Otherworld (video game series)

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Otherworld (series)
Otherworld Shadows of Fall Logo, by Boomzap Entertainment.png
Official logo of Otherworld: Shades of Fall
Genre(s) Casual games(Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure Game)
Developer(s) Boomzap Entertainment
Publisher(s) Big Fish Games
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, iPhone, iPad
First release Otherworld: Spring of Shadows
January 23, 2012
Latest release Otherworld: Shades of Fall
October 17, 2013

Otherworld is a series of casual hidden object puzzle adventure games with a dark fantasy theme. It was developed by Boomzap Entertainment and published exclusively by Big Fish Games. The games are available on PC and Mac platforms and with free versions for the iPhone and iPad devices.

Dark fantasy subgenre of fantasy

Dark fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy literary, artistic, and cinematic works that incorporate darker and frightening themes of fantasy. It also often combines fantasy with elements of horror or has a gloomy, dark atmosphere, or a sense of horror and dread.

Boomzap Entertainment

Boomzap Entertainment is a casual games developer registered in Singapore with a virtual office environment. It was formed in 2005 and has released 50 games to date that are ported on various platforms. Boomzap has developed for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Nintendo DS, Wii, iOS, and Android. Its games are available on games portals such as Big Fish Games, Yahoo!, WildTangent, GameHouse, Google Play, Amazon, iTunes, Steam and others.

Big Fish Games American gaming company

Big Fish Games is a casual gaming company based in Seattle, with a regional office in Oakland, CA, owned by Aristocrat Leisure. It is a developer and distributor of casual games for computers and mobile devices. Their game Cooking Craze was awarded the Best Pick Up and Play game by Google Play in 2017.

Contents

Otherworld: Spring of Shadows was the first game to be released on January 23, 2012. A year later, a sequel was released entitled Otherworld: Omens of Summer. Both games were published with Standard and Collector's Editions. The third and final game, Otherworld: Shades of Fall Collector's Edition, was released on October 17, 2013.

Boomzap Entertainment stated in 2015 that Big Fish Games had decided not to continue the series. [1]

Plot/Storyline

Fiona was a young girl who once lived in a charming house in the countryside but she disappeared after being abducted by a menacing shadow called The Shade. She owns a locket that unveils a magical world to those who possess it. [2] Through the help of the fairy-like creatures, Fiona must be saved from the dark creature. Magical artifacts must be found to stop The Shade and his evil minions. [3]

Games

Otherworld: Spring of Shadows

Otherworld: Spring of Shadows features a modern world wherein magic and creepy, spooky creatures, both friendly and unfriendly, exist. It is a story about a woman who, looking for peace and quiet, bought a new home, only to find that her new home is not peaceful and quiet, after all.

Otherworld: Spring of Shadows Collector's Edition was released on Big Fish Games on January 23, 2012. [4] On the week of its release, it was found on the Top 100 PC Chart of Big Fish Games. [5] It stayed within the Top 10 for 26 days, peaking at #2. [4]

Otherworld: Spring of Shadows is also one of the few games that Gamezebo has given a 5/5 star rating to, with the reviewer saying that "I've got nothing bad to say. The game was pure fun, beauty and excitement from start to finish." [6] It was also mentioned in the review that this game is "Hands down, the best hidden object game you've played in a long time." [6]

Gamezebo is a website that focuses on editorial coverage of the mobile gaming industry, offering interviews, reviews, previews, strategy guides, and news. It had been centered on casual games, but after a redesign in 2014, the site changed direction to primarily highlight mobile games.

Otherworld: Omens of Summer

Otherworld: Omens of Summer is the second game in the "Otherworld" series and like its predecessor, it is a hidden object/adventure game. In this sequel, players join Fiona, a young girl born with magic, as she stops dark creatures in this hidden-object puzzle adventure.

Otherworld: Omens of Summer was first released on February 4, 2013 exclusively for Big Fish Games. Gamezebo gave this a 4/5 star rating with the reviewer saying "...compared to other games in the genre, Omens of Summer is a paragon of beauty and innovation. It's spooky, ethereal, thought-provoking and graphically luscious..." [7] Jay Is Games describes it as a "fairytale aimed at a more grown-up audience". [8]

Jay Is Games is a game review website that features daily updates and links to casual games, indie games, browser games and flash games of wide interest to casual gamers. It was founded on April 19, 2003 by Jay Bibby, initially as a personal blog, although it later had several contributors.

Otherworld: Shades of Fall

Otherworld: Shades of Fall is the third installment published exclusively by Big Fish Games. Like the earlier games, it is a hidden object adventure game wherein Fiona continues to search for magical artifacts that can stop the evil enemy. [9]

Otherworld: Shades of Fall Collector's Edition was released on October 17, 2013 for both PC and Mac. [10] On its first two weeks, this hidden object adventure game found itself within the Top 10 PC Games on Big Fish, peaking at #2. [11] AllAboutCasualGame.com gave it an overall rating of 4.5/5 stars, adding that "creativity is vivid, the presentation is remarkable and the whole experience is just plain amazing." [12] CasualGameGuides.com described it as a "masterpiece of a hidden object adventure game." It received a perfect overall rating of 5 stars because of its "darling characters, evil and good, its gorgeous graphics, and its can't-beat storyline." [13]

The Standard Edition was released on November 15, 2013. [14]

Otherworld: The Eternal Winter (Unreleased)

Boomzap Entertainment stated in 2015 that Big Fish Games had decided not to continue the series. The final game, which would have been subtitled The Eternal Winter under Boomzap, will not be released. [15]

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<i>Dream Chronicles</i> video game

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<i>Flux Family Secrets: The Rabbit Hole</i> 2010 video game

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<i>Botanica</i> (series)

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Eipix Entertainment

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References

  1. ↑ "Boomzap Entertainment" on Facebook. Retrieved 2015-09-10.
  2. ↑ "Otherworld: Spring of Shadows" on Boomzap Entertainment
  3. ↑ "Otherworld: Omens of Summer" on Boomzap Entertainment
  4. 1 2 "Otherworld: Spring of Shadows Collector's Edition Detail on". Casualcharts.com. Retrieved 2013-09-27.
  5. ↑ "Top 100 Downloadable PC Games". Big Fish Games. Retrieved 2013-09-27.
  6. 1 2 "Otherworld: Spring of Shadows Review". Gamezebo. 2012-01-26. Retrieved 2013-09-27.
  7. ↑ "Otherworld: Omens of Summer Review". Gamezebo. 2013-02-07. Retrieved 2013-09-27.
  8. ↑ "Otherworld: Omens of Summer" on Jay Is Games
  9. ↑ "Otherworld: Shades of Fall" on Boomzap Entertainment
  10. ↑ "Otherworld: Shades of Fall Collector's Edition" on Big Fish Games
  11. ↑ "Top 100 Downloadable PC Games" on Big Fish Games. Retrieved 2013-11-07.
  12. ↑ "Otherworld: Shades of Fall - Review" on AllAboutCasualGame.com. Retrieved 2013-10-21.
  13. ↑ "Otherworld: Shades of Fall - Review" on CasualGameGuides.com. Retrieved 2013-11-07.
  14. ↑ "Otherworld: Shades of Fall Game" on Big Fish Games.
  15. ↑ "Boomzap Entertainment" on Facebook. Retrieved 2015-09-10.
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