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.
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.
The title should be your first clue on what to expect from these Greedy Bunnies! (they aren't greedy they are just really hungry) I'm pretty sure the targeted audience is younger girls, I doubt anyone else would find this game appealing or worthy of more than a 10-minute quick play to check things out, after 10 minutes, if that, you will probably be bored, unless you already fell asleep during the demo?
Your second clue is written in the BF synopsis: "Quick note: Greedy Bunnies doesn't have a traditional exit option in the main menu. To exit the game properly, and ensure your game is saved, use the escape key."
Your third clue is that the gameplay is simple (NO, really?) Bunnies will hop up to the left side of the board at random times and you must clear a horizontal path so they can eat their carrot, a few unfortunate bunnies don't get rewarded with a carrot, they are forced to go down the rabbit hole, aka... enter a dark random cave??
You will be shown 2 color-coded tiles on the top right and you click or swipe that combination on the board horizontally or vertically until all bunnies reach their carrots...or that dark cave. (there are 204 levels so please tell me that eventually you'll be tasked with swiping more than two tiles?) If a horizontal line on the board is emptied, all the tiles will fall down one line at a time to fill in the gap so I suppose you could call this a challenge? Also, swiping tiles vertically could potentially get you in a bind, leaving gaps with no adjacent tiles available.
After playing a few levels, I hopped over to the Endless Challenge mode and the game had to reshuffle the tiles a whopping 24 times because "there are no possible moves available" After clearing all but a few tiles, my quest was to remove a Red/Blue combination but the only tiles remaining were 4 Blues and 3 Oranges and none of those tiles were adjacent. Does that mean I lost? I have no clue because it didn't reshuffle my tiles, it didn't tell me I lost, it didn't prompt me to replay...it just sat there showing me a Red/Blue combination while the 4 remaining bunnies hopped up and down in anticipation of the carrots they will never get to eat?? Great, now I feel horrible!
Like all apps, you can purchase tools or powerups, a Hammer to remove a tile, a Swapper that allows you to swap tiles, and Fireworks to destroy several random tiles on the board. The only obstacle I came across was a Stone that blocks the starving bunnies but it can be dropped down by making matches under them.
If you get bored, hop on over to my new forum where you definitely will get unbored, bwahaha... thewoods.boards.net
THE HUMAN WITHOUT MAGIC HAS AWAKENED IN THE DREAMLESS CASTLE! THE REMASTER IS BETTER THAN THE ORIGINAL!!!
PostedJuly 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
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 Original Awakening Series & Remastered Version 33 Main Game Scene Locations +7 Bonus Chapter Difficulty Range: Beginner-Intermediate-Advanced
Come on folks, everyone complains about the cookie-cutter games being released week after week, yet when a developer from yesteryear remerges to Remasters a classic HOPA we show our gratitude by slamming the game? Why??? This remastered version added Morphing Fairy Collectibles, Goblin Cards that unlock Goblinjong levels, a Strategy Guide, and a Bonus Chapter, not to mention modernizing 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 exactly are the naysayers complaining about here?
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. The low ratings this game has been receiving have really upset me, it's not as if this developer started getting lazy and threw out a bunch of boring clone games identical from one series to the next as the "other" two HOPA developers did! 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!
How on earth do you expect other developers to enter this market, or spend the time, money, and effort to remaster other classics like Dire Grove, let alone enter the market to produce new HOPAs... IF we don't show our appreciation????? The game, the story, the remaster, and the additions are just as worthy of that 4.6 average star rating as it was in 2010. If you truly hate this remaster, please, for HOPAs sake bypass the review so other developers won't be leery of diving into the market or dipping their toes back into the HOPA pond! :)
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.
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!
COLLECTIBLES/MORPHING OBJECTS: 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.
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!!
BONUS CHAPTER: 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.
