Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Brain Teaser, Card & Board, Family, Hidden Object, Large File, Marble Popper, Match 3, Puzzle, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
3/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
3/ 5
Level of Challenge
3/ 5
Storyline
2/ 5
I had completely forgotten that I own the first game in the series, which I purchased in July and haven't played yet. (T was originally published in 2019). This game assumes that you've played that one so you know everything and doesn't give a synopsis of what happened before, just in case. As always the grammar and the way the sentences are structured don't always convey what I think they are trying to say, so it's a little confusing.
You do have to add your name as a player before clicking play, or you will be called player - that's one of the things that always bugs me, you should always be able to enter your name before you start, but that's just my personal preference, other people might not care.
The tutorial doesn't mention gathering the collectibles in each scene, so if you're not paying attention, you won't be able to get them unless you replay the level.
The graphics are strange to me, I think it's because I'm used to playing the other TM games with the characters that are scaled better with the scenery. In this one, the characters all look like they are super tall and super skinny. It is kind of cool that one of the characters is in a wheelchair, I like that inclusiveness.
I'm not entirely sure this game will be worth buying as a CE, especially since the first one was originally sold without a CE option. I don't know if playing the first game will make a difference in how I feel about this one, I suspect not.
I don't think this is worth the CE price. The collectibles are figurines that all look the same and stickers that are basically the character's head shots. I doubt that I will purchase it if they do come out with a SE version, either.
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Marble Popper, Match 3, Puzzle, Time Management
Fun Factor
2/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
4/ 5
Level of Challenge
3/ 5
Storyline
2/ 5
I really enjoyed the first game, but this one is a bust...
At first I was having fun, but then I realized that you can't choose how you want to play - as in whether you want it timed or not. It doesn't time every level, but there are tasks that have to be done within a certain time frame in order to get the 'special' bonus (or something like that). I hate timers, I don't play any game that won't let me choose no timer. Consequently, when I realized there were timers on tasks, it started to stress me out to try to get them before they ran out. It is possible to do it, the time is reasonable, but the game loses value if I'm worried about hurrying to do something.
I saw someone else who commented about not knowing how many coins were collected until the end of the mission. In the first game, the coins were an extra mission, in this one, you don't get prompted when you find the last one and you don't have a way to keep track if you've found them, so yeah, I had to reply a mission in order to get all the coins. I liked the way they had it in the first game better.
I am really disappointed with this game and I do not recommend anyone purchase it. I hope the game devs pay attention to what people are complaining about and go back to the way it was in the first one.
I did see that a bunch of people had issues with glitches, but I haven't played it long enough to see if I have any, and I don't plan on it.
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Marble Popper, Match 3, Puzzle, Strategy, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
1/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
2/ 5
Level of Challenge
1/ 5
It's very pretty, but in the very first level, I had no clue what to do with the ladybugs or barrels, and the help was useless. I want to play something that has a tutorial available in case it is the first time someone has played it, and has a better help file - like actual pictures with explanations of what the player will be looking at and what to do with the items. Luckilly I read the reviews before I purchased it, and after 10 minutes of playing the trial, I wish I hadn't even done that. It could be fun, but is too confusing.
I loved all the Dracula games and purchased every one of them as they were released. I enjoy the CE's, although in this one it shows that there were dwarves to find, but they must be invisible? It's unusual for all the extras (the dwarves and tarot cards) not to be noted in the strategy guide, especially since I think they were included in the previous games - it's been a long time since I played the last one, I can't remember if I had to do a google search or if they were listed in the SG. Hopefully someone will answer where they are, because I'd like to replay and find them, but I don't want to do that if there aren't any :D
I'd love to say that I was able to play this game, but I bought it, and can't actually play it... and of course, I realized that I wasn't the only one having the issue after I read a bunch of other reviews saying the same thing... that'll teach me not to do my research ahead of time. I can honestly say I'm wondering if Big Fish is going to put out a notice that says 'we're so sorry, but we've lost all your games that you purchased over the past however many years you were here'... methinks they took on a little more than they should have with this upgrade, and I hope they wait until they have all the bugs fixed before they bring on more... :/
I was very excited to purchase this game, because there were so many good reviews. I typically don't play solitaire games because I always thought they would be boring, but I started out enjoying this one. However, now I am on Level 173, and have been stuck on it for almost a week now. There is no way to skip a level, and even with maxing out the jokers, wild cards, and having the shuffle and remove cards available, I have been unable to get past it. There were plenty of other levels that I wasn't able to get through the first time, and sometimes it took three or four tries, but eventually, I managed them. This one is not happening. And, there is nowhere to go to find out if there are any specific strategies to use, and as I said already, there is no way to skip it. Consequently, there is no way for me to go further until I finally pass this level. So, I purchased a CE for nothing, pretty much. I will most likely keep trying and hopefully will get past this stupid level eventually, but in relaxed mode, this shouldn't even be an issue. Also, there is an option that says hints, but even though I have it clicked, it is unavailable. No game should be this difficult, when it's supposed to be RELAXING.
