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:
Help Stan the museum guard recover priceless artifacts!
Overall rating
1
/
5
10 of 12 found this review helpful
THERE'S NOTHING TO SEE HERE FOLKS, MOVE ALONG
PostedAugust 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
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
This is just another e-FunSoft Match 3 game, nothing new has been added, and nothing has changed except the title and the story. If you have played any other Match 3 game by this developer, you have basically already played this game, move along cuz there's nothing to see here folks!
This game has the same wooden crates to bust, the same roped items to match, the same artifacts to drop off of the board, and the same golden tiles that require matches on them. Most of the obstacles are just filler features, and unblocking the tiles is never a necessity to progress unless they block other areas of interest. They also got rid of the spiders that everyone seemed to hate but I actually liked them because at least it was somewhat of a challenge.
This game has the same wooden crates to bust, the same roped items to match, the same artifacts to drop off of the board, and the same golden tiles that require matches on them. Most of the obstacles are just filler features, and unblocking the tiles is never a necessity to progress unless they block other areas of interest. They also got rid of the spiders that everyone seemed to hate but I actually liked them because at least it was somewhat of a challenge.
Two Powerups with various abilities are added at the start of each level. They changed this feature slightly a few games back by not allowing you to purchase the powerups you want. Each powerup comes with a limited amount versus unlimited uses of any powerup once purchased, and/or recharged by filling the Mana Meter. The powerups help you beat levels by removing a 5-tile row, or a 5-tile column, some remove a single tile or chain or remove a 2 x 2 area. Large matches put a bomb on the board, a M5 awards you with a Medium Bomb on the board and a match 6 awards you with a Large Bomb (I never did receive a small bomb!)
You must purchase all 4 World Upgrades to progress to the next Chapter, 5 Chapters total, with the single Star you earn for completing each level. There are no options for the upgraded worlds, such as which building to construct, nor does it allow you to place the building where you want, so it's a boring and meaningless feature for me personally because basically it just allows you to read more text about the saga at hand...not to mention this scenario takes forever before you can move on or skip it.
Lots of fellow fishies and game talk at thewoodsforum.boards.net
I don't recommend this game.
Overall rating
1
/
5
50 of 66 found this review helpful
GNOME BODY KNOWS THE TROUBLE I'VE SEEN, GNOME BODY KNOWS MY SORROW
PostedAugust 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
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
I wish I had gnome this would be today's release, I hope someone loves this game, but it appears gnome body does. I'll probably just be chilling with my gnomies or hanging with my gnombres instead, gnome saying? Everyone gnomes I'm not a fan of this type of solitaire game. I keep telling this developer "you've gotta go big, or go gnome... sweet gnome", (or was it gnome on the range?) I tell them, this type of solitaire game is gnome-sense, it's not like the game is sitting on the shelf at the local Gnome Depot! But they always reply that "good things come to gnomes who wait, so gnome worry, just be happy you're not gnome all alone" OH, Gnome they didn't!
I gnome not what they are speaking of but I'm gnome body's fool! I gnome I'm not making much sense here, so hopefully, I gnome you well enough to tell you a little bit about myself. I'm from Gnome, Alaska, and you gnome what they say... all roads lead to Gnome! I once started a Gnome Fund Me page to raise money for gnomeless gnomes, but gnome body donated? I also love to sing, my favorite song is Sweet Gnome Alabama, and I've been gnome to sing till the cows come gnome. You probably gnome me best from my reviews, however, because I like to write in my gnome words.
I hope you enjoyed a little bit of humor today, it's gotta be better than another mass-produced solitaire game that is identical to every other game "created" by this developer! I use the term "created" lightly because they don't actually create any new games, they just rename them and change the graphics...gnome saying?
You can choose from 9 card backs, none of which are even remotely appealing, and 3 different face cards, one of which is a large font. You begin the game in Newbie mode, which allows you to replay any hand, Professional mode only allows you to replay the entire pack of 10 levels. There are 12 different Packs, and each pack has 10 levels, you need to earn the specified amount of points to unlock the next pack, and the scoring is similar to bowling.
