sereneorchid's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.6
- Helpful Votes:6,145
- Reviews Submitted:156
- First Review:November 13, 2011
- Most Recent Review:March 4, 2021
- Featured reviews1
Status:
Help Joe restore his ranch! Breathe in new life into a formerly prosperous farm in Farmscapes, a fun Match 3 game!
Overall rating
4
/
5
4 of 4 found this review helpful
An almost perfect game
PostedAugust 17, 2012
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
I purchased Farmscapes before I began writing reviews, and never made it back here. It's an outstanding game, well worth purchasing even at full price, as I did. The artwork, colors, animations are all exquisite. The matching games and hidden object scenes are bright and colorful and fun. Nothing gloomy, nothing too tiny to see. The best part, like Gardenscapes, is designing a marvelous farm, with choices for mixing and matching. The animations of the farm are a lot of fun to watch, and you can interact with the farm buildings and people by clicking on them. This is nearly a perfect game, but...
There are no power-ups during the matching games. Yes, you can earn bombs for matching groups of four or more, but you have no control over where the bombs land on the playing field. And some of the playing boards have tricky designs with trouble spots, and you'd really like to have an easy out with a power-up to get rid of it. Instead, you end up matching and matching, sometimes, waiting for the icons to drop in just the right way to break the crate. This shouldn't hold you back from buying the game. It's just a little grumble that I hope Playrix will fix if they make a version 2 of Farmscapes...and I'll be one of the first to buy it if they do.
I recommend this game!
Explore the mysteries of evolution in this exciting puzzle game!
Overall rating
1
/
5
Evolution gone bad
PostedJuly 30, 2012
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
It is almost unheard of for me to give a game one star, as I appreciate the work that goes into creating a game, even if it doesn't gell. But Evolver has the personality of an amoeba. The artwork is awful, like pixelated graphics from the 1980s. It's difficult to even tell what some of the matching icons are, and they are somehow creepy anyway, like a tapeworm infestation. Text boxes cut off the text...and no one noticed this? The matching is mindless and pointless other than you have to match a certain number to end the level. The life form created after you suffer through that has nothing at all to do with the matching. So really, what's the point? If this is evolution, then maybe I can mix a toothpick with peanut butter and grow a stop sign, which makes as much sense as this game. I've taught science, and I still couldn't find anything to love, or like, here. One star for the nice music.
I don't recommend this game.
Test your mahjong might in this fun filled puzzle classic with 60 enchanting levels for beginners and puzzle pros alike!
Overall rating
3
/
5
5 of 7 found this review helpful
Somehow it misses
PostedJuly 23, 2012
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
My comments are based upon the hour trial: There's not much Parisian about this game, as you can see from the preview shots. The tiles are nice, but guys may find the cake, hearts, and kisses kind of girly. I didn't play far enough to get to the tiles with gemstones. Those are apparently earned at some level, as there are no options for changing tiles, backgrounds, or game options other than sound.
The game is rather bland. Same old - same old level after level. There are four nice power-ups, but I didn't need them as when there were no more matches, the game automatically reshuffled the tiles for me. So I won every level. And I know it's not because I'm a mahjong genius.
I also noticed a slight hesitation in the game after making a match, which is annoying if you are a quick player, or could affect the game if you play the timed version. My best advice is to try this, especially if you are a novice player, as this seems to be an easy game. Probably good for kids because of the large tiles and easy matching.
No country in the world is as mysterious as Ancient Egypt! Help the adventurer Deanfield in his search for the lost temple!
Overall rating
3
/
5
39 of 53 found this review helpful
Pretty game
PostedJuly 17, 2012
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
No complaints about the graphics. They are really nice. But I didn't much care for the mahjong tile designs. The abstract designs are made up of narrow lines which seemed to take a lot of work visually to find matches, vs., say, matching something more recognizable like flowers or animals. The golden tiles with "magic" powers give you some variety and flexibility in playing the game. If you like mahjong, it's worth trying this.
Vacation Quest: Australia
Grab your passport and get ready for an exotic Hidden Object Adventure in Vacation Quest: Australia!
Overall rating
4
/
5
5 of 6 found this review helpful
Excellent graphics
PostedJuly 5, 2012
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
...make this an enjoyable game. I hate, hate tiny objects, dark objects, and poorly drawn objects -- none of which you will find here. A cracker looks like a cracker. Only in the game it's called a wafer. I enjoyed learning other Australian slang as well, including "giving someone a bell" for giving someone a call. Lots of interesting hidden object scenes. While each search list has only 10 items, one is a mini to-do activity. None are hard. And if you choose unlimited hints in Options, you don't even have to wait for the hints to reload. A happy-go-lucky game that fits the scenery. Good for kids and a great first hidden object game for HO newbies. I even thought the mini-games were pretty good.
