pennmom36's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.7
- Helpful Votes:358,445
- Reviews Submitted:4712
- First Review:December 10, 2012
- Most Recent Review:April 24, 2025
- Featured reviews0
Status:
European Quest
Visit incredible locations across Europe and solve a variety of challenging puzzles!
Overall rating
3
/
5
24 of 32 found this review helpful
SAME GAME WITH A DIFFERENT TITLE?
PostedOctober 31, 2021
pennmom36
fromRemembering You Is Easy, I Do It Every Day-Missing You Is A Heartache That Never Goes Away ~ 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
I'm not really sure why this developer has chosen to change the title on the last few games offered when they are identical to Summer Adventure, Mediterranean Journey, Around the World With The Johnson Family, and Mary's Family Take A Vacation.
The characters have changed (slightly) and a Morphing Object and single Coin have been added to each scene, but the features, mini-games, and gameplay are so identical that you probably wouldn't know you were playing a new game title if you were playing the Summer Adventures series and European Quest was thrown into the same pile!
If the developer wanted to branch out from the Mediterranean region, surely Summer Adventures was broad enough to accommodate just about any vacation destination? My point is, it feels like we are getting somewhat deceived when a brand new game title is offered as "Tomorrow's Game Today" but in reality, it's not a new game, it's just a new title! I wouldn't feel this way if it was introduced as another game in the Summer Adventures series because I expect series games to be identical for the most part.
In spite of my "New Title~Same Game" conspiracy statement, I do respect this developer and appreciate that they read the reviews and make a conscious effort to improve the gameplay. They have reduced the size of the Listed Objects to a more reasonable and realistic size, as well as the proportion which wasn't always the case. In the earlier games, a spider was larger than a car, a calculator towered over skyscrapers, a loaf of French Bread was so massive it could have fed the Earth's population for three square meals! The graphics have come a long way (still room for improvement) and they have added new features occasionally, such as Morphs, Collectible Coins, and finding 3 Puppies per scene.
The Hidden Object Scenes can be played in an Easy Mode with no Timer or Misclick Penalties, a Normal Mode which is Timed but has no Misclick Penalties, or a Hard Mode which has a Timer and Misclick Penalties. You can earn up to 3 Stars per level, one Star for completing the scene, one for finding all of the collectibles Hearts, and the third for finding all 3 Dogs (Bella's Location) There is a Zoom +/- feature (click to zoom & drag the screen around) as well as a Hint Feature that must recharge after each use. In the Timed Mode, you are given approximately 15 minutes to find 15 Listed items. Each scene has a single Zoom Zone location that contains the final 3 objects, or the first 3 objects, or quite possibly the middle 3 objects, depending on how you look at it.
Each scene contains 1 Gold coin which is way too big to miss. I like this feature but it would be really cool if they added several smaller coins, similar to the Gardenscapes games where coins were scattered throughout the scenes, some were partially hidden and they were always nicely blended into the scenery. It was really fun trying to find all of the coins versus just a single giant coin. If the developer added a Treasure Hunt feature where you could find several coins in each scene, it would take this 3-star game to a 5-star game! Then they could add a NEW feature where you could use those coins to purchase downloadable wallpapers of the Scene Locations or unlock additional HO scenes, maybe even purchase coins from around the world...an even better feature would be to use the coins to unlock a series of HO Scavenger Hunt scenes where you find items according to Riddle Descriptions... let's talk!
They have also added a single Morphing Object to each scene for extra points/money. Most of the morphs don't morph into completely different objects (some do) most of the objects morph into a different color which can be harder to spot.
They have also added a single Morphing Object to each scene for extra points/money. Most of the morphs don't morph into completely different objects (some do) most of the objects morph into a different color which can be harder to spot.
Each scene has 3 Hearts and Dogs to find. Finding all 3 Hearts will unlock 3 new animal pictures (180) in an album. Finding all 3 Dogs will open up Bella's Location which adds that scene to Bella's Album (60 scene locations total) You can also purchase 18 Gift Shop Souvenirs with the points/money earned and you replay any HO scene to improve your star rating or find missing hearts, dogs, coins, and/or morphs, but the objects to find are different each time you play. You can also enable/disable the HO modes which introduce Scrambled Words in levels 21-40, and Missing Letter Mode in levels 41-60.