Have you ever noticed that the tutorial makes you click another card off of the deck even though there are several playable cards remaining on the board? I'm reluctant to skip the tutorial just in case they have added a new random feature, but alas, it never happens, this is how the story gnomes :(
The Bonus Cards are one of the most annoying features they have because every time you remove a Bonus Card the screen freezes for what seems like an eternity just so you can get a good hard look at that sucker! Most of the time it gives you +499 extra points, but occasionally, a Joker, Shuffle, or a Mulligan (undo feature). Finding two of these cards back has been gnome to drive players insane.
Quick, pretend you're still playing this game and sneak on over to The Woods Forum while gnomes paying attention: thewoodsforum.boards.net
I don't recommend this game.
Explore the uncharted lands where light and shadow meet!
Overall rating
3
/
5
14 of 17 found this review helpful
IT WASN'T AS CLICHE AS PAST GAMES HAVE BEEN!
PostedAugust 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
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Something's fishy here! Even though I have purchased this game, I'm still unable to download any of my purchased games since the overhaul, so, unfortunately, I can only review the demo of this game.
The first thing that grabbed my attention was the realistic graphics! They didn't use those purple haze, and green neon glitter bombs, they just made the graphics bright and colorful while trying to keep everything as natural looking as possible. I'm not 100% convinced that it isn't a fluke but it would seem that Domini has turned a new leaf because the entire demo seemed to have fewer cliche tasks than most Domini games...could they be listening to our reviews finally?
Collectibles/Morphing Objects (CE version only)
The tasks may have had a facelift, but the Collectibles are still sagging! They are always the same collectibles, they just give them a different name from one game to the next. There are 15 Morphing Relics, 15 Reverse Artifacts, and 75 Zoom Zone Metal Plates that are used to purchase 15 uninteresting Portal Keeper's Room items. There is an optional Collection Icon Tab that can be enabled or disabled in the settings menu which will light up when there is a collectible in the current scene. You can also choose to show/hide the availability of collectibles on the Map.
The tasks may have had a facelift, but the Collectibles are still sagging! They are always the same collectibles, they just give them a different name from one game to the next. There are 15 Morphing Relics, 15 Reverse Artifacts, and 75 Zoom Zone Metal Plates that are used to purchase 15 uninteresting Portal Keeper's Room items. There is an optional Collection Icon Tab that can be enabled or disabled in the settings menu which will light up when there is a collectible in the current scene. You can also choose to show/hide the availability of collectibles on the Map.
Hidden Object Scenes:
The Hidden Object scenes have the usual variants such as Interactive Listed Item Finds, Silhouetted Shape Finds, and Keywords in Sentence Finds. My biggest complaint here is that the developers never apply their amazing graphics, or their story-telling, creative imagination skills to the HO scenes. It's always the same MO, and the scenes are located in really boring locations, usually just a pile of things sitting on a desk or shelf!
The Hidden Object scenes have the usual variants such as Interactive Listed Item Finds, Silhouetted Shape Finds, and Keywords in Sentence Finds. My biggest complaint here is that the developers never apply their amazing graphics, or their story-telling, creative imagination skills to the HO scenes. It's always the same MO, and the scenes are located in really boring locations, usually just a pile of things sitting on a desk or shelf!
Do me a favor folks, take a look at those beautiful graphics, pay attention to the detail Domini poured into the scenery before you click on the first HO scene. It's a mundane interactive list of items to find that are sitting on a table inside the motorhome camper...the entire bottom portion of the left side is pitch black, and the objects to find are so "been there done that" (find a compass, replace the flashlight battery, find a pair of scissors, you get the picture! HO scenes should pop with color, the scenes should be located in imaginative places, not the same locations they have been located in the past 100 games, this IS a fantasy-themed game is it not?
Alternate Match 3 Game:
There is an alternate Match 3 Game available if you don't want to play a Hidden Object Scene. The M3s still don't allow you to make consecutive matches quickly because you have to wait for all tiles to stop falling before you can make the next match and they are the same boards with the same tiles used in every Do Game!
There is an alternate Match 3 Game available if you don't want to play a Hidden Object Scene. The M3s still don't allow you to make consecutive matches quickly because you have to wait for all tiles to stop falling before you can make the next match and they are the same boards with the same tiles used in every Do Game!
