Squidipuss's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.5
- Helpful Votes:63
- Reviews Submitted:15
- First Review:August 21, 2012
- Most Recent Review:May 24, 2017
- Featured reviews0
Luxor Evolved
Step into a time tunnel and experience Luxor like never before in Luxor Evolved!
Overall rating
3
/
5
1 of 2 found this review helpful
Psychedelic challenge with problems
PostedMay 24, 2017
Squidipuss
fromCharlotte, NC
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Brain Teaser, Family, Hidden Object, Marble Popper, Match 3, Puzzle, Word
Current Favorite:
Mystika 2: The Sanctuary
(46)Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
The graphics are amazing, but almost migraine inducing in their speed and intensity. This may be called "Luxor" but it's so different from the other Luxor games that I wonder if they got a new designer. The game play was remarkably fast, even at the early levels.
My major problem with the game was that I couldn't get out of the game without pressing a control-alt-delete combo to bring up Task Manager. I'm running Windows 10 and haven't had this problem before.
My major problem with the game was that I couldn't get out of the game without pressing a control-alt-delete combo to bring up Task Manager. I'm running Windows 10 and haven't had this problem before.
I don't recommend this game.
Lost Bounty: A Pirate's Quest
Follow Anne and the Harpie's Song around Skull Island and discover pirates, treasure and adventure!
Overall rating
5
/
5
2 of 3 found this review helpful
Fun concept, fun game
PostedFebruary 9, 2017
Squidipuss
fromCharlotte, NC
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Brain Teaser, Family, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Pirates and treasure are always popular, so it's no surprise that a match 3 game uses this theme. I gave this a 5-star rating for several reasons. The pirate is a woman, the story is light-hearted, the drawings are well-done, and (most importantly) the game play was relaxing, with just enough variety to keep it interesting.
I played the demo in one sitting, then immediately bought the game. I played in relaxed mode, no sound (so I can't comment on sound or music quality). I liked how colorful the tiles were, especially the drawings of the parrots and sea turtles.
Finally, I'm an avid reader, so it was a plus that the story was both written as text (not as a comic or movie dialog) and fun to read. I'm sure there are players who would find this boring, but I liked it.
My only criticism is that using points to 'purchase' power-ups seemed unnecessary. There was no choice in which power-ups to get, so why go through the process of 'purchasing' them?
I played the demo in one sitting, then immediately bought the game. I played in relaxed mode, no sound (so I can't comment on sound or music quality). I liked how colorful the tiles were, especially the drawings of the parrots and sea turtles.
Finally, I'm an avid reader, so it was a plus that the story was both written as text (not as a comic or movie dialog) and fun to read. I'm sure there are players who would find this boring, but I liked it.
My only criticism is that using points to 'purchase' power-ups seemed unnecessary. There was no choice in which power-ups to get, so why go through the process of 'purchasing' them?
I recommend this game!
Wispa Forest
Help a Wispa, Lyia, save her magical world from a wave of corruption that is decimating the land in this fun Hidden Object game!
Overall rating
2
/
5
1 of 2 found this review helpful
Disappointed
PostedAugust 25, 2016
Squidipuss
fromCharlotte, NC
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Puzzle, Word
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I was hoping for a fun search & find, but instead found frustration. The graphics are cute (which is fine with me), reminding me of the artistry of one of my favorite games, Hodgepodge Hollow. Unfortunately, the similarity stops there. The Hodgepodge Hollow scenes are crisp and full of wonderful details. Here the lack of clear drawing is a major problem.
The 'list' of objects to find is composed of drawings of the actual objects, not just outlines. Hovering over the drawing brings up the name of the object, such as 'boomerang.' And good thing the names appear, because many of the objects are unrecognizable (the gumdrop, for example).
In the scenes there are two problems, seemingly opposing, so bear with me. First, many of the objects are very difficult to see in the scene (the gumdrop, the lizard). On the other hand, other objects are so obvious that I played two rounds without looking at the HOS drawings or words for about half the objects (the lady's hat, the Lego block).
There's also a match 3 game as part of this, which was pretty good, The instructions for it were a bit too long and detailed, but would probably help if you'd never played a match 3 game before.
A few notes about how I play games: I don't turn the sound on, so I can't comment on it. And I play on my Lenovo Flex which has a tablet-sized screen.
I don't recommend this game.
The murders are rampant in Miami! Follow the clues to crack the cases and arrest the killers!
