Favorite Genre(s):Match 3, Card & Board, Time Management, Puzzle, Mahjong
Fun Factor
2/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
4/ 5
Level of Challenge
2/ 5
This is a group-match game.
*** Right-handed cursor only, *** even if you have a left-handed setup this game will not recognise it and force right-hand mouse. Timed only Could not see any choice for difficulty level, but as your game is saved with the description "normal mode", perhaps there is a choice after finishing to play again in a hard mode?
You may turn off custom cursor and in-game hints. There is an automatic reshuffle if you run out of moves on a level.
The backdrops are beautiful with slight animations such as rain, rustling branches etc., and it changes/adds objects as you finish levels. The usual helping bonuses such as bombs, crosses that removes vertical and horizontal lines, tiles that destroys all identical pieces. Obstacles are also the usual such as chains, monoliths of several layers. A nice touch that adds to the challenge is the random clicking penalty - if you mis-click several times without making matches then you suffer a time punishment.
There are some puzzle levels in each chapter, where you have a limited number of pieces and your goal is to remove them all. The challenge is, of course, that since you cannot swap the pieces around you are dependent on how they fall from above. Which colour to remove first? Any stray pieces that will be left behind?
It was a beatiful game with nice music. However, I do not care for group-match M3s - for some reason just finding and clicking on a group of identical colour pieces does not satisfy my sense of *doing* something. There is a skill in seeing pieces that can be dropped down by doing a matching of other pieces below - but I simply do not enjoy it.
Also - the fact that it is right-handed mouse only makes this game not pleasant for me to play, esp. with the mis-click penalty. Fast mouse-action with my fingers on the wrong (for me) mouse buttons is straining.
Favorite Genre(s):Time Management, Match 3, Card & Board, Puzzle, Mahjong
Fun Factor
3/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
5/ 5
Level of Challenge
3/ 5
This much-awaited sequel to RE1 is a mix of clear-the-obstacles and city-planning, and you must complete your tasks within the allotted time. Your resources are also limited, so the callenge becomes to find the best way of doing things - do I need to build a Sawmill to get wood first, or some houses to earn gold?
Your overall mission is to re-build the 10 countries of Middleshire, and the 63 different levels give you quite a variation in what types of quests; some require a bit of strategic thinking, others are more quick-paced.
Your produce-buildings and houses will drop wood/food/money directly on the ground, and you must click to pick it up. The same goes for wood chopped, food picked, treasure found etc - so this game has turned into a clicka-clicka dash-type game at times. This made the game slightly less enjoyable to me, but players who like the more frantic TM games will perhaps like it better.
All in all I found this game to be easier that RE1 - you have more resources available faster (if you click fast enough), the timer is gentler and some levels had a "only one correct sequence" feel to it that made some quests somewhat boilerplate. Minigames are incorporated into some of the quests, typically the last one of each 'country', and that added to the variation of the obstacles in general.
As mentioned, there are 63 levels, and if you get gold time on the levels in normal mode you will unlock Expert mode, where you can play the levels again, but with a more punishing timer. Get achievements, both in the normal mode and in the expert mode -such as "build 500 houses", or "win 10 snowball fights".
It is a very good game on its own, but gameplay in this one has become more focused on clicka-clicka and speed, and less on strategy - this made the game a bit repetitive and less challenging to me.
But it is long, characters are interesting and nicely done, a lot of fun (written) dialogue - and re-play value is excellent if you want to win all the achievements. Well worth a try.
Favorite Genre(s):Time Management, Match 3, Card & Board, Puzzle, Mahjong
Fun Factor
5/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
5/ 5
Level of Challenge
4/ 5
Restore the hanging Gardens of Babylon to please the goddess Ishtar; bring Love and Harmony back to the kingdom.
- It is swap-to-match only. - The objects for matching are beautiful – sparkly gems shaped to look like flowers. - Tiles drop smoothly, no clunkiness and you can make matches while tiles are still dropping. - Choose between timed or relaxed mode.
There are 7 gardens to restore; each one consists of a palace with gardens outside. The palace buildings are no-choice as to looks or placement. You have more freedom of choice when it comes to the gardens – which plants, where to put them and so on.
Earn resources in the M3 levels, use them to purchase flowers, palace parts and useful stuff such as spells, mana, water, extra lives, watering cans etc.
