SynthpopAddict's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.8
- Helpful Votes:2,361
- Reviews Submitted:69
- First Review:November 20, 2011
- Most Recent Review:April 23, 2019
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Clear a board of colored runes by creating matches of three or more stones. As you progress, the obstacles become more cunning!
Overall rating
4
/
5
19 of 20 found this review helpful
Pretty puzzle game but a little short
PostedDecember 4, 2011
SynthpopAddict
fromHome on Derange
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Marble Popper, Match 3
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Pros: nice graphics/gameplay (M3 part), embedded puzzles, untimed but with trophies
Cons: IHOG part uninspired/too easy, game length
Oriental Dreams is part token match M3 (where you move like colored balls together from any part of the playing field to match 3 of them) and part IHOG. The M3 portion has some boards with embedded puzzles, so you're not necessarily just trying to clear the marked "runes" from the board with your matches, but may have to assemble a smaller puzzle or item within the game board to win. The M3 obstacles are quite original for a well established game genre. There are one-way move tiles, brick walls that require a certain powerup only to remove, and board shapes that require careful planning to solve. The powerups in the game are equally innovative, random chain breakers and a ball color changing pot coming to mind.
The IHOG part of the game, however, does not compare with its M3 counterpart. I don't normally play HOGs due to visual field problems, but managed to breeze through the well lit and not all that detailed HOG scenes here in about a couple of minutes each. If you get stuck, there's a Hint button, but I used it maybe 3-4 times in my first run through the game. The minigames that pop up every so often are also not particularly challenging and have been done before in other games. If I could rate the two parts of the game separately on difficulty, the M3 part would get 4 stars and the IHOG part 2 stars.
The storyline is a bit hokey. There are also not that many levels to go through, so expect to spend maybe 4-5 hours on this game. It is not timed, although a counter keeps track of how long you've spent on a level. If you complete a level under a certain time limit you will win either a silver or gold trophy, but there is no penalty for taking as long as you wish. You can also replay any level you've completed if you want to go back and try for a trophy. An attractive game for relaxing to.
I recommend this game!
Immerse yourself into an exotic tropical puzzle game.
Overall rating
2
/
5
4 of 5 found this review helpful
Villa Banana prequel is a snoozer
PostedDecember 4, 2011
SynthpopAddict
fromHome on Derange
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Marble Popper, Match 3
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Pros: smooth gameplay, untimed
Cons: boring
I bought and reviewed Villa Banana before I tried Tropical Puzzle out, but liked VB for its level of challenge, so surfed through the M3 back catalog until I found Tropical Puzzle. The M3 play is the same here--put the same type pieces together to match 3 of them--and clear the non-green tiles from the board to advance. While I normally enjoy this lesser used subgenre of M3 as a break from swap M3s, Tropical Puzzle turned out to be a huge disappointment. The background never changes except for slight swaying of the palm trees and an occasional wave in the ocean, and looking at pretty much nothing but colored balls of the same size on a board gets boring pretty quickly. Couple that with a soundtrack well suited for an elevator, and you may find yourself making your moves quickly. Not because this game is timed, (it isn't, although a counter keeps progress of how long you're spending on a level) but so you can keep yourself awake. The challenge level isn't all that much either. Only the very last level in the 85 boards had a significant level of difficulty.
The help is rather annoying. Either you have to look at popup hints repeatedly for the same type of powerup every time it appears, or shut the help off completely and try to figure out what a powerup or obstacle does on your own should a new one appear.
There are two different game modes, adventure (in which you play through the 85 levels) and endless (in which you play on a board until you run out of moves). I made myself finish adventure just to see what would happen, and that's not much to write home about. There are no trophies or accomplishments to achieve in the adventure mode either, and I wasn't motivated enough to try endless to see if there would be anything else to accomplish other than fighting boredom.
I don't recommend this game.
Destroy Set's spheres before they reach the pyramids and guide your scarab to victory in this adventure across ancient Egypt!
Overall rating
5
/
5
213 of 269 found this review helpful
Oldies But Goodies
PostedNovember 24, 2011
SynthpopAddict
fromHome on Derange
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Marble Popper, Match 3
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Pros: smooth gameplay, innovative concept, varied difficulty options (Amun Rising only)
Cons: dated graphics, soundtrack
Go back to the beginning of the Luxor legacy and find out what's made this series one of the most popular marble popping franchises ever. Although the graphics on these two initial releases are now dated looking, that doesn't mean the developers didn't put any effort into the games. If you haven't ever played a marble popper before, the premise is simple: Keep marbles from reaching the pyramid at the end of the track by shooting additional marbles in such a way that a matching group of 3 or more like colors is removed. There is a set number of marble chains you must clear to advance to the next level, and you will receive powerups sporadically as you work on clearing the chains. You will also want to catch the bonus coins dropping down every so often, since getting enough coins rewards you with an extra life. Uncomplicated, but surprisingly addictive.
