Zaphod4242's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:2.8
- Helpful Votes:289
- Reviews Submitted:9
- First Review:August 3, 2016
- Most Recent Review:August 24, 2022
- Featured reviews0
Zaphod4242's Review History
Explore an unknown country with the Incas and find long lost paths in this high-adventure time management game!
Overall rating
1
/
5
Not for left handers
PostedAugust 24, 2022
Zaphod4242
fromCanada
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Strategy, Time Management
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
It's 2022, and you'd think all games would be playable by both right and left handed players.
I like time management games, and was prepared to enjoy this one, but couldn't. It's entirely set up for right handed play.
Save the kingdom of Ellya in this incredible fantasy adventure that combines simulation and match-3 gameplay!
Overall rating
1
/
5
14 of 14 found this review helpful
Fix the glitches, and it could be a fun game
PostedJanuary 12, 2022
Zaphod4242
fromCanada
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This game is way too glitchy. I tried it under three player names. One is stuck needing to fight the boar--and can't advance because they ALREADY fought the boar, and won. Dead end. Another is stuck trying to find the source of a noise. I turned the sound on, but no noise. Everything is cleared off the map except clouds, and it won't let you move characters into the clouds. Dead end. On the third one, I got all the way to having the wizard, but can't advance until I find his wagon. Again, everything is cleared off the available map and you can't move characters into the cloud. Dead end. This is too frustrating to play.
I don't recommend this game.
A unique puzzle game inspired by sliding puzzle and platformer games. Explore a toymaker’s mansion and solve tricky slider puzzles!
Overall rating
5
/
5
81 of 95 found this review helpful
A rose by any other name...
PostedNovember 24, 2021
Zaphod4242
fromCanada
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
THIS GAME WAS ALREADY RELEASED UNDER A DIFFERENT NAME.
I thought Rooms: the Toymaker's Mansion would be a sequel to Rooms: The Unsolvable Puzzle. It's NOT. It seemed so familiar that I grabbed screenshots from a random level on both (level 10).
There's some minor graphics tweaking and a caption on one, but it's exactly THE SAME PUZZLE as the one I bought from Big Fish in 2016.
If you didn't buy it under the previous name, then by all means, get this game. It's an excellent puzzle game. But shame on Big Fish for pretending it's new.
I thought Rooms: the Toymaker's Mansion would be a sequel to Rooms: The Unsolvable Puzzle. It's NOT. It seemed so familiar that I grabbed screenshots from a random level on both (level 10).
There's some minor graphics tweaking and a caption on one, but it's exactly THE SAME PUZZLE as the one I bought from Big Fish in 2016.
If you didn't buy it under the previous name, then by all means, get this game. It's an excellent puzzle game. But shame on Big Fish for pretending it's new.
I recommend this game!
A mysterious portal spells trouble for a lost squad of Roman soldiers!
Overall rating
4
/
5
22 of 25 found this review helpful
Love the game, hate the jerking screen
PostedJuly 15, 2021
Zaphod4242
fromCanada
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Strategy
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I'm a longtime fan of the Roads of Rome series, and appreciate how they always aim to make each new game fresh. When I saw there was a new one out, I was certain I was going to buy it. After playing the demo, I'm not so sure.
They did two things with this game that I don't like. The most important is that the screen extends past the sides of your monitor. Every time you get close to an edge (collecting resources, for example), the screen jerks to show more on that side. It made me very queasy.
The second disappointment was the hidden objects. Even though they've driven me crazy in previous games, I loved the hunt to find them all. In this game, they're not hidden at all, but lying in plain sight on the ground. At most they'll be slightly obscured by a bush. On top of that. when you get close they do the rainbow thing. And on top of that, there are pictures of the items on the screen at all times. So far, there's also been very little variety in what to look for. :(
One feature I think is new is the possibility to toggle on and off the coloured circles that show whether an action is available. If it's off, you still get the action cues when you roll over something. It can be handy to turn on if you're at the end of a level just waiting to collect enough beer to get rid of one more animal. (I think beer in those days was as much a food as a beverage, so it's nutrition, not just drunkenness to make them brave?)
I appreciated that in this game, they're helping aliens who came through the portal and were trapped. It's a refreshing change from the standard 'white man helping the natives' that is painfully common in time management games.
All said and done, this is an excellent line of games, and the developers have worked hard to make it fresh fun with each new release. It's a lovely change from the more 'cookie cutter' serials that started out great and then tanked.
They did two things with this game that I don't like. The most important is that the screen extends past the sides of your monitor. Every time you get close to an edge (collecting resources, for example), the screen jerks to show more on that side. It made me very queasy.
