NaughtyPenguin's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3
- Helpful Votes:340
- Reviews Submitted:39
- First Review:June 11, 2012
- Most Recent Review:December 2, 2021
- Featured reviews0
A mysterious portal spells trouble for a lost squad of Roman soldiers!
Overall rating
5
/
5
1 of 2 found this review helpful
My Favorite Roads of Rome
PostedDecember 2, 2021
NaughtyPenguin
fromSun City, AZ
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Time Management
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Requires actual strategy and for the most part, resources and tasks keep you busy enough that you don't get bored waiting. I'd recommend the regular version with 40 levels. The Collector version only gives you 8 more levels and there is nothing particularly special about them. The collector version also gives you wallpaper but I can't imagine anyone cares about that except the developers. I've played it multiple times and even with practice it's still challenging to get 3 stars on some of the levels.
I recommend this game!
Who says Christmas miracles don't exist? Checkout 500 new high-quality photos in the new Holiday Jigsaw!
Overall rating
3
/
5
10 of 13 found this review helpful
There are better
PostedDecember 23, 2014
NaughtyPenguin
fromSun City, AZ
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Brain Teaser, Time Management, Puzzle, Mahjong
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
The pics are nothing special. The capabilities are way behind JigS@w Puzzle 2 which has been out for years and I still haven't found anything approaching it's abilities. Jigs@w 2 lets you load any JPG from the web and turn it into a puzzle. Find the holiday pics YOU like by getting images from the web, then create your own puzzle. Create puzzles of your family or your garden. This Christmas games only gives you 500 puzzles and your stuck with pics they selected. You also only get one puzzle shape while JigS@w 2 lets you choose a lot of different shapes. This games gives you only one tray for sorting pieces compared to lots of trays with Jigs@w 2. Check it out before you spring for this one. You'll never need another puzzle game if you have Jigs@w2.
I don't recommend this game.
Fantasy Mosaics 4: Art of Color
Solve a variety of multi-color mosaics puzzles in the latest installment of Fantasy Mosaics!
Overall rating
2
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Amateur Developers
PostedSeptember 26, 2014
NaughtyPenguin
fromSun City, AZ
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Match 3, Card & Board, Brain Teaser, Time Management, Marble Popper, Puzzle, Mahjong
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
I'd hoped with the addition of color these developers might have gotten a clue how to develop this type of game. NOT! The puzzle board does not get more difficult after the 3rd level. You never get a board larger than 15 x 20. A large proportion of gameboards can't be solved by logic alone. There is no scoring so you can't go back and beat your time. As you progress through the colors the game is reduced to filling in the blank squares with no thought required. Despite the simplistic puzzles the developers actually fill in so many squares that you end up having to complete only a 9 x 12 grid. Ridiculous! They think we can't figure it out? The easiest puzzles come in the last two levels (19 & 20). What's with that??? The pictures are boring and frequently look nothing like what they claim to be. You can't restart a game except by exiting and starting over. The story (help the penguin) has nothing to do with the garden (miscellaneous Christmas stuff). The garden is a joke and adds nothing to the game. I could find no difference between regular mode and 'advanced'. The only positive feature is that the game doesn't crash. I've seen other games by this developer; either they're amateurs or lazy. Either way it's not worth the money
I don't recommend this game.
Manor Memoirs Collector's Edition
Help Scarlett write her next novel!
Overall rating
2
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
POORLY EXECUTED
PostedSeptember 21, 2014
NaughtyPenguin
fromSun City, AZ
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Match 3, Strategy, Time Management, Puzzle, Mahjong
Current Favorite:
Royal Envoy 2
(74)Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I enjoy HOG that require you to go beyond the initial obvious. For example, if you're looking for a 'cone' it might be a traffic cone, pine cone, ice cream cone. Unfortunately, the developers of this game only allow you to select the one they want you to find, none of the others work. so you keep clicking and clicking on an item that clearly matches the definition but it's unacceptable. Even worse, there are multiple times when the item isn't named correctly. For example the clue is 'quill pen'. There is indeed a quill pen in the pic but you can't select it. What they defined as a quill pen and the 'right' answer is actually a fountain pen. In addition to poorly executed game boards, the decorations are garish so it's not fun putting the mansion together. They want a fountain in the middle of the livingroom??? Don't waste your money. There are many better HOGs on here.
