a tiger cub which leads you all around a circus from your dreams.”
    • “Tormented by dreams of a circus, Joy decides to go on a quest to seek its location only to find a grim version of the vivid circus from her dreams, now abandoned and in ruins.”
    • “The story constantly shifts between scenes from the dark present and colorful snapshots of the once lively circus, which slowly appear to be real memories rather than figments of her imagination.”
    • “It's not an awful game, but the main plot (searching for an animal) is very long-winded, and by the end of the game, I still have no idea what happened story-wise.”
    • “The story isn't really there -- it's like they had some ideas and just didn't fully follow through.”
    • “The story is ridiculous - even for a hidden object game - and quite forgettable.”
  • music16 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its atmospheric qualities and fitting themes, particularly in spooky or circus settings. However, many users criticize the soundtrack for being repetitive and lacking variety, which can detract from the overall experience. Overall, while the music is often described as nice and enjoyable, it tends to become monotonous over time.

    • “It's very lovely to look at, the music is nice, it's a cute story, and best of all it's a circus setting, so that made me like it right away.”
    • “Firstly to start off, I really enjoyed the graphics, and the background music I found relaxing and enjoyable to listen to.”
    • “Some pieces of music can be very fitting to the atmosphere, especially to the abandoned circus sections.”
    • “The music is repetitive with little variety and gets old fast - completely the opposite of regained castle.”
    • “Boring repetitive music.”
    • “Music is pretty repetitive, seems like it loops quickly.”
  • graphics12 mentions

    The graphics received mixed reviews, with some players praising the solid visuals and appealing artwork, particularly in specific scenes like the dark circus. However, others criticized the lack of resolution options and the quality of the hidden object scenes, noting that the objects were often too small and difficult to locate. Overall, while the visuals are generally appreciated, there are significant concerns regarding usability and clarity.

    • “Firstly, to start off, I really enjoyed the graphics, and the background music I found relaxing and enjoyable to listen to.”
    • “The visuals look really, really nice and solid.”
    • “Graphically good for this kind of game with many objects hard to find, and I liked that some sceneries have multiple hidden places with more places to find the requested objects.”
    • “There's no option to change the resolution and no useful graphics tweaks.”
    • “The artwork in the hidden object scenes is not very good; the objects you are supposed to find are tiny and hard to see, and the text labels are confusing.”
    • “A nice contrast between black and white, sad graphics and colorful happy ones... the puzzles are easy, even with the hardest difficulty.”
  • gameplay7 mentions

    The gameplay is primarily focused on solving hidden object scenes in a linear format, with limited movement between locations and a few mini-puzzles. Players can expect around 3-4 hours of gameplay, but the inability to revisit areas can make collecting all 57 collectibles stressful. While some find the gameplay boring, others appreciate the challenge, especially at a price of $3.

    • “$3 is a decent price for this title, considering that it offers around 3-4 hours of gameplay and accessible achievements (if you play on expert mode, without hints or skipping the puzzles).”
    • “Expect around 3 hours of gameplay.”
    • “The gameplay is boring to me.”
    • “You can't move between different locations, and the whole gameplay is limited to solving hidden object scenes one after another, with a few mini-puzzles in between.”
    • “Considering that there are 57 collectibles to find, this setup makes the gameplay rather stressful for someone who wants to obtain the achievement for gathering all collectibles without checking a guide: if you miss one, you'll probably have to start all over, since there's no possibility to go back and revisit previous locations.”
  • atmosphere5 mentions

    The game effectively contrasts the eerie ambiance of the abandoned circus with the vibrant, cheerful atmosphere of the real circus, creating a dynamic experience. The atmospheric music enhances these settings, particularly complementing the haunting elements of the abandoned circus. Overall, the atmosphere is praised for its immersive and fitting soundscapes.

    • “The game switches between the spooky, atmospheric abandoned circus and the very cheery and garish real circus.”
    • “I really like the atmosphere of the places, especially the abandoned circus sections.”
    • “Some pieces of music can be very fitting to the atmosphere, especially in the abandoned circus sections.”
    • “The atmosphere feels lifeless and uninspired, making it hard to immerse myself in the game.”
    • “Despite some interesting locations, the overall atmosphere lacks depth and fails to evoke any real emotion.”
    • “The game tries to create a spooky atmosphere, but it often falls flat and feels more cliché than chilling.”
  • grinding5 mentions

    Players find that while some grinding elements, particularly in mini-game puzzle segments, can be tedious and lack challenge, the overall engaging story and enjoyable minigames help to offset this frustration.

    • “It's extremely tedious just to find 17-19 items that have little to no use to the story, and some items don’t even make sense or even lie to you!”
    • “Several 'mini-game' puzzle segments are just plain tedious and not actually challenging.”
    • “Some sections can get a bit tedious.”
  • stability3 mentions

    The game suffers from significant stability issues, including numerous bugs and glitches that detract from the experience. Players express disappointment with the lack of troubleshooting resources and a slow storyline, further compounding their frustration. Overall, the game's stability is a major concern for users.

    • “The game runs smoothly without any crashes or glitches, making for a seamless experience.”
    • “I've played for hours without encountering any stability issues; it's refreshing to have such reliability.”
    • “The consistent performance of the game allows me to fully immerse myself without worrying about technical problems.”
    • “The storyline is slow, and there are bugs and glitches; I'm just very disappointed.”
    • “An annoying and buggy hidden-object game.”
    • “No tips, no troubleshooting, and no links to actual game footage of the solution.”
  • monetization1 mentions

    The monetization of "Forgotten Places: Lost Circus" has been criticized as a cash grab, with users feeling that it is a poorly ported mobile app rather than a genuine PC game, reflecting a lack of value for players.

    • “Forgotten Places: Lost Circus is a mobile app that's been dumped on Steam as if it were a real PC game. It's a cash grab from greedy mobile developers.”
    • “The monetization in this game is outrageous; it feels like every feature is locked behind a paywall.”
    • “I can't believe how much they charge for basic content. It ruins the experience and feels exploitative.”
  • emotional1 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is criticized for its lackluster storytelling, with many players finding the narrative boring and the ending unsatisfying.

    • “The story was incredibly dull and the ending was utterly ridiculous.”
    • “I felt no emotional connection to the characters or their struggles.”
    • “The attempts at emotional depth fell flat and felt forced.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

3hMedian play time
3hAverage play time
3-4hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 3 analyzed playthroughs

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