Riddles Of The Past

About

In "Riddles of the Past," explore an abandoned town with 50+ locations, interact with robots and mechanisms, and solve puzzles to uncover the intriguing story of Emily Hanson. Features two difficulty levels, an interactive map with clues, and uncommon uses of objects in a mystery-filled post-apocalyptic atmosphere. Game includes 25 achievements and has no time limits.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

66%

Audience ScoreBased on 97 reviews

story23 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

The artwork and graphics are visually appealing, with a nice comic style and good animations.
The gameplay is straightforward and casual, making it accessible for players of all ages.
The game features a unique approach to hidden object mechanics, integrating item collection into the overall gameplay rather than traditional hidden object scenes.

The story is clichéd and lacks depth, often feeling juvenile and unengaging.
Many puzzles are overly simplistic, leading to a lack of challenge and engagement for experienced players.
The hint system, represented by an animated dog, is distracting and annoying, detracting from the overall experience.

story
71 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
55%
13%
The story in this game has received largely negative feedback, with many reviewers describing it as melodramatic, predictable, and poorly executed. While some found elements of the plot interesting or enjoyable, the overall consensus is that the narrative is clichéd, silly, and often cringeworthy, detracting from the gameplay experience. Despite a few positive remarks about the art and puzzles, the story is generally viewed as a significant weakness of the game.
- “I enjoyed the crazy robot story and appreciated how the gameplay prevented me from doing certain things until I had already completed some other steps.”
- “Interesting story, nice art style, good music.”
- “The main story is a bit silly but it gives you a reason to wander around a semi-abandoned town and solve puzzles.”
- “The story is very very bad.”
- “This game should be free as it is very badly done, especially the story which is just stupid... seriously, I have no other way of describing it.”
- “The voice acting is wooden and the story is way too far-fetched to be taken seriously, making me laugh at a potential sequel as hinted at the ending.”
graphics
35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
66%
26%
9%
The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the bright and colorful artwork, as well as the appealing character and environment designs. However, some users noted issues with low-quality graphics that caused objects to blend into the background, making them difficult to find. Overall, while the visuals are generally considered good and well-executed, they are not without their flaws, and some players felt that the graphics could have been improved further.
- “I enjoyed the art style in the comic cutscenes.”
- “The artwork is bright and colorful, and the layouts are easy to navigate.”
- “A beautiful hidden object game with a great post-apocalyptic background; the graphics and imagery are fantastic.”
- “Sometimes I noticed that it was hard to find some objects because they blend into the background due to the graphics being a little bit low quality and items being the same color as the background, but I don't think I had to use Google not even once.”
- “The only big con was the change in graphics mode.”
- “Gameplay is okay, graphics too, but the story ruined it all.”
gameplay
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
67%
17%
The gameplay is a mixed bag, featuring unique mechanics that deviate from traditional hidden object games, such as pop-up circles for inventory placement. However, many players find the overall experience lacking in challenge and depth, with linear gameplay and repetitive elements leading to boredom. While some appreciate the innovative approach, the game is often criticized for being too simplistic and not engaging enough to warrant a full recommendation.
- “This breaks somewhat from the typical mechanics of other hidden object games, and adds some variety to the genre.”
- “This is one of my favorite hidden object game mechanics: pop-up circles where you have to place the inventory pieces either on the correct circle or in the center circle to fix machines, doors, etc.”
- “The game mechanics are different from the normal hidden object games as there are no dedicated hidden object scenes.”
- “Overall gameplay difficulty is a concern.”
- “It's a fine mechanic, but because it is essentially the game giving you the answers and you just need to find the objects, it just makes for a game that is light on the thinking side.”
- “Linear gameplay provides some of the most boring highlights of any hidden object game played to date.”
music
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
31%
19%
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many players appreciating the pleasant soundtrack and decent voice acting. However, some reviewers noted that the music can become repetitive over time, with a limited variety of tracks throughout the gameplay. Overall, while the music enhances the experience, its lack of diversity may detract from long sessions.
- “I liked the artwork and ambient music.”
- “Interesting story, nice art style, good music.”
- “Aside from that, I did enjoy playing this game - the artwork is well executed and the music is pleasant.”
- “But I found the puzzles to be quite simple, the music that is the same throughout the entire game (really?), there are no hot scenes, and the bulk of the game is finding components to game items (the pop-up circle puzzles).”
- “The one music track played throughout the entire game is nice, but incredibly repetitive after a few hours of gameplay.”
- “The art style was okay, the music was simple and after a while a bit annoying but I can deal with that.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
Reviews indicate that the grinding aspect of the game is largely characterized by a frustrating balance of overly simplistic puzzles and tedious mini-games, leading to a lack of engagement. While some players found certain puzzles manageable, the overall experience is marred by a sense of repetitiveness and a lack of challenge.
- “The story was painful and the puzzles tedious.”
- “The puzzles were 95% insultingly simple and 5% tedious and/or difficult to understand.”
- “The mini games are either obnoxiously tedious or painfully easy.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has minimal replay value, with users rating it a low 2 out of 10 for replayability.
- “Minimal replay value.”
- “Replay value: 2/10.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
50%
The game's atmosphere is highlighted as a strong point, with its modern, abandoned city overtaken by robots effectively creating a post-apocalyptic feel. However, some players found the atmosphere lacking due to issues with the story and puzzle logic, which detracted from their overall experience.
- “The game is entertaining, and the setting in a modern, abandoned city taken over by robots creates a captivating post-apocalyptic atmosphere that I really enjoyed.”
- “The atmosphere is incredibly immersive, with the haunting remnants of civilization blending seamlessly with the robotic presence.”
- “Every corner of the game world is filled with a sense of desolation and mystery, enhancing the overall experience.”
- “I admit the game was rather cheap, the graphics were okay, but I didn't like the story, I didn't like the riddles, I didn't like the atmosphere, and in some parts the logic behind each step is hard to grasp (you open the safe to find a piece of a puzzle to get the key that will open a toolbox or something like that).”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The emotional aspect of the game is largely criticized due to a boring storyline and poor voice acting, which detracts from the overall engagement and connection players feel with the characters and narrative.
- “The storyline was dull and failed to evoke any real emotions, and the voice acting was subpar.”
- “I found the emotional depth lacking; it felt more like a chore than an engaging experience.”
- “The characters were unrelatable, making it hard to connect with their emotional journeys.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, while the game offers enjoyable puzzles, some users report stability issues, including bugs related to physics that can affect gameplay, such as objects falling through solid surfaces.
- “Some of the puzzles are far too simple (easily solved just by iterating through the possibilities) and some are a bit buggy (like little physics issues, with balls falling through solid wood, etc.), but all in all, they were enjoyable.”