OVERVIEW: It is a thorny situation for you and your husband, Jack. A “war of the roses” is in full bloom in the town of Wishville, with roses attacking and killing local citizens. If that is not problematic enough for the inhabitants of Wishville, there is also the local mayor, Tom, who has the ability to grant your every wish - as long as you sign a contract. Giving a new meaning to the terms of contractual law, you not able to escape the terms of this contract even in death. Your husband Jack has signed one of these contracts in order to save your life and now has gone to Wishville to settle his debt with the mayor. After he is missing for several days, you are off to locate him and along the way battle some big roses and help the ghosts of some debtors so they can be released from their debt.
“Editor’s choice?” I must be missing something. I rate this game a high 3 star game. This game does not interest me. I feel the game is poorly constructed with a bizarre game script. This is a thorny patchwork of various themes sewn together into a nonsensical story about roses attacking and killing people combined with a mayor making a devil’s contract with debtors who are eternally bound by these contracts. Added to this mess is an array of “cutesy” squirrels performing antics throughout the game. There are many who will probably enjoy this fractured fairy tale game. If you enjoy this game, I am happy for you. However, to me, this game is a pass for me. I could see nothing from the demo which would entice me to continue playing this game.
I find the game slow-paced especially with the easy puzzles and boring HOP scenes. I did not see another game to play in lieu of the HOP scenes. I am hoping in the near future, to see some better games which may “spring” forth with the coming warmer weather.
HOP SCENES: The HOP scenes include the standard fare of lists of items to locate, storybook scenes with items listed in BOLD letters, and silhouette items. There is one multiple step scene in which you locate items and replace them back into the scene. The most creative one I feel is one in which you locate a number of skulls which come in different forms and sizes.
PUZZLES: In the demo, all the puzzles are easy with the exception of one which is moderately difficult. There are two puzzles which each contain three puzzle scenes which supposedly increase in difficulty; however, I found all of them easy. Most of the puzzles are switch puzzles; however, there is also a matching puzzle, a weights and balances puzzle, a paint by number puzzle, and a rope puzzle. I could never figure out the paint puzzle and wonder if it is a “glitch” in the game.
FAVORITE PUZZLE: The only mini-game I enjoyed playing from the demo was the weights and balances puzzles in which you switch and balance seven statuettes of princes so that they are aligned.
EXTRAS: Attain 21 achievements, some of which have 3 components. Collect 25 roses with blooms so large they practically jump out at you. There are 25 morphing objects to collect. You can reset the puzzles. You receive the usual strategy guide, wallpaper, artwork, music. It appears you can replay the HOP scenes and puzzles; however, you must purchase the game to discover this fact.
You also receive a casket which narrates the stories of the debtors. To learn about the history of each debtor and receive an inventory item, you must first feed the casket a drop of a debtor’s blood. I found this a little morbid for a fairy tale game.
LEVELS: Casual, Advanced, Expert, Custom Hints 10 to 200 seconds Skips 30 to 400 seconds
HERE ARE THE DETAILS (SPOILERS) FOR THOSE WANT MORE INFORMATION ON THE HOP SCENES AND MINI-PUZZLES
HOP SCENES: There is no alternative game to play in lieu of the HOP scene A. Mini-HOP scene. Locate a small number of two separate items within the pages of a journal. B. List of items to locate followed by replacement of some of the items back into the scene C. List of items to locate. D. Locate 20 skulls. A creative HOP scene. The skulls are of differing materials, sizes, and shapes. E. Storybook sequence. Locate items listed in BOLD letters while relating the story of the town of Wishville.
PUZZLES: Some puzzles can be reset A. Sequence puzzle. Light up tokens in sequence until all are lit. Lighting one affects the others. EASY B. Switch puzzle. Switch the positions of squirrels on a cage to match a given picture EASY C. Multiple-step puzzle. (1) Switch puzzle. Match up the colors associated with pictures on blades of a windmill to those on colored stones. EASY (2) Matching puzzle. Connect lines between pairs of matching tokens without the lines crossing. 3X INCREASES IN DIFFICULTY WITH EACH SCENE. ACTUALLY THEY ARE ALL EASY D. Play tic-tac-toe with a squirrel in a HOP scene. Seriously? EASY E. Switch puzzle. Switch and rotate tokens in a picture so that the lines connect to complete a picture of roses. EASY F. Logic puzzle. Press specific stones to turn on water in a fountain. EASY G. Paint puzzle. “Paint” a picture by clicking on areas of one color and then choosing the correct color to fill in. EASY H. Weights/Balance puzzle. Switch 7 prince statuettes so that each is holding a medal and their weights are equal so they all align with one another. MODERATELY DIFFICULT I. Switch puzzle. Arrange portraits by switching them so that they are connected by vines to match to their traits. J. Matching puzzle. Remove runes by matching them to defeat the Rose Beast. 3X THEY INCREASE IN DIFFICULTY WITH EACH SCENE. ACTUALLY THEY ARE ALL EASY
OVERVIEW: Return to your ancestral home, Wolfhill, in Scotland where trouble is brewing for your cousin Neil. Upon receipt of the family symbol from your cousin, you and your father, both werewolves, are returning to the same danger which caused your father to leave years earlier. A Druid is planning a celebratory ritual which somehow involves both Neil and his daughter as well. Use your werewolf powers wisely to save your cousin and his family.