The second disappointment was the hidden objects. Even though they've driven me crazy in previous games, I loved the hunt to find them all. In this game, they're not hidden at all, but lying in plain sight on the ground. At most they'll be slightly obscured by a bush. On top of that. when you get close they do the rainbow thing. And on top of that, there are pictures of the items on the screen at all times. So far, there's also been very little variety in what to look for. :(
One feature I think is new is the possibility to toggle on and off the coloured circles that show whether an action is available. If it's off, you still get the action cues when you roll over something. It can be handy to turn on if you're at the end of a level just waiting to collect enough beer to get rid of one more animal. (I think beer in those days was as much a food as a beverage, so it's nutrition, not just drunkenness to make them brave?)
I appreciated that in this game, they're helping aliens who came through the portal and were trapped. It's a refreshing change from the standard 'white man helping the natives' that is painfully common in time management games.
All said and done, this is an excellent line of games, and the developers have worked hard to make it fresh fun with each new release. It's a lovely change from the more 'cookie cutter' serials that started out great and then tanked.
I recommend this game!
Play and complete unique logic puzzles to assemble ingredients and craft 25 unique potions!
Overall rating
3
/
5
10 of 11 found this review helpful
Skip this and buy A Series of Unfortunate Events
PostedOctober 27, 2020
Zaphod4242
fromCanada
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Strategy
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
At first I was excited to see another logic game of this sort. Unfortunately, it's just a stripped down version of A Series of Unfortunate Events.
There's around seven levels where you have to use logic hints (x is above y, or x is to the left of y, etc) in order to find one or two solutions per box. Once you solve the level, you get an ingredient to use in a potion. You just keep replaying the same 7 levels with the items rearranged.
Once you have enough ingredients for a potion, you make the potion and....??? Yeah, that's all. You make a potion. No storyline.
Visually, it's harder to work this puzzle. As in ASoUE, you can click on a clue and it'll circle the relevant pieces in the puzzle, although with this game all the circles are the same colour, white, which doesn't show up all that well. Since the items are are quite small, it's still annoying trying to find them.
It's not that this is a bad game. It's just that there's so much less to it than A Series of Unfortunate Events.
There's around seven levels where you have to use logic hints (x is above y, or x is to the left of y, etc) in order to find one or two solutions per box. Once you solve the level, you get an ingredient to use in a potion. You just keep replaying the same 7 levels with the items rearranged.
Once you have enough ingredients for a potion, you make the potion and....??? Yeah, that's all. You make a potion. No storyline.
Visually, it's harder to work this puzzle. As in ASoUE, you can click on a clue and it'll circle the relevant pieces in the puzzle, although with this game all the circles are the same colour, white, which doesn't show up all that well. Since the items are are quite small, it's still annoying trying to find them.
It's not that this is a bad game. It's just that there's so much less to it than A Series of Unfortunate Events.
I don't recommend this game.
Doctor's Oath is the next heartfelt game in the Heart’s Medicine series. Become a doctor and save lives alongside Allison Heart!
Overall rating
5
/
5
70 of 77 found this review helpful
Not your average Heart's Medicine game
PostedSeptember 12, 2020
Zaphod4242
fromCanada
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Strategy, Time Management
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I don't think I've ever encountered another Time Management game with such long game play time or requiring quite so much strategy (a huge plus in my book!).
Unlike previous Heart's Medicine games I've played which basically have levels strung along like beads on a string, this game is set up more like some kind of circuit board. There's still a nice long story line, but it's blocked at various places until you earn enough stars to carry on.
Many lines flow off the main one, where the levels don't advance the main story, but allow you to earn more hearts, stars, and diamonds, all of which are more useful than just decorating some location.
Those lines also lead you to chests and card sets that advance what's available for you to buy as you go along, and provide some freebies while they're at it.
Once you've completed the main story line, you can proceed to the Elite level. They've been quite clever here. The Elite level has some differences to it, and is overall more challenging to get through. BUT...hearts and diamonds that you earn in the regular level are available to spend on the Elite level. I found myself going back to the regular level and finishing/leveling up all the levels where I hadn't bothered.
(Something to note is that usually when you replay, your points are cumulative. You're not trying to beat your previous play on that level.)
While it's true you end up playing many levels multiple times, they're usually not really the 'same' in that game play changes as you gain new equipment, things that affect patients patience, and use different combinations of power ups.
You might also play a level once optimizing your strategy to meet that level's special challenge, or you might ignore the challenge and optimize your strategy to get the most possible hearts.
Your ability to score high or meet challenges will also depend on what you buy earlier or later for each area of the hospital.
