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:
Can you save the worlds from a deadly creation in time?
Overall rating
4
/
5
89 of 103 found this review helpful
HOLY DRAGON'S BREATH, THIS MUST BE DRAGON WEEK
PostedJanuary 21, 2021
pennmom36
fromThe morpho butterflies comprise many species of Neotropical butterfly under the genus Morpho. This genus includes more than 29 accepted species and 147 accepted subspecies, found mostly in South America, Mexico, and Central America.
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
Completed Game approximately 6.0 hours
(including completion of all mini-games & CE Bonus Chapter)
25 Main Game Scene Locations +10 Bonus Chapter
Difficulty Range: Beginner
(including completion of all mini-games & CE Bonus Chapter)
25 Main Game Scene Locations +10 Bonus Chapter
Difficulty Range: Beginner
SOS, we have an emergency distress signal coming from the Frostwind World that is emitting huge energy bursts and crazy Northern Light phenomena's. The Order of the Seekers Council has asked Simon to assist Davona in a search and rescue mission, but what they discover is a strange and beautiful world where dragons freely roam!
Gadgets/Helper:
You will eventually become the proud parent of your very own baby Dragon which basically does what no Bic Lighter can't, well, actually the lighter can do just about everything the Dragon can do, and amazingly, he fits in the inventory bar better than a bic lighter?
Gadgets/Helper:
You will eventually become the proud parent of your very own baby Dragon which basically does what no Bic Lighter can't, well, actually the lighter can do just about everything the Dragon can do, and amazingly, he fits in the inventory bar better than a bic lighter?
Audio/Video Quality
No doubt Domini has beautiful graphics and they are well adept at subtle music cues that do exactly what they are supposed to do...go unnoticed yet set the pace. They are also really clever at placing several interactive "toys" for the player to fiddle with, turning lights on/off, making ropes untie or move, or animals scamper...but have you ever noticed that after the demo there's hardly anything you can interact with? $"gotcha" $
No doubt Domini has beautiful graphics and they are well adept at subtle music cues that do exactly what they are supposed to do...go unnoticed yet set the pace. They are also really clever at placing several interactive "toys" for the player to fiddle with, turning lights on/off, making ropes untie or move, or animals scamper...but have you ever noticed that after the demo there's hardly anything you can interact with? $"gotcha" $
Collectibles & Morphing Objects (CE Version Only):
There are 15 Morphing Dragons/Butterflies (Morpho is a butterfly btw) 15 Collectible Constellations, and 15 Frozen Garden Items to thaw using the 70 Collectible Crystal Currency. You can opt to show/hide a collectibles tab on the inventory bar that will open a specific icon when there is a collectible available.
There are 15 Morphing Dragons/Butterflies (Morpho is a butterfly btw) 15 Collectible Constellations, and 15 Frozen Garden Items to thaw using the 70 Collectible Crystal Currency. You can opt to show/hide a collectibles tab on the inventory bar that will open a specific icon when there is a collectible available.
Hidden Object Scenes:
There are 11 Hidden Object Scenes +7 in the CE Bonus Chapter and an alternate Match 3 Game available. The Match 3 Game would be amazing if they allowed you to make fast consecutive matches, it would be cool if they put a little effort into this aspect to make the boards get progressively more difficult, added more tiles or something other than a square board with no obstacles??!! There are Interactive Listed Item Finds, Replacing items into the Scene, Silhouetted Shapes, Multiples of Item Finds, Items Related or Keywords in Sentence Finds, Matching Pair Finds, Swatches Finds, and Spot The Differences available.
There are 11 Hidden Object Scenes +7 in the CE Bonus Chapter and an alternate Match 3 Game available. The Match 3 Game would be amazing if they allowed you to make fast consecutive matches, it would be cool if they put a little effort into this aspect to make the boards get progressively more difficult, added more tiles or something other than a square board with no obstacles??!! There are Interactive Listed Item Finds, Replacing items into the Scene, Silhouetted Shapes, Multiples of Item Finds, Items Related or Keywords in Sentence Finds, Matching Pair Finds, Swatches Finds, and Spot The Differences available.
Mini-Games:
There are 19 Mini-Games +10 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) Here are a few of my personal favorites:
There are 19 Mini-Games +10 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) Here are a few of my personal favorites:
1-Swap puzzle pieces to form a flower.
2-Slide Gears until they are all connected and running.
3-Place boards correctly without overlapping to build a bridge.
2-Slide Gears until they are all connected and running.
3-Place boards correctly without overlapping to build a bridge.
Bonus Chapter (CE Version Only)
The Woodheart Kingdom becomes infested with dragons after a local resident's plans to keep unwanted inhabitants go awry.
The Order of Seekers has a firey time in this prequel and summons Astrid to help de-dragon the Kingdom in this typical Bonus Chapter which is chock full of unnecessary, repetitive tasks. There are 7 Hidden Object Scenes and 10 Mini-Games spanning over 10 new scene locations. You will search for the remaining 4 Constellations, and 3 Morphing Dragon-Butterflies, as well as 5 Crystals that allow you to purchase the final Frozen Garden Items.
Collector's Edition Extra's: (CE version only)
21 Wallpapers, 21 Concept Art Pictures, 5 Music Soundtracks, 27 Movie Video Cutscenes, 38 Achievements, 18 Replayable Mini-Games, 18 Replayable Hidden Object Scenes, 15 Morphing Dragons/Butterflies,15 Collectible Constellations 15 Frozen Garden Items, 70 Collectible Crystals (currency) a gazillion Missing Notes, 6 Main Chapters, +Bonus Chapter, and a Built-In Strategy Guide. All of my Series Lists (and much more) can be found on my new forum at thewoodsforum.boards.net
The Woodheart Kingdom becomes infested with dragons after a local resident's plans to keep unwanted inhabitants go awry.