If you need help with any of the daily games or just want to chat with fellow fishies, join us 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
"SPIRITS CHRONICLES" IS JUST ANOTHER EPISODE OF THE FAILED SERIES "SPIRIT LEGENDS" THEY JUST TRIED TO DUPE US INTO BELIEVING IT'S A NEW SERIES!
PostedJuly 11, 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 2 Chapters out of 4 24 Main Game Scene Locations +9 Bonus Chapter Difficulty Range: Beginner...always is
Clearly, this game is no different than Spirit Legends, an older series by this developer that tanked so miserably, they discontinued the series...or so we thought! Out of sheer desperation, Do Games, formerly Domini Games, (probably just didn't want to put forth the effort to spell out such a long company name?) decided to re-strategize their methods by releasing all the games slated for release under their older series, as brand new series! (I believe 12 supposedly new series back-to-back)
It doesn't take a genius to figure out that every brand new series game was no different than the original series. City Limits was no different than Fatal Evidence. Magic City Detective was no different than Secret City, Connected Hearts is no different than Dark Romance, and so forth.
This game was originally released on June 30th, 2022, and I have been trying unsuccessfully to finish this game for 11 days now but try as I might, I lost the fight! Normally, I can finish a HOPA in one sitting but this game is so freaking boring that after struggling for nearly two weeks I had to cry "uncle" and hoist up my white flag.
Do Games can change the origins of their game releases and pretend they are new games in a brand new series, they can change their name, and pretend they aren't really from Russia, but this will not solve the issue of their poor star ratings! We HOPA fans are still numerous, we have been fans long enough to remember when developers released quality games, yes, even THIS developer! We are the fans who thrust BF into the limelight, we are the fans responsible for the rise of HOPA developers! We are the fans who purchased HOPAs at a break-neck pace making it difficult for developers to supply our gaming demands.
Money was pouring in, OUR money...developers were flourishing, then they became greedy and decided to repay us by cutting corners and offering clone games that have the same format game after game!? Thanks a lot, DO! We want you to flourish once again, but that will never happen until you make it happen and return to HOPA roots and make games challenging and original like they were in HOPA PAST...why do you think we are always stating that "the games nowadays are worthless so we'll just go play an older HOPA"...it's because we loved the older games, we loved that those games made us think, we want games like Dire Grove, Dark Dimensions, Otherworld, Nightmares From the Deep, Dark Parables, House of 1000 Doors, True Fear...we don't want another Spirits Chronicles kind of game!!!
Gadgets/Helper: Of course, this game has the exact Gadgety feature offered in Spirit Legends, a Bestiary Book that can soothe the savage beast, by first playing a mini-game that has nothing to do with animals? The Bestiary Book is used 5 times in the Main Chapters only (No Bestiary Book is used in the CE Bonus Chapter) When the Bestiary Book starts to shake, rattle, and wiggle-jiggle, that's your cue to don your superhero Cape & Mask, and put your Healer Skills to the test! (sound familiar??) This is no time to panic, just grab the book from the left side of the inventory bar and throw it at that hideous beast...okay, I'm exaggerating a bit...it's more like a gentle lob? Right before your very eyes, the dastardly beast turns into a docile domesticated pet... awe, that's so adorable that the Beasts love puzzles too :)
Collectibles/Morphing Objects (CE version only) Once again, there are a gazillion Missing Notes to discover which is the most worthless and uninteresting feature of all time. There are 15 Morphing Enchanted Trees, 15 Magic Creature Figurines, and 46 Zoom Zone Dewdrops used to purchase 15 uninteresting items for Celeste's Bedroom. 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: There is a whole slew of non-challenging, and uninteresting Hidden Object Scenes not worthy of mentioning.
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!
Bonus Chapter (CE Version Only) I never made it this far, I just can't do it! (or is it DO it lol) There are 8 additional Mini-Games and 4 Hidden Object Scenes taking place over 9 additional scene locations. You will continue searching for the final gazillion notes, 3 Morphing Enchanted Trees, 3 Magic Creatures Figurines, and 9 Zoom Zone Dew Drops to purchase the final items for Celeste's Bedroom...whoo-hoo?
