Christmas Stories: Nutcracker Collector's Edition

I enjoy these games. And it surprised me just a little that we didn't have a redemption arc for the rat king xD

Great Christmas HOG! Good music and puzzles plus a bonus game.

Give me more cats! The main Nutcracker story was a bit of a slog. I was expecting the character I was playing as to narrate the gameplay but most of the voice acting happened during sporadic cut scenes and occasional character introductions. Some of the puzzles fell on more of the difficult and boring side which made it feel like a chore compared to other HOGs I've played. They do have a strategy guide in the game which was a nice and detailed reference for when I would get stuck. Visually, while it isn't high quality, I absolutely loved the weird rat character design/movements and it is actually what sold me on the game. I also enjoyed my various companions in the game and getting to use their functionality, they were weirdly designed but I loved them [spoiler](looking at you candle stick with live action Sonic teeth)[/spoiler]. The deciding factor on if I recommend the game is the bonus chapter. The Bonus Chapter was a lot more fun to play through. The bonus is contained to a smaller part of the map that has the more interesting locations, the puzzles are less frustrating/boring, and I enjoyed meeting/using all my cat companions.