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:
Can you save Redwood National Park before it’s too late?
Overall rating
4
/
5
120 of 142 found this review helpful
LOVED THE STORY-REMINDED ME OF ENIGMATIS
PostedJanuary 13, 2022
pennmom36
from"Sometimes the Smallest Things Take Up The Most Room In Your Heart" ~ Forever in my heart, Loki ❣
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Completed Game approximately 5.5 hours
(including completion of all mini-games & CE Bonus Chapter)
19 Scene Locations +7 CE Bonus Chapter
Difficulty Range: Beginner-Intermediate
(including completion of all mini-games & CE Bonus Chapter)
19 Scene Locations +7 CE Bonus Chapter
Difficulty Range: Beginner-Intermediate
One of Amanda's favorite childhood memories was their family trip to The Redwood Forest to visit her Great Aunt Tina who always had amazing stories to tell her about Magical Forest Critters. Now Amanda is returning to the forest as a renowned Biologist to investigate plants that look exactly like humans! Amanda will gain more knowledge than she ever thought possible, as she uncovers corruption at the Redwood Forest!
I absolutely loved this story which reminded me a lot of the Enigmatis series from yesteryear! Friendly Fox knows how to create a wonderful fantasy filled with magic and mystery...perhaps better than any other developer and although the gameplay was fairly easy, I enjoyed this game and loved the morphs & collectibles far more than any game the big D has offered in the last few years!
Collectibles/Morphing Objects: (CE version only)
Each scene has 2 of those infamous 4Friends Opaque Collectibles that are really well-blended into the scenery and one of my personal favorite collectibles overall. (my all-time favorite CE feature are non-linear morphs from the original DP series) There is an available pull-out Tab on the left side that tells you how many morphs & collectibles remain in each scene, a feature I for one appreciate.
Collectibles/Morphing Objects: (CE version only)
Each scene has 2 of those infamous 4Friends Opaque Collectibles that are really well-blended into the scenery and one of my personal favorite collectibles overall. (my all-time favorite CE feature are non-linear morphs from the original DP series) There is an available pull-out Tab on the left side that tells you how many morphs & collectibles remain in each scene, a feature I for one appreciate.
There are 52 Opaque Forest Animals which unlocks a new Animal of the Forest when you find 5-15-28-40-52 Opaque Animals in the game. My only complaint is that they repeated the same animals, I wish they had used their wonderful imaginations to create several different animals to search for, which in turn would unlock more forest critters!
Each scene also has two Morphing Objects, some of which are very well-hidden and challenging to spot at first glance, others morphed into objects that seemed out of place so they were easily spotted.
Gadget/Helper:
Grey the Australian Shepherd is your Helper and he is used 5 times in the Main Chapter to dig dirt or fetch objects. He sits quietly in the Inventory Bar and isn't annoying at any point...he's also adorable!
Gadget/Helper:
Grey the Australian Shepherd is your Helper and he is used 5 times in the Main Chapter to dig dirt or fetch objects. He sits quietly in the Inventory Bar and isn't annoying at any point...he's also adorable!
Friendly Fox loves their Amulets and this game is no exception. When you encounter a magical Forest critter you must first befriend him by feeding him or helping him in various manners. After befriending him you will use your Amulet to scan the scene for 5-6 Fragments which allows you to read the animal's mind as you watch a short video explaining what the animal endured. After the video you will receive that animal's power:
SPOILER ALERT (animal/powers)
Dog-sense of smell
Skunk-odor
Magical Deer-flight
Falcon-sight
Magical Coyote-fire
Bear-strength
Dog-sense of smell
Skunk-odor
Magical Deer-flight
Falcon-sight
Magical Coyote-fire
Bear-strength
Hidden Object Scenes:
There are 13 Hidden Object Scenes +6 in the CE Bonus Chapter many of which are smaller zoom zone HOs requiring you to match identical objects, and of course, there are several HO scenes associated with the Amulet Gadget. Although some of the scenes are duplicated, the type of HO varies each time and some of the variations are quite fun and all of them are very colorful. There are several Interactive List Finds, and Keywords in Sentence Finds as well as Replacing Items into the Scene, Fill in the Blanks by dragging the correct object to each sentence, Pictured or Silhouetted Shape Finds, and Multiples of the Same type.
There are 13 Hidden Object Scenes +6 in the CE Bonus Chapter many of which are smaller zoom zone HOs requiring you to match identical objects, and of course, there are several HO scenes associated with the Amulet Gadget. Although some of the scenes are duplicated, the type of HO varies each time and some of the variations are quite fun and all of them are very colorful. There are several Interactive List Finds, and Keywords in Sentence Finds as well as Replacing Items into the Scene, Fill in the Blanks by dragging the correct object to each sentence, Pictured or Silhouetted Shape Finds, and Multiples of the Same type.
Mini-Games:
There are 12 Mini-Games +5 in the CE Bonus Chapter. Most of the puzzles have been offered a hundred times before, but they aren't necessarily bad puzzles, just nothing new. The infamous games include a game of Cups where you keep track of the cup containing a cat toy, Navigate thru a forest maze using directional arrows while finding and using objects to overcome obstacles, Drop 2 boltcutters to the bottom at the same time, Connect dots to replicate a pattern, Move tokens to matching slots along a track, Sort colored liquids in test tubes, Synchronize 2 radio waves, Light all fuses with the specified number of connections, to name a few. I did enjoy the puzzle where you had to rotate bulbs with different colored bases and place them correctly by following tangled wire paths.