The Order of Seekers has a firey time in this prequel and summons Astrid to help de-dragon the Kingdom in this typical Bonus Chapter which is chock full of unnecessary, repetitive tasks. There are 7 Hidden Object Scenes and 10 Mini-Games spanning over 10 new scene locations. You will search for the remaining 4 Constellations, and 3 Morphing Dragon-Butterflies, as well as 5 Crystals that allow you to purchase the final Frozen Garden Items.
Collector's Edition Extra's: (CE version only)
21 Wallpapers, 21 Concept Art Pictures, 5 Music Soundtracks, 27 Movie Video Cutscenes, 38 Achievements, 18 Replayable Mini-Games, 18 Replayable Hidden Object Scenes, 15 Morphing Dragons/Butterflies,15 Collectible Constellations 15 Frozen Garden Items, 70 Collectible Crystals (currency) a gazillion Missing Notes, 6 Main Chapters, +Bonus Chapter, and a Built-In Strategy Guide. All of my Series Lists (and much more) can be found on my new forum at thewoodsforum.boards.net
I recommend this game!
Join the Avenger in her fight to defeat ruthless foes across incredible match-3 challenges!
Overall rating
5
/
5
70 of 93 found this review helpful
NOTHING BEATS DRAGONS & UPWARD GRAVITY!
PostedJanuary 20, 2021
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I'm sure everyone knows by now that I'm a huge fan of dragon-themed games, and DragonScales is one of my all-time favorite Match 3 games! It's not my favorite just because it's about dragons (and their dragon scales) I love it because it is a strategy-based game, a thinking kind of game.
Most Match 3 games are just about a mad dash to see how fast you can swap tiles and require nothing more than hand/eye coordination. DragonScales is all about taking your time and planning your moves. That's because, in this fantasy world, things work differently, gravity doesn't cause the Scales to fall to the ground, upward gravity makes them float to the top of the board! After placing all 3 Scales on the board, unless there's an obstacle blocking its path, those scales are going to all shift upwards to the top of the board, allowing you an opportunity to set up several combinations at once!
The boards feature a series of honeycomb-shaped empty cells, (with the exception of various obstacles) and you must decide where to place the colored Dragon Scales that are presented at the bottom of the board, 3 different colored scales at a time, to hopefully allow you to set up the proceeding moves for the next set of Scales. The first scale can be placed anywhere on the board, but the following two scales can only be placed on adjacent highlighted cells. You can click on the Scales to return them by clicking on them and you can reset the entire board or replay the level after it's been completed. Don't forget, after placing the 3rd scale, upward gravity takes control and the scales will move to the top of the board. Groups of 3 or more DragonScales will be removed after placing all three Scales, and you continue until the level goal requirements have been met.
The Level Goals usually require removing specified amounts of each DragonScale color but some of the levels require removing various items, such as Runes or Crosses. Those items appear on the honeycomb cells and can be removed by placing scales on them and including those in a match 3 or more grouping.
Question Marks will appear on random cells when a match is made adjacent to the question mark, this gives you a new powerup. Those Powerups then become available to purchase in the Shop, (powerups are Spells) Once recharged, they can be used to remove a specific scale, change the color of a scale, or add experience points and health which is needed during the Battle Modes.
Power-up icons are located on the right side of the board and are charged by making Combos. Coins can be used to upgrade the power-ups to recharge the Icon faster or improve the Scales attack during Battle Mode Levels. The upgrade panel will only appear if you have enough coins to purchase them.
In Battle Mode levels, you must make combo's to "hit" your enemies, the more complex the combo, the more damage you'll inflict. Some Battles are harder than others because sometimes the enemy fights back by placing several random DragonScales on the board.
This isn't a difficult game to learn, but it may take some time to actually master the technique of setting up large combos, If you aren't careful though, the board can easily fill up to capacity leaving you with no available scale placement options and you'll lose. (you can replay any level :) It won't take long to get the hang of it and you'll soon be on your way to becoming a Dragon Master...well, at least the Dragon Master's apprentice! (cuz the developer of this masterpiece is our Dragon Master!) Join us at my new forum to talk about this incredible game and more! thewoods.boards.net
I recommend this game!
Lead a group of scientists through amazing word adventures while using your wits and vocabulary to survive the blistering sun!
Overall rating
5
/
5
101 of 112 found this review helpful
I BOUGHT THE 1st GAME IN 2014 AND THIS ONE IS EVEN BETTER!
PostedJanuary 19, 2021
pennmom36
fromWhy are there only 3 Avatar choices and they are all males. Women can spellz werds tu!
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I stumbled across Amazing Pyramids in 2014 and wasn't expecting anything "Amazing" because the reviews weren't very favorable. To my surprise, it was a really fun game and I bought it before finishing the demo! Here we are nearly 7 years later and the second I saw the title, I knew I was going to like it, but I didn't like it, I LOVED it!
This is kind of like a game of Egyptian Hangman, the pyramid has 6 Words that you have to guess correctly, starting at the bottom with an 8-letter word. There is a panel that shows the category of the word to narrow down the field a bit. You simply click on the letters of the alphabet at the bottom of the board, usually starting with the Vowels. If the chosen letter is in the word, it will fill in all of the spaces that contain that letter. Once the word has been solved, you'll move up the pyramid to a 7-letter, 6-letter, 5-letter, 4-letter, and finally a 3-letter word, but after each word, the category shuffles to give you a new theme of words to apply (some levels have the same theme across the board, most vary each time)
As you progress, new Artifact Tools are added. You can take all the time you want, but you will earn more gold and recharge the Artifacts more quickly when you click on letters quickly, or without making mistakes, you'll even earn more gold when you guess at the correct letters in a row (combos) Each time you guess at a letter, the Energy Meter depletes a tad, but you'll also earn points for any unused energy at the end of the pyramid level and for each unused letter.