This is a decent, puzzle-intense game. The graphics are beautiful as usual for this developer. Both the puzzles and the HOP scenes are decent. This developer has returned to providing both “casual (easy)” and “hard” settings for the puzzles which makes this game appealing to those who like easier puzzles and those who wish more of a challenge in the puzzles. I wish more developers would provide this option for the mini-games. To me, this game is a vast improvement from the others in the series.
Why the 4 star rating? Actually I consider this a high 4 star rating. However, to me, this game lacks the “wow” factor we have come to expect from 5-star games. Although it has beautiful graphics and better puzzles, I found the HOP scenes to be nondescript and one of the scenes was repeated in the demo. I also found the game to have a slow pace. The slow pace accompanied by the constant baying of wolves and dogs barking in the background became irritating to me. I LOVE this developer’s games; however this is not my favorite series and will be a pass for me. I also wish the developer would tone down all the animal sounds in their games.
There are a few gimmicks in the game including the berry “Viscum Lupinarium” which helps keep your werewolf inner self at bay. You also receive four handy dandy werewolf powers which include werewolf sight, werewolf strength and two others not disclosed in the demo. You will be able to perform extraordinary fetes with these awesome powers!
Perhaps the game will get better after the demo. However, there was nothing to incite me to purchase this game. There are those who love this series and I hope you enjoy this game.
HOP SCENES: The HOP scenes are varied and include lists of items, matching, storybook sequence, and silhouette items.
MINI-GAMES: The puzzles are varied and include a variety of different types but also difficulty. Some of the puzzles allow you to choose between casual and hard levels. My favorite mini-game was a maze puzzle in which you must move vacuum tubes into position to overload an electrical system.
LEVELS: Casual, Advanced, Hard, Custom Hints to Skips – 5 to 200 seconds.
EXTRAS:
Map is provided at the beginning of the game 4 werewolf powers 18 Achievements Collect items from the people in this cursed family – Cousin Neal, your father, your mother, and druids Strategy guide Music, Video, Wallpaper, Screensavers Replay of 17 HOP scenes and 12 mini-games
HERE ARE THE DETAILS (SPOILERS) FOR THOSE WANT MORE INFORMATION ON THE HOP SCENES AND MINI-GAMES:
HOP SCENES: A. List of items to locate. The scene is interactive and puzzle-like B. Matching. Match up items which are identical and unencumbered. C. Storybook sequence/FROG. Sentences with items to located in BOLD letters. You must locate pieces of the items before removing them. Reuse of the same scene for the first list of items to be located D. List of items to locate. Reuse of the first HOP scene. E. Silhouette items. Locate the items and then replace them back into the scene
PUZZLES: A. Sequence puzzle. Move four hands in the proper sequence to open a door. EASY B. Matching/rotating rings puzzle. Move and combine the halves of four windmill blades so that the colors match up. MODERATELY DIFFICULT C. Sliding tiles puzzle. Match up tiles to create two wolves – dark wolf and light wolf Choice between CASUAL AND HARD. D. Simon Says puzzle. Press fingers on a wolf in correct order. Choice between CASUAL AND HARD E. Maze puzzle. Move a small bead through a maze without touching the sides of the maze and dodging the obstacles in your path. EASY F. Sequence puzzle. Locate the right sequence to unlock the legs of a mechanical spider. Moving one leg affects the other 8 legs. EASY G. Switch puzzle. Move phases of the moon to open a chest. EASY H. Maze puzzle. Move two vacuum tubes into their sockets by removing obstacles in their path in order to overload the electrical system. Choice between CASUAL AND HARD. I. Manual dexterity puzzle. Move a rod with a hook to get a key to open a lock. You must center a ball in the middle of a window. EASY J. Rotating rings puzzle. Rotate circles to recreate a pictures to open a lock. Choice between CASUAL AND HARD.
OVERVIEW: You play time traveler, Aunt Anna Gray to the rescue of a family member at the ancestral Gray Castle. With a comatose wife and a missing son named Billy, your nephew Brandon has contacted you to help in the search for Billy. I LOVE this LONG, WELL-CRAFTED game! This is an EXCELLENT, DARK, PUZZLE-INTENSE game! The graphics are beautiful as usual for the developer and well depict the dark nature of this game. If you like puzzles, you will LOVE this game! There are 16 puzzles in the long demo.
You soon discover an evil ancestor is menacing this family. He has been appearing in Billy’s dreams and is tied to his future. Go back to the future to save your family from a curse coming from a family legacy steeped in wizardry and witchcraft.
MINI-GAMES: Most of the puzzles are easy; however there is one which I think is a little more difficult. It is a sliding tiles puzzle in which you must move family pictures into their proper slots on a family tree. There is quite a variety of puzzles. In the demo they included a maze puzzle, a manual dexterity puzzle, a lockpick puzzle, a couple of switch puzzles, a couple of sequence puzzles, a match-3 puzzle, and a couple of assembly puzzles.
