Portal of Evil: Stolen Runes is, in my opinion, a very well designed hidden object game. The amazing artwork and the great soundtrack, combined with an interesting story make this game one of the best of this genre.

The story itself is pretty lengthy (around 6h) and quite captivating. An ancient evil threatens to break through the weakened portal to our world because four of the gate’s seals have been stolen. Vanessa, our main character, is asked to help the secret order of light that guards the gate to find the missing seals and to secure the gate once again. In order to find the seals she travels to several worlds of astonishing beauty: some darker and other brighter, some mystic and others demonic.

The artwork is centered on angels/demons, several scenes having influences from the Renaissance period. The lightning in some of the locations is simply breathtaking. The atmosphere is perfectly completed by the powerful and heroic music, very fitting for the whole angel/demon theme.

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=451771208

There are two types of hidden object scenes in this game: the classic ones that we’re already used to, in which the player has to identify the objects from a list and find them in the scene; however, there’s another type that I found really interesting: the player is given the objects and he needs to put them back to their places; it’s like a reverse hidden object scene.

Aside from the normal Hint system, you have a complete walkthrough together with the solution to the mini games and the HOG/HOPA scenes available in game – this is very useful for people that prefer to play with a guide nearby, since it spares them from tabbing out of the game. But even if you’re an expert HOG player, you might find yourself in need of peeking a bit at the walkthrough because some of the puzzles are really difficult to solve. However, most of the mini games are of easy / moderate difficulty.

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=451771009

The only aspect that I didn’t like about the game was the abrupt ending; it left me hanging, with a lot of questions. There is no explanation about what exactly that ancient evil was or what its plan was. Or how was it helped by some of the suspicious characters that you encounter throughout the story. I thought that the bonus chapter would shade a bit of light upon this mystery but even after playing it, I didn’t receive the expected clarifications. Maybe they will release a sequel; in this case I am looking forward to it!

Portal of Evil comes with achievements that are obtainable in a single playthrough, if you play on Expert difficulty.

Bottom line, I consider Portal of Evil: Stolen Runes to be a must-have for all the HOG fans out there. It is well worth the money, even at full price.

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A Visually beautiful Hidden Objects adventure, 8Floor's games always having the most beautiful artwork in this genre, I loved every scene of this quite large game which took me around 8 hours to beat. The story about Vanessa, she is the only heiress of her grandfather Abraham Van Helsinga, she discovered her missing grandfather was a member of a secret order after getting an invitation from Archbishop Benedict. Her mission was to finish what her grandfather was doing, finding the missing runes, but the most important question, can she trust the members of the order?
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2105465283

The game is perfectly made despite being released years ago, the balance between the adventure and hidden objects scenes are nice, and the puzzles vary in difficulty. The voice-overs are ok, but the characters design is a little bit dated, keep in mind this game was originally released back in 2013. I enjoyed the soundtracks so much, there is an option to download them from the extra menu.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2105346854

There are two types of the hidden objects scenes, the classic list of names, and the other one is giving you a bunch of items you need to return to the scene, for example, if they give you half of an apple, you need to find the other half to put them together. They also did a good job with the journal which kept track of the game's story and Venessa's comments about whatever she encounters.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2105361096

In my opinion the collectibles are difficult to spot and find (there is an achievement for it) I had to use a guide to get all of them. Sadly there is no way to return and collect them after beating the game like some of the HOGs, you'll have to start playing from the beginning. There is a fast traveling map, but when you visit a section and finish its objective, it will be unavailable for you to return to, this makes the collectibles missable.

Pros:
+Beautiful detailed artwork and locations.
+Fast traveling map.
+Beautiful music. (Can be downloaded from extra menu)
+Well-made hidden objects scenes
+OK voice-overs.
+Variety of puzzles. (Some of them are difficult)
+Bonus Chapter.
+Collectables (Difficult to find)
+In-game strategy guide.
+Steam achievements.

Cons:
-Some of the character's designs are below average.

This game needs a sequel, I wonder why they haven't made any yet. I do recommend it though as the story is concluded, but if one day they decide to make a sequel I hope they'll tell us more about the order members.