After each Hidden Object Scene, you'll play a Short mini-game because Tall mini-games don't fit into the game very well. Mini-games include Solitaire, Memory Match, Spot the Differences, Mahjong, a Maze where you use directional arrows to guide a puppy icon to the exit, etc. The games are getting quite repetitive because they don't create new puzzles, they have the same solution from game to game...at least offer new levels of these puzzles, please!
It's Halloween time in The Woods! Come join us...if you dare bwahahaha thewoodsforum.boards.net
I recommend this game!
The secret of the fairies lies deep in the English countryside.
Overall rating
3
/
5
134 of 156 found this review helpful
OH LOOK, A NEW TITLE...WAIT A MINUTE, WHY DOES THIS GAME GIVE ME DEJA VU?
PostedOctober 29, 2021
pennmom36
fromRemembering You Is Easy, I Do It Every Day-Missing You Is A Heartache That Never Goes Away ~ Forever in my heart, Loki ❣
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Completed Game approximately 6.0 hours
(including completion of all Mini-games & CE Bonus Chapter)
23 Main Game Scene Locations +12 Bonus Chapter
Difficulty Range: Beginner-Possibly Intermediate
(including completion of all Mini-games & CE Bonus Chapter)
23 Main Game Scene Locations +12 Bonus Chapter
Difficulty Range: Beginner-Possibly Intermediate
WHO DOESN'T LOVE FAIRIES?
I for one love Fairy-themed fantasy games and I was thrilled to see a new series in this genre. I won't lie, once I realized Domini was the developer, I was "fairy-ly" certain this would be a huge letdown. To my surprise, the graphics were amazing and more surprisingly, the storyline was pretty decent too! Unfortunately, it only took a couple of scenes before I started experiencing Deja Vu. I've played this exact game hundreds of times and if you've played any Domini game lately, you've already played this game too because the gameplay itself never changes!
I for one love Fairy-themed fantasy games and I was thrilled to see a new series in this genre. I won't lie, once I realized Domini was the developer, I was "fairy-ly" certain this would be a huge letdown. To my surprise, the graphics were amazing and more surprisingly, the storyline was pretty decent too! Unfortunately, it only took a couple of scenes before I started experiencing Deja Vu. I've played this exact game hundreds of times and if you've played any Domini game lately, you've already played this game too because the gameplay itself never changes!
I was really hoping that Domini had donned a shiny new set of Fairy Wings befitting of this new fantasy HOPA series but it appears someone has clipped this fairy's wings! Sometimes pretty isn't enough, if nothing ever changes from one game to the next, from one series to another, who cares about a new title and pretty graphics?
We only have 2-3 HOPA developers remaining yet the HOPA audience remains massive, so if developers & BF want to survive, it's critical to appease the fans who visit this site daily just to see if there is a new HOPA game offered...think about this statement...and consider my advice, please. Both the developers and Big Fish mistakenly believe that the HOPA-era is dying because they can't bother to ask the right people the right questions! We are still here, we are still diehard fans of the genre, we are still paying customers, we just don't like these newer games that practically play themselves! If they gave us an opportunity to explain, they would discover that the majority of HOPA fans are forced to replay older games developed from 2013 to 2017 because they don't like the drastic change in gameplay the developers have taken.
This says it all folks...we love this genre so much that we replay the older, decent ones, just to get our "HOPA-fixes" Everyone says "I'll go replay an older HOPA and patiently wait for a decent game to come along" and that should be an eye-opening wake-up call! Nowadays, you'll never hear a HOPA fan say "this new HOPA is better than the oldies-but-goodies games from yesteryear, wow, what a keeper!" In case the developers and BF are still wondering what made the old games so good and why the new ones don't thrill anyone past a 3.5 average rating...It's because the dumbed-down, repetitive gameplay NEVER changes in the games from 2018 to the present! I realize you have a hard time believing this, but we are actually intelligent people and we are more than capable of figuring out what to do in a HOPA game (and the whole point of playing them is to sleuth and solve! Did you guys forget what the point of a HOPA game is?)...the bigger question is, "are YOU capable of creating a game with logical tasks"?
