Review: Woodville Chronicles

Type: Match 3
Platform: PC
Price: USD 6.99 from Big Fish Games

Build up a town in this match 3 game.

Gameplay
Play the match 3 games to earn money to build up the town. You have a choice between timed or untimed game. At any time, you can choose between 3 types of gameplay - group, chain or swap. After each game, you can choose to play a bonus game to earn more money or continue on with another match 3 game. The aim of the bonus game is to move the key to the keyhole along a determined path. You cannot move the key directly so the only way to move it is to destory the stones beneath so that the key will drop downwards.

Thoughts
Woodville Chronicles is a bright, cheery game. What is most interesting is that I can select from the three different types of gameplay at any time I wish, even in the middle of a game. Doing so resets the whole board but not the score so I can still continue on with the game. Building up the town is quite boring though. Apart for earning enough money to buy the buildings offered, there is not much else to do.

Verdict ★★★
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Review: Tulula: Legend of a Volcano

Type: Adventure, Hidden Object, Puzzle
Platform: PC
Price: USD 6.99 from Big Fish Games

You are the chosen one who has to save your tribe from the evil spirit.

Gameplay
Even though this is a hidden object game, it generally does not follow the format of most hidden object games where you are given a list of objects you have to find in the picture.

You are sent to a variety of locations to find pieces of a magical totem. As you move the mouse over the picture, the cursor will change its icon depending on what action is needed. You have to find out what hidden items you are supposed to look for by clicking on a particular object eg. broken statue, which will then display the shapes of the broken pieces that you need to find to complete it. Some of the pieces might be hidden from view and will need addition actions eg. moving away tree branches to display the piece.

Later on in the game, you will encounter optional goals like going to the spirit realm to assist gods. In between locations, you can also used the money earned to build up the village, which was destroyed.

Thoughts
Tulula is a beautiful game with a distinctive visual style right. Each location is unique and beautifully rendered. I like that the tutorials in the beginning of the game goes step-by-step through everything I need to know. It can feel a little long, especially when I'm itching to get out of the cave and get on with the game. But the pretty graphics distracted me and I often marveled that all the little details.

The game feels like a mixture of point and click adventures with some hidden objects and puzzles thrown in. At each location, I am just presented with an empty inventory and no instructions is given, no even a list of items to find. I am supposed to figure out what needs to be done. So I feel a little lost in the beginning until I found out that I have to click on certain objects to get them to display the parts that needs to be found. The hint button, which is in the shape of a lantern, helps me out a lot and refills pretty quickly so I'm never stuck for long. The game follows a lineal path so I need to follow the script and do A then B before I can do C, even though I already figured out how to solve C.

Verdict ★★★★★
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Review: The Legend of the Golden Tome

Type: Match 3, Hidden Object
Platform: PC
Price: USD 6.99 from Big Fish Games

The Golden Tome of Knowledge contains all the knowledge of the druids and is kept hidden. Guided by an old druid, you the chosen one, has to find the tome.

Gameplay
This is mainly a match 3 game but there is also quite a bit of hidden object games as well. In the story mode, you are guided by an old druid who will act as a narrator. You have to match three or more of the same color. Match four and you will be given extra points while matching five buys you extra time. The goal of each match 3 game varies a little. Sometimes you have to clear all the blocked up areas while sometimes you have to fill up the pots of paints, each representing a particular color. Power ups will appear on the board but you can't use until you have collected them. To collect them, you have to get them to the bottom of the board.

You have to play some hidden object games along the way. In fact when you start up the game, you are presented with a hidden object game before the match 3 game. You will play each background a few times before moving on to a new location.

Thoughts
I really like the old druid that accompanies me throughout the game. In the beginning, he helps me get a hang of the basics. He is helpful and encouraging, praising me after I passed each level. I know that it's all voice acting but it is nice when he sounds like he really means it.

The match 3 boards come in many shapes and sizes. Sometimes I get one big board and it's usually the easiest to play. Other times, I get strangely shaped boards or mini little boards which is harder. That's when the power ups come into use.

The hidden object games are a mixture of easy and hard. It can be easy because the picture is not crowded with other hidden items that is not necessary. Each time only the items that need to be found are hidden in the picture. So sometimes I just need to look for what is new. However, they can also be hard because the items can be hidden behind other objects in the picture and only a small portion can be seen.

Verdict ★★★
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Review: Robin Hood

Type: Hidden Object, Puzzle
Platform: PC
Price: USD 6.99 from Big Fish Games

Follow Robin Hood on his fight against the corrupted sheriff.

Gameplay
The ratio of hidden object games and puzzles are about 50-50. Hidden items are presented on a list. Some of the puzzles are optional and can be skipped. However, solving them will earn you some money. Help is provided by a cute robin in the bottom right corner. Clicking on the bird will caused a circle of feathers to appear on the screen, pointing at the area you should focus your attention.

Thoughts
The game feels rather rough around the edges. Maybe it's the graphics or the execution of the game, but in the end I did not have a lot of fun playing it. The best graphic from the game is what you see at the top of the post. Everything else looks like they are in shades of brown which is a bit dull. It took me a while to figure out that I had to click on the robin for a hint and not the info button below it. Maybe I'm just stupid.

Characters are paper cut out, and I mean that literally. Their posture and expression never change so Robin Hood always has a smile on his face regardless of whether he is fighting Little John or being chased by the guards. Puzzles are fairly easy and never posted a big challenge.

Verdict ★★
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Review : Deepica

Type: Match 3
Platform: PC
Price: USD 6.99 from Big Fish Games

Clear the living coral to reach the sunken treasure.

Gameplay
The colorful corals are clustered around a pendant-like object in the center of the screen. You can shoot a coral from the bar at the bottom of the screen to make matches of three and above. You can also bounce the coral off the top of the screen. However the coral you shoot out has a very short time limit. If it doesn't make a match of three and above in the first few seconds, it will become inert and won't create any reaction. You win the level when you have cleared all the corals.

Thoughts
The living corals are quite cute and looked similar to Chuzzle from PopCap Games and I can't shake the feeling that I've played similar games before. What was unique was that the corals are not fixed in position but move when they are hit by another object. Sometimes I hit them so hard that the force caused them to break off from the rest and rotate around the center for a while before reattaching themselves back.

There is not much of a storyline and no cut scenes in between stages. After a while it can get repetitive as I am just doing the same thing over and over again. Even though there are slight variations in each level, it does not quite get rid of the repetitious feeling.

Verdict ★★★
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