Bonus Chapter (CE Version Only)
As I stated earlier, I couldn't play the entire game, I could only download & play the trial for this game because BF has yet to resolve this glitch. I realize my situation is somewhat unique because there are only a few of us who have the infamous 1404 Game Manager Glitch which occurs when you purchase too many games. When creating their new points system, BF either overlooked this GM glitch, or they don't have an actual solution yet, either way, they should at least have the courtesy to respond to my CS support ticket don't ya think?
As I stated earlier, I couldn't play the entire game, I could only download & play the trial for this game because BF has yet to resolve this glitch. I realize my situation is somewhat unique because there are only a few of us who have the infamous 1404 Game Manager Glitch which occurs when you purchase too many games. When creating their new points system, BF either overlooked this GM glitch, or they don't have an actual solution yet, either way, they should at least have the courtesy to respond to my CS support ticket don't ya think?
Collector's Edition Extra's: (CE version only)
21 Wallpapers, 21 Concept Art Pictures, 5 Music Soundtracks, 30 Movie Video Cutscenes, 25 Achievements, 20 Replayable Mini-Games, 20 Replayable Hidden Object Scenes, 15 Morphing Relics, 15 Reverse Artifacts, and 75 Zoom Zone Metal Plates that are used to purchase 15 uninteresting Portal Keeper's Room items, a Bonus Chapter, and a built-in Strategy Guide.
21 Wallpapers, 21 Concept Art Pictures, 5 Music Soundtracks, 30 Movie Video Cutscenes, 25 Achievements, 20 Replayable Mini-Games, 20 Replayable Hidden Object Scenes, 15 Morphing Relics, 15 Reverse Artifacts, and 75 Zoom Zone Metal Plates that are used to purchase 15 uninteresting Portal Keeper's Room items, a Bonus Chapter, and a built-in Strategy Guide.
If you go down in the woods today you're sure of a big surprise, thewoodsforum.boards.net
I recommend this game!
Match Effect
A new set of mystical puzzles awaits in 1001 Jigsaw: Legends of Mystery 3!
Overall rating
1
/
5
9 of 14 found this review helpful
"MATCH 3 FORMULA REIMAGINED" NEEDS TOP GO BACK TO THE IMAGINATION DRAWING BOARD!
PostedAugust 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
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
I'm not sure why the first reviewer was trying to use the keyboard because I just used the mouse and had no issues maneuvering the Players Diamond. This isn't a horrible game if you want to play a far too complicated method to get the same results as a normal Match 3 game.
Basically, you move the special Diamond-shaped box around the board, within the number of moves shown inside the diamond, to create Match 3's (or more) Moving the diamond player box allows you to swap icons so take your time and strategize moves that will create large matches. You can swap the player diamond in any direction but each cell moved deducts 1 move from the counter. When you make a match 3 the counter resets to 6 additional moves and you continue playing until your counter reaches 0 (if you weren't successful at matches)
There are three different Game Modes, a Journey Mode with no time limits or penalties, Arcade Mode which penalizes you by decreasing the moves counter if the move is not made within the time limit, or Time Trial Mode which is a 3-minute high-score sprint mode with no timer or penalties.
There are three Difficulty Modes, a Normal Mode which increases in difficulty gradually, a Delight Mode which is a bit more demanding, and a Juicy Mode which claims to be a brain-teasing mode that is challenging from the get-go. You can also sign up for an online account with Aeternet by clicking the infinity sign and compete for high scores.
Powerups vary depending on which Game Mode you choose (such as Arcade, Journey, Time Trial) Metamorphosis stops the timer and raises the moves counter to 14 moves. The Rescue powerup removes an entire row & column and the Plus One powerup adds 1 additional move.
Granite cells require a bomb to destroy or they can be dropped off the board. Rainbow Tiles can be matched with any icon, Fixated cells push entire columns/rows, the Empty cell refills the moves counter instantly, Shuffle icons will shuffle the board when swapped, the Rescue Swap will remove a column or row, and Wall cells require bombs or they can be dropped off of the board.
As you can see, this is a really complex game, but depending on the mode of difficulty chosen, the game itself isn't hard to play once you get the hang of it. I will say that the "helper arrows" that appeared in the first 3 levels are what helped me figure out what I was supposed to do.
Need help, join us at thewoodsforum.boards.net
I don't recommend this game.