COLLECTIBLES & MORPHING OBJECTS (CE Only):
It's hard to enjoy a repetitive Collectible offered game after game and even though this is a brand new series, the collectibles/morphs are exactly the same! Once again, there is a gazillion Missing Notes to discover, 15 Morphing Magic Items, and 15 Fairy Figurines to click on. I say click on versus collect because they are never challenging to find, they just require the player to click on them...clickables, NOT collectibles! Once again, there are 70 Zoom Zone Coin Leaves that are used to purchase 15 decorations for Queen Mab's Hut. The decorations are always spewn about the room with seemingly no rhyme or reason, and they certainly aren't an exciting addition to the game. There is an optional Collection Icon Tab that can be enabled or disabled in the settings menu which lights up when a clickable is available in the scene. You can also choose to show/hide the availability of collectibles on the Map.
COLLECTIBLES & MORPHING OBJECTS (CE Only):
It's hard to enjoy a repetitive Collectible offered game after game and even though this is a brand new series, the collectibles/morphs are exactly the same! Once again, there is a gazillion Missing Notes to discover, 15 Morphing Magic Items, and 15 Fairy Figurines to click on. I say click on versus collect because they are never challenging to find, they just require the player to click on them...clickables, NOT collectibles! Once again, there are 70 Zoom Zone Coin Leaves that are used to purchase 15 decorations for Queen Mab's Hut. The decorations are always spewn about the room with seemingly no rhyme or reason, and they certainly aren't an exciting addition to the game. There is an optional Collection Icon Tab that can be enabled or disabled in the settings menu which lights up when a clickable is available in the scene. You can also choose to show/hide the availability of collectibles on the Map.
HIDDEN OBJECT SCENES:
There are 13 Hidden Object Scenes +5 in the CE Bonus Chapter, the same amount offered in every game because as I said the game mechanics are the same in every game, they only change the graphics & story, everything else is a carbon copy. The Hidden Object Scenes vary with Keywords in Sentence Finds, Silhouetted Shape Finds, Matching Objects, Multiples of the Same Item Finds, Progressive-Interactive Finds, and good Old-fashioned Interactive Listed Item Finds.
There are 13 Hidden Object Scenes +5 in the CE Bonus Chapter, the same amount offered in every game because as I said the game mechanics are the same in every game, they only change the graphics & story, everything else is a carbon copy. The Hidden Object Scenes vary with Keywords in Sentence Finds, Silhouetted Shape Finds, Matching Objects, Multiples of the Same Item Finds, Progressive-Interactive Finds, and good Old-fashioned Interactive Listed Item Finds.
MATCH 3 ALTERNATIVE:
There is an alternate Match 3 Game available, which still doesn't allow you to make consecutive matches quickly because you have to wait for all tiles to stop falling before you can make the next match which makes the game super boring. The 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, 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-PUZZLES:
There are 16 Mini-Games +9 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)
There are 16 Mini-Games +9 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)
BONUS CHAPTER: (CE Version Only)
You play as a young Maryam, a character from the main game on a mission to save the fairies from the clutches of evildoers. There are 5 Hidden Object scenes and 9 Mini-games spread out over 12 additional scene locations filled with even more repetitive tasks. You will continue your search for the final 4 Fairy Figurines, 6 Morphing Magic Items, and 12 Zoom Zone Leaf Coins of varying amounts which allows you to purchase the final decorations for Queen Mab's Hut...same collectibles/morphs different names.
You play as a young Maryam, a character from the main game on a mission to save the fairies from the clutches of evildoers. There are 5 Hidden Object scenes and 9 Mini-games spread out over 12 additional scene locations filled with even more repetitive tasks. You will continue your search for the final 4 Fairy Figurines, 6 Morphing Magic Items, and 12 Zoom Zone Leaf Coins of varying amounts which allows you to purchase the final decorations for Queen Mab's Hut...same collectibles/morphs different names.
COLLECTOR'S EDITION EXTRA'S: (CE version only)
21 Wallpapers (I have to admit that the wallpapers are gorgeous, some of them are without characters slapped all over them!) 21 Concept Art Pictures, 5 Music Soundtracks, 25 Movie Video Cutscenes, 36 Achievements, 18 Replayable Mini-Games, 18 Replayable Hidden Object Scenes, 15 Morphing Magic Items, 15 Fairy Figurine Clickables,70 Zoom-Zone Coin Leaves, 15 Queen Mab's Hut decorations (purchase with leaves) 8 excessively long Main Chapters, +Bonus Chapter, and a Built-In Strategy Guide.
