SkyeGray's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:4.6
- Helpful Votes:161
- Reviews Submitted:23
- First Review:February 8, 2014
- Most Recent Review:April 29, 2019
- Featured reviews0
Patchworkz is a relaxing jigsaw-puzzle game with competitive elements.
Overall rating
5
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Remarkably Pretty Game
PostedDecember 13, 2015
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Each 'pack' of puzzles is a different medium; wood, stone, paper etc. And within each type are many variations. Paper puzzles, for instance, are made from cardboard, newspaper, construction paper, sheets of music etc. Stone includes granite, marble, rough hewn stone etc. The pictures are very pretty, a mix of representational art and lovely designs.
The music is awful, but you can turn it down. The only thing seriously amiss with the game is that you cannot get to the menu from the puzzles. It's very strange. You just have to X out the game when you want to exit.
The ubiquitous 3-star system is present here, but doesn't actually seem to stop you from progressing - a good thing, as I'm fairly slow.
The design is beautiful, however, and worth the price in spite of its odd shortcomings. Nice, too, to see what good art majors are doing for a living.
I recommend this game!
Experience a new installment of colorful mosaic puzzles in Fantasy Mosaics 11: Fleeing Dinosaurs!
Overall rating
5
/
5
8 of 9 found this review helpful
Ready for a 4th Color!
PostedOctober 31, 2015
SkyeGray
fromThree Oaks, MI
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Match 3, Mahjong, Card & Board
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I'm the last person in the world to get addicted to nonograms; I'm a dyed-in-the-wool HOG player. I love Fantasy Mosaics whether they improve them or not; they make other nonograms feel tiresome and unwieldy. In addition, the stories about the penguins are so unrelated to the pictures that I find a quirky pleasure in them. For instance, when the penguins were in dinosaur land, you might expect to find pictures of conifers, cavemen etc. Nope. You get ping pong, roller blades and the tango.
In general I'm a proponent of "if it works, don't fix it," (I know. I know I have to move on from Dark Parables.) but I think we are ready for a 4th color. The pictures in this game were more complex, but not much more difficult, which is okay with me - but I can envision a really beautiful game with complex pictures that look like embroidery, in many colors. Come on guys, you're on the right track. Step up!
I recommend this game!
Rebuild Athens from the ashes of its destruction in Heroes of Hellas 3: Athens! Secure the help of the Heroes of Olympus!
Overall rating
5
/
5
2 of 2 found this review helpful
An Excellent Click and Drag
PostedOctober 2, 2015
SkyeGray
fromThree Oaks, MI
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Match 3, Mahjong
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
Great Power-ups, over which you have some control, challenging later levels. I've had this game for a year or two and return to it once or twice a year. The only minus is, perhaps, exceptionally bad art. My guess is the art was done by a developer's niece/nephew/daughter - but it doesn't affect the game-play, which is smooth and predictable. A great game that requires little thought.
I recommend this game!
A visitor arrives through Prof. Bennett's portal, seeking help.
Overall rating
3
/
5
13 of 19 found this review helpful
Not a good value;
PostedOctober 2, 2015
SkyeGray
fromThree Oaks, MI
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Mahjong
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
As soon as I see purple fog in an Eipix game, I know what I'm in for. They seem to have come up with a formula for their premium games. Bad stories, bad magic (always evidenced by purple fog) and really short games that can be completed in several hours.
On the plus side, I favor games with pretty HOPs (no disgusting corpses, roaches, worms or centipedes in the mix) and Eipix does have some pretty pictures. It also has the custom difficulty setting, which I value as I can't stand waiting to skip a game or get a hint. I know when I want these things and resent having to wait for them. I just wish Eipix wouldn't be satisfied with pretty, mediocre games. I miss the days of Myst! And Blue Tea's Dark Parables!
I can recommend the game, because you already know what you're getting - it's like eating at McDonalds - just another McEipix.
I recommend this game!
A long-forgotten artifact has just resurfaced, and the race to claim it will cause a devastating war. The only thing strong enough to stop it is one woman's promise to the man she loves.
Overall rating
4
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
A good value! Long game!
PostedSeptember 23, 2015
SkyeGray
fromThree Oaks, MI
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Match 3, Large File, Mahjong, Card & Board, Brain Teaser
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I played the SE and it was quite lengthy. On the down side are inventory items that you pick up long before you need them, so that by the time you need them you can't remember where they're supposed to go. On the up side, tons and tons of mini games, and not the same old, same old. The game is slightly old school, 2 difficulty settings - but it does have a teleporting map. And though you can't custom down hint and skip waits to practically nothing, the ones in the casual game aren't annoyingly slow. It took me two days to finish this game, and I enjoyed it - the story is a bit better than most, and the music was hauntingly pretty. Voice overs not obnoxious, though I turn them down pretty low. An excellent game if you want to take your time. I enjoyed it immensely, but didn't rush right through it.
