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:
A breathtaking voyage through dreams, reality, and places in between!
Overall rating
5
/
5
86 of 109 found this review helpful
THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX & YOU'LL DISCOVER AN INCREDIBLE GAME!
PostedMay 29, 2022
pennmom36
fromYou are dearly missed Chris. Rest peacefully knowing that Tearstone was a huge success!
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Completed Game approximately 4.0 hours
(including completion of all mini-games & CE Bonus Chapter)
32 Main Game Scene Locations
Difficulty Range: Intermediate-Expert (doable for beginners)
(including completion of all mini-games & CE Bonus Chapter)
32 Main Game Scene Locations
Difficulty Range: Intermediate-Expert (doable for beginners)
Chris was a genius! He restored my faith in the HOPA genre by creating a game that had me stumped at times, made me laugh (re: alarm clock and squirrel), and challenged me to think outside the box! This is how HOPA games were back in the day, this is how they should be today, and no matter what tomorrow brings, I'm so happy that Tearstone: Thieves of the Heart made it to the number one slot here at BFG!
Warning: if you don't like games that make you think outside the box, you probably won't enjoy this game! However, if you're willing to keep an open mind, thinking outside the box is a good thing and you might just be surprised with the results...Thinking outside of the box gives you an edge because you are a problem solver. Outside the box thinkers are able to look for voids, and approach tasks in unusual ways by finding variables through creativity to solve problems. So keep an open mind, and give the entire demo a try, I'm betting you will feel a sense of pride in yourself you've never experienced after playing the usual cookie-cutter HOPAs!
This is a non-linear game, you WILL be confused at times as to what to do and where to go but eventually, you will get the hang of the gameplay...this is because the only HOPAs we have played for a long time have the exact same, predictable, cookie-cutter mechanics and we have forgotten what it is like to have to think versus being on auto-pilot! If you are willing to let go of the big Do Games hand, you will take an amazing journey back to Tearstone to find the missing Heart while solving original puzzles and the most unique Hidden Object Scenes ever.
COLLECTIBLES & MORPHS (YES, they are available in this SE version too!)
My first impression of the Symbol of Luck Collectible (32 total) was wow, these are huge, why? Trust me, they could be the size of a bus and still be challenging to spot because this developer has mastered the art of blending in plain sight! დ
There are also 11 Morphing Objects that morph at a perfect pace and normally, I'd say this was my favorite feature, but I was kind of digging trying to find the elusive 7 Cards of Destiny hidden within nooks & crannies and places I'd never thought they'd be! დ The Morphs, Symbol of Luck Collectibles, and the 7 Cards of Destiny are available in BOTH the Collector's Edition and this Standard Edition version, however, the 7 Cards of Destiny Bonus HO games are not available in this SE version!
My first impression of the Symbol of Luck Collectible (32 total) was wow, these are huge, why? Trust me, they could be the size of a bus and still be challenging to spot because this developer has mastered the art of blending in plain sight! დ
There are also 11 Morphing Objects that morph at a perfect pace and normally, I'd say this was my favorite feature, but I was kind of digging trying to find the elusive 7 Cards of Destiny hidden within nooks & crannies and places I'd never thought they'd be! დ The Morphs, Symbol of Luck Collectibles, and the 7 Cards of Destiny are available in BOTH the Collector's Edition and this Standard Edition version, however, the 7 Cards of Destiny Bonus HO games are not available in this SE version!
HIDDEN OBJECT SCENES
WOW...Hidden Object Scenes that are challenging (& super fun)...who'd have thunk I'd get stumped in a HOP a few times! Not only are the scenes incredibly beautiful, but they are also extremely interactive and require you to figure out what the heck to do at times! Some require Matching Pairs or Related Pairs of objects, while others require a Progressive-Interactive workout but not a single one of them is boring! My favorite HO scene required you to adjust the temperature, lighting, filtration..even feed the fish in an aquarium...super-cool!