I wish I'd read the reviews before I purchased this game, as I am having the same issues as the other people who couldn't install it. C++ has always had issues, I'm not entirely sure why they have it attached to the game to begin with, since there are so many other games that run perfectly fine without it, and this is just a HOG...
First, let me say I didn't hate the game, but I do wish I had played the free download before I bought the game. (I tend to buy the game without question if it has a lot of positive reviews, and this one did. Plus it drives me crazy to be in the middle of a puzzle and have the game lock up because I need to pay for it after the hour is up). The game is cute. It's beautifully drawn and the storyline is okay, and if it's true that it was created based on fairy tales one of the developers told his daughter, that's sweet.
But, it should not be marketed as a CE. When I spend the extra coin to buy a CE game, I expect there to be more than what was offered in this game. There is no walkthrough, there are no real hints other than a 'tutorial' that doesn't really give you much information about anything, and if you take out all the time you spend walking back and forth and going up and down to find what you need for the next challenge, or clicking around the screen to find the next puzzle to solve, or the puzzle pieces for the jigsaws, it would be incredibly short... like, an hour at the most.
Yes, the puzzles are very challenging, but a lot of that is because there are no instructions, so even knowing the objective of the puzzle wasn't always enough. There is no help button within the puzzles, and no hints - your only options are restart or pass. In a couple of instances, I needed to go online and find a walkthrough so I could figure out what I was supposed to be doing, so I could solve it. (And I'm not stupid, by any means).
The items in some instances were nearly impossible to see, and you have to click all over the screen to be able to open something up and find what you need to be searching for - there are no popups that show you what you're hovering over, so until you see a picture of what you need, you don't know if you don't need it.
I watched a couple of YouTube videos because I couldn't move past a couple of the games, and I needed to see how they were played, in order to play them because the objectives were either written strangely or too sparse to make sense. I solved all of the puzzles without a problem, once I figured out what was necessary to move the pieces. One person posted a blind walkthrough, and they clicked in one screen over and over and over, until they finally found something to do.
Finding all of the puzzle pieces was an exercise in frustration. Again, I had to go online and look at YouTube videos, and I had to watch them very closely in order to find the last piece in two of the chapters. And to be honest, the puzzle that you solve when you get the pieces aren't intricate at all, and the information is cute, but doesn't do anything to help the game. Fluff, basically.
When I play a CE game, I expect more bang for the buck. This game should have been rolled out as an SE like so many others, and even those others offer more help and less wandering around just to find the next item so you can proceed in the game.
Basically, while I thought the idea of the game was cute, and the graphics and sound are done well, having to spend the majority of time clicking all over because there is no clue about what you're doing, or resetting a puzzle more than once because the objective is confusing, or walking from room to room to room in order to find an item, then go back to where you need to use it is the only reason this game is 'challenging'. It is definitely NOT a CE game. Don't waste your money, buy another CE game that offers all the extras we've come to expect, or buy a different SE game. There are a lot of them out there that are less annoying.
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Arcade & Action, Brain Teaser, Card & Board, Family, Hidden Object, Large File, Mahjong, Marble Popper, Match 3, Puzzle, Strategy, Time Management, Word
Fun Factor
5/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
5/ 5
Level of Challenge
3/ 5
Storyline
2/ 5
I actually like the game, but man, when it only takes an hour to play it, it really seems like a waste. At least it was a free game from buying others, but, I could have used that code on something that would have lasted longer.