Scarlett Mysteries: Cursed Child - SE


Developer:    World-Loom  (Artifex Mundi - publisher)

Date of Review:    25 June 2017

Genre:    HOPA

Released:    BFG:  Not yet   -   GH:  not yet   -   Android:   6 June 2017  (bought from Amazon.de)


Story:

From an early age, Scarlett Everitt displayed a gift for the paranormal, as ghosts and spirits accompanied her every step. Desperate to protect her from an encroaching darkness, her father, Johnathan, placed her in an orphanage run by nuns. Years later, Scarlett returns to find her dad, and finds a clue that leads her to the Victorian mansion of a baronet named Steameyer.

LOOK FOR CLUES TO THE WHEREABOUTS OF YOUR FATHER!
As the protagonist tries to locate her missing father, a clue leads her to the train station next to Baronet Steameyer's mansion and factory.

USE YOUR PSYCHIC ABILITIES!
Scarlett possesses a remarkable gift that enables her to see where her father resided and traveled in the past.

SOLVE THE RIDDLES OF A VICTORIAN RESIDENCE!
Scarlett hopes to find her father while exploring Steameyer's mansion. However, the huge house hides terrifying secrets and dreadful mysteries.

LEARN THE TRUTH HIDDEN IN THE DARK PAST!
What connects the heroine to the Steameyer family, and what dramatic fate befell the mysterious heiress to their fortune? Help Scarlett learn the truth!

    *   Use your psychic abilities!
    *   Visit nearly 30 Victorian locations!
    *   Immerse yourself in interactive gothic horror!
    *   Test yours skills with 36 puzzles and HO scenes!
    *   Experience a Steam Age adventure unlike any other!
    *   High-end, immersive gameplay, optimized for tablets and phones!
    *   Amazon GameCircle support!


Extras:

  6  HOPs  (not all - none of the fun, original ones!)
  6  MGs    (not all - all the easy peasy, boring ones!)
  6  Wallpapers
  5  Music
  6  Concept art
  6  Cutscenes
13  Achievements
29  Collectibles  (morphing objects - traces of father - 6 different ones, repeated)


Gameplay:

Touch:    One  (on Android)
Icon Changes:    Can't turn off
Helpful Messages:    Can't turn off
Plus-Item Indicators:    Can't turn off
Difficulty Modes:    The usual 4
Voiceovers:    Very good
Lip-Syncing:    ?
Graphics:    Very good but not crystal clear
Animation:    Good
Music:    Beautiful - and constant, unlike the recent trend of almost silent games (which I hate)
Ambient:    Very good - especially the birds!
BBTs:    TMI - way TMI!
Tasks:    White text on black - pops out/back auto from left - can ignore
Inventory:    Straight in
Conversation:    Auto forward
Extra Scene Clicks:    Some comments
Diary:    None

   
Collectibles:    29

    -  29 morphing objects - your father's things
    -  6 different objects, eg. pocketwatch - you never know which one is in the scene
    -  they appear and disappear, rather than actually morph
    -  there's an indicator


Achievements:    13

    -  all earned
    -  I missed out on one - watching all cutscenes in the first hour
    -  I watched them all but maybe because the battery ran out in the first hour?


HOPs:    13  (if I didn't forget any)

    -  some very novel ideas!
    -  I think one was finding climbing points up a cliff  (could have been a minigame?)
    -  have zoom-in areas
    -  MUCH harder than the minigames!!!!  - the latest trend in HOPAs
    -  great variety and originality
    -  1 was repeated but a different sort of list


Minigames:    10  (if I didn't forget any)

    -  all ridiculously easy
    -  there's an arcade minigame where you have to cross a plank over to the attic
          -  I chose to use the tilt option on my tablet, which was so cool! and not at all easy


Comments:

You use a pendant to have "visions" of events in the past.  In one of these visions I discovered how my father had put the ectoplasm in the walking stick that I'd already found and used in the present!  I loved that.  I found something, wondered how and why it was there, used it, then later found out how it came to be there!  And, if I remember correctly, this happened more than once. 