There are 12 Mini-Games +5 in the CE Bonus Chapter. Most of the puzzles have been offered a hundred times before, but they aren't necessarily bad puzzles, just nothing new. The infamous games include a game of Cups where you keep track of the cup containing a cat toy, Navigate thru a forest maze using directional arrows while finding and using objects to overcome obstacles, Drop 2 boltcutters to the bottom at the same time, Connect dots to replicate a pattern, Move tokens to matching slots along a track, Sort colored liquids in test tubes, Synchronize 2 radio waves, Light all fuses with the specified number of connections, to name a few. I did enjoy the puzzle where you had to rotate bulbs with different colored bases and place them correctly by following tangled wire paths.
Bonus Chapter: (CE version only)
The new director is faced with her first major disaster when a Cyclone threatens the Redwood Forest inhabitants and visitors. Can she save the creatures and the humans in time? The BC spans 7 additional scene locations with 5 mini-games and 6 Hidden Object Scenes. You will complete your Opaque Animal Collection and Morphing Objects (2 per scene of each) which will unlock the final 2 Animals of the forest.
The new director is faced with her first major disaster when a Cyclone threatens the Redwood Forest inhabitants and visitors. Can she save the creatures and the humans in time? The BC spans 7 additional scene locations with 5 mini-games and 6 Hidden Object Scenes. You will complete your Opaque Animal Collection and Morphing Objects (2 per scene of each) which will unlock the final 2 Animals of the forest.
Collector's Edition Version Extra's:
10 Wallpapers, 13 Concept Art Pictures, 5 Screensavers, 5 Music Soundtracks, 17 Movie Video Cutscenes, 15 Achievements (some are available in 3 category progressions) 17 Replayable Hidden Object Scenes, 13 Replayable Mini-Games, 52 Opaque animals (2 per scene) 52 Morphing Objects (2 per scene) 4 Main Chapters +Bonus Chapter and a Built-In Strategy Guide.
10 Wallpapers, 13 Concept Art Pictures, 5 Screensavers, 5 Music Soundtracks, 17 Movie Video Cutscenes, 15 Achievements (some are available in 3 category progressions) 17 Replayable Hidden Object Scenes, 13 Replayable Mini-Games, 52 Opaque animals (2 per scene) 52 Morphing Objects (2 per scene) 4 Main Chapters +Bonus Chapter and a Built-In Strategy Guide.
Come join the Woodsey Family at my new forum at thewoodsforum.boards.net
I recommend this game!
Explore hundreds of detailed aquatic levels and rebuild breathtaking waterscapes.
Overall rating
5
/
5
96 of 113 found this review helpful
HOLY SEASHELLS BY THE SEASHORE THIS IS A FUN GAME
PostedJanuary 8, 2022
pennmom36
from"Sometimes the Smallest Things Take Up The Most Room In Your Heart" ~ Forever in my heart, Loki ❣
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I can't think of a single reason a solitaire fan would pass on purchasing this game. While most developers are offering less and less nowadays, Suricate Software crams the entire Atlantic Ocean into every game...and who doesn't want to rebuild Atlantis?
This is a Higher/Lower Solitaire, but they also offer a Classic Solitaire Bonus Room that has Klondike, Spider, Freecell, Yukon, Pyramid (my favorite), and Baker's Dozen. As you progress, you will unlock 12 Different Solitaire Versions with the Stars you earn playing the Main Game, and these Bonus Solitaire Game variants always differ from the previous Atlantis Games!
Solitaire Variants:
Free Klondike~Stook~Barrier~Feu Follett~Commodore~Shy Queens~Juvenile~Double Wasp~Sir Tommy~Ambassador~Elba~Julien.
Free Klondike~Stook~Barrier~Feu Follett~Commodore~Shy Queens~Juvenile~Double Wasp~Sir Tommy~Ambassador~Elba~Julien.
There are 200 main Solitaire Levels that can be played (or replayed) in a Relaxed, Normal, Timed, or Hard Mode. There are 24 Achievement Trophies to earn and I highly recommend that you read them before starting the game because you can earn a Trophy just for selecting various option settings, such as Custom Cursors or Card Backs! There are 4 Card Backs to choose from and 3 Card Fonts, a traditional, antique, and themed style.
The goal is to Remove Cards that are either one card Higher or one card Lower than the Deck Card...AND you get to remove all of the cards on the board, not just the special "gold cards-game over" which is the case in those cookie-cutter Solitaire Games by the Basement Floor developer! Each level has at least one Emerald to uncover, the Emeralds are used to purchase Castle sections, and rebuild Atlantis! (The completed Castles then become available as Wallpapers)
Some Cards contain Coins that can be used in the Shop to purchase Power-ups, Wildcards, or convenience features such as a Deck Card Counter~Earn Extra Gold~Remove a Random Card~Remove a Specific Card~Reveal some Face Down Cards~Extra Shuffle and Undo features~Card Specific Wildcards~Jokers, and the Chance to Receive Wildcards and Jokers during the Levels.
