baraca's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:4
- Helpful Votes:211
- Reviews Submitted:23
- First Review:March 14, 2023
- Most Recent Review:March 12, 2025
- Featured reviews0
An immersive European adventure!
Overall rating
4
/
5
Great Value from Brain.vm
PostedSeptember 30, 2023
baraca
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Mahjong, Puzzle, Word
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Based on the demo only as played on a Windows 11 PC.
This is a wonderful game, full of many variations of games to play with hundreds to thousands (literally) of primarily word games to play, in addition to the hidden object scenes. Probably, the hidden object scenes are the least effective of all the games, even though they are more than adequate, allowing options for the number of items to collect in each scene and additional "collectibles" (hard to miss these) in each scene. There are also informative facts about each scene and its location.
The production values (graphics, sound, screens, etc) are adequate, but nothing outstanding.
I don't know what the standard edition will offer, but the collector's edition is one of the greatest values I have ever seen.
Highly recommended.
I recommend this game!
Piece together picturesque Italy that captures the essence of a dream vacation!
Overall rating
2
/
5
Not Ready for Prime Time
PostedSeptember 11, 2023
baraca
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Based on playing the demo on a WIndows 11 PC.
Number 9 in this series was a big disappointment to me. Once again the engine has supposedly been updated; this time so that a downloadable soundtrack is available. However, I could not find this feature anywhere in the demo (maybe I just missed something) nor I could I find any instructions relating to how to access this feature.
As far as content goes: while the pix were very good and representative of Italy, the captions supplied for the wallpapers did not match the wallpapers. I found this out after playing several levels of the game.
Until changes are made to this release, I cannot recommend that anyone buy it. Please play the demo in the future to ensure that upgrades are made resulting in functional features before investing in this edition of a previously wonderful series.
I don't recommend this game.
Complete incredible works of art and let your creativity shine!
Overall rating
4
/
5
21 of 22 found this review helpful
One Step Backward, One Step Forward
PostedAugust 7, 2023
baraca
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
My review is based on playing the demo only on a Windows 11 PC.
This game appears to be the beginning of a new series based on a cut-back version of the engine used on the developer's previous series entitled "Puzzle Pieces." Still here are the ability to make wallpapers from completed pictures, a nice mixture of puzzle shapes and the ability to change the number of puzzle pieces from 30-1024. However, the number of puzzle cuts (shapes of pieces) and the number of pieces to choose from have both been reduced, as well as the number of pix (content) available in the game. I don't understand why, as the engine used for the previous series was excellent in every respect. Perhaps it has to do with the content of the game.
I know nothing about how commercial license fees (to use the pix for commercial purposes) are calculated. Perhaps there is an excellent reason for the decreases in all aspects of the game because of the nature of the pix used. They are magnificent examples of classic art styles using famous works of art which are recognizable to all art fans.
This game is a definite buy, even though I am a little disappointed in the cutbacks.
I definitely recommend this game,
I recommend this game!
Visit the beautiful sights of the Nordic countries in 125 different puzzle images!
Overall rating
5
/
5
5 of 6 found this review helpful
A Great Game Gets Better
PostedAugust 2, 2023
baraca
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
My review is based on playing the demo only on a Windows 11 PC.
For the first time since the third game of this series, the engine for the game has been updated so that there is an additional puzzle cut for both the jigsaw and swap modes. The game adds "squares" to both modes in a big way: 588- or 972- piece options for both modes. I love the swap mode addition; because the working area is bigger than that for jigsaw mode, my 27-inch monitor allows me to see the pieces easily. Jigsaw mode presents problems for me because the pieces are so small and the working area is smaller than for swap mode (although it can be enlarged).
Everything else in the engine remains the same. The "content" - the beautiful pictures of Nordic countries and their attractions - is, of course, new to this game. Be sure to allow extra time for solving the bigger pictures of the "squares" puzzles, and be sure to buy this game. It is a big winner.
I recommend this game!
Can you stop the destruction of the Shining World in time?
