As I write this, there are no other reviews. This is not a comprehensive review. I find this game to be slow, clunky and irritating. I'll just mention two or three things here. Concerning the resources - you have to click on each one to collect it. It would be so much nicer if you could just pass your cursor over each one to collect it. I don't like a clickfest. Also concerning the resources, sometimes the icon of the resource to be collected is shown above the building, below the building or beside the building. Consequently they are often difficult to see because they are in different places and often they are hidden behind other things (such as an upgrade arrow). What a mess. Too much of the time I had to just sit and wait and watch the workers do their thing - so slow. If I had 2 workers and wanted to upgrade to 3, it took a while to get the resources to get more workers. The workers seem to move slowly enough that your only defense is to have many workers, but that takes time and resources from other needs - like constructing buildings or making repairs or upgrades. There isn't any way in the world that I would pay the price to purchase the CE edition. If I thought about buying it at all, it would be the SE with a coupon that was about to expire because I find this game to be too frustrating. Three stars is a generous rating from me for this game.
I am really enjoying this game. I have the first one, but not the second one in the series. I purchased this one after playing a few levels. I noticed some complaints about the tutorial and not being able to turn it off. The tutorial doesn't bother me, but that donkey and having to take care of it is a royal pain. I hope it is nowhere to be seen in the next game in this series. It's not a deal breaker for me, but it is a huge irritation, at least to me. Different strokes for different folks, apparently. The only reason I didn't give this a 5 star rating is because of the donkey. Other than that, it's a 5 star game for me.
I was over the moon happy when I saw this as today's new game. Laruaville is as near perfection as a game can get, in my opinion. The strongest plus is that by some form of magic which escapes too many other developers is that each new Laruaville is a step up from the previous one. There is always something new and this one really raises the bar in many ways. A couple of days ago I had some medical tests and the results were not good. But, believe it or not, having a new Laruaville to play lifted my spirits. I was so happy to have something that could take my mind other places for a while instead of thinking about medical tests and procedures. The very detailed reviews are terrific for those who may not be quite as familiar with this series.
I have all the other games in this series and will be adding this one. Others have gone into great detail, so I'll just add my 5 stars in the hopes someone who isn't familiar with the series might give it a try. There is a lot of the familiar, but also some new touches as described by others. That's always a good combination for a series. If something new isn't added, it soon becomes boring. The story is always fun as our heroes build new railroads and do what they can to help others. Of course there has to be a greedy villain. I very seldom buy CEs, but this is one that I will be buying the CE version for the extra levels since it's such an enjoyable game. If you are the least bit curious, please do give the demo a try
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Puzzle, Strategy, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
5/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
5/ 5
Level of Challenge
5/ 5
I've played this game over the years as I would happen to find in various places, so I was really happy to see this offering from Big Fish. I knew immediately that I would purchase it. Let the game fill in all of the #1's for you. Then look for the smaller numbers (2's, 3's, 4's) as they are pretty easy to figure out once you've played for a little bit. Pay attention to the color coding since it's helpful. When you get to the larger numbers (8 and above) you sometimes have to put your thinking cap on, but the game lets you know when you're not doing it correctly. Right click on a thread to delete it and then try again. You can also let the game solve a line/thread for you, but the game decides where to do that - you don't get to select a particular line. I don't care for much of anything in the pixel category and I don't think of this as a pixel game. The completed pictures are pretty awful and I have no interest in them at all, although I do like the riddle about what the picture will be. I hope this isn't the only "threaded" type of game we see on BF in the future. I love games like this that make you engage the brain cells.
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Puzzle, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
5/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
5/ 5
Level of Challenge
5/ 5
Storyline
5/ 5
It is true that there are similarities to the Alice series, but this is different enough to hold its own. I have a few Alice games, but am kind of over them for the time being. Game play in this one is very different from Alice which is a big plus for me. You have to grow things and then sell them which is not complicated. You also have to deposit coins in the bank to pay your workers - again, not difficult. There are other things that are unique to this game; but my main point here is that even if you aren't enthralled with Alice, give this game a chance on its own merits because it is different in some significant ways when you get into the game.
I have all or most of the previous Clutter games by Joe and am always happy to see the next one when it pops up. Just last week I was thinking it would be really wonderful to see a new Clutter by Joe. Other reviewers have explained the game, so I won't focus on that other than to say that Joe is always able to add something new which is really important when you have a series as long as this one has been. Instead I want to mention that I REALLY enjoy the autobiographical observations that Joe interjects into the game. It's all very interesting and I'm hoping he continues to make his personal observations in future games. It's everything between laugh-out-loud funny to thought provoking. I was also raised in a small town (pop. 700) and understand his thoughts about what that brings to a person's life. I share his big love of sweets and have to constantly resist the temptation. His journey has been interesting and many things he says provoke some self-reflection and I also learn about many things. The quotes are great, too. Looking forward to Clutter 13.
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Puzzle, Strategy, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
5/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
5/ 5
Level of Challenge
4/ 5
I have many of the Art by Number games, so this one caught my eye and the description made me curious. It was really interesting to see the difference in the pictures as compared to Art by Number. The pictures in Art by Number are gorgeous, but not realistic. They are more in the fantasy genre, but they are spectacular and I love those games. With those games I feel like I'm filling in the painting with the brush. With Art Coloring, I felt like the painting was already there and as I clicked on the numbered spaces I was removing the spaces to reveal the covered picture. There are no black lines in the finished paintings which is one reason they look so terrific. The pictures are truly beautiful. Between the two different games, I'm going to be painting for a long time. Both are terrific choices and I was really happy to add this one to my Game Manager after completing about 4 pictures. The mechanics of the two games are the same, but the pictures are strikingly different and I like both of them equally, but for different reasons. The challenge part for me is finding those very tiny little spaces that are difficult to spot unless I magnify the picture quite a bit. I'm sure the developers enjoy putting in those little specks of space, knowing the gamer will have to really search to find them all. Painting heaven!!
Adventure Match follows up their first match-3 hit with a colorful ocean-side puzzler filled to the brim with perplexing levels with various challenges.
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Puzzle, Strategy, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
5/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
5/ 5
Level of Challenge
4/ 5
I have the first game in this series and added this one. If you know Dig the Ground, you'll see the similarities here. The main difference is that DTG is a chain match game; whereas this one is a true match 3 where you trade tiles for matching. I like both types equally. I enjoy the challenge of the frozen tiles, boxes, and other types of tiles that block your progress. I don't play timed or limited move games, but I can understand why many gamers would like to have one or both of these features in the future. For me this is a fun, kick back and relax game - just my type. I like to sandwich games like this in between the other games I play (TMs, M3s and solitaire these days). The tiles are colorful and I enjoy the mini games. This game isn't going to get your blood pumping or up your BP; but if you like a chill-out kind of game, you should give this one a try.
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Puzzle, Strategy, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
5/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
5/ 5
Level of Challenge
4/ 5
For those of you who are familiar with the Vacation Adventure games, you will be seeing some of the familiar as you work your way through this fun and relaxing Christmas game. I love the variety of games offered here. Others have gone into great detail, so I will not repeat that. The game is good enough that I wanted to submit a ratings review. There have been so many weak offerings these past months so when a good one like this comes along, I want to add to the star rating. Another reason I highly recommend this game is because it's family friendly. There are multiple levels of play so everyone from kids to hard core adult gamers who go for the stars and want a decent challenge will also be satisfied.