Grim Tales: The Legacy
Game Review

The Legacy is the sequel to Grim Tales: The Bride, a hidden object adventure game by Elephant Games, the same people who created bestselling hidden object games such as the Mystery Trackers and Hallowed Legends series. And just like these gems, The Legacy doesn't disappoint, delivering fantastic graphics, challenging gameplay, and an engaging story with supernatural twists.

The game is a direct sequel to Grim Tales: The Bride. You are on your way to meet your sister and her husband, to celebrate the christening of their baby boy whom you have yet to meet. Unfortunately, your car crashes in a storm just as you arrive at the mansion... I think the idea of a car crash in a storm has really been overused in games of this genre. I believe it is just as acceptable to use other factors to stop the player from going elsewhere to get help. For example, in this game, the urgency of finding your sister and her family is a more than valid reason for forging ahead. Thankfully, the rest of the story isn't as cliched and is still entertaining and full of twists.

As you approach the mansion, it looks like the building is deserted, but you do see a wolf trying to stop you by destroying the bridge to the mansion entrance. Worried for the safety of your sister's family and by the presence of the wolf, you hurry to find a way into the house to find out what's happening.

The gameplay is pretty much similar to other hidden object adventure games, and you explore the surroundings of the mansion trying to find a way to get in and locate your sister. However, your path is blocked by plenty of obstacles that require you to use the right item (which you will either have found during your travels, or which you will need to look for). If you are unsure what item is required for a particular obstacle, clicking on the obstacle will point you in the right direction.

The game developers have catered for different audiences in this aspect. The game has 3 difficulty levels, the easiest of which has fast hint-recharging times and is suitable for people who just want to experience the story without too much of a challenge. However, the hardest difficulty level features much longer recharge times, and won't even provide you with obstacle hints. Players looking for a real puzzle challenge will be happy with this. There is also a lot of moving back and forth between many different locations. Thankfully, there is a very useful map and fast travel function that makes traveling less tedious.

There are plenty of hidden object scenes and puzzle minigames that you will encounter throughout your adventure. The hidden object scenes are pretty standard lists of items that you need to spot, and aren't too difficult. However, some of the puzzle minigames are surprisingly challenging and will really test your logic and puzzle-solving skills. They are also unique variations of some standard puzzle types, and aren't boring or repetitive.

The game also features beautiful art and sound. While its predecessor Grim Tales: The Bride featured art that is foggy and muted and somewhat dull, the art in The Legacy is much more vibrant and eye-catching. Some of the ambient art and effects are especially noteworthy. There is also a lot of beautiful character animation, both in the cutscenes as well as when you meet the various apparitions, creatures and people in your travels. There are also one or two "awwww, cute!" moments in the game.

The story -- while featuring some cliches as mentioned above -- is overall still very engaging and interesting. The game feels large and varied with all the back-and-forth traveling that you do, and doesn't feel too linear. There are also plenty of "exploring someone else's memory" experiences similar to those in the previous game. Overall, Grim Tales: The Legacy is a beautiful and thrilling game, with a reasonable length. You will like it if you enjoy exploration or investigative games with a hint of the supernatural, such as the Shadow Wolf Mysteries or Hallowed Legends series.

You can get the basic version of the game, or you can get the Collector's Edition which includes exclusive extras such as bonus gameplay, an integrated strategy guide and more.

Check out the other games in this series!

Related PC Games at Big Fish Games:

Grim Tales: The Legacy Collector's Edition

Grim Tales: The Bride

Shadow Wolf Mysteries: Curse of the Full Moon

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