This "Top Reviewer" is one of our most frequent game reviewers. We think you'll trust what they have to say and find their reviews helpful and informative.
A QUALITY HOPA MADE WITH TLC...JUST LIKE THEY WERE BACK IN THE DAY!
PostedJanuary 1, 2023
pennmom36
fromRemembering you is easy, I do it every day. Missing you is a heartache that never goes away, until we meet again on the Rainbow Bridge one day. დ Loki
This "Top Reviewer" is one of our most frequent game reviewers. We think you'll trust what they have to say and find their reviews helpful and informative.
Just when I was convinced that the HOPA genre was ruined and would never be the same, along comes a new game from Dragonseye to restore my faith! This is a thinking kind of game and very similar to Moontrain as far as the game mechanics, you'll know this game is special right out of the gate. I wasn't expecting much when I read the synopsis but once I started the game and saw the Dragonseye Ltd. logo popped up I immediately exited the game and purchased it. This is an incredible game with a fantastic story, the kind of game where you feel a sense of pride and accomplishment every step of the way...the kind of game they used to make back in the day!
INTERACTIVE ITEMS: Objects with a + Sign require combining 2 inventory items which is nothing new, however, items with an Eyeball require you to click the eyeball (not the item itself) you may need to select a specific key on a ring, or fiddle with the object to manipulate its shape or function because these items are usually used multiple times with slightly different functions. After setting the item correctly the item can then be used by clicking on the item (not on the eyeball) and then placing it on the item in the scene.
COLLECTIBLES & MORPHING OBJECTS (CE Version) There are 12 Morphing Objects, 27 Symbols of Luck, and 7 Gnomes to search for, all of which are blended into the scenery with the perfect amount of challenge!
HIDDEN OBJECT SCENES: If you played Moontrain you know that the Hidden Object Scenes are fantastic. Some are easy, some are difficult just figuring out what you're supposed to do! In the first HO you have to scroll through images until both halves create an image and then search for the item and repeat the process for each item. One of my favorite HOs was finding coins to use in a bubblegum machine one at a time. After inserting a coin you turn the handle and a ball rolls out with an image X3. Once you find all 3 of the objects, you find another coin and repeat the process...super fun!
MINI-GAMES The mini-games aren't difficult and they are fun enough that you won't feel like skipping them. Games include turning pipes to make 4 connections to the central disk, flipping buckles to find matching pairs, etc. Some of the games require entering codes or patterns previously found in the game scenes so you may have to sift through notes in your journal!
If you need game help for this or any other game, swing by my new forum thewoodsforum.boards.net
fromRemembering you is easy, I do it every day. Missing you is a heartache that never goes away, until we meet again on the Rainbow Bridge one day. დ Loki
This "Top Reviewer" is one of our most frequent game reviewers. We think you'll trust what they have to say and find their reviews helpful and informative.
Why are they making these games with such childish objects, who exactly is their targeted audience? The objects to find are getting downright ridiculous, now we are tasked with removing "Animals wearing clothes" and every level has hundreds of cartoon characters to match. I suppose it's too much to ask for normal objects and goals from a game based on an animal family living normal lives in a big city.
My questions still go unanswered...Why do I have to erase "player" before putting my name in the profile? Why can't I skip the conversations? Why are there more Sun Hints than objects to find on each level? Why does the developer feel the need to show his Fancy Bear scores with twice the amount of points as everyone else on every single level? (Isn't it a given that the creator of the levels would automatically know the best strategies?) Why does the Walker Family name their kids whatever species they are, such as Squirrel, or Hare? (Let's hope they never have twins, the developer may have to resort to Thing 1 and Thing 2!) Why do I not know where Canadian Geese migrate to after leaving Ohio for the winter...do they migrate north to Canada where it's colder or do they migrate south like a normal bird? Why are there Canadian Geese in Ohio in the summer in the first place, were they just too lazy to make the final flight to Canada? Why have the geese returned already, were they just pretending to migrate? (has nothing to do with the game but the questions remain unanswered) Why is it that when I try to submit a review, I'm instantly taken to the "sign in" page but once "signed in" the page says "redirection" for an eternity, and by eternity I mean forever, so you have to manually click on the BF website to go back to the sales page?
