Yuletide Legends: Who Framed Santa Claus
- December 12, 2019
- Brave Giant LTD
Get on Steam"Yuletide Legends: Who Framed Santa Claus" is a single-player mystery point and click game with a good plot and attractive visuals. As detective Brigitte Woolf, you must investigate the theft of Santa's voice and the accusations against him, while interacting with various magical characters such as the Snow Queen, Jack Frost, and Krampus. The game features almost 30 puzzles and 35 winter-themed locations to explore.
Reviews
- The game features a variety of innovative puzzles and hidden object scenes that are enjoyable for puzzle enthusiasts.
- The graphics and art design are beautiful, creating a festive and cozy atmosphere that captures the spirit of Christmas.
- The game is relaxing and suitable for casual play, making it a great choice for the holiday season.
- The story is shallow and lacks depth, making the gameplay feel repetitive and unengaging.
- Voice acting is often criticized as being poor and overly enthusiastic, which detracts from the overall experience.
- Many puzzles are too easy or nonsensical, leading to frustration rather than challenge, and some hidden object scenes can be confusing.
- story64 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The story in this game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it shallow and cliché, often revolving around typical holiday themes like saving Santa or Christmas. While some appreciated the humor and twists in the narrative, others criticized the dialogue and voice acting as subpar, leading to an overall perception of the story as mediocre or overly simplistic. Despite its flaws, a few players enjoyed the whimsical elements and found the bonus chapter to be a charming addition.
“The story was much more interesting and in-depth than I thought it would be, keeping my attention as I went through all the scenes.”
“I had a good time with this one, the story was interesting and there was a fun variety of characters.”
“Of course, it has a completely ridiculous story, but in this case, it seemed to know it was silly and played it up in a fun and entertaining way instead of the more typical hidden object game where you also have a ridiculous story but the game tries to present it more seriously.”
“It gets extremely annoying; the game is practically a chain of multi-part puzzles most likely due to the shallow storyline.”
“The story is lackluster, some of the voice acting is criminal, and generally it doesn’t offer much of a challenge.”
“Sadly, the story of the game is a weak point.”
- music18 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The music in the game is described as beautiful, festive, and calming, effectively enhancing the Christmas theme and atmosphere. While many players enjoyed the original compositions and found the music relaxing, some noted that it became repetitive over time, suggesting a need for more variety. Overall, the music contributes positively to the game's experience, particularly during the holiday season.
“A beautiful Christmas-themed hidden-object game with lovely music which a Christmas fan like me really enjoyed.”
“The music was very festive with original compositions based around famous Christmas songs you will recognize.”
“Excellent music in this game.”
“There wasn't much change to the music, so I did grow tired of it, but it certainly was magical and gave off a calming atmosphere, which is what the game was trying to achieve.”
“The music did get a little repetitious after a while.”
“The atmosphere is nice for the Christmas season, so it's enjoyable to play around that time, but the music is repetitive.”
- graphics16 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are widely praised for their beautiful, colorful, and detailed aesthetics, featuring well-rounded art and smooth animations that enhance the overall experience. Many reviewers noted the game's appealing visuals, which are particularly suited for a younger audience, and highlighted the festive themes that contribute to its charm. Overall, the graphics are considered a standout aspect, elevating the game's enjoyment.
“Lastly, the aesthetics are what you can usually expect from the AM hog titles; well-rounded art, glittering effects, and animations (bonus points for the puzzles' glitter effects being gifts and Christmas baubles, it looked so silly in the best way).”
“This was way better than I expected: excellent graphics and storyboards and terrific storylines too.”
“Beautiful visuals and absolutely bursting with Christmas spirit.”
“I think the game is aimed at a younger audience, perhaps even children, and that explains the simpler puzzles and graphics.”
“Lastly, the aesthetics are what you can usually expect from the AM hog titles; well-rounded art, glittering effects, and animations.”
“Nonetheless, it's an aesthetically pleasing mid-game that made me laugh for a few hours, thus tipping the scales slightly in favor of recommendation.”
- gameplay9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
Gameplay in this title has received mixed reviews, with some players finding the puzzles either too easy or frustratingly nonsensical, while others criticize excessive interruptions from cutscenes. The mechanics are described as typical for an Artifex Mundi game, featuring slow-paced gameplay and "pixel hunting," which can detract from the overall experience. However, the game offers decent length and visually appealing content, with some players appreciating the bonus chapter despite its perceived lack of relevance.
“Gameplay-wise, it's what you've come to expect from an Artifex Mundi game.”
“Update: still not through it, but it's starting to remind me of Enigmatis 3, so far as the game mechanics go.”
“I am 3 hours in and have just completed the main story and have yet to do the bonus content, so decent length of gameplay for a hidden object game.”
“If you're one for difficult puzzles, you might not feel very challenged by the gameplay, while simultaneously feeling frustrated by the nonsensical puzzles.”
“I've been unhappy with some of Brave Giant's more recent efforts -- Queen's Quest 5 had a game-breaking bug that prevented me from even finishing it. The hidden object scenes and mini-games weren't the best, and some of the others really annoyed me with how excessive they were with the number of interruptions to the gameplay for cut scenes about their silly stories.”
“Too much 'pixel hunting' and the gameplay is slow and sluggish.”
- humor6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by a mix of tongue-in-cheek wit and goofiness, often eliciting laughter through its quirky characters and absurd scenarios. While some players felt the humor leaned towards being self-deprecating, many found it enjoyable and entertaining, contributing positively to the overall experience. The festive setting and comedic fight scenes further enhance the lighthearted tone, making it a fun, albeit unconventional, holiday-themed adventure.
“You're a yuletide detective trying to save Christmas; fair enough, it's a novelty hog, in fact there's clear tongue-in-cheek humor.”
“The game did manage to give me a good laugh at certain points, but more so in a 'they're not laughing with you, they're laughing at you' way (see: 'probably most unhinged installment').”
“And the game made me laugh out loud multiple times due to its goofiness.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is described as warm, colorful, and magical, effectively capturing the cozy feeling of Christmas. While the music contributes to this calming ambiance, it is noted to be repetitive, which may lead to some fatigue over time. Overall, the atmosphere is particularly enjoyable during the holiday season.
“The atmosphere is nice for the Christmas season, so it's enjoyable to play around that time, but the music is repetitive.”
“Captures perfectly the atmosphere of Christmas.”
“There wasn't much change to the music, so I did grow tired of it, but it certainly was magical and gave off a calming atmosphere, which is what the game was trying to achieve.”
“They have a very warm and colorful atmosphere and replicate the cozy feeling of Christmas quite well.”
- emotional3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by its campy and ridiculous elements, which contribute to a heartwarming experience, despite a lackluster main story. Players found the bonus story, featuring Santa Claus's arrest for theft, to be more engaging than the primary narrative.
“First of all, it's so campy, ridiculous, but heartwarming at the same time.”
“The main story was so dull that even the bonus story felt more engaging.”
“I didn't feel any emotional connection to the characters; they were all one-dimensional.”
“The attempts at emotional depth fell flat and felt forced throughout the game.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The game faces performance issues when running in full screen, accompanied by minor bugs. While the voice acting is praised, personal preferences regarding the voice choices may vary among players.
“I had some performance issues running the game in full screen.”
“The game frequently lags, even on high-end hardware.”
“Optimization seems lacking; I experience frame drops in busy areas.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find that some puzzles in the game can be tedious and abstract, contributing to a sense of grinding as they work through these challenges.
“The grinding feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“I find the grinding mechanics to be overly tedious and not rewarding.”
“The amount of grinding required to progress is frustrating and detracts from the overall experience.”
