This game may answer that question in that of all the travel, "beautiful", "stuff", "I Love", nature, "just find" games that we are being flooded with, this is an all time low.
First, thanks to BF for clearly pointing out in the description page that this "Relax" game is, in fact, from Do games. So no longer do we wonder if Do = Relax. Same devs. But the question still lingers ---- why?
Anyway, the game itself is total junk. From the beginning where two "live" actors are horrible to the different scenes which take forever to change to the super easy hidden object scenes, it seems like a game aimed at 4 year old kids. The scenery is rough, and when an object is found a loud clanking noise announces your modest success.
The whole game is littered with mini games that may have been stolen from some of Do's worst HOPAs.
Please don't misunderstand, no one loves pets more than I do, I have a houseful, but these games are pandering to our emotional attachment to our fur babies. And aiming at that is just sort of repulsive to me. I don't look at the pets depicted and think "Aw, shucks" at all. In fact, I find their attempt to use this to sell a game rather disgusting.
This game is a total zero, and I hope no one supports these pandering sort of games that even the aforementioned 4 year old might find questionable.
This is another older game that has thrown in some jigsaw puzzles to be able to call this reissue a CE.
Absolutely is not CE worthy, and ---- unfortunately ---- it looks like this developer (Crisp App) might do the same with their many hidden object games. (Hidden Objects with Edgar Poe being the first). BF should not allow such a tactic.
As a CE, the game is a disgrace ---- I hope players stay away in droves.
Others have already said enough about the particulars of the game so I will just say that ALL Mixo games are what the also-rans and copycats wish they could be.
It is beautiful, it is fantastic, it is the prime example of what a hidden object game can be.
Congrats and thanks to Atilla, who even takes time to come to the premier gaming forum, the Woods, to be as involved with gamers as any developer out there.
One of the best games of this year ---- highest recommendation.
These games are ideal for casual gamers. They are easy enough for anyone of almost any age to jump in and play.
The story is good enough, although in this one is a bit short. Questing and find the right objects to move the story along is just like the others in the series so many will find they can "relax" here as all that is needed is a lot of mouse clicking.
Different enough to be fun for a few hours, but I took away a star because the ending was not really an ending as they promised.
And, yes, the game is the very same as all the other games by this developer ----
---- the same template is used, just pasted in some different objects, but the presentation of the scenes are the same. First, let's clean up and get ready, then a few scenes later let's go shopping, etc., etc. ---- the same visit to the land of happy, insipidly smiling white people in every single scene (you know, just like in real life). They smile really big in every scene ---- so unrealistic. ---- the raccoon this developer thinks is so cool ---- the eternally s-l-o-w hint button ---- many old style mini games from yesteryear ---- the same bonuses that are unavailable until you play every scene in the main game ---- the same availability of wallpapers and a music player that no one uses or cares about and hasn't for more than a decade.
Anyway, totally obvious the game is just another on the overly long and seemingly never ending list of copycat clunkers from this developer who refuses to change or improve a thing. The scenes are quite odd, too. For example, I was wanting to see the scene called "Space Needle", but when I got there, it was a scene of a trashed out river bank with the space needle the farthest thing in the background of the whole scene. Just - odd. Oh wait, there is one change ---- the principal characters speak about what's coming at the start of the game, and, for some reason they just look very strange/weird doing that. And the young boy has been replaced by a dog. I guess that's good ---- everyone likes dogs.
Sorry, Avi, you are nowhere close to the more astute developers that you are copying.
As our top reviewer has pointed out, this game is about 3-4 years old ---- and, as an SE, it is an OK game as pennmom36 has said. So it won't be necessary to just repeat what she has already written.
But I will say that I am astonished that these or any other developers would throw in a few jigsaw puzzles (and I don't care for jigsaw puzzles at all), then declare it as a new CE!
The game is absolutely NOT CE worthy.
And there are a lot (20+) of other very similar games by this developer ---- are they going to all be presented as CEs one by one? I certainly hope not.
It's nothing more than a HOG with a few puzzles disguising itself as a CE. Don't be fooled, there is nothing CE worthy about this trip to sameness.
But I'm adding a star because it is quite nice visually with interesting facts about the city included. However, as a note to the developers ---- the boy in the family looks like he's about to pull a knife or worse.
Might be OK as a SE later if you can't find anything else. And I certainly can.
Well, maybe I got overly optimistic when I saw the name "Dana" ---- it reminded me of the Dana Knightstone games ---- so I had high hopes. Those hopes were quickly extinguished at the opening of the game, however. It's just a whisper above a dud. And it can't be in the same discussion as the old Dana Knightstone classics.
Yeah, it's another poorly done HOG with simplistic puzzles thrown in trying to make us believe it's worth CE money. It is NOT!
The visual quality is extremely poor, done in the blurry old style from games of the last decade. Developers ought to be embarrassed by this, especially in comparison to the high quality other developers are presenting.
The instructions are minimal and unclear. There are very easy to spot morphing coins in each scene which ---- when you get all the coin parts ---- supposedly reveal critical information. However, the last part of the first coin was apparently tied to jigsaw puzzle that I had no patience for so I skipped the puzzle and did not get the coin, I guess is why. As I said, unclear instructions.
The music was quiet and sort of muted.
All in all, this is just a poorly done, poorly executed, obviously rushed, cheaply made offering that only gets 2 stars because it tries to tell a story.
Not worth your time or money when you consider the far better offerings here at BF.
This is the third game in this series, and they keep improving so kudos to the developers, who are showing us what CAN be done with the concept of a HOG using some thought, imagination, and effort.
As opposed to the knock-off, cookie-cutter, assembly line games (the "Finds", the "Relax", the "Trips", etc,), these games present beautiful hidden object scenes interspersed with some mini-games/puzzles that are backed by a story to propel the game forward ---- not one bland copy and paste scene after the other.
It quite clearly shows what the others do not ---- astute, intelligent, and modern game development. Lovers of HOGS should not pass this one, but embrace, encourage, and applaud these developers