21 Wallpapers (I have to admit that the wallpapers are gorgeous, some of them are without characters slapped all over them!) 21 Concept Art Pictures, 5 Music Soundtracks, 25 Movie Video Cutscenes, 36 Achievements, 18 Replayable Mini-Games, 18 Replayable Hidden Object Scenes, 15 Morphing Magic Items, 15 Fairy Figurine Clickables,70 Zoom-Zone Coin Leaves, 15 Queen Mab's Hut decorations (purchase with leaves) 8 excessively long Main Chapters, +Bonus Chapter, and a Built-In Strategy Guide.
We haven't seen any Fairies yet but we do have plenty of forest critters at my new forum so swing by, feed the bears, reconnect with long-lost forum friends and become an official Woosdey...thewoodsforum.boards.net
Can you rescue your daughter from her puppet look-alike?
Overall rating
3
/
5
89 of 111 found this review helpful
ECHO OF THE PAST***IN THE PAST GAMES WERE FANTASTIC***NOW WE GET THIS??
PostedOctober 28, 2021
pennmom36
fromRemembering You Is Easy, I Do It Every Day-Missing You Is A Heartache That Never Goes Away ~ 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
Completed Game approximately 4.5 hours
(including completion of all mini-games & CE Bonus Chapter)
20 Main Game Scene Locations +6 Bonus Chapter
Difficulty Range: Beginner
(including completion of all mini-games & CE Bonus Chapter)
20 Main Game Scene Locations +6 Bonus Chapter
Difficulty Range: Beginner
What happened to Grim Tales? In the beginning, this was one of my top 10 favorite HOPA series (start playing the series from the beginning, you won't regret it!) The story was really good but then for some odd reason, Elephant took a 180-degree turn, adding new characters, and ditching beloved ones. Grim Tales started morphing into a saga that was far from the original plot, wandering all over the place as if they had forgotten what the saga was about. Eventually, they settled into a story that focused on Anna Gray's time-traveling character and her dead daddy Richard as her otherworldly sidekick. Admittedly, I wasn't crazy about the new path Grim Tales had embarked upon, but eventually, I became a fan of Richard's sarcastic personality and the fact that Anna lugged her daddy's skull around in her purse. Grim Tales is morphing again as Anna seems to be passing the torch on to her only daughter Alice...if she ever makes it through her childhood because she's been kidnapped twice now in the few games offered since her introduction!
If my daughter was kidnapped I would be inconsolable and moving mountains to find her yet both times Anna nonchalantly goes about her investigation as if this were the next-door neighbor's dog that went MIA??? It's bad enough that the developers can't keep up with their own plot, but they never seem to bother to listen to all the reviewers who keep asking for games with decent gameplay, NOT a game whose only challenge involves placing an emblem of the right shape! Cut glass with glass high heels? Mannequin body parts hidden within a brick wall? Cutting a perfect Windstar out of a thick piece of wood using a chisel and hammer? (and of course, it fits perfectly without any adjustments) REALLY? If the developer doesn't care, why should I?
BONUS CHAPTER: (Collector's Edition version only)
Travel back in time to the days where Anastasia and Richard first met. Naturally, there's evil-doing going on as momma Elanor tries to bring her son back from the dead. There are 6 additional Mini-Games and 4 Hidden Object Scenes. After completing the Bonus Chapter, you'll gain entry to the Archives, Expedition, and Secret Rooms.
COLLECTOR'S EDITION EXTRA'S:
1 Wallpaper, 1 Jigsaw Fragment Puzzle Screensaver, 5 Music Soundtracks, 22 Achievements, 12 Collectible Theater Props, 24 Zoom Zone Jigsaw Puzzle Fragments, a Secret Room (return to scenes in a timed scavenger hunt) Expedition Room (return to scenes to search for missed Collectibles & Jigsaw Puzzle Fragments) Archives Room (replay 13 Hidden Object Scenes and 13 Mini-games) 3 Main Chapters +Bonus Chapter, and a Built-In Strategy Guide.
Travel back in time to the days where Anastasia and Richard first met. Naturally, there's evil-doing going on as momma Elanor tries to bring her son back from the dead. There are 6 additional Mini-Games and 4 Hidden Object Scenes. After completing the Bonus Chapter, you'll gain entry to the Archives, Expedition, and Secret Rooms.
