pennmom36's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.7
- Helpful Votes:358,445
- Reviews Submitted:4700
- First Review:December 10, 2012
- Most Recent Review:January 15, 2025
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Jane's Hotel is back and open for business!
Overall rating
3
/
5
43 of 57 found this review helpful
IT'S A LITTLE BIT EASY BUT I STILL ENJOYED IT
PostedOctober 16, 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
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I was surprised that this game did so poorly, review-wise because I actually enjoyed the game. Yes, I get that it isn't as challenging as previous games in the series, but it was still fun and it had a nostalgic vibe. It would have been better if the levels progressed by adding a Hotel Room or two, and it definitely needed an option to replay previous levels at any point in time, versus only being able to replay immediately upon completing the level, and above all, it needs an option to create more than one profile!
I read a lot of reviews complaining that Jane can only carry 1 item at a time, such as coffee, water, or burgers. It's true that Jane can't deliver two different items like coffee & water but in reality, Jane CAN deliver multiples of the same item! Once you click on the requested item, such as the coffee maker, simply click on all characters or rooms that have the coffee cup icon and she will continue delivering the requested item to everyone checked in the queue. This goes for the Maid as well, as long as the task is the same, such as vacuuming, she will go from one room to the next room(s) that are queued with the vacuuming task, you do not have to keep clicking on the source and then the task unless the tasks are different.
I read a lot of reviews complaining that Jane can only carry 1 item at a time, such as coffee, water, or burgers. It's true that Jane can't deliver two different items like coffee & water but in reality, Jane CAN deliver multiples of the same item! Once you click on the requested item, such as the coffee maker, simply click on all characters or rooms that have the coffee cup icon and she will continue delivering the requested item to everyone checked in the queue. This goes for the Maid as well, as long as the task is the same, such as vacuuming, she will go from one room to the next room(s) that are queued with the vacuuming task, you do not have to keep clicking on the source and then the task unless the tasks are different.
The gameplay is basically the same as previous Jane's Hotel games, the story is...well, just what the title says "A New Story". Jane buys the dilapidated Hotel that her Great-Grandmother (also named Jane) built back in the day. The goals are fairly easy to reach & pretty stress-free with basically only two goals, serve X amount of customers and earn X amount of money.
There are only four rooms to deal with, and the poor maid does most of the work. Jane hands out room keys to new customers and checks them out, occasionally she serves a cup of coffee, burgers, water bottles, and Wi-fi (had to chuckle as Jane served guests a wi-fi icon on a platter) She also has the daunting task of walking all the way across the room to hand dice to a guest sitting all alone... because everyone wants to play a board game by themselves??
There are only four rooms to deal with, and the poor maid does most of the work. Jane hands out room keys to new customers and checks them out, occasionally she serves a cup of coffee, burgers, water bottles, and Wi-fi (had to chuckle as Jane served guests a wi-fi icon on a platter) She also has the daunting task of walking all the way across the room to hand dice to a guest sitting all alone... because everyone wants to play a board game by themselves??
The maid, however, is responsible for 99.5% of the tasks and I actually felt sorry for her! The maid has to vacuum rooms several times during & after the guest's Hotel stay. She also has to pick up & return their dry cleaning items and deliver extra linens, or plaid blankets...to make matters worse, she has to water the dang plants every single day, one minute they are doing perfectly fine, the next, they are brown, droopy, and losing leaves (& Hearts!) It would be nice if the developers allowed the player to anticipate various tasks because you can't water the plants before they wilt, nor can Jane return to the desk in anticipation of a guest checking out or in!
After each level you get to upgrade the Hotel, some upgrades add an extra item to serve (board games, wifi, water, etc.) some do nothing more than decorate the Hotel. My only complaint was that none of the items came with descriptions to explain what they do, such as make customers happy, etc.
The Collector's Edition version has 6 Wallpapers, Concept Art, 10 Bonus Levels, and 10 Hotel Upgrades.
If you need game help or have a tip to share, hike on over to my new forum at thewoodsforum.boards.net
If you need game help or have a tip to share, hike on over to my new forum at thewoodsforum.boards.net
I recommend this game!
The immortal legend of the Holy Grail is here!
Overall rating
4
/
5
47 of 58 found this review helpful
I LIKE THIS GAME BECAUSE IT ISN'T A COOKIE-CUTTER CLONE!