Collector's Edition Extra's: (CE version only) 12 Wallpapers, 12 Concept Art Pictures, 5 Music Soundtracks, 21 Movie Video Cutscenes, 39 Achievements, 17 Replayable Mini-Games, 17 Replayable Hidden Object Scenes, a gazillion Missing Notes, 15 Morphing Enchanted Trees, 15 Magic Creature Figurines, and 46 Zoom Zone Dewdrops used to purchase 15 uninteresting items for Celeste's Bedroom, 4 Main Chapters, +Bonus Chapter, and a Built-In Strategy Guide.
Come take a stroll thru The Woods at 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.
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, 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. 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!
This CE version has Bingo Blitz, Infinite Matching Fun, a Casino, 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
THIS IS MY FAVORITE TIME MANAGEMENT-HYBRID SERIES OF ALL TIME!
PostedJuly 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
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.
There is no other game quite like this one, the game mechanics are so unique and so addicting, it's an Adventure game with Time Management aspects but it's also a Role Playing Game with a little bit of Hidden Object hunting too! Most importantly, this is a game that will be enjoyed by any "Hero" willing to give it a chance...if you play the entire demo, I promise you will get hooked once you get familiar with the game mechanics, even if you think this is not your cup of tea!!
When you play this game, please stop and admire the realistic beauty of the graphics, think about the view or angle of the camera (you are looking down on the village) look at the tiny little foxes, birds, rabbits, and horses and you will be amazed at how incredibly detailed they are, they look so real!
Next, think about how much thought had to go into the interactive dialog, and the vastness of the inventory needed not to mention the inventory that would be needed several scenes down the road. This is a very complex game that clearly took a huge amount of work to make this village filled with tiny little people...and it costs less than 7 bucks! I have to give kudos to this developer for putting forth such an effort for such a small profit, and I encourage everyone to at least give the demo a try, this developer deserves it!
As I said earlier, this is a complex game and it looks complicated at first glance, but it's actually quite simple to play. Basically, you need to eat, sleep, and barter to gain experience and health, accomplishing this is truly an adventure!
If a character has an exclamation point above their head, click on it to converse with them. Characters may need help with a task in exchange for goods, others offer specialty services, niche inventory products, healing potions, clothing, etc. After a brief conversation with a character, you will get a list of ingredients, potions, or inventory items needed to complete the task at hand (you may have several tasks at any given time) Until you have all requirements, a red X will appear above the character, a green checkmark will appear when you have all items to fulfill their request.
To find the necessary items you must go on an adventure and forage the kingdom. Some ingredients are hidden objects, such as eggs in nests, or tiny little crabs on the beach, and even though they are tiny, they are unmistakable and easily recognizable, that's how amazing the graphics are! You may have to gather healing berries and flowers or search for a character that offers a specific trade or exchange, again, if the task at hand has a red X, you don't have all of the inventory required, once the green checkmark appears, you can complete the quest.
Hearts are the most important, hearts are the energy required for everything you do. To earn more hearts, you can always eat or sleep. You can forage for food throughout the kingdom (apple trees, berry bushes, eggs from nests, etc.) sometimes characters give you food to show their gratefulness when completing a task, it can be purchased with money or bartered. To eat, you must click on the fork & spoon icon on the bottom right, and then choose the food you wish to consume. To sleep, you must collect dry brush first to set up camp, and then click the Zzz icon above the campsite. You can also choose taverns or various other campsites, but unlike your campsite, it usually involves a fee. (sleeping is literally 40 winks, the screen darkens for a few seconds and then you collect the hearts)
All inventory items are stored in your Backpack and can be accessed by clicking the Backpack Icon located on the bottom left. The last game had a Map Icon that I absolutely loved, but I don't remember seeing one in this game so I hope Lonely Troops Games considers bringing this feature back? You can earn 26 different Achievements as well and have the ability to create several different profiles.