COLLECTOR'S EDITION EXTRA'S:
1 Wallpaper, 1 Jigsaw Fragment Puzzle Screensaver, 5 Music Soundtracks, 22 Achievements, 12 Collectible Theater Props, 24 Zoom Zone Jigsaw Puzzle Fragments, a Secret Room (return to scenes in a timed scavenger hunt) Expedition Room (return to scenes to search for missed Collectibles & Jigsaw Puzzle Fragments) Archives Room (replay 13 Hidden Object Scenes and 13 Mini-games) 3 Main Chapters +Bonus Chapter, and a Built-In Strategy Guide.
If you go down in the woods today, you're sure of a big surprise...join us won't you? thewoodsforum.boards.net
I don't recommend this game.
Piece together some visual Halloween treats with this incredible set of jigsaw puzzles!
Overall rating
4
/
5
18 of 24 found this review helpful
THE JIGSAW MAKER MASTER RETURNS!
PostedOctober 28, 2021
pennmom36
fromRemembering You Is Easy, I Do It Every Day-Missing You Is A Heartache That Never Goes Away ~ Forever in my heart, Loki ❣
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Although these images didn't blow my socks off like Puzzle Pieces: Fairy Ring did, this is still another Jigsaw Puzzle geeks' dream come true, piece of artwork. The "other" jigsaw puzzle developer seems to be stuck on the 8th-floor while Graphium Studios has risen to the penthouse floor!
There are 5 Chapters with 36 Customizable images per chapter. You can choose from 10 different Puzzle Piece shapes, such as batwing or werewolf tabs, and my personal favorite, a simple square with no tabs at all. There are 10 different background colors/patterns to choose from, and you can Ghost the image or show a picture preview. There is a Hint feature, an auto-solve, border only, shuffle, and zoom feature as well. You can also choose to use the left or right mouse to drag the board and you can adjust the brightness and warmth of the screen.
I would love to see a few more features added such as the ability to grab several pieces to move them around, even better to have a sorting feature and a feature to align puzzle pieces easily. I loved the creepy audio FX with owls hooting in the background. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays and there are plenty of puzzles to keep this puzzle geek happy for quite some time!
Stop by my new forum and say hello! thewoodsforum.boards.net
I recommend this game!
With this series, painting has never been easier! Avoid purchasing expensive painting supplies and making a mess. Just relax and enjoy!
Overall rating
2
/
5
45 of 67 found this review helpful
I APPRECIATE THE NEW FEATURES BUT "PAINTING GAMES" ARE ALL ABOUT THE IMAGES!
PostedOctober 26, 2021
pennmom36
fromRemembering You Is Easy, I Do It Every Day-Missing You Is A Heartache That Never Goes Away ~ Forever in my heart, Loki ❣
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
I mean no disrespect to this developer with my rating, and I appreciate that this developer finally added a couple of new features, but in the end, it's still a painting game that doesn't allow you to paint the entire scene. Picture after picture, all we get is a simplistic image centered in the middle, most are just designs in an oval or circle shape with thick black lines separating the colors.
This is a painting game so why on Earth don't any of the images include being able to paint the entire scene...even if it's just an abstract design? I've been saying it for a while now, this developer really needs to invest in a graphics artist or have someone else choose the images and colors while he sticks to the coding and development aspects of the game if he really wants to "draw" in more fans, a.k.a. paying clients! A painting game needs to have interesting images, more importantly, the colors need to pop with vibrant colors, if the colors have a wow factor, the painter won't mind an uninteresting image as much.
A great idea would be to create each game with a theme (make sure to include the theme in the title, such as Paint by Numbers: Dragons-or Paint by Numbers: Wildlife) It would be even cooler to tell a story with those images, for example, a Dragon themed game could begin with a detailed picture of a dragon egg in a nest with an intricate background with wild and crazy colors. The next picture would show the baby dragon perhaps learning to fly? There doesn't have to be a single word added to tell an epic story, and you already make us finish the pictures in one level before proceeding to the next so the story scenario would totally work (I'd love to help!)