There are only two modes of difficulty, Easy Mode which has no time restraints, and Difficult Mode with a time limit that gives you 500 extra points for not using Hints, and 10 extra points for time remaining.
There are 140 Clutter knockoff levels and 20 mini-games. The puzzles are always the same puzzles, most of which are simple square swap variations with complicated mechanics, such as swapping adjacent squares, and each time you swap a square the orientation changes. (I'm convinced that the finished pictures are rehashed over & over!)
Do you know the answer to the Canadian Geese question or any of my other questions above? Awesome, swing by my new forum and put these age-old questions to rest! thewoodsforum.boards.net
fromRemembering you is easy, I do it every day. Missing you is a heartache that never goes away, until we meet again on the Rainbow Bridge one day. დ Loki
This "Top Reviewer" is one of our most frequent game reviewers. We think you'll trust what they have to say and find their reviews helpful and informative.
Every game has the same Match 3 boards, the same goals, the same obstacles, and the same game mechanics AND they are in the exact same order as the game before...why would I want to buy the same game over and over just to get a new story? Surely everyone has purchased at least one game by this developer by now, given the fact that they offer a different titled game on a weekly basis.
There are Chained Tiles, Spiderwebs, wooden chests, and of course, gold cells to make matches upon, yet most of the obstacles are bogus and don't really require action on the players' part unless there is a gold cell under one of the obstacles.
Once again, you must purchase all 4 World Upgrades to progress to the next Chapter. The upgrades still aren't very interesting nor are they colorful. It completely defeats the purpose of an upgrade, the purpose is to keep the player enthusiastic about playing so they want to finish building the kingdom, not inconvenienced by the annoyance.
Powerups are always the same, they simply give them a new name, this developer has to be making some serious bank if all they ever have to do is change the names of the previous game.
My new forum was created for gamers or those who just want to chillax and enjoy great conversations, come join us! thewoodsforum.boards.net
fromRemembering you is easy, I do it every day. Missing you is a heartache that never goes away, until we meet again on the Rainbow Bridge one day. დ Loki
This "Top Reviewer" is one of our most frequent game reviewers. We think you'll trust what they have to say and find their reviews helpful and informative.
I've been an animal lover all my life, so naturally, I was drawn to this game but it didn't have the "it" factor I was hoping for. I'll be honest, it doesn't sit well with me that this developer keeps making games that are dead-ringers for successful HOG series' that other developers created. First, they carbon-copied every Vacation Adventure feature with Big Adventure, now they are swooping in with a knockoff of the I Love Finding Cats/Dogs/Critters/Birds series. It's one thing to create a similar format but it doesn't seem right that they take a ride on the shirt sleeves of those who worked really hard to create a name for themselves, those who came up with an original theme, and unique features...
The graphics are decent, however, the game mechanics are a bit sluggish. It seems to take forever before the score window pops up after completing a level, the silhouetted shape "extra" animals can be clicked on in any order (before their silhouette shows up) yet when you do click on an animal out of sequence it penalizes you by not giving you the 3rd star even though you earned the extra points and it shows that you found all the animals in-game. Objects are often mislabeled, such as a "street lantern" which is just a simple hanging porch lamp, or a "dwarf" which is actually a garden gnome.
There are 12-16 Listed Items to find, with an occasional second-level round mixup of Silhouetted Shapes, Descriptive finds, or Multiples of the same Object. Items in Blue are tasks that need to be completed, such as assembling a lamp. Each level has a different number of Silhouetted Shape pets to find as shown in the box on the bottom left, and there are secondary zoom zones as well.
You will earn a Red Star for completing a level, a Yellow Star for quick finds (x2-x3), and a Blue Star for finding all Silhouetted Shape pets. Points are converted to Pet money to allow you to purchase 20 Pet Shop animals, two of which are Raccoons??
Collector's Edition Extras: 8 Bonus Levels, 8 Bonus Puzzles, 12 Wallpapers, 20 Pet Shop Animals, 18 Music Soundtracks.
Stop by my new Nature-themed forum to talk about games and so much more thewoodsforum.boards.net
fromRemembering you is easy, I do it every day. Missing you is a heartache that never goes away, until we meet again on the Rainbow Bridge one day. დ Loki
This "Top Reviewer" is one of our most frequent game reviewers. We think you'll trust what they have to say and find their reviews helpful and informative.
