So, the last several games I’ve played have been pretty blah, and that got me wondering if maybe it’s not that the games are getting boring, it's just that I’m played out.
But, I enjoy hidden object adventures, and I don’t want to stop playing, so I’ve been trying to figure out how to lower my standards. How do I make myself overlook those little obnoxious ticks that make me unable to get fully involved in a game? Practice? Stubborn drive? Alcohol?
Disappointed with the state of things and resigned to yet another lack-luster experience, I began the download for Chimeras: Tune of Revenge... and guys... you guys... It turns out I don’t have anything to worry about. Because there are still games like this one out there.
I pretty much fell in love during the opening cut screen; the animation wasn’t really anything special, but the villain, oh my god. He’s this strange mash up of an evil scarecrow and a creepy organ grinder and I LOVED HIM. At the end of the cut scene, you get to the main menu, as usual, and I start punching in my name and selecting my options when suddenly - THE BAD GUY STARTS SINGING.
Just this haunting little background song to the sound of his organ grinder and I think, "Wait, I know those words, is it... it is! It’s The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe!" I can’t express how close I came to just sitting there and listening to the song the rest of the night.
But, of course, I kept playing, and I was every bit as pleased with the plot. You play an investigator who ends up having to figure out who the mysterious organ grinder is and what his motives are after people who have bought his fortunetelling cards end up being killed by monsters. But you soon find out the organ grinder may be the spirit of a man murdered thirteen years ago, and his story is a sad romantic one. How perfect, right?
I tell you what, Chimeras: Tune of Revenge has everything: romance, intrigue, and mythical critters. Look at that screenshot down there. Just look at it: A dragon, front and center, and if you look down to where my mouse is in the inventory, you’ll see Terrance, the baby phoenix.
A dragon who needs defeating and a baby phoenix in my inventory. How does it get any better? And do you know how I ended up defeating said dragon? By giving him a heaping pile of gold, that’s how. I am amazed that one game can be so jam-packed with awesome.
The hidden object areas were lovely to look at, and weren’t too plentiful (which I like), but they were of the collect-a-ton-of-junk variety (which I don’t like). I was pleased, however, that you never just stumble into finding the hidden object areas; you have to interact in some fashion with the world to reveal them.
I liked that added level of continuity between the actual, plot-driven game and the hidden object areas. It made me dislike them just a little bit less, and add that to how much I loved absolutely everything else, and I ended up feeing favorably about them as well.
I felt as though the puzzles were a good assortment and of a good difficulty level, but that’s coming from a person who often gets stumped where others only find victory, so you might want to take that with a grain of salt.
All-in-all, I feel as though Chimeras: Tune of Revenge was a game designed with me in mind: an amazing plot, interesting characters, a beautiful world, and great voice actors. I’m sure some people may not enjoy how heavily the plot features, (there are quite a few cut-scenes) but I just loved it. I haven’t been this entertained by a game since The Lake House: Children of Silence. If you’ve ever read one of my reviews and agreed with what I said, or even with only the rating I gave it, then take this advice: give Chimeras: Tune of Revenge a try. I bet, like me, you’ll be hooked before you even enter your name.