As mentioned earlier, the graphics are pretty retro since these games have been out for a while, but it's refreshing to look upon them since the screen isn't very cluttered and makes focusing on the game action easy. The programmers obviously had a warped sense of humor when designing the backgrounds, since you'll see animals with the stereotypical ancient Egyptian painting eyes (and body drawing), people sliding down steep pyramids for fun, "large fish tales" depictions, people turning pyramid ramps into gaming halls, the "Queen of Denial" (pun intended) and even a holiday themed scene, just to name a few. The sound effects are either intentionally or unintentionally funny too, an assortment of angelic cheers and wolf howls mixed into the blips and pops of the marbles. I don't remember how the actual game music in Amun Rising went, probably because I tried to listen to the original Luxor's music a few times and had to turn it off completely. The music has nothing to do with the game theme at all and almost seems like a rushed afterthought.
The difficulty level in Luxor is about average when compared to other current MPs available. Amun Rising features three different difficulty levels with Normal being at about the same level of difficulty as Luxor, and Expert being perhaps 25% more challenging. There isn't the profusion of marble colors seen in some of the later Luxor installments, so if you're curious about the marble popping genre, the Bundle Pack is a cost-friendly and good way to find out.
I recommend this game!
Explore the lands of the Pharaohs and the Cradle of Egypt! Enjoy the miraculous constructions in this awesome Match 3 game!
Overall rating
4
/
5
157 of 177 found this review helpful
A Cradle game without a timer
PostedNovember 24, 2011
SynthpopAddict
fromHome on Derange
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Marble Popper, Match 3
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Pros: timed/untimed options, improved powerups, smooth gameplay, challenging minigames
Cons: big case of deja vu, extremely difficult in timed mode
The developers must love their Cradle of Rome games. So much, in fact, that they came out with another one. Yes, you're now in Egypt and trying to establish a civilization there along with fulfilling a prophecy of Ra, but if you've played Cradle of Rome 2, you'll quickly notice that Cradle of Egypt is pretty much the same game with a slightly different color scheme and different playing tiles. The animations when a powerup is triggered are improved--watching the action of the "liquidizer" (formerly known as the mixer in predecessors) is a treat. The powerups have also been improved in that it's now possible to aim them around board edges and through walls in boards with holes in the middle.
The details of the city you build have been well thought out so there aren't any unintentionally funny bits to chuckle over here. The minigames have gotten a heavy boost to the challenge level compared to COR2 and although they start out relatively easy, none are truly simplistic and a few are quite hard. If you get stuck there's a Solve button, but be warned that you'll sacrifice two achievement trophies for skipping a minigame. The trophies and citizens in general are harder to earn than in predecessors, most requiring careful planning.
The game instructions are improved over COR2 and I found myself checking them often (what do those new super arrows do compared to the original one, and how do I get the treasure chests?) to check the values of the resources while planning out my city building strategy. A hidden tip not in the instructions is that pressing the Ctrl key shows you the game board without the playing tiles, so you can quickly spot what you have left to do. The popup game hints seem a little strange in their timing, however. In more than one instance I had created a super arrow but it took the game a long time and several super arrows used before it gave me the popup tutorial on them. If you complete adventure mode, Blitz Mode unlocks and not only are you playing to see how long you can last now, but your city will get additional upgrades when you play in Blitz. The Tourney mode from COR2 is also back and unlocks at 200,000 points scored in adventure instead of 500,000.
Adventure mode can be played either timed or untimed, but it cannot be toggled back and forth. Here is my main issue with the game: Now that there's an untimed option, they seem to have deliberately made it much harder for everyone as an exchange. The learning curve is steeper and the upper levels of the game may well make even hardcore M3ers cringe if playing in timed mode. I did finish in timed, but at the end found myself thinking that the previous game would be a better one to play for those who like a tricky, timed M3. The Romans had a better water supply too.
I recommend this game!