As the game progresses, you spend more and more time playing the the "vision" scenes, ie. the past, as other people (your father and Iris).  That is, when you're in a "vision", you don't play as you but rather as another character, someone who was present in that vision.  And, if you can't remember what the visions told you you needed, just click on the pendant again.


Play Time:    about 4 hours

I played in Custom Mode with touch (thus no cursor) and only used hints when I was absolutely stuck.  I also didn't skip any minigames.


Recommendation:    Yes  -  especially with a PCC

I liked the game but the story was just okay with nothing terribly new.  The adventure had some challenge, also the HOPs, some of which were also very original, but the minigames were 95% super easy peasy.  The helpful messages also gave way too much information and you can't turn off the plus-item indicators.  However, you do get a lot of extras for an SE (replay 6 HOPs and MGs, 13 achievements, 29 morphing collectibles, as well as the usual things like music, wallpapers - just the SG and bonus chapter are missing, hence not a CE).


 

Endless Fables: Frozen Path - CE


Developer:    Sunward Games

Date of Review:    29 June 2017  (played 28 June 2017)

Genre:    HOPA

Released:    BFG:  15 April 2017   -   GH:  Not yet  (also doesn't have the first in the series)

Series:

  1.  The Minotaur's Curse CE  (released BFG 12 March 2016)
  2.  Frozen Path CE  (this one)

More Games:

   1.  The Secret Order: The Buried Kingdom CE
   2.  The Secret Order: New Horizon CE


Story:

Sunward Games presents the newest addition to the Endless Fables series!

Your friend has gone missing while researching Norse Myths. Your search for him quickly takes a dark turn as you encounter a man with the ability to freeze people and objects! Will you be able to find your friend in time, or will your ice-cold adversary be your downfall? Find out in this chilling hidden-object puzzle adventure!

• Defeat the legendary Kraken in the bonus chapter!
• Never get lost with the strategy guide.
• Search for cleverly-hidden collectibles.
• Challenge yourself with replayable HOPs and mini-games.
• Enjoy concept art, wallpapers, and more!

Extras:

18  wallpapers  (have logo)
12  concept art  (no logo, can't save)
  0  screensaver
12  videos
10  music  (can save)
32  minigames  (and I loved them!)
14  HOPs  (these were also great!)


Collectibles:    a lot were very challenging  -  you can't go back to find any you missed once you've finished

28  Flamblings  (7 each - Orange, Blue, Purple & Turquoise (BG))
20  morphing objects  (all different objects)

    -  some of both were easy to spot, some were tricky, but some were OMG where is it????
    -  they got harder to spot as the game progressed
    -  some of both were often hidden behind things and you could only see a little bit peaking out!
    -  not in every scene - either one or the other, both, or none
    -  there's a pop-out box you can click on to see if there are any in the scene
    -  but weird as it told you how many of each were still to be found - but there was never more than 1 of each!

Morphing Objects:

    -  they morphed very quickly but there was a long time between morphs, so you had to really look!
    -  you can only click on them when they're in their morph mode
    -  a few were so small and hidden in little corners that I thought I was going to go blind looking for them
    -  but what a fantastic feeling when I finally spotted them!
    -  they can be an object of part of something (eg. the face on a statue changes slightly)
    -  they can be anything (eg. part of a design)
    -  and sometimes a very subtle morph (eg. a deer will face another direction)
    -  they can almost be totally hidden behind something!


Achievements:    21

12  Skill based
  9  Story based

I got all of them except 1 - collecting all the collectibles as I somehow missed one of the Orange Flamblings.  I think it must have been right at the beginning as I thought I checked every scene to see if I'd missed something but I don't think I did that right from the first few scenes.

I thought I'd never get some of the Skill-Based ones as they seemed impossible - there's one for 8 MGs in 60 secs - 3 HOPs in 45 secs without hints (because the HOPs were really complicated with lots of interactions) - but, even though most of the MGs and HOPs are really hard and time consuming, there were also some really easy ones, enough to get those 2 achievements.