Help Amanda and her nephew make sure the classic tale has a happy ending in this match-3 adventure!
Overall rating
1
/
5
13 of 16 found this review helpful
THE "SHINY" MUST BE BLINDING!
PostedAugust 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
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
Colorful and shiny just isn't enough, having a good story is perfect for a HOPA game but neither of these features will make a Match 3 game 5-star worthy. If you are new to this developer's games then you will probably enjoy the game, but if you've played a few e-FunSoft Match 3 games it becomes apparent that it's the same game mechanics, the same board-level layouts, etc., the "shiny like a wealthy woman's neck" just doesn't cut it for me!
The sparkling wooden treasure chests remind me of the song by Tamatoa the crab from Moana, "Like a treasure from a sunken pirate wreck, scrub the deck and make it look shiny" The shiny chests require adjacent matches to bust them, which may or may not expose a golden tile, (sometimes Blue Cells that require multiple matches) Some icons are trapped under Spiderwebs or Ropes that require making matches of whatever tile is blocked within them, but most of them are just filler features, and unblocking the tiles is never a necessity to progress unless they block other areas of interest. They also got rid of the spiders that everyone seemed to hate but I actually liked them because at least it was a challenging feature. (but I guess they weren't shiny enough)
The only goal really is to make matches over all of the Gold, Silver, or Blue Cells and make the required number of matches of each specified element tile. Some levels have Treasures that can be collected by dropping them off the board when you make matches under them.
Two Powerups with various abilities are added at the start of each level. They changed this feature slightly a few games back by not allowing you to purchase the powerups you want. Each powerup comes with a limited amount versus unlimited uses of any powerup once purchased, and/or recharged by filling the Mana Meter. The powerups include a Slingshot to remove a 5-tile row, a Sword to remove a 5-tile column, a Ladle to remove a single tile or chain, and a pot of Boiling Soup to remove a 2 x 2 area. help by removing a single tile, a 2x2 area. A match 5 awards you with a Medium Bomb on the board and a match 6 awards you with a Large Bomb (I never did receive a small bomb!)
You must purchase all 4 World Upgrades to progress to the next Chapter, 5 Chapters total, with the single Star you earn for completing each level. There are no options for the upgraded worlds, such as, which building to construct, nor does it allow you to place the building where you want, so it's a boring and meaningless feature for me personally because basically it just allows you to read more text about the saga at hand...not to mention this scenario takes forever before you can move on, but it sparkles when you purchase an upgrade so it's definitely "Shiny, Watch me dazzle like a diamond in the rough, Strut my stuff, my stuff is so shiny"
Lots of fellow fishies and game talk at thewoodsforum.boards.net
I don't recommend this game.
Complete incredible works of art and let your creativity shine!
Overall rating
4
/
5
14 of 14 found this review helpful
ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL COLOR SELECTION***BUT SOME AREAS ARE IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND :(
PostedAugust 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
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Once again, this developer creates an amazing game that has Paint By Numbers and Pixel Art in the same game! The colors are fantabulous, realistic, and beautiful and they allow you to choose between a Flat or 3D style which adds highlights and texture for an even more realistic painting. I do, however, agree with my fellow reviewer that some of the areas are so tiny, and so tucked away that they are impossible to spot and aren't numbered because of their small size.
I still hate that Robot and for the life of me can't understand why they feel the need to add him to every game they offer when so many people complain about him? I do love how this developer takes advantage of the full-color palette spectrum to add slightly different hues to give the painting a dimensional depth!
I still hate that Robot and for the life of me can't understand why they feel the need to add him to every game they offer when so many people complain about him? I do love how this developer takes advantage of the full-color palette spectrum to add slightly different hues to give the painting a dimensional depth!
I also wish they would make the Settings Options easier to figure out because there are no instructions and the pictures aren't very explanatory and there are no options to select a specific color for the "grey" areas (other than light grey, dark gray. When an image uses similar grey colors early on, it's almost impossible to see the greyed-in areas and some of the images had very tiny areas to find. If I could choose my own color I wouldn't have had to use the Hint button so often simply because I couldn't see a tiny grey area!
Let's talk... at thewoodsforum.boards.net
Let's talk... at thewoodsforum.boards.net
I recommend this game!