PostedOctober 14, 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
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
6 Chapters + Bonus Chapter
40 Main Game Scene Locations
Difficulty Range: Beginner-Intermediate-Advanced
40 Main Game Scene Locations
Difficulty Range: Beginner-Intermediate-Advanced
King Arthur has summoned the Court Magician to save Queen Guinevere who was stricken with an unknown illness. The Queen's only hope lies within the Holy Grail, an artifact capable of granting eternal life. The Holy Grail is protected with a powerful medallion, it's key divided into three sections and given to the Guardians of three different worlds. Your wizardly quest takes you on a harrowing journey to the world of Druids, the Icy Magicians World, and the Water World to save your Queen!
Collectibles/Morphing Objects: (CE version only)
There are 52 Collectible Potion Bottles that are pretty hard to miss, but I can't say the same for the 40 Morphing Objects. The objects morph slowly between two different objects that are very similar so they can be quite challenging to spot. I haven't been this pleased with a morphing object in a very long time!
There are 52 Collectible Potion Bottles that are pretty hard to miss, but I can't say the same for the 40 Morphing Objects. The objects morph slowly between two different objects that are very similar so they can be quite challenging to spot. I haven't been this pleased with a morphing object in a very long time!
Gadgets/Helpers:
There are no Helpers but there is an Amulet Gadget that eventually holds 3 different Magic Runes, beginning with the Rune of Light. This gadget is used a total of 15 times throughout the game.
There are no Helpers but there is an Amulet Gadget that eventually holds 3 different Magic Runes, beginning with the Rune of Light. This gadget is used a total of 15 times throughout the game.
Hidden Object Scenes:
There is a good variety of Hidden Object Scenes, such as Listed Item Finds, Symbol Finds, Progressive-Interactive Finds, Finding & Replacing Pictured Items back into the scene, and even Silhouetted Shape Finds. You will have to recheck the HO scenes as they are usually repeated with a different variety.
There is a good variety of Hidden Object Scenes, such as Listed Item Finds, Symbol Finds, Progressive-Interactive Finds, Finding & Replacing Pictured Items back into the scene, and even Silhouetted Shape Finds. You will have to recheck the HO scenes as they are usually repeated with a different variety.
Mini-Games:
The mini-games are mostly quick puzzles such as rotating & swapping torn fragments, Repeating Sequences, Moving tokens in a specific pattern, or moving tokens along a track to their color-coded slot.
The mini-games are mostly quick puzzles such as rotating & swapping torn fragments, Repeating Sequences, Moving tokens in a specific pattern, or moving tokens along a track to their color-coded slot.
Collector's Edition Extra's:
10 Wallpapers, 20 Movie Cutscene Videos, 6 Music Soundtracks, 15 Achievements, 52 Collectible Potion Bottles, 40 Morphing Objects, 6 Main Chapters, +Bonus Chapter, and a Built-In Strategy Guide.
10 Wallpapers, 20 Movie Cutscene Videos, 6 Music Soundtracks, 15 Achievements, 52 Collectible Potion Bottles, 40 Morphing Objects, 6 Main Chapters, +Bonus Chapter, and a Built-In Strategy Guide.
I missed the BF forums too, so I created a better version! Join us, you'll love it! thewoodsforum.boards.net
I recommend this game!
Can you save your sister from a carnival of monsters?
Overall rating
4
/
5
95 of 110 found this review helpful
HOLY FLYING FUDGECICLES, SHUT THE FRONT DOOR ~ IS THIS REALLY A DOMINI GAME?
PostedOctober 13, 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
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Completed Game in approximately 6 hours
24 Main Game Scene Locations +10 Bonus Chapter
Difficulty Range: Beginner-Intermediate
24 Main Game Scene Locations +10 Bonus Chapter
Difficulty Range: Beginner-Intermediate
I remember back in the day when developers still cared about HOPAs, how excited everyone was when BF would offer a shiny, brand-new release from Domini Games. They were just starting out and it seemed like ages between new releases, but we didn't care because we knew it was probably worth the wait, and they were! Eventually, Domini grew to meet the HOPA demands, as did their vast library of titles so they no longer had the time to seal every game with a tender-lovin' kiss...and the games certainly reflected this!
We saw the writing on the wall with each carbon-copy clone released, week after week, month after month, year after year. Our enthusiasm waned and fans were no longer head over heels in love (except for 1) and moans of disappointment replaced the whoo-hoo's of another Domini game release.