As you progress, Obstacle Cards are added to the challenge, such as Lock & Key Cards, Frozen Cards that require two Plays to remove them, Chain & Hammer Cards, Ribbon & Scissor Cards, Seaweed & Sword Cards, Red & Black Sealed Cards or Suit Specific Cards that require removing Red and Black Suit Cards or cards in a specific Suit, such as Clubs, Hearts, Diamonds or Spades.
Collector's Edition Extra's:
This CE version includes 200 Extra Solitaire Levels, 6 Classic Solitaire Bonus Levels (Two Bars~Double Easthaven~Busy Aces Twice~Twenty-One~Cornet~Tarbart), 120 Extra Mahjong Games, 120 Extra Challenge Levels, 120 Extra Supersized Levels, 120 Extra Match 2 Levels, 5 Extra Castles, 24 Achievement Trophies & Bonus Achievements, 6 Wallpapers & Extra CE Wallpapers, 10 Music Soundtracks, 4 Card Backs & 4 CE Extra Backs, The Making Of, and 4 Extra Shop Items.
My favorite features in this game:
This CE version includes 200 Extra Solitaire Levels, 6 Classic Solitaire Bonus Levels (Two Bars~Double Easthaven~Busy Aces Twice~Twenty-One~Cornet~Tarbart), 120 Extra Mahjong Games, 120 Extra Challenge Levels, 120 Extra Supersized Levels, 120 Extra Match 2 Levels, 5 Extra Castles, 24 Achievement Trophies & Bonus Achievements, 6 Wallpapers & Extra CE Wallpapers, 10 Music Soundtracks, 4 Card Backs & 4 CE Extra Backs, The Making Of, and 4 Extra Shop Items.
My favorite features in this game:
1- Optional Caves to explore as a Side Quest. The Quests require you to play 4 Challenge levels that reward you with extra coins, emeralds, and new fish.
2-Challenge & Supersized levels that have a ton of cards to remove. It's really satisfying to make huge chains, not to mention that they take longer to complete versus the regular levels that seem to be over within less than a minute.
3-I love that you can click on the screen to quickly bring up the score window, or get to the map rather than waiting for all the theatrics to finish...I have a need for speed, or at least a need to quickly move to the next level lol
4-Love the fish! It's a really cool feature that allows us to select and buy colorful fish to add to the screen!
Lets talk about Jewel Match...join the fun at my new forum thewoodsforum.boards.net
I recommend this game!
Find hidden objects and animals while visiting the most beautiful places in the world!
Overall rating
5
/
5
89 of 105 found this review helpful
GET OUT OF THE WATER LITTLE DUCKIE THERE'S A SHARK!
PostedJanuary 7, 2022
pennmom36
from"Sometimes the Smallest Things Take Up The Most Room In Your Heart" ~ Forever in my heart, Loki ❣
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
This 5th edition of Our Beautiful Earth is 100% entertainment! I've always loved all creatures great and small, and that's exactly what you'll find when you play this Nature-themed game, from tiny insects to giant elephants. What's even more incredible is that they somehow manage to slip in elephants, giraffes, and rhinos in some of the scenes yet they don't seem out of proportion size-wise, not to mention they don't always stick out like a sore thumb!
Each of the 30 scene locations has 3 adorable cats that meow when you click on them and you'll earn extra points as well. Each level also has a hidden Camera that will reward you with a location screenshot, and there is a hidden Paw Print Tile of various critters in each level, (ignore the fact that dolphins & birds don't have paws lol) Wouldn't it make more sense to have the Pawprint Tile open up to reveal that animals real print, even if it's just a flipper or dorsal fin?
Each scene has 2 Sub-scenes or Zoom Zones that will appear as Boxes on the Right side that come and go as objects are found and new ones added. You can play in a Casual or Challenge Mode, depending on how fast you want the Hint & Puzzle Skip buttons to recharge. There are no Misclick Penalties or Timers so this HOG is very relaxing, peaceful, and enjoyable to play, especially if you love animals, nature, and wildlife! Each location gives you a little fun fact at the start of each HO scene which I found very interesting.
You can earn up to 3-stars, the first Star is earned for finding all 18 Listed Objects, a second Star for finding all 3 Cats, and a 3rd Star for finding the Paw Print Tile. Coins earned for completing the HOGs and Mini-games are used in the Gift Shop to reveal animals on a beautiful Wallpaper Scene.
After each Hidden Object Scene, you will play a Puzzle or Mini-Game such as Spot the Difference, Memory Matching Animal Pairs, Rotate & Drag Tetris-Shaped Puzzle Pieces into Place, Mahjong. Jigsaws, and even Mosaic Griddlers. The Spot the Differences images are really subtle so they can be quite challenging and I don't normally like Mahjong but this was a classic Mahjong type that held my interest.
Come join the fun in The Woods at my new forum, we have lots of exciting topics including Nature, Animals, and of course, game discussions at thewoodsforum.boards.net
I recommend this game!
Two people are in danger and are awaiting you to help them!