This is an open-world kind of game, when you click on yellow arrows, your character will adventure into an entirely new scene as you travel from the palace to wooded areas, caves, farms, beaches, and underground mazes throughout the kingdom. You will have to remember what characters provided what services and which scenes they were located in, but that is part of the adventure and I guarantee you won't want to stop playing once you get the hang of it!
Join me at my new nature-themed forum where we encourage feeding the bears cuz they love smores! Reconnect with long-lost forum friends, join a group Adventure Game, or just chat about BF games when you become an official Woosdey...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.
This is by far one of the best coloring games on the market but I have to agree with the one-star reviewer that too many of these images are far too simplistic and I too hate that they keep adding Robot when everyone seems to dislike that character?
I love that I can choose ANY of the images right from the start, Unlike the "other" painting series, there are no thick black lines, no drab brown & black colors used, and none of those ugly pictures of a cup of coffee or a single lemon sitting in the center of the picture.
The Freeplay section is by far one of the best features offered in a coloring game (especially when the colors aren't stellar on the main levels. This feature allows you to choose your own colors from a complete, full-scale color palette so you can be as creative as you want to be, you can paint the cow pink and purple, or use earth tones, you're the artist here!
My second favorite feature is that each color tells you how many cells you'll need to fill in and it keeps track of the ones you've filled in so you know exactly how many remain unfilled.
When you get done painting, head on over to my new woodsy-themed forum for some relaxing conversation with fellow BF fans. There's always something interesting going on and we are about to start a new group play adventure so come have some fun at 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.
Rescue Team has had a complete makeover, some of it is really cool, but other aspects are so complex (not complicated, just complex) that it eventually started to suck all the fun out of playing the game and it became nothing more than a huge chore. I loved the new style of a vast, open-world where fog clears and opens new sections, similar to Roman Adventures: Britons, but I don't want those new sections to involve the same repetitive tasks, new sections should have new features to tackle!
What bothered me the most, was constantly having to open up a different tab, not to mention trying to remember which tabs to open for which features. When playing a TM game, most players get into a groove, a zone so to speak, and when you constantly have to stop mid-stream to open up a new tab, it takes you out of the TM zone.
Before starting a new level you have to click a tab to purchase the proper buildings such as Hospitals, Fire Stations, Training Centers, Communication Centers, Animal Centers, Engineering Centers, or Police Stations. Then you have to click another tab to acquire the proper employees (in the map section) after they have been properly trained, of course, and only after the main building has been constructed on the map, etc. After juggling through several tabs per level, you just feel like you've had to jump through hoops and "corporate red tape" lol.
When you finally get to the actual level, one minute you are stopping to buy a Rope in the shop to repair a ladder (rope ladders that never seem affected by the flames but tree trunks are always ablaze even though they are nowhere near the burning building... but always located right next to the fireproof rope ladder nonetheless?) A few seconds later you discover you need to return to the shop to buy a Fire Extinguisher, which seems like a pointless purchase because firefighters use water hoses and I'm pretty sure they aren't going to go to a shop to purchase a Fire Extinguisher every time they come across burning logs! I probably just need to open up another tab and send my firefighters back for some better training?
The Collector's Edition version has 25 Achievements, 30 Extra Levels, 10 Artwork pictures, 5 Music Soundtracks, 9 Stories, and a whole bunch of tabs to click on.
Throw on your hiking boots and head on over to my new forum. Chat about the game or chat with fellow game fans, and maybe even reconnect with long-lost fishies from the Big Fish Forum days, or join us on our Group Game Plays. Come as you are and chillax for a bit by the campfire, there's always an endless supply of smores! thewoodsforum.boards.net
I GUESS THEY DIDN'T GET THE MEMO ABOUT HOW BORING THE 1ST GAME IN THE SERIES WAS?