Overall rating
4
/
5
18 of 25 found this review helpful
Good Game, Maybe Excellent
PostedJuly 13, 2023
baraca
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Strategy
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
My review is based on playing the demo only, coupled with my experience with the developer and the series of Immortal Love games (both of which get very high marks).
Seeing as how I married into a family of Norwegian ancestry (and love Nordic myhtology), I will buy this game - my only decision will be whether to buy the CE or the SE. Incidentally, while none of my immediate family have Norwegian names, we do have a Guyda, Ingeborg, Clara, and Torlif among our ancestors.
Here are my concerns as well as what I liked about the CE version of this game:
1. I think the wallpapers are particuluary weak.
2. I love the concept art, but it does not appear that this can be saved to my computer.
3. Screensavers are good, but screensavers are not needed on modern computers.
4. I liked the music soundtrack. which can be saved.
5. I think the rest of the extras are good and generous, which is a trademark of this developer.
2. I love the concept art, but it does not appear that this can be saved to my computer.
3. Screensavers are good, but screensavers are not needed on modern computers.
4. I liked the music soundtrack. which can be saved.
5. I think the rest of the extras are good and generous, which is a trademark of this developer.
I recommend this game, but in which version (CE or SE) I 'm not sure.
I suggest that you wait until the SE comes out, or, at least, until someone submits a review based on the entire game, before making a final decision.
I recommend this game!
Have a "paw"some adventure finding cats and pups!
Overall rating
3
/
5
22 of 27 found this review helpful
If it seems the same, that's because it basically is.
PostedJuly 11, 2023
baraca
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Like most of my small number of reviews, this is based on a look only at the demo.
This game, like most of the other games, and products in general, in a capitalist society is "samey." The reviews by people of this and other games, are "spot on" when they complain that there is not enough innovation, or new features in games.
Games, and other products, are not developed in a batch and slowly released piece by piece. Rather, there are two basic pieces to a game - let's call them the "engine" and the "content."
The engine consists of all the services, options, controls, and basic play mechanisms (algorithms) of the game. When the engine changes, it is very noticeable because things are different - new options, new gameplay, etc. A good engine is worth its weight in gold because it can be re-used in many different games. which decreases both development time and costs.
The content is that unique piece of a game that changes with the release of each new game, while using the same engine which may or not be updated between game releases. Financially, the content is the sum of the costs that are unique to the game being developed. In "hardcore" gaming, content aside from the first game is known as an "expansion pack," that requires the basic game to play (so that you get the engine, but don't have to pay for it again).
I hope this brief description will help people understand why games in a series feel the same. Incidentally, I strongly believe in capitalism, and do not mind paying for the engine again when buying a game, if that is the way companies can stay in business.
I am neither recommending nor not recommending this game - that is the reason for the "neutral" 3-star rating. It is up to the customer to decide whether or not to buy the game..
Reveal the puzzled world of fantasy and imagination!
Overall rating
4
/
5
14 of 20 found this review helpful
Very Good Game
PostedJuly 3, 2023
baraca
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Based on demo as played on a PC running Windows 11 with a 27-inch monitor.
Note: I consider myself an Intermediate-level player because I cannot usually complete all games without using hints or a walkthrough. For puzzle games, I am probably closer to Expert-level.
This is an excellent jigsaw puzzle game that has some strong and weak points.
Strong points:
1. 6 categories with 30 pix in each = total of 180 pix.
2. Pix are very good.
3. Production values are very high.
4. Puzzle sizes from ~6 to ~1500 pieces.
5. Many other options.
1. 6 categories with 30 pix in each = total of 180 pix.
2. Pix are very good.
3. Production values are very high.
4. Puzzle sizes from ~6 to ~1500 pieces.
5. Many other options.
Weak points:
1. Only 4 different puzzle cuts.
2. No option to use your own pix to create puzzles.
3. Can not save completed pix as wallpapers.
4. No storage bins (trays) for working large puzzles.
1. Only 4 different puzzle cuts.
2. No option to use your own pix to create puzzles.
3. Can not save completed pix as wallpapers.
4. No storage bins (trays) for working large puzzles.
Regardless of it's weak points, this is an excellent game that I recommend to people who enjoy working jigsaw puzzles, especially large-sized ones.