WOW...Hidden Object Scenes that are challenging (& super fun)...who'd have thunk I'd get stumped in a HOP a few times! Not only are the scenes incredibly beautiful, but they are also extremely interactive and require you to figure out what the heck to do at times! Some require Matching Pairs or Related Pairs of objects, while others require a Progressive-Interactive workout but not a single one of them is boring! My favorite HO scene required you to adjust the temperature, lighting, filtration..even feed the fish in an aquarium...super-cool!
MINI-GAMES
Heck, the entire game is a puzzle! When you find clues they go into your journal or you'll have to memorize things that look important because they don't slap a sticky note with the answer or code to locks, patterns, or safes. Yes, there are Mini-games too, and yes they have directions, but they usually require a little bit of thought or memory of sequences. Just fiddle around with the puzzles and you'll get that aha moment!
Heck, the entire game is a puzzle! When you find clues they go into your journal or you'll have to memorize things that look important because they don't slap a sticky note with the answer or code to locks, patterns, or safes. Yes, there are Mini-games too, and yes they have directions, but they usually require a little bit of thought or memory of sequences. Just fiddle around with the puzzles and you'll get that aha moment!
BONUS CHAPTER: (Collector's Edition version only)
The Bonus Chapter is a huge bonus for puzzle geeks as you are quested to solve a giant Progressive-Interactive Hidden Object Puzzle game! You'll have to find zoom zones and then figure out what it will take to progress or open up a puzzle. My absolute favorite was trying to weave ribbons to match the pattern shown. It's not easy-breezy but you definitely walk away with a sense of accomplishment when you overcome these hurdles!
The Bonus Chapter is a huge bonus for puzzle geeks as you are quested to solve a giant Progressive-Interactive Hidden Object Puzzle game! You'll have to find zoom zones and then figure out what it will take to progress or open up a puzzle. My absolute favorite was trying to weave ribbons to match the pattern shown. It's not easy-breezy but you definitely walk away with a sense of accomplishment when you overcome these hurdles!
COLLECTOR'S EDITION EXTRAS
6 Wallpaper, 4 Concept Art Pictures, 10 Music Soundtracks, 14 Movie Cutscenes, 12 Achievements, 12 Replayable Hidden Object Scenes, 32 Collectible Symbols of Luck, 11 Morphing Objects, 7 Cards of Destiny (opens a series of HO's) 7 Main Chapters +Bonus Chapter (Portal Todd), and a Built-In Strategy Guide.
6 Wallpaper, 4 Concept Art Pictures, 10 Music Soundtracks, 14 Movie Cutscenes, 12 Achievements, 12 Replayable Hidden Object Scenes, 32 Collectible Symbols of Luck, 11 Morphing Objects, 7 Cards of Destiny (opens a series of HO's) 7 Main Chapters +Bonus Chapter (Portal Todd), and a Built-In Strategy Guide.
Need game help? Join us at my new forum and talk about this game and more at thewoodsforum.boards.net
I recommend this game!
Guide the Rescue Team to save your city from disaster!
Overall rating
3
/
5
65 of 74 found this review helpful
THE GAME MECHANICS OVERHAUL SUCKED THE FUN OUT OF THE GAMEPLAY
PostedMay 28, 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
4
/
5
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?
This 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
Embark on a magical journey along the Royal Roads!
Overall rating
1
/
5
48 of 57 found this review helpful
A NEW RECORD?
PostedMay 27, 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
8FLOOR Games brings you the newest spell-binding adventure in the Royal Roads series! (?????) Surely, there's been a mixup because clearly, the synopsis doesn't match the actual gameplay?? "No One said running a kingdom would be easy", they should have added a warning about how hard it will be to make it to the end of the demo...and trust me, it ain't cuz the game's challenging! I'd also like to congratulate them on receiving THIRTY 1-Star reviews for the CE version, surely that's broken several records?
The soundtrack was like fingernails on a chalkboard, the tall and lanky characters looked odd running back & forth, and why does it take 2 characters to remove a tree log on the path? Why do I have to pick up stones in the field if they are nowhere near the paths, and why are there wheat fields everywhere that aren't used? If I have to pick up rocks way out in the middle of the field wouldn't it make sense to harvest those crops while I'm there? Why do I need crystals to upgrade the worker's houses? Are they magical, is this a fantasy game?