PostedJuly 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
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 approximately 4.0 hours (including completion of all mini-games & CE Bonus Chapter) 24 Main Game Scene Locations +8 Bonus Chapter Difficulty Range: Beginner
The long HOPA hiatus has not reset Domini Games. They had plenty of time to do some homework and improve their games, clearly, they didn't use their time wisely because the storyline is dreadfully boring and the gameplay has the same MO. Every HOPA cliche was thrown into just 3 chapters, in fact, most of them were in the first chapter! At least the other developer attempted to improve last week's game!
Audio/Visuals & Game Mechanics: Domini has always had crisp, detailed graphics even though they sometimes struggle with the color palette which tends to have an overabundance of one dominant color for each game. The audio always seems spot on and you'll probably never notice looped soundtracks, but that's exactly how background music should work, it should go unnoticed while subconsciously stimulating the brain to recognize the ebbs, floes, and climaxes of the storyline. Domini is famous for adding items that can be interacted with, however, they seem to be far and few between lately. This is the only area where Domini shines, it's a pity because back in the day, they had the best fantasy storylines and their games were so entertaining!
Gadgets/Helper: You will switch between playing both "twins" Elenor Jones: a carefree spirit with Paranormal Sensitivities Randall Jones: a Detective who doesn't believe in his twin sister Elenor's Paranormal sensitivities, in fact, he believes everything has a logical or scientific explanation.
Collectibles & Morphing Objects (CE Version Only): Once again, there are a gazillion Missing Notes to discover, 15 Morphing Randall's Equipment Items (why not Elenor & Randall?) and15 Movie Posters to collect. Once again, there are 64 Zoom Zone Movie Tickets that are used to purchase 15 Projection Booth items. There is an optional Collection Icon Tab that can be enabled or disabled in the settings menu that lights up when a clickable is available in the scene. You can also choose to show/hide the availability of collectibles on the Map.
Hidden Object Scenes: I found the HOs to be rather boring, the locations are unappealing, and the objects are unimaginative. There was a movie projector HO scene that required you to place objects pictured on film strips but it was difficult to tell where they went in the 3 different scenes because everything was the same drab color and some of the objects were impossible to tell what they were!
There is an alternate Match 3 Game available, which still doesn'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 which makes the game super boring. The levels never change, most of the time they don't even bother to change the icons. The M3 boards are always square and they never add obstacles or new features to make it progress in difficulty. FYI: one of the achievements requires you to play the alternate Match 3 game in place of the HOS.
Mini-Games: I did enjoy most of the mini-games, many of which were mechanical where you have to fill certain levels or move the main gears in various patterns to change paths carved out of gears. You can choose to play them in an Easy or Hard difficulty mode and you can choose which mode to have them start out in the Custom Setting (you can still switch between modes for each individual game)
Bonus Chapter (CE Version Only) I'll be honest, I didn't pay much attention to the Bonus Chapter's plot about a love triangle because I was extremely bored at this point. There are only 4 additional Hidden Object scenes and 8 Mini-games spread out over 8 additional scene locations. You will continue your search for the final 3 Randall's Equipment Items, 3 Movie Posters, and 8 Projection Booth items.
Collector's Edition Extra's: (CE version only) 10 Wallpapers, 10 Concept Art Pictures, 5 Music Soundtracks, 29 Movie Video Cutscenes, 40 Achievements, 21 Replayable Mini-Games, 22 Replayable Hidden Object Scenes, 15 Morphing Randall's Equipment Items, 15 Movie Posters, a gazillion Missing Notes, 64 Zoom-Zone Movie Ticket Coins, 15 Projection Booth Items (purchase with tickets) 3 Main Chapters, +Bonus Chapter, and a Built-In Strategy Guide.
Join me at my new nature-themed forum where we encourage feeding the bears cuz they love smores! Reconnect with long-lost forum friends, play group Adventure Games, or just chat about BF games when you become an official Woosdey...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.
