Epic Adventures Cursed Onboard HD for iPad Review

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Epic Adventures: Cursed Onboard is a Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure (HOPA) game for the iPad and iPhone; it is available in the Apple App Store, and its developer is Urchin Games / G5 Entertainment.

Description:

Unravel the mystery of Jangada, a long lost ship stranded in the Amazon Jungle.
A great ship called Jangada set sail in the 1970s but was never seen again. The fate of the crew remains shrouded in mystery and whoever tries to reveal it vanishes forever. Embark on a dangerous trip to the Amazon Jungle, search eerie locations, find hidden objects and solve intriguing puzzles. Undo an old curse and bring peace to a tormented soul in this breath-taking hidden object game, Epic Adventures: Cursed Onboard!

TRY IT FREE, THEN UNLOCK THE FULL ADVENTURE FROM WITHIN THE GAME!

? 25 Eery locations
? 10 Unique mini-games
? 8 Magnificent chapters
? Experience an astonishing and tragic story
? Game Center Support
? New iPad Retina Display Support

Major features: I reviewed the original Epic Adventures: La Jangada here, which was based on the Jules Verne’s story ‘The Raft’ (direct translation of La Jangada). My opinion of the original was that it was an interesting story but hampered by glacial pacing and a dreary palette.

Unfortunately none of that improves in the ‘sequel’, and in fact the problems only become more glaring.

But let’s start with the good stuff. Technically the game is very well done. The graphics look excellent, there is full voice acting with animated characters as they speak, and the music relates to the scene and there are well-done and haunting sound effects. Also, the touch mechanics work perfectly, as the game recognized everything I tapped perfectly without a single frustration.

The game starts with some promise, with you playing as Melissa Alan assigned to look into the sudden discovery of the ship named Jangada which last sailed in the 1970s but was never heard from again. No one who has searched for the ship has returned, and when you first arrive you are greeted by haunting sounds, creepy messages … and a ghost.

As I say it is a promising start, but it feels like the developers stopped at a solid opening and a sketch of the rest of the story – because that is pretty much what happens. Because unlike even the first game, after the first few minutes you are just moving back and forth from location to location engaging in one hidden object screen (HOS) after another. Whenever you need to find something, you will step into an area and see some sparkly objects to tap which open the next HOS. That in turn gives you an object that will help you get past the next roadblock and into the next area and … you guessed it, on to your next HOS!

In fact, it felt like nearly a half hour before I saw my first puzzle, and after I was done I was disappointed. It was a telephone with only two numbers shown out of five, without any indication that I could somehow learn the correct numbers any other way than random guessing. So I sat there dialing (yes, dialing … and as someone who grew up in the pre-touch tone era – spinning the dial holds no nostalgia for me), and running through about 25 combinations before finally getting the right set of 5 numbers was no fun, just frustrating.

And sadly the puzzles were too few and even those we got were not overly interesting. Too often they end up more frustrating than anything else. Another frustration – working to find a hammer or crowbar and then losing it after a single use. I know it is just part of the game, but if you work to find a hammer it shouldn’t just go away after a single use!

As mentioned the issues with the original game remain – slow pacing, bland palette, and too many of the hidden object screens were just random places filled with random objects where you sought things that made little sense. In the wake of so many well-done procedural crime drama hidden object games, I found myself too often bored and frustrated and used the hint button earlier and more often than I have since … well, I can’t really remember.

Ease of use/Overall performance: As I mention, this game is excellent in terms of getting in and getting stuff done. Taps are always smoothly recognized, and everything flows smoothly. From the start of the game you are instructed on how to play and accomplish tasks, so you never feel lost. One caveat – while most hidden object games come in at under 500MB, Epic Adventures: Cursed Onboard tips the scales at more than 1.5GB!

Would use again/recommend?: Not really! Compared to so many other genre games this one just falls flat – huge download, slow-pacing, forgotten story, and so on. If you were a huge fan of the original Epic Adventures: La Jangada, download this and check it out … but otherwise feel no remorse at letting this one pass. G5 has been on a roll with some fun game releases – but this isn’t one of them.

Suggested changes/wish list for updates: Glacial pacing, bland color palette, limited story fails to engage.

Price: $6.99 ($4.99 for iPhone – but on 11/08 ONLY they are $4.99/$2.99 for iPad/iPhone)

Here is the trailer:

 

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About the Author

Michael Anderson
I have loved technology for as long as I can remember - and have been a computer gamer since the PDP-10! Mobile Technology has played a major role in my life - I have used an electronic companion since the HP95LX more than 20 years ago, and have been a 'Laptop First' person since my Compaq LTE Lite 3/20 and Powerbook 170 back in 1991! As an avid gamer and gadget-junkie I was constantly asked for my opinions on new technology, which led to writing small blurbs ... and eventually becoming a reviewer many years ago. My family is my biggest priority in life, and they alternate between loving and tolerating my gaming and gadget hobbies ... but ultimately benefits from the addition of technology to our lives!