This review contains spoilers, click expand to view.
Christmas is fast approaching and Santa Claus needs help finding the presents he intends to send out to all the children. As Holly he has picked you to pack his sack of toys and to travel across the world delivering these gifts to all the children. It’s a crazy job but someone has to do it. Help bring some festive cheer to kids this year!
Vendal Games first game Holly: A Christmas Tale (2007) has well meaning intentions but suffers in the gameplay department. There’s also the story. Imagine this scenario: it’s Christmas and understandably it’s the most busiest time of the year. You’re a mother (probably in her late 30’s/early 40’s) with a child working in a department store. You’re working overtime just to finish on time but finally you do. You need a rest but when you get home dinner hasn’t been made and the tree hasn’t been put up because sod your husband bothering to do anything to help you with your workload. No, it’s all on you. Finally you get the chance to take a very well earned rest only for St Nick to appear with his elves at the door. Oh is he going to help you pay back that huge mortgage your boss won’t let you pay because he pays peanuts for full working hours? No. Okay he’ll slow down time to allow you the best rest you’ve ever had in your life? No. Okay well maybe Father Christmas being who he is will give you and the rest of your family the best Christmas they’ve ever had right? Nope. Instead he’s going to reward all your tiring work by asking you to help him find, sort and deliver all his presents across the world before Christmas Day because firstly him and his slacker elves can’t be bothered and secondly he thinks you make a good fairy. Strangely Holly takes this all rather well although she seems drowsy throughout the whole thing (I guess due to a lack of sleep). Gameplay is mostly lacking even for a HOG. Sure you solve some puzzles here and there as you travel to stereotyped countries but the game quickly devolves into finding a certain number of toys or spot the difference screens. Once you’re past the first ‘level’ as it were you’ve seen everything this game has to offer. It’s a lazy effort all round.
Holly: A Christmas Tale does an alright job of showing the magic of Christmas. The premise of travelling across the world is nice enough but it’s let down by a moronic story and extremely repetitive gameplay. How many times can you play spot the difference in a HOG before you wonder where the (Hidden Object Game) HOG in this game is? Rest assured by the end Santa is nice enough to bring Holly back in time for Christmas Day so she has the responsibility alone of explaining where the hell she went the whole night. Good old Santa, bless him.… Expand