I honestly didn't think this developer would ever regain their mojo but obviously, they have because Gloomy Tales is one of the best games Domini has released in YEARS! I'm not going to complain about a thing, Thank you Domini!
Collectibles/Morphing Objects (CE version only)
There are 15 Morphing Halloween Items, 15 Awards, and 70 Circus Coupons used to purchase 15 Circus Tent items.
There are 15 Morphing Halloween Items, 15 Awards, and 70 Circus Coupons used to purchase 15 Circus Tent items.
Hidden Object Scenes:
The Hidden Object Scenes were varied with Progressive-Interactive Silhouetted Shape Finds, an arcade game where you shoot matching targets, one where you drag polaroid photo's with a missing portion over a wall of snapshots until you find the missing section, Silhouetted Shapes to find among several arms & hands adorned with tattoos, Multiple's of descriptive objects, (4 people with purple hair, etc.) and one of my favorites was finding 2 objects that when combined create a specific type of monster ( ? + ? =werewolf) AND they weren't really obvious objects so it had a bit of a challenge as well!
The Hidden Object Scenes were varied with Progressive-Interactive Silhouetted Shape Finds, an arcade game where you shoot matching targets, one where you drag polaroid photo's with a missing portion over a wall of snapshots until you find the missing section, Silhouetted Shapes to find among several arms & hands adorned with tattoos, Multiple's of descriptive objects, (4 people with purple hair, etc.) and one of my favorites was finding 2 objects that when combined create a specific type of monster ( ? + ? =werewolf) AND they weren't really obvious objects so it had a bit of a challenge as well!
Alternate Match 3 Game:
There is an alternate Match 3 Game available if you don't want to play a Hidden Object Scene...I'm not even going to complain about the M3 because I enjoyed the HO's!
There is an alternate Match 3 Game available if you don't want to play a Hidden Object Scene...I'm not even going to complain about the M3 because I enjoyed the HO's!
Bonus Chapter (CE Version Only)
The Bonus Chapter is a stand-alone story but it has the same 2 main characters and is very similar to the Main Chapter's story. There are 9 additional Mini-Games and 5 additional Hidden Object Scenes that take place over 10 additional scene locations. You will continue searching for the final 6 Morphing Halloween Items, 5 Awards, and 9 Zoom Zone Circus Tickets which allow you to purchase the final items for the Circus Tent.
The Bonus Chapter is a stand-alone story but it has the same 2 main characters and is very similar to the Main Chapter's story. There are 9 additional Mini-Games and 5 additional Hidden Object Scenes that take place over 10 additional scene locations. You will continue searching for the final 6 Morphing Halloween Items, 5 Awards, and 9 Zoom Zone Circus Tickets which allow you to purchase the final items for the Circus Tent.
Collector's Edition Extra's: (CE version only)
15 Wallpapers, 15 Concept Art Pictures, 5 Music Soundtracks, 28 Movie Video Cutscenes, 42 Achievements, 20 Replayable Mini-Games, 17 Replayable Hidden Object Scenes, Extra Side Tasks/Quests available throughout the Main Chapters (to earn points) 15 Morphing Halloween Items. 15 Awards, and 70 Zoom Zone Circus Tickets that are used to purchase 15 Circus Tent Items, 7 Main Chapters, +Bonus Chapter, and a Built-In Strategy Guide.
15 Wallpapers, 15 Concept Art Pictures, 5 Music Soundtracks, 28 Movie Video Cutscenes, 42 Achievements, 20 Replayable Mini-Games, 17 Replayable Hidden Object Scenes, Extra Side Tasks/Quests available throughout the Main Chapters (to earn points) 15 Morphing Halloween Items. 15 Awards, and 70 Zoom Zone Circus Tickets that are used to purchase 15 Circus Tent Items, 7 Main Chapters, +Bonus Chapter, and a Built-In Strategy Guide.
If you miss the BF forums, fear not! Come to my new forum which has even more features to enjoy, including game help & chats, Series Lists, Group Play Adventure Games, and lots of familiar names thewoodsforum.boards.net
I recommend this game!
Rome's citizens are turning to stone, and it's up to you to help unravel the mystery and save the city!
Overall rating
1
/
5
24 of 41 found this review helpful
I DON'T THINK THIS GAME WAS READY FOR PRIME TIME
PostedOctober 12, 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
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
Yesterday was a weird day, Heroes of Rome 3 was listed as the day's new release for about 15 minutes before it disappeared, and Big Adventure: Trip To Europe 3 was put in its place. Later in the afternoon, Heroes of Rome 3 re-appeared on the new release's page!
