A Carnevale of Surprises: A VEN Review

[Irene_Adler]

Awesome review!!! I agree with everything you said!!! I thought the game was amazing too!!! Reps!

-Irene

[Kyokai]

Thank you for writing a review of the game, and it is well written. I especially thank you for holding back on the surprises. :-)

[BeautifulInRain]

Awesome review !! :D

5 stars and Reps :)

[sanaq2491]

awesome review!!!! reps for you!!!!!

[k9lover27]

The Phantom of Venice is an exciting, puzzling, and intriguing mystery that I’m sure will become one of your favorites! I was extremely impressed by the game’s storyline, activities, and loads of new features. Overall, I loved this game and give it a rating of 8.5 out of 10!

Plot: 8/10
The plot was very well constructed and planned out. The game has a very intriguing storyline, and there are plenty of twists and turns that keep you guessing the whole way through! The whole plot is jam-packed with espionage, working undercover and assuming multiple identities. In fact, the whole storyline could be something you’d expect to see in a modern-day spy movie!

Characters: 7/10
The characters all had strong and interesting personalities, and were fun to talk to. However, some character personalities seemed to be better constructed than others. I would have liked to see a little more interaction with some, but I’m one of those players who absolutely loves tons of conversing with the suspects! I wasn’t over-ly disappointed, though. I was pleased to see the wide range of personalities and cultures portrayed by the characters.

Setting: 10/10
Of course, the setting was beautiful! Venice is so gorgeous and I couldn’t help actually feeling like I was there! The creators included so much detail to the setting and included many well created and authentic-looking locations. The sound of Italians chatting, and gondoliers singing in the alleys and canals in the background really added nicely to the ambiance. The setting included beautiful architecture, canals, fountains, and much more! I especially enjoyed the gondola rides and pigging out on gelato!

Graphics: 9.5/10
The graphics in this game were very impressive and realistic. The characters moved fluidly and the water in the canals looked real and seemed to flow naturally. I am constantly amazed by the progress of the graphics as new games are created. This game definitely has the best graphics yet!

Music: 9/10
If you haven’t heard yet, the theme song is back, and it’s better than ever! It’s been re-made and sounds awesome! Don’t worry, it’s still the same song, but improved.

The background music in the game fit very nicely, and really added to the feeling of being in Venice. The music became tense and urgent at dangerous parts, and peaceful and pleasant at appropriate spots during game play. The music in the game would make a nice addition to a future Nancy Drew game soundtrack!

Puzzles: 7/10
This game has a wide range of different puzzles, varying on difficulty, length, and style. The puzzles were all very creative, and fit in well with the storyline of the game. There are a fair amount of them, but I still would've enjoyed having a bit more included in the game. The puzzles were all very fun, challenging, and entertaining to do!

Ending: 7/10
The ending was definitely challenging, and I ended up using my second chance quite a few times! It was still very exciting, and I am pleased to say that I liked it better than some games in the past. Although I do not normally like the really hard and puzzling situations/obstacles to get through in the games (which this game has its share of…), I still enjoyed it very much.

New Features:
This game has a TON (ny) of fun, new features! (There are so many new things to do, but I won’t mention all of them, because there are some players that might want to find out as a surprise.) There are also some very interesting and fun ways to earn money, which can be spent on many different things at shops and vendors throughout Venice.

This game also has slightly changed the second chance feature (it looks really cool!), and automatically saves your game at certain spots so that you won’t lose your progress. It’s very helpful and efficient for the player!

There are also some hidden surprises to find throughout the game. I won’t say any more…

I was requested to add a scariness section, so here it is:

Scariness: 3/10
This game definitely isn't going to be known as one of the "scary" games. The atmosphere and setting of the game is mostly sunny and cheerful, displaying the wonderful beauty of Venice. There may be a few moments that could be considered creepy, but overall, this game has a very low (if any) scare factor (which isn't necessarily a bad thing!).

Overall: 8.5/10
Overall, this game was fun and challenging. There are some very puzzling and difficult situations throughout the game, so if you’re new to the games, I would definitely recommend playing Junior detective first. I played the game on Senior and used no help or spoilers from the message boards, and I struggled a bit at some parts throughout the game. Overall, it probably took me about 9-10 hours to complete. I was very impressed by this game, and I had a lot of fun!

Well, I hope this review has been helpful and insightful to you. If you do play the game, I hope you will enjoy it as much as I have!

~k9