AverageSizeFish's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:2.8
- Helpful Votes:2,910
- Reviews Submitted:173
- First Review:June 2, 2014
- Most Recent Review:May 1, 2017
- Featured reviews0
Status:
Embark on an epic quest to build the greatest structure in the history of mankind, The Great Wall of China.
Overall rating
3
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Too easy and quite short
PostedMay 1, 2017
Fun Factor
3
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
I've played this game through twice. The problem with it is that it is far too easy and way too short. The pleasant music, the facts about China between levels, the graphics, and the innovative trader cart are all really good additions to the game. However, these features cannot overcome the fact that the game has no challenge and ends too soon. It basically feels like a time management game with the second half chopped off (the levels where the game ramps up in challenge).
I give it a 2.5 stars. Rounded up it gets 3.
I don't recommend this game.
Help a wizard retrieve the missing artifact and restore life to the world in this magical Match 3 Adventure!
Overall rating
5
/
5
11 of 14 found this review helpful
Excellent Match-3
PostedMarch 5, 2017
AverageSizeFish
fromUSA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
4
/
5
The game is very well-made, and it works quite smoothly. Puzzle-type match-3 boards are interspersed with solitaire and find-the-difference scenes (which can be skipped). You can play in relaxed, limited moves, and limited time modes. The boards require a bit of thinking to finish within the limit, but none are frustratingly difficult. The game has 100 levels, and you can replay it in the mode you didn't try the first time which makes it a good value for the money.
If you like the Cursed House series, you will enjoy this game. If you like this game and haven't tried that series take a look at the second and third (the first doesn't have a timer).
I recommend this game!
Guide Dracula on a madcap quest to find out who's zombifying the masses through their cell phones!
Overall rating
5
/
5
1 of 1 found this review helpful
Among the best TM games I've played
PostedFebruary 10, 2017
AverageSizeFish
fromUSA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
5
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
This game has great graphics and an amazing soundtrack. The story is really cute, and the levels are full of funny details. Gameplay is a perfect balance of challenging yet do-able.
The first ten levels or so are a sort of warm up which give you plenty of time to get used to the game mechanics. After that, the levels grow increasingly challenging, and they can get tough. They are all, however, do-able. You may have to play them through a couple of times to get gold, but, to me anyway, that's a sign of a well-made game - it's challenging but not frustratingly so. The pace is quick, and the levels are of a good length.
One thing I especially like is that you can think out your own strategy, and often there are multiple ways to do things that will achieve gold. That is to say; this isn't a rat-maze kind of game.
I found that the CE material was worth the extra cost. I like finding all the hidden prizes, and the bonus section is a good length. I've already played the game twice through, and it has great replayability (another plus about a challenging game - you can play it again without feeling bored).
I have all the games in this series (three so far), and I think this one is my favorite. It has the smoothest increase in challenge as you go through the levels and the best level of challenge overall (the first is much more challenging, and the third is much easier).
I recommend this game!
Save Dracula from the unspeakable horror of pesky relatives in this thrilling new adventure!
Overall rating
5
/
5
16 of 16 found this review helpful
Really fun game
PostedFebruary 9, 2017
AverageSizeFish
fromUSA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
5
/
5
Level of Challenge
4
/
5
Storyline
5
/
5
I own the others in this series and have played this game twice through already. I bought the first game as an SE and recently traded it in to buy the CE instead. I think this dev puts enough additional material in the games to make the CEs well worth the extra cost. I purchased this one as a CE, and I'm glad I did. You get things to find in every level (with corresponding trophies) and a bonus section of good length.
This game is easier than the first two and, while I wish that weren't the case, it was very fun and I enjoyed every minute of it. It has so much charm, and the quality is top notch, right down to the excellent music and the little animated characters everywhere. It has such funny details, like Rufus' helmet (an inverted colander), and the story is really cute.
If you're new to the series, it might be best to start with this game and play the rest in reverse order. The first is, by far, the most challenging, and this one is the easiest. I also suggest getting the CE instead of the SE.
Whether you love time management or are new to the genre, you cannot go wrong with this game.
I recommend this game!
Build powerful weapons and plan cunning protection strategies in this unique Tower Defense game. Enjoy colorful graphics, exciting plot and engaging gameplay!
Overall rating
1
/
5
12 of 16 found this review helpful
Terrible
PostedJanuary 16, 2017
AverageSizeFish
fromUSA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
Perhaps this game is fun for people familiar with the series. I found trying to figure it out almost impossible. There is a bizarre system of "gears" that apparently upgrades your guns. The explanation for this system is almost non-existent, and I couldn't understand it at all. The very first level is so difficult that in spite of depleting all my plus-ups I couldn't win it. Um, that just shouldn't happen on the very first level of a game. Typically, developers understand that the first level is where people are figuring the game out. This is especially so when a game has a tutorial as dismally unhelpful as this game. To top it off, the music has two volumes, ear-splittingly loud or off.