There are a couple of new features. They have finally included a Cell Count Tab, the first one shows how many cells are available in the currently selected color, the second tab shows the total number of cells for the entire image and it keeps track of your progress. (for example 12/50) They have also added a Freeplay Section which allows you to choose your own colors. This sounds like an amazing addition but the Freeplay section isn't very Freeplay-friendly! You have to complete the image in the main game before it becomes available in the Freeplay section. The color selection is limited, you have to click on the individual color cells available, in other words, it's not like a color wheel that allows you to move a cursor around to create a custom color with billions of color combo choices :(
There are a couple of new features. They have finally included a Cell Count Tab, the first one shows how many cells are available in the currently selected color, the second tab shows the total number of cells for the entire image and it keeps track of your progress. (for example 12/50) They have also added a Freeplay Section which allows you to choose your own colors. This sounds like an amazing addition but the Freeplay section isn't very Freeplay-friendly! You have to complete the image in the main game before it becomes available in the Freeplay section. The color selection is limited, you have to click on the individual color cells available, in other words, it's not like a color wheel that allows you to move a cursor around to create a custom color with billions of color combo choices :(
They did make the cursor tip slightly smaller and less bulky and you can now drag the cursor to fill in the colors on the entire board as long as you don't let go of the mouse button. In other words, as long as you left-click & hold before dragging a color, only the current number will be filled in, all other numbers will be ignored until you release the mouse button.
Again, this is a painting game...so it would be nice to have some actual paintbrush tip options ("options" is the keyword here as in more than one) There is also a Hint button that will point to any missed areas of the current color, without penalty if you don't feel like swiping over the whole board to catch missed areas.
Again, this is a painting game...so it would be nice to have some actual paintbrush tip options ("options" is the keyword here as in more than one) There is also a Hint button that will point to any missed areas of the current color, without penalty if you don't feel like swiping over the whole board to catch missed areas.
Paint By Numbers is a computer version of Oil or Colored Pencil Paint by Numbers. The only difference is that in real paint by numbers artwork, you get the option to choose colors that are bright and vivid, and each adjacent color has a sharply contrasting color (with very thin black lines separating the colors) resulting in a very beautiful and colorful finished painting. Each area has a number and you simply choose the corresponding color bubble from the palette (also numbered) on the right side, left-click to fill in all the numbers with the correct color.
There is a Slider Bar that allows you to zoom in & out as well as a "fit" tab. You can move the entire page around by right-clicking and dragging, and there is a slider bar that allows you to change the color of the background as well.
There are a ton of Painting games available nowadays with way better graphics so they have built a better mousetrap so to speak. BTW: I'm always willing to help devs, especially my beloved Indies!
Become an official Woodsey and create your own pixel art at my new forum! thewoodsforum.boards.net ☯
Gather your courage, explore an eerie swamp, and solve incredible new mosaics puzzles!
Overall rating
3
/
5
25 of 46 found this review helpful
JUST ANOTHER MANIC FM MONDAY
PostedOctober 25, 2021
pennmom36
fromRemembering You Is Easy, I Do It Every Day-Missing You Is A Heartache That Never Goes Away ~ Forever in my heart, Loki ❣
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
These are the easiest griddlers Fantasy Mosaics have ever offered. There is absolutely no challenge whatsoever, and the graphics seem pretty dull and unappealing which has never been the case with this series in the past? I must admit, I'm pretty tired of the Penguin saga, didn't they just get back from the Haunted Forest...this tells me they are running out of Penguin dilemmas?
The Zen Mode has returned for those who prefer to solve the griddlers without all the hand/flipper holding. In Zen Mode, the numbers aren't crossed off but Mistakes aren't counted against you either, because chances are, you'll have to edit some of the cells as you switch between colors. You can delete filled-in or crossed-off cells by right-clicking the cell in Zen Mode, and you'll know you have completed a particular color correctly because a checkmark will appear on the color bubble.
You can play in a Casual Mode which crosses off the cells one by one, or the Advanced Mode, which only crosses off the remaining cells once the entire row and column have been filled in. You will earn a Gold trophy if you make no mistakes, a Silver trophy if you make one mistake, and a Bronze trophy if you make two mistakes. You will also earn up to three gold Stars if you don't use any hints, one star is deducted each time you use a hint. Therefore, it is possible to make a mistake or two but still earn 3 stars as long as you don't use any available hints.
