This is my least favorite chapter of this normally appealing, fantasy-based series. I could not get into the storyline. It is torturously slow to evolve; and as it did, it seemed like a mesh of fragmented ideas: kids went missing, you set out to find them via portals, a wolf-like man attacks, a piper plays music to control the "wolf man" — halfway through the game, I still couldn't perceive how the kidnapped kids fit into the storyline.
There are some good qualities. Throughout your journey, you put your alchemist skills to use by creating many potions to transform as well as heal. You will give your alchemist's kit a good workout, but it suits the storyline very well and is fun to interact with. The transforming/shape-shifting feature is enchanting; I loved shrinking into a little mouse to fit inside a tiny mouse's house. The environment is brought to life through crisp, clear, and well-detailed visuals. I enjoy aiding the whimsical animated objects, like the talking clock.
However, the gameplay is underwhelming, especially the adventure portion, as it is devoid of interesting activities, resulting in monotonous to-and-fro. The HOSs are delightfully varied, with some interactivity; some scenes are creatively designed, such as the one in which you fix the clock for the mouse. Another standout for me is the one in which you flip between 3 masked outlines, placing matching parts into them. However, I do not consider the interactions within the HOSs to be unique or clever. The puzzles are simple and repetitive; you solve the same rotational type going into each portal. The collectibles were hard to detect at times, and you can't go back and collect the ones you miss.
This game offers the standard HOA tropes. I won't remember this game at all. Although the game is technically sound, and playtime is adequate, it's not enough to convince me that this game deserves more than an average rating of 3 stars. I'm not a member of the AM club because I've already played almost their whole library — which means I cannot take advantage of less costly previous releases — and I know I will not purchase every game AM releases in the future. I might seem nit-picky in this review; however, in my opinion, this game is not worth the $7 (seven dollars) non-members have to pay.
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