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.
Reviews
- The game offers a nostalgic experience for fans of old school hidden object games.
- Some mini-games provide enjoyable challenges, particularly the riddles.
- The game has a straightforward navigation system and a calming atmosphere.
- The gameplay is repetitive, with many puzzles being reused throughout the game.
- The story is linear and lacks depth, making it unengaging.
- The graphics are dated and can be difficult to see clearly, detracting from the overall experience.
- story9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The story has received mixed reviews, with many finding it straightforward, generic, and lacking depth, often conveyed through static images and speech bubbles. While some players appreciated its simplicity and connection to gameplay elements, others criticized it for being linear and unengaging, culminating in a cliffhanger that left them unsatisfied. Overall, the narrative aspect appears to be a weak point, overshadowed by the game's other shortcomings.
“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.”
“The story was pretty straightforward and mostly followed image stills with speech bubbles, which were fine.”
“No dialogue, the story was pretty generic and very short.”
- graphics6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The graphics are described as somewhat dated and gritty, which can make navigation challenging at times, but the colorful artwork and calm music enhance the overall experience. While some users found the graphics to be a drawback, they appreciated the engaging story and additional features like a journal and hints that contributed positively to gameplay.
“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.”
- music4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally described as calm and pleasant, contributing positively to the overall atmosphere, though some users found it to be slow and unengaging. While many appreciate the combination of music and colorful artwork, there are mixed feelings regarding the overall quality, with a few reviewers expressing dissatisfaction.
“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 are great.”
“I liked the setting; the puzzles were just okay, but the music was nice and the art was okay.”
“It's just bad: art, story, music; everything is annoyingly slow and the hidden object puzzles are a joke.”
“The music is forgettable and doesn't add anything to the overall experience.”
- gameplay1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The gameplay has been criticized for being uninteresting, with some users also finding the story lacking.
“The story is pretty lame and the gameplay is not really interesting.”
