This is a unique puzzle game because there is a very interesting storyline. There are multiple options for the shape and number of pieces, and timed and untimed modes. The pictures are a bit dark, but to me, that goes with the storyline. The only negative that I have is that there are only 18 puzzles. I started it late in the afternoon, and about 3 hours later, I found myself at the end of the game. But it means that I will replay it with more pieces. It took a little while for BFG to offer this game, and I am hoping that BFG will offer the sequel soon, as well as future offerings without too much delay.
I really enjoy the developer's games: Paint by Numbers, Pixel Art, and Polygon Art (which BFG has yet to offer). Some of the pictures are quite detailed, more so than the newer coloring books and even more than the OG painting, so I like filling in the colors at my own relaxing pace. I like the variety of pictures in this offering. I have a touch screen and am able to fill in larger areas with a stylus, and switch to the cursor for smaller areas.I do agree that the cursor could be a little smaller because it can be difficult to find and fill in the really tiny or skinny sections, like the picture of the lion and monkey (second page?).Thank goodness there is a hint button to help you find those very tiny sections to help you check off the color. Unfortunately, a smaller cursor won't happen soon, since Paint by Numbers is up to at least #7, but I hope the dev will offer a different cursor in future games. Paint by Numbers is a quality game and a nice change of pace from Mosaic, TM, and Match 3 games. I hope that BFG offers more in the series and the other titles the dev has (Pixel Art is at #18, and Polygon #3 came out recently) because I prefer to buy them from BFG.
I will leave the gameplay details to others, but I am so glad that BFG released this Easter themed mosaic game this week. It is fun to complete the puzzles and see what Helper the robot learns next.
I have been waiting for BFG to add Paint By Numbers from the same dev as Pixel Art. This is a relaxing game for me, and there is a feeling of accomplishment as the colors are checked off. I like that there is a hint button since the areas to paint can be VERY tiny. There are quite a few already in the series that are available on another site (and Pixel Art is up to #16), so hopefully BFG will add more Paint By Numbers soon so I can purchase them here.
I really like relaxing and playing Pixel Art, so it is nice to see BFG offer #6. I have also played the Paint by Numbers games that the dev also has, and there are some differences between the two. There is no hint button for Pixel Art, and it would be nice if the dev added one for future games, but don't let that keep you from trying the game. I can get a bit eager filling in pixels using my touch pad and sometimes fill in a pixel with the wrong color. If I notice this, I go back and fill in the correct color. Otherwise, if I haven't completed a color, I can zoom in and move the picture around until I find what I missed. #6 is IMO just as good as 1-5, with just the right mix of easier and challenging pictures. If you like the first 2 pictures in the first level, try the last one in the level. If you are feeling a sense of accomplishment each time a color is checked off, then this might be a game for you.
The mechanics for this picross/mosaics game is just like the games with the penguins, sloths, and others. If you are familiar with the gameplay, you can turn off the tutorial and go right into playing the game. There are not many options for gameplay to choose from. The graphics are a little old school, but it isn't hard to figure out the pictures. One of the best things I like about this series and this developer is that the pictures in each level are part of a theme. After completing the last picture in the level, they are all put in a scene together that ties back to the story. I hope that the developers continue to make games for this series.
I found this pixel art game to be a lot of fun. I like playing the mosaic/pictogram/nanogram games and think that this pixel art game is a nice new genre. I started playing Pixel Art 2, and quickly fell in love with it. You can play at your own pace, and some pictures in the level are harder than others. The first few levels are tutorials, and you can quickly jump into much more complex pictures with over 20 colors. I agree with another reviewer to try the first picture on the second row of 'Level 1'. If you find that you aren't intimidated by all the colors, love coloring in the pixels, and enjoy the feeling of accomplishment after you finish a picture, then you will probably enjoy this game. There are more games in the series, and I hope that Big Fish will start offering them soon.
Favorite Genre(s):Arcade & Action, Hidden Object, Match 3
Fun Factor
3/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
3/ 5
Level of Challenge
3/ 5
Storyline
3/ 5
I figured that this game was worth a shot. Others have described the storyline, which I thought was OK and I didn't mind the dialogue. The description of the game being old-school was correct: no gameplay options, and very limited tutorial. You must earn stars to move to different locations in the case, but there is no explanation on how the stars are earned. After I needed to use one of the 3 available hints to find a small item that was well-blended in the scene, I found that I had earned only 1 star! I had to replay the scene just to earn the 3 stars necessary to move to the next scene. How you can earn 2 stars is still a (paranormal) mystery. Also, be prepared to find items like a golf stick and a helm. Expect to find the same items in many of the scenes, so once you are familiar with what the item looks like, it's not to hard to finish the scene. Even with having to play scenes 2 or 3 times just to get the 3 stars, I still got to the 2nd of 5 cases when the demo was over.
Favorite Genre(s):Card & Board, Hidden Object, Match 3
Fun Factor
5/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
5/ 5
Level of Challenge
5/ 5
Storyline
5/ 5
Congrats to the dev for a wonderful game with gorgeous artwork. To add to what another reviewer mentioned, this is similar to the Mortimer Becket games. My Brother Rabbit is a bit different in that the parts of the items you need to find are highlighted if they can be located in the area you are in. Once you find all the parts, you can get a reminder of what item the parts belong to. As someone who skips a lot of puzzles in HOPA games, having the reminder keeps me from tearing my hair out trying to remember where the parts go. If you don't need the reminder, just don't click on the icon of the item. I played the demo to the end, and wanted to play more. This game has my vote for the best game so far this year.
This was the first time I really tried a strategy/TM game. I decided to play the demo of Hero of the Kingdom II to try and get a feel for playing this type of game. It has a pretty decent tutorial, there was a good storyline, and graphics were decent. I liked the relaxed, untimed mode to the game and got onto the rhythm of doing tasks and finding supplies. However, I ended up with 54 stars and needed 55 stars to move forward. I spent the rest of the demo running around in circles trying to figure out what to do to earn that last star to no avail. Moving on to Hero of the Kingdom III, I thought I could do pretty well. Graphics were good, the storyline was decent, and there was no timer. Unfortunately, I ran into the same difficulty of figuring out the correct order of tasks, and it seems that if the tasks weren't done in the right order, I was unable to move forward in the game. There was no hint system to help if you got stuck. This might not be the best game for newcomers to strategy/TM games, but I would be willing to buy and play this if a good sale came along.