There are about 160 Match-3 levels. There are the usual power-ups in the form of spells (purchased in the shop). Also special tiles as rewards for skillful playing; make a Match4 to get a Rainbow Flower (match with any flower), or a M5 to get a Helix (takes out an entire horizontal row). There is a Hammer tool that recharges as you make matches. It has several stages or strengths – the first stage takes out one marble tile, the highest level will clear all Gems identical to the one targeted.
Obstacles are also the usual; chained tiles, boxes.
Some things were slightly annoying; - You cannot move or sell plants. - The spells have 3 levels. But you are forced to purchase all spells at level 1 before you get access to the level 2 spells, and there are 8 different spells, some of which I never used. - You cannot skip in-game help – very annoying when you’ve played the game 4 times already, and you still get the ‘helpful’ popup telling you about the Hammer, lol.
But these are minor irritants only – the game is beautiful, relaxing and it’s a joy doing the garden restorations. Replay value is great, as I did the gardens over and over, finding the prettiest flowers and nice-looking combinations.
Favorite Genre(s):Time Management, Match 3, Card & Board, Puzzle, Mahjong
Fun Factor
4/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
5/ 5
Level of Challenge
5/ 5
This is a hard game to classify, as it mixes time management, action, role-play and adventure, with a gripping story.
*** If you are left-handed, be warned. This game is hard-wired for right-hand mouse, and if you have a left-hand mouse setup it will just ignore it. ***
This is why I didn't give it 5 stars, as being forced to play with my fingers in an awkward position was straining, that affected player comfort and fun factor for me as a lefty. Right hand players will of course have no such problems.
It is a 'prequel' to Island: Castaway, and you are Yati, a young orphaned boy who must solve the riddle of his dreams; of what happened to his parents; save his island paradise and tribe from the white strangers; and on top of all -- become a Man.
The game is divided into 6 separate chapters. As Yati you receive little 'quests' from various members of the tribe to drive the story, all in the process of learning to survive -- feed himself, trade, learn magic. Some of the quests seem trivial, but this is after all the story of little deeds that change the world!
Keep exploring the island, and go back to locations because new things crop up and some items are time-specific. If you missed an item in a chapter it will most likely be gone the next chapter. This is one major drawback in my opinion; that one cannot go back to a previous save, as game progress is saved continously -- there are no multiple save spots.
You can advance through the story quickly, or take your own sweet time -- even though it is a sort of time management game, nothing happens unless you want it to.
Spend hours fishing, hunting boars, picking fruit, plant and harvest, make food from the recipes you learn, sell your produce. When you are ready, just finish a quest to go to the next chapter. You can immerse yourself completely in this game, and replay value is excellent, as one is bound to have missed something the first time around.
A wonderfully, *relaxing* TM/action/adventure/RPG hybrid of a game. There is no game like it. Except for Island Castaway 1, lol.
I recommend this game!
+9points
13of17voted this as helpful.
Mahjong Towers Eternity ™
Customize your boards, enjoy three different gameplay modes, and chat with players using in-game messaging!
Favorite Genre(s):Time Management, Match 3, Card & Board, Puzzle, Mahjong
Fun Factor
4/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
5/ 5
Level of Challenge
5/ 5
This Mahjong game is solely about the basics -- neverending Mahjong layouts to clear. No story, no plot, just layout after layout to use as a kind of Solitaire game. And it is excellent of its kind.
This game is made by BFG, and they host a server from where you may download new layouts when you finish the old ones. There are 3 modes of play - classic --the standard mahjong solitaire-- Speed mode -- only possible matches are visible, make the matches as fast as you can. Concentration --where all tiles are hidden. i.e turned over, and you must remember where they are. These two latter modes are better with the smaller layouts.
Layout sizes varies from 20 tiles up to 750 tiles (largest), with up to 20 layers. On the page where you choose layouts from a list on the left is a button called "Get more layouts". If you are connected to the internet, then the game will call up the MTE server and download new layouts - very easy.
You may filter which types you want to get --smallest, largest, easiest, fastest, etc. -- the server provides statistics for each layout so that you can see how many have tried it, how many solved it, who made it, and so on.
These layouts are created by other players, and you may make your own and upload them to this server if you like. You may even filter downloading by creator of the layout, so if you find a layout you like you can go searching for more made by that person.