Overall rating
4
/
5
40 of 54 found this review helpful
AN INCREDIBLY UNIQUE GAME!
PostedAugust 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
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
First of all, I'm a huge fan of the Lost Amulets series by this developer so I had a gut feeling this game would be a winner and it exceeded my expectations! The graphics were gorgeous, the HO scenes are unique, and yes, the Bingo Balls game had a cool twist.
You can choose to play in a Casual Mode (slow animations, more hints) 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, others may require finding multiples of the same object or categories in multiples, such as 4 Fruits. 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, Pearls, Talismans, etc. 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. Although this game is listed as a marble popper, it's technically not a marble popper. The goal is to click on the Bingo Balls that match the numbers & colors shown on the Bingo Cards before the line of balls reaches the end. They threw in a ton of different variants, such as matching Symbols on stones to break them, and 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, they must be clicked on to collect while the bingo ball line keeps a moving! The coins can be used to purchase Casino tickets to play a Pachinko-Pinball kind of game, I just wish it had flippers you could use to try to flip the balls back up!
My only complaints are that I wish they had added an option to continue finding the remaining HO objects after you find the fragments, balls, etc. and I wish there was a way to bypass the hoopla after each level and quickly move on to the next level.
The CE version has Bingo Blitz, Infinite Matching Fun, a Casino, Show Introduction Movie, Art Gallery, 7 Music Soundtracks, and Collectibles (in several categories)
What's everyone's opinion of the new overhaul? Let's talk...thewoodsforum.boards.net
I recommend this game!
Awaken in a mysterious castle and solve perplexing puzzles to escape in this remastered classic!
Overall rating
5
/
5
68 of 87 found this review helpful
AWAKEN HOPA FANS!
PostedAugust 5, 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
Completed Original Awakening Series & Remastered Version
33 Main Game Scene Locations +7 Bonus Chapter
Difficulty Range: Beginner-Intermediate-Advanced
33 Main Game Scene Locations +7 Bonus Chapter
Difficulty Range: Beginner-Intermediate-Advanced
If you are an Awakening fan I strongly suggest opting for the CE version which added Morphing Fairy Collectibles, Goblin Cards that unlock Goblinjong levels, a Strategy Guide, and a Bonus Chapter! Both versions have modernized the graphics and features including a Journal where all the clues are entered! Nothing about this game is cookie-cutter, nothing was removed and everything was improved so what could be better?
The Dreamless Castle was originally released on February 13, 2010, and it received a 4.6 average star rating with 96 Five Star reviews! The original game was never offered as a Collector's Edition, yet a simple Standard version still received 143/161 reviewers recommending this game. The original release made you think and had such an interesting storyline that you couldn't wait for the next game to continue the saga of the Human without Magic who awakened from a Dreamless sleep. The Awakening series was fantastic in 2010, and is even better in 2022!
We all need to keep in mind that HOPA games are costly to make, far more costly than casual games, and there is very little profit to be made. Because there is such a small profit margin on HOPA games, developers from yesteryear either threw in the towel or switched to the mobile market.
Some devs, such as BoomZap, re-entered the market with simple Hidden Object Games that weren't as costly to produce. When devs don't bother to introduce new features and the gameplay is pathetic, that's a different ballgame, but when a dev goes above & beyond to remaster a game that wasn't compatible on newer machines so everyone can enjoy the series again, that is something to be extremely grateful for!
Some devs, such as BoomZap, re-entered the market with simple Hidden Object Games that weren't as costly to produce. When devs don't bother to introduce new features and the gameplay is pathetic, that's a different ballgame, but when a dev goes above & beyond to remaster a game that wasn't compatible on newer machines so everyone can enjoy the series again, that is something to be extremely grateful for!
GRAPHICS/AUDIO:
The graphics were amazing then and they are superiorly stunning now! The crystal clear graphics combined with a soothing array of audio soundtracks work together seamlessly to set the pace for this fantasy-themed adventure. It's the kind of game that makes you feel as if you are the Princess awakening from a Dreamless sleep feeling a bit confused and slightly disoriented, versus simply moving a character from scene to scene in a third-person "just watching" kind of scenario...the first sign that a developer did their job well by immersing the player into the game.
