Dru_the_Writer's Profile
Stat Summary
- Average Rating:3.5
- Helpful Votes:60
- Reviews Submitted:4
- First Review:January 16, 2014
- Most Recent Review:April 21, 2014
- Featured reviews0
Dru_the_Writer's Review History
Legends of Solitaire: Curse of the Dragons
When an ancient curse is cast upon the Solitaire Kingdom, it’s up to you to defeat the dragons and put a stop to the evil spell!
Overall rating
5
/
5
19 of 19 found this review helpful
Very, Very Enjoyable Game!
PostedApril 21, 2014
Dru_the_Writer
fromSomewhere South of There
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Card & Board, Brain Teaser, Puzzle
Fun Factor
5
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
This review is based on the finished game.
I was surprised to see a few negative reviews of this solitaire game, as I thoroughly enjoyed it! Perhaps that’s because I’ve always been a big fan of Tolkien’s trilogy and the trilogy of movies made from it. The artwork and music are DEFINITELY derived from the movies. In fact, one of the cards looks so much like Legolas the elf that I wondered if they had to get permission to use the image. The music, which is unobtrusive and often quite pleasing, sometimes strays from the movie’s themes JUST enough to avoid copyright infringement but lends the same atmosphere, which I enjoyed. As well, the narrator’s voice is deep and gravelly, telling the story in as stylized a fashion as any fantasy lover could desire. Yes, the artwork is somewhat sketchy and two-dimensional but I didn’t find that detrimental to the fun of the game. The standard 3 modes of play are available.
The play is simple fun; you empty the screen by placing a card that is either one card higher or lower than the upward-facing foundation card. There are several helps and obstacles presented during play. One little detail I enjoyed was that sometimes the cards are placed sideways or at angles, making it fun to look at while keeping you on your toes to pay attention to what cards are available for you to play. For those unfamiliar with this type of game, the first chapter includes a tutorial which points out the helps and obstacles for you.
The game itself consists of 40 chapters of 10 “hands”; each chapter becoming a little more difficult. Every chapter begins with a narration (skippable) of the continuing storyline, along with your goals for the chapter. These requirements increase as you play, consisting at last of how much gold you must amass, how many cards must be taken in a row (called a combo), how many “Perfects” you must achieve (meaning removing every card from the screen), how many stars to amass, and an overall goal of filling the “Dragon Bar.” How this last is achieved is never actually explained however as you play each hand the bar fills itself, and I never encountered a chapter in which the dragon bar did NOT entirely fill.
A small help I enjoyed was that if you overlook a card that you might have played and draw a new card from the foundation deck, the overlooked card will wiggle to show you the lost opportunity, so if you have an “Undo” in your inventory you can correct your mistake.
There are 20 “achievements” you can amass, though they don’t affect the play – they just record things like how many perfects you achieved, how many times you used a certain tool, and so forth.
THE STORE
The gold coins you amass may be used in the “store” which, other than during the first chapter, is only accessible at the map screen. Here you can purchase power-ups to help you along in the game.
The gold coins you amass may be used in the “store” which, other than during the first chapter, is only accessible at the map screen. Here you can purchase power-ups to help you along in the game.
POWER UPS
There are 12 power ups available, some of which have effects such as uncovering face-down cards, improving companion recharge time or providing an extra “undo”. Three of these are kept permanently in your inventory and can be used in every screen however two of them; the fire-extinguishing Amber Potion and the Skeleton Key can only be used once PER CHAPTER, and must be re-purchased from the store at the beginning of each chapter if you wish to do so. As well, you can NOT own more than one of each power up at any time.
There are 12 power ups available, some of which have effects such as uncovering face-down cards, improving companion recharge time or providing an extra “undo”. Three of these are kept permanently in your inventory and can be used in every screen however two of them; the fire-extinguishing Amber Potion and the Skeleton Key can only be used once PER CHAPTER, and must be re-purchased from the store at the beginning of each chapter if you wish to do so. As well, you can NOT own more than one of each power up at any time.