I don't recommend this game.
Fantasy Mosaics 2
Complete custom mosaic puzzles and discover the fantasy images hidden beneath
Overall rating
1
/
5
8 of 9 found this review helpful
Zero replayability
PostedJuly 4, 2014
NaughtyPenguin
fromSun City, AZ
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Match 3, Strategy, Brain Teaser, Time Management, Puzzle, Mahjong
Current Favorite:
Royal Envoy 2
(74)Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
I love this type of game so I was excited to see this one. Don't waste your money. It's not possible to see what your score is for a previous round so there's no way to improve where you've been since the developers didn't see fit to include this basic option. What's the point of playing the same thing over and over if not to improve your time or see a gold achievement? The other flaws I can overlook (oriental music doesn't match the backgrounds, no way to undo once you've touched a square, no way to replay a round without going back to the main menu and hoping you remember which one you were playing). I'm angry with BFG for letting a half baked game be offered. Some things are basic and I'd like to see some quality control instead of just throwing a game out there because it doesn't crash.
I don't recommend this game.
Demigods
Embark on an epic journey through the ancient world in this stunning time-management adventure!
Overall rating
2
/
5
15 of 17 found this review helpful
NOT a True TM game
PostedMarch 8, 2014
NaughtyPenguin
fromSun City, AZ
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Match 3, Card & Board, Time Management, Marble Popper, Puzzle, Mahjong
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Wonderful graphics for a TM game. Unfortunately, this game isn't true TM, the longer you play the more it turns into an adventure game. TM identifies tasks you need to complete. The tasks in this game are obscure at best. Many are described as 'keep going'. 'Keep going' is NOT a task.
You can't see the tasks until after you click to start playing so there's no opportunity to plan a strategy. You can't tell which locations have the lumber, food, etc because they keep changing how these resources look. It becomes an adventure game about 1/2 way through when there's no clear instructions or path for what you want to do.
For example, you need to build a bridge. There are no instructions on what needs to be done. You finally figure out that a portion of rock on the other side of the screen, something that appears to be part of the background, needs to be clicked. So you get stuck and end up clicking all over the place trying to find some obscure item to click on. That kind of mindlessness is what you find in adventure games and doesn't belong in TM.
For someone who likes to get 3 stars this game is impossible! The only way to get a 3rd star is to click on enough sheep. In 1/2 the levels, the sheep are only available during a couple minutes of gameplay. For example, I completed all the tasks within the first 3 bars. I had to sit and wait for 12 minutes until it got to the final bar before the sheep came out. Sometimes they come out early in the game before you're cleared a path to get to them and they're gone by the time your path is clear.
The story has a lot of potential but the way characters are introduced out of the blue makes it very contrived and the English is soooo bad that it's distracting,
The graphics are wonderful for TM; poor for an adventure game. You can easily tell that multiple designers were assigned to different levels; it should be seamless and the player shouldn't feel like it's a different game just because it's a different level. I expected more from this developer.
I don't recommend this game.
Cubis Creatures
Cubis is a match-3 game unlike any other!
Overall rating
2
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Too much flashing!