Every time a popup window appeared, the screen would go staticky like Aliens just invaded Earth and took over all broadcasting outlets once I clicked OK and then a giant black bar would appear on either the left or right of the screen depending on where the popup window appeared. It was as if the game was constantly switching resolutions?
There's no spell-binding adventure here, the story is dull and you can't even skip through it! The tasks were repetitive and the resources to collect were ordinary, how many bridges must we repair and why do we have to repeat the same tasks at every level? The only thing that changes level to level is how many of the bridges we are punished to repair! By the time someone gets to level 50, they will be tasked with repairing thousands of bridges at this rate...I say "someone" cuz it ain't gonna be me!
The Collector's Edition version has 14 Achievement Trophies (one of which should be for enduring the game in 1-minute increments) 6 Music Soundtracks, (best of luck listening to these) a whopping 3 Concept Art pictures (probably for the best, seriously, what are you supposed to do with unfinished art sketches?) 50 Main Levels, 11 Bonus Levels, a built-in Strategy Guide, and a whole lotta boring game content.
Ya know what's NOT boring? Taking a stroll through The Woods Forum! If you miss chatting with fellow fishies from the Big Fish Forum days then grab a thermos full of coffee, throw on your favorite jeans & t-shirt, and lace up your hiking boots...ah who are we kidding...just come as you are...keep your comfy fuzzy slippers on, and come chillax with us by the campfire at thewoodsforum.boards.net
I don't recommend this game.
Time is running out when a killer targets a fellow detective!
Overall rating
3
/
5
104 of 124 found this review helpful
ELEPHANT GAMES AM? DID THEY MOVE FROM RUSSIA TO AM-ERICA OR JUST CHANGE THEIR NAME?
PostedMay 26, 2022
pennmom36
fromRemembering you is easy, I do it every day. Missing you is a heartache that never goes away, until we meet again on the Rainbow Bridge one day. დ Loki
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Completed Game approximately 5.0 hours
(including completion of all mini-games & CE Bonus Chapter)
27 Main Game Scene Locations +9 Bonus Chapter
Difficulty Range: Beginner-Intermediate
(including completion of all mini-games & CE Bonus Chapter)
27 Main Game Scene Locations +9 Bonus Chapter
Difficulty Range: Beginner-Intermediate
Dana Strange has returned and wouldn'tcha know it, a new case falls right into their laps just when boredom was at an all-time high! If you think this investigation is strange, try to figure out why Elephant Games is NOT listed in the game credits. The only credits are given to Big Fish Games yet the Big Fish synopsis says "Elephant Games AM proudly presents..."
This prompted me to do my own Strange Investigation and BF now has them listed under their developer spotlight section as: "Big Fish Games presents the Elephant Games AR LLC collection" Well, this is different than the "AM" listing in the synopsis, so now I'm even more confused. My Strange Investigation continued and it appears Elephant's headquarters [supposedly] moved to Yerevan, Armenia which still doesn't explain why Elephant Games isn't in this game's credits? My conclusion is more of a gut feeling, I suspect that this is just a corporate cup & shell game, a creative loophole to bypass Russian sanctions?
As for the game, surprisingly, it is a significant improvement over games that have been offered by this developer lately! If BF is the developer, it's a step in the right direction, a direction they should never have abandoned in the first place! (BF handed off most of the original series to various devs) If Elephant Games is truly still the developer, it would seem that they got a much-needed reality check and finally realized that they need us just as much as we need them!
Helper/Gadget
There are no Gadgets and no Helpers!
There are no Gadgets and no Helpers!
Morphing Objects/Collectibles: (CE version only)
There are no morphing objects which had been a staple feature from Elephant Games, a feature I truly wish would return :(
There are no morphing objects which had been a staple feature from Elephant Games, a feature I truly wish would return :(
There are 12 Collectible Playing Cards representing each of the Characters and 48 Zoom Zone Jigsaw Puzzle Pieces that allow you to assemble four, 12-piece Jigsaw Puzzles that can be set as wallpapers. The puzzle pieces are nicely blended into the scenery and they have finally allowed you to return to the scenes to search for puzzle pieces & cards that you may have missed within the Expedition Room!