𝐹𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑤𝑠 𝑐𝘩𝑒𝑐𝑘 𝑚𝑦 𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝑝𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝐹𝑒𝑒𝑛𝑎'𝑠 𝐶𝘩𝑜𝑖𝑐𝑒[/quote

Portal of Evil: Stolen Runes Collector's Edition (IHOG)

Options include separate sliders for music, sounds and ambient audio, screen resolution, custom cursor, and two difficulty settings. Basically the only difference is that there are no sparkles in Expert Mode - even to indicate HO scenes - and there is a longer charge time on skips and hints.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2107753254
If you want all of the achievements, you can still use the hint button in general gameplay, but there are achievements for using no hints during HO scenes and for not using the SKIP button.

Be on the lookout for messages from Grandpa during your play-through. They ARE missable, which I sadly didn't realize until too late :p
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2107754963
Character models are stiff and not the greatest quality, and the same can be said for the voice actors, but that is par for the course with IHOG's in general. The gameplay graphics vary between very nice and stunningly-beautiful, though the cutscenes are too lacking-in-definition to make for good screenshots.

The HOS are nicely-spaced with adventure gameplay, for the most part, with a heavy emphasis on adventuring. The hidden object scenes themselves are played twice: Once via list, and the other by placing items where they belong (ie. cork goes in a bottle, knight goes on a horse, etc.) In both cases there will be a zoom-in scene where extra items are hidden. During the list version, items in blue are hidden in the zoom-in area, while those listed in red will be something interactive you have to complete, first.

Puzzles are nicely-varied, and though they start out insultingly-easy, they do ramp up in difficulty as you progress.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2107754113
The music is very nice, and nicely-dramatic.

CE Content:

• 9 Wallpapers (sadly, they are not-full-screen, at least not for me)
  
• 14 Concept Art (which you can save on your computer)
  
• 16 Cutscenes to re-watch, if you wish
  
• 6 Music Tracks (can be saved to your hard drive)
  
• 15 Mini-games to re-play
  
• Bonus Chapter

The Bonus Chapter is the true ending to the game, and continues the story from where you left off in the main game. Overall the game took me nearly 6 hours to complete - something I don't see in casual games much anymore.

There's nothing groundbreaking about the game, but the graphics are lovely, the story interesting and gameplay entertaining enough that I thoroughly enjoyed myself whilst playing. I consider this to be a quality offering for a great price - especially right now at $0.49 (at Steam)!

I haven't been playing a good HOG, without the signature of Artifex Mundi for a while. Following the advice of a friend, I decided to give this one a go. Portal of Evil: Stolen Runes is a HOG from 8floor Games - which I've never heard of, before - and one with the most beautiful artwork that HOG genre is capable of presenting us. Yes, I am pleased.

It all started with an ominous nightmare and a knock on her door... Vanessa Helsing was pretty much oblivious to the world of mythical beasts, powerful artifacts and mysterious doors leading to other realms, just a couple of weeks back. Her grandfather, Abraham Helsing disappears mysteriously and Vanessa receives an invitation from an archbishop Benedict, to the St. Peter Cathedral in Southern Italy. Growing up with the major mystery of her grandfather's job, Vanessa accepts the invitation and hits the road to discover her family's legacy. Unbeknownst to her, she is about to be the sole hope for a perilous matter that centers a certain door which connects the Hell to our mortal realm.

The first thing that I'd like to declare is that the artwork is marvelous! I usually try to restrain myself from using such adjectives for this genre, but when I found myself taking a cartload of screenshots and just taking a pause to watch the light moving over the scenery more than once, I make an exception. Developers really gave their best in environment design, with a strong renaissance theme. Cinematics weren't exceptionally good, but they carry a quality that we stumble in adventure game genre, not HOG, so even that is a bonus.

Gameplay didn't carry any revolutionary elements. It is your millionth HOG, with generic but beautifully illustrated puzzles. HOG sequences were okay, and wouldn't give you much hard time. Your map is interactive with a teleportation feature, and an available action indicator, so the obscene amount of backtracking wouldn't cut you off from the story. Story itself is pretty much generic also, with some pretty details scattered around. I'm not going to spoil it for you, but the ending - a common downside for the HOG genre at this point - would leave you with a "seriously?" face and wonder if the game really did end there. Oh, and voice acting is horrendously bad.