Occasionally one of the foundation cards will be a “wild card” which will randomly become a card numbered between 2 and 9. You can only hold up to six wild cards at any time however if you need some you can purchase them with your collected gold.
COMPANIONS
At the beginning of the game you’re offered your choice of either a male or female companion whose “power” is to remove a random card from the screen. I played games with both and found NO difference between them.
At the beginning of the game you’re offered your choice of either a male or female companion whose “power” is to remove a random card from the screen. I played games with both and found NO difference between them.
As the play continues you are gradually joined by three additional “companions”; each of whom offers a different skill, such as throwing a useful card on the foundation deck. Interestingly, halfway through the game one of your companions leaves and is immediately replaced by a different species of character that offers the same benefit to you, which struck me as odd. Once their power is used, the companions recharge via the suits of the cards you play.
OBSTACLES
At the beginning of each hand, cards might be blocked by a stone wall, a sheet of ice, an overgrowth of plants, a wall of fire, or a padlock. These must be overcome by the appropriate power up.
At the beginning of each hand, cards might be blocked by a stone wall, a sheet of ice, an overgrowth of plants, a wall of fire, or a padlock. These must be overcome by the appropriate power up.
There is an additional obstacle card that appears intermittently called the Dragon, which sets fire to a card. With only one exception, this card cannot be used until the fire is extinguished by use of the Amber Potion or simply goes out by itself. It takes the play of a number of other cards before any fire goes out by itself but eventually this will happen.
SUGGESTIONS
I would like to offer to the developers two suggestions that might make the game more enjoyable. First, when you’re on a card screen there is no indication of which chapter and hand you’re playing. It would be very useful to see this, as sometimes my strategy changes depending on how close to the tenth screen I am. Secondly, if you fail at a chapter and must begin it again, you can NOT return to the store to buy more fire potions or padlock keys. Yes, making the game harder is probably the goal but how about offering it at least in the casual mode?
I would like to offer to the developers two suggestions that might make the game more enjoyable. First, when you’re on a card screen there is no indication of which chapter and hand you’re playing. It would be very useful to see this, as sometimes my strategy changes depending on how close to the tenth screen I am. Secondly, if you fail at a chapter and must begin it again, you can NOT return to the store to buy more fire potions or padlock keys. Yes, making the game harder is probably the goal but how about offering it at least in the casual mode?
Overall, I enjoyed the game very, very much and recommend it highly.
I recommend this game!
World Mosaics 5
After restoring the Atlantis World Museum you have been accepted into the Grand Pelasgian University to become an apprentice in Chronology!
Overall rating
4
/
5
Overall, A pretty good game!
PostedFebruary 12, 2014
Dru_the_Writer
fromSomewhere South of There
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Brain Teaser, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
3
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
I find nonogram puzzles both addictive and a great deal of fun, and World Mosaics 5 was the first game of this series that I’ve tried. While overall I enjoyed it, I did have a number of thoughts about it.
Briefly, a nonogram is a puzzle in which the player must determine where in the grid “tiles” are located. A guide is provided at the head of the columns and at the left side of the rows, indicating how many tiles are in each. A simple and straightforward tutorial is provided at the beginning which will clearly instruct any newcomers to this type of game.
The main game is divided into 12 subjects, each containing 12 puzzle grids pertaining to that subject. The backgrounds of each subject are interesting and relate to the topic however they remain visible through each grid which makes it a little difficult to be certain where you are on each grid. The background remains the same throughout all 12 grids of each topic. Also each topic consists of 12 of the SAME SIZE SQUARE grids. They start at 10x10, increase to 15x15 and end with 20x20. No variation at all. I found this repetition surprisingly boring. Differently sized puzzles would have added a great deal of interest to the game, and offering puzzles larger than 20x20 would also have been more entertaining.