Video/Audio Quality:
Elephant Games has always been one of my favorites when it comes to graphics, hands-down, and their story-telling abilities are phenomenal. I cut my teeth on Mystery Trackers: The Void and fell in love with HOPA games because of this developer! (and because they had amazing morphs back in the day) For the first time in a long time, the game didn't freeze a single time, in fact, I had no issues whatsoever!
Elephant Games has always been one of my favorites when it comes to graphics, hands-down, and their story-telling abilities are phenomenal. I cut my teeth on Mystery Trackers: The Void and fell in love with HOPA games because of this developer! (and because they had amazing morphs back in the day) For the first time in a long time, the game didn't freeze a single time, in fact, I had no issues whatsoever!
Hidden Object Scenes:
There are 7 Hidden Object Scenes +6 in the CE Bonus Chapter, 5 smaller zoom zone hidden object scenes where you are tasked with finding 1 object at a time that matches the silhouetted shape or listed items. The objects are pretty easy to spot, but there were lots of HO variations which include Interactive List Finds, Silhouetted Shape Finds, Matching Pairs, Keywords in Sentence Finds, Finding & Placing Misplaced Items, and Multiples of the Same Object Finds (such as finding Bee's among several symbols), There are no alternative games available for non-HO lovers, unfortunately.
There are 7 Hidden Object Scenes +6 in the CE Bonus Chapter, 5 smaller zoom zone hidden object scenes where you are tasked with finding 1 object at a time that matches the silhouetted shape or listed items. The objects are pretty easy to spot, but there were lots of HO variations which include Interactive List Finds, Silhouetted Shape Finds, Matching Pairs, Keywords in Sentence Finds, Finding & Placing Misplaced Items, and Multiples of the Same Object Finds (such as finding Bee's among several symbols), There are no alternative games available for non-HO lovers, unfortunately.
Mini-Games:
There are 16 Mini-Games +5 in the CE Bonus Chapter. Most of the mini-games were really easy to solve but I found them to be enjoyable overall. Even though they were easy, I was delighted that they had a couple of multi-layered puzzles, similar to the MCF door puzzles. I would love to see more of these, especially if they were puzzles that were closer to the infamous Rube Goldberg puzzles! Here are a few of my personal favorites:
There are 16 Mini-Games +5 in the CE Bonus Chapter. Most of the mini-games were really easy to solve but I found them to be enjoyable overall. Even though they were easy, I was delighted that they had a couple of multi-layered puzzles, similar to the MCF door puzzles. I would love to see more of these, especially if they were puzzles that were closer to the infamous Rube Goldberg puzzles! Here are a few of my personal favorites:
1-Move character without crossing paths with the criminals by choosing the correct path (3 different patterns) paying attention to the timing.
2-Swap triangular sections to assemble each of the suspect's photos.
3-Dress the puppet in 3 different outfits, click the arrow to drop down a picture of the puppet, repeating the process for each attire.
4-Complete the circuits by choosing nodes on the left with the correct path on the right.
5-Untangle ropes by placing sections on various hooks.
2-Swap triangular sections to assemble each of the suspect's photos.
3-Dress the puppet in 3 different outfits, click the arrow to drop down a picture of the puppet, repeating the process for each attire.
4-Complete the circuits by choosing nodes on the left with the correct path on the right.
5-Untangle ropes by placing sections on various hooks.
Least Favorite puzzles
1-Press when balls are inside cross-hairs.
2-Place labels according to shape...really??
3-Win a game by placing white stones next to rivals' black stones, adjacent moves will change opponents' stones to white.
4-Depress the correct buttons, pressing one may affect others.
5-Paint unfinished sections the correct color...blue is black?
1-Press when balls are inside cross-hairs.
2-Place labels according to shape...really??
3-Win a game by placing white stones next to rivals' black stones, adjacent moves will change opponents' stones to white.
4-Depress the correct buttons, pressing one may affect others.
5-Paint unfinished sections the correct color...blue is black?
