Lost Lands: The Golden Curse
- March 24, 2016
- FIVE-BN GAMES
In "Lost Lands: The Golden Curse," players assume the role of Susan, a housewife who finds herself in the fantasy world of Lost Lands. After meeting a child named Fiora and her great-grandfather Maaron, Susan learns that she is known for her heroic deeds in this world. She must now set out to uncover the mystery behind the cursed beasts that have awakened after a thousand years and are terrorizing the land. The game features hidden object puzzles and mini-games to solve throughout various locations in the Lost Lands.
Reviews
- The game offers a great story and an incredible amount of gameplay, providing a rich experience for casual adventure game fans.
- The graphics are beautiful and the puzzles are well-designed, with a good mix of challenge and enjoyment.
- The interactive map and hint system enhance the gameplay, making it easier to navigate and complete tasks.
- There is an excessive amount of backtracking, which can make the gameplay feel tedious and frustrating.
- The voice acting and some character dialogues are poorly executed, detracting from the overall experience.
- The game frequently interrupts with prompts to rate it, which can be annoying and disrupt immersion.
- story85 mentions
- 61 % positive mentions
- 35 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The story in "Lost Lands 3" is generally well-received, with many players appreciating its engaging narrative and the depth it adds to the gameplay, despite some criticism regarding pacing and excessive backtracking. While the storyline is described as entertaining and improved in originality, opinions vary on its execution, with some finding it lacking in depth or coherence. Overall, the game offers a solid adventure experience with a mix of interesting characters, beautiful graphics, and a variety of puzzles that enhance the storytelling.
“The new locations are more interesting and less abandoned, and the story progresses in a smoother fashion, creating a constant sense of adventure.”
“Outstanding graphics, energetic, exciting story, brain teasers, well thought out quests, it's all here, I thoroughly enjoyed it, bravo more please.”
“The story line was great, the characters fun, and I loved the puzzles and hidden object scenes.”
“The story is all over and doesn't make logical sense.”
“I enjoyed the puzzles and minigames enough to want to play through the game a couple of times, but was left disappointed with the story and characters which were a bit meh.”
“Unfortunately, like some other five-bn games, the enjoyment took a sharp downward turn about halfway through the main story, and was then completely obliterated by the insane amount of backtracking.”
- graphics49 mentions
- 73 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are consistently praised for their vibrant colors, detailed artwork, and overall beauty, with many reviewers highlighting the excellent animation and visual quality. Players appreciate the well-crafted visuals that enhance the gameplay experience, contributing to an engaging storyline and interesting puzzles. Overall, the graphics are considered a standout feature, receiving high ratings and positive remarks across multiple reviews.
“The graphics are gorgeous; the voice acting is excellent and the puzzles actually make you think.”
“Loved the vivid colors and excellent artwork.”
“The graphics, atmosphere, and playability of the game are outstanding...but what sets it apart for me is the storyline.”
“The graphics didn't change from the previous game: Susan has changed her haircut again, the Lost Lands are still full of surprises and bright colors. You're even visiting a castle that could lead to madness with many problems to solve. You're visiting floating isles: one is under the snow while the majority of them are showing a spring/summer weather... and the soundtrack didn't change too, which is also a good thing as it was good.”
“Unfortunately, there are no trading cards, which is a shame since the artwork and graphics are so detailed, colorful, and beautiful.”
“The graphics, atmosphere, and playability of the game are outstanding... but what sets it apart for me is the storyline.”
- gameplay20 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The gameplay in Lost Lands 3 features a mix of hidden object scenes, point-and-click mechanics, and a variety of puzzles, providing a solid experience typical of five-bn games. While the game offers a lengthy playtime of over seven hours, players noted significant backtracking and tedious map navigation that detracted from the overall enjoyment. Despite these drawbacks, the game is praised for its engaging story, artwork, and music, making it a worthwhile casual adventure for fans of the genre.
“Gameplay is what we can expect from five-bn games, meaning the hidden object scenes are single-screen point ‘n’ click sequences that accompany a plethora of interesting conventional puzzles.”
“It has all the parts necessary to be a good game -- good plot, good artwork, good music, and generally fun gameplay.”
“Gameplay: hidden object interactive silhouette picture scenes, a massive find and use inventory, point and click, a huge variety of puzzles and mini-games, and the absolutely necessary fast travel map.”
“Lost Lands 3 offers a great story and an incredible amount of game time for a casual adventure game with mild hidden object mechanics, but at the price of almost unbearable amounts of backtracking.”
“However, using the map for instant travel between locations, it was still a tedious bore, and I spent more time opening the map and traveling between locations than I spent on actual gameplay.”
“Nothing really changed in terms of gameplay; it's still a hidden object game, though the scenes are still silhouette ones, making it hard to achieve without misclicking or under a certain time (achievements).”
- music18 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, complementing the gameplay and enhancing the atmosphere, though it features a limited selection of recycled tracks from previous titles, which some players find disappointing. While the soundtrack is pleasant and fits the game's dark tone, its repetitiveness and lack of new compositions hint at a lack of innovation. Overall, the music adds to the experience but may not stand out as particularly memorable.
“The soundtrack adds to an overall dark atmosphere and would work in a movie as well.”
“The graphics, music, and sounds are great!”
“The music puzzles actually give the player the order of the notes before solving.”
“The music accompanies the gameplay pretty well and stays out of the way, though when you do pay attention to it, you find that it’s largely the same limited tracks playing on repeat.”
“The music is nothing special.”
“The soundtrack is recycled from previous games and no new music is added, which is something of a disappointment as it hints at recycled assets and laziness in development.”
- monetization8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized for its intrusive and excessive advertising, including casino-style ads and frequent pop-up requests for ratings. Many players find the constant interruptions and forced promotion of other games detract from the overall enjoyment, leading to a negative experience that ultimately discourages recommendations.
“The advertisement pops up in the beginning before the actual game loads.”
“However, the main thing that makes me not recommend the game is the obnoxious advertising splash image at the beginning of the game and the points during the game where a popup asks you to rate them.”
“But, the starting advertisement and the rating nag screen here just pushed the game over into not recommended territory.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that the grinding aspect of the game is largely viewed as tedious, with excessive backtracking and lengthy puzzles detracting from the overall experience. While some puzzles are clever and the inclusion of a map for instant travel helps alleviate some frustration, many players still find the gameplay to be more about navigating than engaging with the puzzles themselves.
“Two important things that may be deal breakers for some: it's loooooong almost to the point of being tedious, and there is a ton of going back and forth between locations.”
“This turned an enjoyable game into a mind-numbing, annoying, tedious bore.”
“However, using the map for instant travel between locations, it was still a tedious bore, and I spent more time opening the map and traveling between locations than I spent on actual gameplay.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game has minimal replay value, with many users noting that while it is enjoyable and challenging, it lacks incentives for repeated playthroughs. Players recommend purchasing it on sale due to its low replayability.
“Minimal replay value.”
“This is a very good and challenging game, but as with any hidden object game, buy it on sale because the replay value is low.”
“The replay value for the game is low.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is enhanced by a compelling soundtrack that contributes to a dark ambiance, making it feel cinematic. Coupled with outstanding graphics and gameplay, the overall experience is immersive, with the storyline further elevating its atmospheric quality.
“The graphics, atmosphere, and playability of the game are outstanding, but what sets it apart for me is the storyline.”
“The soundtrack adds to an overall dark atmosphere and would work in a movie as well.”
“The graphics, atmosphere, and playability of the game are outstanding... but what sets it apart for me is the storyline.”