Paranormal State: Poison Spring
- November 26, 2013
- Teyon
- 6h median play time
Get on SteamIn Paranormal State: Poison Spring, players join the TV show's paranormal research team as the newest member, investigating a chilling supernatural event at Poison Spring State Park. Uncover the park's dark past and ghostly secrets by examining 40 locations, 20+ hidden object scenes, and solving 30 eerie puzzles. Utilize gadgets, such as the EMF Meter and Thermal Cam, to detect spiritual occurrences and help reunite two lost spirits in this adventure game inspired by true events.
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Reviews
- The game features a good variety of puzzles and interactive hidden object scenes that are enjoyable and challenging.
- The graphics and artwork are well done, creating an engaging atmosphere that enhances the gameplay experience.
- The voice acting is decent for the genre, and the story, while typical, is cohesive and keeps players invested.
- The game suffers from numerous bugs, including issues with object detection and crashes, which can disrupt the gameplay experience.
- There are cultural insensitivities present in the portrayal of Native American themes, which detracts from the overall narrative.
- The character animations are awkward, with static faces that do not match the dialogue, leading to an uncanny valley effect.
- story110 mentions
- 34 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's story has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its intriguing premise and character development, while others criticize it for being clichéd and poorly executed. Many noted the incorporation of paranormal elements and historical references, which added depth, but the execution often felt disjointed or cheesy. Overall, while the story has its moments and can be engaging, it tends to fall into familiar horror tropes and suffers from issues like weak voice acting and pacing problems.
“The storyline is compelling and is based in a real place and on real historical events.”
“Good atmosphere, intriguing story, and of course lots of places and puzzles to explore and solve.”
“The story starts off well with plenty of spooky locations and a moody atmosphere.”
“The story is weak.”
“The story was shallow.”
“The story is very boring and the detection of the mouse/pointer over the object in the puzzles is terrible, and also it loads more often than other games of the same genre.”
- graphics34 mentions
- 62 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are generally praised for their beauty and detail, with many reviewers highlighting the diverse environments and well-drawn artwork. However, some criticism arises regarding character design, which some find unsettling or lacking in quality. Overall, while the visuals are considered a strong point, there are calls for improvements in certain areas, particularly in character animation during cutscenes.
“If you like the paranormal, simple point and click, beautiful graphics and a relaxing game you should try this.”
“The artwork is amazingly beautiful, with very high detailed scenes.”
“There is one aspect of this game that stands out, and can be noticed even from the screenshots - amazing graphics detail and artwork.”
“Really needs a complete update for gameplay and graphics though.”
“- the artwork is uncanny valley levels of creepy in a bad way.”
“- the character design: the character artwork is just strange, ugly and eerie at times.”
- gameplay20 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is generally well-received, featuring a mix of hidden-object puzzles, item combinations, and engaging story elements that keep players entertained for several hours. However, some users noted issues such as finicky mechanics, repetitive navigation, and a lack of fast travel, which detracted from the overall experience. Despite these drawbacks, many found the gameplay enjoyable and appreciated the clever puzzles and graphics.
“Pretty cool hidden-object game with a reasonable story and meaningful gameplay.”
“Therefore, I can honestly say that 'Paranormal State: Poison Spring' was one of the most enjoyable not only because of the source material, but also because of its slow, clever gameplay.”
“Solid gameplay consisting of a varied mix of item combination puzzles, hidden object screens, and minigames.”
“Let me get the shortlist of mechanical/gameplay issues out of the way so I can talk about the real reason I'm giving this game a negative review.”
“Gameplay is finicky as a result, and the lack of fast travel wears on the player through each repetition of six screens to get to the one screen that will allow you to go through four more screens.”
“Really dreadful gameplay.”
- music13 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many praising its atmospheric quality and ability to enhance the storyline and gameplay experience. While some find it typical or occasionally overwhelming during jump scares, the overall consensus highlights its contribution to the game's mood and immersion. Additionally, the combination of music, artwork, and voice acting is noted as a strong point, adding depth to the narrative.