FAVORITE PUZZLE: I loved playing the maze puzzle in which you must lead a zebra through a jungle maze by directing its path through pushing arrow. As you pass gears on the route, they rotate and change the direction of the path. It is not a difficult puzzle; however, it is fun to outmaneuver the gears as you pass them in the maze.
HOP scenes. They are fewer – only five in the demo; however, they are creative. Two of the HOP scenes are mini-HOP scenes. The HOP scenes in the demo consisted of lists of items to locate and silhouettes.
LEVELS: Casual, Advanced, Hardcore, Custom Hints and Skips – 15 to 90 seconds
EXTRAS:
Map is given to you at the start of the game 19 Achievements Collect 13 statues of the characters in the game Collect 33 puzzle pieces to play jigsaw puzzles for the screensavers 26 Morphing objects which are not easy to locate Strategy guide - 69 Pages 8 wallpapers, Music, and Secret Room, Concept art
HERE ARE THE DETAILS (SPOILERS) FOR THOSE WANT MORE INFORMATION ON THE HOP SCENES AND MINI-PUZZLES
HOP SCENES: A. Locate a specific amount of different types of flowers. As you locate the flowers, uncover pieces of an inventory item. B. Mini-HOP scene. Locate a specific number (7) of one item. C. Silhouette. Through interaction with the scene, locate items. D. Matching. Locate pairs of objects. E. Mini-HOP scene. Locate 5 items to construct an inventory item. F. Silhouette
PUZZLES: You can reset the puzzles. A. Physics puzzle. Move three valves to move gauges into a “blue” zone to turn off a sprinkler system. EASY B. Maze/Rotating rings puzzle. Lead a zebra through the jungle by directing its path by pressing red arrows. It becomes a little complicated as you must pass gears which change the path’s direction when you pass them. EASY C. Lockpick puzzle. Move the pieces on a lockpick to open a door. EASY. D. Switch puzzle. Switch tiles to create a picture. EASY E. Sliding tiles puzzle. A family tree. Slide photos of family members until they are in the correct location. MODERATELY DIFFICULT F. Sequence puzzle. Open a safe following a given code EASY G. Sequence puzzle. Play a piano. Following a chart, press keys which have letters upon them which have nothing to do with musical notes. EASY H. Rope puzzle. Untangle a rope so that the rope does not intersect itself. EASY I. Sequence puzzle. Click on candles to increase the brightness in a room. Clicking on one candle changes the brightness of the other candles. EASY J. Manual Dexterity puzzle. Knock down an item by centering two bulls eyes. EASY K. Assembly puzzle. Move books to create a picture by placing their spines in the correct position EASY L. Match 3 puzzle. Interlink like colored gears to remove them. You must eliminate a specific number of each colored gear. EASY M. Switch puzzle. Push pieces of a portrait to change its appearance to create a picture. EASY N. Dowel puzzle. Move tumblers in a lock to open up a path for a dowel can move throughout it. EASY O. Assembly puzzle. Place pieces of a castle into the correct locations. EASY P. Assembly puzzle. Create a potion by following steps given in a recipe.
YOU ARE INVITED TO A “VIP MURDER MYSTERY” WEEKEND CELEBRATING THE 50TH GAME FROM EIPIX – CONGRATS!
PostedFebruary 20, 2016
sunnyglow
fromPlaying this game incites me to attend another Murder Mystery weekend. This time I hope I am not the victim. Playing the victim is “murder” at these events!
OVERVIEW: Travel back in time to the golden era of the “1950’s” and experience a “VIP murder mystery weekend.” The “VIP” is Johnny Abilli, whose dead body has been found on his yacht and you have been assigned to investigate. I LOVE this whodunit by EIPIX. The story is a yellow journalist’s dream and is well-written with a large cast of suspects to investigate. Most of the mechanics of the game are standard EIPIX fare. There are more mini-games than HOP scenes. The HOP scenes are cookie cutter to ones from past games. However, the developer has included some slightly difficult puzzles; however, none of the games are brain crushers. The graphics are indicative of the 1950’s and I enjoyed the display of cars from that era including what looks like a 1958 0r 1959 Ford Fairlane.
HOP SCENES: The HOP scenes in the demo are mainly multiple-step ones. They include silhouette items which either open up lists of items to locate or must be used to interact with the scenes to further the search for more items. There are also lists of items as well. There is the option to play a bubble popper puzzle instead.
MINI-GAMES: This developer has done some renovation in the puzzle department. I feel the puzzles are much better in this game. You receive an evidence board which lists all the suspects and sorts all the clues you find and distributes them to the proper suspects. It is set up as a mini-HOP scene in which you must locate one item at a time and then discover if the suspect is telling the truth or not. The other puzzles include a map puzzle with cryptic clues as to locations followed by matching signs with locations. There is a sequence puzzle used to develop film, a maze puzzle, a moving tiles puzzle which we have seen before in EIPIX games, and a fiendish mathematical puzzle. After the demo I played a sequence puzzles to move boxes by using a crane.
