Lost Grimoires 2: Shard of Mystery
- December 15, 2017
- World-Loom
In "Lost Grimoires 2: Shard of Mystery," players assume the role of a royal protectress searching for the missing Prince Fern. The journey leads through enchanted woods and labyrinths, solving intricate puzzles and hidden object challenges. Unearth the dark magic and curse threatening the kingdom using alchemy, in this engaging and complex adventure.
Reviews
- The game features beautiful graphics and a colorful art style that enhances the overall experience.
- The alchemy mini-game introduces a fun match-3 mechanic that adds variety to the gameplay.
- The story, while simple, is engaging and features interesting characters, making it enjoyable for casual players.
- Many puzzles are overly simplistic and repetitive, leading to a lack of challenge and engagement.
- The voice acting is inconsistent, with some characters having annoying or poorly directed performances.
- Technical issues, such as lag and bugs, detract from the overall experience and can lead to frustration.
- story102 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The story has received mixed reviews, with some players enjoying its fairy tale-like simplicity and engaging characters, while others found it bland and lacking significant plot points. Many noted that the narrative ends on a cliffhanger without resolution, and while some appreciated the interesting puzzles and production values, others criticized the repetitive dialogue and generic twists. Overall, the story serves as a basic framework to support the gameplay rather than a compelling narrative in its own right.
“The characters have real personalities, there's interesting plot twists, and even a bit of self-awareness on the game's part (the villain has a bit where they ask if they would have left you stuff to build an item if they didn't want you to do it, which, yeah! totally makes sense!).”
“Much like the first one, while some technical aspects were not as polished as others I've played (particularly the sound and dialogue translations), I was genuinely impressed by the story.”
“The production values were great, there were a surprising amount of cutscenes, the story was good, and a lot of good puzzles and hidden object gameplay overall.”
“I think my only complaint with the game was that the story ends on a cliffhanger that never gets continued.”
“The story is average: it has no significant plot points and ends with a generic twist.”
“I didn't enjoy the story with this one; the new king is a fool making bad decisions but still gets told that's all fine and dandy.”
- graphics44 mentions
- 41 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are generally well-received, featuring beautifully designed locations and detailed artwork that enhances the atmosphere. While some animations have improved, cutscenes may appear slightly blurry compared to the overall clear visuals. Overall, the graphics are described as pretty and clean, fitting well within the game's context, though they are not considered groundbreaking.
“The art style continues to impress with some beautiful locations and even a few scenes where the artists have experimented with some interesting perspectives.”
“The artwork is also intricately detailed, and a great deal of careful lighting has gone into each scene.”
“Graphics have appropriate quality: the locations are well-designed and detailed, the animations are fine.”
“Item animations have improved somewhat though and seem to have a few more frames making their movements seem a little more natural; however, cutscenes are still a little blurry compared to the clear visuals of the rest of the game.”
“Lost Grimoires 2... in terms of graphics and music, it's par for the course.”
“The graphics/artwork range from decent to evocative; the gameplay is bog-standard hidden object gameplay, but it has a few tricks up its sleeve that you may not have seen before, and the plot is serviceable (even if it never rises above the bare minimum required).”
- music34 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its orchestral soundtrack that evokes strong emotions and features a variety of styles, including beautiful harp pieces and vocal elements. Some players found the music to be genuinely fantastic and heartwarming, while others described it as merely average or even annoying. Overall, the soundtrack is noted for enhancing the game's atmosphere, contributing positively to the overall experience.
“This one has actually, genuinely fantastic music and voice actors.”
“The orchestral soundtrack vibrates with emotions.”
“From bombastic pieces that accompany action sequences, featuring horns and drums, to softer melodic pieces played upon the harp, the soundtrack encompasses a variety of keys and tones to add color and effect to the game.”
“The music is -meh, kind of annoying.”
“Lost Grimoires 2... in terms of graphics and music it's par for the course.”
“From bombastic pieces that overly action sequences, featuring horns and drums to softer melodic pieces played upon the harm, the soundtrack encompasses a variety of keys and tones to add colour and effect to the game.”
- gameplay28 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The gameplay is primarily centered around standard hidden object mechanics, enhanced by some unique features and match-3 elements that, while initially engaging, can become repetitive. Players appreciate the balance and rhythm of the gameplay, which effectively utilizes puzzles and item quests to progress the story, despite some frustrations with area transitions and character development. Overall, the mechanics are deemed complete and enjoyable, though they may not break new ground in the genre.
“Other than that, the mechanics, hidden object parts, puzzles, and questing for items to be used to advance the story remain the same.”
“However, World-Loom managed to have balanced gameplay with many good features.”
“Shard of Mystery didn’t overthink its plot too much, but it also uses its simple premise to deliver a plethora of hidden object gameplay elements to lure the player forward.”
“The use of match-3 mechanics for the alchemical spells feels like a fine addition at first, but it quickly becomes overused and tiresome.”
“The gameplay is bog-standard hidden object gameplay, but it has a few tricks up its sleeve that you may not have seen before, and the plot is serviceable (even if it never rises above the bare minimum required).”
“These area transitions can make collecting the ubiquitous collectible items something of a chore if you happen to miss one, but like in the previous game this restriction does lead to faster gameplay due to narrower sections to explore and work through, with the frustration of further simplifying an already easy game.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is described as fantastical, with an art style that complements the narrative effectively, enhancing the overall immersive experience.
“The art style is fine and it perfectly fits the atmosphere of the story.”
- character development2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate a lack of character development in the game, with multiple users expressing disappointment that characters do not evolve or grow throughout the story.
“Do not expect any character development here.”
“Do not expect any character development here.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game has low replayability, with multiple users consistently noting that there is little incentive to play it again after the initial experience.
“The replay value for the game is low.”
“The replay value for the game is low.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with multiple users citing it as the primary reason for their negative reviews. Overall, the performance issues detract from the gaming experience.
“The only reason I am giving this game a negative review is due to very poor optimization.”
“The only reason I am giving this game a negative review is due to very poor optimization.”