Control the stone idol chameleon and blast gems before they reach the hole in this action puzzle
Overall rating
3
/
5
30 of 36 found this review helpful
Marble popper hiding out in the puzzle section
PostedNovember 23, 2011
SynthpopAddict
fromHome on Derange
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Marble Popper, Match 3
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Pros: unique stacked chains, able to buy extra lives
Cons: short tracks, limited powerups
Why this game is currently listed with the puzzles and not the marble poppers is a mystery to me. Maybe it's because the hero of this game is a chameleon and everyone knows they have many guises. Anyway, Chameleon Gems is a near copy of Zuma in the game action, but the chain is partially stacked instead of just a long spread out single string. The "marbles" are gems in this case, and they come in three sizes. The smaller gems sit on top of larger ones with only the largest size riding along the track and available to shoot. Removing the large gem from a stack by shooting out a group of 3 like colors causes the next larger one in the stack to grow and become available to shoot at. A set number of gems must be removed to fill a progress meter. Once the meter is full no more new gems emerge and the remaining gems need to cleared before they reach the hole at the end of the track. Each level also features one or more "bonus goals" such as making a number of shots through a break in the chain or number of gem removals in a row to earn a higher rank and/or extra points.
In between levels opportunities to buy additional lives and powerups are available. As in other marble poppers, powerups will also periodically appear during game play, and these are often more useful than the powerups to buy. Your character may be a chameleon, but he apparently flunked out of Color Changing 101 because he can only wear one "skin" (bonus powerup) at a time.
The graphics are pretty simplistic, even for an older game. Players may also find the length of the tracks to be a bit short which can get frustrating on higher levels. It's an OK marble popper, but maybe that's why it's hiding out somewhere else.
Embark on an ethereal mission using your Match 3 game-playing skills to release the essences of some of the most powerful Egyptian gods.
Overall rating
5
/
5
278 of 337 found this review helpful
Best modern graphics Luxor IMO
PostedNovember 23, 2011
SynthpopAddict
fromHome on Derange
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Marble Popper, Match 3
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Pros: variety of gameplay, powerup selection, difficulty selection option
Cons: hard to see details sometimes, useless coins phenomenon
In Luxor 3 a pharoah has passed on to the next world before his pyramid was completed, so in order to have a peaceful afterlife he agrees to be transformed into a winged magical scarab who helps protect the gods from the wrath of Set. Besides the marble popping play that's made all the Luxor games so well known, the adventure mode now has variations such as trying to clear only a special chain at the top of the screen while working around a sea of other chains crossing the screen, popping marbles while watching for towers that randomly appear to force the chains downward faster, and puzzles in which nonmoving marble chains must be cleared using limited shots. Some of the screens feature reflecting paddles which deflect shots 90 degrees when struck to make aiming your shots easier or more interesting depending on the situation.
In between levels you have the opportunity to visit the shop, in which you can purchase upgrades to many of the powerups, most of which will be familiar to long time players of the Luxor series. A nice new one is the pyramid blocker, which not only does what its name says, but explodes a few more balls if it detonates. You can also purchase new looks for your scarab shooter and new marble sets to play with.
This Luxor installment has the nice graphics of Luxor 2 but is less of an eyestrain to play--except on a couple of screens in which the devs missed that it might be hard to visualize the game action in spots with something like flickering flames and smoke in an area. Hint: buy the energy ball set, it'll come in handy later on.
Players can choose from four difficulty levels to play the adventure in, and the higher the difficulty, the more extra powerups (and more colors of balls). Experienced players should not be afraid to play on Hard or Insane and it's worth it to see the action of the bonus sandstorm powerup. If you want a shorter game or something else to do, there are also alternate play modes in which you just play one of the other types of games like the stationary puzzles.
About the only thing that I can find fault with is that eventually you'll run out of things to buy in the shop but you still collect coins for playing, which are useless when there is nothing left to spend them on. There may also be a lag in the pyramid construction scene on older computers as the pyramid gets more completed due to the graphics load. But these are very minor details that won't keep you from being drawn into a beautiful and challenging quest.
I recommend this game!
Collect and match amazing island creatures as you journey from beach to jungle to volcano
Overall rating
2
/
5
43 of 49 found this review helpful
Cute and funny, but...