I never made it past the first level. I had to wait forever for the materials to appear on the platform so I could rebuild the columns, etc. The timer just went poof while I waited so I replayed the level only to discover my materials had vanished.
I replayed the first level over and over, I tried queuing my tasks differently but it always came down to the fact that you have to have materials that are impossible to get!
Let's talk about the game, join us at my new forum thewoodsforum.boards.net
I don't recommend this game.
Take an inspiring trip to the castles and palaces of medieval Europe!
Overall rating
1
/
5
44 of 52 found this review helpful
UM...WHERE ARE THE CASTLES?
PostedOctober 12, 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
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
There are 500 Jigsaws offered in Castles And Palaces 2 which has exactly 116 puzzles with Castles OR Palaces. Of those 116 puzzles, most of them are simply close-up photos of a building, such as a window or a door, a building that could be anything from a museum to a hotel! The 384 remaining puzzles are uninteresting pictures of people in costumes, or staged photos of random objects!
Once again, the features are the same, the music is the same, the puzzles are basically the same, and they are never offered in larger sizes, they spew out one puzzle after the other without ever changing a single thing including the repetitive background music soundtrack.
Once again, the features are the same, the music is the same, the puzzles are basically the same, and they are never offered in larger sizes, they spew out one puzzle after the other without ever changing a single thing including the repetitive background music soundtrack.
Any puzzle can be modified with the number of pieces, the cut shape of the pieces, and whether or not you want the pieces to rotate. There are 4 different backgrounds to choose from, pink, green, blue, and grey, a box to store extra pieces until needed, a Sort option, a Border only option, a Hint option, and an available Magnifying glass to enlarge pieces. You can also ghost the image of the puzzle to the background or hang a picture in three different sizes. Same features, same options, same staged images!
We have lots of features at my new forum, including game help, group adventure gameplay, and series game lists in alphabetical order (especially useful now that the new BF website makes it difficult to find specific games. thewoodsforum.boards.net
I don't recommend this game.
Join Morgan Johnson and Jack Brown to take on the terror of the city!
Overall rating
3
/
5
13 of 16 found this review helpful
BETTER THAN MOST M3s BY THIS DEVELOPER
PostedOctober 10, 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
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I'd give this game 3.5 stars if that were an option because this one seemed more challenging than previous games. I think it was more challenging because of all the nooks & crannies which made it harder to get the correct matches, not to mention they threw in multiple obstacles in the same level, such as Gears and Ropes. I played in the timed mode option and actually had to replay a level in the demo portion after running out of time, an occurrence that has never happened before in an E-funSoft Match 3 game!
I'd love to give these games 4-5 stars again, but after releasing several different game series, this developer got stuck in a deep rut. I'm bored with the same features, the same obstacles, and especially the same "Tools" that just have different names to suit the story. It isn't enough to just add a small & large Bomb (the only feature that changed over the past 20-30 games)
I'd like to see this developer stretch their imagination and put on their thinking caps to create unusual power-ups or at least add a few that do something different the next time. Add some creative features like fire to melt ice, Morphing Blocked Tiles or a Volcano that spews molten lava to encrust a few tiles that would require an identical match with the encased tile or perhaps just a few adjacent matches to break free. (hey I might be onto something here!... lol)
One of my favorite features was the Spiders that covered tiles with spiderwebs if left unattended. The web-covered tiles were challenging because you had to stay one step ahead of the spider until you could destroy it, otherwise, the whole board could potentially become webbed & blocked! Unfortunately, this entertaining little feature didn't last long, it was ditched to appease those who dislike spiders...I don't like REAL spiders either but it's pretty easy to distinguish between clip art & reality, especially when it's an entertainment factor! Here's an outside-the-box solution...Change the Spider to a Caterpillar who undergoes metamorphosis which encases some tiles within the cocoon (actually it's called a chrysalis) when the correct match is made, out pops a beautiful Butterfly and butterflies couldn't possibly give a player the heebie-jeebies!
In past games, making large matches would fill the Energy Mana Meter, allowing you to use any power-up tool that had been previously purchased. Now they randomly give you 2-3 tools, at the start of each level, to use at your discretion (once recharged) while adding small & large Bombs to the board for a Match 4 or Match 5. The Bombs are worthless because they can only be detonated in place, you cannot manipulate them by swiping them up, down, or over to the desired direction as is the case with every other Match 3 game!