I recommend this game!
Discover the sights of France while playing fun jigsaw puzzles!
Overall rating
5
/
5
10 of 11 found this review helpful
Same Game as Before - Thankfully!
PostedJune 28, 2023
baraca
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
This is the same game as the previous edition (Australia & New Zealand), but the subject this time is France.
This a good thing, because we still get 26 different jigsaw cuts and 27 different swap modes, along wih the normal options of piece rotation, amount of hints allowed, etc.
I usually do not comment on how well I like the pictures (125) offered in the game, as everyone's tastes are different. However, I will say that I like these pix better then any of the other games in the Puzzle Vacations series.
I definitely recommend this game!
I recommend this game!
Complete incredible works of art, and let your creativity shine!
Overall rating
5
/
5
40 of 42 found this review helpful
Excellent, as Usual
PostedJune 26, 2023
baraca
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
My review is based on the demo version played on a Windows 11 PC with a 27-inch monitor.
This game is a continuation of a series by the same developer who brought us Art by Numbers. Like this other series, the mechanics of Art Coloring 5 are flawless, and the production values are likewise very high.
Unlike the Art by Numbers (AbN) series, this game offers the following features:
(1) there are only 64 pictures to color (AbN has 72)
(2) the pictures are more realistic than those in AbN
(3) there are two modes - area coloring (like AbN) and pixel coloring (not offered in AbN); therefore, you get to color the same 64 pix in both area mode and in pixel mode, making a total of 128 challenges to complete if you play both modes.
(2) the pictures are more realistic than those in AbN
(3) there are two modes - area coloring (like AbN) and pixel coloring (not offered in AbN); therefore, you get to color the same 64 pix in both area mode and in pixel mode, making a total of 128 challenges to complete if you play both modes.
More about the pixel mode in Art Coloring 5:
(1) the pictures seem to be made by removing cells through pixel "coloring" to reveal the area art picture underneath. This has both good and bad points - good, in that the pixilated version of the finished picture is much more "artistic-looking" than in most other pixel art games - bad, in that the complexity of the picture reduces the area covered by individual color groupings, making the time to complete each picture increase dramatically over the time it takes to complete the picture in area mode.
(2) the way the picture is uncovered is fun to watch, because individual pixels (even in a grouping of pixels) may have a blend of different colors or designs that are revealed when you click on a pixel or group of pixels of the "same" color.
Generally, I am not a fan of pixel art, but I am a big fan of area art coloring as it helps me build my patience while producing a beautiful piece of art.
With the combination of both area and pixel coloring in the same game, this edition of Art Coloring is a winner.
Highly recommended.
I recommend this game!
Challenge your mind and sharpen your skills with a unique logic game set in inspiring China!
Overall rating
2
/
5
23 of 27 found this review helpful
Competition is Too Stiff
PostedJune 12, 2023
baraca
fromUSA
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Suguru is a game that is growing in popularity, but still is not as popular as Sudoku. The object is to place a single, unique, number into a cell (1 through the number of cells in the block), so that every number in the block of cells (5 in classical suguru; any number in most modern games) does not touch the same number in an adjacent cell. There may be as many "blocks" as the developer of the game desires.
This game does everything right and has very nice graphics. Why not a higher rating then? Competition!
There are many sites that offer free Suguru games to play online, and there are many books and magazines of Suguru available. For the same price as this game, you can easily buy a book that contain 5-10 times the number of "boards" as this game offers (62), at any level of difficulty you prefer. Like Sudoku, there are algorithms available to automatically generate as many puzzles as you desire with the push of a button. Even the Sudoku games on Big Fish have recognized this competition aspect, and they typically offer 450-600 boards per game.
Unless you want to play (and pay) for the pretty graphics, I do not recommend this game,
I don't recommend this game.