I had high hopes for this game; anything that includes Sherlock Holmes piques my interest straight away! First scene was nice, very colourful, objects quite easy to find although there were only a few. The 'special' object is just one of the list, so no extra searching required. Next scene much the same 'to do' list although a different scenario. Nothing too difficult and I got a puzzle piece! Hoped for a puzzle to break up the scenes but you have to find an awful lot of pieces before you get there.
Third scene I'm back to the first one, finding the same items although they've moved to make it slightly more tricky. Is this what the game consists of, going back to the same scenes with every new character? By this time I was losing interest in what I'd hoped would be a great game, so eventually I exited and deleted it.
Could have been a great game with some changes. If FF intend this to be a series, they need to make it more of a challenge to satisfy those of us who've been playing these games for a long time. It's certainly not, as some have described it, 'awful' by any means but it's far too simple for experienced BFG members to pay the CE price.
I bought the first NY game in May 2012 and it was love at first play! I bought every one until around game 8, when the subtle changes started to creep in. After then the changes became too much for my taste and I never bought another NY game.
They became too busy, too much to do and overly cluttered with too many silly additions. Messing too much with the original sometimes is not necessarily a good thing. The one good improvement was the little workers, who changed from flopping about the scenes like dopey gnomes to really useful helpers!
This latest game is much better and I will probably buy it. I love any stories about King Arthur, Merlin, Mordred and Morgana, even if they do stretch the myth to its limits! And this new release is fun to play; not overly busy (at least during the trial) and it seems to be more like the older versions. The same happened with Rescue Team; changing the basic principles of a game is not always the best move.
I am really glad to welcome back John, Mary and their little helpers. Not so keen on the dog or the strange imp, who I never thought was a good addition. But overall, I like this 15th NY game (incl. CE/SE) and will be happy to add this CE to my collection!
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Time Management
Fun Factor
5/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
5/ 5
Level of Challenge
5/ 5
Storyline
5/ 5
I've bought all the mosaics by this developer. They really make fun games and this one is no exception. Not ridiculously difficult, 2 levels of play, really colourful graphics and a wonderful way to spend a few hours searching the Amazon. More like this, please!
The objects are definitely well hidden, although I suppose they should be, otherwise it would be an 'Obvious Objects' game!
Lovely 'sceneries', which is a word if you're referring to different types of scenery you can find in a given location or set of locations. That description applies to this game, hence using the word 'sceneries' is acceptable.
Just for a change, I don't want to work too hard in a game. Rescuing people from one disaster after another or dashing about in the Middle Ages clearing roads and collecting resources gets very tiring after a while! This game is a nice change of pace and something to relax with at bed-time.
This seems be a hybrid of Northern Tales (voices and sounds) and Roads of Rome (game-play). A pretty successful mix overall, although the hidden 'secrets' I loved searching for in ROR were far harder to find than they are in this new game.
The bright, colourful graphics make this game a pleasure to play. If you know the series, you'll know what to do; no tutorial necessary! A nice switch from Rome to the Middle Ages, with appropriate music and building styles. Four modes of play, starting with 'Relaxed' which I always use on the first run through. Gives you a feel for the game and more time to find the 'secrets'!
Of course, seeing that I've only given 4 stars, we have to address the pachyderm in the room......the voices. What on earth were Qumaron thinking? The characters speak every time they do anything, mostly "let's do this" or some other redundant phrase. Being seen/heard yelling "shut up" at a computer game is not a good look at my age, forcing me to resort to turning the sound down. I hate doing this as you lose much of the ambience of the game but it's impossible to play it for any length of time without begging the characters to put a sock in it.
So....."Dear Qumaron, please give us an update that loses the excruciatingly annoying voices. The game doesn't need any vocalisations to enhance it; it's excellent as it is". I will buy it; I've just finished the latest 'Rescue Team' and need a new game. But only 4 stars from me until they mute the constant 'chat'; it's spoiling an otherwise amazing game.
