Spartina's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.7
- Helpful Votes:166
- Reviews Submitted:26
- First Review:May 29, 2017
- Most Recent Review:August 19, 2025
- Featured reviews0
Visit some of the world's greatest cities as you play mosaic puzzles!
Overall rating
5
/
5
4 of 5 found this review helpful
Big Improvements in the Mosaic Universe
PostedJune 5, 2018
Spartina
fromEvergrey, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
So far, so very good. I was really pleased to see some patterns, grass, flowers, walkways and water used to create the mosaics. It adds more to the puzzle than just the plain color tiles. The tiles also overlapped and flowed from one to the other, and animations were also included, creating a less pixelated pattern. The first few levels were very easy, but the complexity soon increased. One point of irritation was that I turned off the tutorial (they drive me crazy), but instructions on left- and right-clicks kept appearing. It would be nice if the finished mosaics were labeled, many could have been anywhere in the world. Not sure why Thailand was associated with such generic puzzle boards. Perhaps Thailand was just a name assigned to a similar group of puzzles. I did spend my hard-earned coupon code on this game, and expect it will keep the monkey brain engaged for many hours and weeks to come.
I've also had problems recently with these older game platforms starting properly on Windows 10, but if I start the newly installed game from the icon placed on the desktop, I usually have better luck. I think the Game Manager just gags on the older platforms. If the desktop icon doesn't work, I use the Task Manager to stop the game and Game Manager (Windows keeps running the game even though it isn't starting up.) Then restart the Game Manager, use the icon again, and everything seems to be fine from there on. Sort of kludgy, but it works for me.
I recommend this game!
Forest fairies cannot wait for you to discover new pictures with even more colors than before.
Overall rating
4
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
Improved, but I still have display issues
PostedMay 18, 2018
Spartina
fromEvergrey, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Puzzle, Strategy
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Based on demo: The first version of this game was nearly impossible for me to play, and this has many improvements. However, some problems still remain. Black, white and grey tiles are often so close to one another or the background that it's nearly hit or miss. And while an excellent point was made about these subtleties providing more of a challenge, I really don't want to have to squint and tilt the laptop to find differences. That said, I'm glad I went beyond the first few nearly monochromatic levels to reach those where there were actual colors like reds, greens and purples that were more saturated, enabling the gentle gamer to detect their finer details. I do appreciate the effort made on puzzles that are more interesting to play, and will likely include it on my coupon list.
I recommend this game!
Experience a steampunk hidden object adventure full of gothic horror and fascinating puzzles!
Overall rating
4
/
5
15 of 17 found this review helpful
Very Interesting!
PostedMarch 8, 2018
Spartina
fromEvergrey, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I haven't given this 5 stars, since I've only played the demo, but so far, so good. This is different than many of the games I've played lately, I think the appeal is the steampunk theme, and an interesting storyline. The puzzles were fairly easy with familiar types (ie, 5 symbols in 5 rows & columns). I do have to confess that if I approached a mansion in the fog, and the owner emerged to yell that it isn't safe for me, specifically, I would so be outta there. Of course, there would be no game if logical minds prevailed. Big plus, no little helpers have arrived on scene, yet. The voices are well recorded, and I appreciate being able to turn off the sparkles and glimmers.
The forest fairies are once again in need of help! Use the magic of numbers and logic to free the captive forest creatures.
Overall rating
1
/
5
2 of 3 found this review helpful
Glorious colors, but poor game design
PostedMarch 4, 2018
Spartina
fromEvergrey, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Puzzle
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
After reading the reviews criticizing colors & backgrounds that blended together, blanks, and black tiles making this game nearly impossible to play, I assumed I would have no problem what.so.ever. !!My Sincere Apologies To All Other Reviewers!! Mea Culpa.
So, to add to their complaints, some of the colors used in the tile set are virtually identical to others, with nothing to differentiate them like texture, and it was so aggravating to keep getting errors when I Right-clicked on tiles that should have been blanks only to find out they were part of the puzzle. grrrr.
These may seem like trivial problems, but there's no way I'll be purchasing. It really needs a design re-work to separate the puzzle from the background, and the tile colors from one another. I was so excited to see the beautiful backgrounds and colors, but won't be using even my free coupon on this game. Please!! Fix these problems!
I don't recommend this game.
Become the hero of your own chapter in Tiny Tales: Heart of the Forest.
Overall rating
1
/
5
5 of 11 found this review helpful
poor and aggravating game play
PostedAugust 27, 2017
Spartina
fromEvergrey, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
After reading the reviews I thought: hmmmm, it's a silly cartoon, but the colors and illustrations are great so I'll go ahead and buy it, who doesn't need a little silly? What a mistake. I found the underlying quality of the programming to be so poor, it was almost like playing something from 2008 or 2010. The bunny's oddly rocking rear end as it "dashed" away should have clued me in. The cursor and tool tray interaction was terrible. I had to click over and over again to retrieve items to use, then the window wouldn't open again without backing out of the puzzle or scene then back in again to re-activate it.
It speaks to my stubbornness that I even played the bonus chapter (more like bonus verse it was so short). The hero was running along a path while his hands made the most bizarre movement. At first I thought he was crawling since they were sort of waving up and down in front of him. Really? Really. The story that could have been okay never resolved... ongoing tepid competitive encounters apparently led to romance, and an absent father's seeming complacence in the near destruction of the World, and failure to return to his ever suffering wife were highly unsatisfying. He did get to continue dressing up as high-priest for the beavers, however, so I guess that was better than being with the wife he claimed to adore. And how did he, as priest, not know there was something horrible and rotten going on in the cave?
I nearly gave this 2 stars, there were some interesting story aspects, and the puzzles were alright. But good grief, the underlying kludgy game play and poor mechanics just made for a miserable waste of time and with such poor handling of the story, when it could have easily been fun, leaves me no choice. I confess that I'm ticked because I chose this instead of the demon-laden, bloody, horror show that I was also considering. But any game that makes me feel this crabby truly deserves 0 stars.
I don't recommend this game.
The City of the Ancients must be rebuilt, but the mystery of the Mosaics runs ever deeper.
Overall rating
4
/
5
5 of 7 found this review helpful
Good, but....
PostedMay 29, 2017
Spartina
fromEvergrey, WA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Current Favorite:
Beyond: Light Advent Collector's Edition
(159)Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
While I agree with much of what's already been said, for me there was a major drawback to this game. This might sound silly to others, but the colors in the actual mosaics were drab, drab, drab. Lots of browns, beiges, mustards, weird brick reds, slate blues: grey is added to nearly every color in the puzzles. Really depressing to my eyes. What's strange is that the backgrounds and village illustrations are the complete opposite: bright, sunny, fantasy colored castles and skies. Bizarre. I really enjoy the nonogram & mosaic games, but confess that since I already live in the Ever-Grey State, I prefer not having to look at more grey while frittering away the time. ugh.
If this doesn't bother you, then you'll likely enjoy this game, especially with a free game code or on sale! Definitely worth running through the demo, it was very simple initially, but got more complex quickly.
I recommend this game!