Overall rating
3
/
5
102 of 135 found this review helpful
NOTHING MORE THAN SPIRIT LEGENDS MIXED WITH DARK ROMANCE & THE STORY HAS LITTLE TO DO WITH WOLVES MUCH LESS WEREWOLVES?
PostedJanuary 6, 2022
pennmom36
from"Sometimes the Smallest Things Take Up The Most Room In Your Heart" ~ Forever in my heart, Loki ❣
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Completed Game approximately 5.0 hours
(including completion of all Mini-games & CE Bonus Chapter)
25 Main Game Scene Locations +3 Bonus Chapter
Difficulty Range: Beginner
(including completion of all Mini-games & CE Bonus Chapter)
25 Main Game Scene Locations +3 Bonus Chapter
Difficulty Range: Beginner
Think back to the short-lived Spirit Legends series and you'll instantly get a feeling of Deja Vu. I was actually excited about playing a game about a Silver Wolf whose bite causes humans to turn into werewolves but that excitement waned by the time I reached the end of two out of three chapters which basically had little to do with wolves or werewolves! They added a gimmicky Dark Romance feature where you play the game as two characters. I'm pretty sure Domini realized their ratings were tanking on all of the older game series releases so they used a genius strategy...pretend this is a new series by re-Titling all the games moving forward because a new series will automatically grab people's attention!
What they are failing to realize is that their games are getting poor to average ratings because they are making the games fool-proof nowadays. I realize they are under a lot of pressure lately due to the fact they are basically the "last dev standing" but I'd rather have one game a month that blew my socks off than 4 games a month that are boring clones from one game to the next!
If need be, perhaps Domini should opt to create a series of smaller HOGs (Hidden Object Games) to offer in between HOPAs to allow their team to concentrate on a few really good series games. We know they are capable of it, their games used to be really good and fans couldn't wait for Big Fish to offer a Domini Game! Go back to your roots Big D and try to "Spot The Differences" between Old Domini Games & New Domini Games, and the ratings will soar through the roof once again! BTW: Congratulations on becoming your own publisher Domini!
Gadgets/Helper:
There are no Gadgets but technically, you have a helper as you play both Riviera the Healer, and her beloved Mark, the Alchemist which is a feature in their Dark Romance games.
There are no Gadgets but technically, you have a helper as you play both Riviera the Healer, and her beloved Mark, the Alchemist which is a feature in their Dark Romance games.
Audio/Visuals:
I can never really find fault with the audio or graphics in a Domini game, the graphics are really good but they do tend to be overzealous with the color palette. Lately, this is the only aspect of their games that really shines with superior quality, the stories are unimaginative and the tasks are so repetitive that surely even a beginner would take notice? Domini is also known for adding items that can be interacted with but as you'll soon discover, these interactions become a rarety after the demo portion!
I can never really find fault with the audio or graphics in a Domini game, the graphics are really good but they do tend to be overzealous with the color palette. Lately, this is the only aspect of their games that really shines with superior quality, the stories are unimaginative and the tasks are so repetitive that surely even a beginner would take notice? Domini is also known for adding items that can be interacted with but as you'll soon discover, these interactions become a rarety after the demo portion!
Collectibles/Morphing Objects (CE version only)
Is my game broken or did Domini finally realize we don't care about finding a gazillion notes? Once again, there are 15 Morphing Monster Statuettes and 15 Magic Dreamcatcher Feathers. There are 70 Zoom Zone Potions that are used to break the Curse on 15 Witch's Hut items to turn things like a Crow into a Bluebird. I actually liked the cursed items and thought they were much more interesting than the uncursed 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.
Is my game broken or did Domini finally realize we don't care about finding a gazillion notes? Once again, there are 15 Morphing Monster Statuettes and 15 Magic Dreamcatcher Feathers. There are 70 Zoom Zone Potions that are used to break the Curse on 15 Witch's Hut items to turn things like a Crow into a Bluebird. I actually liked the cursed items and thought they were much more interesting than the uncursed 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:
There are 14 Hidden Object Scenes +4 in the CE Bonus Chapter which includes a handful of smaller Zoom Zone HO's. The Hidden Object Scenes range from simplistic Listed Item Finds to variations such as Keywords in Sentence Finds, Swatch Finds, Silhouetted Shape Finds, Replacing items into the scene. I did enjoy a couple of the HO's, one where you had to turn disks in a circle to align various objects. and one where you changed colored lenses to find areas to Place items from the inventory bar, some of which weren't very obvious and somewhat challenging.
There are 14 Hidden Object Scenes +4 in the CE Bonus Chapter which includes a handful of smaller Zoom Zone HO's. The Hidden Object Scenes range from simplistic Listed Item Finds to variations such as Keywords in Sentence Finds, Swatch Finds, Silhouetted Shape Finds, Replacing items into the scene. I did enjoy a couple of the HO's, one where you had to turn disks in a circle to align various objects. and one where you changed colored lenses to find areas to Place items from the inventory bar, some of which weren't very obvious and somewhat challenging.
