Reflections of Life: In Screams and Sorrow – Review

Shortly after a historic peace treaty between the two worlds was signed, disease started spreading among the citizens of our world. Just like that, an ambassador from the other world, the Cities, offered a cure to this strange disease in exchange for our children. The catch is that the cure does not work! Is this an evil scheme planned by the Cities or just a pure coincidence? Find out in this latest installment of Reflections of Life.

Reflections of Life takes us on another fantasy adventure with this fifth sequel. In Screams and Sorrow has a great premise, presenting a story about conflicts between the two parallel worlds in such an interesting manner. However, the slow pacing and sluggish story development prevent us from being fully engaged. Moreover, the plethora of characters that keep popping up throughout the game seem trivial and are not significant enough to establish any kind of emotional connection with the player.

Apart from the disappointing story delivery, other aspects of Reflections of Life: In Screams and Sorrow are quite on-point. The gameplay does not divert much from the HOPA format we are familiar with, but there are enough smart twists and turns to hook us in. The adventure part involves a fair share of backtracking, which reasonably adds to the challenge of the game. The hidden object scenes are also delightfully creative and often times help progress the storyline. Similarly, the puzzles are mostly clever, although we have seen most of them countless times before. We also have an owl helper in the game, which in our opinion is a harmless, but unnecessary, addition.

To nobody’s surprise, Reflections of Life: In Screams and Sorrow totally owns the visuals game. The artwork is incredibly detailed and the architectures in the game offer some real stunning sights. The rich colors and the extravagant special effects also worked to enhance the fantasy experience and successfully kept us glued to the screen.

When it comes to the Collector’s Edition, the game includes a 50-minute bonus chapter, wallpapers, soundtracks, concept art, videos, replayable hidden object scenes, replayable mini-games, achievements, collectibles, and a hidden puzzle.

Reflections of Life: In Screams and Sorrow is a colorful and attractive showcase of creativity, even though it falls short on the storyline.