Playing this game was unpleasantly annoying, and I do not recommend it.
I don't recommend this game.
For many years, locals have avoided the manor by the woodside. Solve the manor’s mystery and save the journalist before it's too late!
Overall rating
2
/
5
17 of 21 found this review helpful
Clunky interface, grainy graphics
PostedJanuary 13, 2017
AverageSizeFish
fromUSA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
2
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
If by "classic" they mean outdated, I would definitely agree. The game is very outdated regarding functionality and appearance. There are few hidden object scenes, and they are all very easy. The "adventure" component is also very easy and uses every common HOPA gimmick known (feed the animal, use specially shaped keys, etc.). Overall, there is nothing about the game that could entice me to deal with the clunky interface and uninspiring graphics.
I don't recommend this game.
Help the stranded ghosts build a ship and return to the mainland in this match 3 adventure!
Overall rating
2
/
5
4 of 5 found this review helpful
Dismal - the soundtrack alone is hair-pulling
PostedDecember 16, 2016
AverageSizeFish
fromUSA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
1
/
5
I bought this game because it seemed to have the mechanics of other games by this developer in their Cursed House series.
Unfortunately, I hated the music so much I had to turn it off (which I almost never do).
Gameplay was marred by the fact that every match turns tiles into dynamite, clogging up the board. This ruined any enjoyment I could squeeze out of the game.
The small jelly-bean-like characters are ugly, and any element of the game featuring them seemed more appropriate for a child than an adult.
In Cursed House you are up against evil demons and scarabs. They kept the same idea of quashing but instead you're smashing cute little ladybugs which made no sense to me at all.
Overall, this game is just a completely garbled mess combined with a terrible soundtrack and stupid cartoonish characters that even most kids would hate.
Dismal. I'm sorry I paid for this train-wreck.
I don't recommend this game.
Can you escape your fate as a human experiment, or will you comply?
Overall rating
2
/
5
26 of 35 found this review helpful
Disappointing after the demo
PostedNovember 6, 2016
AverageSizeFish
fromUSA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
The graphics and sound are very good which is to say, typical of most HOPAs produced anytime after 2013 or so.
I bought this game after playing a demo that was miraculously free of oddly-shaped keyholes, magic portals, sinister supernatural entities that lived in HR Giger wannabe abodes, and the other typical gimmicks you find in 99.999% of all HOPAs these days. It was refreshing to play a game set in relatively normal, modern surroundings doing things that didn't involve interacting with ghosts or getting a spell cast on me that plunged me into an unrealistic nightmare world.
Unfortunately, after the demo, the illusion that this game is different than others was soon dispelled. I had to find just the right piece to open a sculptured door, provide a serum to an animated skeleton, overcome a gaseous spell that caused my surroundings to turn into a facsimile of a chamber of horrors, and perform all of the other overused, underwhelming, and ultimately tedious tasks that have come to characterize today's HOPA genre.
Instead of calling it an AI call it a witch and use the word magic potion instead of drug and this game is revealed to be exactly like all the others.
I have hope that occasionally a developer will think outside the tiny box the HOPA genre has become. It would be nice if once in awhile a developer could lose their dependence on the formula that is all too familiar. That did not happen in this case, and that's very disappointing because the game starts out so well. As it is, the game became so boring I couldn't complete it.
If you're looking for something fresh and different, this is not it.
I bought this game after playing a demo that was miraculously free of oddly-shaped keyholes, magic portals, sinister supernatural entities that lived in HR Giger wannabe abodes, and the other typical gimmicks you find in 99.999% of all HOPAs these days. It was refreshing to play a game set in relatively normal, modern surroundings doing things that didn't involve interacting with ghosts or getting a spell cast on me that plunged me into an unrealistic nightmare world.
Unfortunately, after the demo, the illusion that this game is different than others was soon dispelled. I had to find just the right piece to open a sculptured door, provide a serum to an animated skeleton, overcome a gaseous spell that caused my surroundings to turn into a facsimile of a chamber of horrors, and perform all of the other overused, underwhelming, and ultimately tedious tasks that have come to characterize today's HOPA genre.
Instead of calling it an AI call it a witch and use the word magic potion instead of drug and this game is revealed to be exactly like all the others.
I have hope that occasionally a developer will think outside the tiny box the HOPA genre has become. It would be nice if once in awhile a developer could lose their dependence on the formula that is all too familiar. That did not happen in this case, and that's very disappointing because the game starts out so well. As it is, the game became so boring I couldn't complete it.
If you're looking for something fresh and different, this is not it.
I don't recommend this game.
What secrets are hiding in the European countryside?