Bonus Chapter (Collector's Edition version only)
Fear not, detectives, Jack Goldwin has a Strange request and money is not an issue! Grandpa Ralph passed away and heired a single key to his beloved grandson...the problem is, Jack has absolutely no clue what the key goes to, but Grandpa was a master at riddles so surely the mysterious key will unlock a puzzling treasure! This is an average-length Bonus Chapter spanning over 9 Scene Locations with 5 Mini-Games and 6 Hidden Object Scenes. You will search for the remaining 3 Collectible Playing Cards and the final 12 Jigsaw Puzzle Pieces which allows you to complete the fourth and final Jigsaw Puzzle.
Fear not, detectives, Jack Goldwin has a Strange request and money is not an issue! Grandpa Ralph passed away and heired a single key to his beloved grandson...the problem is, Jack has absolutely no clue what the key goes to, but Grandpa was a master at riddles so surely the mysterious key will unlock a puzzling treasure! This is an average-length Bonus Chapter spanning over 9 Scene Locations with 5 Mini-Games and 6 Hidden Object Scenes. You will search for the remaining 3 Collectible Playing Cards and the final 12 Jigsaw Puzzle Pieces which allows you to complete the fourth and final Jigsaw Puzzle.
Collector's Edition Version Extra's
5 Wallpapers, 5 Music Soundtracks, 21 Achievements, 13 Replayable Mini-Games, 13 Replayable Hidden Object Scenes, a Secret Room where you will return to each of the scenes for a Timed Hidden Object Game, an Expedition Room that allows you to return to the scenes to pick up any missed Jigsaw Puzzles or missed Collectible Playing Card, 48 Zoom Zone Jigsaw Puzzle Pieces to assemble Four, 12-piece Jigsaw Puzzles, 5 Main Chapters +Bonus Chapter, and a Built-In Strategy Guide.
5 Wallpapers, 5 Music Soundtracks, 21 Achievements, 13 Replayable Mini-Games, 13 Replayable Hidden Object Scenes, a Secret Room where you will return to each of the scenes for a Timed Hidden Object Game, an Expedition Room that allows you to return to the scenes to pick up any missed Jigsaw Puzzles or missed Collectible Playing Card, 48 Zoom Zone Jigsaw Puzzle Pieces to assemble Four, 12-piece Jigsaw Puzzles, 5 Main Chapters +Bonus Chapter, and a Built-In Strategy Guide.
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 recommend this game!
Experience the mesmerizing work of Edgar Allen Poe through solitaire!
Overall rating
1
/
5
41 of 44 found this review helpful
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BLACK RAVEN 2?
PostedMay 25, 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 couldn't help but notice that this game was developed by a new developer, Melon Games (and apparently so was The Black Raven 2) I was totally expecting a whole new experience with this Solitaire Game, after all, it IS a different developer, right?
WRONG! Everything is exactly the same, all the way down to the same level layouts as all the other games. There is still no option to continue playing after the Gold Cards are removed, and the Shop still only has the same 3 features, a Mulligan (Undo) to purchase for 2500, a Shuffle for 2500, or a Joker to purchase for 5000.
The graphics are decent and there's a nice selection of creepy Raven-themed card styles available, but that's about all this game has going for it. There's no mystery to this solitaire game, there's no story, The Black Raven 3 is just another cookie-cutter version and it's certainly no different than The Black Raven 1.
You can choose from 9 Raven-themed card backs, 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.
You can choose from 9 Raven-themed card backs, 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.
Another feature I don't like in this devs games is that the tutorial makes you click another card off of the deck even though there are several more cards available on the board. I'm reluctant to skip the tutorial just in case they have added a new feature, which never happens, but one never knows, so I remain hopeful.
I also hate that when you remove a card with a Wax Seal, it takes forever to explain what the card gives you, as it freezes continued gameplay to tell you what you won. Most of the time it gives you +499 extra points, but occasionally, a Joker, Shuffle, or a Mulligan. Finding two of these cards back to back is agonizing!
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
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 don't recommend this game.
A new set of mystical puzzles awaits in 1001 Jigsaw: Legends of Mystery 3!
