The Haunt

by Synthesis Design Solutions

Product Details

• ASIN: B00913DPW2
• Original Release Date: August 27, 2012
• Date first available at Amazon.com: August 27, 2012
Rated: Guidance Suggested This app may include dynamic content. What's this?

All Ages

Based on information provided by the developer, the content of this application is appropriate for all users and contains no objectionable content or advertisements.




Guidance Suggested

Based on information provided by the developer, the content of this application is appropriate for most users. The app may include account creation, location detection, user generated content, advertisements, infrequent or mild references to violence, profanity, or crude themes, or other content not suitable for all ages.







Mature

Based on information provided by the developer, the content of this application is only appropriate for mature users. The app may include account creation, location detection, user generated content, advertisements, explicit references to or images of drugs, alcohol, tobacco, graphic violence, profanity, or crude humor, mild sexual and suggestive themes, nudity within medical, informational, or artistic contexts, simulated gambling, or other content only suitable for mature audiences.







Adult

Based on information provided by the developer, the content of this application is only appropriate for adults. The app may include account creation, location detection, user generated content, advertisements, explicit references to or images of drugs, alcohol, tobacco, graphic violence, profanity, or crude humor, sexual and suggestive themes, nudity, simulated gambling, or other content only suitable for adult audiences.



This application contains content that is downloading real-time, based on inputs from the user or developer. The maturity rating associated with this application pertains only to the static elements of the application and does not cover any dynamic information (e.g. websites, friend postings, tweets). Dynamic content is defined as any content that may change within the application. Content can include animations, video or audio.
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (327 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #756 Paid in Appstore for Android (See Top 100 Paid in Appstore for Android)

Product Features

• Stunning Graphics
• Tons of original puzzles and mini-games
• Hidden clues, tools and objects
• Excellent depth and length
• Engaging storyline

Technical Details

• Size: 58.3MB
• Version: 1.03
• Developed By: Synthesis Design Solutions
• Application Permissions: (Help me understand what permissions mean)
  • Read only access to phone state
  • Open network sockets
  • Access the vibration feature
  • Access information about networks
• Minimum Operating System: Android 2.2
• Approximate Download Time: More than 5 minutes

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

143 of 165 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars VERY Difficult - Had to Use Walkthrough September 19, 2012

By V. DeLapp TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Amazon Verified Purchase

I thought I was pretty adept at these sorts of games, but The Haunt is really tough! I only got through the first couple of scenes and then was lost. I printed out the walkthrough (all 14 pages of it) and was able to progress through the game following each step. It didn't seem too scary to me, just sort of creepy. Each scene is detailed and challenging, you need to think in order to progress. However, the story and actions are disjointed. I couldn't figure out why some things worked the way they did, and certain story elements just made no sense at all. I never in a million years would be able to play the game without the walkthrough.

There is also a jigsaw puzzle you assemble from hidden pieces in the scenes. I had trouble finding some of the pieces but after I found the flashlight (towards the beginning of the game), I turned it on and went back to the scenes with the hidden puzzle pieces and was able to find them.

This is a game for the serious minded - it is NOT easy and took me a long time to finish, even while using the walkthrough. I think it's one of those that you'll either love or hate.

124 of 145 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice graphics and difficult but fun game play but with fake reviews and permissions! October 30, 2012

By jjceo HALL OF FAMETOP 50 REVIEWER

Amazon Verified Purchase

Game play:
In this game you are getting clues and looking for various objects and tools that will help you to rid the house of ghosts. You collect tools and they are added to your collection. If you win you can close the portal that allows the ghosts to enter the house. Sometimes you need to solve a puzzle to move on in the game. Some items are well hidden and hard to find. You also have to figure out how and when to use the tool to your advantage to progress through the game.

You can collect moths and they are added to your inventory on the left of the screen. Taping the hint button uses one of your moths as payment and if you are still having difficulty there is a walkthrough link to the web which will help you to solve the problem. I used several moths as I played the game.

Many of the screens in the game are quite dark and turning up the brightness of the screen can help you to find objects. Just don't forget that you did turn it up as it consumes your battery faster. Collect puzzle pieces in each room you enter. The game is tedious and you are trying to find very small details.

I found several items like a safe and a locked box with a mechanism but I had no idea of how to I open them. Even the clues are ambiguous and such clues like listen for the click that you can't hear were not very helpful. There was one room that contained a coin on the floor that I could not pick up multiple times. When I went back to the room I was able to pick it up on the first try.

Home page:
* Play game
* Game options - set music and FX volume, skip puzzle button, how to play and information with credits and link to their web site
* More games takes you to Amazon and allows you to purchase their games

What I like:
The graphics are very good and the sound effect and music are mysterious and well done. I like these types of games as they make you think and work at winning or achieving the final goal. This one is challenging and interesting to play but frustrating at the same time.

I had to stop myself from playing just to write this review. It opened and played well on my Kindle Fire without any issues.

What I don't like:
You cannot pan and zoom in the rooms which make finding some small items difficult.

I found three links to the web so turn off your WIFI if you let your kids play the game. I also found numerous fake reviews and out of 100 reviews when I started at least 20 of them were fake and some written by the app developers themselves.

The game contains several permissions that are borderline dangerous. They can either be used for benign purposes or to link your device ID and to track your phone calls.

Summary:
While the game is intense and fun to try to find objects the lack of a pan and zoom feature makes the game more difficult to play. It does give you the feature of continuing a game in progress which is good but if someone else plays the game you will lose your progress history if they start over. The graphics are very good but dark so turn up your brightness of your screen.

It can be difficult to pick up items at some times and you may have to go back later to try it. I don't know why but that seemed to work. The clues are just another piece of the puzzle which is fine but you had better remember them as you search the house for inventory items. This game is very time consuming and not a quick five minutes of playing style of game. You will have to like this type of challenging game and have a lot of patience and determination.

The game graphics are 5 stars and the game play is between a 4 and a 5 star but difficulty is pretty high. I don't like all of the self-reviews of the game. The permissions can be risky so you have to make the choice of whether you want to keep the game or not. I am on a Kindle Fire so my risk is lower as I do no banking, contact lists or call anyone on the tablet but if you have a smart phone you have to make a choice.

I rate the game as a 4 star game.

Size: This game is a massive 76.01 MB which makes it one of the largest games I own. It consumes a lot of memory.

Permissions:
* Network communication - full internet access
* Kindle calls - read network state and identity
* Network communication - vie network state
* Hardware controls - control vibrator

72 of 96 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome! September 2, 2012

By Fate Fortuna

Amazon Verified Purchase

Best 1.99 I ever spent. Exciting entertainment for about 8 hours - difficult, and indeed scary. I didn't think a kindle game would actually be scary, but it was. I'm usually terrible at escape games even though I like them, but with a lot of fierce persistance I could figure out the puzzles.