The Artifacts recharge when you select letters quickly, select letters correctly in procession (combos) solve words correctly, or don't make any mistakes. The Stone of Afterlife allows you to take a guess at the current word. If you guess the word correctly, a wheel spins to award you with a random amount of points. If your guess is wrong, 300 points are deducted and a new word is generated (you have to start over, but just with that 1 word) The Ray of Gods' Artifact fills in a single letter of your choice. The Justice of Horn Artifact can add all of the vowels to the word (just the current word) and the Truth Sphere Artifact crosses off 5 non-used letters of the alphabet (letters that aren't contained in the current word) I believe there are 2 more artifacts but I haven't unlocked those yet!
There are 36 Achievement Awards to earn and a Hall of Fame board for the top scores, and a Jigsaw Puzzle mini-game. You can disable the character's voices and the sound effects as well. You'll start the game in Adventure Mode and eventually unlock 3 other modes. In the last game, there was a Classic mode which was a mode where you kept playing until you run out of energy, and there was an Advanced mode so I'm guessing that's what's available here as well.
If you like word games, this one is really fun. It seems to have endless categories so it should be interesting for everyone, such as Famous Cities, People in Education, Clothes & Accessories, Drinks & Beverages, Sports, U.S. States, Colors, Job Applications, Housing & Dwellings, Metals, Animals, School, Insects, Family, Top Music Artist & Bands, Castles, Kings, & Queens, Furniture, Famous Brands, Trees, Cooking Tools, Flowers & Shrubs, just to name some from the first few levels! You can find my series list and so much more at my new forum, thewoods.boards.net
I recommend this game!
Help Santa prepare for the most wonderful time of the year!
Overall rating
4
/
5
36 of 49 found this review helpful
THE KIND OF GAME THAT GIVES YOU THAT WARM & FUZZY CHRISTMAS FEELING
PostedJanuary 17, 2021
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I can't help it, no matter how cheesy or repetitive these games are, I am delighted when they arrive. I feel like a kid again on Christmas morning, waking up to discover Santa has visited during the night while they were sleeping! I don't even bother with the demo, what's the point? I know it's just an extra step, I know beyond a shadow of a Reindeer doubt that I am going to want to keep playing the game, this is my Christmas Present to myself! (and I know it's a game that my grandkids enjoy too :) For me, the HOPA Christmas games on BF simply means the Christmas season is ALMOST here, but when Christmas Wonderland arrives, so has Christmas!
You can play in Casual, Challenge, or Extreme difficulty mode, which is a new Timed Mode requiring you to find all Golden Christmas Trees and Lost & Found items to earn all three stars. There are 18 Achievements to earn and 16 Christmas Presents to purchase, and you can see the presents you've purchased by clicking on the Christmas Presents Display Tab on the Top of the screen, opposite of the Shopping Cart Icon where they are purchased,
Each Hidden Object scene has about 29 Listed Items to find, items in Red are hidden in or behind something, and items in Blue require a task such as dragging Roof Tiles to help the elves build the new workshop. There are usually two Zoom Zone Areas in each scene, the zoom zones (indicated by twinkling stars) may come and go, depending on whether or not the items are available on your list yet.
You will earn a Bronze Star if you complete the HO scene, a Silver Star if you complete the HO scene and find all Golden Christmas Trees OR all Lost & Found Items, and a Gold Star for completing the HO scene and finding all Golden Christmas Trees and Lost and Found Items. When all of the Golden Trees have been found, the doors will close on the Icon on the bottom left by the Inventory Bar. The Lost and Found Items are shown as Silhouetted Shapes within the Snowglobe (next to the Golden Christmas Tree Icon) When all Lost and Found items have been found, Santa on his Sleigh will appear to remind you that all items have been found. Remember, you will not earn all 3-stars if you don't find all 3 lost & found items and all golden Christmas Trees in each scene. Some of the Scenes have a Photo Opportunity Icon located somewhere within the scene. Once you find the icon you can click on it to add the photo to your Photo Album which can be visited by clicking the Camera icon located next to the trophy icon on the bottom left of the screen.
My favorite part of the HO games by this developer is the puzzles! Yes, they are the same puzzles, yes, they are super easy, but they are still fun and I still feel like a kid on Christmas morning...so don't judge lol! After each Hidden Object Scene, you'll solve a simplistic mini-game or puzzle such as placing those infamous puzzle pieces into Springfield's map, Rotating Square Puzzle Tiles, Jigsaw Puzzles, Word Search, Matching Pairs, or Spot the Difference.
Collector's Edition Extra's
The CE Bonus Levels have been incorporated into the main game scenes and have Rosette Ribbons to identify them. The Bonus Content takes place at the Fun Park Fair where Santa and his Elves have just arrived from the North Pole! There are 18 Wallpapers, 20 downloadable Music Soundtracks, and 48 Replayable Mini-Games and Puzzles.
The CE Bonus Levels have been incorporated into the main game scenes and have Rosette Ribbons to identify them. The Bonus Content takes place at the Fun Park Fair where Santa and his Elves have just arrived from the North Pole! There are 18 Wallpapers, 20 downloadable Music Soundtracks, and 48 Replayable Mini-Games and Puzzles.