The story line was engaging, as usual. You can earn puzzle pieces to put together a puzzle in each area of the hospital. There's also mail hidden in various levels, and when you open the letters, some of them are quite funny.
Unlike other games in the series where about all you do with the hamster is find him in each level and occasionally play whack-a-mole with him, in this game he also has levels of his very own. He's also joined by two other hamsters with special powers, and they all have special power ups good on one level when you use them.
There were some minor irritations. I get these games aren't remotely claiming to be based on real medicine. I don't think it's asking too much though, to NOT have them trying to cure people using a vaccine. (And I believe they spend a lot of time trying to research a virus by looking at bacteria???)
lol This didn't bother me in previous games (because, pretend!), but now that we're deep in the pandemic, it's SO noticeable that these people NEVER WASH THEIR HANDS!
Ah well, maybe in the next one. Although it's hard to see how they could top this one for innovation and value for your money. This is a great game, and my current favourite!
I recommend this game!
Help Sarah, an aspiring architect, build a sprawling tower in this fast-paced hidden object game spanning the universe!
Overall rating
3
/
5
49 of 53 found this review helpful
Points for Trying
PostedJune 2, 2017
Zaphod4242
fromCanada
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Strategy, Time Management
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
This is definitely not your run of the mill Hidden Object game. However, in spite of the game's description, it's just a hidden object game. Don't expect to be building anything.
At first I enjoyed the innovative game play--you search up and down an increasing number of floor levels for a variety of items. You have to open doors to see into different levels. That was ok, and movement up and down was smooth.
Some items were in bizarre places, some items were very small, and the odd time colours didn't match between clue and item. Overall it was ok, though.
Then came the fireballs. Some guy has it in for you (no explanation), and next thing you know a bunch of levels are burning. Random large balls of fire bounce across the screen, sometimes as many as six or seven obliterating your view. That got REAL annoying REAL fast.
There didn't seem to be anything you could do to put out the fires or stop the fireballs. You just had to put up with it.
I gave this three stars because I love that someone tried to come up with a new angle on Hidden Object games. As irritating as the fireballs were, I'd probably have stuck with it if I'd gotten to build--or at least furnish--something with the items I was finding. As it was, it just felt very unsatisfying.
Give it a try. The game is different enough that you'll need to see for yourself whether you like it. And again, kudos to the developers for coming up with something new.
I don't recommend this game.
500 colorful photos to make this a spring a season to remember!
Overall rating
2
/
5
39 of 49 found this review helpful
What an interesting take on Women's Day...
PostedMarch 8, 2017
Zaphod4242
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Strategy
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
In terms of mechanics, this is a solid jigsaw puzzle game. I always love it when you can click a button to separate out the border to do on its own. Pieces were easy to click and drag together, and the challenge level was variable.
In terms of game play, the downside to this game are the puzzles themselves, given what the name led me to expect. I thought it would be a fun way to familiarize myself with images of famous people and events in the women's rights movement.
Your options are: Fashion, Family, Hobbies, Nature (almost no pictures of women), Cuisine (almost no pictures of women).
There's no Career section, so no puzzles of women scientists, CEO's, construction workers, politicians, doctors, etc. There are no pictures of women's marches, or women famous in the women's rights movement. The women in the puzzles are almost all young, slender, Caucasian, and are primarily blonde. There are no women with visible disabilities.
The purpose of Women's Day is to commemorate the movement for women's rights. The images in "Jigsaw Puzzle Women's Day" fall far short of the mark.
I don't recommend this game.
"Rome Defenders" offers a new take on Tower Defense games and challenges with exciting and unique action!
Overall rating
1
/
5
4 of 13 found this review helpful
Yet another game for right-hand play only.
PostedAugust 3, 2016
Zaphod4242
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Strategy
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
This game is colourful, and there seem to be a nice variety of towers. There are brief explanations when you hold the cursor over the purchase menu, a useful feature that some games lack. Also useful because at least at first, the towers look quite a bit alike.
I was thrilled to see a new tower defense game, as they come few and far between. I LOVE tower defense games. It's possible I'd love this tower game. We'll never know, because this is yet another game that cannot be played left handed.
This is not a technical issue because it's not a glitch. It's a choice on the part of the game developer to exclude left handed play, and I'm giving that choice a negative review.
I was thrilled to see a new tower defense game, as they come few and far between. I LOVE tower defense games. It's possible I'd love this tower game. We'll never know, because this is yet another game that cannot be played left handed.
This is not a technical issue because it's not a glitch. It's a choice on the part of the game developer to exclude left handed play, and I'm giving that choice a negative review.
I don't recommend this game.