Alternate Match 3 Game:
There is an alternate Match 3 Game available if you don't want to play a Hidden Object Scene, 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 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. (just once)
There is an alternate Match 3 Game available if you don't want to play a Hidden Object Scene, 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 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. (just once)
Mini-Games:
There are 14 Mini-Games +8 in the CE Bonus Chapter. 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) I enjoyed several of the mini-games, particularly the mechanical types such as turning valves to fill several water tanks to the fill line. I also liked the Map puzzle where you had to find and use items to progress, it was far too easy to navigate through the streets, so easy that it would have been a worthless mini-game, however, it had several puzzles to solve which I thought was really cool.
There are 14 Mini-Games +8 in the CE Bonus Chapter. 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) I enjoyed several of the mini-games, particularly the mechanical types such as turning valves to fill several water tanks to the fill line. I also liked the Map puzzle where you had to find and use items to progress, it was far too easy to navigate through the streets, so easy that it would have been a worthless mini-game, however, it had several puzzles to solve which I thought was really cool.
Bonus Chapter (CE Version Only)
Fast-forward several years, Mark and Riviera's only child Carissa has found herself in a "hairy" situation when she is kidnapped by a wolf on her wedding day! There are 7 additional Mini-Games and 4 Hidden Object Scenes in this unusually short Bonus Chapter that takes place over a scant 3 scene locations. You will continue searching for the final 2 Morphing Monster Statuettes, a single Dreamcatcher Feather, and 2 Zoom Zone Potions that allow you to finish uncursing the items in the Witch's Hut.
Fast-forward several years, Mark and Riviera's only child Carissa has found herself in a "hairy" situation when she is kidnapped by a wolf on her wedding day! There are 7 additional Mini-Games and 4 Hidden Object Scenes in this unusually short Bonus Chapter that takes place over a scant 3 scene locations. You will continue searching for the final 2 Morphing Monster Statuettes, a single Dreamcatcher Feather, and 2 Zoom Zone Potions that allow you to finish uncursing the items in the Witch's Hut.
Collector's Edition Extra's: (CE version only)
11 Wallpapers, 12 Concept Art Pictures, 5 Music Soundtracks, 29 Movie Video Cutscenes, 39 Achievements, 17 Replayable Mini-Games, 18 Replayable Hidden Object Scenes, 15 Morphing Monster Statuettes, 15 Dreamcatcher Feathers, 70 Zoom-Zone Potions, 15 Witch's Hut Items (uncurse cursed items with the potions) 3 Main Chapters, +Bonus Chapter, and a Built-In Strategy Guide.
11 Wallpapers, 12 Concept Art Pictures, 5 Music Soundtracks, 29 Movie Video Cutscenes, 39 Achievements, 17 Replayable Mini-Games, 18 Replayable Hidden Object Scenes, 15 Morphing Monster Statuettes, 15 Dreamcatcher Feathers, 70 Zoom-Zone Potions, 15 Witch's Hut Items (uncurse cursed items with the potions) 3 Main Chapters, +Bonus Chapter, and a Built-In Strategy Guide.
Come chat about the game and connect with fellow HOPA fans at my new forum thewoodsforum.boards.net
I don't recommend this game.
Explore an entire world of wonderful art as you decide how to complete each masterpiece and become the painter!
Overall rating
5
/
5
62 of 83 found this review helpful
PAINT BY NUMBERS & PIXEL ART!!!
PostedJanuary 5, 2022
pennmom36
from"Sometimes the Smallest Things Take Up The Most Room In Your Heart" ~ Forever in my heart, Loki ❣
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
How could you possibly not like a game that offers 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 for an even more realistic painting.
I'll be honest, I didn't even realize there was a Pixel Art option until the end of the demo when I forced myself to stop painting and check out the other features, and there it was, tucked away in a different free-play section! WOW
I have just a few minor complaints that certainly aren't deal-breakers but as one of my favorite reviewers, angelfish106 stated, I too hate that Robot! (the devs must not care about him either if they gave him a generic name...Helper?)
I was a tad disappointed that almost all of the images are staged images and they didn't include a background to paint. It's kind of annoying when you play a painting game but all you get to paint is a small image slapped in the center of the page! I do, however, love how this developer takes advantage of the full-color palette spectrum to add slightly different hues to give the painting a dimensional depth!
My last complaint is that the Settings Options are difficult to figure out what each option does because there are no instructions. 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! I do love the cell counter that tells me how many cells I still have to find!
Come join me at my new forum where devs are always welcome at thewoodsforum.boards.net
I recommend this game!
Bring your match-making skills to this bright and colorful puzzle game filled with fun challenges!
Overall rating
3
/
5
3 of 6 found this review helpful
SIMILAR TO DIG THE GROUND BUT NOT AS FUN
PostedJanuary 5, 2022
pennmom36
from"Sometimes the Smallest Things Take Up The Most Room In Your Heart" ~ Forever in my heart, Loki ❣
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
I am a fan of the Dig the Ground series and this game has the same concept with one exception, you must swap tiles to make matches of 3 or more tiles in Adventure Match, and Dig the Ground is a Chain type Match 3 game that allows you to grab chains of identical gems in horizontal, vertical, and diagonal patterns....(actually, there are two differences: unlike Dig the Ground, you can't opt for a Timed Mode)
Normally, I prefer a Swap type of Match 3 game, but with this particular series, the chain type works better because you need to make large matches to get some of the more powerful powerups used to destroy lava and stone tiles for example.
