I wanted to say that I love the paint by number game that has all the pastel colors and makes the picture 'pop', but this is a specific type of painting by numbers that I also enjoy. This really feels more like the way an artist would paint a picture, with all the nuances of subtle colour changes in a scene. I find it very interesting, how they can decide where to put which nuance to come up with a 3-D picture, and much as it has more subtle tones, I like to paint this way as well. I have always loved coloring pictures and find that these games teach me how to do pictures on paper, as well as being a diversion and relaxation in my day, when I want to de-stress for a while. Thanks for creating these art games. They are fun and give me satisfaction at being able to do a complex art picture.
In the past I haven't been interested in the computer art programs, thinking that it was better to do it 'the real way'. Yesterday, on chance, I bought Art By Numbers 8. I have always been somewhat intimidated by these types of pictures, full of colour and unrealistic presentation but I am enjoying this game tremendously! I find it is giving me a visual of how to use colour to create an amazing display and once I have done all these pictures, I am eager to attempt the ones where I choose my own colours. I really enjoy the Awigor games (that is, their mosaic games) for the bright colours and nice music and now I have found a new game series to enjoy. I think I will buy some more of these art games, now that I see what they are all about! I highly recommend this game, even/especially to those who have, in the past, been timid to do this sort of colouring!
I enjoy the Rainbow Mosaic games, especially the earlier ones and the new Detective ones. What I really wanted to comment on was the music they choose for their games. Some of them have the same sound tracks but I love them and am so glad to hear them again. The one tune almost makes me cry, it is so beautiful. It makes playing the game so pleasurable when the music lifts your mood so much. I think the mosaics are well done and challenging enough without being too difficult. And while there is the odd game that needs you to use a hint to guess the ending last couple squares, on the whole, it is logic based. The colours are bright and cheery and I really do like the artwork and that each game really reflects the theme chosen with the layout of the board and things you can purchase. I bought a number of these games years ago and am going through them again, one by one. I am playing The Forest Guardian right now again, and like the art work very much. Although it is an older game, I wanted to comment on how much I am enjoying playing it and the other ones they created.
I agree with Sandra 523's review in that some of the scenes were a bit too dark, but I did enjoy playing this game. I like the old fashioned hidden object games and some I had no longer work on my computer so it is nice to get a chance to get one again. The story kept me interested and eager to find out how it ended. I thought it was a well done game and wanted to add my review as there were quite a few negative ones. One thing I did on the dark scenes was use a magnifying glass. Then the objects stood out a lot better and I could find the ones that were not easy to see. But for most of the scenes I had no problem with finding the items. I would say it had a reasonable amount of challenge. Some were tricky to spot, others were easy to see. On the whole, I enjoyed playing this game.
Favorite Genre(s):Brain Teaser, Hidden Object, Puzzle, Word
Fun Factor
5/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
5/ 5
Level of Challenge
5/ 5
Storyline
4/ 5
When I did the tryout for this game it went by so fast I was not sure I really would like it, especially with all the captions about how difficult it would be. I play all my games on easiest mode. I have been playing this game the last few days and have to say I really like it. Although some puzzles threw me off and I skipped over a couple, on the whole I find the game quite enjoyable. I think what I like best about the clutter games is how all my artistic sensibilities kick into high gear, playing it! I love the colours, the choices of items to match, the types of pictures Joe chooses, and a lot of the music as well. I can see an artist at work in the games and I can also see the highly organized way things are put together. It is amazing that Joe always comes up with new ways to play and new ideas for games and although I do have to get used to some modes of play, I find when I stick it out, I begin to enjoy the challenge presented and feel a sense of accomplishment at completion of the game, especially ones that looked 'too hard' to begin with. I still love the original matching of clutter but I have also found some other favourites in modes of play, such as the spinning rings and the ones where you have to put half a picture against the other half and they disappear! I find I even like the way the screens move in this game, which was one thing I was not sure about, with buying it. Although the games have gotten harder, and seem more intense, the last few games, I have to say that every game has its own flavour, and I will choose which game matches my mood, when I pick a Clutter game to play. I still like the previous versions but I find the earliest ones don't play anymore on my computer so I am glad for some new games in this series. Thanks Joe for your games, and for putting all your creativity to work! Keep it up...I will buy all the games you put out! Thanks for the review.
Favorite Genre(s):Brain Teaser, Hidden Object, Word
Fun Factor
2/ 5
Visual/Sound Quality
3/ 5
Level of Challenge
3/ 5
Storyline
3/ 5
I really wanted to buy this game and the other Faircroft Antique game because they are exactly what I like in a game. However, both games did not have a curser show up...I could move my mouse around and randomly click, and then I could see where it hit on the screen, which is really NOT that enjoyable, to play that way. But when it came to the minigame it was impossible to play it.
