Whisper of Fear: The Cursed Doll is a Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure (HOPA) game. It is available for the iPhone and iPad, and you can get it in the Apple App store. The Developer isVogat / G5 Entertainment.
Major features: By now you should know the drill – story-based intro, followed up with puzzles, finding items on location screens, and full-blown hidden object scenes. Whisper of Fear meets the ‘standard framework’ of a hidden object game, to be sure. But where it is distinctive is in the depth and connectedness of the game. Most games have areas you are ‘checking off’, but here you will have to work through a variety of places and revisit areas multiple times to discover everything. And even when you are ‘done’ you don’t get a check mark, the game just proceeds.
As you work through areas you are uncovering a complex and twisted story that is sinister and insidious … but also enjoying one of the better genre games I have played. I would rank this up with Letters from Nowhere and Special Enquiry Detail in terms of how it sucked me in and challenged me to figure things out. There is a strategy guide included in case you get stuck, and the different difficulties work to help you succeed at getting through without becoming frustrated. A great experience every fan of the hidden object genre should grab!
Ease of use/Overall performance: If you are familiar with hidden object games you will be immediately comfortable here. Load times were quick, and never single crash. The retina graphics look fantastic on the iPad.
Would use again/recommend?: Absolutely! I cannot recommend this one highly enough – the depth of the experience is one of the best I have ever seen in the hidden object genre.
Suggested changes/wish list for updates: Nothing.
Price: $6.99 ($4.99 for iPhone – but on 10/10 ONLY they are $4.99/$2.99 for iPad/iPhone)