I absolutely love the puzzle games by Graphium Studios, they have most of the features I am looking for in a puzzle, beautiful images, variety, good features, and flawless mechanics.
There are 24 Puzzles in each category, Animals, Still Life, Flowers, Fantasy (my favorite) Vintage, Architecture, CG & Art, Around the World, and Nature. There are 4 puzzle shapes to choose from, including traditional, and my personal favorite, a square with no tabs whatsoever! You can enable Puzzle piece Rotation, as well as an Edge Piece Sort that places all edge pieces around the edge of the puzzle.
My only complaint is that after completing the border, there is a huge gap where the edge pieces were and there isn't an option to organize the remaining pieces neatly around the puzzle, other than manually grabbing them and organizing them individually, which would be very time-consuming. That's really the only option this puzzle lacks, and a must-have for my OCD inner puzzle geek :)
You can choose the number of pieces from 6 pieces all the way up to 1530 pieces (depending on the puzzle) As a puzzle geek, I love the fact that this developer always includes a larger puzzle option!
There are several in-game options as well, a multiple-piece selector, a normalization option to snap the puzzle to the center, a Ghosted picture option, a Magnifier, a Zoom option, a Features Guide, and my absolute favorite...a Background Color selector that allows you to choose and shade in any color!
Come join us at The Woods forum, we speak game geek :) thewoodsforum.boards.net
WHEN A HOPA CE VERSION GETS A 2.5 AVERAGE RATING IT SHOULD BE CLEAR TO THE DEVS THIS AIN'T WHAT WE'RE CRAVING IN A GAME!
PostedDecember 26, 2022
pennmom36
fromRemembering you is easy, I do it every day. Missing you is a heartache that never goes away, until we meet again on the Rainbow Bridge one day. დ Loki
This "Top Reviewer" is one of our most frequent game reviewers. We think you'll trust what they have to say and find their reviews helpful and informative.
Completed Game: Nope, couldn't force myself to play past Chapter 5 8 Chapters +BC: 26 Main Scene Locations +9 CE Bonus Chapter Difficulty: Beginner (possibly Intermediate)
"Do Games, the masterminds behind the sensational Twin Mind series bring you a Hidden-Object Adventure like no other with Twin Mind: Nobody's Here!"...masterminds behind the sensational Twin Mind Series? Have they seen the ratings, 3.4, 3.0, and 2.7, 2.5, they are dropping faster than the US stock market! "Death is in the air" alright (their words not mine!) This story reminds me of the serial killer, Ed Gein, the one who said...it puts the lotion on its... (did anyone see that movie? Did anyone else feel really sorry for that adorable little white powder puff dog?)
I made it to Chapter 5 and just couldn't force myself to dig up another object (which never seems dirty btw) find another battery, inflate another tire, plug another steam hole, use a makeshift handle, use another two-pronged fork, pick a lock with a safety pin, swap with a statue, and believe it or not, I had to play another Hidden Object game on another murder victim's body (I just complained about this on Saturday's Domini Game)
EXTENDED PLAY OPTION: You will come across conversation options that allow you to opt-in for extended gameplay. There will be two conversation options, if you choose the first option, it unlocks a side quest with additional scenes, mini-games, and hidden object scenes that aren't offered in the main game quest.
There are only 3 optional quests (in Chapters 2, 5, and 8) that offer 3 additional Mini-games and 3 additional HO scenes in total. The CE Bonus Chapter also has a side quest with 1 extra mini-game & HO scene. These are just optional added content and they won't affect the main game's story or its outcome.
COLLECTIBLES/MORPHS (CE version only) There are 15 Morphing Tobias' Ritual Items, 15 Collectible Tobias' Research Materials, and 70 Zoom Zone Level Access Passes (labeled as "movie tickets on the SG) that are used to purchase 15 Boudoir Items (the Boudoir is actually an office) These collectibles aren't hard to spot and they are getting pretty boring because Domini offers the same amount of the same extras in every game they offer...which is pretty much all of the HOPAs nowadays.