Gameplay:

Touch:    One  -  but every time I touched the screen there was a 1-cm-wide, brightly coloured circle!
Icon Changes:    Can't turn off
Helpful Messages:    Can't turn off  -  sometimes not too bad, sometimes give way TMI
Plus-Item Indicators:    Can't turn off  -  both indicated and when active
Difficulty Modes:    The usual 4
Voiceovers:    Very good  -  you can turn them off in Options - turn off 'Dialogue'
Lip-Syncing:    Excellent  -  and you even see the tongue moving when they talk!
Graphics:    Absolutely beautiful  -  crystal clear, very colourful but not garish
Animation:    Minimal blurring, sometimes excellent!
Music:    Beautiful and very atmospheric  -  and a lot  -  not a silent game but not constant
Ambient:    Very good
Tasks:    Large box auto pops in/out from left  -  I did my best to ignore it
Inventory:    Straight in
Conversation:    Auto forward
Extra Scene Clicks:    The odd comment but nothing really
Diary:    ?


HOPs:   

    -  LOTS of variety!  -  FRAG, silhouette, list, 100% interactive with nothing shown (no list, silhouette, etc)
    -  LOTS of interaction!
    -  interactive objects don't first go down the bottom - you click on them, they hover, you click to use them
    -  I loved them as there was so much interaction and you really have to work out what's interactive
    -  but it helped that I was playing with touch and therefore had no cursor changes to help
    -  none are repeated

Examples:

    1.    NO LIST GIVEN  -  I loved the way that you're only told that there are 12 interactions, that's all!  There's no list and you have no idea what objects you're actually for.  It's like a big puzzle.  You have to work out all the interactions and a lot of the interactions (in all of the HOPs) require several steps - eg. first put the candle in the lamp, then use the matches to light the candle - but the best thing is that, given that there's no list or silhouettes down the bottom, the interactive objects don't first go down the bottom then you have to click again to use them; you click on them, they hover there in the scene, then you click where you want to use them directly - I loved that!  It's also the same in the zoom scenes.

    2.    FRAG  -  with some of the objects hidden - red until they're uncovered as lots are hidden

    3.    ONLY 4 OBJECTS TO FIND  -  this one was very similar to the first one but this time you're given 4 objects to find.  However, the whole HOP is once again interactive and you have to work out all the interactions.  These were also all multi-step interactions - eg. use a knob to open a drawer, to get a corkscrew, to open the jar, then use the tongs to remove the eye, to put into the empty eye socket of the skull, to get, "Skull with eyes".

    4.    INTERACTIVE LIST  -  but super interactive  -  lots of interactions with some multiple steps  -  HARD!

    5.    SILHOUETTE  -  find and use all in the HOP  -  this time all go down the bottom as you find them as you don't use them all immediately but have to wait until you've located where they can be used.

    6.    ONE OBJECT TO FIND  -  in the BONUS GAME  -  you only have to find 1 object but you have to work out what you have to do to find it  -  one huge interactive HOP to find 1 object!


Minigames:    From easy... to OMG!

There are so many minigames - you get to replay 32!!!! so I imagine that's how many are in the game.  And the difficulty ranges from really easy to head-scratching.  I loved them all, just like the HOPs. 

Quite a few of the minigames were quite easy but, with 32!!!!, there were also a LOT of hard ones!  There were 2 triangle-swap jigsaws (one of my fav MGs) - the one at the beginning was really easy, with at least half of the pieces already in the correct places, and a lot of the others just had to be swapped with a neighbour; only the top-left corner had to be sorted out - I was SO disappointed.  But then there was another one near the end of the main game.  And OMG!  It was lots of tiny flowers or intertwined vines.  You have no idea what the picture is, given that it's just tiny flowers and a confusion of intertwining vines, so you have to start from the side, matching up perhaps one little flower, and work your way from there.  And no pieces were in their correct places or in the neighbouring spot.  I LOVED it!  It was much harder than the first one!

In the BONUS GAME  -  I was playing the BG late last night and got stumped and boxed in in a minigame.  It was a slider but like nothing like I've come across before.  It's a slider with tangram puzzle pieces!  The board is a drawing in black and white, with the pieces in colour.  Naturally, the whole board isn't covered in tangram pieces as then they wouldn't be able to move.  Rather, the areas where the pieces go are in black and white, and you have to work out where the bit of the drawing that's on each piece goes, and there areas where there are no trangram pieces is already in colour.  But you should try to move tangram pieces around a small, tight board!  I finally got all bar 2 or 3 pieces in their correct places but then there was no way I could move the last couple of pieces to the other side of the board without moving every other pieces away from their spots.  It was late and I was tired and I'd already spent a long time on this slider puzzle, so I cheated with the SG, planning on replaying it in Extras once I'd finished.  Thank heavens the next 2 minigames were super easy peasy!!!!


