Pennmom Reviews: Stray Souls: A Dollhouse Story CE

TIME TO GATHER SOME STRAY SOULS!

It was just another ordinary day for newlyweds Sam and Danielle Hunt, but their ordinary was about to become extraordinarily bazaar with the arrival of a mysterious package. In the time it took to turn the doorknob, Sam vanished into thin air!

Danielle knew there had to be a connection between the arrival of the package and Sam’s disappearance, but nothing could have prepared her for the horrific chain of events soon to take place.

Stray Souls: Dollhouse Story CE is a game that has sat on the top favorites list of true HOPA fans for nearly a decade! The graphics are dark and gritty, but perfectly suited for the events that take place in a long-abandoned town that Sam once called home. Although this isn’t a jump-scare kind of horror game, it does have a creepy vibe with lots of bugs and bones, cats and crows, and things that go bump in the night… should I mention the evil clown? 🤣

Keep in mind that Stray Souls: Dollhouse Story CE is a diamond in the rough, an older game that was developed long before the rise of all the hand-holding, creature-comfort, and interactive player features. The Hidden Object Scenes are abundant, one in just about every scene location. They are just Listed Item Finds, but you will probably be surprised at how well some of the items are hidden. Yes, it has a detailed Map (within the Journal). No, it won’t magically whisk you to the desired location at warp speed… you’ll have to walk to each scene on your own two virtual feet.

Did I just say Journal? Personally, I love a good old-fashioned journal and it saddens me that many developers have phased this feature out from modern-day HOPAs. In Stray Souls, however, the Journal not only saves any newfound discoveries but also saves vital clues to puzzles or codes uncovered. In today’s HOPAs, you don’t have to search for clues or codes; they simply slap a Post-it sticky note to plug in the code. I loved coming across a set of coded numbers in multiple scenes or revealing a group of images sketched on a notepad because it felt more realistic and made me feel more vested in the plot!

The best feature in Stray Souls: Dollhouse Story CE, hands-down, was trying to find the 36 Beyond Objects! I fell in love with Morphing Objects when I first started playing HOPAs and stumbled upon my first Morph in Dark Parables: Curse of the Briar Rose. The “Beyond Objects” are perfect in Stray Souls. They morph at a good rate of speed, and the objects are never obvious; they morph into similar objects, such as from a Black Crow to a Black Cat. If you like searching for morphs, you’re gonna love these Beyond Objects.

It’s the start of the new year so this is a great time to play Stray Souls: Dollhouse Story CE and maybe even add this to your top favorites game list!

Find this game in the Dangers from Dreamland – 15 Pack or the Underworld Wraiths – 10 Pack. Also catch this game in our new release this week: the Best of Alawar – 3 Pack!

Happy gaming!