Extra Mini-Games Available:
❆-8 Jigsaw Puzzles
❆-8 Flipsaw Puzzles
❆-8 Rotation Puzzles
❆-4 Spot The Difference Puzzles
❆-4 Concentration Matching Pairs Puzzles
❆-8 Word Search Puzzles
❆-Holiday Cake Puzzle
❆-Workshop Tools Puzzle
❆-The Nativity Scene Paint Puzzle
❆-Bank Card Machine Puzzle
❆-State Flags Puzzle
❆-The Solar System Puzzle
❆-World Clocks Puzzle
❆-Springfield Places Puzzle
❆-8 Jigsaw Puzzles
❆-8 Flipsaw Puzzles
❆-8 Rotation Puzzles
❆-4 Spot The Difference Puzzles
❆-4 Concentration Matching Pairs Puzzles
❆-8 Word Search Puzzles
❆-Holiday Cake Puzzle
❆-Workshop Tools Puzzle
❆-The Nativity Scene Paint Puzzle
❆-Bank Card Machine Puzzle
❆-State Flags Puzzle
❆-The Solar System Puzzle
❆-World Clocks Puzzle
❆-Springfield Places Puzzle
I haven't been reviewing a lot of games lately because I discovered that felix has been allowing some developers with poor ratings to write reviews about their own games which is against their own guideline rules. No matter how often I submit a ticket to ask why they are changing these rules for some and not others, they refuse to even respond, 7 different help tickets submitted in the past 4 months alone!!..and not even a single Robo response! This tells me they know about it, are okay with it, and probably are participating in it? Are these reviewers paying for a monthly membership or is that a feature reserved for just us peasants? Check out my new forum, thewoodsforum.boards.net
I recommend this game!
A mysterious abduction and a strange hospital lead to a terrible secret!
Overall rating
3
/
5
27 of 36 found this review helpful
LOVE THE STORY, LOVE THE GRAPHICS, BUT CAN'T THEY MAKE THE GAMEPLAY LESS LINEAR?
PostedJanuary 15, 2021
pennmom36
fromAfter 10 + years of HOPA games the developers should realize that MOST of their fans are no longer beginners?? (but they are still one of my top favorite devs :)
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
Completed Game approximately 4 hours
(including completion of all mini-games & CE Bonus Chapter)
25 Main Game Scene Locations +8 Bonus Chapter
Difficulty Range: Beginner
(including completion of all mini-games & CE Bonus Chapter)
25 Main Game Scene Locations +8 Bonus Chapter
Difficulty Range: Beginner
Someone is conducting scientific gene-mutations on abducted victims. How do you know this? Because you've just woke up inside a sleazy, makeshift hospital, shackled to the bed, and warned not to escape! The only thing you can recall is your name and the fact that that they erased all memory of prior events. Every turn you make seems to reveal even more corruption and you begin to realize you can't trust anyone, maybe not even yourself!
Helper/Gadget:
There are no Helpers or Gadgets
Morphing Objects/Collectibles: (CE version only)
I think this is the first Elephant Game that hasn't offered a Morphing Object! Their CE bling and content have been dwindling over the past year and this is a bad sign as far as I'm concerned. There are 12 Chimeras Cards and 48 Huge Puzzle Pieces located within Zoom Zones as well as a few within the scenes themselves.
There are no Helpers or Gadgets
Morphing Objects/Collectibles: (CE version only)
I think this is the first Elephant Game that hasn't offered a Morphing Object! Their CE bling and content have been dwindling over the past year and this is a bad sign as far as I'm concerned. There are 12 Chimeras Cards and 48 Huge Puzzle Pieces located within Zoom Zones as well as a few within the scenes themselves.
Hidden Object Scenes:
There are only 14 Hidden Object Scenes +5 in the CE Bonus Chapter. What I am noticing from this developer in the last few games is a marked improvement in the Hidden Object Scenes! The objects are smaller, they are clearly making an attempt to blend the objects into the scenery and choosing objects that will blend into the scene rather than stick out like a sore thumb...when developers try to improve...I always notice! This is an HO-heavy game, and the HO scenes are varied nicely. There are Interactive List Finds, Silhouetted Shape Finds, Matching Pairs, Matching Related Objects, Keywords in Sentence Finds, scenes where you have to move things out of the way to find objects, and all of the scenes have several interactions. There are no alternate games available.
There are only 14 Hidden Object Scenes +5 in the CE Bonus Chapter. What I am noticing from this developer in the last few games is a marked improvement in the Hidden Object Scenes! The objects are smaller, they are clearly making an attempt to blend the objects into the scenery and choosing objects that will blend into the scene rather than stick out like a sore thumb...when developers try to improve...I always notice! This is an HO-heavy game, and the HO scenes are varied nicely. There are Interactive List Finds, Silhouetted Shape Finds, Matching Pairs, Matching Related Objects, Keywords in Sentence Finds, scenes where you have to move things out of the way to find objects, and all of the scenes have several interactions. There are no alternate games available.
Mini-Games:
There are 11 Mini-Games +5 in the CE Bonus Chapter. I usually like Elephant Games because most of them are mechanical type puzzles where you tinker with fuses, electrical panels, or gauges and they always seem doable and never frustrating, but they didn't seem to have a lot of mechanical type puzzles this go-round, and they are opting to replace them with the easier, simplistic puzzle type games that really don't require much thought process such as dragging jigsaw puzzle pieces into the correct spaces. Because of this scenario, the games weren't much fun and were more like a chore rather than something to look forward to, I really just wanted to skip them which is something I've NEVER wanted to do in a HOPA game...it's usually my favorite part!