The graphics were amazing then and they are superiorly stunning now! The crystal clear graphics combined with a soothing array of audio soundtracks work together seamlessly to set the pace for this fantasy-themed adventure. It's the kind of game that makes you feel as if you are the Princess awakening from a Dreamless sleep feeling a bit confused and slightly disoriented, versus simply moving a character from scene to scene in a third-person "just watching" kind of scenario...the first sign that a developer did their job well by immersing the player into the game.
GADGETS/HELPERS:
Although you will have several Dwarves and Goblins that help you throughout the adventure, there are no "Helpers" There are no "Gadgets" either, however, there is a good old-fashioned Journal located on the bottom right. All important clues are automatically added to the journal and when a relevant clue is needed to solve a task or puzzle, you can open the journal and "Pin" the page as well as drag the page wherever you want to move it! I really miss the Journal that used to be a given in the older games, the less hand-holding the better!
Although you will have several Dwarves and Goblins that help you throughout the adventure, there are no "Helpers" There are no "Gadgets" either, however, there is a good old-fashioned Journal located on the bottom right. All important clues are automatically added to the journal and when a relevant clue is needed to solve a task or puzzle, you can open the journal and "Pin" the page as well as drag the page wherever you want to move it! I really miss the Journal that used to be a given in the older games, the less hand-holding the better!
COLLECTIBLES/MORPHING OBJECTS: (CE version)
I absolutely love the Morphing Fairies! The fairies are not only beautiful, they blend into the scenery just enough to make them challenging to spot. Not only do the fairies Morph at a perfect pace, but they also morph between a dragonfly or something similar so they never stick out like a sore thumb in either form!
I absolutely love the Morphing Fairies! The fairies are not only beautiful, they blend into the scenery just enough to make them challenging to spot. Not only do the fairies Morph at a perfect pace, but they also morph between a dragonfly or something similar so they never stick out like a sore thumb in either form!
There are Collectible Goblin Cards in every scene as well. The cards are used to unlock 24 multi-leveled Goblinjong mini-games. Goblinjong is basically a Goblin-themed Mahjong Game with the goal of uncovering and matching the two Key Cards or tiles. Each scene has 2 Morphing Fairies and 2 Goblin Cards and a Collectibles Crown Tab on the bottom left to keep track of the scene's collectibles
HIDDEN OBJECT SCENES:
Hidden Object Scenes are scant in this game but when they do roll around you will be pleasantly surprised with the unique styles. Some of the tasks require a little bit of thought, some items are only partially visible, some require an interaction or two, and several items are just plain ole blended into the scenery brilliantly! Even the HO scenes have at least one puzzle you'll have to solve in order to progress but the HO puzzles are usually pretty simplistic, such as rotating squares or swapping tiles to complete the image.
Hidden Object Scenes are scant in this game but when they do roll around you will be pleasantly surprised with the unique styles. Some of the tasks require a little bit of thought, some items are only partially visible, some require an interaction or two, and several items are just plain ole blended into the scenery brilliantly! Even the HO scenes have at least one puzzle you'll have to solve in order to progress but the HO puzzles are usually pretty simplistic, such as rotating squares or swapping tiles to complete the image.
MINI-GAMES:
This game will definitely delight puzzle geeks, but they are all doable and I didn't find any of them to be frustrating. Although there are a ton of puzzles, most of them are really tasks versus a mini-game, such as posing ballerinas to open the box, or recreating pictures, designs, or sequences to open doors. They were designed like this in all older games back in the day...nowadays we don't have to solve tasks logically, they just slap up a sticky note with the code to a safe or combination, no brain required!!
This game will definitely delight puzzle geeks, but they are all doable and I didn't find any of them to be frustrating. Although there are a ton of puzzles, most of them are really tasks versus a mini-game, such as posing ballerinas to open the box, or recreating pictures, designs, or sequences to open doors. They were designed like this in all older games back in the day...nowadays we don't have to solve tasks logically, they just slap up a sticky note with the code to a safe or combination, no brain required!!
