Joan Jade and the Gates of Xibalba
- March 7, 2019
- Artifex Mundi
- 2h median play time
Get on SteamIn "Joan Jade and the Gates of Xibalba," become archaeologist Joan Jade on a perilous quest through a dangerous jungle and ancient Mayan ruins to save your children. Locate 240 hidden objects, overcome 82 puzzles, and enjoy 30 immersive environments in this captivating adventure, complete with 12 cutscenes and 19 trophies to collect. Overcome challenges and uncover a suspenseful story with Joan Jade, while honing your observational skills.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a nostalgic old school feel, appealing to fans of classic hidden object games.
- Some mini-games, like the riddles, provide enjoyable challenges and the overall gameplay is smooth.
- The artwork and music are appreciated, contributing to a relaxing gaming experience.
- The gameplay is repetitive, with many puzzles being reused throughout the game, leading to boredom.
- The story is linear and lacks depth, making it unengaging and leaving players unsatisfied with the cliffhanger ending.
- The graphics are dated and can be difficult to see clearly, detracting from the overall experience.
- story18 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 22 % negative mentions
The story is generally perceived as weak and generic, often described as straightforward and linear, with minimal dialogue and reliance on image stills. While some players appreciated its old-school charm and found it engaging enough to continue, many criticized it for being short, lacking depth, and failing to enhance the gameplay experience. The narrative concludes with a cliffhanger, leaving some players curious but overall dissatisfied with the storytelling quality.
“Oh and the story ends in a cliffhanger.”
“Old school, graphics gritty but I liked the story and it didn't frustrate me enough to quit.”
“The hidden object scenes pertain to the story and action, for example, finding broken statue pieces and putting them on the correct statues.”
“The story is pretty lame and the gameplay is not really interesting.”
“No dialogue, the story was pretty generic and very short.”
“It's a collection of 5 or 6 minigames joined very loosely by a very linear story.”
- graphics12 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The graphics are described as somewhat dated and gritty, which can make navigation and detail recognition challenging. However, the colorful artwork and calming music are praised, contributing positively to the overall experience despite the old-school aesthetic. Some users noted issues with custom mouse settings affecting graphics clarity, but the engaging story and gameplay elements helped mitigate these concerns.
“You have a nice journal, win trophies, hint/skip feature, thorough explanations of the puzzles & mini-games, calm music, and colorful, clear artwork.”
“The artwork and music is great.”
“Old school, graphics gritty but I liked the story and it didn't frustrate me enough to quit.”
“Each area is pretty contained, so navigating through the game was pretty smooth, even though the game graphics are a bit dated and make it a little difficult to notice some things.”
“I had to turn off the custom mouse option in the menu since it was distorting the game graphics while hovered over an area.”
“It's not even the graphics.”
- music8 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally described as calm and nice, contributing positively to the overall atmosphere. While some users appreciate the quality of the music and its alignment with the game's setting, others find it slow and unengaging, indicating a mixed reception. Overall, the music is seen as a pleasant aspect, though not universally praised.
“You have a nice journal, win trophies, hint/skip feature, thorough explanations of the puzzles & mini-games, calm music, and colorful, clear artwork.”
“The artwork and music is great.”
“I liked the setting, puzzles were just ok, music was nice, art was ok.”
“It's just bad: art, story, music: everything is annoyingly slow and the hops are a joke.”
- gameplay2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The gameplay has been criticized for being unengaging and lacking depth, with many users finding it uninspiring.
“The story is pretty lame and the gameplay is not really interesting.”