This game has a flaw where it isn't able to generate enough tiles to make a Match 3, let alone a large match in some of the smaller zones. These smaller zones may only have a single row of cells and perhaps a 12 square radius area when you reach a point that requires removing all sand-covered cells to unlock the next portion once you make the specified number of matches to break the obstacle. This is the case on almost every board, I found myself having to make matches on the fringes of the small area just to work my way back to the area with sand-covered tiles because matching gems simply weren't available and you can't move forward or backward until you break the obstacle. I also had issues with the game freezing up and I had to press ctrl/alt/del to abandon ship.
Making large matches will create a bomb or lightning box of specified colors depending on which colored gem was matched when creating the powerup, therefore it must be included in a match with at least two other identically colored gems. It can be really difficult to find enough identically colored gems to make matches of more than 4 so the game can become a little boring when you are constantly making smaller matches.
The game is loaded with Obstacles, such as Chains, Double Chains, Crates, Frozen Tiles, Sand Tiles, Stone Tiles, Lava Tiles. etc. Obstacles with a number on them require you to make matches over all Sand tiles in the area (you cannot proceed until the number reaches 0) The most confusing obstacle was the Fire tiles which require making a match of fire tiles adjacent to the fire tile and then making matches next to the fire tile to create a path of fire ...underwater???? (good luck figuring this feature out!
What's not confusing is becoming an official Woodsey at my new forum where we have a daily game chat thread and group play games at thewoodsforum.boards.net
Adventure Match follows up their first match-3 hit with a colorful ocean-side puzzler filled to the brim with perplexing levels with various challenges.
Overall rating
3
/
5
21 of 27 found this review helpful
THIS IS BASICALLY THE SAME GAME AS DIG THE GROUND?
PostedJanuary 5, 2022
pennmom36
from"Sometimes the Smallest Things Take Up The Most Room In Your Heart" ~ Forever in my heart, Loki ❣
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
I am a fan of the Dig the Ground series and this game has the same concept with one exception, you must swap tiles to make matches of 3 or more tiles in Adventure Match, and Dig the Ground is a Chain type Match 3 game that allows you to grab chains of identical gems in horizontal, vertical, and diagonal patterns....(actually, there are two differences: unlike Dig the Ground, you can't opt for a Timed Mode)
Normally, I prefer a Swap type of Match 3 game, but with this particular series, the chain type works better because you need to make large matches to get some of the more powerful powerups used to destroy lava and stone tiles for example. This game has a flaw where it isn't able to generate enough tiles to make a Match 3, let alone a large match in some of the smaller zones. These smaller zones may only have a single row of cells and perhaps a 12 square radius area when you reach a point that requires removing all sand-covered cells to unlock the next portion once you make the specified number of matches to break the obstacle. This is the case on almost every board, I found myself having to make matches on the fringes of the small area just to work my way back to the area with sand-covered tiles because matching gems simply weren't available and you can't move forward or backward until you break the obstacle. I also had issues with the game freezing up and I had to press ctrl/alt/del to abandon ship.
Making large matches will create a bomb or lightning box of specified colors depending on which colored gem was matched when creating the powerup, therefore it must be included in a match with at least two other identically colored gems. It can be really difficult to find enough identically colored gems to make matches of more than 4 so the game can become a little boring when you are constantly making smaller matches.
The game is loaded with Obstacles, such as Chains, Double Chains, Crates, Frozen Tiles, Sand Tiles, Stone Tiles, Lava Tiles. etc. Obstacles with a number on them require you to make matches over all Sand tiles in the area (you cannot proceed until the number reaches 0) The most confusing obstacle was the Fire tiles which require making a match of fire tiles adjacent to the fire tile and then making matches next to the fire tile to create a path of fire ...underwater???? (good luck figuring this feature out!
The game is loaded with Obstacles, such as Chains, Double Chains, Crates, Frozen Tiles, Sand Tiles, Stone Tiles, Lava Tiles. etc. Obstacles with a number on them require you to make matches over all Sand tiles in the area (you cannot proceed until the number reaches 0) The most confusing obstacle was the Fire tiles which require making a match of fire tiles adjacent to the fire tile and then making matches next to the fire tile to create a path of fire ...underwater???? (good luck figuring this feature out!
What's not confusing is becoming an official Woodsey at my new forum where we have a daily game chat thread and group play games at thewoodsforum.boards.net
Extraterrestrials have arrived! Fortunately, they’re not here to invade, they just want to observe. Can you find them all?
Overall rating
4
/
5
56 of 71 found this review helpful
I BELIEVE!
PostedJanuary 2, 2022
pennmom36
from"Sometimes the Smallest Things Take Up The Most Room In Your Heart" ~ Forever in my heart, Loki ❣
Skill Level:Beginner
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
What an incredible Hidden Object game! This is the most unusual, unique, non-linear HO game I have ever played and Yustas has just raised the bar on how a game should be done! I haven't been this entertained by a game in a long, long time. Looking For Aliens is Light-years ahead of all those cookie-cutter games Big Fish has been offering lately and I strongly urge this developer to delve into the Hidden Object market because this game proves that THIS genre is actually their wheelhouse!