BONUS CHAPTER: (CE version)
The original Awakening: The Dreamless Castle was only offered as a Standard Edition version so Awakening fans should be delighted to finally get a new Bonus Chapter story after all these years. This is an average-length chapter that takes place over 7 additional scene locations with 12 mini-games, 6 Hidden Object Scenes, and 4 puzzles within the HO scenes. Those amazing collectibles continue with 2 Morphing Fairies and 2 Goblin Cards per scene (14 Fairies & 14 Goblin Cards)
The original Awakening: The Dreamless Castle was only offered as a Standard Edition version so Awakening fans should be delighted to finally get a new Bonus Chapter story after all these years. This is an average-length chapter that takes place over 7 additional scene locations with 12 mini-games, 6 Hidden Object Scenes, and 4 puzzles within the HO scenes. Those amazing collectibles continue with 2 Morphing Fairies and 2 Goblin Cards per scene (14 Fairies & 14 Goblin Cards)
COLLECTOR'S EDITION EXTRA'S:
12 Wallpapers, 21 Dev Journal pictures (concept art), 24 multi-leveled Goblinjong Games, 22 Achievements, 66 Morphing Fairies, 66 Goblin Card Collectibles, 4 Main Chapters, Bonus Chapter, and a built-in Strategy Guide.
12 Wallpapers, 21 Dev Journal pictures (concept art), 24 multi-leveled Goblinjong Games, 22 Achievements, 66 Morphing Fairies, 66 Goblin Card Collectibles, 4 Main Chapters, Bonus Chapter, and a built-in Strategy Guide.
Lot's of BF talk lately, join us thewoodsforum.boards.net
I recommend this game!
These adorable cats will melt even the coldest hearts!
Overall rating
1
/
5
17 of 19 found this review helpful
BLURRY & BORING PICTURES...& I LOVE CATS!
PostedAugust 4, 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
I happen to be a huge animal lover so the subject was right up my alley but unfortunately, there have been no changes in this series for quite some time, unless you count the fact that the images lately have been rather blurry?
There are Achievement Trophies to earn and a Top Scores leaderboard. There are no options to access any of those features to find out what achievements you are striving to achieve. You can save your puzzle's progress but you can't save the completed puzzle image nor can you download the image as a screensaver or wallpaper, you can't even admire the finished image because they disappear quickly.
There is a box to store extra pieces, but there are no options to categorize, label, or sort these stored pieces, nor is there an option to fetch or retrieve certain pieces because you can't sort and label these stored pieces. The current sort option simply scrambles the pieces supposedly to the correct area, such as the top, bottom, right, or left side. Most of the time there seems to be no rhyme or reason for how or why the pieces are sorted the way they are, it's like a roll of the dice??
There is an option to post a Pictured Image of the puzzle you are working on which also allows you to choose three different sizes x1, x2, or x3. You can also opt to Ghost the Image on the Background (the puzzle is assembled on top of the ghosted image) It doesn't, however, give you the option to choose the Opaqueness of the Ghosted Image to make the image more or less visible, depending on how difficult you want the puzzle assembly to be. The "ghosted image isn't "ghosted" it's simply a large, stationary picture.
There is an available Magnifying Glass to enlarge sections, as well as a Hint feature in case you get stumped. You can quickly become "stumped" because the puzzle connection tabs connecting two pieces together, never appear as an actual match (the tab on puzzle piece A looks nothing like the opening in puzzle piece B) most of the time the colors don't even appear to match up because they are using cheap software. You can also choose the Resolution, opt for a single Custom Cursor (a tiny cursor at that!) or change the color of the background to a pastel shade of Pink, Green, Blue, or Gray. Even though they are pastels, these basic color options tend to be too dark with most of the puzzles, so being able to adjust the intensity of the background colors at the very least, makes sense, doesn't it?
Any Puzzle can be modified with Size options, the Shape of the puzzle pieces, and whether or not you want the pieces to Rotate, but even then, it's not optimized to allow you to assemble a puzzle much bigger than 300 pieces. A 300 Piece physical Puzzle purchased off the shelf would be labeled for ages +5 five years old and up! There's an old jigsaw meme that says "I just completed a puzzle in one week and the box says 2-5 years"...great motto for Jigsaws by this developer, eh?
Once you complete a Jigsaw Puzzle, you're done, the party's over, and you get about 2 seconds to admire your work before the image disappears and the stats pop up...probably for the best!
Let's talk about these recent changes at thewoodsforum.boards.net
I don't recommend this game.