Nothing award winning, Portal of Evil: Stolen Runes would give you a lazy evening with some really beautiful scenes to watch. Considering I got the game in sale, as part of a bundle, I got my money's worth and added some backgrounds to my wallpaper collection. Win-win.

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I have played my fair share of HOGs, and Portal of Evil: Stolen Runes ranks just above "awful in every way".

Story-wise, it's the same mumbo jumbo as always in these games, and I'm always laughing at how the protagonists are OK with time portals, beasts from beyond or whatever you throw at them. So there is no fault for doing that again, but this game brings absolutely nothing new to the genre.
The ending of the game, though, is just that. You work hard to crack all the puzzles, and it suddenly just ends. Even the tacked on extra chapter, which is clearly there to call this game a "Collector's Edition", is just a simple continuation of the story, that still brings no ending to the story.

Production values are below average: Decent backgrounds, but awful Poser models with the most lifeless looks I've ever seen. While the dialog is bad in itself, the voice actors sure aren't helping: They. Read. It. As. They. Were. Rehearsing. For. A. William. Shatner. Role.

The mini-games are of the worst kind, were you have to rotate a thing to get another thing into the right place and have the right color at the same time. One of these types of games are usually fine, if annoying, but over half of the mini-games are these types of games. It's just lazy design to stretch play time.

There was a decent amount of Hidden Object scenes, and I liked the "reverse HOG", where you have to put objects into the scene, instead of removing them.

The map was also useful as it provided fast travel, which should be a standard for all HOGs nowadays.

All in all, it wasn't a good game, and there are plenty of HOGs on Steam that will provide much better entertainment.

This is one great HOG game. Good voice acting and a nice little plot with some challenging mini-games that aren't impossible. A lot more mini-puzzles than hidden object but don't let that put you off as I really enjoyed the unusual ones where you had to match the object to the to other objects within the scene.

I did actually 100% this game; so if I did then so can you!

I'd certainly keep an eye on the publisher as Artifex Mundi have some competition.

Story: Vanessa Helsing, grand-daughter of Abraham van Helsing, receives an invitation to come visit Father Bendict in Viva, Italy. Since her grandfather is missing Vanessa goes there for information. She is also having terrible nightmares and day-mares and hopes Father Benedict can answer those questions too. Father Benedict explains her family and ultimately she is a part of the secret organization, the Order of Light. It is the organization's task and hers to prevent demonic evil from entering this world through a gate door. Vanessa embarks on a quest to return the four runic seals stolen form the door and to find her missing grandfather who was/is chasing the traitor thief.

Gameplay: This plays very well with amazing cutscenes. There are ultimately 5 areas with subareas which break down into 8 chapters, plus the epilogue bonus chapter. The first area is the cathedral from which 4 other areas open via a portal, and another area for the bonus chapater. Warning: while searching for the grandfather's letters (scrolls) make sure to find all of them in a given area, since once the runic seal is found Vanessa is instantly teleported to the gate door and there is no longer access to that area.

The game is quite a bit point and click, with some different puzzles types from the standard fare (several quite difficult slides in that "keeping track of where the pieces are supposed to go type" of way). The HO scenes are of two types: 1) the normal list with a use object (highlighted in red on the find list) and a sub/hidden HO scene with more objects (highlighted in blue on the find list). 2) A reverse list called "It goes where?" In this HO the gamer puts the clue items (pictures) on their "list" into the HO scene. For example: A glove on the list would be placed next to its mate to make a pair. A very different type of HO perspective and the reverse of a standard find. Note: the reverse HO scene (placing objects into a HO scene) does count toward the Eagle Eye Achievement (find all clues in 1 minute or less). {Much discussion about this achievement in the threads, and I am unsure whether or not all achievements are possible in a single playthrough. I personally cannot do this the first time nor do I try to ever get this particular achievement the first time.} I think every scene gets played twice first as a reverse scene by adding objects then secondly as a straight clue list find.