There are 20 locations, and each location has 5 Griddlers and an additional mini-game. You can choose from 7 different tile sets, ranging in color vibrancy, and styles. Locked Colors can be disabled in the Settings menu, otherwise, some of the colors are locked and unavailable until you uncover color-specific keys that are hidden beneath some of the filled-in cells The Eye feature allows you to hide the grid to get a look at the puzzle without all the grid lines, and there is a reset icon that makes it much easier to restart the level if you make a mistake.
There are groups of numbers located on each column and row of the grid, each group of numbers must be separated by at least one blank or crossed off cell. Sometimes it's easier to cross-off cells that can't possibly contain a filled-in cell, which will reduce the number of cells and narrow the playing field down a bit, when you get stuck, you can switch colors and work back and forth until it's solved.
Some of the cells contain bonuses such as extra hints, extra mistakes allowed, or an extra pickax which allows you to choose which cell you want a hint on, and some cells contain keys to unlock colors (unless you disable this feature in settings) There is a Sun icon as well that when fully charged, will give you a mega-hint, filling in or crossing off a 3x3 area of your choice.
Stop by my new forum and feed the bears in The Woods at thewoodsforum.boards.net
I don't recommend this game.
Sort through the clutter and help the Walker family decorate their home for Halloween!
Overall rating
3
/
5
51 of 75 found this review helpful
A VAST IMPROVEMENT...I'd give it 3.5 stars
PostedOctober 23, 2021
pennmom36
fromRemembering You Is Easy, I Do It Every Day-Missing You Is A Heartache That Never Goes Away ~ Forever in my heart, Loki ❣
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
I've got to give credit when credit is due (and this game is long overdue) I actually enjoyed playing this demo because the "clutter" objects were more interesting, and they added a few new types of puzzles. To be clear, I hated the puzzle where you had to place squares on the top, but at least they tried to offer a new type of puzzle.
This series still needs to improve and they certainly dropped the ball by not adding a spooky Halloween soundtrack. It still lacks a wow factor because I still got bored playing the demo and I really have no interest in purchasing the game as I would in the original Clutter games, but compared to the last several games in this series, it's a vast improvement!
Most of the levels involve finding related pairs such as Bats, Skulls, Cats, Hands, Heads, or Ghosts followed by Matching Pairs with the occasional Triplets of objects. Some of the levels have semi-transparent objects or colored silhouettes which I've never been a fan of. I did find a few of the levels to be quite challenging (in the Difficult-timed setting) especially when tasked with finding pairs that were of different colors in the same size.
There are two modes of difficulty, Easy Mode which has no time restraints, and a Difficult, Limited-time Mode that gives you 500 extra points for not using Hints, and 10 extra points for time remaining. There are 140 Clutter-type levels that can be replayed if you want to earn a better score and there are 20 Puzzles available as well.
Each scene has a ton of GIANT Sun Emblems scattered among the junkpiles to recharge the Hint Meter, seriously, what's the ratio of the number of objects required to find versus how many Sun Hints there actually are? The only reason I click on them is that their presence annoys me and they are always in the way, they need to be smaller, much smaller!
Come take a stroll through The Woods at my new forum at thewoodsforum.boards.net
Join Catana in his epic battle while creating mutant matches to defeat killer veggies!
Overall rating
4
/
5
49 of 62 found this review helpful
STRANGELY ADDICTING
PostedOctober 18, 2021
pennmom36
fromRemembering You Is Easy, I Do It Every Day-Missing You Is A Heartache That Never Goes Away ~ Forever in my heart, Loki ❣
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
This game is kind of a hybrid between Claws & Feathers (one of my favorite games) and Fruit Ninja. Basically, you move Catana, the ninja cat in training, by dragging a line of blocks. You can move up to 9 blocks at a time and if plotted strategically, you can take out several fruits along that path. Just like in Claws & Feathers, spores are created on the blocks that will turn into adults on the next turn but they can be destroyed as spores if you include those blocks on your plotted move.
Here's where the game gets interesting, some of the fruit (and eventually hamburgers, etc) get angry so you have to avoid them for one or two moves or they will explode and take one of your lives which also prevents you from getting a Red Heart versus a Black Heart score!
You can play in an Easy mode which gives you 9 Lives and fewer enemies, a Normal Mode with 5 Lives and a moderate amount of enemies, or a Hard Mode which only gives you 3 Lives and has hoards of enemies. You can also choose to select the Tactical option which allows you to select the blocks one at a time and then click GO to move Catana, or the Fast option which allows you to drag the desired path and Catana automatically moves once you release the mouse button.