HIDDEN OBJECT SCENES: Boring usuals...find random objects located around a dead body, Listed Item Finds, Silhouetted Shape finds, etc. The problem is they never get creative with the locations, they are always in a closet, on a desk, and apparently always around dead bodies? There was a new kind of HO, sort of, where you had to find and replace items in the correct place according to the photo but it just wasn't very challenging.
ALTERNATE MATCH 3 GAME: An alternate Match 3 game is available if you don't want to play a Hidden Object Scene. Unfortunately, it's the same M3 game, with the same boards, and the same icons offered in every game. Why not at least change the icons or the M3 type once in a while???
COLLECTOR'S EDITION EXTRAS (CE version only) 10 Wallpapers, 10 Concept Art Pictures, 5 Music Soundtracks, 27 Movie Video Cutscenes, 38 Achievements, 24 Replayable Mini-Games, 23 Replayable Hidden Object Scenes, 15 Morphing Tobias' Ritual Items, 15 Collectible Tobias' Research Materials, and 70 Zoom Zone Level Access Passes (labeled as "movie tickets on the SG) that are used to purchase 15 Boudoir Items (the Boudoir is actually an office) 8 Main Chapters, +Bonus Chapter, and a Built-In Strategy Guide.
Come chillax by the campfire at my new forum thewoodsforum.boards.net
fromThe grinches will always play their part, even at Christmas time so let's all put on our best Ho Ho Ho's, jingle our bells a little louder, and wish for Peace on Earth Good Will Toward Men, even to those Fa-la-little skunks in our lives, Merry Christmas
This "Top Reviewer" is one of our most frequent game reviewers. We think you'll trust what they have to say and find their reviews helpful and informative.
Completed Game in less than 6 hours (including all mini-games & Bonus Play options) 23 Main Game Scene Locations +8 Bonus Chapter Difficulty Range: Beginner-Intermediate
Oh Holy Night, if ever there was a time to Believe, tonight's the night! I may have seen something I shouldn't have seen and I'm not talking about Grandma kissing Santa Claus, this is much more serious! Seems the Elves have taken sides and it's not sitting well with Ambrus who has vowed to stop Christmas forever. (does someone need a Candy Cane?) It's a good thing Santa put together a fantastic team...no, not the Reindeer, the Guardians of Christmas, problem is, one of the Guardians may not be on board with all the Ho Ho Ho's this year!
It's almost Christmas so I won't let the Do Games Grinch out, the story is cute, although it seems like it was taken directly from an episode of Tim Allen's Santa Claus movie. Yup, the tasks are still the same, you'll still be thawing out ice, using hairpins, magnets, wire & tape (and you'll know exactly what you'll need the second you come upon a task) It's really hard to play a simplistic Do Game right now because I'm currently playing Lost Lands, 7 hours logged in and I'm only halfway done which says a lot about a game doesn't it? Lost Lands is a thinking kind of game and this is just an autopilot kind of game, it may have more chapters but it won't take you an entire day to complete it.
Collectibles/Morphing Objects (CE version only) Still has the same ole collectibles with a different name. There are 14 Morphing Christmas Stuff (that's the best name you could come up with Do..."stuff"), 14 Christmas Stockings, and 70 Zoom Zone Candy Canes that are used to purchase 14 Bedroom decorations. I wonder how that works for currency, is everything priced at an even candy cane number or does the recipient get to take a few licks off one of the candy canes?
Hidden Object Scenes: I will admit, the Hidden Object Scenes were better than usual with some well-blended objects. Right off the bat, you use Santa's Christmas list to figure out which presents go into which box according to the descriptions followed by a scene where you must read letters to Santa and find Keywords from each letter. There are also Find & Replace HOs, and the usual Interactive Lists, etc.
Alternate Match 3 Game: There is an alternate Match 3 Game available. It's the same M3 game, the same boards, and the same icons offered in every game, they didn't even bother to make it Christmassy.
