Welcome to the House of Ngaio! Be sure to check out the entries that contain family trees, game reviews and walkthroughs, stories, poems, fun stuff and much more! Also remember to check out the other divisions listed on the sidebar under “Divisions of HoN”. Enjoy your time here!
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March 11th, 2009BFG – Daily Deal Feb 10
February 9th, 2010Apply the coupon code at checkout to get the game for $2.99. Each game’s code is available 24-48 hours after first going active at midnight PST on the day of release. If there is no coupon code listed, BFG Club members can get it from here.
09/02/2010 – Tradewinds Legends (Coupon code TRADELEG)
08/02/2010 – Blackwell Unbound (Coupon code 299BLACK)
07/02/2010 – Haunted Hotel II: Believe the Lies (Coupon code 299HH2BL)
06/02/2010 – Veronica Rivers: Portals to the Unknown ™ (Coupon code 299VRPU) Thanks to Ladiebug
05/02/2010 – Mae Q’West and the Sign of the Stars (Coupon code QWEST299)
04/02/2010 – The Blackwell Legacy (Coupon code 299TBL)
03/02/2010 – World Voyages (Coupon code WVOY299) Thanks to Pan
02/02/2010 – Tradewinds Caravans (Coupon code TRADEW) Thanks to Pan
01/02/2010 – Farm Craft (Coupon code FARM299C) Thanks to Pan
P.S. If you know a code I don’t, please do leave a comment so I can add it to the master list. Thanks.
Sandlot – Free Cake Mania: BttB
February 8th, 2010
Sandlot Games is giving away the expansion game to the first installment of the hit series, Cake Mania, for free! Simply go to the Cake Mania: Back to the Bakery page, and click on “Get It Free” to get this amazing deal! Offer ends Monday, 15th January 2010.
Related post: Cake Mania: Back to the Bakery review
Kitchen Brigade
February 3rd, 2010
Released: 27th Sep 2009
Developer: Fugazo Games
Genre: Time Management
Congratulations! You’re a contestant on the hit TV show Kitchen Brigade! Over the next 66 days you must successfully open a variety of different restaurants, and make sure they run as efficiently as possible! Manage a kitchen full of chefs, serve delicious entrees, and add new upgrades, all while unlocking huge, impressive trophies. Build the perfect kitchen by adding grills, ovens, mixers, and much more in this fantastic Time Management game.
Gameplay
Players use the mouse to prepare all types of different dishes. There are always ten upgrades per restaurant, subjected to a max of three a day. Nothing really special, other than getting more and more hectic.
Story
I think this is related to the Cooking Academy series, since there was a mention in the opening sequence. Other than that, nothing really special. A chef in a contest show, cooking her way to the top. Been there so many times, it isn’t funny anymore.
Audio
Can’t remember any. Not significant enough to command even the merest presence.
Art
Very nicely drawn. May be the only saving grace of this game. The pictures of the foods make my mouth water, which is not a good thing when I’m in front of the computer XD
Synergy
Well, it’s a normal time management game, I suppose. No omph factor, so I got tired of it by the time the trial ended. Tata!
Rating: 1 Stars
Sandlot – Absolutely Ballistik!
February 1st, 2010
Sandlot Games is giving away Ballistik! for free! Simply go to the Ballistik! page, and click on “Get It Free” to get this amazing deal! Offer ends Monday, 08th February 2010.
BFG – Daily Deal Jan 10
January 31st, 2010Apply the coupon code at checkout to get the game for $2.99. Each game’s code is available 24-48 hours after first going active at midnight PST on the day of release. If there is no coupon code listed, BFG Club members can get it from here.
31/01/2010 – Nick Chase: A Detective Story (Coupon code 299NICK)
30/01/2010 – Steve The Sheriff (Coupon code 299STEVE)
29/01/2010 – Fix-It-Up: Kate’s Adventure (Coupon code FIX299UP)
28/01/2010 – Camelia’s Locket (Coupon code CAMLOC299)
27/01/2010 – Star Defender 4 (Coupon code STAR4299)
26/01/2010 – Boonka (Coupon code BOONKA299)
25/01/2010 – Be Rich! (Coupon code RICH299)
24/01/2010 – Cate West: The Vanishing Files (Coupon code CWEST299)
23/01/2010 – Hidden Secrets: The Nightmare (Coupon code NIGHT299)
22/01/2010 – Lost in Reefs (Coupon code 299REEFS)
21/01/2010 – Magic Seeds (Coupon code 299SEEDS)
20/01/2010 – James Patterson’s Women’s Murder Club: Twice in a Blue Moon (Coupon code DAILYDEAL)
19/01/2010 – Westward III: Gold Rush (Coupon code WESTW299)
18/01/2010 – Runes of Avalon 2 (Coupon code RUNES299)
17/01/2010 – Neptune’s Secret (Coupon code NEPTU299)
16/01/2010 – Detective Stories: Hollywood (Coupon code HOLLY299)
15/01/2010 – Heartwild Solitaire (Coupon code 299CARD)
14/01/2010 – Floating Kingdoms (Coupon code 299FLOAT)
13/01/2010 – Rainbow Web 2 (Coupon code 299WEB; Note: half-price only)
12/01/2010 – Feyruna – Fairy Forest (Coupon code BONUS299)
11/01/2010 – Dyno Kid (Coupon code SPIRIT299) Thanks to Ladiebug
10/01/2010 – Art of Murder: FBI Confidential (Coupon code BLOOD299)
09/01/2010 – Paparazzi (Coupon code OLYMPUS299)
08/01/2010 – Westward III: Gold Rush (Coupon code RUSH299)
07/01/2010 – Wonderland Adventures (Coupon code WINTER299)
06/01/2010 – Jig Art Quest (Coupon code JIGART299)
05/01/2010 – Cathy’s Caribbean Club (Coupon code CLUB299)
04/01/2010 – Frutti Freak for Newbies (Coupon code NEWB299)
03/01/2010 – The Race (Coupon code RACE299)
02/01/2010 – The Hidden Object Show (Coupon code SHOW299)
01/01/2010 – Nanny Mania (Coupon code NANNY299)
P.S. If you know a code I don’t, please do leave a comment so I can add it to the master list. Thanks.
