I didn't hate this game, but I didn't love it, either. I guess it just wasn't what I expected; I'm seeing a lot of reviews that say it starts out strong and loses steam, and I would agree with that. I played it more out of a stubborn desire to finish it more than actual joy. Other negatives include: having to play the same HOS's multiple times, the character designs (they looked blocky and incredibly weird), and the insane level of backtracking.
On the other hand, I did like the snowy, old-timey setting, and the story (though less about actual dogs than I had hoped) was cohesive and did make sense as you followed it through. (At least during the main game. The extra part goes a little kooky.)
I got this as part of a buy-one-get-one-free deal. If you can get it for half off, or some other discount, then it might still be worth playing, because there were good parts about it. I would not, however, pay full price. There are much better games.
This was the first Big Fish game I ever bought. The music was lovely and relaxing, the graphics were good, and I couldn't have had a better introduction to the match 3 genre. I loved the motivation to get money to buy items for your fish tanks. If I had one complaint, it was that I had no drive to finish all the levels (I'm not even sure how many there are) once I had gone as far as I felt like going with decorating/populating my fish tanks. Still, though, this was a lot of fun -- so much so that it was hard to stop playing at times! :-)
As another reviewer pointed out, the story is disjointed and makes no sense. However, for me, the quality of the match 3 challenges were so good that it kind of balanced out the story aspect. I was straight-up addicted to this game for a while, so if you like match 3's, be warned! :-) The explosions really do explode with a satisfying sound, and the puzzles get more and more difficult as you progress. If they made a sequel to this, I would buy it in a heartbeat. I loved this game, and I hope you enjoy it, too.
Out of all the Hidden Object games I have played from Big Fish so far, this one actually might have taken me the longest to complete, so I felt that it was absolutely worth the price. The puzzles were very challenging, the story was coherent, and the design of the castle setting was great. One feature of this game that I loved was the compass button; it enabled you to click on a certain area and go straight there as opposed to having to walk all over creation and chew up a bunch of time with clicking. The music and sound effects were lovely, but also not intrusive or repetitive. Also, I enjoyed the time-travel aspect (hard to explain, and don't want to give too much away) -- that was something I hadn't seen before. I definitely recommend this game!
I probably would have liked this game better, in all fairness, if I had not played Song of the Phoenix right before it; Amber Maiden pales in comparison. That being said, I don't regret buying it or playing it, and I still enjoyed the game (especially the ending, which was cool); it's not the best Hidden Object game I've played on this site, but not the worst, either. Ultimately, I liked the concept of the witch encasing people in amber, and those people or objects needing whatever "makes them complete" in order to break the spell.
This was actually the first Hidden Object-type game from Big Fish that I ever played, and it spoiled me because it was so thoroughly excellent. The storyline is compelling, the puzzles are engaging, and the game itself was appropriately challenging without ever getting too frustrating. Also, the art and scenery are gorgeous. Definitely check this out! I was almost sorry when I came to the end of it.
I was very pleased with Dark Strokes. The puzzles were great, the graphics were beautiful, and the story was cohesive and genuinely interesting. The extra game play on the collector's edition (without giving too much away) has kind of a neat twist, regarding the perspective you play from. I think a lot of time and creative effort was put into this one, and I would definitely recommend it.
Apparently I'm in the minority on this, but I regretted buying this game and I wanted to warn others. I have played several other Hidden Object Puzzle games on this site and loved them, so this came as a huge disappointment -- mostly because the storyline made no sense whatsoever and seemed so shoddily put together. Also, the music got extremely repetitive and at times did not sync with the action (and, oddly, at the end in parts did not play at all when I got the sense it was supposed to be). Lastly, the setting was just plain boring, especially in comparison with the other games. I would be more angry if I hadn't gotten this for half-price, but I would advise avoiding this one regardless; I only finished it because I was too stubborn not to.