Overall rating
1
/
5
57 of 68 found this review helpful
THE LEGENDARY MYSTERY OF THE MISSING MYSTERY PUZZLES
PostedMay 24, 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
We've got ourselves a Mystery to solve folks! I looked through every page of all five boxes but couldn't find any puzzles that are even remotely associated with a Legend OR a Mystery! I did find a ton of staged, uninteresting puzzles, many of which just have a black background and one of the puzzles was just a picture of a woman's neck...really?
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 completed image because they disappear within seconds of completion. Where did it go? Perhaps this is THE mystery?
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, perhaps this is the mystery they are referring to?
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. You can also opt to Ghost the Image on the Background, however, there's no 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, very mysterious indeed.
There is an available Magnifying Glass to enlarge sections, as well as a Hint feature in case you get stumped. You can easily become "stumped" because the puzzle pieces never appear to match with either the shape or the color!? 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, why they can't add an option to adjust the brightness of the background is a Mystery to me!
Just put this Legend of the Mysteriously Missing Mystery Puzzles in the rearview mirror and head on over to my new forum at thewoodsforum.boards.net
Just put this Legend of the Mysteriously Missing Mystery Puzzles in the rearview mirror and head on over to my new forum at thewoodsforum.boards.net
I don't recommend this game.
Travel the World searching for objects and collecting postcards, stamps, coins, and more!
Overall rating
3
/
5
16 of 19 found this review helpful
THE CHALLENGE IS FINDING THE 18 CORRECT ITEMS OUT OF A GAZILLION
PostedMay 23, 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
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
I'm thinking a tornado must have swept through these towns because every scene has hundreds of random objects spewed about so I think I'm supposed to find my 18 personal belongings in every city, ⍤ But that's okay, this is just a typical, retro Travel-themed HOG and I'm sure there are those who would prefer to search for objects that aren't actually "hidden" in fact, the game does present somewhat of a challenge because there are so many objects to sift through, especially when playing on the Timed Mode.
You can play in an Easy Mode with no timer or misclick penalties and a 10-second hint recharge, a Normal Mode with unlimited time, a 20-second hint recharge, and misclick penalties, or a Hard Mode with misclick penalties, a 45-second hint recharge, and a timer that gives you 3-minutes to find all 18 objects.
There is a Magnifying Glass and 2 types of Hints available, one that highlights a single random object, and a Mega Hint that reveals all listed items remaining. You will earn Combo points for back-to-back selections and there are 12 Souvenirs to purchase with the points earned. My biggest complaint is that you can't replay a level when you don't earn all 3 stars.
Each scene has a Passport Stamp and a Morphing Postcard that was actually easier to spot than the main objects were. There is a suitcase at the top of the screen that keeps track of the collectibles and you can replay the scenes to search for missed collectibles once you complete the game. After playing a few HO scenes, you can play a mini-game, such as Spot The Differences (which btw was a decent game with the perfect amount of challenge) The HO's vary with different modes, such as Missing Vowels, Scrambled Letters, and of course, Listed Items.
Unfortunately, some of the objects are blurry and almost unrecognizable, the colors are rather dull and the chosen "travel" locations seem ordinary and certainly didn't give me an incentive to put these vacation destinations on my bucket list! I do love this developer, his heart is always in the right place, so I'm confident that the next Travel Along game will have many improvements.
Grab your backpack and Travel Along the well-beaten path to my new forum. Chat about games or chat with fellow game fans, and maybe even reconnect with long-lost fishies from the Big Fish Forum days. There's always an endless supply of fun (and smores!) at The Woods Forum, including Group Adventure games so we'll save you a spot by the campfire thewoodsforum.boards.net
New Voyager - new batch of Pixel Art adventures!
Overall rating
4
/
5
45 of 61 found this review helpful
LOVE THE MAP AND THE INDIVIDUAL CRAYONS USED TO COLOR
PostedMay 22, 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
I fell in love with Artists of Fortune from the get-go because the features are unique and simply genius! There is a mini-map that shows where each available cell is located, and you can enable or disable the features, such as the animated or highlighted tiles, and you can choose the Relaxed setting if you want to protect the tiles from being accidentally painted.