But still, I enjoyed the game. Here are my thoughts about it:
PROS
A large bonus area is included, consisting of 10 subjects, each with 10 puzzle grids. This is a very nice addition and gives you the chance to “lighten up” to an easier grid if you’ve burned out a bit on some of the 20x20s. Sadly, it also suffers from offering the same sized grids over and over and over and over…
There is no time limit imposed on how quickly you must finish a grid, though the game records the time you actually take. This keeps the game nice and relaxed.
To fill in consecutive tiles you can hold down the cursor and slide it and the game will present a tally of how many squares you’ve opened. This is very helpful in preventing you from clicking too far.
The “hidden object” of each grid is identified on each puzzle page and once you solve the grid it develops color, allowing you to more clearly see the object you were uncovering. Interesting information is then offered about each picture. I didn’t read through them all so can’t say whether or not the information was accurate. I know this is an issue on another nonogram game.
NOT A BAD THING BUT…
Whenever entire rows or columns are empty, the game fills them in with push pins for you. My personal preference would have been to fill these in myself.
You MUST do the puzzles in consecutive order. You can’t choose which puzzle or subject you want to work on unless you’ve already solved it once. This isn’t a bad thing but tends to make each subject a bit boring as you do the 12th puzzle in a row of the same size about the same topic.
The music is mostly unobtrusive but does become boring and repetitive to the point of wanting to turn off the sound.
After you’ve finished a grid you can scroll over it on the subject page and see how long it took you to finish it but you can’t see how many mistakes you made. While in a few cases I was relived about this, it would have been very helpful to see this statistic.
CONS
Though the guide numbers at the top and left side change from green to white when your cursor is on a column or row I often found it difficult to discern exactly which row or column I was working on and thus often made needless mistakes. A better contrast of colors (especially for older eyes like mine) might be a good idea. Also, if your cursor is on a row or column where you've already marked all the tiles, the guide numbers do NOT change color, so if you want to put push pins in the remaining unidentified squares you had BETTER be certain where you cursor is located!! I made too many mistakes because of this!!
It’s impossible to stop in the middle of a puzzle and come back at another time. Thus, while you can pause the game, if you need to shut it down you will lose all progress on the grid you’re working on. There IS a warning about this but it’s frustrating nonetheless.
My greatest complaint about the game is the amount of guessing that was involved. While there were MOSTLY enough clues in each puzzle to prevent having to make arbitrary moves or educated guesses, it DID happen frequently enough to be somewhat annoying.
MAYBE GOOD MAYBE BAD?
While you’re working on a grid the picture in it is very difficult to discern, which makes it harder to figure out what you’re trying to reveal. If you know you’re uncovering a ballerina you can use this knowledge to figure out where the tiles are but if it’s unclear, it makes it more difficult to solve. I don’t know whether this is a good or a bad thing – since making the game harder can be seen as advantageous. You’ll have to make up your own mind. (Actually, a few of the pictures were difficult to understand even AFTER they’d been colorized and shrunk!)
BIG OOPS
Developers, please correct! In the DANCE category of the bonus area you meant to write the dance name “SAMBA” but instead it reads “SAMBO” which is part of the title of a politically frowned-upon childrens’ book. Fixing this would be a good thing.
Developers, please correct! In the DANCE category of the bonus area you meant to write the dance name “SAMBA” but instead it reads “SAMBO” which is part of the title of a politically frowned-upon childrens’ book. Fixing this would be a good thing.
I recommend this game!
Asian Riddles
Solve the riddles of the faraway land and Asian generosity will know no bounds!