PostedNovember 30, 2013
NaughtyPenguin
fromSun City, AZ
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Match 3, Brain Teaser, Time Management, Marble Popper, Puzzle, Mahjong
Current Favorite:
Royal Envoy
(34)Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
I loved Cubis and was excited to see a new version. I couldn't even finish the demo. Every click you make has things flying across the screen, exploding, or pop ups thrown at you. It is NOT relaxing. By the time I finished 11 rounds (11 minutes) I was too dizzy to continue. More and more games have developers throwing glitz at us just because it's possible but it doesn't make the game better. This game has strategy, bright beautiful colors, and addictive challenge but the in-your-face flashing ruins what could have been a great game. I'm recommending it for those who aren't bothered by the constant distractions, and I do mean constant!
I recommend this game!
Kingdom Chronicles
Rescue the princess, defeat the villain and save your homeland!
Overall rating
2
/
5
11 of 11 found this review helpful
Time management sort of
PostedNovember 17, 2013
NaughtyPenguin
fromSun City, AZ
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Match 3, Strategy, Time Management, Marble Popper, Puzzle, Mahjong
Current Favorite:
Royal Envoy
(34)Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
In time management I expect strategy comes into play. In this game there are countless rounds where all play stops for many minutes while you battle trolls, bandits, and other bad guys. I don't mind a few of these to keep you on your toes but if I wanted a battle game I'd have bought one. The clock runs down while you're madly clicking bad guys and by the time you finally get to resume the game you've forgotten whatever strategy you had in mind. Like most games these days, the scoring makes no sense. If it takes you 10 times to play a level to reach achieve the gold you get more points than finishing it the first try. The trophies are pretty but they aren't for anything significant. There's no trophy for finishing all rounds in bronze or above, or one for finishing all levels in silver or above. You get a meddle for earning 1000 foods. One level alone requires this so reaching 1000 early in the game is a non-event. The trophies should actually give a sense of accomplishment, not given out for showing up. Also, you can click ahead but you can't change your mind and unclick to change the order. I was bored and frustrated with this game. There are 7 levels I can't get to gold and 1 level I can't even get to bronze. It's not a game I would ever replay. If you like frantically clicking bad guys then waiting for your workers to catch up, you might enjoy this. Nice graphics can't save this game.
I don't recommend this game.
12 Labours of Hercules
Accompany Hercules on a quest to save his kidnapped wife! Meet heroes from Ancient Greece as you vanquish beasts and build wonders.
Overall rating
1
/
5
11 of 21 found this review helpful
Lowest rating ever
PostedNovember 6, 2013
NaughtyPenguin
fromSun City, AZ
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Match 3, Strategy, Time Management, Marble Popper, Puzzle, Mahjong
Current Favorite:
Northern Tale
(114)Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I love TM games so I had to try this one. The graphics are fabulous and Hercules is immensely entertaining. Unfortunately the designers focused on graphics and animation and forgot to make the game fun. I played the demo and while I found it impossible to finish at the 3 star level I figured I'd get it after playing awhile so I bought the game. After 4 days of playing this game and going through every level at least once, I give up. The game isn't winnable at the 3 star level. Resources take up to 3 minutes to recharge so you spend an enormous amount of time watching the clock run out while you wait for things to recharge. It's frustrating and boring looking at a screen where nothing is happening. Finally something recharges, you click, then you sit and wait again. Great animation can't compensate for a game that's unwinnable and tedious.
I don't recommend this game.
Northern Tale
Travel across beautiful forests filled with mythical creatures! Find Ragnar's daughters and defeat the evil witch and her cruel servants!
Overall rating
5
/
5
4 of 4 found this review helpful
A rare 5 star hit!
PostedOctober 15, 2013
NaughtyPenguin
fromSun City, AZ
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Match 3, Brain Teaser, Time Management, Marble Popper, Puzzle, Mahjong
Current Favorite:
Northern Tale
(114)Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This TM is right up there with Royal Envoy. Outstanding graphics, engaging characters, and a real challenge that requires strategy. I seldom give 5 stars but Northern Tale has earned my vote. Lots of play time, too, so you'll definitely get your money's worth trying to hit 3 stars on every level. If you liked Roads of Rome, you're gonna love Northern Tale.
I recommend this game!