You need never run out of new layouts to play.
There are several options to allow you to customise how you want the game to look; options for music and sound, a choice of 11 different tilesets -- or make you own -- and there is an option for 'coloured tiles' - which may make the different matches easier to spot. Also, you may put your own images in the bacground image folder - the game will provide help for how to do this.
There is unlimited undo - if you regret one particular match, just undo it as often as you like. There is one (1) shuffle for each layout. Hints are available, to show you possible matches.
Using hint, undo and shuffle will cost you time points - the game is not timed in itself, but as a part of the statistics the time spent is recorded and as a matter of pride one naturally wants to do the large layouts at least faster than the average time, lol.
As you successfully complete each layout you score points --large layouts give you more points than smaller ones -- and points will increase your rank, and your rank is recorded on the MTE server (if you play with internet connection).
I have played many many Mahjong games, with a storyline and without; and this is the one game I keep coming back to.
Finally ONE PIECE OF ADVICE: if you re-download the game, re-installs it for any reason - your player profile will be wiped and you have to create a new profile. All your progress will be lost!
BFG often puts out updates to the game, and these updates usually require re-installing the game. So BEFORE you do, make certain to read the Game Forum for this game first, as it will guide you on how to make a backup copy of your player profile file.
I recommend this game!
+688points
833of978voted this as helpful.
Elements
Embark on a scientific adventure using your matching skills to distill and combine the essences of mythic elements.
The object of this game is to combine two of the same elements, so that it becomes -- the same element, only larger. Sounds simple? Yes it is. This is not a game that you *lose* in any way, but there is a challenge in the matching.
Because you can only match two identical elements 'of the same size'. As you do the combining, you swap lets say a Fire element with an Earth element so that you have two Fire elements next to each other --these will combine into a larger Fire element--, and the Earth element is now where the first Fire element was. But you can only swap elements that are of the same size - meaning that not only must the two Fire elements that you want to combine be of equal size to each other, so must the Earth element that you swap with be. The trick, then, is to keep an eye out for placements of elements that will give you the better match next swap, or will create a combo --where one combination automatically creates a new combination-- these results of a combo may be swapped with any size element as long as one of the resulting swaps create a combination. There is a bit of strategy involved, seeing a few moves ahead.
So; the main goal is to reduce all the several little elements of each kind into just one -- only one left of each type.
New elements are added after 4-5 boards, so that in the end you have10-15 elements on the board that all must be refined down to just one of each kind. The playing board --the page in the spell book, so to speak-- will expand and give you more elements if you run out of matches. Thankfully the game keeps track of which elements you have finished this board. Meaning that if you managed to refine an element down to one, then that element is 'finished' for this board even if the book expands out, and remains only as a filler.
There is an additional challenge in Classic mode, in completing this in just one 'page' - to achieve the final refinement of elements without expanding out - that will give you expert status.
The game has three modes of play - Classic /or story mode/, timed or relaxed. Classic mode is the one descrbed above with the 'expert' achievement, timed mode is like classic except that it is timed, withhout the expert goal. And relaxed is just endless matching of two of the elements of your choice.
At length, it does get tedious and dull; there is not much to break the monotony, so this is not a game for hours of continous play. But as a short, "solitaire" kind of game, where you play for half an hour to unwind, it is excellent. In that respect, I recommend this game.
Favorite Genre(s):Time Management, Match 3, Card & Board, Puzzle, Mahjong
Fun Factor
5/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
5/ 5
Level of Challenge
4/ 5
A traditional Match3 that gives hours upon hours of playtime.
Although it is swap-to-match only the makers have managed to create enough variation to keep it interesting. As the fourth in the Cradle-of series (the others being Cradle of Persia, Cradle of Rome, Cradle of Rome2) it upholds the standard of excellent background graphics, beautiful tiles, smooth matching/drop. No problems doing matches during a cascade, while tiles are still dropping.
The premise is to 'build' Egypt, from its creation up through the historical ages, and your ultimate goal is to rise from peasanthood to Pharaoh. You do matching levels to earn resources such as gold, food or materials - these are used to purchase new buildings for your Egypt map. As you unlock new buildings, to 'get' them you must first play mini games that are much more varied and interesting than in CoR2, for example. These mini-games are skippable.
