Art of Murder - Cards of Destiny

it would be nice if they woud give a hint on how to play the game

I consider myself an experienced adventure game play but I had my difficulties with this game. I couldn't colmplete without a walkthrough and it takes time before I cheat myself this way. Some puzzles are insane difficult or just monotone. Another point is that the dialogs are most of the time so terrible and illogic. But maybe that is due to the German translation. My main issue is that it completely lacks an intuitive gameplay you won't get in a flow of the storyline. I can't recommend the game but if you can get it for less than 3 € I'd say make your own experience.

Bad story, bad mechanics, awful dialogues, annoying puzzles. Decent visuals aren't enough to enjoy this. Worst Art of Murder game.

I really wanted to like this game (I really did) and genuinely gave it a try... but sadly at no point during my 6+ hour attempt did I do so (literally not a minute). The game is insanely tedious, anything that can be dragged out seems to be so. For example, scanning a document. Simple, right? Use it with the scanner. Boom, job done. Not in this game, first you need permission to use the scanner. Then you need to open it, then you need to place the paper inside, then you need close it, then you need to press a button to scan it, then you need to open it again, then you need to reverse the paper, then you need to close it, then you need to press a button, then you need to open it again, take out the paper and finally close it... this is just to "Scan a document"... just give that a moment sink in... This is just the process to scan the evidence, not even the tedious work of getting the item and putting it back afterwards... Calling all the characters unlikable idiots is an understatem...

While this is the most polished of all the traditional Art of Murder games, it still shows that the writers, voice actors, and puzzle designers are strictly mediocre talent. Backgrounds, music and pre-rendered cut-scenes are all well done. Ridiculous amounts of backtracking (although less than previous titles) and stunningly sloppy dialogue mark this game as the usual Eurojank adventures of the early naughts. I would normally have recommended this to others who enjoy this type of game as I normally do, but... The unwinnable [spoiler] time-bomb [/spoiler] puzzle that crops up about 3/4 through the game will enrage all but the most ambitious gamers. Possibly because modern pcs run the game faster than intended, but more probably because faulty design forces you to wait while Nicole endlessly blathers on describing each inventory item you are holding. This means that for a puzzle in which you have a scant minute or less to complete before a messy death/game over, your character is...

pros + improved graphic engine, resolution and inventory system. you can look at items 3D and rotate them in inventory. + great looking and detailed pre rendered graphics + well made 3D character models and animations + when you click to question mark, hotspots is highlighted. No need to hunt for pixels. + well made cinematic cut scenes + game does a pretty decent job creating tense atmosphere. + there are still plenty of different places including an abandoned carnival, a snowy farm, and the Louisiana Bayou. + intriguing and exciting serial killer/detective story + background musics are good + some puzzles are enjoyable. there are also inventory puzzles you can combine some items and a timed puzzle in which a bomb is neutralized. + game is long cons - badly designed confusing and trial / error type puzzles. puzzles solutions also mostly obscure and complicating. i hate especially key arranging puzzle. - sometimes you don't know what to do next. - voice acting hit and miss - poorl...

i brought the package wish i had not now it has corrupt files and malware / trojan within the package as anti virus picked up and refused to download them save your money as when loaded unplayable as point and click wont work

I tried to like this game, but in the end it couldn't be helped. Why a negative review for [i]Art of Murder: Cards of Destiny[/i] despite its low price? For starters, some tweaking was needed just to get the game running properly. I had to fiddle around with the compatibility settings of the game application file just to get everything on-screen in its full 4:3 glory. Little did I know that this was foreshadowing. The puzzles of the game are pretty much like this: poorly balanced and unintuitive, and far too often solved through mere trial-and-error. The forensic work is also tedious. I won't bother you with the details, but it took more than a dozen separate actions to scan a piece of evidence. Then we were left to operate the finger print scanner with no instructions on how it works and what the end goal was. Again, it's either trial-and-error or a visit to Google to find a walkthrough guide. Here's another thing I can't stand in point-and-click games: combining the oil lamp with...

It is a good adventure game, but a difficult one. If you miss the tiniest of details you are stuck. You think you tried everything but you missed one detail. Logic is not enough, combining items is not enough until you turn them around and try one more time. Can be very frustrating. So either be prepared to seek hints or spend a lot of time. My respect for anyone who can solve this one without any help.

The most fun I had playing this game was trashing it with my sisters. It's nearly impossible to get through with out a walkthrough, unless you take the time to try out every possible item combination. And even then she makes a comment each time you guess wrong and you have to be holding a specific object to use on the other one. The dialogue is bad, but I assume they just directly translated it, which may explain the poor voice acting, but doesn't excuse it. The plot is pretty interesting leading up to the end, but the ending leaves many plot holes and the clunky dialogue doesn't help to clear things up really. Luckily, I bought it and the rest of the games in the series on sale, but I wouldn't pay full price for it. That said, I did really like the background music, I thought it helped set the tone and gave the game a sense of danger, particularly in the swamp. The background music also tends to drown out the dialogue, but that's a plus in my opinion.