Every Match 3 game by this developer has the same Worldly goal of purchasing 4 World Upgrades before you can progress to the next Chapter with the single Star you earn for completing each level. There are never any options to choose a particular style or allow you to manually place the new construction to create your own visionary world. Without options, the repetitiveness becomes rather boring so put on your thinking caps and get creative, please!
If you miss the BF forums, fear not my friends! Just don a pair of hiking boots and head on over to the campfire to chat about games or whatever's on your mind...in between bites of Smores of course! (just keep your eye on Woodsy the Bear, he thinks Smores are a Bear Necessity! thewoodsforum.boards.net
I recommend this game!
Help the Walker family investigate the theft of young Hare's prized bicycle!
Overall rating
1
/
5
6 of 6 found this review helpful
IT WOULD PROBABLY BE BETTER IF CLICKS WERE RECOGNIZED EVERY TIME!
PostedOctober 10, 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
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
A Clutter Conundrum...one of the most accurate synopsis BF has posted!
If you want to have a successful, long-running game series, you have to make each game more appealing than the last, otherwise, Shopping Clutter fans will quickly lose interest. I was one of those fans and I lost interest several games back because they have the most unappealing objects to find, the objects look like they are trying to capture the toddler market versus grown adults, the objects are the size of baby elephants and they rarely have anything to do with the titled subject of each game.
I opted for the custom cursor this time and noticed that I had to reclick some items several times to remove them. On one level where I was tasked with removing 3 of every object, it became very obvious when I only had 3 bikes remaining and I had to click on the 3rd bike 10-15 times before it was finally removed. I kept suspecting this when there were several objects on the board but I thought perhaps I wasn't being precise enough, but I proved this wasn't the case when the above-mentioned bikes were the only thing left on the board! Why does this matter, you may ask?... Why bother with having a timed mode, or a challenge of trying to beat the high score if it's impossible because of a clicking glitch?
Speaking of high scores, have you ever noticed that it is impossible to beat the developer's score (FancyBear) I literally made this my mission today, I opened up 3 different profiles and replayed several levels to see what would happen. It appears that the player will always fall into the same preset position on every level, even with different scores or time remaining. You can play a level repeatedly under a different profile and still earn the same score rating, always way below the developer. To me, this is just conceit on the developers' part; do they really have to pretend they are a Clutter expert when they designed & coded the game, of course they should know how to get the best score so why rub it in?
Speaking of rubbing it in, I have read so many negative reviews complaining about those giant Sun Hint Icons, apparently, everyone deems them annoying, yet the developer doesn't seem to care whether or not the player enjoys them! The suns probably remain unchanged because let's face it, without a gazillion suns on every level, there would be no challenge! They are literally the size of a golf ball so they clutter the board and cover everything you are supposed to be trying to find so you are left with no choice but to click to remove them to get to the clutter...such a waste of time. I can understand having 5-10 on each level, but there are more sun icons than actual objects so unless you use the Hint to find every single object why would you need so many?
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. Levels can be replayed, supposedly so you can earn a better score (see above comments) or perhaps an attempt to beat the developers' score?
There are 140 Clutter levels and 20 mini-games, 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 hate these types of puzzles because they are frustrating, not to mention that the completed image is basically the same picture... 17 games running!
One last observation. Why does the Walker Family name their kids whatever species they are, such as Squirrel, or Hare? Wouldn't that be similar to a human family calling their kids "human boy" and "human girl"?
What's your opinion? Let's talk at my new Woodsy-themed forum, thewoodsforum.boards.net
I don't recommend this game.
Join Hades in his quest to save Hellas from evil!
Overall rating
4
/
5
32 of 37 found this review helpful
YOU MAY ACTUALLY WANT TO OPT FOR THE CE VERSION!
PostedOctober 9, 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
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
If you love this series, you may want to opt for the CE version which has 36 additional "Crystal" levels. From what I can see, both versions have an additional 18 levels that unlock once you collect the 84 Seals. The CE version also has 6 new buildings, wallpaper, concept art, and music soundtracks, both versions have 52 Reward Trophy Achievements as well...still, just the 36 additional levels +18 Seal Levels seem well worthy of the CE price if you feel like it's a game you never want to end :)
I love the hexagonal cells offered in this series, it's a unique feature that adds just the right amount of challenge to this Match 3 game. My only complaint is that the graphics seem less crystal clear than they were in previous games of this series and the developer didn't make accommodations for those of us with larger monitors. The entire right side of my screen is pixilated with large chunky sections of mountains and when the birds fly over that section it leaves a stream of blue lines instead of being seamless. flight and it only gets worse the more I build.