MINI-GAMES: You can play the mini-games on Easy or Hard but honestly, the hard version mostly adds more "one affects others" scenarios which in my opinion is just an annoying time-waster and not necessarily harder. None of the puzzles were strategy-based "thinkers" in fact, some were so easily solved I'd be taken by surprise when it was suddenly over. I twisted sections of a magic staff and "tested it" and got it right on the first try. I led a mouse thru a maze while picking up inventory items to progress, keep in mind I was using a flashlight so I couldn't see the path ahead but I still managed to take the correct route on the 1st attempt. I'm not claiming to be a mini-game wiz, I'm just saying the puzzles are way too easy. I will say that I enjoyed the mini-game where I had to repeat the order of Rats arriving by clicking on the correct rats, but with each click, the rats would do a shuffle of positions and each level added more Rats.
BONUS CHAPTER (CE version only) Kevin! Oops, wrong missing kid on Christmas...This time it's Goldilocks that's missing, in fact, she's been missing for a few years just waiting for someone with a pure heart to find her medallion and reunite the King with his beautiful daughter...anyone else suspicious of those beady-eyed bears? She probably broke a few household items while the bears were out foraging and they probably worked up a big appetite, just saying, it seems logical to me! I know it's fairytale magic world at play here, but did it really take years for the King to find someone with a pure heart? Did he interview anyone else or did he think no one was good enough to look for his daughter? If I were the King and my daughter went missing in the forest, I'd be sending in every single townsfolk one at a time, if they don't return you just assume they had an unpure heart, and move on down the line, "NEXT!" This seems like a much better option than sitting around for years waiting on the purest of hearts to come strolling into town.
As for the Bonus Chapter's glitter, there are 10 Mini-Games and 5 HO scenes across 10 additional scene locations. You will continue your search for 5 Christmas stockings, 4 Morphing Christmas Stuff, and 9 Zoom Zone Candy Canes as well.
Collector's Edition Extra's: (CE version only) 15 Wallpapers, 15 Concept Art Pictures, 5 Music Soundtracks, 29 Movie Video Cutscenes, 41 Achievements, 21 Replayable Mini-Games, 23 Replayable Hidden Object Scenes, 15 Morphing Christmas Stuff, 15 Christmas Stockings, and 70 Zoom Zone Candy Canes that are used to purchase 15 Bedroom Decorations, 7 Main Chapters, +Bonus Chapter, and a Built-In Strategy Guide.
If you miss the BF forums then come to my new forum which has even more features to enjoy! thewoodsforum.boards.net
fromThe grinches will always play their part, even at Christmas time so let's all put on our best Ho Ho Ho's, jingle our bells a little louder, and wish for Peace on Earth Good Will Toward Men, even to those Fa-la-little skunks in our lives, Merry Christmas
This "Top Reviewer" is one of our most frequent game reviewers. We think you'll trust what they have to say and find their reviews helpful and informative.
Completed Game in a little over 3 hours (including completion of all mini-games & CE Bonus Chapter) 17 Main Game Scene Locations +8 Bonus Chapter Difficulty Range: Beginner-Intermediate
I think it's only fair to state that Taxi of Miracles was created by the same developers as Christmas Stories: Nutcracker which received a 4.7 average rating with 5-Star reviews submitted from 272 individuals! This was the first game in this series and it was stunningly beautiful, incredibly imaginative, and highly entertaining, the kind of game you never wanted to end!
I'm trying to make a point here so bear with me... Take a look at just a few of the Titles from fellow reviewers of Christmas Stories: Nutcracker: You Had Me At Nutcracker ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL !!!! FANTASTIC, BEAUTIFUL, OUTSTANDING!!!!!!!! Breathtaking! YAY DEVELOPER, YAY BFG 100000,00000,00000 STARS! Beautiful & Imaginative Holiday Puzzler for All!! Well Done!! One of the best games ever BRAVO & KUDOS TO THE ELEPHANT TEAM!!!! A Deliciously Delightful Experience Charming, beautiful, endearing I hated that it ended... Bought this as soon as I saw it was an Elephant Game!
When was the last game by ANY developer that inspired players as much as Nutcracker did? How can a developer go from Nutcracker to Taxi of Miracles in a single decade? If your heart isn't in it anymore why continue? We are the reason Elephant Games rose to fame, we are the reason Nutcracker has a 4.7 average star rating, do we not deserve your best effort? We deserve the Nutcracker kind of Elephant Games, but nowadays, all we get are Taxi of Miracles kind of Elephant Games! Perhaps a real Christmas Miracle will happen next year?