At first, you may be slightly intimidated because it's not easy to find the pictured items. Some of the objects, characters, and aliens are hidden in plain sight, some objects are blended into a crowd of people that look almost identical, others may require going on a hunting expedition that requires dragging the extended scene around. If you only play the first introductory level you will probably think this game is child's play as some of the CE reviewers would leave you to believe, but as you progress, this game can be quite challenging, and at times frustrating as you scour the scenes over and over to find the last few objects. I wish the developers had added an "I still believe but I give up" HINT button that showed you where an object of your choice was located...a testament of how challenging this game actually is!
You can interact with almost everything...in fact, you'll need to check under boulders, open doors, boxes, tents, and hatches to find the objects and/or aliens shown at the bottom of the screen. There are tons of achievements to earn for various interactions as well, such as eating 100+ food items, turning on monitors, etc. so click on everything and have fun with it! (there are no penalties for clicking and no timer, it's designed to put a smile on your face) Yustas has added some really clever interactions and their imagination, inner creativeness, and humor above all shine through in this incredible game.
If you can't find an object, you can click on that object's picture (bottom of the screen) to get a Text-based hint. I absolutely loved this feature that didn't take you to the exact location, but as I progressed, some of the items became frustrating to find and I would have loved an "I give up" hint button!
Each level requires you to find a certain number of objects to unlock the next level, which is shown in the lower right corner. Once you meet these criteria, you can opt to play the next level even if you haven't found all the pictured items. The Lock icon will change to a UFO when the next level can be accessed and the Level Monitors (level map icons) will show how many objects remain on each level. Objects that have a Star next to them indicate you must find every object in a set, for example, the pictured object may show a lady standing next to 4 tires so you'll have to find and click on 4 different tires to recreate the picture shown.
Collectibles:
Bonus Objects are available on each level and are shown on the bottom Left Corner. When you find all Bonus Items, you will earn a new Collectible Card (25 Bonus Cards total) This is an optional feature and you do not have to locate these items to proceed in the game. I think it would have been kind of cool if these Bonus Items were Morphing Objects to give them a bit more challenge??
Bonus Objects are available on each level and are shown on the bottom Left Corner. When you find all Bonus Items, you will earn a new Collectible Card (25 Bonus Cards total) This is an optional feature and you do not have to locate these items to proceed in the game. I think it would have been kind of cool if these Bonus Items were Morphing Objects to give them a bit more challenge??
Unlike most Hidden Object Games that have large, out-of-proportion objects slapped onto a stationary scene, Looking For Aliens is a moving scene with aliens and humans constantly moving around. The objects you search for not only tell a story, but they are proportionate and incredibly well hidden, it's almost like a "Spot The Difference" Interactive Hidden Object hybrid and practically impossible to describe!
Please give the demo a try long enough to get the hang of the unique type of gameplay. We tend to be critical when a game comes along that is different than what we have become accustomed to but I truly believe "The Truth Is Out There" and if you keep an open mind you will see that Yustas has put a lot of time and effort into making this unique and incredibly creative game!
The Collector's Edition version has 4 Wallpapers, 5 Music Soundtracks, 59 Achievements, 25 Collectible Bonus Cards, and 5 Bonus Levels.
Stop by my new forum and chat about the daily games or chit-chat with long-lost forum members. "If you go down in the woods today, you're sure of a big surprise" thewoodsforum.boards.net
I recommend this game!
Visit 28 cities across Europe on an unforgettable trip!
Overall rating
4
/
5
56 of 68 found this review helpful
NICE HOG BUT THE COLLECTIBLES NEED TO BE MORE CHALLENGING
PostedJanuary 1, 2022
pennmom36
from"Sometimes the Smallest Things Take Up The Most Room In Your Heart" ~ Forever in my heart, Loki ❣
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This is a fun Hidden Object Game that is very similar to my beloved Vacation Adventure series. Truthfully, the game features are basically identical, it just has a different family and they travel throughout Europe visiting 17 Countries and 28 Cities while telling us some interesting fun facts about the places they visit.
Really my only complaint is that there are numerous Collectibles that are impossible to miss because of their large size or how and where they are placed. This is what I refer to as Clickables versus Collectibles because collectibles are supposed to be an added challenge to find, (above and beyond the listed items) but these clickables are hard to miss!
There is a Raccoon, Jigsaw Puzzle Piece, a Postage Stamp, and 3 Silhouetted Shape items to find in every scene but they made no attempt to blend these items into the scenery so they are just another object to find and may as well be on the list. I get that the Raccoon is the company's mascot but he is out of place in every scene as he desperately tries to mingle with humans so he sticks out like a sore thumb. This could easily be solved by substituting him for the Company Logo which is also a raccoon but the logo could be made opaque and easily blended into the scenery (this is great PR as well and would eventually make the company logo easily recognized by tons of people)
You can only play in a Relaxed Mode, there are no Timed options to search for 12 Listed Items, as you progress there are also Descriptive Item Finds and scenes where you have to drag items from the Inventory Bar to the correct location in the scene where they belong logically. Items in "pink" text are hidden in or behind other objects, while items listed in blue are objects that require a task such as lighting a torch by finding the objects that require the interaction. There are a couple of Zoom Zones in each scene that will appear and disappear as the objects shown on the list are found or added.