You can play in a Relaxed Mode without a Timer, a Normal Timed Mode, or an Advanced Mode with shorter time limits. There are 52 Achievements to earn and there are 84 Seals to find before the start of some levels which will unlock the Sipher of the King of Eyes allowing you to play 18 bonus levels, 9 regular levels, and 9 puzzle levels. Apparently, you can skip the levels after a few attempts.
Large Chain matches will reward you with Gold Coins that can be included with any preceding Chains of any tile type as long as there are at least 2 other matching tiles. Gems & Laurels are collected by dropping them off the honeycomb-shaped board, dropping keys to the bottom will unlock parts of the board that are unavailable. Each round had a different target to collect, Flowers, Hearts, Gold, etc. are collected by making adjacent matches, and some boards have an additional "hidden board" to transport back & forth when you include an identical chain match with the teleport icon.
Power-ups will appear on the board such as Amphora Bombs and directional Lightning Bolts, which are activated when you include them within a Chain Match. Other power-ups are readily available on the top left, such as Poseidon which will shuffle the tiles. After each use, you will have to collect the matching-colored tiles to recharge the bonus power-ups.
Adjacent matches are required to collect most specialty icons or to dissipate Dark Storm Clouds. Ropes and Chains require including the blocked tile with at least two identical tiles. Keys, Laurels, and Gems must be dropped off the board to collect them. Stone Monoliths can only be removed when you include the tile with the same symbol on each monolith, some of which have trapped Flowers, Hearts, etc. which require being collected as part of the level goals, Steel Monoliths can't be removed.
Bigger & better than the BF forums we all loved, The Woods Forum awaits your arrival! Need game help or have a tip for other players? Come join us at my new forum (always free to join, all are welcome) thewoodsforum.boards.net
A race against time to stop an evil witch from destroying a magical forest!
Overall rating
4
/
5
60 of 72 found this review helpful
SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED GAMEPLAY WITH A TON OF INTERESTING OBSTACLES TO OVERCOME... (but I will wait for the SE Version)
PostedOctober 8, 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
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
When a developer takes our suggestions to improve the next game in the series, I say they deserve some recognition for their hard work, it shows they care, therefore, I care! They fixed the large screen compatibility, they improved the character's graphics which used to look like a creepy claymation cartoon, they added a "skip conversation" button, and they fixed the music soundtrack that used to stop playing or freeze up for several seconds in each loop. More importantly, they added a section explaining all of the different obstacles, power-ups, bonuses, and gem features which were nearly impossible to read in past games because the popup windows would disappear in a nanosecond to make way for the next feature's explanation!
You can play in a Casual or Expert Mode which claims to have more of a challenge but I have only played the demo and did not try all of the available modes. After selecting the difficulty mode you will choose between a Timeless Mode, a Timed Mode, or a Limited Moves Mode (I choose Expert/Limited Moves) There are 14 Achievements to earn and 21 House Repairs that cost between 100 and 55,000 Coins to purchase. You can earn up to 3 Spiders per level but I haven't figured out what the criteria are for earning the 3rd Spider because I had 24 moves left on level 5 and met all the goals yet only earned 2 Spiders, so maybe it is a points issue?
Large Matches award you with a Small or Large Pumpkin Bomb, Column/Row Destroyers, or Triple Column/Row Destroyers (depending on the direction the original match was located, either vertically or horizontally) as well as a Column & Row x3 Destroyer. There are 3 Bonuses available for unlimited use but they have to recharge between uses, a Hint to show you an available move, a Shuffle feature, and a Hammer to destroy a single chosen tile.
There are several Obstacles to overcome or unusual features, and most levels have several variations available. I felt they are worthy of adding to my review so you can see the benefits of the game.
-Single Brown Tiles: requires a single match on the tile to remove.
-Double Purple Tiles: requires two matches on the tile to remove.
-Rocks/Double/Triple Rocks: requires 1-3 adjacent matches to destroy.
-Board Keys: requires dropping off the board to unlock the giant Lock.