There are 11 Mini-Games +5 in the CE Bonus Chapter. I usually like Elephant Games because most of them are mechanical type puzzles where you tinker with fuses, electrical panels, or gauges and they always seem doable and never frustrating, but they didn't seem to have a lot of mechanical type puzzles this go-round, and they are opting to replace them with the easier, simplistic puzzle type games that really don't require much thought process such as dragging jigsaw puzzle pieces into the correct spaces. Because of this scenario, the games weren't much fun and were more like a chore rather than something to look forward to, I really just wanted to skip them which is something I've NEVER wanted to do in a HOPA game...it's usually my favorite part!
Bonus Chapter (Collector's Edition version only)
Adalina has a Major Mutant-Chimera infestation and seeks the help of Doc Brian in this average-length Bonus Chapter spanning over 7 Scene Locations with a mere 5 Mini-Games and 5 Hidden Object Scenes. You will search for the remaining 12 Jigsaw Puzzle Pieces to complete the final Jigsaw Puzzle and the last 2 Chimera Cards as well.
Adalina has a Major Mutant-Chimera infestation and seeks the help of Doc Brian in this average-length Bonus Chapter spanning over 7 Scene Locations with a mere 5 Mini-Games and 5 Hidden Object Scenes. You will search for the remaining 12 Jigsaw Puzzle Pieces to complete the final Jigsaw Puzzle and the last 2 Chimera Cards as well.
Collector's Edition Extra's
5 Wallpapers, 5 Music Soundtracks, 22 Achievements, 12 Replayable Mini-Games, 14 Replayable Hidden Object Scenes, 12 Chimera Cards with descriptions, 48 Jigsaw Puzzle Pieces to complete 4 Jigsaws, a Secret Room to locate Hidden Objects (timed), 3 Main Chapters +Bonus Chapter, and a Built-In Strategy Guide. You can find my series lists and much more on my new forum at thewoodsforum.boards.net
5 Wallpapers, 5 Music Soundtracks, 22 Achievements, 12 Replayable Mini-Games, 14 Replayable Hidden Object Scenes, 12 Chimera Cards with descriptions, 48 Jigsaw Puzzle Pieces to complete 4 Jigsaws, a Secret Room to locate Hidden Objects (timed), 3 Main Chapters +Bonus Chapter, and a Built-In Strategy Guide. You can find my series lists and much more on my new forum at thewoodsforum.boards.net
I recommend this game!
Follow our magnificent Helper robot in his latest mosaic puzzle adventure and help him make sure the letters are delivered to Santa on time!
Overall rating
3
/
5
23 of 31 found this review helpful
TIME TO DITCH THE HELPER! (waayyy overdue)
PostedJanuary 13, 2021
pennmom36
fromDoesn't everyone have a hedgehog in their Christmas Tree and let their puppy sit 2 inches from a blazing fire in the fireplace? No?
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
There was a time when I wouldn't have dreamed of giving a Rainbow Mosaic game less than a 5-Star rating much less being on the fence with my decision of whether or not I needed to purchase a new game. They always had better features than the "penguin-themed" games, the colors were more vibrant, they had more tile selection options, and they always had a cute little story attached to them, but the last 8 games have been, "Helper does this, Helper does that", it's boring and I'm totally put off by it now!
When they released Detective Agency Mosaics, that game had an amazing storyline and had 16 Five star reviews with an incredible average rating of 5-stars so I think that proves that people ARE looking for a better plot, even in a Mosaic game, at least something that doesn't have a Helper theme. It just seems incredibly lazy on the developers part, it's boring and very unimaginative!
The last few games have added Hidden Object Scenes, which would be okay if they were somewhat challenging, but the Listed Objects still aren't hidden, they are just laying out in the open and they are the size of baby elephants. You can skip the HO scene, but you will earn a star for completing the scene, 2 stars for completing the scene using less than 2 hints, and 3 stars for completing the scene using one hint or less.
Fortunately, they have continued with the Tetris-style Mini-game that allows you to solve a puzzle to fill in a Mystery Number on each of the Mosaic Puzzles. You will come across a (?) Question Mark on each puzzle that hides one of the Numbers in a column or row. When you click on the (?) it activates a puzzle that requires you to drag all of the Tetris-style shapes into a grid without overlapping pieces. (btw: the puzzle shapes look really cool in the Lego-style tile selection) You can Skip the mini-game, and eventually, you will be able to figure out the hidden number by a process of elimination without having to click on the question mark, but I love this puzzle feature!
There are 130 Mosaic Levels with 18 Tile Styles ranging from beveled edges to themed tiles, but my favorite has always been the Lego-style tile. They have also added 2 Crossed-off tile options, one of which has a beveled or rounded edge, the other is the standard square edge. You can play in a Normal Mode which crosses off numbers one by one, or an Expert Mode which only crosses off the numbers when the entire row or column has been completed.
As you correctly fill in squares, you will earn coins that can be used to purchase Decorations or purchase upgrades for the Power-ups which are hint forms that will increase in the size of coverage with each upgrade. The Dog power-up opens a random right square, the Lightning power-up opens up a chosen square with no negative outcome, and the Lamp power-up opens a chosen grid area without a negative outcome. Each power-up can be upgraded twice to cover a larger area on the grid. You can find my series lists on my new forum at thewoodsforum.boards.net hope to see you :)
I recommend this game!
A smashing new set of unique color matching puzzles to delight puzzle lovers of all ages!