There are 100 levels.
The usual powerups and obstacle tiles #aah, the dreaded stone slabs that are only broken if you do a vertical match on top of them#. A new twist is the little chests that pop up as rewards for matching the same resource four times in a row - these will give you extra of that resource.
There is a choice of timed or un-timed modes. If you finish in un-timed mode, you can start a new game with the same player profile in timed mode, your trophies and achievements will carry over. Timed mode is actually not too difficult, as you may purchase more time with your resources if you choose - only if you run out of resources will you lose a life.
Earn trophies for skilled playing - i.e different citizens on the Egypt map that will give you some kind of bonus; and awards/achievements such as Play all the mini-games #without skipping#.
Other game-modes are unlocked after playing Adventure mode - Tourney mode after earning a certain number of points, Blitz mode after finishing the game. these modes give more hours of play time, so you get massive game value for your money.
No problems with left-hand mouse setup.
I recommend this game!
+428points
474of520voted this as helpful.
Dragon Empire
Earn resources to build a unique looking beautiful city. Fill it with people and improve your economic and military might!
Favorite Genre(s):Time Management, Match 3, Card & Board, Puzzle, Mahjong
Fun Factor
5/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
4/ 5
Level of Challenge
4/ 5
This is a wonderful Match 3 game that for some reason has been overlooked.
It is swap-to-match, the tiles are beautiful to look at with an Eastern/Chinese flavour. They drop smoothly and you can do matches during a cascade - a must for me.
It is quite long - 100 unique levels - after this the levels start to repeat but you can play as long as you like, even after finishing.
It is timed, but with a very generous timer - I only ran into trouble a couple of times, and had no problems re-starting the board a few times.
It supports left-hand mouse setup, so no problems playing for me.
The objective is to build the Dragon Empire, same premise as in e.g. Cradle of Rome and Heroes of Hellas. You do M3 boards to earn resources (there are wood tiles, money tiles, "Culture" tiles) - each giving you resources for the buildings. You can choose between 3 styles for the building, but the placement is pre-decided. As you build you unlock 'better' resources or get powerups to help with the matching. These powerups must be charged with special tiles, and it is random which charging tiles you get each board. Re-starting might give you a chance to carge a different powerup.
On the 'Map' part you can also play little mini-games, these are whimsical and cute, some are merely playing "skillfully" (e.g do a Match-five, collect a certain amount of Money in one level), others are more obscure and adds to the enjoyment. After finishing a mini-game a nice touch is that the achievement for this is placed on the Empire map, as trees, statues etc.
A total charmer of a game; pretty to look at, tongue-in-cheek and hilarious, that does not take itself too seriously.
Favorite Genre(s):Time Management, Match 3, Card & Board, Puzzle, Mahjong
Fun Factor
3/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
3/ 5
Level of Challenge
3/ 5
This is a clear-the-obstacles type of time management game, where you must build to get resource buildings, clear roads, gather resources etc, in order to get to the other side of the map. It is timed - of course. Mini-games include whackem-levels, but not as bad as it was in MKFP2. There's also a race through the obstacle-maze sort of thing between levels.
As the third in the series, it was quite -- bland. Ok, but not so engrossing that I sat up during the night just doing one more board. It was easier than the first and second games, in that you have easier access to resources, and the timer is gentler so it was not as knuckle-bitingly where-can-I-shave-off-the-seconds? re-play and re-play again to "make it before nightfall."
Favorite Genre(s):Brain Teaser, Adventure, Time Management, Match 3, Card & Board, Puzzle, Mahjong, Strategy
Fun Factor
4/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
5/ 5
Level of Challenge
4/ 5
chain-to-match only Restore the city of Athens to its former glory after being destroyed by an unknown enemy of the goddess Athena. Earn gold by solving M3 levels, use the gold to purchase buildings. M3 levels have the usual helping tiles (lightning bolts, bombs etc), and obstacle tiles (rope, ice, unmovable metal blocks), and the goals vary from collect all the "gold" tiles, collect at certain amount of one colour tile, drop keys, gems, feathers to the bottom. Earn trophies and achievements - this gives extra incentive and challenge. After finishing the city, you get "bonus" play - 15 levels normal (chain-to-match) levels, 15 levels of Puzzle - limited amount of moves so you must figure out the exact sequence of matching.