-Star Essence/Covered Essence: requires an adjacent match to collect.
-Weights/Dynamite: requires dropping weights to trigger the dynamite explosion.
-Exploding Tiles: requires an adjacent match to detonate.
-Exploding Rune Locks: requires matches of the selected Rune.
-Rune Locks: locks some tiles, requires matches of selected tiles.
-Defended Exploder: requires an adjacent match on unprotected sides.
-Levers: require an adjacent match to change areas of the board.
-Chain/Double Chain Generator: converts nearby tiles to chained tiles.
-Infinite Exploder: requires adjacent matches to explode, again & again.
-Corrupted Tiles: morph and requires an adjacent match when non-corrupted.
-Frozen Tiles: requires spreading fire with adjacent matches.
-Fire Source: spreads by making adjacent matches.
-Fire Source Spawner: requires an adjacent match on any unprotected side.
-Chained/Double Chained Tiles: requires a match of the chained tile.
-Dart Thrower: adjacent match shoots a dart in the direction shown.
-Fire-Breathing Tiles: requires a manual adjacent match to explode,
-Rainbow Tiles: matches any tile matched manually.
-Achilles Heel: requires an adjacent match on the unprotected side.
-Flip-Flop Tiles: morphs between Weak & strong (#'s count down then up)
-Double Purple Tiles: requires two matches on the tile to remove.
-Rocks/Double/Triple Rocks: requires 1-3 adjacent matches to destroy.
-Board Keys: requires dropping off the board to unlock the giant Lock.
-Star Essence/Covered Essence: requires an adjacent match to collect.
-Weights/Dynamite: requires dropping weights to trigger the dynamite explosion.
-Exploding Tiles: requires an adjacent match to detonate.
-Exploding Rune Locks: requires matches of the selected Rune.
-Rune Locks: locks some tiles, requires matches of selected tiles.
-Defended Exploder: requires an adjacent match on unprotected sides.
-Levers: require an adjacent match to change areas of the board.
-Chain/Double Chain Generator: converts nearby tiles to chained tiles.
-Infinite Exploder: requires adjacent matches to explode, again & again.
-Corrupted Tiles: morph and requires an adjacent match when non-corrupted.
-Frozen Tiles: requires spreading fire with adjacent matches.
-Fire Source: spreads by making adjacent matches.
-Fire Source Spawner: requires an adjacent match on any unprotected side.
-Chained/Double Chained Tiles: requires a match of the chained tile.
-Dart Thrower: adjacent match shoots a dart in the direction shown.
-Fire-Breathing Tiles: requires a manual adjacent match to explode,
-Rainbow Tiles: matches any tile matched manually.
-Achilles Heel: requires an adjacent match on the unprotected side.
-Flip-Flop Tiles: morphs between Weak & strong (#'s count down then up)
After playing a few levels, a puzzle or mini-game becomes available, varying between Jigsaw Puzzles, Slider Blocks, Pipe Connections, or Memory Match Games.
My only complaint is that it is a pain to replay a level, or if you run out of time/moves you have to go to the main screen and go through all the text conversations. They did add a skip conversation button but it only seemed to work some of the time, other times all it did was speed up the dialog.
COLLECTOR'S EDITION EXTRAS:
14 Achievements, Wallpapers, 66 Bonus Levels, 5 additional Jigsaw Puzzles, 10 additional Block Slider puzzles, 10 additional Pipe Connection puzzles, and exclusive mini-games according to the BF synopsis...however...you are required to play at least 30 levels before you can access any of the CE content. I don't appreciate the "buy it to find out what and how much you will get scenario" therefore, I will wait until the SE version is released so I know exactly what I get for my hard-earned money!
14 Achievements, Wallpapers, 66 Bonus Levels, 5 additional Jigsaw Puzzles, 10 additional Block Slider puzzles, 10 additional Pipe Connection puzzles, and exclusive mini-games according to the BF synopsis...however...you are required to play at least 30 levels before you can access any of the CE content. I don't appreciate the "buy it to find out what and how much you will get scenario" therefore, I will wait until the SE version is released so I know exactly what I get for my hard-earned money!
Need game help or have tips & suggestions to share? Then throw on some hiking boots and follow the signs to my new forum in The Woods. It's just like the old BF forum but with way more features & fun, including group play games at thewoodsforum.boards.net
I recommend this game!
Take a hidden-object adventure through the great outdoors!
