This is an imaginative, creative game with wonderful graphics and animation. I played in relaxed untimed mode but it didn't pan out that way. Looking through some of the reviews here, I see that other players have had the same experience. There are a few levels, not many, maybe five, out of the forty five levels, which are timed, even in relaxed, untimed mode. While I found the game play exciting and lots of fun, it was also stressful and extremely challenging at times, due to the several timed levels. The timed levels I played maybe six or seven times before I could get through them, and then, just by the skin of my teeth. I probably wouldn't have bought it if I'd have known that relaxed, untimed mode did not mean relaxed or untimed at all and hopefully the game developers will correct that in any future sequels.
It's one of those games that stand out. Perhaps it's because it's 50 levels of addictive, relaxing, enjoyable and satisfying game play and you don't even have to be into trains. It's a real feel good game. I bought and played it about six months ago and I am due to play it again. Can't wait.
I really enjoyed this stress free game which I feel is suitable for beginners and intermediate players. The game play kept my interest all the way through. I also liked that there was keepsakes and classic books to collect as I travelled. There are four chapters with four locations: Lower Manhatten, Central Park, Broadway and Brooklyn Bridge, consisting of 36 levels each.
There are 100 levels in relaxed, timed or limited move mode and challenge or casual, so there is lot of scope for replay value. I played it in relaxed casual mode and even though it was relaxing and enjoyable, the side effect to little challenge is boredom. I will replay it in timed mode. I'm not a good Match 3 player, so I prefer beginner/intermediate but a little challenge adds excitement and reward.
Old game with lots of straight forward HOS, which can be skipped if desired. There are written hints rather than directional hints but at the same time, the hint button will take you directly to locations you need to go to, which, combined with the linear style, results in little chance of becoming lost or disorientated. Nice music and some great little cut scenes. Enjoyable and relaxing game.
It has some nice touches like the cute bat, which helps you get objects out of reach. There's always a cute helpful something in games of this era. I would have preferred to have directional hints rather than written advice about where to go, as sometimes it's not that easy to recall where the wardrobe is, never mind the bag or dress or fishing rod that you need, which are all in the same wardrobe, which you have to return to several times to get each item. Or they will describe an object you require as being 'near the cauldron' for example. 'Near' covers quite an elusive and expansive area. Saying all that, this is one of the most value for money games I've come across. It seemed very long to me. It has good game play, which keeps you interested from the get go, right to the end and is very consistent right the way through. Also good atmosphere, some nice puzzles, a sprinkling of relaxing HOS and good environmental sound effects.
I wasn't happy with the host losing his bright, happy go lucky personality and turning into a psycho in this third installment of the series. Maybe it was his evil twin. Also, the game play wasn't as good. You still get a spin wheel but it's lost all its magic. There's no environmental sounds and the music and sound effects are too annoying to have on. On the plus side, the graphics are quite nice on the eye and there's unlimited hints and it's more relaxing than the first two, if you don't count the time limited skip chip bonus scenes. I liked the extended play after the main storyline game was finished but I still had a few missing levels at the end of each chapter. I think it was because I didn't get enough skip chip pieces within the time limit to play every single level or to get bonus levels. It would be quite a short game, but the extended play saved it on that level.
I liked that they keep the same host from the first game. I also liked the witty and quirky advertisements/commercials that pop up if you click about too often. It's brighter than the first one, with more interesting scenes but again, there's the same difficulty with finding objects as they are still blended and blurred but not as much as the first game. I was eventually railroaded into playing the game on the spin wheel that I had been putting my skip chips on. They do this by making it the only game on the board to play, even though you might have lots of skip chips. This doesn't happen until right at the end though, so you can avoid the game you don't like...for a time at least. I liked the environmental sounds. It was very atmospheric. I made it to 100% but it took ages. It's a long game, a slow but steady progress.
Sound effects wise, every time you find or miss an object, the audience go wild but that's how game shows are, or certainly were, so in that sense, it's the perfect simulation of being a participant of a game show. Some of the objects are difficult to find, impossible at times because they are so cleverly and perhaps unfairly blended in and blurred. This was common in old school games and made them more challenging. You do get your money's worth from this one, particularly if you just like basic no frills hidden object scenes. Good fun.
In Last Day Of Work games, patience is key. It is indeed a virtue. If you can grasp those fundamentals and enjoy them, then you're half way, if not all the way home! This first Virtual Villagers game does not disappoint. We find ourselves in a small part of an island that doesn't expand. It doesn't need to. Everything we need is here. It doesn't seem like much but a lot goes on in this small space. It reminds me of board games of old where the limited space is more about quality than quantity. The game play is good, logical for the most part, not too difficult or too easy. Progression is very natural, I found most puzzles logical, one or two puzzles I had to look up in the walkthrough. The strength of these games are in their simplicity. A high degree of competence is needed in simplicity. These games have a great deal of charm and consistency. I really enjoyed this game and can't wait to play the rest.