Inbetween Land HD is the latest adventure game from G5 Entertainment that mixes in a heavy dose of hidden item locating and some more traditional adventure gaming elements. The story is rather loose with a poor setup that makes it hard to care about the characters or our main heroine’s quest to find her lost friend, Mary who was mysteriously transported to some giant island that floats over the city like a giant flying saucer from Independence Day. A quick search of your friend’s room and surrounding area nets you the items required to create a portal that transports you to the island where your search can really begin.
Unlike most other HOA, Inbetween Land mixes things up by having you find pieces of items rather than entire items. Once combined, they will unlock new items that can be used to solve puzzles and advance the story. It doesn’t really change up the genre all that much, but merely adds a nice level of additional detail to the mix. The overarching quest has you searching for five crystals you’ll need to save Mary
The game is certainly not short on lush backgrounds and original art style. The scenes are meticulously detailed and the 50+ locations definitely gave off a distinct “Myst” vibe that looked amazing on my iPad’s retina display. There is nice use of subtle animations in the static shots and some great ghostly overlays and cutscenes that mix up the hunt screens. The puzzles and mini-games are nicely designed from a visual standpoint.
19 mini-games and three modes to play offer a variety of ways to approach the game, but even at its hardest, Inbetween Land is far from challenging. It’s a shame really, because I can see great potential in the setup and material had the developers put just a bit more work into creating something that would grip the player and encourage them to keep playing. While puzzles later in the game get more creative, they still don’t provide the necessary challenge, making this game more of a casual time filler than an actual adventure game.
Inbetween Land HD game just didn’t grab me like so many other G5 adventures have in the past. The script is awkward as is the delivery of the lines by the voice actors. The puzzles are a bit simplistic for all but the most novice of gamers, so unless this is your first rodeo you’ll tear through this game in 2-3 hours. It’s free to try and $5 to unlock the full experience. This might be a great game to introduce your kids to the HOA genre, but most seasoned explorers can probably hold off for something a bit more substantial.