Overall rating
3
/
5
18 of 21 found this review helpful
THEY MADE IT PRETTIER BUT NOW IT'S GLITCHIER
PostedJanuary 13, 2021
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
When I first started playing this series it worked really well but 4-5 games later it started becoming bogged down with orbs that moved in slow-motion. A few games later that issue was resolved and now it's back! I have a wicked fast computer with plenty of RAM, etc. and it's designed for gaming so I know that isn't the issue, and of course, I deleted and reinstalled the game with no improvements so I guess I'll have to wait for a few more games for them to fix the glitch before I'm impressed once again?
If you are a seasoned Clear It player you will probably want to bypass the first few normal levels and go straight to the multi-colored orb levels. There are 80 levels with 2 colored orbs, 80 levels with 3 colored orbs, 40 levels of 4 colored orbs, 15 levels of 5 colored orbs, 10 levels of 6 colored orbs, and a measly 5 levels of the super challenging 7 colored orbs.
The gameplay is simple, there is an unlimited number of colored Orbs located on all four sides of the board and the goal is to launch an Orb at an identical colored Orb(s) on the field until all Orbs have been removed. The Orb will travel in a straight column or row until it hits another Orb, Power-up, or Obstacle. If the selected Orb hits one or more Orbs of the same color, they are removed, and you may need to use a little bit of strategy to set-up your moves, keep in mind that there is no timer.
Each level has Power-ups that appear briefly on the field or within the Orbs themselves, before disappearing and reappearing as a different Power-up in a completely different area. The Power-ups are activated when hit by an Orb or included in a Match.
*Rotation power-up: reshuffles and replaces the Orbs.
*Multi-colored Bombs: eliminates adjacent Orbs
*Spears power-up: replaces all border Orbs with Tridents *Fireball power-up: explodes and eliminates nearby Orbs.
*Lightning/voltage power-up: eliminates nearby Orbs in a cross formation.
*Star power-up: shoots stars to eliminate adjacent Orbs.
*Dynamite power-up: explodes to eliminate adjacent orbs.
*Numbers: choose 1 or 5 Orbs to eliminate via crosshairs.
*Gear power-up: eliminates all orbs of the same color.
Each level progresses in difficulty, as more orb colors are added, fewer orbs in the desired color along the edges are offered. Sometimes you just have to sacrifice and add a few orbs to the equation, to be able to get to the desired colored orb, but because there's no time or moves limit it doesn't count against you.
*Multi-colored Bombs: eliminates adjacent Orbs
*Spears power-up: replaces all border Orbs with Tridents *Fireball power-up: explodes and eliminates nearby Orbs.
*Lightning/voltage power-up: eliminates nearby Orbs in a cross formation.
*Star power-up: shoots stars to eliminate adjacent Orbs.
*Dynamite power-up: explodes to eliminate adjacent orbs.
*Numbers: choose 1 or 5 Orbs to eliminate via crosshairs.
*Gear power-up: eliminates all orbs of the same color.
Each level progresses in difficulty, as more orb colors are added, fewer orbs in the desired color along the edges are offered. Sometimes you just have to sacrifice and add a few orbs to the equation, to be able to get to the desired colored orb, but because there's no time or moves limit it doesn't count against you.
Once again, I was disappointed that the rows and columns don't highlight because it's easy to shoot an orb from the wrong slot. The colors are brighter but nothing has really changed. If you want a REAL challenge, you'll have to opt for the multiple orbs levels but they don't offer as many levels. You can find my series lists on my new forum at thewoodsforum.boards.net
I recommend this game!
Join Dennis and his friends to save a kidnapped student from a monstrous beast in this exciting match-3 adventure!
Overall rating
2
/
5
25 of 32 found this review helpful
IF YOU CAN'T LOSE, WHY PLAY?
PostedJanuary 13, 2021
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I don't understand why they can't offer a Timed option in their games, if someone wants to play in an untimed mode that's perfectly fine but why cut out 90% of Match 3 game players all because you couldn't bother to add an option...again? I just don't see the point of playing a game just to be swapping tiles with no reward when you can't lose therefore, you aren't really winning? If you get all the time in the world to complete a level, all you have to do is keep swapping tiles to get more elements to progress the story, etc, just saying!
They have made the tiles bigger and less similar to each other so they can easily be differentiated, and they have changed the level layouts slightly (at least the order presented) other than that, everything else is still basically the same with the same features and game mechanics,(with the exception of no spiders) there are chests to open by making adjacent matches but not all of them have hidden elements, just a very select few.
Once again, you can only play in a Relaxed Untimed Mode in this Swap type Match 3 game, where you swap tiles to make matches of at least 3 identical elements. You must make matches over all of the Gold Cells (and eventually Red cells that turn Gold) and make the required number of matches of each Element shown to the right of the screen. Elements inside of Bubbles, Morph (I think they appear when you make large matches, but I'm not positive) which allows you to pop the bubble when the desired element appears inside the bubble.
The Chained Tiled has been replaced with Spider Webs although I'm not really sure what spiderwebs and elves have to do with each other? But I did I ask for something different and if spiderwebs are what they chose, then spiderwebs it is!
You must purchase all 4 World Upgrades to progress to the next Chapter, with the Stars you earn playing the Match 3 levels. The upgrades still aren't very interesting nor are they colorful. It completely defeats the purpose of an upgrade, the purpose is to keep the player enthusiastic about playing so they want to finish building the kingdom, not inconvenienced by the annoyance.
Large Matches allow you to use any of the Power-ups once the Mana Meter recharges. The larger the match, the quicker the Mana Meter fills. Once the Mana meter fills, Power-ups become available (included as you progress with upgrades)
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, but you probably already knew that too!):
*A Witch's Spoon: destroys a single tile and/or chain.