Bonus Game:    Took me a little under 1.5 hours

I played using touch (so no cursor icon changes), didn't skip any HOPs or minigames (but did finally cheat with one, mentioned above), but used the Hint quite a lot to move around as it was late and I was tired.  So the time could be longer or shorter for you.

The story follows on directly from the main game - you're saying good bye after the main game and your goodbyes are interrupted and the bonus game takes off (the story: the Kraken you thought you'd gotten rid of right at the beginning of the main game comes back in the bonus game - it hadn't returned to the Underworld - and you have to deal with it) - but it's a totally different story and so isn't necessary, just very good!  It's quite long, I think a tad more challenging than the main game, and of the same very high quality of gameplay, graphics, music, HOPs and MGs.  The collectibles also continue in the BG.

The Ending:  The BG ended well but I was really disappointed.  After such a great game, and lengthy bonus game, the ending cutscene was really short - way too short.  It was very abrupt and it was like, "Okay, then, I guess it's over!"  It ended well; it just needed a longer cutscene so it wasn't so abrupt.


Comments/Summary:

    -  great game!
    -  fantastic graphics and music
    -  not too short - MG about 4 hours  -  BG about 1.5 hours
    -  great collectibles - boy were some hard to find!
    -  good bonus game - equally great quality, just disappointing short cutscene at the end
    -  fantastic variety of HOPs and MGs - a lot very original
    -  HOPs weren't easy - most were very interactive - only 2 or 3 were interactive lists
    -  MGs were also great - 32! - ranging from easy peasy to "OMG, where's the SG?"
    -  good bonus game

    -  When I entered one scene - the scene with the Druid's house - I was gobsmacked by the clarity and beauty of the scene - crystal clear, colourful and dark.  Then the next scene - inside the Druid's house - was drab by comparison with lots of browns, and covered in a "film" to represent light coming through the window.  It was like they were done by 2 different artists.


Play Time:    MG = about 4 hours   -   BG = about 1:5 hours

I played in Custom Mode, playing with touch and so no cursor changes, don't skip any MGs, and try to keep using hints to a minimum, just using them to move around if I can't remember where I need to do something, or I'm stumped and often find out I've missed an active area.


Recommendation:    Definitely the SE  -  the CE depending on whether you think the extras are enough

I can definitely recommend the game.  I thought it was great and fun to play!  I also loved the fun, highly interactive, challenging HOPs, and the equally fun MGs that ranged from easy peasy to OMG.  Both also have quite a bit of originality.


Extras or CE versus SE:

I thought the collectibles were great, both the Flamblings and different morphing objects, as they seemed to get harder and harder to find as the game progressed, with both being hidden behind things.  The Flamblings also blended in very well with the background and sometimes were super camouflaged - eg. an Orange Flambling was the flame in a fire! - and you never knew which colour was in any scene - except all the ones in the bonus game were turquoise (except you get the pop-out saying that you'd collected all the green ones(?).  And some of the morphing objects were very subtle or hidden behind things or very small and hidden it tiny, dark corners.  Every morphing object was different and could be separate objects that morphed, or could be part of something - eg. the face on a statue could change slightly, or could be part of a design, etc.

However,  all you get if you find all the collectibles is an achievement.  You can see all your morphing objects in a book in the Achievement room but there's no information about what they are or why they were in the game.  You can just see a picture of each one.  You don't collect them for any bonus - no info, no bonus game, nothing.  So, unless you love looking for some challenging collectibles, I don't recommend the CE for the collectibles.

The only other extras - apart from the usual wallpapers, etc - are replayable HOPs and MGs.  I loved them and would love to replay them, but I don't recommend the CE just to replay them as there aren't enough other extras.