I recommend this game!
Walk the razor's edge between fantasy and reality as you stop a lunatic from gaining power over death!
Overall rating
4
/
5
18 of 22 found this review helpful
Nice! Good Value!
PostedSeptember 15, 2015
SkyeGray
fromThree Oaks, MI
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Mahjong, Card & Board
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
There are few playing options, no portal maps - and yet, the game does not feel old school. The skips and hints charge quickly, the maps are easy to get around - and most amazing - the mini-games are not ones I have played 10 million times. The artwork and graphics are adequate, and the music quite pretty. I also found the game to be of generous length, especially for an S.E. I found the story line (already outlined by others) engaging, and although it's not (the old) Dark Parables, I was pleasantly surprised at the content, especially for the price. I totally recommend this one!
I recommend this game!
A magic bear summons you to help save the neighboring kingdom of Nypha.
Overall rating
5
/
5
5 of 8 found this review helpful
Wow, Nice Job, Mad Head!
PostedAugust 16, 2015
SkyeGray
fromThree Oaks, MI
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Match 3, Mahjong, Card & Board
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I haven't enjoyed a HOG this much in quite a while. As soon as Blue Tea sold Dark Parables to Eipix - who promptly turned those lovely games into shortened, poorly written, slick, cash-cows with 1/3 of their original visual beauty, and none of their quirky story lines, I had practically given up on Hidden Object altogether.
Princess of ice has very pretty graphics, a really lovely soundtrack and a story with a surprise ending! It's generous in length - and so is the bonus game. I actually had to stop and read a few of the instructions for mini-games - I'm so used to pounding through the same old, same old. They're not all unpredictable, but enough of them are to keep you awake. The old Pre-Eipix DP Games are my highest standard for aesthetics in a game - and Princess of Ice doesn't' raise itself to that level Even so, you're not looking through piles of worms,bones, corpses, roaches, urban trash dumpsters etc etc. I had fun! Hoping this story-line continues.
.You won't get the surprise ending without getting the collector's edition - because it takes place in the bonus game. But either edition will be better than most.
I recommend this game!
Could your little boy be the child of prophecy?
Overall rating
4
/
5
10 of 12 found this review helpful
Overall, a lovely game
PostedMay 24, 2015
SkyeGray
fromThree Oaks, MI
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
A very pretty Asian game with pleasant music. I would have given the game 5 stars, except that, in all honesty, I'm not sure the game is worth 14 bucks. HOS's include "find 12 morphing objects" and theme-related objects (eg. water, food etc.)Hard-core enthusiasts will probably not be challenged enough, but that's never a problem for me - I have low tolerance for frustration. I enjoyed it, and enjoyed the Japanese folklore behind it.
I recommend this game!
Team up with the Red Riding Hood Sisters to defeat the nightmares!
Overall rating
3
/
5
7 of 10 found this review helpful
Aww, disappointing! Too Short, Not as Pretty, not well written
PostedMay 23, 2015
SkyeGray
fromThree Oaks, MI
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
Dark Parables have been my favorite Hogs since they arrived - I've loved the beautiful art, and putting together lovely things rather than rooting through trash bins of syringes, worms, bugs etc.
But in this game, they opted not to follow through with their re-telling of fairy tales - instead gave us "Evil Fairy Seeks to Destroy World" - ugh such a cliche. Also, the art was not as beautiful or as well rendered. You still searched through piles of pretty things,but somehow they are rendered less artistically - they are just piles of pretty things, not a gorgeous picture formed around a statue, for instance. I think it's hard to keep up that kind of quality.
But in this game, they opted not to follow through with their re-telling of fairy tales - instead gave us "Evil Fairy Seeks to Destroy World" - ugh such a cliche. Also, the art was not as beautiful or as well rendered. You still searched through piles of pretty things,but somehow they are rendered less artistically - they are just piles of pretty things, not a gorgeous picture formed around a statue, for instance. I think it's hard to keep up that kind of quality.
This DP was way shorter than the others, and even the bonus story was very short. A few of our favorite characters appeared briefly, but strangely out of context and not integral to the story.
I guess at some point a decision gets made to get rid of the expensive artist, cut the length of the game and forget about paying writers to tell a story- maximising profit, and reducing quality. Made me sad
I recommend this game!
It was supposed to be a routine mission. But when a dragon attacks your plane, crash-landing in a lush valley, you're drawn into the adventure of a lifetime!
Overall rating
5
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
I love the whole series because..
PostedMay 8, 2015
SkyeGray
fromThree Oaks, MI
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Puzzle, Hidden Object, Adventure, Match 3, Mahjong
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
.. the games are beautiful (which counts for a lot), ambient and innovative. I can't stand ugly asylums, cockroaches, photo-realistic hidden object scenes - and Myths of the World games have none of these repellent features. They are always gorgeous, with idiosyncratic story lines and unusual mini-games. Waiting for the next one!
I recommend this game!