I recommend this game!
Vacation Quest: The Hawaiian Islands
Your passport to the most beautiful & stunning places in the world begins with Vacation Quest: The Hawaiian Islands!
Overall rating
4
/
5
30 of 31 found this review helpful
Wish I were there
PostedJuly 5, 2012
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
If you're a tropical island fan, have had a chance to go to Hawaii, or would like to, I think you'll find the lush graphics here will satisfy. Music was good too, with a nice island melody and rhythm. The hidden objects were in plain sight once you found them, but also cleverly placed. Most objects were recognizable, but some were a little small or just a nondescript shape that could have been several things (the reason for a four-star rating). I liked that there was no waiting for the hints button to recharge, so you could complete a scene quickly if you wanted to. A nice game to play while daydreaming about that tropical vacation.
I recommend this game!
Potion Bar
Sell a Potion - Save the World! Learn how to make Rainbow Spray, Vampire Fangs Potions, and many more in Potion Bar!
Overall rating
3
/
5
5 of 7 found this review helpful
Wanted to like it
PostedJuly 4, 2012
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
The premise is intriguing (an otherworldly bar with magickal customers), and the graphics are attractive. But it's a pretty simple time management game (even for a TM novice like me). The dialogue was trite, and the customers kept repeating the same phrases. You also saw the same handful of customers come in over and over for the same potions. If I'm bored in the first 15 minutes, am I going to buy the game? I also had a problem with the game running slow at the end of each level when the fireworks inched across the screen instead of bursting. If looking to purchase this game, buyer beware...of tedium, unless you are looking for a pretty, but mindless endeavor.
Travel the world as Emily King, an adventurer with a yearning for knowledge. Help her win the Grand Adventurers Expedition!
Overall rating
3
/
5
12 of 14 found this review helpful
A different kind of match game
PostedJuly 1, 2012
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This is not a typical match 3 game, so you may enjoy the novelty...or not.
There is a strong storyline that involves traveling around the world. Each destination is determined from a set of four clues, three of which involve solving an unusual variation on a match 3 puzzle. In one game, some of the match 3 tiles have letters, which when matched, form a phrase/clue about the next country on your flight plan.
A second game involves beads on a grid. As you match the beads, you are cutting out pieces of paper to reveal a picture underneath, which is also a clue to your destination. The third game involves rotating groups of three bubbles to match adjacent groups. This can get tricky because unfortunately your scores are superimposed over the game grid as you make matches, making it hard to see sometimes.
The game has beautiful graphics and an intriguing story, but I got quickly got bored with the matching games. They just weren't my style, but maybe they'll appeal to you. Kudos to the game designers for trying to create something different. Be sure to go through the narration and tutorial at the beginning so you know what's going on and how to play the games. Some interesting mini-games are included.
Bubble Odyssey
Enjoy the bubble bursting fun you've always dreamed of through these 70 exciting levels!
Overall rating
5
/
5
64 of 76 found this review helpful
A must-have
PostedJuly 1, 2012
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
I've tried a lot of bubble popper games over the years, but really haven't been interested in purchasing any of them until Bubble Odyssey. It's pure popping fun without a lot of unnecessary distractions, and you can progress through the levels quickly, accomplishing a lot in just 10 minutes of play. The graphics and animations are marvelous, and I enjoyed the sense of firing from the deck of a spaceship, while two aliens floated nearby. (They're not part of the game, but it would have been nice if they were.)
There are three types of games to play, all equally good, but I especially liked the "puzzle" variation in which popping bubbles releases diamonds. Can't find a negative about this game, which is unusual, as most games have a little flaw or two. Easy enough for kids and seniors, but still challenging enough that it's hard to quit playing -- just 5 more minutes turns into 10, 15, then an hour.
I recommend this game!
A deceptively simple Puzzle-Shooter that demands a suprisingly increasing degree of strategy.
Overall rating
2
/
5
44 of 48 found this review helpful
If there's nothing else to play...
PostedJuly 1, 2012
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
The best thing about this game would be the holiday theme, with options to customize the ornaments that you shoot. The cannon can be a little hard to control (don't make the sensitivity too high in options), and trying to bank shots works sometimes and not others. Surprisingly, there's no holiday music except when you launch the game. If you're really looking for a bubble popping holiday game, this might suffice. But as popper games go, I'd keep looking.