STORY: Smelling a big scoop in the making, act fast before the media sharks turn this murder into a feeding frenzy! It seems our “Mr. Big” has some money problems and enemies as well. Who killed Johnny Abilli at the Broadbeach Resort? Could it be the sophisticated, suave hotel owner, a personal friend of Johnny who seems to have some shady business deals in the making? Could it be his wife afraid that his gambling habits are leading the couple to financial ruin? Or, could it be a “supposed” married mistress who is being paid off to act as his mistress? Could it be her husband? Could it be the bankrupt owner of a seafood company being forced into selling her company? However, could it be someone else? We know that Johnny liked to gamble. Perhaps, as he states in the game “he didn’t play his cards right” and he ended up with a losing hand.
LEVELS: Easy, Medium, Hard, Custom Hints 10 to 120 seconds Skips 10 to 400 seconds
EXTRAS:
Map - Map is provided as you play the game Evidence Board to collect evidence 11 Achievements Collect 40 “tools of the trade” Strategy guide - 41 pages Replay 18 Puzzles and 14 HOP scenes Usual wallpaper, artwork, videos
HERE ARE THE DETAILS (SPOILERS) FOR THOSE WANT MORE INFORMATION ON THE HOP SCENES AND MINI-GAMES
HOP SCENES: You have the option to play a bubble popper game instead. A. USED THROUGHOUT THE GAME TO GET INFORMATION ABOUT SUSPECTS: Locate items one at a time to assess if someone is telling the truth or lying. (You will do this with each of the suspects you encounter in the game) B. Multiple-step. (1) Silhouette items to locate (2) 5 of each of two items to locate C. Multiple-step. (1) List of 5 each of 2 items to locate. After locating the items, interact with the scene and then (2) List of items to locate D. List of items to locate. After the demo: E. Silhouette items to locate.
MINI-GAMES: A. Map puzzle. Multiple-step. (1) Using a magnifying glass, locate inaccessible roads on a map. Just like your GPS navigator except YOU are the navigator. (2) Match the road problems with the appropriate signs EASY B. Develop film. Follow directions given to you and interact with the scene to develop some film. It includes a mathematical puzzle in three parts which become increasingly more difficult as you proceed. EASY C. Matching puzzle. Match up trophy statues with the image on the certificates of distinction. EASY D. Maze puzzle. Lead a ball out of a maze by using arrows along the side of the maze. EASY E. Moving Tiles puzzle. Move three items from the first row to the third row by placing each item into the correct slot in each row. You are not able to skip over another token. EASY F. Fiendish Mathematical puzzle. Rotate three rings containing numbers so that adding to adjoining numbers equals the number at the side. You also must rotate a middle gear with 3 numbers on it as well. MODERATELY DIFFICULT AFTER THE DEMO: G. Sequence puzzle. Move a crane to remove boxes by pressing a series of arrows to move its position. EASY
OVERVIEW: A serial killer is on the loose and girls are vanishing within a small Austrian town! After receiving a crystalline-lens transplant which restores your sight, you begin to have troubling visions of your donor’s ghost. Was her death an accident or murder? Feeling unsettled, you will travel to Austria to uncover the truth about her death, missing girls, and a possible serial killer.
This is a decent low 5-star game. To me, it does not merit an “Editor’s Choice” award. I feel the graphics a little dated with lots of blue and purple! It has more puzzles than HOP scenes. Both the puzzles and HOP scenes are well-crafted; however, I feel that most of the puzzles are a tad too easy. The story is a little strange and seems loosely based on the storyline of an old movie, “The Eyes of Laura Mars.” I will pass on this game; it just does not interest me. However, I am certain many will love this game.
HOP SCENES: There are 13 HOP scenes in the game. You have the option to play a thematic Match-3 game instead. I feel that the HOP scenes are very creative and the best part of the game. In the demo they include lists of items to locate, cryptic clues combined with rebus clues, and in one instance silhouette items which must interact with items within the scene to further your search for other items.
MINI-GAMES: There are 23 puzzles in the game. As stated previously, most of the puzzles are easy; however I found one in the demo which is a little more difficult. In the demo they include two moving tiles puzzles, a sequence puzzle, a maze puzzle, a sliders puzzle, a matching puzzle, and a relatively new puzzle for developers – an encircling/blocking puzzle in which you must trap a beaver by enclosing him with bushes so he cannot escape. This was my favorite puzzle. I also loved playing the maze puzzle in which you must traverse an Austrian town without getting “zapped” by surveillance cameras.
LEVELS: Casual, Advanced, Hardcore, Custom Hints and Skips – 15 to 90 seconds
EXTRAS: Map - Map is provided as you play the game Task book/Diary with notes and tasks to be performed Pair of glasses which allow you to see the past while looking at a blue/purple mist 33 Achievements Collect 18 morphing objects, files of “Stupid Deaths,” and 6 photos Strategy guide - 52 pages 13 Wallpaper scenes, 15 Concept art photos, and music.
HERE ARE THE DETAILS (SPOILERS) FOR THOSE WANT MORE INFORMATION ON THE HOP SCENES AND MINI-GAMES
HOP SCENES: 13 HOP scenes. You have the option to play a Match-3 game instead.