MORPHING OBJECTS/COLLECTIBLES: (CE version only) There are 12 Collectible Snowglobes and 12 Zoom Zone Jigsaw Puzzle Pieces that allow you to assemble a 12-piece Jigsaw Puzzle in the Secret Room section...a single 12-piece puzzle, really? How old do you think your targeted audience is? Reminds me of a jigsaw meme..."I don't mean to brag but I just completed a puzzle in 1 week and the box said 2-4 years"
HIDDEN OBJECT SCENES: (no alternate game available) The Hidden Object Scenes should have been more creative with a Christmas atmosphere, after all, it IS a Christmas HOPA! (we look forward to the Christmas games for an entire year!) The HO scenes include a lot of variety, however, they are all located in the usual, boring places. The only scenes that were actually Christmas-related were some of the small Zoom Zone HOs where you are tasked with finding 6 items, most of which were items that spilled out of a Christmas bag of ornaments, inside a gift box under the tree, or a dumped out bowl of candy, clearly, they dropped the ball again.
The Hidden Object Scenes were no different than they are in normal games offered throughout the year, for example: Find Pairs of Items that are located in the trunk of a car. an Interactive List find located on the shelves of a cabinet, Find 12 Toys located inside of a delivery truck, Find items matching Swatch Samples located inside a clothes closet, an Interactive List find using a flashlight to locate items under a bed, Listed items that require aligning items pictured on a parchment paper using vertical & diagonal slider buttons, turning rings of a disk to align two halves of an image, or finding Silhouetted Shape items located inside of a wooden chest...none of these scenes have anything to do with Christmas!
MINI-GAMES/PUZZLES: I'm usually a fan of the mini-games & puzzles from Elephant Games and these were not necessarily bad, but they are pretty easy and just like the HO scenes, most of the puzzles were void of anything associated with Christmas other than snow or ice!
-Rotate Pipes & Swap valves to match the valve shapes at the bottom -Untangle Ropes -Move a scoop along all tracks without backtracking -Rotate squares until all wires are connected in the same colored wire -Swap spark plugs in order from 1-6 (how old/young do they think we are?) -Remove identical snow clumps in groups of at least 2 (vert/horiz/diag) on a grid (I actually liked this game) -Swap & rotate gears to create an image -Rotate disk rings and push segments into the center of the image -Click directional arrows located an all 4 sides of the board to push squares into place -Follow instructions to mold a new bell -Swap nameplates to the correct mailbox number slots according to the pictured hints -Guide a snowflake thru a labyrinth, passing over metal disks to open gates(difficult to make the snowflake move) -Move pins on a key into the correct position & select the keyhole to test the positions -Follow the ball under a cup and select after the shuffle -Select pairs of identical ice clumps -Move a ball thru the maze by swapping figurines of various weights to move the labyrinth -Use directional arrows to guide Jacob who keeps swimming until he meets an obstacle) -Color the embroidery (paint by numbers) -Recreate the image by sliding square tiles using the empty slot -Place presents correctly according to the shaped bases
BONUS CHAPTER: (Collector's Edition version only) The Bonus Chapter is way better than the main game and it absolutely felt more Christmas-themed than the main game. Perhaps I wasn't paying attention, perhaps Elephant Games never explained it but somehow Jacob wakes up in Catstown, a town filled with sophisticated, well-dressed, walking, talking cats! Since I'm already here, I agree to help Mayor Meows capture the bad kitty who has been stealing Christmas...he even stole the town's Christmas Tree and presents!
There are 8 additional scene locations with 7 Mini-Games and 5 Hidden Object Scenes available. The Puzzle Pieces were all collected within the main Game and there are only 3 Snowglobes remaining which was a big letdown as far as I'm concerned. After completing the Bonus Chapter the Expedition Room can be accessed to search for any missed Collectibles.
COLLECTOR'S EDITION EXTRAS: 5 Wallpapers, 5 Music Soundtracks, 21 Achievements, 12 Collectible Snowglobes, 12 Zoom Zone Jigsaw Puzzle Pieces to assemble a single Screensavers, 13 replayable Hidden Object Scenes, 13 replayable Mini-Games, a Secret Room which allows you to assemble the Jigsaw, an Expedition room to search for missed Collectibles, 3 Main Chapters +Bonus Chapter, and a Built-In Strategy Guide.