Race to prevent a bloody conflict between elves and vampires!
Overall rating
2
/
5
15 of 17 found this review helpful
DOES CHARLAINE HARRIS KNOW ABOUT THIS?
PostedAugust 1, 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
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Completed Game
20 Main Game Scene Locations +11 Bonus Chapter
Difficulty Range: Beginner...always is
20 Main Game Scene Locations +11 Bonus Chapter
Difficulty Range: Beginner...always is
Clearly, the writers can't come up with a new plot so they just "borrowed" the True Blood storyline from the infamous Charlaine Harris (author of the Sookie Stackhouse novels as well) hmmm
Collectibles/Morphing Objects (CE version only)
There are 15 Morphing Vampire Artifacts, 15 Plants, and 70 Zoom Zone Bottles of Blood that are used to purchase 15 Vampire Chamber items. There is an optional Collection Icon Tab that can be enabled or disabled in the settings menu which will light up when there is a collectible in the current scene. You can also choose to show/hide the availability of collectibles on the Map.
Collectibles/Morphing Objects (CE version only)
There are 15 Morphing Vampire Artifacts, 15 Plants, and 70 Zoom Zone Bottles of Blood that are used to purchase 15 Vampire Chamber items. There is an optional Collection Icon Tab that can be enabled or disabled in the settings menu which will light up when there is a collectible in the current scene. You can also choose to show/hide the availability of collectibles on the Map.
Hidden Object Scenes:
Whoopie, they added a few Fragmented Object Finds, catch me, I think I'm going to faint!
Whoopie, they added a few Fragmented Object Finds, catch me, I think I'm going to faint!
Alternate Match 3 Game:
There is an alternate Match 3 Game available if you don't want to play a Hidden Object Scene. The M3s still don't allow you to make consecutive matches quickly because you have to wait for all tiles to stop falling before you can make the next match and they are the same boards with the same tiles used in every Do Game!
There is an alternate Match 3 Game available if you don't want to play a Hidden Object Scene. The M3s still don't allow you to make consecutive matches quickly because you have to wait for all tiles to stop falling before you can make the next match and they are the same boards with the same tiles used in every Do Game!
Bonus Chapter (CE Version Only)
Continue the True Blood saga while being tasked with finding whoever is responsible for a fake serum that turns vampires into glass. Is it really wise to pi#@ off the vampires? There are 13 additional Mini-Games and 5 Hidden Object Scenes taking place over 11 additional scene locations. You will continue searching for the final 5 Morphing Vampire Artifacts, 5 Plants, and 13 Zoom Zone Bottles of Blood to purchase the final items for the Vampire Chambers...whoo-hoo, my life is complete now!
Continue the True Blood saga while being tasked with finding whoever is responsible for a fake serum that turns vampires into glass. Is it really wise to pi#@ off the vampires? There are 13 additional Mini-Games and 5 Hidden Object Scenes taking place over 11 additional scene locations. You will continue searching for the final 5 Morphing Vampire Artifacts, 5 Plants, and 13 Zoom Zone Bottles of Blood to purchase the final items for the Vampire Chambers...whoo-hoo, my life is complete now!
Collector's Edition Extra's: (CE version only)
15 Wallpapers, 15 Concept Art Pictures, 5 Music Soundtracks, 28 Movie Video Cutscenes, 40 Achievements, 20 Replayable Mini-Games, 21 Replayable Hidden Object Scenes, an Extra Footage option, 15 Morphing Vampire Artifacts, 15 Plants, and 70 Zoom Zone Bottles of Blood used to purchase 15 Vampire Chamber 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, 40 Achievements, 20 Replayable Mini-Games, 21 Replayable Hidden Object Scenes, an Extra Footage option, 15 Morphing Vampire Artifacts, 15 Plants, and 70 Zoom Zone Bottles of Blood used to purchase 15 Vampire Chamber items, 7 Main Chapters, +Bonus Chapter, and a Built-In Strategy Guide.
Need game help or have suggestions to help other gamers? How about joining one of our group adventure games and chatting with fellow fishies? There's nothing better than de-stressing and chillaxing by the campfire so stroll on over to my new Woodsy-themed forum at thewoodsforum.boards.net
I don't recommend this game.