A. List of items to locate. There are some interactive activities within the HOP scene. B. Rebus clues combined with cryptic written clues to locate items. C. Multiple step. Silhouette items combined with a list of items. The silhouette items require you to find more than one of the item which opens up into a list of items. D. Silhouette items to locate. As you locate them you return them to interact with the scene in order to uncover other items.
MINI-GAMES: 23 Mini-games
A. Sequence puzzle. Press symbols in correct sequence to open a cabinet. EASY B. Logic puzzle. Using a computer, choose between several locations to purchase the correct airplane ticket. EASY C. Moving tiles puzzle. Move rings until they are in a straight line and turn green. Moving one affects the others. EASY D. Maze puzzle. Walk the streets of this Austrian town avoiding surveillance cameras. The surveillance cameras change throughout your walk. You will need to wait at times until a red line disappears. If you get “zapped” you must start again from the beginning of the screen you are on. 3X INCREASES IN DIFFICULTY WITH EACH SCENE E. Sliders puzzle. Slide three crosses into the correct position to open a box. Moving one affects the others. EASY F. Manual Dexterity puzzle. Using a magnet, move a bar to open a door to a van. EASY G. Moving tiles puzzle. Rotate tokens into the proper position according to a diagram given to you. EASY H. Sliders puzzle. Move sliders containing symbols to recreate a picture. Moving one affects the other sliders. 3X EASY I. Moving tiles puzzle. Move letters to open a box. Moving one affects the others. EASY J. Encircling/blocking puzzle. Encircle a beaver by touching bushes around him to trap him before he escapes. MODERATELY DIFFICULT
The welcome mat is out to greet this developer of wonderful mosaic games! Great Uncle Aaron is planning a visit to our penguin family. To greet his arrival, the family is sprucing up its humble abode. This game is also sprucing up my life today! A BIG THANK you to BFG for a game in one of my favorite genres and what a wonderful birthday gift! Instead of blowing out candles, I can “X” out some squares. This game has made the day just perfect!
Mr. Penguin has returned with another Mosaic (AKA O’Ekaki, Griddlers, Paint-by-Numbers, Pic-a-Pix, Nonograms or whatever you call them) puzzle game. I LOVE these games and this developer is the BEST creator of them in this family of games.
HOW TO PLAY: This is variety of a Sudoku puzzle. In this puzzle, create pictures by filling in squares in a grid. The grids in this game will vary in number from 10 x 10 to 20 x 20 if it is like past games. However, not having played the entire game, the grids may vary. Each side of the grid will have numbers for each line of squares indicating the amount of squares which are to be filled in for that line of squares. Squares are filled in where the squares intersect between the two sets of numbers on each side.
• Levels: Casual and Advanced. The casual version has a tutorial which helps you in playing the game.
• Colors: The game has three (3) colored screens which can be switched at any time while playing the puzzle.
• Autofill: There is autofill so you do not have to fill in the unused boxes. However, you can use your mouse to right click “X’s” for unused spaces.
• Hints: Hints are given as you proceed and are based on the difficulty of the puzzle and how well you perform in solving the grid
• Number of Levels and Puzzles: There are 100 puzzles – 20 levels with 5 puzzles per level in the game.
• Aids: You have a pickax as an aid in the game
• Awards: There are 3 trophies: a gold trophy for no mistakes, a silver trophy for 1 mistake, and a bronze trophy for two mistakes. If you make 3 mistakes, you must start the game over again.
• Collectibles. When you complete one level of 5 puzzles, you receive an item to place in your home to spruce it up for Great Uncle Aaron.
I highly recommend this game if you like Sudoku games or any type of mathematical or logic puzzle.
As an agent of the Alliance, you’ve been given a mission to destroy an ancient artifact known as the Spear of Destiny. In the wrong hands, it could help conquer the world.
fromA BIG THANK YOU to all of our military, past and present who protect us from harm’s way. And those who are serving in harm’s way – may you return safely home! I salute you!
OVERVIEW: A salute to a wonderful 5-star general SE game! Parachuting into WWII France, you play Agent Walker on a quest to find the Spear of Destiny and its missing gems which activate it. Whoever possesses the spear will have tremendous power. I LOVE this game and it was an automatic purchase for me! This game will probably appeal to those who have an interest in adventure games, the military, or WWII. The graphics are fairly well-done and truly reflect the period. There are more puzzles than HOP scenes.
STORY: Time is of the essence in this game. In an Indiana Jones type game, you will need to locate the spear and its gems before it ends up in the hands of the enemies all while fighting a monster colossus who has been guarding it.
HOP SCENES: The HOP scenes are principally lists of items to locate and silhouette. However, they do vary as to the activities which must be performed in each scene. They are puzzle-like and interactive. There are also morphing objects within the scenes. You have the option to play a Match 3 game instead.
MINI-GAMES: I felt the puzzles were the best part of the game. They range in difficulty and variety. For the most part, the puzzles are easy; however, there are some which are a little difficult. There are some multi-step puzzles as well. They include matching, a physics based puzzle, sequencing puzzles, maze puzzles, matching puzzles, pipe puzzle, navigation puzzle, and jigsaw puzzles. Many of the puzzles are mechanically based.