Rudolph's Presents are available to send & receive again this year, so join us at my new forum for game help/talk, general chats, and great company thewoodsforum.boards.net
fromThe grinches will always play their part, even at Christmas time so let's all put on our best Ho Ho Ho's, jingle our bells a little louder, and wish for Peace on Earth Good Will Toward Men, even to those Fa-la-little skunks in our lives, Merry Christmas
This "Top Reviewer" is one of our most frequent game reviewers. We think you'll trust what they have to say and find their reviews helpful and informative.
If ever a game should win an award for beautiful graphics, Bird Paradise is that game. This game has beauty, originality, variety, and creative imagination...everything we've come to expect from our beloved Mixo Games!
You can choose to play in a Casual Mode (slow animations, more hints, easier gameplay) a Normal Mode (faster bingo balls, fewer hints, more challenge), or an Expert Mode (quick bingo balls, no hints, harder levels) so everyone can enjoy playing at their own pace.
You begin by playing a Hidden Object Scene with creatively placed objects (if you've played Lost Amulets you will know the style) Some require you to find items listed on paper notes, and others may require finding multiples of the same object or categories in multiples, such as 4 Fruits, and even a Matching Pairs variety. The HO scenes may look simplistic at first glance but somehow this developer has mastered the art of hiding objects in plain sight! I love that the goal of the HO scenes usually involves finding several Bingo Balls or Black Pearls, and they are a lot harder to spot than you'd think!
After the HO scene, you will play a game of Bingo with a Twist. The goal is to click on the Bingo Balls that match the numbers & colors shown on the Bingo Card(s) before the line of balls reaches the end. At first, you only have to complete one Bingo Card but as you progress, they throw in multiple cards and which really keeps you on your toes! It sounds simple but I found the variant of matching symbols to be more challenging than expected. As you progress, Bonus Balls are added to remove color-coded balls, reverse the line direction, or explode a few unwanted balls.
Coins are awarded when balls are removed but to add another level of challenge, some coins must be clicked on to collect them. The coins can be used to purchase Casino tickets to play various mini-games, such as Solitaire, or a Pachinko game, I just wish it had flippers you could use to try to flip the balls back up! Playing the Casino games will allow you to win 4x the points! Points are used to help "Support the Island" by restoring things destroyed in a storm.
This CE version has 21 additional Levels, 20 extra Bingo Blitz games, 20 extra Infinite Matching Fun games, 20 extra Solitaire Games, a Casino game section, Show Introduction Movie, Art Gallery, 7 Music Soundtracks, and Collectibles (in several categories)
If you need help with the game join us for daily game talk at my new nature-themed forum. Reconnect with long-lost forum friends, join a group Adventure Game, or just chat about BF games when you become an official Woodsy...thewoodsforum.boards.net
fromThe grinches will always play their part, even at Christmas time so let's all put on our best Ho Ho Ho's, jingle our bells a little louder, and wish for Peace on Earth Good Will Toward Men, even to those Fa-la-little skunks in our lives, Merry Christmas
This "Top Reviewer" is one of our most frequent game reviewers. We think you'll trust what they have to say and find their reviews helpful and informative.
Completed Game: a little over 4.0 Hours (including completion of all puzzles & Bonus Chapter) 17 Main Game Scene Locations +7 CE Bonus Chapter Difficulty Range: Beginner-Intermediate
I have come to terms with the fact that we will never get another HOPA where I can get lost or forget where something goes because the scenes were never locked. In games of the past, you would never complete a task by finding an inventory item AND a place to use it in the same exact scene! The Dire Groves, Ravenhearsts, and Fates Carnival games of yesteryear are long gone. Developers won't spend money or time to recreate those amazing HOPAs because they think HOPAs have seen their time. (If they only realized that it's because they started making the games fool-proof, we are still HOPA fans but fans of the way they were, not the way they are!)