PostedNovember 23, 2011
SynthpopAddict
fromHome on Derange
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Marble Popper, Match 3
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Pros: cute graphics, timed/untimed options
Cons: aggressively timed in timed mode, powerup issues
I stumbled upon Galapago while surfing through the M3 back catalog at Big Fish and the graphics looked so cute and colorful that I decided to play a trial and promptly bought it after the demo ended. You are trying to save the creatures of Galapago from the volcano and will journey all over their island home to do so. The playing style is swap M3 and to win each board you must clear it of all gold squares and blocked tiles. There are two shrunken head characters hanging from a tree to the left of the playing field who are hilarious to listen to and are happy to chatter more if you click on them. There's also the just as funny "mute heads" box to check in the game options if you'd rather just play the game.
I would strongly recommend that the game be played in untimed mode, as the timer is the most aggressive one I've seen since the first two Bejeweled games. Three to four minutes for a board is doable for an experienced M3er in the first half of the game, but I had to switch to untimed at around 70% completion to keep going. Perhaps I'm missing some logic to the later boards, but I wonder if the devs forgot to extend the timer as the boards got harder.
A few other things which I found frustrating about Galapago were the special lightning pieces which the game purports to be silver, but did not appear any different than regular tiles on my screen, the slow powerup recharge in later levels, and powerups not clearing blocked tiles. The lightning strikes remove either a vertical or horizontal row and would have been a lot more useful if it wasn't a case of matching and hoping that a tough spot somewhere else in the board would get cleared, or setting something up only to get that row zapped unexpectedly. There are only two different types of blocked tiles in Galapago which doesn't sound like an awful lot considering the variety of obstacles in some other M3s, but nearly all of the powerups have no effect on them. Using the shuffle powerup can even make the situation worse. I also noticed a slight lag in play action which is surprising for an older game with retro looking graphics.
I did persevere long enough to finish the game (can't let such cute creatures be sacrificed to a volcano, after all!) and noticed that the creatures I was saving were gradually turning to gold as I progressed through the game. That was another unfortunate detail to me, as they looked better in their original, brightly colored forms. If you're really jonesing for a M3 fix, this is a possibility, but there's better ones out there.
Embark on an exciting journey to uncover the secrets of Crowberry Woods
Overall rating
5
/
5
95 of 112 found this review helpful
Classic marble popper with fun twists and a lot of challenge
PostedNovember 21, 2011
SynthpopAddict
fromHome on Derange
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Marble Popper, Match 3
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Pros: simple but beautiful graphics, Easter eggs, multiple game modes, two player mode available
Cons: very challenging, boring soundtrack
Welcome to Sparkle, a classic marble popper in which you are trying to clear the darkness threatening to take over Crowberry Woods. The gameplay is Luxor-style, the objective to clear a set number of marble chains so that a progress meter fills up completely and then clear the remaining marbles before they reach the hole in the ground and cause the darkness to engulf everything. However, your marble shooter sits somewhere in the middle of the board Zuma-style and spins in place instead of sliding sideways along the bottom.
The graphics are simple, but visually stunning--jewel toned marbles over elegant monochromatic tracks of varying colors, proving that a game doesn't need the fanciest interface to be easy on the eyes. Even the names of the individual boards are clever and suit the track's shape. However, I did not find the game music to be of similar quality. The soundtrack repeats over and over on about a minute loop and changes only if marbles are close to the hole.
The best thing about Sparkle is the Easter eggs (secrets) to find. Every screen in Sparkle, not just the game board screen, is interactive. Play around with them and see what happens, because there are 12 secrets to uncover by literally exploring everything the game has to offer. Finding the secrets rewards you with powerup amulets that will help you in your marble popping quest. Additional amulets become available as you complete certain game achievements. If you find the amulet of duality, two players will be able to play the game simultaneously with a second mouse plugged into a USB port.
There are three game modes to play in, and the challenge/survival modes will help hone your skills for the adventure mode (plus you'll want to see what secrets you can find). Adventure mode can be played in Normal, Expert, or Master. You read that correctly: There's no such thing as "easy" and the developers are serious about their difficulty levels. If you have played marble poppers before you should still be able to get a fair ways through the game in Normal, but don't be surprised if you have to work a little to finish it. Expert is completeable by good players, but they are most certainly not joking when they said "meet your demise-Master Difficulty!" I also had a hard time figuring out where the level progress meter was for quite a while until I realized that it's on the shooter itself, so check the progress of the little lights if you want to see how much you have left to go on a board. Enjoy, and try not to let the darkness get to you...it's actually fun sometimes to watch the display when you lose a life.
I recommend this game!
Welcome to a tropical paradise! Design your very own villa and garden on the seashore in this engaging Match 3 game!
