Heroes of Hellas
I am not really a gamer, per se. I don't play console games and I don't play Guild Wars or World of Warcraft. However I hang around several WoW people, so I can translate gamer language in my head. (Yes, Hardison, I'm looking at you.) I also don't plays Sims or Civilizations or those time management games, although I did like the Chocolatier game I tried once.
What I do play are the "casual games" on pc. I particularly love hidden object games with all their quirky (and sometimes predictable) mysteries. My favorites are the "Margrave Manor" & "Samantha Swift" series. I also adored the "Curse of the Pharaoh" series, although it frustrated at certain points. There are a ton of female heroines in these games, some better than others. Most have daddy/grandfather issues. "Mirror Mysteries" actually changes it up by having a mother as the heroine although the voice acting leaves a lot to be desired in that one.
The last two weeks I have switched gears and have been playing a pair of Greek myth inspired Match 3 games entitled "Heroes of Hellas" & "Heroes of Hellas 2: Olympia". If you've played Bejeweled and its ilk, the theory is fairly similar -- match the tiles and clear the board before time runs out. And that last can make things really frustrating. I don't know how many levels I might have cleared if I had just had a little more time. Additional levels will add barriers and puzzles to get past well.
Once you've cleared enough levels, you will solve the "hero" levels. In the first game, they're all mosaic games, where you're moving squares to make the picture. The second one has some hidden object games mixed in the mosaic ones. The items are really well hidden. After that, the particular hero may help you on your quest (i.e. more time, remove barriers) if you collect his particular tiles. Sometimes you only have the option of swapping tiles around - those are hard levels.
You also get to build things. In the first game, you collect coins which go towards Hephaestus building you a palace.
In the second game, it's much more Civilizations style; you're winning money to build your city so they have adequate food/weapons/culture. Along the way, in gratitude, your citizens will build parts of your palace for you.
I think I like the second one better, but that's just me.
The only thing that really irked me was the hero choices. Sadly this is the fault of Greek mythology more than anything. There are very few female heroines in the Greek myths. Tragic women like Cassandra and romantic ladies like Andromeda and Ariadne, but not really many heroines. The second game included Aphrodite and Athena as "heroes". To their defense, the developers also included Poseidon and Cyclops, so they were probably trying to vary it from the previous game. It really only became annoying at the end of the first game when you've joined the annals of the great Greek heroes with your own story and so forth.
Wherein I am apparently a guy. Because you know, Greek heroes are obviously male. The more forgiving part of me will point out it's probably a programming default, but still there are ways to write more neutrally, if it's a concern.
All things the same, I'll go back to my hidden object mysteries and Daddy issue heroines. At least they're allowed to have adventures.
What I do play are the "casual games" on pc. I particularly love hidden object games with all their quirky (and sometimes predictable) mysteries. My favorites are the "Margrave Manor" & "Samantha Swift" series. I also adored the "Curse of the Pharaoh" series, although it frustrated at certain points. There are a ton of female heroines in these games, some better than others. Most have daddy/grandfather issues. "Mirror Mysteries" actually changes it up by having a mother as the heroine although the voice acting leaves a lot to be desired in that one.
The last two weeks I have switched gears and have been playing a pair of Greek myth inspired Match 3 games entitled "Heroes of Hellas" & "Heroes of Hellas 2: Olympia". If you've played Bejeweled and its ilk, the theory is fairly similar -- match the tiles and clear the board before time runs out. And that last can make things really frustrating. I don't know how many levels I might have cleared if I had just had a little more time. Additional levels will add barriers and puzzles to get past well.
Once you've cleared enough levels, you will solve the "hero" levels. In the first game, they're all mosaic games, where you're moving squares to make the picture. The second one has some hidden object games mixed in the mosaic ones. The items are really well hidden. After that, the particular hero may help you on your quest (i.e. more time, remove barriers) if you collect his particular tiles. Sometimes you only have the option of swapping tiles around - those are hard levels.
You also get to build things. In the first game, you collect coins which go towards Hephaestus building you a palace.
In the second game, it's much more Civilizations style; you're winning money to build your city so they have adequate food/weapons/culture. Along the way, in gratitude, your citizens will build parts of your palace for you.
I think I like the second one better, but that's just me.
The only thing that really irked me was the hero choices. Sadly this is the fault of Greek mythology more than anything. There are very few female heroines in the Greek myths. Tragic women like Cassandra and romantic ladies like Andromeda and Ariadne, but not really many heroines. The second game included Aphrodite and Athena as "heroes". To their defense, the developers also included Poseidon and Cyclops, so they were probably trying to vary it from the previous game. It really only became annoying at the end of the first game when you've joined the annals of the great Greek heroes with your own story and so forth.
Wherein I am apparently a guy. Because you know, Greek heroes are obviously male. The more forgiving part of me will point out it's probably a programming default, but still there are ways to write more neutrally, if it's a concern.
All things the same, I'll go back to my hidden object mysteries and Daddy issue heroines. At least they're allowed to have adventures.