*Max's Potion: destroys a 2 x 2 range of tiles cells/chains.
*Wizard's Staff: destroys 5 horizontal tiles.
*Fire Staff: destroys 5 vertical tiles
*Forest Elf's Wand: destroys an entire horizontal row, cells/chains.
*Advanced Wand: destroys an entire vertical line, cells/chains.
*Azure Sword: destroys entire vertical & horizontal lines.
*Ancient Wizard's Potion: destroys all of the same tiles.
*Confusentus Hour Glass: Shuffles the entire board.
*Magic Mushroom: destroys 20 random tiles.
*Shaye Secret Bomb: destroys a 9 x 9 cluster of tiles, cells/chains.
*Book of Incantations: destroys a 12 x 12 range of tiles
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, but you probably already knew that too!):
*A Witch's Spoon: destroys a single tile and/or chain.
*Max's Potion: destroys a 2 x 2 range of tiles cells/chains.
*Wizard's Staff: destroys 5 horizontal tiles.
*Fire Staff: destroys 5 vertical tiles
*Forest Elf's Wand: destroys an entire horizontal row, cells/chains.
*Advanced Wand: destroys an entire vertical line, cells/chains.
*Azure Sword: destroys entire vertical & horizontal lines.
*Ancient Wizard's Potion: destroys all of the same tiles.
*Confusentus Hour Glass: Shuffles the entire board.
*Magic Mushroom: destroys 20 random tiles.
*Shaye Secret Bomb: destroys a 9 x 9 cluster of tiles, cells/chains.
*Book of Incantations: destroys a 12 x 12 range of tiles
You can purchase outfits with Elements in the Extra's tab that allows you to dress up Max with different school uniforms as well. You can find my series lists at my new forum thewoodsforum.boards.net
I don't recommend this game.
An adventure in Austrian artwork and antiquities with Mia Faircroft!
Overall rating
1
/
5
66 of 86 found this review helpful
THEY OBVIOUSLY DIDN'T BOTHER TO FIX THE GLITCH & THE SE GAME BEGINS WHERE THE CE LEFT OFF
PostedJanuary 10, 2021
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
When I played the Ce version I ran into an issue where I couldn't progress past the third HO scene because it wouldn't let me click on the last all-seeing eye. Even when I click the hint, it tells me to click where I'm clicking, but no matter where I click on the all-seeing eye, it just won't accept it and I couldn't progress. I downloaded the SE version today hoping they had solved this issue, but they didn't bother to make this a new game, it has all the stats saved from the original CE game so it took me right back to the 3rd HO scene and right back to having just one item left to remove, the all-seeing eye...which still can't be removed...so I will still give this game one star for putting forth no effort to fix the issue, or even change the stats on the SE game to allow for a new game to start. Yes, I did start a new profile, and yes, I still ran into the same issue with the third all-seeing eye btw!
It's unfortunate that this developer chose to make a comeback after a long hiatus with such a simplistic Hidden Object Game that has a boring story and annoying repetitive music. The game has so many flaws that it's impossible to complete. This developer created amazing HOPA series' like Awakening, Botanica, Emberwing, and one of my personal favorites, Otherworld, so they certainly have the capability!
There were items listed such as "cart-wheel" but that didn't actually mean the wheel that was attached to the cart, nope, it was referring to a wagon wheel...okay I can deal with that.
There were items listed such as "cart-wheel" but that didn't actually mean the wheel that was attached to the cart, nope, it was referring to a wagon wheel...okay I can deal with that.
The game was extremely finicky about where you clicked on an object, if you weren't clicking the dead center of the object it wouldn't recognize the click, and I thought I could deal with that as well until I got to the first mini-game which was a Tile Swap puzzle which wouldn't allow me to swap most of the pieces because it simply didn't recognize that I was clicking on a tile section. I could click on one piece and it would highlight right away, then I'd click on a second one to swap it with and it would literally take 10-15 clicks before it would swap the pieces. By the time I got to the last piece, no matter how many times I clicked it, it just wouldn't swap. Obviously, it was the correct piece if it's the only one left (I even used the hint button) and several minutes later I was forced to use the skip button to move forward in the game.
Now I'm on the third Hidden Object Scene that takes place in a German pub. One of the objects is a Moebius Strip which I have no clue as to what that may be so I save that for last, and I am tasked with finding 3 "All-Seeing Eyes" the final one was impossible to click on, well actually I clicked on it so many times that the screen turned into an icy frost to punish me for my multi-clicking frenzy ways. Again, I used the hint to be sure that this was indeed the Droid I was searching for, but no matter where I clicked, how hard I clicked, how soft I clicked, whether I left-clicked, right-clicked, or tried to sneak attack click, it wouldn't pick up this "all-seeing eye" that apparently sees absolutely nothing! I uninstalled and reinstalled the game and the all-seeing eye is still staring at me, daring me to make another fruitless attempt.
This is the end of the line folks, I can't finish this HO scene, I can't skip this HO scene, therefore I can't progress. As I've already stated, I had issues with the game mechanics being quite finicky, the music is rather annoying, the story is rather boring with a ton of dialog boxes and no voiceovers, the graphics aren't great, the objects are huge. Even if I could complete the game, I'm not sure I'd have given it much more than a 3-Star rating if that. There are only 16 Main Levels and 5 CE Levels and each location has 2 mini-games. Even if the game works flawlessly for you, I'm not sure that 5 extra scenes are worth the CE price, so if the game works for you, I'd suggest this SE version. You can find my series list at my new forum at thewoodsforum.boards.net
I don't recommend this game.
