Portal of Evil: Stolen Runes Collector's Edition

About

In "Portal of Evil: Stolen Runes Collector's Edition," Vanessa, heiress of Abraham Van Helsing, seeks to stop an ancient evil by finding stolen runes. She travels to Italy, following clues left by her grandfather, and must open doors to other worlds and times to find powerful artifacts. With over 60 locations, 45 mini-games, and 26 HOG scenes, players must help Vanessa on her quest to save the world from darkness.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Portal of Evil: Stolen Runes Collector's Edition screenshot

91%

Audience ScoreBased on 235 reviews

story71 positive mentions

replayability3 negative mentions

Engaging story with beautiful graphics and a captivating atmosphere.
Variety of puzzles and hidden object scenes, including unique reverse hidden object mechanics.
Smooth gameplay with a helpful map for fast travel and hints.

Voice acting is often poor and can detract from immersion.
Some puzzles can be frustratingly difficult or illogical, leading to potential confusion.
The ending feels abrupt and leaves many questions unanswered, suggesting a lack of resolution.

story
178 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
54%
6%
The story of "Portal of Evil: Stolen Runes" is generally well-received, featuring a captivating narrative with well-developed characters and intriguing twists that keep players engaged throughout the gameplay. While some reviews note that the plot can be predictable and contains a few clichés typical of hidden object games, the atmospheric design and solid voice acting enhance the overall experience. However, there are criticisms regarding abrupt endings and a lack of resolution without the bonus chapter, which some players feel detracts from the story's impact.
- “Portal of Evil: Stolen Runes is a captivating blend of atmospheric design, clever puzzles, and rich storytelling.”
- “The characters are well-developed, each with their own backstory that adds depth to the plot and keeps you invested in their fates.”
- “The story is compelling, with well-developed characters and intriguing twists.”
- “The overall story was about average for a hidden object game, but the ending was rather disappointing.”
- “However, the story ultimately leads nowhere, ending on a very flat and disappointing note.”
- “The story is ok, but the dialog, English voice acting, and characterization are atrocious, even for the low standards of this genre!”
graphics
95 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
73%
24%
3%
The graphics in the game are generally praised for their beauty and detail, with many reviewers highlighting the immersive and atmospheric visuals that enhance the gameplay experience. While some noted that the graphics can appear dated or inconsistent, particularly in certain scenes, the overall artistic quality and engaging artwork received high marks, contributing to a compelling narrative. Despite minor technical issues on some systems, the visuals are considered a strong point of the game, with many players appreciating the hand-drawn backgrounds and vibrant color palettes.
- “Its engaging narrative and detailed visuals draw you into a world of mystery and intrigue, despite minor flaws in pacing and voice acting.”
- “A visually beautiful hidden objects adventure, 8floor's games always having the most beautiful artwork in this genre, I loved every scene of this quite large game which took me around 8 hours to beat.”
- “The graphics are great, with beautiful backgrounds and realistic lighting.”
- “It's just normal for hidden object games, like those Artifex Mundi games. This game's graphics are towards a realistic style; however, for some odd reason, this game runs poorly on my system.”
- “There's next to no customizability, and the graphical assets are somewhat low resolution.”
- “Lightly smudged artwork and graphics in adventure play.”
music
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
66%
27%
7%
The music in *Portals of Evil: Stolen Runes* is widely praised for its beauty and ability to enhance the game's atmosphere, with many reviewers highlighting its orchestral quality and dramatic undertones. The soundtrack complements the engaging visuals and story, creating an immersive experience that players find captivating. While some tracks are noted as repetitive, the overall consensus is that the music significantly contributes to the game's appeal, making it a standout feature.
- “The music sets the atmosphere well and there is also full voice acting.”
- “Every object has its very fitting signature sound and every scene its own environment sound which really sets the atmosphere with the gorgeous renderings, the icing on the cake is a symphonic soundtrack perfectly capturing the mood and mystery.”
- “The amazing artwork and the great soundtrack, combined with an interesting story make this game one of the best of this genre.”
- “As the final notes of the soundtrack fade into silence, 'Portals of Evil: Stolen Runes' leaves you wanting more.”
- “Oh, and then the music turned ominous.”
- “The music was not disturbing and was giving atmosphere, and also was not imposing.”
gameplay
43 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
60%
7%