The bonus game is also great but, as it is a totally separate story that follows on from the main game, it isn't needed and doesn't give you any more insight into the game or the characters, so I don't recommend the CE just for the bonus game.

So I can't recommend the CE as I don't think there are enough extras to warrant the extra expense  -  but I'm not sorry I got it as there are some great replayable HOPs and MGs and I liked finding all the collectibles. 

If you like challenging collectibles, like being able to replay some fantastic HOPs and MGs, and like a good bonus game, then I can recommend the CE.  I just always like some other bonuses, like a reason for collecting any collectibles - maybe some bonus minigames, or some background info.


 

I actually played a game this week!   

An Adventure/Simulation/Horror game that I bought in the GOG sale that's on at the moment.

And I HIGHLY recommend it!  And there's even a demo so you can try it first!


Stories Untold


Released on GOG:    27 February 2017

Current price in the GOG sale (until 18 June 2018):    2.49 euro  -  around $3?  (which is -75%)

Developer:    No Code Studios

Publisher:    Devolver Digital


Gameplay:

It's really difficult to describe the gameplay in this game as each episode is totally different and it's unlike any game I've ever played before.

Half the game is played by typing things, either like the old games when you typed to play - eg, "Look around yard", "Use key" - or typing instructions into equipment - eg. when you're carrying out an experiment.  You also have to use a microfiche machine, just like using a real one, which really brought back memories for me.  Episode 1 is totally text driven, where you type instructions as to what you should do, and then the story is typed above.

The other half of the game is wandering around in FPP, trying to work out what the heck's going on.  Eg, in the second half of Episode 2, you wander around outside in a blizzard in Greenland, and in Episode 4, you wander around a deserted hospital. 

You wander around using your mouse and arrow keys at the same time and, for anyone who has problems with FPP games like me, ie. feeling sick, I managed this game without any problems, unlike every other FPP game I've tried.


Story:

Sorry, but the whole point of this game is that you have absolutely no idea what's going on!  All for episodes are totally different.  And I mean totally different!  You have no idea what's going on until the last episode, when it all suddenly falls into place.  I loved not knowing what was going on or why the heck I was doing something. 

It's a horror game and in the first episode, which is entirely set in an abandoned holiday house belonging to your parents, it's entirely text-driven with you entering instructions.  It's really creepy - well, it is a horror game - and you don't know what's going on, especially as every time you do something again, it changes.  For example, every time you click on the note your dad left for you it changes, eventually becoming illegible as it drips blood.

And you're alone for the entire game, never seeing a single other person or living thing.  However, you do communicate with people over loud speakers, etc.

However, I didn't read a single review where someone liked the ending.  The ending is done well but no one liked the way the story ended, including me.  But don't let that put you off; the rest of the game more than makes up for it and I will definitely replay this game, even knowing how it ends.  I'd love to hear what everyone else thinks, should anyone play it.


Difficulty:

Difficult to know what to do but not difficult to actually do it once you've worked it out (but there's a written walkthrough on Steam and there are lots of video walkthroughs on YouTube, so it's really playable no matter what level player you are). 

You'll also need pen and paper - ah, remember the good old days? - as there is absolutely no hand holding and you'll have to write everything down so that you can use it later.

For example, you have to type instructions into various machines.  One example:

Rot.x [x]
Actuate.y [y]
Point.1 [z]

where you have to work out what x, y and z are from clues you're given, clues that are to be found in something you've already done.


Length:

Episode 1  -  about 40 minutes
Episode 2  -  about 1 hour
Episode 3  -  about 1 hr 45 mins
Episode 4  -  about 1 hour 30 mins


Recommendation:  YES, YES YES!

I absolutely LOVED this game, even though I had no idea what on earth I was doing most of the time.  Well, I knew what I was doing but had absolutely no idea why, as each episode is so different in both story and gameplay.  

This game is like nothing I've ever played before and, if anyone wants something totally out of the box, this is it!  I didn't find it scary (although some reviewers said that they did), just eerie and confusing as to what the heck was going on.  The sound effects created a very atmospheric/creepy atmosphere and really added to the story.

And for the current sale price you can't go wrong.