Overall rating
1
/
5
4 of 4 found this review helpful
Not Great
PostedJanuary 24, 2014
Dru_the_Writer
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Brain Teaser, Puzzle
Fun Factor
1
/
5
Level of Challenge
1
/
5
I really enjoyed World Riddles: Secret of the Ages and have been hunting for another game as good since then. This one is about the WORST of the several I've tried. The worst thing a nonogram can do is contain parts of the riddle that are ABSOLUTELY arbitrary - where the player can do nothing but GUESS the correct answer. This game commits that error. Plus, you are only permitted two errors per grid before it yanks you out and asks if you want to try again. Very annoying! The red/grey color scheme is harsh and unwelcoming on the eyes, and one must manually select between the "V" and the "X", which slows the play and increases your chance of making an inadvertent error. These games are usually relaxing - I found this one hugely annoying instead! AVOID THIS ONE!
I don't recommend this game.
Amaranthine Voyage: The Living Mountain Collector's Edition
Your strange travels continue in this sequel to the exciting game that took you on an Amaranthine Voyage…
Overall rating
4
/
5
37 of 41 found this review helpful
Well, yes but...
PostedJanuary 16, 2014
Dru_the_Writer
Skill Level:Intermediate
Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Puzzle
Fun Factor
4
/
5
Visual/Sound Quality
4
/
5
Level of Challenge
3
/
5
Storyline
3
/
5
My review is based only on the one hour demo. Graphics were lovely though they became less sharp during cut scenes. I found the HOS easy and fun and appreciated that in the "find the silhouette" scenes the action moved from one part of the scene to another. Nice touch. Refreshing also is the ability to play a bubble-shoot game instead of finding hidden objects. Plenty of achievements to accumulate and finding dog biscuits and fairies is fun albeit distracting from the action. I appreciated that the inventory could be locked and that the hint button opened a portal where appropriate. Another interesting touch is that at the end of the pre-set trial you're given a "coming attractions" cut scene of what to expect if you purchase the whole game. Sort of a commercial for the game within it. No doubt you've already seen plenty of explanations of the plot points so I'll get to the point of why I didn't give the game 5 stars and why I may not actually buy it...
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE FOLLOWING APPLIES TO ***ALL*** GAME DEVELOPERS AND IS MEANT AS SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE GAMES.
I've played many, many of these games and frankly I’m longing for more realism in them! For example, if I start out with a knife in my inventory why on Earth would I ever discard it, and why can't I use it to pry up a loose floorboard instead of hunting for some other item specifically meant for prying up floorboards? If I come across a broken glass why can't I use that same knife to remove the glass instead of searching for a glove or a scarf or the fluffy wool of a passing alpaca? Another example - why must I hunt for brooms or feathers or such things to brush away cobwebs that I could easily remove with my hand? It's ludicrous to think that the brave heroine who faces murderous antagonists and goes through portals to who-knows-where is too prissy to wipe away a cobweb with her delicate, manicured fingers. Come on, developers - the point is that you all seem too intent on filling up the games with objects to manipulate rather than choices to make and mysteries to solve. Another distraction for me is the constant running from pillar to post #often literally# to find these endless, silly objects. This breaks the mood of the game and distances my involvement. I find that endlessly hunting for pieces of thingamabobs that I have to insert into the whatever-it-is makes playing the game TEDIOUS! And while I'm complaining about factors that appear over and over and over again why is there always "someone missing" that the player has to find? Can't you guys come up with any other reason for the action of a game to begin?
Please don't get me wrong - the structure and atmosphere of this game is LOVELY and WELL DONE – but ::yawn:: the action is just same 'ol, same 'ol. Seems as though both developers and players have fallen into a “formula” and I’ve played that formula too many times. I never seem to have to use my MIND to solve a mystery or truly affect the outcome of a game. All I have to do is find the talking unicorn, pick up the pieces of that magical whoozis and I’m guaranteed that I’ll arrive in time and all will be well. Why not program a game where the outcome is NOT automatically guaranteed to be “and they lived happily ever after”? It would make players far more invested in the story if it played out more realistically and if our actions and decisions actually affected the outcome. Food for thought…
I recommend this game!