EXTRAS: The map is given to you at the beginning of the game; however, it is not transportable. The game is lacking a strategy guide. The collectibles include 45 WWII mementos such as uniforms, ships, airplanes, bombs, tanks plus 7 figurines. There are also 17 achievements and 24 morphing objects.
LEVELS: Casual, Advanced, Expert, Custom Both hints and skips 5 to 120 seconds
FINAL SALUTE TO THE GREATEST GENERATION: This game is a nice tribute to those of the Great Generation (our grandparents, parents, or even some players out there who lived during this time period). This is a wonderful SE game and probably one of the best original SE HOP games we have seen in quite some time.
HERE ARE THE DETAILS (SPOILERS) FOR THOSE WANT MORE INFORMATION ON SOME OF THE HOP SCENES AND MINI-PUZZLES IN THIS GAME
HOP SCENES: You can opt to play a variation of a theme based Match 3 game instead. There are morphing objects in the HOP scenes. A. List of items to locate. As you locate the items you uncover gems to be framed around an altar B. Silhouette scene searching for tools C. Another silhouette searching for tools D. List of items to locate E. Silhouette. Items must be found sequentially to interact with the scene. They are interactive and puzzle-like F. Another list of items to locate G. Silhouette As you collect items they are used within the scene H. List of items to locate
MINI-GAMES: A. Sequence puzzle. Press symbols in the correct order to open a cave. EASY B. Physics puzzle. Press levers to angle mirrors so that light up a room EASY C. Logic puzzle. Climb up a wall by locating the correct spike for each level in climbing. Choosing the wrong one sends you back to the beginning. EASY D. Maze puzzle. Move a train on a track so you pass through each slot once without retracing your steps. MODERATELY DIFFICULT. E. Switching puzzle. Try to discover under which cup the marble is located after they have been rotated. 3X. EASY F. Matching puzzle. Create a false passport according to a code given to you. Choose the appropriate figures by moving arrows. Moving one arrow affects the others. EASY G. Multi-step puzzle. (1) Matching puzzle. Match up pieces of symbols to create a matching symbol. EASY (2) Matching puzzle. Remove gems by giving them to the correct person along the sides of the scene. EASY (3) Matching puzzle. Replace orbs back onto a colossus by matching colors. EASY H. Pipe puzzle. Connect wires by rotating pipe pieces to create a path from right to left. EASY I. Maze puzzle. Maneuver a ship by following a map and using arrows to guide the ship. 3 X INCREASES IN DIFFICULTY WITH EACH LEVEL J. Use a mine detector to locate 5 mines. EASY BUT AWESOME! K. Gear puzzle to open a door EASY L. Matching puzzle. Match up constellations in the sky according those which are given to you. EASY M. Jigsaw puzzle. Create a picture EASY
BASED ON 2 CHAPTERS OUT OF 5 CHAPTERS PLUS A BONUS CHAPTER
OVERVIEW: It is Valentine´s week and BFG is entertaining us with a “fractured” love story. We are off to Russia to view a performance by a prima ballerina with a “fractured” personality. Cupid’s arrow hits its mark when this prima ballerina shoots her fiancé in front of a packed house. I am MESMERIZED by this game. The HOP scenes are multiple-step and the puzzles are varied and contain some moderately difficult ones. All are well-crafted and there are more puzzles than HOP scenes. The game has a touch of Russian culture with realistic characters, graphics and music. The developer cleverly uses Russian stacking dolls to present the various levels of the game.
STORY: You, as a hypnotherapist, have been summoned to help Irina because of her strange behavior. She is blacking out and suffering from memory loss. But why? She doesn’t remember shooting her fiancé. You need to discover why this ballerina is acting strangely and blacking out. Could someone be controlling her actions? Can you discover the identity of the puppet master hiding in the background, “pulling her strings?” Being taken away to an asylum, you meet Dr. Tarasov, her psychologist. What is his connection to her problems and is he truly helping her?
PUZZLES: The puzzles range in difficulty and variety. In the demo there are maze puzzles, assembly puzzles, a pipe connection puzzle, a moving tiles puzzle and a logic problem (which is unique in this type of gaming). I felt that the puzzles have improved significantly with the developer providing some new approaches to some old puzzles (such as the maze puzzle in the demo) and a few which are a little more difficult to solve. In Chapter 2, the puzzles include a card game, another maze puzzle, a fiendish mathematical puzzle, and a vexing checkers puzzle.
FAVORITE PUZZLE: My favorite puzzle was the maze puzzle in the demo in which you must drive a car through city streets avoiding obstacles in your way. Most maze puzzles are one-dimensional; however, in this puzzle the maze is created so that you actually witness the obstacles and sights in the streets of the city. The puzzle is not terribly difficult; however, it is very well-crafted and fun to play.
HOP SCENES: As usual for the developer, most of the HOP scenes are multiple-step ones. There is also some mini-HOP scenes are well. The varieties include lists of items to locate, rebus picture clues, cryptic clues. You have the option to play a Match-3 game instead.