But there's a demo so you can try it before you buy it.  Just remember that the bit you play in the demo - Episode 1 - is totally different to the rest of the game, which comprises doing things like experiments and wandering around in FPP.

Beyond the Kingdom - CE        


Developer:         Liam Games (Oleksandr Volkov)

Other Games:    Sweet Kingdom (TM)                          
                            Veronica and the Book of Dreams (M3)

Released:           GameHouse - 22 June 2018
                            BFG - Not yet

Genre:                TM - Collect resources, clear roads, etc.


Touch:                 Fortunately, one!

Graphics:            Very good with very cute workers and good animation

Music:                  There are lots of different musical pieces and I loved them - especially 2


Extras: 

Extra episodes (levels) = 10  -  Main Game = 38 episodes
SG  -  very helpful
Concept Art
Music  -  lots and I really liked the music  -  click to download and it’s already there
Achievements

Unfortunately, there are no collectibles and I think that a TM CE needs at least one, unless it has a gazillion extra levels to warrant double the price, or 2 credits versus a PCC.


Episodes (Levels):    MG  =  38   -   BG  =  10

Native Valley      3      1.1 - 1.3
Tropical Bay       7      2.1 - 2.7
                           3      3.6 - 3.8
Skull Island         5      3.1 - 3.5
River Island         8      4.1 - 4.8
Rocky Isle           4      5.1 - 5.4
Northern Land     8      6.1 - 6.8

Bonus Episodes:

Frenzy Island       6      7.1 - 7.6
Puzzle Island       4      8.1 - 8.4


Bonuses/Powerups:    1

Only 1  -  the Bard.  When he’s ready and comes out of his tent (that you have to first build), you send someone to ask him to play his mandolin and all the workers speed up while he plays.

For other usual things like speeding up production, collecting the resources automatically, or even getting rid of huge spiders which stop you from building buildings, you have to make your way to structures and build them.  They’re not powerups that you choose to use.  I found this different and fun.  There’s no Powerup Bar to let you know when you can use your powerups.


Upgrades:

The buildings actually get bigger and look grander when you upgrade them.  I hate it when all you get is 1, 2 or 3 stars next to a building to show that it’s been upgraded.


Cancelling Actions:

To cancel an action you just have to click on it again - you don’t have to Right click - yay!  That makes it so much easier to cancel actions when playing using touch.


Difficulty:    2 Modes  -  Timed or Untimed  -  you can change at any time and any level

In this TM you don’t have to choose which building to build on building sites (which I hate doing).  Rather, the destroyed buildings are already there and you just have to clear the way to them and have enough resources to rebuild them (or upgrade them).  The difficulty in this game lies in having to decide in which direction to head first (you may have to choose between three directions to head, or between three roads that head to the same place), which resource buildings need to be built (or upgraded) first - especially as, in order to get 3 starts, you won’t have enough time/resources to upgrade all the buildings and will have to decide which ones you actually need upgraded.  You also have to decide when to get more workers, etc.  You may have to replay levels several times, trying different directions, different strategies, in order to get 3 stars.

Main Episodes  -  I had to replay a few levels several times to get 3 stars but the main game isn’t too difficult.  I simply had to replay levels, trying different strategies, until I found the correct one (or looked at the SG).  For example, there may be three different roads to take to get from Point A to Point B and you have to work out which road to clear first, whether you need food, or wood, or the Bard first.

Until Episode 4.4, I got 3 stars for every level without even trying.  Then I tried Episode 4.4.  I missed by only a few seconds so I replayed the level and made it this time by only a few secs.  Then Episode 4.5.  I had to play this level 3 times.  You have to work out the order to access/build things, as well as which buildings need to be upgraded and which don’t.

The really hard levels begin with Episode 5.2.  What order should you do everything?  You need gold to get wood, food and stone, as well as trigger the rune stones.  You also need crystals.  But should you build the houses (where you get gold) before the rune stones?