Obviously not everyone's cup of tea, this latest Royal Roads game. "Too slow" is one criticism I see time and time again. I wonder if anyone has discovered the 'Meta Buildings'; they're listed under the cog wheel icon. Here you can speed up the workers and their building time, together with adding time to the level. It takes a few crystals to purchase them all but it's worth checking it every few levels to see which upgrades are available. The workers become much more mobile than they first appear!
This probably isn't the most graphically beautiful game you'll ever come across; it's mostly pretty dull apart from the pink crystal mines. It's kind of old-fashioned looking and won't appeal to people who nowadays want bright colours and fast moving action.
But I like the challenge; it's very easy to take the wrong path or make the wrong decision to upgrade a building, when you might need the resources sooner than you think! It is very slow to start with but patience is a virtue and eventually you can speed things up.
I have all three Royal Roads games; I love them all and replay them often. One person's trash is another person's treasure.
I have all of these Ellie's Farm games and really enjoy playing them. I hope the unicorn is back!
The games are colourful, easy to play and not dark, gloomy, depressing or creepy (try the new 'Halloween: Trick or Treat' for more of that. I loved it!). There's enough of a challenge without being overly difficult and the story is usually quite entertaining.
What annoys me is those reviews that call out BFG for bringing us these sort of games. There is no need to be rude; if you don't like it, try something else. No-one is forcing you to try or buy any game. Referring to this game as 'childish' is insulting to those of us that like these games and the issues they deal with.
We all have different tastes; my opinion may differ from others but it doesn't make it more or less valid. This game has a lot of charm and who doesn't love a unicorn :-)
Favorite Genre(s):Card & Board, Hidden Object, Time Management
Fun Factor
2/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
3/ 5
Level of Challenge
3/ 5
I've refrained from posting reviews about these games until now but my heart sinks every time I see another one of these 'search and find' games. The first few were ok but now it's become a tsunami of identical games with slightly different titles. I played maybe 10 minutes before sheer boredom set in.
Once upon a time BFG gave us some amazing HOGS, HOPA's and FROG's. Now we get endless games from DO, with some occasional offers from other developers and the rest are this type of game. Apart from the 'Vacation Adventures' series, nothing about these games tempts me to hit the buy button.
I've seen many question if being a Game Club member is worth it these days. No points to collect and save for a special game (assuming one ever turns up) and not much in the way of sales. I'm disappointed in the selection of games on offer. I used to buy a lot of CE's; my library is over 1500 games but almost none of them from the past couple of years. It's sad to see the decline in quality and my membership probably won't survive past the summer.
Favorite Genre(s):Card & Board, Hidden Object, Time Management
Fun Factor
5/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
5/ 5
Level of Challenge
5/ 5
I've always been a fan of those games where you have to find the little images taken from a larger picture. Finding that element within this lovely game is a real treat; done in such a unique way, with burnt or torn edges and blended so skilfully. And it's not just one type of game; you get to search for objects listed in an unusual way or find identical stamps (not as easy as it sounds!) and remove the kids stickers! The artwork restorations (or jobs) are introduced by real people, as is the game itself.
You get paid for each job, so are able to buy different implements to help you, like paint brushes, scrapers and inks. It makes the game seem much more realistic and much more fun to play. The artwork is beautiful and the game is just so relaxing to play; time passed so quickly and the trial was over far too soon!
A definite buy for me! All the reviews are positive, apart from one that refers to this game as "junk". Give this game a try and see who you agree with.
I was disappointed with 'Christmas Wonderland' this year. Too easy and too much like the last one. At least with 'Trip to Europe' you learn about other countries' customs and whilst it is similar to the 'Rangers' games it's just different enough with some much better puzzles. I bought it straight away without the trial.
By the way, in British English, 'sledge' is the general term for a land vehicle that slides across a surface (usually of ice or snow). It's more common than 'sled' which is used in the U.S. So it's not a misspelt word, just a British one.