LEVELS: Very cool – Russian stacking dolls to introduce each level Easy, Medium, Hard, Custom Hints 10 to 120 seconds Skips 10 to 400 seconds
EXTRAS: Map is provided as you play the game Pocket watch to hypnotize people 13 Achievements Collect 46 Hand bells Collect 30 souvenirs Replay 26 puzzles and 15 HOP scenes Strategy guide - 41 Pages Usual wallpaper, artwork, screensavers,
HERE ARE THE DETAILS (SPOILERS) FOR THOSE WANT MORE INFORMATION ON THE HOP SCENES AND MINI-PUZZLES
HOP SCENES: You have the option to play a Match-3 game instead. A. Multiple-step. (1) List of items. (2) Rebus picture clues. B. Mini-HOP scene – list of items to locate C. Multiple-step. (1) Locate 5 of each type of item which opens up (2) list of items to locate D. Cryptic clue to locate 9 of the same type of items related to the clue. AFTER THE DEMO: E. Multiple step. (1) Rebus clues. (2) Silhouette F. Multiple step. (1) List of items. (2) Silhouette (3) Cryptic clue for inventory item G. Multiple step. (1) List of items. (2) Rebus clues (3) Cryptic clue for inventory item
PUZZLES: A. Maze puzzle. Move a cog through a maze by removing obstacles in its way using three colored buttons which change the colors and positions of the obstacles. EASY B. Assembly puzzle. A tricky little puzzle in which you must rotate 2 cogs with various shapes on them to mesh simultaneously with those on a wheel containing four shapes. Rotating one of the cogs moves the other cog two rotations. 2X MODERATELY DIFFICULT C. Connection puzzle. Connect lines from one shape to one or more shapes based on the amount of circles within each shape. The amount of lines leading from the block is equal to the number of circles within the shape. As you play the puzzle, you receive more information on the story. You will perform this function every time you need to hypnotize someone. 3X MODERATELY DIFFICULT D. Moving tiles puzzle. Rotate rings on a cylinder to reveal a picture. EASY E. Logic puzzle. Press buttons on a cash register to correspond to pictures. Each number corresponds to one picture. It is up to you to figure out how they are related. EASY F. Matching puzzle. Using a code, open a safe by following instructions for the numbers and directions given to you. EASY G. Maze puzzle. Drive a car turning to avoid obstacles in the road. The maze provides you with a realistic depiction of the city streets and is not a one-dimensional maze. EASY BUT FUN AFTER THE DEMO: H. Card game. Play cards by playing one card higher in number than the one your opponent places on the table. Whoever gets the most cards wins. The cards have numbers on all four sides. EASY I. Maze puzzle. Guide a marble through a maze rotating the maze until the marble drops out at the bottom of the maze. EASY J. Mathematical puzzle. Valves control pressure in two or more sensors. Adjust valves until all the sensors turn green. Adjusting one affects the others. MODERATELY DIFFICULT K. Matching puzzle. Using a code, set switches to the correct numbers to open a cabinet. EASY L. Variation of a checkers puzzle. Remove tokens by jumping over them until only one remains. 3X MODERATELY DIFFICULT
A BIG THANK YOU to BFG for offering one of my favorite genres of games. Based on a story of a wolf family, this one should be a howling success for those who like these puzzles a little more difficult. What makes it fiendishly difficult? This game has colors and they are NOT separated into different screens. Instead, you must click on colored buttons at the side of the grid to change the colors before entering them into the grid. Some logic is needed here. Beware! there are NOT always spaces between the colors so this one is a little more difficult than those from some other developers.
This game calls them “Nonograms,” however they are also known as “Griddlers,” “O’Ekaki,” and “Paint by Numbers.” Solve 6 levels with 20 puzzles per level. The grids vary in size. You will receive hints as you play the game. The games I played in the demo had 3 colors per grid. I am not certain if, as you proceed in the game, they add more colors to the grids.
This is one of the more difficult entries we have had for this type of puzzle. To me, this is a must-have for aficionados of this type of puzzle. Be mindful of changing colors as you play this game or you may end up restarting the game many times.
Here are the details of this game and how to play:
• Levels: There are 6 levels with 20 games in each level.
• Tutorial: One is provided and you can refer to it throughout the game
• Colors: Each grid has 3 colors (at least form the demo); however the colors do not have separate screens. This fact alone makes this nonogram a little more difficult to solve. In this game there may be NO spaces between the different colors. There are colored circles you must click in order to enter that particular color into the grid.
• Autofill: There is autofill so you do not have to fill in the unused boxes.
• Hints: Hints are given to you. The amount of hints is undetermined.
• Mistakes: You are allowed 3 mistakes per puzzle. After that, you must restart the puzzle.
• Trophies: You can collect 15 trophies in this game.
BASED ON THE FIRST 3 CHAPTERS OF 6 CHAPTERS PLUS A BONUS CHAPTER.
OVERVIEW: Ahoy mateys! Batten down the hatches and get ready to stem the tide of a Siren’s song of revenge. I LOVE this seafaring voyage into vengeance. The graphics are beautiful, colorful, and capture the nautical theme. This game is “dressed to the nines” with a treasure trove of excellent puzzles and HOP scenes. The game is puzzle-intense and HOP lite. The puzzles are varied and there is a variety of difficult and easy puzzles. The inventory itself is puzzle-like. You may want to keep the music on in this game. The music consists of seafaring ditties to get you into the pirate mood.