Then Episode 5.4.  I only got 1 star on my first try!  So I had to change tactics and not order so much wood as I needed gold!  You have to get to the key to open the portal to get up top ASAP to clear the way for the soldiers (?) to get to the houses to get gold - and keep them getting gold up top while you’re doing this - and get them to clear the spiders out of the way when they have enough gold ... phew!  It took me a few tries until I got 3 stars on this level.  But I loved this episode as you have workers up top and workers down the bottom working separately until you get the key to open the portal linking the top of the cliff with the bottom.  And one hint ... make sure to clear the spider on the right before the one on the left.

Bonus Episodes  -  OMG!  It’s like the 38 main episodes are simply tutorial levels, getting you ready for the bonus episodes.  I got 3 stars - just - for the first episode, then 2, then 1, then I had to change to untimed if I wanted to get any stars!  The difference in difficulty between the main episodes and the bonus episodes is huge!  I think perhaps getting the CE would be worth it just to play these really hard levels (if you want to play them in Timed Mode), especially the last episode.  I haven’t as yet tried them again in Timed Mode to try and get 3 stars for each episode that way (you get 3 stars in Untimed Mode just by completing the level).  But you don’t need to get any stars to continue on to the next level.  You get a congratulatory message just for having completed the level, even without any stars.  But the achievement for getting all possible stars is only for the main episodes, not for the bonus episodes.

And the last bonus episode!  Wow!  I’ve never seen anything like it in a TM.  And, after playing it and replaying it over and over again, the only way I could even finish it was with the help of the SG!!!!  All you have to do is free 3 or 4 workers, that’s it.  However, the entire level is lots of little, interconnecting roads and bridges everywhere, with not a single resource building.  There are a few - very few - nests with eggs (food) and lots and lots and lots of obstacles!  You have to decide in which direction to go - and you have to continually decide in which direction to go when you clear one obstacle and get to the next intersection.  I kept on running out of food and then got stuck with nowhere to go as I had no food to clear any more obstacles.

It’s like a huge labyrinth and there are so many ways to go!  You have to work out how much food you’ll need for each route you could possibly take, working out if you’ll have enough food to clear all the obstacles along the way (so put on your maths thinking cap!).  For example, at one point near the end, I needed 8 more wood and had to work out how to get the 8 with only 5 food.  Depending on which direction I took, there were wood obstacles with different amounts of wood, requiring different amounts of my precious food to clear.  So, if I cleared the 2 wood obstacles that each gave 4 wood, it would require 2 lots of 3 food = 6, but I only had 5.  So I worked out that I needed to clear 2 obstacles each giving 3 wood (needing 4 food) and 1 obstacle giving 2 wood (needing 1 food), which would only require the 5 food that I had.  You don’t clear all the obstacles - you don’t have enough food for that!  You have to work out the most economical way to make your way through, getting to all the treasure chests and egg nests and freeing all the workers without running out of food - which obstacles do you clear and which not?

After many, many, MANY tries, my patience ran out (it was after midnight, after all) and I ended up looking at the SG just to see how they got to the first treasure chest with its goodies, and then continued on from there on my own.  I think I got stuck once (maybe twice) more then managed to finish on my next attempt.  I LOVED this level!


Differences to other TM games:

These are the ones I noted; there may be others.  And, except for the huge eyes, all the things listed here are found on more than one level.

To clear big, huge boulders, instead of needing lots of workers, you have to clear the way to a man with a huge cannon and pay him to blow up the huge boulders.  I thought that was fun.

There are temporary workers who can be hired in the Tavern (drunk workers, anyone?).

Further into the game you get an Alchemist who, after you’ve built the applicable buildings, can make more resources from those you have.  For example, in the Bakery, with 2 wood (collected from either obstacles or the sawmill) and 5 food (collected from the roads or farms), you get 15 food in the form of bread.  The same for all the other resources.

Once you build some huge Pink Crystals (on pedestals), all the resource buildings that surround them are speeded up.

Once you build some Scarlet Flowers, they automatically collect all the resources from the buildings around them (my fav bonus as I hate having to click to collect all the resources).

Some of the obstacles are a bit different to other TM games.  For example, there are giant crabs that cover the resource buildings you need to build.  You need a special poison for the arrows found on the previous island (I can’t remember another TM where you have to find something on one island that you don’t use until you’ve gone to the next one).  You have to build Towers to get archers to shoot the arrows at the crabs. However, each crab has a nest next to it and, as each crab is killed, it’s replaced by another crab from the nest.  You have to destroy all the crab nests so that there are no more crabs before you can build each resource building.  There are also giant spiders on giant webs.  And giant eyes on stalks that waft around until you destroy them.  They’re creepy.

