Casual Friday casual game update for October 19, 2012

Good morning everyone! It’s casual game update time! We have an average lineup of games this week. There are five available, with three playable on Windows and Macs. As usual, we have a bunch of hidden object games for you to try, but there are also two oddballs. You can go through a new tower defense game or visual novel, if you’d like. This update also marks the first time Big Fish Games is offering free-to-play games. These are ones where you can pay to unlock extra content, but you don’t have to if you just want to play for fun.

This week’s best bet is: Toy Defense (Windows)

Hidden Mysteries: Gates of Graceland
Genre: Hidden Object
Availability: Big Fish Games, Harmonic Flow
Retail Price: $6.99
Platform: Windows XP or better and Mac 10.4 or better
Premise: Search Graceland to see all kinds of Elvis clips and look for the missing song that was the last one he ever recorded.
Demo Available: Yes

Web of Deceit: Black Widow Collector’s Edition
Genre: Hidden Object
Availability: Big Fish Games, Harmonic Flow,
Retail Price: $13.99
Platform: Windows XP or better and Mac 10.4 or better
Premise: Discover why the Black Widow killed all of her previous husbands and stop her from taking any more. The collector’s edition contains a side story where you play as a character named Morgana and wallpapers.
Demo Available: Yes

Toy Defense
Genre: Strategy
Availability: Big Fish Games
Retail Price: Free
Platform: Windows XP or better
Premise: Fight through 72 levels in a World War II themed tower defense game where all of the units are toys. It’s free-to-play, but you can pay cash to earn stars to spend on in-game items and boosters.
Demo Available: Yes

Shadow Wolf Mysteries: Cursed Wedding Collector’s Edition
Genre: Hidden Object
Availability: Big Fish Games
Retail Price: $13.99
Platform: Windows XP or better and Mac 10.4 or better
Premise: A werewolf is going after your friend and her fiance, and it’s up to you to find out what’s going on and save them. The collector’s edition includes extra puzzles and a strategy guide.
Demo Available: Yes

Train of Afterlife
Genre: Visual Novel
Availability: Zevia Inc., Amaranth Games
Retail Price: $10
Platform: Windows XP or better
Premise: You’re on a train to the afterlife, but don’t know who you are or what happened to you. You have to talk to the five other people on board to learn about them and find out if they know you. The ending changes epending on your decisions.
Demo Available: Yes

Editor’s Note: Due to so many casual games sites offering game plans or preferred member prices, which can cause a game to have multiple price-points, the games’ average retail prices is mentioned in Casual Friday.

Site [Big Fish Games] Site [PlayFirst] Site [GameHouse] Site [eGames] Site [Alawar Games] Site [Amazon] Site [Reflexive Arcade] Site [Harmonic Flow]