I think the cutscenes are excellent. There are quite a few, especially when meeting and talking with the characters. The game is slightly interactive in that regard since the characters give exposition as well as clues. If a character is there click on them, and in one case where the character does not leave click on them at least twice to get all the information and clues needed for that particular area.

This is fairly difficult and relatively long Hidden Object game. The only real difference when playing on "expert" mode is the lack of sparkles on the HO scenes and the skip feature on the puzzles. There is an in-game strategy guide so there should be no problems if the gamer gets stuck. The no-penalty fast travel map comes in handy when looking for missed non-sparkling HO scenes. There is back and forth travel between the portal world and the real world while figuring out how to get that area's runic seal.

The only extra find are grandfather's letters in the form of a scroll, 15 in total. The scrolls are easy to locate and are not "hidden" in the least. As I warned before find all the scrolls in a particular portal area before leaving by taking the runic seal since portal areas lock at completion and cannot be reentered.

All in all an excellent game to play.

Exceptionally well designed and beautifully presented adventure with hidden object passages. The gameplay is not too hard although some mini games will get you scratch your head a few times before you arrive at your personal Heureka!-moment. Since the map lets you jump to previously visited places, it'’s easy to get in a flow of “just one more puzzle!”. The cut-scenes are nicely rendered, unfortunately the characters’ facial animation is straight from the uncanny valley, but that’s really minor criticism.

A special shout-out to sound and music. Every object has its very fitting signature sound and every scene its own environment sound which really sets the atmosphere with the gorgeous renderings, the icing on the cake is a symphonic soundtrack perfectly capturing the mood and mystery.

As for the story, it seems I have played, read and watched a number of variants of it before, but it gives you enough motivation to carry on puzzling and never gets cringeworthy, thanks to the solid voice acting.

All in all it’s apparent how much effort went into that game as is obvious on all the little details: There are cobwebs swaying gently in the wind, ants crawling on rocks in the wild, particles dancing in the air and each interaction with inventory items has a fitting animation: You can watch nails getting hammered in or doors getting pried open. On top, every single UI element is lovingly placed and animated. In short, this game has its visuals, sound and gameplay polished passionately.

If you have any interest in adventure games, puzzle games then Portal of Evil is a quaffable and formidable experience. I enjoyed it a lot so far!

I really tried to like Portal of Evil. It has good graphics, an interesting story, good music, but It bored me. Some of the hidden object mini games would not match up with the list. Example: An apple was one of the hidden object items. I clicked on it and nothing. That was the final straw. Some people may like Portal of Evil, but I can not recommend this game. 4/10.

Game Information

"Portal of Evil: Stolen Runes" Collector's Edition is a Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure game that was developed and published by 8 Floor Games.

Since this is a collector's edition game, it comes with extra features that are not available in its' counterpart; the standard edition.

The Game Review

Game Visuals

I want to mention that the visuals in the game are well done. The visuals can be adjusted in the game's option menu.

Game Audio

I want to mention that audio for the game is well done. Even though the audio is somewhat simplistic and repetitive. The audio can be adjusted in the game's option menu as well.

Gameplay

There are three different difficulty game modes to choose from: Casual; Advanced and Expert.

The notebook keeps track of progression in the game. Such as story events and clues.

There is an interactive map in the game. It allows the player to fast travel between each location quickly without having the need to constantly backtrack. It also indicates that there are a variety of tasks that can be completed at various locations within the game. The interactive map is automatically given at the start of the game.

There is no padlock feature that is available to lock the inventory panel in place to make it stationary. The inventory panel comes automatically stationary.

The hidden object scenes consist of the following: Traditional word lists and Reverse hidden objects. Some of these hidden object scenes may require little or no interaction.

The puzzles are fairly easy to solve without having the need to skip any of them.

There is a collectible in the game: Grandfather's scroll message. They are scattered throughout the game for the player to find.

There are twenty different achievements that can be unlocked from playing the game. Each of these achievements does come with some requirements that need to be completed before they can be unlocked.

Miscellaneous

The game comes with a strategy guide that can be accessed anytime during gameplay.

Final thoughts: I have found the game enjoyable to a certain extent. The replay value for the game is low. I would recommend this game, but not at the game's full price value.