Completed Game in approximately 4.5 hours (including completion of all mini-games & CE Bonus Chapter) 16 Main Game Scene Locations +8 Bonus Chapter Difficulty Range: Beginner
Like everyone else, I'm desperate for new HOPA games nowadays but by the time I made it to the 3rd and final chapter I thought I'd lose my mind if I had to place another missing figurine, emblem, or monogram initials because I'm not kidding when I say that the only tasks in the entire game were finding and replacing hundreds of missing emblem motifs on every object I came across, purses, chests, various boxes, locks, and every imaginable hidden cache!
To make matters worse, you are stuck in a single scene location until these emblems are placed. You certainly don't have to worry about a lot of back & forthing, in fact, you don't have to worry about any "to & fro" repetitiveness because you will find everything you need to complete your tasks in that same scene for 90% of the game, if not more!
If it's a well-known HOPA cliche, it is offered in this game, feed animals to make them move, scare animals away, beehive preventing access to a much-needed inventory item, pesky ants taking up residency on everything else! Boards missing from a bridge, power cords MIA, items stuck in wax, handles missing from absolutely everything, moss covering several items, wells missing hooks & buckets, objects sewn into clothing, sofas, even canvas portraits, broken glass, thorny bushes, broken keys, missing cart wheels, statues requiring their adornments before they "hand over" the goods as IF a stone statue can bend in any way, shape, or form, missing valves, etc. just to name a few. I visited 1 zoom zone to find a massive hoard of ants and low and behold the very next zoom zone had a convenient bottle of spray...buried in a hole for safekeeping...is this what HOPA fans want, a predictable game with boring, ridiculous tasks and a meaningless story because there's a certain sense of familiarity of knowing what to do and when to do it for every task?
There is a whole slew of glitches, including a glitchy cursor (had to switch to the system cursor which is listed as "Custom Icon" ain't that confusing) conversations that repeat the same conversation twice on some scenes, back to back, plus item inventory objects that won't accept the added object unless you click on a specific spot, object placement that takes several clicks before being accepted...so many times that I would think I was trying to add the wrong item so I would click the Hint button out of frustration only to discover I was right so I'd keep clicking until it was finally accepted, at one point the game just exited me out while watching a cut scene and not even touching the mouse or keyboard...but we are getting quite used to glitches & freezing issues with games by this developer, right?
I still wish Elephant Games would change the way they list their Achievements. It's impossible to tell how many achievements they have because they are scattered around a scene invisibly, they only show up if you scan your cursor over the scene and happen to scan over a silhouetted shape, they are never organized, and they are usually just scattered about. I still have no idea how many achievements this game has and which ones I didn't earn, for those of us who want to earn all achievements, it's aggravating to try to find each achievement to figure out what my goals are, achievement-wise! Oh, how I'd love to be a quality control tester for the big Elephant :(
GADGETS/HELPER: There are no helpers or gadgets because once again, Rick Rogers is MIA...you know, the character this game was created about with the Paranormal Tattoo...now it's just another game where you can't see a difference from one series to another because it has nothing particularly special about it. It would be similar to removing Anna from Grim Tales and never mentioning time travel...oh wait, they kind of DID do that towards the end!
COLLECTIBLES & MORPHS (CE Bonus Chapter only) There are 12 huge cartoon character dolls that look so out of place you can't help but see them the second you enter a location. The 23 Hidden Eyes on the other hand are very well-blended into the scenery and added a nice challenge to an unchallenging game! The Eyes convert into Puzzle pieces to assemble a Jigsaw Puzzle in the Secret Room.