Overall rating
2
/
5
No point in colors if they're too easy
PostedApril 26, 2016
Squidipuss
fromCharlotte, NC
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
I love nonograms/griddlers/pictograms. I play at least the 'free' sample of every one that comes up on BFG. The makers of this one have three colors for each one - but only the first color is a challenge.
I understand that people new to nonograms want simple puzzles as they learn. I have no problem with that. Yet when the first color is difficult & the others are 'fill in the blanks,' the puzzles are boring.
For experienced puzzlers, I would rather see one color with a challenge. Or if more than one color, a nonogram like Nonograms: Wolf's Stories.
I understand that people new to nonograms want simple puzzles as they learn. I have no problem with that. Yet when the first color is difficult & the others are 'fill in the blanks,' the puzzles are boring.
For experienced puzzlers, I would rather see one color with a challenge. Or if more than one color, a nonogram like Nonograms: Wolf's Stories.
I don't recommend this game.
Help Wolf find his children! His wife entrusted to him to look after their cubs, but Wolf fell asleep and the cubs disappeared!
Overall rating
4
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
One of the best!
PostedMarch 2, 2016
Squidipuss
fromCharlotte, NC
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Brain Teaser
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
This is an excellent nonogram game. The game developers worked hard to design interesting puzzles that are truly challenging to the experienced player. Each puzzle has multiple colors that you work on at the same time (unlike other nonogram games).
I'm not sure that novice players would like this game, but there are plenty of griddler games that start with 5x5 grids for new players. I particularly liked that I could play all three colors at once, and that finishing one color did not change the challenge level for the remaining colors.
Other positives were the auto-fill when a row was complete and the automatic numbers as squares were filled. (I don't understand why all nonogram games don't include these two features, or at least offer the option for them.)
I'm almost done with the game and (so far) have not found a single instance when I had to guess at the location of a square. This is a rarity in nonogram games, so it's nice to see that the developers took the time to double-check the grids.
My only criticism is that in some puzzles, the colors are too similar, making it difficult to know if you should click on the light blue or the pale grey. When a square is filled in, the number is crossed out and the color of the crossed-out number darkens a bit. This makes judging colors that are a similar hue even more difficult.
I never play with the sound on, so I can't comment on the sound quality.
I look forward to more games by this developer!
I recommend this game!
The murders are escalating in the city! Follow the clues to crack the cases and arrest the killers!
Overall rating
2
/
5
5 of 10 found this review helpful
Frustrating, not fun.
PostedFebruary 2, 2016
Squidipuss
fromCharlotte, NC
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Brain Teaser
Current Favorite:
Plagiarii
(37)Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
I love nonograms, so I was excited to see a new one. Unfortunately, this one has several major flaws, most notably that it's not possible to logically determine where the squares are. (Note: I played the sample, not the full game.)
These puzzles are logic puzzles: the player fills in each space by a process of deduction, not guesswork. But with these puzzles, guesswork is necessary to solve them.
Another issue is how the numbers show up when counting filled squares. If you fill in three squares of 6, then go back to fill in the others, the initial set is not counted. This is a little hard to explain, but every square should be counted when mousing over it.
I did like that I could choose the difficulty level at the start, including whether 'empty' squares were automatically filled in when a row was complete.
As for the story, I must admit that I don't play nonograms for the story, just for the logic challenge.
I don't recommend this game.
Plagiarii
Travel into the past to discover the mystery behind strange disappearances.
Overall rating
5
/
5
4 of 4 found this review helpful
Delightful game!
PostedJanuary 31, 2016
Squidipuss
fromCharlotte, NC
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Brain Teaser
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I thoroughly enjoyed this game. The storyline is a bit of a mash-up, with evil scientists, aliens, magic, and a prince, but that was all right with me. I was glad to be free of deranged killers and dark plots.
The game is about half HOG scenes and half puzzles, both of which I enjoyed. The HOGs were mostly lists of objects to find, but the objects were both relevant to the scene and (generally) appropriate in size for the scene. A few HOGs were delightfully different, especially the one where you have to find objects based on signs in the room.
The puzzles were lots of fun and different than most games. Most took either a bit of experimenting or some creative thinking. One or two were frustrating (catching fireflies that repeatedly 'escaped' the jar), but the skip button was handy.
I wish the game had been longer, but that's a small complaint.
I recommend this game!
Why would anyone want to stop Christmas from coming?
Overall rating
5
/
5
2 of 3 found this review helpful
Beautiful and Fun!
