The Agency of Anomalies: Cinderstone Orphanage Collector's Edition

It's no secret that I absolutely loved [url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/503060/The_Agency_of_Anomalies_Mystic_Hospital_Collectors_Edition/]Mystic Hospital[/url] for it's great writing, creepy atmosphere and unique premise. It set such a high bar for me that in some ways Cinderstone Orphanage had a hard time reaching it. That's not to say the sequel is bad, because it's a very solid hidden object puzzle adventure in its own right, and certainly one of the better examples of the genre. But, despite being the first game in the series to implement the ability to collect and use powers in its puzzle solving, the very paint-by-numbers feel of the rest of the story and gameplay left me wanting more. http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=804335096 Once again, the agency's top agent has been tasked with investigating yet another perplexing incident, this time at the Cinderstone Orphanage, home for children with paranormal abilities. An unexplained Christmas Eve expl...

[h1]Short version: 58%[/h1] Whether I recommend Cinderstone Orphanage hinges on one question: can you accept a hidden object game where only the brilliant atmosphere and the exploration-centric story hold together a bland and tedious gameplay? [h1]Long version:[/h1] The second entry of the Agency of Anomalies series, Cinderstone Orphanage lacks its predecessor’s strong plot elements, but it compensates with a more fleshed-out premise. Similarly to Mystic Hospital, we explore and abandoned building, the titular orphanage after it was half-destroyed in a sudden explosion. As we tread its realistically portrayed halls and rooms, the game slowly overwhelms us with its sheer atmosphere, throwing just enough breadcrumbs though the children’s backstory to push us slowly but relentlessly forward. Regrettably, the positives end with the writing, because gameplay is bland at best. The puzzles are long and tedious, whereas hidden object scenes start with some great design ideas but eventua...

Very good hidden object game. The mini-puzzles were not just the same ones we've seen. The story was good (for this type of game). It had an unusual element for a hidden object game. Just keep in mind that it is an older game. Set your resolution to 1024x768. I don't think it had a map (I didn't look for it). The hint system is primitive. But none of that bothered me. That was far better than average.

[h1]Hilarious game - the vase puzzle solution is wrong![/h1] I've long since stopped playing these hidden object games for their story, I'm only here for the fun puzzles and gameplay! Wee-hee! It's one of our favourite hidden object publishers, back with another game full of wonder and joy. Admittedly I was surprised with this one. Some of the puzzles were pretty entertaining. And then there were some puzzles that probably never should have seen the light of day (fireflies for the third time in the bonus chapter, I'm talking about you). I went into this one on Hard difficulty - mostly because I haven't HOG'ed for a while so I wanted to sit back and chill, and see how long it would take. There were a few moments I got caught on a snag but they were resolved after 10-15 minutes. One bad one (this is the one from my h1 header) was the nine pots on the shelf, arranging them in the right slots. The game gives you some ripped up photo segments to go by, and they are pinned to the side of...

Even better than the first in the series, this casual point-and-click adventure features many good hidden-object scenes and fun puzzle mini-games. The graphics are wonderful, and even the voice acting is surprisingly good. Just don't expect the game to make too much sense. You have a bunch of cool supernatural powers, but are only allowed to use them when the game designers saw fit... If you don't worry too much about plot holes, you'll have a good time. This game is the second in a series of four games: [I]Mystic Hospital[/I], [I]Cinderstone Orphenage[/I], [I]The Last Performance[/I], and [I]Mind Invasion[/I]. The fourth game is not currently on Steam.

Nice game

Less atmospheric and more childish than the first episode. The gameplay is still decent.

You receive a cry for help from the caretaker of an orphanage which burned recently. Everyone disappeared and the building was hiding orphans with paranormal habilities. Given the fact that the caretaker is also missing, it's up to you to help them to come back in their physical forms: they're not dead but if you don't hurry, they might be... What is the truth behind these walls? This is a sequel to Mystic Hospital and if you've played the CE Edition, you learned in the bonus chapter that a member of a brotherhood is supervising an orphanage... which is Cinderstone. So, it's not a shock to find yourself at this destination. The plot is also good: you help the "ghosts" with their most prized belongings and they're giving you their powers so that you can advance in the story. It's just the end that is quite hard to make sense (and it's more confusing in the bonus chapter). Who was really behind all that? I mean, yeah, I've understood who was the real culprit but I still don't understand...