HIDDEN OBJECT SCENES: There are 9 Hidden Object Scenes +5 in the CE Bonus Chapter with 6 Zoom Zone HO's throughout the game. I will admit that the objects blended into the scene better than in games of the past. There is a nice variety with Interactive List Finds, Keywords in Sentence Finds, Silhouetted Shape Finds, Silhouetted Shape Combo Finds (__+__=?) Horizontal & Vertical Sliders to match 2 halves of each item, and Swatch Finds. Some of the Zoom Zone HOs were more interesting than the main HOs with Matching Pairs, Silhouetted Shapes of various Flowers shown 1 at a time, or Finding pictured Rock Formations.
MINI-GAMES: There are 13 Mini-Games +8 in the CE Bonus Chapter. Usually, I found the games to be either super simplistic or super frustrating with confusing directions. I did enjoy a few puzzles such as rotating multi-colored pipes Grabbing spheres to recreate the silhouetted pattern (spheres would stick if they came in contact with other spheres so you had to move in a specific pattern) Placing angled mirrors to reflect light beams to their matching colored slots, and arranging labels & bottles according to city & type,
BONUS CHAPTER: (Collector's Edition version only) Just when she settles in back home, Rachael gets a letter in the mail from Rick Rogers himself! The letter contains clues that convince Rachael to jet back to the island in search of a partner that has evaded the Paranormal Agency for the past 13 years! There are 6 additional Mini-Games and 5 Hidden Object Scenes that take place over 8 additional locations. You'll continue your search for the final 3 Character Dolls and 8 Hidden Eyes that will allow you to complete the Jigsaw Puzzle in the CE Secret Room.
COLLECTOR'S EDITION EXTRAS: 5 Wallpaper, 1 Screensaver, ZERO Concept Art pictures, ZERO Video Movie sequences, 5 Music Soundtracks, ?? Achievements, 13 Replayable Mini-Games, 13 Replayable Hidden Object Scenes,12 Character Dolls, 23 Hidden Eyes to assemble a 23-piece Jigsaw Puzzle in the Secret Room, 3 Main Chapters +Bonus Chapter, and a Built-In Strategy Guide.
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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
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I'm really a bit surprised by the low reviews, this is a really good HOG that has a ton of features...all for $6.99!! The graphics are amazing, there are lots of mini-games, the collectibles are fun, and I love finding the developer's cats, Max, Bear, and Ninja! This Indie developer poured his heart and soul into the game, and he has my seal of approval! დ
This is a fun, travel-based, old-fashioned HOG with all sorts of extra goodies hidden in each scene, including those infamous and adorable mascots, Max, Bear, and Ninja the cats for 100,000 extra points (word modes only) There are several modes of difficulty, including modes where the timer counts up versus down. There are 20 Travel Locations (loved the Tornado level) and 16 Achievements to earn as well.
Each Location has a Robot (80 total to unlock Bonus Mini-Games) a Shield-which is actually a Route Sign (80 total to unlock Unlimited Mode), and a Cat (either Max, Ninja, or Bear to earn +100k points) but only in the Word Modes. This is a confusing feature because the directions make it sound like you will be searching for multiple Shields and Robots in every location, but you will be repeating the HO scenes several times, so to be clear, there will only be one shield, 1 robot, and 1 cat in the current scene IF it is a Listed Word type (versus Silhouetted Shape type)
They have added several different types of HO variants, but you can choose a 50/50 selection or just word modes. There are Listed Words, Silhouetted Shapes, Riddles, Scrambled Letters, Missing Vowels, Sequences, Spot the Difference, and Alphabetically Sorted variants, as you replay the scenes.
To break up the repetitiveness when you replay a scene, several mini-game variants are offered, such as Square Tile Rotation, Solitaire, Memory Match, Jigsaws, Tile Swap, Word/Picture Search, Block Slide, and a Mahjong that I enjoyed (usually my least favorite genre)
USA CENTRAL LOCATIONS Alabama Arkansas Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisana Michigan Mississippi Missouri Nebraska North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma South Dakota Tennessee Texas Wisconsin
Give it a chance, this is a fun HOG and definitely worthy of $6.99 if you are a HOG-lover at heart!
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