The colors are shown as individual Crayons at the bottom of the board (another favorite feature) and once you highlight a crayon, all associated cells will appear in an easy-to-spot yellow color, you can even change the highlighted color!
There is a Map on the top right corner that shows the image and where all those highlighted cells are located so you'll know exactly where the cells are located! I also love how the cells flip over (unless you disable animations) as you are coloring them and that the cursor tip is a fine point to reduce accidental coloring.
The Crayons were so much more authentic versus a table with colored blocks! When you click on a crayon, a tab appears to tell you exactly how many cells are available in that specific color. When all cells are filled in, the associated crayon disappears!
Unless you choose the Relaxed Mode, if you accidentally paint a cell that was already colored with a different color, the cell returns to default and the crayon will reappear, requiring you to repaint that cell which makes the game seem more realistic.
Some of the cells will reward you with icons that fill the Power-ups. There is an Autofill Powerup that will automatically fill in the desired group of cells, a Rainbow Crayon Powerup that will paint the cells using any color correctly, and a Blockbuster powerup that blasts a rectangular area with the correct color.
There are 6 Chapters with 20 puzzles available, and 16 Reward Trophies to earn as well. You cannot visit another Chapter until it's unlocked, but you can choose to play any of the 20 puzzles on the current chapter in any order!
It's a beautiful day, 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. Come as you are and chillax for a bit by the campfire, there's always an endless supply of smores! We've just started a new HOPA group play game so won't you join us at The Woods Forum?... thewoodsforum.boards.net
I recommend this game!
Climb the mysterious tower and save your Viking heroes!
Overall rating
4
/
5
64 of 77 found this review helpful
WHY IS THE CE CONTENT A SECRET?
PostedMay 21, 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
I'm really loving this series because it has everything I want in a Match 3 game. There are three difficulty mode options (Timeless, Limited Time, or Limited Moves) and it allows you to switch between them without having to start over! It has interesting features like shooting arrows around 90° angles, level layouts that have nooks & crannies versus a simplistic square board, challenging obstacles, and levels that can be replayed to increase your Star rating. I also think it's really cool that your goal is to climb the Tower of Wishes, level by level!
This is a challenging game but it never feels frustrating. Each level is chockfull of various obstacles and goals, such as making a specified amount of matches to unlock Gem Counters. Achilles Heel with only one weak point, or spreading fire to melt frozen tiles. You are required to make matches over all Green Cells and collect Star Essence Gems, many of which are hidden under mud-covered tiles or behind Fog, or Chained tiles.
My favorite obstacle in this series is the arrow shooters that are activated when you make an adjacent match, and usually involve a chain reaction of events where the first arrow hits the second arrow activator and so forth, until the arrows have traveled around the perimeter's edge until it hits the designated target, whatever that may be.
Large Matches reward you with Power-ups on the board that can be swapped to an adjacent cell, or double-clicked to detonate. A match 4 gives you Dynamite, Match 5 or a Match T or L shape rewards you with a large Bomb that has a huge explosion radius. You can also use the Bonus Power-ups at your discretion, but they will need to recharge after each use. The Hammer removes a single tile, the Shuffle bonus reshuffles all of the tiles on the board, and the Hint icon points to a viable move
I get that BF is running out of options since all of their HOPA developers are either from Russia or Ukraine, so they are making deals with casual game developers to make CE versions. I'm okay with a Match 3 Collector's Edition but I'm not okay with spending twice as much money for mystery content! All of the CE features shown don't allow you access to the content until you've finished 30 main levels!
I get that BF is running out of options since all of their HOPA developers are either from Russia or Ukraine, so they are making deals with casual game developers to make CE versions. I'm okay with a Match 3 Collector's Edition but I'm not okay with spending twice as much money for mystery content! All of the CE features shown don't allow you access to the content until you've finished 30 main levels!
