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Over all, this game had a good plot, however it was not the most original plot HER has come up with. However, I was a bit disappointed with the lack of puzzles so far(I am only half way through the game),but there are so many other things to do that I was fully occupied. But in haunted carousel, the characters are very realistic and not at all boring to listen to. I think the character development is fantastic; every character is different and each one has a secret or a strong weakness.
I am almost fourteen, and I thought this was an intriguing and captivating game. There is just enough "creepy" without being at all scary. I have played all of the games, except three, and I love this one. I love how every time you have a good lead, or every time you complete a task, something new arises for you to investigate.
In some of the games, the characters are boring. BUY THIS GAME. There is almost always someone to talk to, or something to click on and research further. The graphics are really believable and the park has many nooks and crannies to explore and poke around in.
You also get to learn shorthand and the history of carousels (fun little trivia to carry in the back of your mind). Finally I turned it over to a 12 year old who beat the mini game in 2 minutes allowing me to go on with life. You do get food (always a favorite in my book) but the only ride you will ride is the carousel. It's not a long game.
Okay.so maybe I didn't quite solve it in just 4 hours. So I guess my final thoughts would be that this game was really fun while it lasted. You do get to play the midway games as much as your like. I spent four hours trying to defeat the Barnicle Blast mini-game to get a Harmonica I needed.
The sets are pretty but the puzzles are easy. but it doesn't last long. (Imagine the old game "PONG"). Other then that, I would have solved it in 4 hours.
However, I have to mention, there are a LOT of people to call in this game. Figure out who is doing this as you interrogate suspects and search the park for clues.Graphics-Of course, it was a tiny step up as it always seems to be. Another new feature is that you have a cell phone for the first time. Along with this incident, the roller coaster stopped for no reason in the middle of the ride.
I have to say, though, when you get to ride the carousel (which you can ride as many times as you want) it isn't like you are just looking at a ride on a screen. The haunted house wasn't even scary. This is really one of the least scary games in the series, I think.Length-Like I said, I didn't find it THAT short, but as opposed to the other games, this one takes about 8-9 hours to play straight through. It'll probably take longer the first time you play it through.It really is a good game (hence the 4 stars) but it does have its problems like most of the games. A lot of the other reviewers mentioned that this game is shorter than the others in the series. I didn't really find that at all. With a little bit of imagination, you can almost feel like you're on the ride. Oh.
The game takes place all in one day, so you can't change to night or something, but they added a room service option to this game, so anytime you want, you can go to the hotel you are staying at and "eat." But don't worry, you never have to eat to survive or something. By the end of the game, you probably have at least 10 numbers in your phone. I definitely recommend that you get it, and I would also recommend it as a great game to start with if you are new to the series. The only thing is that they tried to make it scary in some areas, and it just wasn't. No, I'm not strange, I just have an imagination.Sound-It has happy, almost, carnival music. It can get annoying.Fun-It was a fun game as it has a midway (arcade) where you can go to play some games.
I guess it might be an hour or two less in length, but it's not as bad as some people are making it.Story-You are going to an amusement park in New Jersey to figure out why the carousel is starting up all by itself in the dead of night. No more having to go the phone to call Bess and George. The voice acting once again wasn't perfect, but that's okay in my opinion.Gameplay- As always this is a first person point-and-click game. The characters a little bit better as were the backgrounds. It is not like this the entire game through (sometimes they tried to make it spooky), but it is mostly carnival type music.
Oh, and the graphics were really nice and I loved the concept for the haunted house ride.The most obvious negative is that it was over far too soon. The other not as fun parts: HER seems to make a big deal out of showing the nitty gritty of machinery and behind the scenes.
I wish I'd been given instructions in the accompanying book on how to break down the numbers. I would have liked more cool ride areas to explore (simply expanding what was there so that there was more space to explore that was not a behind-the-scenes reveal would have made me happy).Finally, I had the most difficulty trying to figure out the interface for making the combination locks work.
I really liked this game. I did it in about 5 with no help from walkthroughs.
I don't consider giving the player combination lock numbers that don't work to be a "puzzle;" instead, it's a design flaw.But the game rises above the interface issues and reminded me of all the fun of amusement parks. The puzzles were well integrated with the setting, you're given 4/5 suspects for the mystery of why the carousel is running at night and who is tampering with it, the plot was pretty good, and the setting was fun.
Ignore the marketing stuff that says it will take over 20 hours.
Learning about the music rolls and playing a game while riding it too is fun. If there's ever a game one can learn while playing, it's the Haunted Carousel. If you're an adult, you reminisce on those enjoyable memories while gaining clues and solving the crime. Kids love amusement park entertainment and one can't go wrong with this action packed game. As a kid you ride the merry go round spying the nicest looking horse you hope to get when finally on the platform. This game offers so much information about the origin of the horses being built, seeing interior room where the internal workings of the mechanisms are that makes the carousel such an attraction.
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