There are 3 Silhouetted Shape items, shown one at a time, and each scene has the company's Raccoon mascot to find for bonus points. Speaking of Points...what's the Point? There's nothing to buy so why do I need them? Each item has a Postage Stamp to add to a Collection Album and a Jigsaw Puzzle Piece that allows you to assemble a 30 piece Jigsaw Puzzle once all pieces have been found.
You will earn a Red Star for completing the Hidden Object location, a Blue Star for finding all of the Silhouettes, and a Yellow Star for finding all of the Postage Stamps and Jigsaw Puzzle Pieces. There are 30 Scene locations that can be replayed but the objects to find remain the same each time which doesn't give it a good replay value. The Hint Feature will show you a single random object while the Super Hint briefly shows you all remaining available items.
After each Hidden Object Scene, you will play a mini-game such as Swapping sections of a picture, dragging a white pool ball along tracks so that it touches all the pool balls without backtracking, or swapping puzzle strips, and then sliding them right or left to recreate an image.
This Collector's Edition version has 8 Extra Hidden Object SceneLocations, 8 Extra Mini-games, 8 Extra Postage Stamps, 12 Wallpapers, and 20 Music Soundtracks.
Come join us for tons of fun at my new forum thewoodsforum.boards.net
I recommend this game!
Solve puzzling match-3 challenges while helping Morgan Johnson and Jack Brown’s on their latest case!
Overall rating
1
/
5
9 of 12 found this review helpful
CARTOONISH & BORING
PostedDecember 31, 2021
pennmom36
from"Sometimes the Smallest Things Take Up The Most Room In Your Heart" ~ Forever in my heart, Loki ❣
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
This is still a 32-bit game and it doesn't automatically adjust to fit larger screens so the boards are stretched out and out of proportion. I can look past this but why did they choose to downgrade the graphics to be about cartoon cutout figures with childish-looking icons? Even though they finally added a Timed option, it didn't help the gameplay, this is a really boring Match 3 game???!!!
There are some new obstacles lately, wooden crates that require an adjacent match that may or may not expose a golden tile, Gears, Chains, and Ropes (and eventually double chains and 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...again, it's just a pointless feature! 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. (and they were fake spiders, it's just make-believe folks lol)
There are some new obstacles lately, wooden crates that require an adjacent match that may or may not expose a golden tile, Gears, Chains, and Ropes (and eventually double chains and 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...again, it's just a pointless feature! 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. (and they were fake spiders, it's just make-believe folks lol)
The only goal really is to make matches over all of the Gold or Blue Cells and make the required number of matches of each specified element tile, the boards don't really progress in difficulty so it gets boring pretty quickly.
Making large matches fills the Energy Mana Meter, when full, you'll be able to use any powerup you want. They changed this feature slightly, and not necessarily for the better, by not allowing you to purchase the powerups you want, instead, they are added with each level with a limited amount versus unlimited uses of any powerup once purchased, and/or recharged by filling the Mana Meter.
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.
Here's a list of the available Power-ups (they are the same power-ups that do the same things in ALL of the Match 3 games by this developer, they just rename them to fit the storyline:
*Silver Hammer: destroys a single tile and/or chain.
*Small Bomb: destroys a 2 x 2 range of tiles cells/chains.
*Coiled Wire: destroys 5 horizontal tiles.
*Metal Fastener: destroys 5 vertical tiles (apparently they don't know this metal fastener is called a NUT as in bolts & nuts)
*Experimental Machine: destroys an entire horizontal row, cells/chains.
*Experimental Staff: destroys an entire vertical line, cells/chains.
*Strange Gear: destroys entire vertical & horizontal lines.
*Absorption Device: destroys all of the same tiles.
*Wheel: Shuffles the entire board.
*Prototype Rockets: destroys 20 random tiles.
*Big Explosive (TNT): destroys a 9 x 9 cluster of tiles, cells/chains.
*Zeppelin Core: destroys a massive 12 x 12 range of tiles.
*Silver Hammer: destroys a single tile and/or chain.
*Small Bomb: destroys a 2 x 2 range of tiles cells/chains.
*Coiled Wire: destroys 5 horizontal tiles.
*Metal Fastener: destroys 5 vertical tiles (apparently they don't know this metal fastener is called a NUT as in bolts & nuts)
*Experimental Machine: destroys an entire horizontal row, cells/chains.
*Experimental Staff: destroys an entire vertical line, cells/chains.
*Strange Gear: destroys entire vertical & horizontal lines.
*Absorption Device: destroys all of the same tiles.
*Wheel: Shuffles the entire board.
*Prototype Rockets: destroys 20 random tiles.
*Big Explosive (TNT): destroys a 9 x 9 cluster of tiles, cells/chains.
*Zeppelin Core: destroys a massive 12 x 12 range of tiles.
Come take a stroll through The Woods at my new forum. There's always something fun going on at thewoodsforum.boards.net