Overall rating
5
/
5
53 of 68 found this review helpful
CASUAL ARTS IS DABOMB-DIGGITY & PARK RANGER ROCKS!
PostedOctober 7, 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
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
First of all, I'd like to thank Casual Arts for all their hard work over the years. It's been nearly a decade since the first Vacation Adventures: Park Ranger was released and 14 games later they have an average star rating of 4.3! There aren't too many game series out there that can still manage to capture a large audience...AND maintain a high rating!
You can play in a Casual Mode (untimed-faster hint recharge) or Challenge Mode (timed-normal hint recharge) In the CE version you also get an Extreme Mode which is a timed mode requiring all wildlife & recyclables to be collected as well. This SE version has 20 Achievements to earn for completing various tasks such as finding Wildlife, buying souvenirs, or finishing a mini-game quickly. You can purchase 16 Park Souvenirs with the points earned, and store them in a Display Case tab at the top of the screen.
Each scene has several Wildlife Animals to find that are shown as silhouettes in a box to the left of the word search bar and when all the animals have been spotted, the doors will close. There is a Wildlife Notebook that allows you to see illustrations of all the wildlife you have found. (90 Wildlife in the SE version and 126 in the CE version)
You will also Recycle cans, bottles, and paper found in each scene, and when all recyclables have been found, the recycle Can icon will be displayed as full. Some of the trash items are located within Zoom Zones as well.
There are 12 Photo Op scenes (16 Photo Ops in the CE version) that allow you to take a photo for your Album whenever you see the Camera Icon so don't forget to keep an eye out for those Photo Ops.
You will earn an Eagle Eye achievement if you don't use either the Hint Magnifying Glass which shows the location of a single random item or the Mega Hint feature which shows the location of all available items from the list. You'll earn a Bronze Star for completing the Search, a Silver Star if you find all Wildlife OR all Recyclable Items, and a Gold Star if you find all Wildlife AND all Recyclable items. (Extreme mode in the CE version requires you to find all recyclable items & wildlife)
Words listed in Blue are Tasks that require an interaction of some type, and words in Red are hidden inside or behind things. Most of the scenes have at least one Zoom Zone (indicated by sparkling stars) that has hidden items and sometimes includes Recyclables or Wildlife. Levels can be replayed at any time to better your time/score (no pressure timer counts up, not down) or pick up any missing recyclable items or wildlife. and the things to find are usually different each time you replay it.
After each Search Scene, you'll play a Mini-Game such as Placing Map Shapes, Spot The Difference, Word Search, or several different types of Jigsaw Puzzles (Rotate Squares, Swap Tile Sections, Flipsaw's, Slider Puzzles, etc.)
Collector's Edition Extras:
12 Extra Hidden Object Scenes in Puerto Rico's El Yunque National Park (with 12 additional puzzles) 18 Wallpapers, 20 Music Soundtracks w/player (that familiar Vacation Adventures soundtrack is called Bluewaters Heaven, btw) 21 Achievements, 16 Photo Op Screenshots (available in Photo Album) 16 Gift Shop Souvenirs with Display Case, 126 Wildlife Critters to find (available in a Photo Album) 48 Replayable Mini-Games.
12 Extra Hidden Object Scenes in Puerto Rico's El Yunque National Park (with 12 additional puzzles) 18 Wallpapers, 20 Music Soundtracks w/player (that familiar Vacation Adventures soundtrack is called Bluewaters Heaven, btw) 21 Achievements, 16 Photo Op Screenshots (available in Photo Album) 16 Gift Shop Souvenirs with Display Case, 126 Wildlife Critters to find (available in a Photo Album) 48 Replayable Mini-Games.
EXTRA MINI-GAMES:
8 Jigsaws
8 Flipsaws
8 Rotation
8 Spot the Difference
8 Word Search
4 Concentration
2 Hidden Object Challenges (Pinecreek Map Challenge & Cockpit Challenge)
1 U.S. National Parks (Label/Picture Placement )
1 Moon Phases
8 Jigsaws
8 Flipsaws
8 Rotation
8 Spot the Difference
8 Word Search
4 Concentration
2 Hidden Object Challenges (Pinecreek Map Challenge & Cockpit Challenge)
1 U.S. National Parks (Label/Picture Placement )
1 Moon Phases
Join us at my new forum inspired by the Park Rangers series! thewoodsforum.boards.net
I recommend this game!