The Mysterious Past of Gregory Phoenix
January 25th, 2010
Released: 19th Aug 2009
Developer: White Zebra Games
Genre: Hidden Objects
The Mysterious Past of Gregory Phoenix is a game full of adventure, in which you will have to travel in space and time to answer questions about yourself, your past, and your role in the future. Your distant forefathers kept a secret. Only a few men on the Earth are privy to this ancient mystery. You have to discover the meaning of this legacy, a meaning that was hidden from you until this day! However, it turns out that your legacy is just one key. One key to one room…
Gameplay
Wow! I don’t believe I’ve seen or remembered a hidden objects game that has the items picked up actively needed to find the hidden objects in the same or another level! It’s quite interesting as we need to figure out the elusive last piece from the tools collected in our toolbox. The idea about matching the glyphs to the world map is intriguing as well as it gives us a sense of achievement (the glyphs are our rewards for finishing a level). And at the end of every section, a search for the King’s Armor and a piece of journal helps keep our mind on the goal. Very nicely developed!
Story
Well, it starts off with an “OK, let’s go treasure hunting yay” feel, but pretty soon, you’re drawn into the characters as they comment on their surroundings, never leaving us alone and helping us along the way as well (even though we’re supposed to be helping them XD). While popping in for only a few seconds at a time, the characters really remind us of them and prevents us from being “ugh, how many more items am I supposed to find already?”
Audio
Powerful and lovely to hear! It really puts me in the mood, strength at times, curiousity at others, and sometimes, at the dark dark areas, downright creepy 
Art
Very nice photos and art, with the items really well hidden. Although… the character arts don’t seem to blend in well with the rest of the game, since they’re drawn in a cartoonish style.
Synergy
Wonderful game! Perhaps not really a play-again due to its genre, but I definitely enjoyed every minute of it. A must-try!
Rating: 4 Stars
Also available on White Zebra Games:
Gregory Phoenix mini-site
Sandlot – Free Eye for Design
January 25th, 2010
Sandlot Games is giving away Eye for Design for free! Simply go to the Eye for Design page, and click on “Get It Free” to get this amazing deal! Offer ends Monday, 01st February 2010.
Treasure of Persia
January 23rd, 2010
Released: 30th Nov 2005
Developer: Realore Studios
Genre: Match 3
This tricky, multilevel puzzler will have you hunting for treasure. In the twilight rooms of a Persian palace, you will find tricky puzzles awaiting you. Line up three or more same-colored gem chips to make them disappear as you try to clear the game board. Treasure hunters who successfully align pieces will be amply rewarded. Their names will be marked in the history of the Treasure of Persia.
Gameplay
Players use the mouse to send tiles sliding across the board to match three of the same colour together. Umm… yeah, that’s about it.
Story
What story?
Audio
Very nice and eastern feeling music. Images in my mind involved belly dancing and… er… never mind XD
Art
The colours are very dramatic and eye-catching. Reminds me of the brightly-coloured sweets I used to love to pop into my mouth
Synergy
Despite the beautiful scenery, the game lacks the oomph factor that has customers glued to the game. Try the trial hour to see if you like it or not. If no, chances are… you won’t XD
Rating: 2.5 Stars
Be A King
January 22nd, 2010
Released: 6th February 2009
Developer: 300 AD
Genre: Time Management
Start off as a newly crowned prince and build your empire from the ground up! Create and maintain villages, towns, and even big cities, as you rule your land. Make life better for your people as you upgrade buildings and introduce new technology to improve the quality of life. Battle valiantly as you defend your minions from hordes of monsters and bandits in this Strategy game, and finally Be a King!
Gameplay
Players use the mouse to build buildings. As a resource management game, you need to ensure enough houses for the population (and your rental income), farms for food, barracks for protection against the evil forces (really, what medieval themed game didn’t have them?), and service buildings which give passive support. Depending on how fast you completed the level, you’ll be given a gold/silver/bronze level prize as your trophy. It’s interesting enough to see more and more buildings being unlocked as the game progresses, but after a while, it just seems like the same things over and over again.
Story
Hmm… not very well done. It only gave us a bit of story in the beginning, then dumped us into the deep end. When the game ended, it just said “oh yeah congrats you won” (not literally, of course), which lacks closure for the story, not that there’s been one in the first place. Only the tutorial and the old man who led us through it gave us a sense of diving in at all.
Audio
To war! To war! says the music, and I completely agree 
In medieval times, you either survived or don’t survive. Scary.
Art
Very medieval looking, and the monsters look ugly XD Not smooth and 3D-like, but it definitely has its charms.
Synergy
Above average game, though I suppose it could do with a lot more story. But it’s rather enjoyable to play, and I even played the whole way through, but I don’t think it has replayable value unless you like this type of game very much.
Rating: 3 Stars
Sandlot – Free Monster Mash
January 18th, 2010
Sandlot Games is giving away Monster Mash for free! Simply go to the Monster Mash page, and click on “Get It Free” to get this amazing deal! Offer ends Monday, 25th January 2010.
Related post: Monster Mash review
