It Happened Here: Beacon of Truth Collector's Edition

While the other game in the series was much better and this one was fun too, the game is definitely guilty of using obscure items, which is a major reason players fall out with a series. I'm not sure why they thought it was a good idea to make the items so random and not even property drawn in many cases. Laziness? Lack of creativity? Deadline? Budget? Whatever the reason you can do better and we players expect it. The last game in the series was like dining at a good restaurant, this was more like fast food. UPDATE: the bonus chapter was much better, although kinda short, the story made sense. I also love doing the Expedition puzzle piece hunt then Secret Room actual Puzzle. pretty good, pretty fun to enjoy an afternoon with this cozy game

3 stars This is an interesting game for the HOPA genre. HOPA games are known for their strange plots and odd settings. I personally actually really enjoy that aspect of HOPA gaming. 'Beacon Of Truth' is an outlier in this because it takes a pretty realistic story that could easily be made into a contemporary book or movie. The plot itself is nothing special. But not a bad plot, but no surprises here. If anything the more mundane setting makes it lackluster compared to most HOPAs. The game play is not challenging by any standard, but probably not for a newbie to the genre. All in all, I can only say that if you want a less fantastical HOPA and don't mind a less challenging gameplay, you might enjoy it. However, only get it on sale. I don't think this is a game worth full price.

Another murder mystery that podcaster Emily must solve involving mysterious deaths at a lighthouse. I enjoyed the setting of the story and fun variety of older characters but was disappointed by there not being a lot of talking scenes for the characters. Puzzles and HO scenes were easy and enjoyable. Wallpaper selections was disappointing too. Overall, I am still down to see more games in this series and what ever mystery Emily checks out next!

It's entertaining, but a bit short. Recommended anyway.