I have okayed a zillion of these games and have never bothered to write a review before, but I enjoyed this so much I felt compelled to do so. The vibe of the game was super tongue in cheek, which I loved. I know others have said they found Collins annoying, but I found him hilarious. He reminded me of Kenneth Branagh’s portrayal of Lockhart in Harry Potter—pure ego but mostly harmless, and almost endearing in his absurdity. I was particularly amused by his ability to break the fourth wall. Seriously clever, and a level of intelligence and thoughtfulness unusual for this genre.
The mechanics aren’t perfect; the inability to perform certain actions out of sequence or prior to triggering the dialogue was annoying, and there were a fee places where you had to click in a ludicrously specific spot. Overall, though, the writing outweighed these minor flaws—and the reusable toolkit was brilliant! As another reviewer noted, its always irritating to have to find 17 pointy things throughout a game, so this innovation was hugely appreciated. The graphics were lovely as well. I was sad to finish this one and will certainly play again. The bonus chapter was a true bonus, with adorable lizards and a reasonable amount of plot. I would love to see more of Collins (10/10 would buy a Collins series if it were this funny and whimsical). Many thanks to the developers (and the writers especially)for this one!