I must admit, The Last Resort didn't feel like a MCF game. I miss the typewriter keys clinking as I tried to save enough energy to use a hint, I miss that mysterious vibe of being a Master Detective whose face is never shown, I miss the cool gadgets, I miss the dark and misty scenes in the moonlight, the creepy rooms, the seedy characters, etc. of the MCF masterpieces, and I definitely miss those fantabulous Rube Goldberg door puzzles that could drive a person insane! Mostly, I miss the saga of The Dalimer family so I'm really looking forward to MCF #25
With that being said, this is a really good game. I did not feel bored at any point in time and I did enjoy the game. I've given up on the way they were so I will try to rate this as just another game versus another Mystery Case Files game.
HELPERS/GADGET There are no Helpers. At the beginning of the game, you find Lord Simon's camera and eventually begin to find cassette tapes to play, using Simon's Camera. This is short-lived and it felt like the developers forgot this feature existed because I found tapes 1 and 2, then I found one labeled #4. I kept thinking I'd stumble across the missing #3 tape but never did and that was the end of this gadget?
Collectibles & Morphing Objects (CE version only) Grandma did not disappoint when it came to collectibles & morphs! The collectibles themselves aren't necessarily exciting, but finding them was not easy and I really enjoyed the added challenge!
There are 46 House Details, one that morphs, and one that is static (emblem of a house) There are also 20 Zoom Zone Jigsaw Puzzle Pieces that are blended into the scenery extremely well! If a zoom zone doesn't close automatically, that's your clue that a puzzle piece is still there! After finding all Jigsaws, you can assemble & download a 20-piece Jigsaw Puzzle.
There is a pull-out tab on the left that keeps track of the Collectibles but if you missed a collectible or Jigsaw Puzzle Piece, you can return to the scenes to collect them (after completing the Main Game) by clicking on the puzzle piece that shows "incomplete" or clicking on the house section that shows "incomplete". I love this ability, I love the challenge of the collectibles so thanks Grandma Studios!
Hidden Object Scenes: There are only 10 Hidden Object Scenes +2 in the CE Bonus Chapter. (not sure where the other 5 HOs were hiding as stated by another player, there was a mini-game where you rotated the rings of 3 disks to match stained glass patterns BUT this was listed as a Mini-game with actual instructions) I don't normally enjoy HO scenes in most of these games because the objects aren't hidden and most of the time I can find the objects without looking at the list! This was definitely not the case in this game, in fact, I would stare at some of these scenes for a while trying to find a lousy paperclip or the last book, so bravo Grandma! Most of the HO's are Interactive Lists, but there were Silhouetted Shape Finds, Morphing Object Finds, Multiples of the same Object (find 12 books) Swatches where you pinpoint areas shown inside tokens)
Mini-Games: Some of the mini-games were quite challenging, some of which were multi-layered. In the first couple of chapters, there were actually a couple of decent Rube Goldberg Door Puzzles where you find components to open up one puzzle at a time to unlock the door. Unfortunately, they were MIA in the last few chapters! There were a couple of multi-layered puzzles to open the next chapter but these were just a series of mini-games and aren't even close to being considered a Rube Goldberg Puzzle which is what made MCF games stand out in a crowd! My theory is that game production was halted midway through the game when Russia invaded Ukraine, and the last half was patched together quickly...but I completely understand! Grandma is faced with dreadful conditions, loss of electricity 50% of the day, not to mention most of their team is fighting in the war for their country, so when you think about their circumstance, the fact that they are able to produce such quality in any game is amazing!
Bonus Chapter: (CE version only) You will play Katie in a prequel that fills in some missing gaps in the main story. If I explain any further it would spoil the main game's plot. This is an average-length Bonus Chapter that spans over 7 scene locations, with 6 additional Mini-games and just 2 Hidden Object Scenes. You will continue your search for the final 14 House Details and 4 Jigsaw Puzzle pieces which allow you to assemble & download a Jigsaw Puzzle.
Collector's Edition Extras: 10 Wallpapers, 10 Concept Art Pictures, 24 Movie Cutscene Videos, 8 Music Soundtracks ♪, 10 Replayable Mini-Games♙, 12 Replayable Hidden Object Scenes, 14 Achievements, 46 Collectible House Details (1 Morphing-1 Static) 20 Jigsaw Puzzle Pieces, a Jigsaw Puzzle to assemble, 5 Main Chapters (Last Vacation) +Bonus Chapter (Redemption) and a Built-In Strategy Guide.
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