I looked in the options to see if there was a custom curser but did not see anything with regards to that. So I am quite disappointed about this. I also agree with others, that the previous Boom Zap games are excellent. This one seemed that way, too, except I don't know how to make it work.
I bought this game quite a while ago and didn't play it until today. After a couple of levels I got to one where it looked impossible to solve. So I went to the reviews for this game, to see what others thought of it. I noticed that pennmom36 (whose reviews I appreciate) had recommended the game so decided I needed to try that level again. In examining it further, I realized that I could figure out where to fill in the colours, except for at the very end when I did not want to make an error so used one hint. Then I realized that this game is much better than I originally thought and I actually prefer games that make you think, as long as you can figure them out logically, even if it is a challenge. I do think this game requires you to use a hint at times, which I don't prefer, but I still think the fun factor is pretty high and the game is to my liking 'after all'. So thanks for the game, but also "Thanks, Pennmom36 for your review". Because I do value your input, I looked at this game again.
I just wanted to add my comments about this new Clutter game as well as the other ones. I have bought most of the Clutter games by Joe and continue to go back to them time and again, when I get in a 'Clutter' mood. Each game has it's unique flavor even though they are all similar in idea. I have moments of being frustrated by the game because it can be very busy and I for one, do NOT like timed games or racing to get to a goal in a game, so I turn off all the timers. I felt anxious with the game before this because it also was busy until I realized what is amazing in Joe's games is that you have a LOT of options...you can choose which songs you want to hear, or not; you can shut off features you don't like...such as random moving around in some games. I think you get a LOT for your money in these games. You can play your choice games over and over. The features that I want to mention, which really touches me each game is the wonderful selection of music and art pictures. Some of the music is so beautiful it makes me want to cry! Just that alone makes it a great experience playing the game. There is so much work put into these games. And I love the organization of the game, much as it may seem confusing when you first look at it. But when you begin playing the game, you can choose which section you want to go to; you can even choose the game you want to play in the section. There are some new varieties in this game. I saw one I really liked in the one hour trial (which was so quickly done!) I do plan to buy the game. The last couple of games have seemed more challenging and I was not sure I would like them as I thought I preferred the simpler way the earlier games were laid out, but I am finding as I explore the game I am liking it more than I expected and that the 'original clutter' is still in there! Thanks for the review.
I wanted to add my review to the positive ones of this game. I am not someone who extensively examines games and quality of graphics and all those things. I mostly just play to be entertained and am not super picky on the details of how that play goes. One thing that does affect me, however, is the tone of the game and the way the story unfolds. I do not care for demonic elements in games and similarly am disturbed when there are aspects of the game that compromise moral standards. There are some games that leave a longer impression on me than others. Heart of the Storm is one of those games. When I downloaded it, because it was offered free for the covid shutdown, I was not sure I would like it. I read the reviews and based on some of the things written, such as good story line, good ending, I took a chance on it. I was not let down and I have kept thinking about the game after I am finished playing because I found it had a lot more depth than a lot of games have. I would say the theme of the game is really 'the power of human emotions' and the 'heart of the storm' is an apt title in that while it seems to depict a raging thunderstorm it really refers to the storm of emotions that can be inside of someone. I am amazed at how well done this game was, with regards to the intent and purpose in which it was created. To add to that, I did find the game play enjoyable, although most of the puzzles were too hard for me or I got tired and bored by not having the patience to see them out (I am not a puzzle person, more a hidden object one, although there are some puzzles I like doing). The game was quite long but I am someone who takes their time and look at things and am not in a rush to beat anything. Because the game impressed me I wanted to recommend it to others to at least look at. But I do agree with other reviewers...it really isn't until closer to the end of the game that the real value emerges.
I have most of the Clutter games and I am one of those people who liked reading through Joe's stories in earlier games. These last two Clutter games have been similar but this new one is a big improvement on the last one in that we can see all the categories of each group of 100 Clutter games where as the last game you sort of figured it out as you went along. I really liked the last game and haven't even finished playing all the levels yet of it but this game looks even more impressive and exciting. As others have said, the games get better and better with new things in each one. What I really love is the sense of organization of the game (in spite of it being called 'Clutter' and you are searching through cluttered messes, generally). I love the mix between artistic beauty of seeing things such as pillows and colourful items and pictures, to the neatly laid out columns that make mathematical sense and the logical organization of the types of games. Seeing a new Clutter game come out makes my day! Thanks, Joe, for starting out the new year with a new game to enjoy all year as we work through it!