A sinister revenge plot is tearing a kingdom apart!
Overall rating
3
/
5
83 of 102 found this review helpful
FINDING BALANCE...8 CHAPTERS ARE WONDERFUL...IF THEY AREN'T BORING
PostedJanuary 7, 2021
pennmom36
fromA bestiary is a compendium of beasts, illustrated volumes that described various animals or rocks and was usually accompanied by a moral lesson.
Skill Level:Expert
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Completed Game approximately 6.0 hours
(including completion of all mini-games & CE Bonus Chapter)
23 Main Game Scene Locations +11 Bonus Chapter
Difficulty Range: Beginner
(including completion of all mini-games & CE Bonus Chapter)
23 Main Game Scene Locations +11 Bonus Chapter
Difficulty Range: Beginner
Aileen Milton is the newest Guardian of Harmony inductee, guardians who have sworn an oath to maintain the balance between humans and spirits. They prevent wars and conflicts but lately, that balance has been unstable and monsters have been attacking the locals. The entire Spirit world is about to experience utter chaos unless Aileen can summon the strength, and the spirits, to find balance and restore peace once again to the Dryad Forest.
Gadgets/Helper:
There is a Bestiary Book that allows you to banish various Beasts by playing an associated mini-game. The mini-game requires banishing beasts that are lurking in a forest but it is only used a handful of times.
Gadgets/Helper:
There is a Bestiary Book that allows you to banish various Beasts by playing an associated mini-game. The mini-game requires banishing beasts that are lurking in a forest but it is only used a handful of times.
Audio/Video Quality
No doubt Domini has beautiful graphics and they are well adept at subtle music cues that do exactly what they are supposed to do...go unnoticed yet set the pace. They are also really clever at placing several interactive "toys" for the player to fiddle with, turning lights on/off, making branches move, or animals scamper...but have you ever noticed that after the demo there's hardly anything you can interact with? $"gotcha" $
No doubt Domini has beautiful graphics and they are well adept at subtle music cues that do exactly what they are supposed to do...go unnoticed yet set the pace. They are also really clever at placing several interactive "toys" for the player to fiddle with, turning lights on/off, making branches move, or animals scamper...but have you ever noticed that after the demo there's hardly anything you can interact with? $"gotcha" $
Collectibles & Morphing Objects (CE Version Only):
There are 15 Morphing Artifacts, 15 Spirited Items, and 15 Laboratory Items to purchase with 70 Collectible Coins. You can opt to show/hide a collectibles tab on the inventory bar that will open a specific icon when there is a collectible available.
There are 15 Morphing Artifacts, 15 Spirited Items, and 15 Laboratory Items to purchase with 70 Collectible Coins. You can opt to show/hide a collectibles tab on the inventory bar that will open a specific icon when there is a collectible available.
Hidden Object Scenes:
There are 12 Hidden Object Scenes +6 in the CE Bonus Chapter and an alternate Match 3 Game available. There are Interactive Listed Item Finds, Replacing items into the Scene, Silhouetted Shapes, Multiples of Item Finds, Items Related or Keywords in Sentence Finds, Matching Pair Finds, Swatches Finds, and Spot The Differences available.
There are 12 Hidden Object Scenes +6 in the CE Bonus Chapter and an alternate Match 3 Game available. There are Interactive Listed Item Finds, Replacing items into the Scene, Silhouetted Shapes, Multiples of Item Finds, Items Related or Keywords in Sentence Finds, Matching Pair Finds, Swatches Finds, and Spot The Differences available.
Mini-Games:
There are 21 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) I felt the puzzles and mini-games had little to no effort put forth in them. They were boring, unimaginative, and numerous, not to mention that they were the same games Domini always offers but with different graphics.
There are 21 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) I felt the puzzles and mini-games had little to no effort put forth in them. They were boring, unimaginative, and numerous, not to mention that they were the same games Domini always offers but with different graphics.
Bonus Chapter (CE Version Only)
You play as Illian the Magician who is at odds with King Lydius' wife, Queen Margret, over the throne. There are 9 Mini-games and 6 Hidden Object scenes in this task-repetitive Bonus Chapter.
You play as Illian the Magician who is at odds with King Lydius' wife, Queen Margret, over the throne. There are 9 Mini-games and 6 Hidden Object scenes in this task-repetitive Bonus Chapter.
Collector's Edition Extra's: (CE version only)
18 Wallpapers, (did anyone else get 38 wallpapers as stated by another reviewer, cuz if they did I got ripped off!) 11 Concept Art Pictures, 5 Music Soundtracks, 32 Movie Video Cutscenes, 38 Achievements, 18 Replayable Mini-Games, 18 Replayable Hidden Object Scenes, 15 Morphing Artifacts,15 Spirited Items, 15 Laboratory Items, 70 Collectible Coins, a gazillion Missing Notes, 8 Main Chapters, +Bonus Chapter, and a Built-In Strategy Guide. You can find my Series Lists on my new forum at thewoodsforum.boards.net
18 Wallpapers, (did anyone else get 38 wallpapers as stated by another reviewer, cuz if they did I got ripped off!) 11 Concept Art Pictures, 5 Music Soundtracks, 32 Movie Video Cutscenes, 38 Achievements, 18 Replayable Mini-Games, 18 Replayable Hidden Object Scenes, 15 Morphing Artifacts,15 Spirited Items, 15 Laboratory Items, 70 Collectible Coins, a gazillion Missing Notes, 8 Main Chapters, +Bonus Chapter, and a Built-In Strategy Guide. You can find my Series Lists on my new forum at thewoodsforum.boards.net
I recommend this game!