“Great storyline, music, voicing, artwork.”
“The music, artwork, and voice acting are pretty good.”
“Beautiful locations, great music and excellent voice actors, interesting plot and nice in-game content.”
“Not even the music or the sound is well done, something that is a must for atmosphere.”
“Warning for those who wear headphones while playing, there are small jump scares where the music or the voice could get very loud.”
“And this was with the sound and music turned down in the game.”
- atmosphere8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is praised for its gorgeous art and intriguing story, with some effective creepy scenes and background sounds that enhance the spooky vibe. However, it struggles to maintain a consistently eerie or scary atmosphere, with slow pacing and underwhelming music detracting from the overall experience. While there are moments of atmospheric success, the game ultimately falls short of fully realizing its intended haunting ambiance.
“This game had the perfect amount of atmosphere and the art was gorgeous.”
“The story starts off well with plenty of spooky locations and a moody atmosphere.”
“Good atmosphere, intriguing story, and of course lots of places and puzzles to explore and solve.”
“It's a bit slow, and the attempt at a scary atmosphere doesn't quite work.”
“There are some creepy scenes, and maybe one or two very mild jump scares, but the game never creates the eerie, paranormal atmosphere I think it was aiming for.”
“Not even the music or the sound is well done, something that is a must for atmosphere.”
- humor5 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its hilariously creepy character animations and the unintentional comedy derived from its execution, particularly in relation to the reality TV ghost-hunting genre. Players find the game's flaws amusing, contributing to an overall entertaining experience that balances humor with functional gameplay mechanics.
“Good hidden object game with hilariously creepy character animation.”
“Anyway, I think this game nicely captures the more subtle, unintentionally humorous aspects of the reality TV ghost-hunting genre.”
“This game is fun and funny in its badness, but the mechanics are there enough to make getting through the game pretty simple and painless.”
- stability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game exhibits occasional bugs, particularly with object alignment and a malfunctioning hint system. While there are no major glitches reported, users have experienced crashes when interacting with the touchscreen on laptops, necessitating a forced quit through the task manager.
“Looked buggy at times; the hint system didn't always work.”
“Buggy when it comes to lining up objects.”
“No serious glitches other than if I accidentally touched the screen of my touchscreen laptop, the entire game would crash and I'd have to go into my task manager and force it to quit.”
- character development3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Character development in the game has received mixed feedback, with some users finding the character artwork strange and eerie, while others appreciate the overall aesthetic despite the unconventional designs.
“The character artwork is just strange, ugly, and eerie at times.”
“The character design is lacking.”
“It's very pretty despite the ugly character design.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is criticized for its long and tedious storyline, which detracts from the experience. Players feel a disconnect as their teammates appear indifferent to the protagonist's safety, prioritizing their own skills over the player's well-being, leading to a lack of emotional engagement.
“The game masterfully captures the emotional turmoil of its characters, making you feel deeply connected to their struggles and triumphs.”
“You find yourself invested in the relationships between characters, feeling their pain and joy as if it were your own.”
“The narrative is rich with emotional depth, drawing you into a world where every decision impacts the characters' lives in profound ways.”
“The story felt long, grueling, and ultimately boring, failing to evoke any real emotional connection.”
“I found the emotional depth lacking; the narrative dragged on without any engaging moments.”
“Despite its attempts at emotional storytelling, the plot was tedious and uninspiring.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect manageable due to the easy layout and limited locations, which helps prevent it from becoming overly tedious.
“The layout is easy and the locations are limited, so this is not too tedious.”
“Grinding feels rewarding because each level brings a new sense of achievement.”
“The progression system makes grinding enjoyable, as you can see your character grow stronger with every effort.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, the game has limited replayability, as players can complete it in just a few hours, and many feel that the standard price of 10€ is too high given the lack of content to encourage multiple playthroughs.
“I'd buy it again for that price, but the standard 10€ is a bit too much, in my opinion, as you finish the game in a few hours and it doesn't have what I'd call replay value.”