As you progress, obstacles are added such as Armored Fruit that requires a double whammy to destroy them. Crates must be destroyed by landing on them, and when you encounter the Mutant Snapdragon Boss, it takes several landings on the Snapdragon to destroy him...be careful and wait for the snapdragon to sway back and forth to make sure the fruits guarding him aren't angry because sometimes they are hard to see until the plant sways to the side!
Eventually, you will earn Bonus Powerups such as Tea Potions that will Calm all of the angry fruits or the Circle of Blades which will destroy everything within a 9 tile radius to get you out of a tight squeeze.
There are 110 Levels and 10 Achievements to earn so I am looking forward to slashing a bunch of fruit! Come join the fun at my new forum at thewoodsforum.boards.net
I recommend this game!
Follow an up-and-coming agrarian on the adventure of a lifetime!
Overall rating
1
/
5
8 of 9 found this review helpful
CUCKOO FOR COCOA PUFFS
PostedOctober 17, 2021
pennmom36
fromRemembering You Is Easy, I Do It Every Day-Missing You Is A Heartache That Never Goes Away ~ 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
I hate Time Management games that require several extra steps to complete a simple task. Not only is this a huge click-fest game, but it was a repetitive click-fest game involving something to do with Cocoa and I was bored out of my ever-lovin' cocoa mind!
Click on the patch of cocoa trees, then click another button to harvest them. After harvesting the cocoa I have to water the cocoa by clicking another button to send a worker.
After harvesting the cocoa, I have to sell the cocoa by clicking two more buttons, one to sell the cocoa, another to select what amount of cocoa I want to sell.
After harvesting the cocoa, I have to sell the cocoa by clicking two more buttons, one to sell the cocoa, another to select what amount of cocoa I want to sell.
Moving along, I have to build a cocoa mill by clicking a couple of buttons. After building a cocoa mill, I have sent a worker to grind the cocoa. Then I have to sell the cocoa powder to the market by clicking a few more cocoa buttons.
We're not done clicking yet, we have to send a worker to upgrade the cocoa fields...and then water the cocoa fields, then grind the cocoa, then sell the cocoa, then hire more cocoa workers, then water the cocoa, then harvest the cocoa...are you kidding me, is there anything in this game that isn't cocoa related?
The CE version has 16 Achievements, 5 Music Soundtracks, 10 really boring Concept Art pictures, 50 Hidden Jigsaw Puzzle Pieces, 50 Levels, and a whole lotta cocoa-clicking tasks.
I don't recommend this game.
Follow an up-and-coming agrarian on the adventure of a lifetime!
Overall rating
1
/
5
9 of 11 found this review helpful
THOUGHT I'D GO OUT OF MY COCOA-LOVING MIND!
PostedOctober 17, 2021
pennmom36
fromRemembering You Is Easy, I Do It Every Day-Missing You Is A Heartache That Never Goes Away ~ 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
I hate Time Management games that require several extra steps to complete a simple task. Not only is this a huge click-fest game, but it was a repetitive click-fest game involving something to do with Cocoa and I was bored out of my ever-lovin' cocoa mind!
Click on the patch of cocoa trees, then click another button to harvest them. After harvesting the cocoa I have to water the cocoa by clicking another button to send a worker.
After harvesting the cocoa, I have to sell the cocoa by clicking two more buttons, one to sell the cocoa, another to select what amount of cocoa I want to sell.
Moving along, I have to build a cocoa mill by clicking a couple of buttons. After building a cocoa mill, I have sent a worker to grind the cocoa. Then I have to sell the cocoa powder to the market by clicking a few more cocoa buttons.
We're not done clicking yet, we have to send a worker to upgrade the cocoa fields...and then water the cocoa fields, then grind the cocoa, then sell the cocoa, then hire more cocoa workers, then water the cocoa, then harvest the cocoa...are you kidding me, is there anything in this game that isn't cocoa related?
This CE version has 16 Achievements, 5 Music Soundtracks, 10 really boring Concept Art pictures, 50 Hidden Jigsaw Puzzle Pieces, 50 Levels, and a whole lotta cocoa-clicking tasks.
I don't recommend this game.