The only bad thing about this game are the undeserved negative reviews. This is one of those "diamonds in the rough" with the rough being inaccurate game descriptions. I say that with a lot of love for BFG and BFG Members as I rely on your reviews and recommendations. Totally agree with nicedoggie and wondered if this is the same game based on reviews. Only gamers who skip everywhere they can, might end up with a short game here. And still don't see how that is possible based on the numerous HO scenes that increase in complexity. The awesome graphics and artwork deserve closer attention and are downright mesmerizing. If gamers make short work of this game, they are missing the bigger picture and I suspect may have been expecting more gore than this "horror-themed" game offered. Developers artfully presented those gruesome scenes and so I did not turn off the game, but rather, was intrigued to continue. On the same hand, did not rush forward in fear of what was around the next corner. lol Story and HO scenes develop from easy-going, then increases in complexity and intensity. HO scenes straight forward and not interactive, thank goodness! No long-distance running throughout. Journal keeps you informed without being over-helpful and not so much reading. A bit of a maverick myself who speaks the truth, I believe most gamers prefer this type of playtime--not too long, not too short; very interesting plot, great artwork and makes you want to come back for more! Enjoy! -Mama Mia-

PLUS SIDE = Sometimes you just want something easy-to-play, and this game fills the bill. I bought it a few months ago, and just replayed today because I wanted something non-intense to play. This game has an interesting storyline (help save the town from the return of the evil-spirit king) with a nice mix of Hidden Object scenes and fairly easy-to-do puzzles. The action for each chapter takes place within a limited area, so there is not a huge amount of back-and-forth trekking. The visuals (except for some of the Hidden Object scenes) were very well done, and the story has a satisfying ending. MINUS SIDE = The colors are a very monochromic brown and blue in some of the Hidden Object scenes, which makes it hard to find the objects. The game is fairly short, I finished it the first time I played in under three hours. There are no voiceovers, just script dialog (which can be skipped). For those concerned about occult themes, the story does deal with the supernatural (vampires and spirits).

Fun fast paced game that was relaxed and enjoyable

I enjoyed this game, the last chapter seemed a little rushed, making the game a little short, but still fun to play. The game is fairly linear, so there isn't a lot of brain work involved in figuring out what to do next. The game is a straightforward interactive hidden object game, well drawn, with nice music, a pleasant way to while away a few hours.

Shades of Death: Royal Blood is a fantastic, spooky game without being overly morbid with a happier-type ending. The graphics are excellent, story well plotted and gameplay varied and fun.

.This game is a lot of fun. It takes you on a journey to different times and different storylines. I played the demo and was sucked into this game in the first five minutes. I knew that I would be buying this game and sure enough I did. - Great graphics - Fun storylines - Fantastic HOS - Great mimi games (hard enough to make it not dull) - Help button recharges quickly. Over all I give this a 5 star. Check out the demo and you won't be disappointed.

We purchased this game some time ago before games could be reviewed, so we started it over to see what it was like. There are volume controls for sound effects and music. The music was not annoying. There were no voice overs and minimal text to read. You can choose full or wide screen and custom cursor. The game modes are casual or advanced. There is a journal that keeps track of info found in letters and papers in your travels. There is also a task list. The graphics were good. Some of the hidden object scenes were a bit challenging <not because of clutter or poor graphics...the items were well hidden> and we did use the hints. The hints filled quickly in casual play mode. There was quite a bit of back & forth to play puzzles after finding inventory items you needed. The puzzles were fairly simple and fun. Rarely do we finish a game in one sitting so we have not made it to the end to know how many chapters there are. We have played for a bit over an hour and are in chapter 2. The story line is about finding parts of an amulet to keep "evil" from being released after it has been locked up for hundreds of years. There are some ghosts flying about, although we haven't encountered any scenes that are overly creepy or demonic. All in all this is a fun game with a bit of a challenge. We are glad we purchased it, even though it wasn't at a Daily Deal price.

Nice balance of HOS and puzzles. Two modes of play. Three locations: castle, cursed island and evacuated village. Travel between the world of the dead and the undead. You enter the different realms through mirrors. Hint system is fairly decent ? tells you when there?s nothing left to do at the location or showing you where you can do something. Linear play, so it?s hard to get lost. Nicely developed gameplay. Graphics are rather gloomy in the land of the living; a little brighter in the land of the undead. HOS may be a little dark for some screen resolutions. You have to find missing pieces before puzzles can be completed. Little spirits are frequently floating about. You?ll find quite a bit of material strewn throughout the locations (newspapers, notes, journal entries) that you'll want to read. Interesting cutscenes.

It was kinda sad at first,but don't give up on this great game! As I played it, it just got better and better, and was wondering, after seeing all the ratings, if I was on the right game! HAHAHA! I loved it and ,the hint button is all you need to play a long and relaxing HOG game with a great story line. I got it at a super price ( sure love Big Fish !) but would have paid the full price for sure!

Lots of fun. The ending was sudden.