There's no way you can finish 30 levels in the demo so they are asking you to take a leap of faith and trust that the CE version is worth the extra money! The synopsis says "66 extra levels of puzzle fun!" does that mean there are 66 bonus Match 3 levels or does the "66 extra levels of puzzle fun" include the featured Pipe Connection puzzles & the Slider Puzzles?
The synopsis also says "Even more bonus mini-games!" does this refer to the Solitaire games, Hidden Object Scenes, and Spot the Differences mini-games you play after a few Match 3 levels, or are they referring to the CE Pipe Connection & Slider Puzzles features? This CE version has 14 Achievements and Wallpapers as well, how many wallpapers do we get? What do they look like? Why is the CE content so mysterious and secretive? Wouldn't more people be leery and less apt to purchase a CE with unknown bonus content than those unwilling to purchase the CE because they weren't impressed with the CE content?
After reading that last paragraph you're probably just as confused as I am, but taking a hike to my new forum is never confusing! Chat about the game or chat with fellow game fans, and maybe even reconnect with long-lost fishies from the Big Fish Forum days. Come as you are and chillax for a bit by the campfire, there's always an endless supply of smores! We've just started a new HOPA group play game so won't you join us at The Woods Forum?... thewoodsforum.boards.net
I recommend this game!
Set off on an adventure in the name of love!
Overall rating
3
/
5
33 of 44 found this review helpful
THREE DIFFICULTY LEVELS TO TEST YOUR SKILLS!?!
PostedMay 20, 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
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I do love a good challenge, but there's a fine line between challenge & frustration, a line in which New Yankee has crossed with room to spare! I'm not an expert TM guru, but I am an experienced TM player. The Relaxed-untimed Modes have always seemed kind of pointless to me, that's why I choose to play in the Normal Mode...which is supposed to be designed for players like me??!!
New Yankee has been on my top 10 favorites list, and yes, it has always been a challenging game, but the levels were eventually doable once I got the hang of it. The last several games, however, have been so hardcore that it's no longer fun, it's frustrating! Please Yustas...make New Yankee fun again! You can continue to make the games frustratingly difficult, to those that enjoy the impossible, by adding a Hardcore Mode, but please, put the NORMAL back in the Normal Mode for those of us who like a challenge without the madness!!!
Obviously, you can play in a Relaxed, Normal, or Expert Difficulty Mode, and there are 42 Achievement Trophies to earn. There are 45 Main Levels, 15 CE Levels, and 10 Bonus Levels, some of which have a Hidden Jigsaw Puzzle Piece to create a Jigsaw Puzzle when complete.
Mary is the Spellcaster who uses Mana collected by the workers to cast spells that will regrow trees, add extra workers or speed them up, etc. John is Mary's knight in shining armor who valiantly protects his damsel, distressed or not, from harmful foes, and of course, Max the bulldog is always on guard...those noxious weeds don't stand a chance!
Like most TM games, you must gather resources and clear paths, such as, gathering food baskets and farming wheat crops, gathering wood logs, chopping down trees, mining gold, clearing boulders, patching holes, repairing bridges, constructing or repairing sawmills, or mills to produce more food, building houses for rent, finding treasure chests, and constructing specialty buildings such as the Raven's House who can then fly to unreachable caches.
If you are a casual player, you may find that this game is far too frustrating if you are like me and replay levels until you earn Gold. If you are a hardcore TM player, I'm still betting you will have a difficult time earning gold but you may enjoy the hardcore challenge?
The Collector's Edition version has 45 Main Levels, 15 CE Levels, 10 Bonus Levels, 10 Original Music Soundtracks, 42 Cinematics (I read the story via the cinematics and skip the conversations before each level) 4 Wallpapers, 20 Character Bios, a Jigsaw Puzzle (with 32 Collectible Jigsaw Puzzle Pieces), a Room to Upgrade (with an available Screenshot), and a Built-in Strategy Guide.
Speaking of hardcore, hike on over to my new forum for some hardcore fun in The Woods. Chat with fellow game fans, catch up with long-lost fishies from the Big Fish Forum days or just chillax for a bit by the campfire with an endless supply of smores. We're starting a new group play game in a few days so join us at The Woods Forum at thewoodsforum.boards.net
I don't recommend this game.