Different resources/obstacles are collected/destroyed by different people, eg. workers, druids, soldiers, the canon man, archers.

The Bard (see Bonuses/Powerups above), who speeds everyone up (the workers, druids, soldiers, etc.) - both running and working, like building and clearing obstacles.  You have to clear the road to get to his tent (caravan?) and build it, deciding when to do that, and then, if you ask him nicely (and pay him?) he’ll play some music for you.  While he’s playing everyone speeds up - workers, druids, soldiers, etc - both running and working. When he’s finished playing (there’s a bar below that shows shows how much longer he’ll be playing), he goes back inside and has a rest and you have to wait until he comes back outside to ask him to play again.  So you have to watch carefully so you don’t miss any time in speeding up your workers.  It’s a pity that you don’t actually hear him play, as the music never changes when he’s playing.  If you could hear him play, you’d know, without having to look, when the speed bonus finished.

The last Bonus Episode (see above directly above under Difficulty), where there are no resource buildings to help you.  All the wood and stone you need will come from obstacles you clear, but you only have a finite amount of food.  You need to find your way through the ‘labyrinth’ to free workers, but you must find the correct route to take or else you’ll run out of food and not be able to continue.


Bonus Episodes (Levels):    10

There are 10 levels on 2 islands and these levels are SO much harder than the 38 in the main episodes!!!!  And the last level is impossible unless you’ve got unlimited patience (I didn’t and eventually resorted to the SG to see how to get to the first food without running out of food first and getting stuck with nowhere to go (which happened every single time I played the last level (see above under Difficulty).

I turned off the timer after the 5th bonus level when I couldn’t even get 1 star!  You continue without getting a single star but I just changed mode to take away the stress and get 3 stars on every level.

I got 3 stars quite easily for all 38 main levels (although I had to play some levels at least 2 or 3 times) and so got the achievement for getting all stars on all levels as the 10 bonus levels don’t count.


A few of my fav episodes (levels):

Episode 4.6  -  Really fun!  There’s a circular road that winds up around a mountain and the little guys had to run around and around until I was eventually able to build 2 ladders.  It was fun watching them take the shortcuts up and down the mountain.

Episode 4.7  -  Loved it!  Once you’ve reanimated the 3 Scarlet Flowers (by the Druid), they collect all the resources for you as soon as they’re produced.  So, apart from upgrading the buildings when you have enough resources to do so, you just sit back and watch!  :o)

Episode 5.3  -  Loved it!  You have to build towers to keep the crabs at bay - you don’t have to get rod if the crab nests like previously!  And it’s really cute - tiny little arrows shoot out to kill the crabs each time a new one covers a building.

Naturally, the last bonus episode (details above).


Recommendation:    YES!

SE  -  definitely!

CE  -  if you want those 10 extra super hard levels (esp. the last one) and the SG to help

And I can recommend this TM for any level player.  As there's an Untimed Mode, and you don't need any stars to complete a level and continue, it's perfect for Beginners or for those who just want a relaxed game.  However, in Timed Mode, there are some levels that may take several replays as you try different strategies to complete all goals within the time allowed, especially the bonus levels!  So it's also perfect for those who want a challenge in trying to find the correct strategy, especially the bonus levels!  The main episodes aren't particularly difficult, other than finding the correct strategy, but the bonus levels are much more challenging.

I loved this TM!  It starts out really slowly with super easy, normal, boring TM levels.  Then it starts getting interesting at Episode 4.4, when it starts getting harder.  So, if you demo it, make sure you play the full demo and get to where the difficulty ramps up and the fun stuff starts.

There may only be 38 episodes in the main game and 10 bonus episodes, but the episodes are long and one reviewer actually complained that the levels took too long!!!!  How can that be a negative?  I didn’t time how long I played (I just wanted to demo the game but then didn’t want to stop) but it sure isn’t a short game by any means, no matter how few levels there are.