PostedDecember 14, 2015
Squidipuss
fromCharlotte, NC
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Large File, Brain Teaser
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
If you love HOGs, but don't like all the darkness in so many games, get this one. It's lovely. I could say so many good things about it that I would run out of room. First, you should know I have cats, so the cat theme appealed to me right off. Normally, I could care less about a story line, mute the sound, and play for the HOG scenes and puzzles.
I'm not going to summarize the story line, since many others have done so. But with this game, the story line is interesting and not what I expected. The music is mostly instrumental Christmas songs, but unlike many games, there are lots of times with no background music, much to my relief. So for this one, I listened to the sound and music and enjoyed it.
Two things make this game a 5-star game for me. The illustrations are glorious, with tons of small details that you should take time to see. I love the cat cleaning the crescent moon in one scene, the details in the confectionery, and so much more. The next thing is the way the authors tweaked the standard puzzles to make them more interesting. It's not as challenging as some games, but that's fine with me.
There is some back and forth to find things, but the map shows you where you need to go. I played in 'custom' mode, an option I really appreciate. The few times I couldn't figure out what to do, the hints helped. There are puzzle pieces to find in the scenes, but the map lets you know if you missed one. There are also morphing objects to find.
I'm sure I'll play this one more than once, which (for me) is the mark of a great game.
I recommend this game!
A Girl in the City
With her journalism degree in her pocket, Laura leaves her small-town home to take a bite out of the Big Apple!
Overall rating
1
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
The worst game I've played
PostedJuly 13, 2015
Squidipuss
fromCharlotte, NC
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Brain Teaser
Current Favorite:
Gardenscapes 2
(135)Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
From the reviews I read, I thought this would be just what I like. Instead I deleted the game after playing for an hour -- an the only reason I stuck with it that long was because I hoped it would get better.
Objects are often hard to see because of the slant of the view, which foreshortens and distorts the item (like the key in the fashion editor's office). Other objects are incorrectly named, for example "quill pen' for fountain pen or "towel rack" for a crumpled up towel.
The story is uninteresting. The animation of the main character's facial expressions (limited to a smile and a frown) is so lame it's comical.
There are so many good games out there, don't waste your time with this one.
I don't recommend this game.
Luxor 2 HD
Totally re-imagined with dazzling new HD graphics and spectacular effects, the highly-anticipated sequel is finally here!
Overall rating
4
/
5
27 of 28 found this review helpful
An Improved Favorite
PostedMarch 2, 2014
Squidipuss
fromCharlotte, NC
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Brain Teaser, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I am having so much fun playing this! The artwork is great, the different paths the balls take fun and varied, and the new power up system is easy. The other thing I like is that there are three levels of play: casual, normal, or expert. As far as I can tell, what varies is the speed of the marbles & bonus points from level to level.
Other choices include whether you play 'Adventure' mode, with each scene having a specific end; 'Survival' mode, with endless marbles; or 'Practice' mode. You can only play practice mode after you've complete a scene in the Adventure mode - in other words, you can't practice until after you've succeeded in a round. You can also choose whether the shooter has no targeting assist, a 'retical' (dot), or a beam.
A major change from the original is that the power ups are now chosen automatically for you and used as you earn them. In the original, you had to quickly call any saved power ups, which could slow your speed significantly.
There's really no story line, though I do like the titles they give you as you move up in rank, such as "Royal Sharpshooter." There's a map, but it's just window dressing. And this doesn't need any more storyline.
I do have a few problems with the game, which are more annoying than anything else - but they kept me from giving this game 5 stars. First, on the initial screen which shows your name, there is a line that says, "Click here to change names." Clicking on that statement does nothing - you have to click on your name, your rank, or the icon of the Egyptian.
Second, there is an information icon at the top right of each scene. But if you're just a tiny bit off when shooting using the retical target assist, instead of shooting, you go to the info screen. That's frustrating when you're in play mode and suddenly are thrown out of the scene.
Finally, I ranked the visual/music at 4. If the visual and music rankings were separated, the visual would get a 5 and the music a 1. The music does not have a Middle Eastern beat and is played on, or synthesized to sound like, Western (ie, symphonic) instruments. To make it exotic, they added sounds to the music, like a wolf howling. Really? A wolf? Why not a jackal? (I know that the animal that was called the Egyptian Jackal is now known to be a type of wolf as verified by DNA.)
Luxor was one of the first 'modern' games I played. I loved it. I tried playing the original sequel, but it was buggy with lots of stop-start problems as I played. Consequently, I'm delighted with this new improved version that not only doesn't have the stop-start problems, but has improved choices for playing.
I recommend this game!