Overall rating
4
/
5
17 of 20 found this review helpful
A mental workout
PostedNovember 21, 2011
SynthpopAddict
fromHome on Derange
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Marble Popper, Match 3
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Pros: generous hints, untimed, uncluttered interface
Cons: lack of playing instructions, steep learning curve
Villa Banana reminds me heavily of another M3 in its graphics and game pieces so much that I would say that this is the same game except with fruit instead of colored balls. However, I have not played the other game so will leave it at that. The object in Villa Banana is to remove all the gold or silver plates from the playing field by making matches of 3 or more of the same type of fruit over them. The M3 style is like that of the Temple of Bast in Ancient Quest of Saqqarah. In other words, playing pieces, in this case fruit, are scattered around the game board and must be moved together to form M3s. Any moves which do not result in a match cause additional fruit to appear on the board. These new fruits start out as small pieces and then grow to full size with the next move. Unlike AQoS, covering a small fruit will not make it go away, only delay the small fruit's growth until the piece on top is moved off of it, which makes the strategy a lot more complex. If the board becomes too filled up to make any more moves, it must be replayed. Chained fruit obstacles and black balls will appear in later levels to make things even more interesting, and the board shapes will gradually become more complex to make this game a real challenge. Completing each board gives you money for buying upgrades to your beachside villa.
There are an assortment of powerups that will begin appearing after a few boards are played, but instructions for how to use them along with general gameplay instructions are quite lacking, so it will take some trial and error to figure out how to use each powerup to your best advantage. I also found it helpful to wait a few seconds and let the game flash a move hint as the hints often turned out to be really good. Don't let the green bar at the bottom right fool you; that's not a timer, but a bonus bar. If you finish a board with some of the bar left you will get a time bonus, but there is no penalty for taking as much time as you want per board.
Besides the regular game there's also a "challenge" play mode in which you play on a board for the highest score possible, but this part of the game was not all that appealing to me because it seemed monotonous and there are no trophies or awards to win.
The game graphics are OK and the music is repetitive and twangy which didn't bother me, but it's not the best soundtrack I've heard in a game either. The real kicker is the learning curve. Not only are there not many overall instructions on how to play, but Villa Banana gets really hard, really fast. If you enjoy solving tricky logic puzzles this will be fun, but for others this will be an exercise in frustration. I was glad there were only 60 levels to play and was completely ready to move into my villa when I finished the game for some chill time. Recommended, but only for those who want a challenge.
I recommend this game!
Journey through the wonderful world of Geisha! Help Ichisumi to reopen the temples and restore a world of beauty and passion.
Overall rating
3
/
5
94 of 102 found this review helpful
A game to zen out to
PostedNovember 21, 2011
SynthpopAddict
fromHome on Derange
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Match 3, Marble Popper
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Pros: Beautiful graphics, appropriate soundtrack, board rotation, multiple M3 styles, timed/untimed option
Cons: It's easy
In the current days of few really good M3s available, Dreams of a Geisha is a lovely addition for those who want a new M3 fix. There are four temples you must restore to keep the Geisha culture alive and each temple features a different style of M3 gameplay: swap, chain to match, token in hand, and pop clusters. At certain restoration checkpoints in each temple you will also get a puzzle minigame to play for a change of pace. You will earn powerups along the way and find others buried in some of the game boards to uncover for additional help. The typical obstacles seen in M3s are here too, and won't be too hard to figure out. If you get really stuck there's a Shuffle button to rearrange the tiles, and the game will auto-shuffle if you run out of moves. When you have solved the M3 portion of a board, a new puzzle pops up in the same playing field in which you must manipulate a key or keys along a pathway until they reach one or more chests at the other end.
What makes DoaG unique is the board rotation concept. Right clicking or clicking on the turn arrows at the upper corners of the game screen rotates the game board 90 degrees. This is essential for solving the keys and chests puzzles but also helps the M3 portion of the game by shifting the pieces around into empty spaces and/or allowing the player to find matches more easily.
There is both a timed and untimed option and the soundtrack is very soothing and appropriate to the game's theme, so this is a terrific game to help you relax. The game tiles are quite well detailed and pretty to look at. The lag time of about 3-5 seconds when you run out of moves and are waiting for an auto-shuffle, and the delay of the game in giving you a hint ("please rotate the board") are a bit annoying but not a total deal breaker for the game. If you are looking for a challenging M3, this won't be it, but there's nothing wrong with having a good chill-out game here and there.
I recommend this game!