The gameplay in "Portal of Evil: Stolen Runes" is generally praised for its smoothness and engaging mechanics, featuring cleverly designed puzzles and a variety of hidden object scenes that enhance the experience. While some puzzles can be frustratingly difficult and illogical, the overall gameplay is enjoyable, with a solid story and beautiful graphics contributing to a robust playtime of around 5 to 7 hours, including a bonus chapter. Despite some traditional elements and backtracking issues, players appreciate the game's polished visuals and the inclusion of a strategy guide for assistance.
- “The gameplay is smooth and engaging, with puzzles that are cleverly designed to challenge your mind without causing frustration.”
- “With over 6 hours of gameplay, Portal of Evil is quite a robust game with all the elements that I love – a compelling story, half-decent graphics, a variety of fun and interesting mini-games, and a pretty great map.”
- “There's nothing groundbreaking about the game, but the graphics are lovely, the story interesting, and gameplay entertaining enough that I thoroughly enjoyed myself while playing.”
- “Puzzle mechanics that are frustrating to interact with, using illogical items to solve simple tasks then tossing them away only to have to find them again.”
- “Some puzzles are hard as hell, I had to use the guide throughout the gameplay; some puzzles make no sense.”
- “The rest of the gameplay is traditional, although the backtracking is worse than most (there are portal areas, but gameplay goes back to the base area while in them).”
atmosphere
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
68%
16%
16%
The atmosphere in *Portals of Evil: Stolen Runes* is widely praised for its immersive and detailed design, complemented by a haunting orchestral soundtrack that enhances the game's mood. Players appreciate the blend of engaging visuals, clever puzzles, and a rich narrative that creates a captivating and sometimes ominous environment. Overall, the game's atmosphere effectively draws players into its intriguing and eerie world, making it a standout feature.
- “From the moment you start, 'Portals of Evil: Stolen Runes' immerses you in an environment rich with atmosphere.”
- “The game features immersive and detailed visuals that draw you in.”
- “Every object has its very fitting signature sound and every scene its own environment sound which really sets the atmosphere with the gorgeous renderings, the icing on the cake is a symphonic soundtrack perfectly capturing the mood and mystery.”
- “Ominous atmosphere”
- “Weird things are happening, quickly a dark atmosphere covers it up, with rain and thunder, strange beasts, evil, and so on.”
- “The music sets the atmosphere well and there is also full voice acting.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
Overall, the game's replayability is considered low, with several users noting a lack of incentive to replay it. While some players found moments of enjoyment and nostalgia, the consensus is that the game does not offer significant replay value.
- “I think I played it a long time ago, as there were some moments of déjà vu, but it was still an enjoyable experience that even has some replay value given the story and events.”
- “No replayability.”
- “No replayability.”
- “The replay value for the game is low.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a deep emotional connection to the game, highlighting moments that evoke strong feelings such as heartwarming reunions and fearful encounters, often contrasting these intense experiences with a stoic demeanor. This juxtaposition enhances the emotional impact, making the gameplay resonate on a personal level.
- “I cried aloud to the game developers.”
- “Imagine a heartwarming reunion with a poker face, a fearful encounter with a poker face, a surprise with a poker face.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as cheap yet effective, eliciting genuine laughter from players despite a familiar and nonsensical storyline. The absurdity of the characters' acceptance of bizarre elements like time portals and fantastical beasts adds to the comedic charm, making it an enjoyable experience.
- “At least it made me laugh.”
- “Story-wise, it's the same mumbo jumbo as always in these games, and I'm always laughing at how the protagonists are okay with time portals, beasts from beyond, or whatever you throw at them.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
50%
The game features polished visuals and gameplay, but users report significant optimization issues, particularly for a budget title. Overall, while the game is well-crafted, its performance leaves much to be desired.
- “Despite the wooden performance of the voice actors, the game itself is very nicely done and polished.”
- “For a cheap hog game, it is horribly optimized.”
- “Tl;dr - for a cheap hog game, it is horribly optimized.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
150%
The stability of the game is polarizing, with some users reporting significant bugs and glitches, while others experience a smooth, glitch-free experience.
- “The game runs smoothly without any glitches or bugs.”
- “I haven't encountered any stability issues; everything works perfectly.”
- “The performance is solid, with no crashes or interruptions.”
- “It's one hell of a buggy mess.”
- “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable.”
- “I experienced constant frame drops and stability issues.”