Overall rating
2
/
5
24 of 31 found this review helpful
Blurry, grainy graphics & a predictable overused story
PostedOctober 30, 2016
AverageSizeFish
fromUSA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
2
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
The most striking thing about this game is the poor graphics. I definitely don't expect blurry graininess in a HOPA game these days, and this "feature" was not appealing.
Other than that, this game is a rehash of every HOPA you've ever played with a "stalwart paranormal investigator" story, a category that competes only with the rescue-the-relative theme for primacy in the HOPA genre.
What is innovative here? Well, instead of buying a bag of peanuts for the squirrel I have to feed and finding a hairpin to pick a lock instead I got to find a bag of peanuts for the squirrel (if clicking on a bag laying in plain sight on the counter of an untended concession stand can be construed as "finding" it) and buy the hairpin. Wow, is this imaginative! What I fail to understand, is why developers continue to be so fascinated with the concept of a squirrel (or any other small furry animal) as a guard that must be bribed before giving up the secret book that just happens to be lying in some random outdoor area. It's a silly idea and seeing it for the 1000th time doesn't make it any less so. This developer loves the feed-the-animal gimmick so much that, in the course of the brief demo, I got to feed not just one animal but three!
The unusual mix of the found peanuts and purchased hairpin was the only deviation from the well-worn path between me and the HOPA ghost busting. Other than that, there is the typical clearing of thick vines, finding of ladders to get into second-floor windows, and all the other overused and underwhelming tasks you've performed in a gazillion other HOPA games. If you've played a HOPA before this game will give you no surprises.
Combined with overly fussy pop-ups that require a click in just the right section of pixels to function and "puzzles" made up of things like eight pieces already arranged in the correct spot, the lack of even a glimmer of imagination or innovation here make this game a no-buy for me.
The easiest way to sum this up is "been there and done that."
Other than that, this game is a rehash of every HOPA you've ever played with a "stalwart paranormal investigator" story, a category that competes only with the rescue-the-relative theme for primacy in the HOPA genre.
What is innovative here? Well, instead of buying a bag of peanuts for the squirrel I have to feed and finding a hairpin to pick a lock instead I got to find a bag of peanuts for the squirrel (if clicking on a bag laying in plain sight on the counter of an untended concession stand can be construed as "finding" it) and buy the hairpin. Wow, is this imaginative! What I fail to understand, is why developers continue to be so fascinated with the concept of a squirrel (or any other small furry animal) as a guard that must be bribed before giving up the secret book that just happens to be lying in some random outdoor area. It's a silly idea and seeing it for the 1000th time doesn't make it any less so. This developer loves the feed-the-animal gimmick so much that, in the course of the brief demo, I got to feed not just one animal but three!
The unusual mix of the found peanuts and purchased hairpin was the only deviation from the well-worn path between me and the HOPA ghost busting. Other than that, there is the typical clearing of thick vines, finding of ladders to get into second-floor windows, and all the other overused and underwhelming tasks you've performed in a gazillion other HOPA games. If you've played a HOPA before this game will give you no surprises.
Combined with overly fussy pop-ups that require a click in just the right section of pixels to function and "puzzles" made up of things like eight pieces already arranged in the correct spot, the lack of even a glimmer of imagination or innovation here make this game a no-buy for me.
The easiest way to sum this up is "been there and done that."
I don't recommend this game.
Can you escape your fate as a human experiment, or will you comply?
Overall rating
2
/
5
16 of 23 found this review helpful
Disappointing after the demo
PostedOctober 17, 2016
AverageSizeFish
fromUSA
Skill Level:Expert
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Match 3, Time Management
Fun Factor
2
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
2
/
5
The graphics and sound are very good which is to say, typical of most HOPAs produced anytime after 2013 or so.
I bought this game after playing a demo that was miraculously free of oddly-shaped keyholes, magic portals, sinister supernatural entities that lived in HR Giger wannabe abodes, and the other typical gimmicks you find in 99.999% of all HOPAs these days. It was refreshing to play a game set in relatively normal, modern surroundings doing things that didn't involve interacting with ghosts or getting a spell cast on me that plunged me into an unrealistic nightmare world.
Unfortunately, after the demo, the illusion that this game is different than others was soon dispelled. I had to find just the right piece to open a sculptured door, provide a serum to an animated skeleton, overcome a gaseous spell that caused my surroundings to turn into a facsimile of a chamber of horrors, and perform all of the other overused, underwhelming, and ultimately tedious tasks that have come to characterize today's HOPA genre.
Instead of calling it an AI call it a witch and use the word magic potion instead of drug and this game is revealed to be exactly like all the others.
I have hope that occasionally a developer will think outside the tiny box the HOPA genre has become. It would be nice if once in awhile a developer could lose their dependence on the formula that is all too familiar. That did not happen in this case, and that's very disappointing because the game starts out so well. As it is, the game became so boring I couldn't complete it.
If you're looking for something fresh and different, this is not it.
I don't recommend this game.