You better be keeping a “weather eye open.” There is a tempest brewing in dealing with the Siren and her band of pirates. Can you weather the storm of this vixen? The many “hands” and “arms” of a sea monster make light work of incoming ships. Wishing myself to set sail to a small sun swept Caribbean island, I purchased this game straightaway to play on a bleak, wintry day!
STORY: As a shipwrecked surgeon trapped on the island of Puerto Valiz, you must find a way to stop a vengeful vixen from isolating the island from the outside world. This Siren, hiding behind a mask, has enlisted the services of a giant behemoth to destroy ships as they enter the island. She is also enlisting the aid of a band of pirates as well. How is she able to control this sea monster and have it do her bidding?
AFTER THE DEMO: Zip lining through the jungle, the Caribbean vacation continues as you figure out how to stop the Siren and her madness. You even get serenaded (LOL) with a song. In Chapter 3 there is only one HOP scene which is a FROG. The puzzles include a devious little physics problem along with a rotating rings puzzle and a moving tiles puzzle. I thought the game continued on in the same excellence as the demo.
MINI-GAMES: This game shows a vast improvement in the quality of the puzzles. The puzzles vary in difficulty and variety. The inventory itself has mini-puzzles which you must solve. The puzzles in the demo include sliding tiles puzzles, matching puzzles, manual dexterity puzzles, maze puzzle and mathematical puzzles. In Chapter 3 there is a physics puzzle, rotating rings puzzle, and a moving tiles puzzle. • Favorite puzzle: Nautical flag puzzle. This tricky little brain teaser involves figuring out the correct message to give an incoming ship, after which, you must manipulate levers and rotate flags into correct position. And, of course, moving one flag affects the others. • Second favorite puzzle: Fiendish maze puzzle. Lead a ship through a maze by removing obstacles in its way. What makes this difficult is that you must move these obstacles using wheels within the maze. • Third favorite puzzle. In Chapter 3 there is a fiendish physics puzzle in which you must direct light to three skulls matching the color of the light to the color of the skull.
HOP SCENES: You have the ability to play a theme-based Match-3 game instead. Most of the HOP scenes are multiple step ones. They are beautifully created and varied including lists of items to locate, silhouette, and cryptic clues. After the demo in Chapter 3, the HOP scene was a FROG.
EXTRAS: As a true seafaring salt, you get your map as you play the game and prove you have your sea legs. The extras include 12 Achievements. The only collectibles are 45 signs and 28 souvenirs. You can replay 15 HOP scenes and 17 Mini-games. There are the usual wallpaper, artwork, music, plus 9 videos. The strategy guide consists of 44 pages
LEVELS: Easy, Medium, Hard, Custom You can choose penalties for random clicking on HOP scenes Hints 10 to 120 seconds Skips 10 to 400 seconds
HERE ARE THE DETAILS (SPOILERS) FOR THOSE WANT MORE INFORMATION ON THE HOP SCENES AND MINI-PUZZLES UP TO AND INCLUDING CHAPTER 3
HOP SCENES: You have the option to play a Match 3 game instead. A. Multiple step. (1) Locate 5 each of pistols and seashell opening up (2) a list of items to locate B. Mini-HOP scenes with silhouette items to locate C. Multiple-step. So awesome. Based on a ship. (1) Lists of items to locate. (2) Cryptic clues (3) Matching. Match up the correct 6 signal flags on a display map. EXCELLENT D. Multiple-step. (1) List of items to locate. (2) Locate a number of a certain item AFTER THE DEMO: E. FROG scene. Create a useful item, “me mateys!”
PUZZLES: A. I spy a little fly. Sliding tiles puzzle. Rotate four rings on a spyglass to create a picture. EASY B. Out of my way. Manual dexterity puzzle. Navigate a ship by circumventing a sea monster. EASY C. Pull up roots! Matching puzzle. By pulling up plants by their roots, match up those roots according to a plant guide. EASY D. Balance it out. Mathematical puzzle. Place weights on a balance to the correct weight in grams. EASY E. Your ship is a wreck. Matching puzzle. Identify ship wrecks by placing ship tokens on a map according to hints detailed in the Captain’s log. F. I am a-maze-d. Maze puzzle. Create a path for a ship’s wheel to maneuver through a maze by removing objects in its path. MODERATELY DIFFICULT G. Run it up the flagpole. Ship flag puzzle. Moving tiles/matching puzzle. Using levers, move flags to match up with a diagram. Moving one affects the others. MODERATELY DIFFICULT AFTER THE DEMO: H. The return of the Maya. Sliding rings puzzle. Slide outside rings into position to connect beams of light form the center to the outside of the calendar. EASY I. Picture me a native. Moving tiles puzzle. Place tiles into correct position to create a picture. EASY J. You light up my life-less skull. Physics problem. Move buttons to redirect 3 colors of light to reach 3 skulls so that each skull receives the correct color of light. MODERATELY DIFFICULT