I am starting a new thread (part eight) of What Casual Games Are You Playing Right Now? so that we can continue our discussion, as the previous thread was getting quite long.

For those wishing to read the previous thread which was part seven, it can be found here.

Thanks for starting a new thread, Marian!

Unfortunately, a new shortcut did not help Daydream Mosaics to shut down. I hate having to shut down my computer to have to exit a game. At least I have usually only been playing the mosaics games late at night anyway.

Maryann is becoming a chore. There are certain levels that are very hard to do (at least in timed mode) unless you have a lot of helpful "objects". Unfortunately, the objects cost money and the sections to get money are not as plentiful. I'm not sure if I can replay those levels or not to get more money. I'll have to check into that, or switch to untimed mode for those levels I guess. There are some other ways to win money, such as the "slots" but even though I win, I don't see any money going into my purse. ??

I see some reviews of Maryann online as well as some YouTube videos. Maybe some of them would help, like explaining the casino aspect?

That is annoying about Daydream Mosaics. I wish there was a way to exit the game that wasn't disruptive.

I am between casual games right now, but will decide pretty soon what's up next.

I'm "quite" liking Bridge to Another World : Christmas Flight" but not as much as I liked "Tibetan Quest : Beyond the World's End".

It just doesn't have the same appeal for me.... although, of course, the graphics and such-like are much more modern

I've already finished Red Riding Hood. It was quite short and the ending was pretty abrupt, although it did make sense where it ended I suppose. I thought there would be more to it though.

I'm not sure yet what's next. Possible I'll go back to Win 7 and play another Domini game. Just two of them left on that computer.

What do you know? Tonight the Daydream Mosaics game closed right up when I exited out.

I started Secret City: Sacred Fire the other night. It was smooth sailing until tonight when I hit a puzzle that's giving me trouble. Use side arrows to turn a square to get the ball in the hole. Except there are 4 different color balls with matching hole colors. I've spent about 35 minutes on it so far. What aggravated me was that several times when I thought I might be onto something, I accidentally closed the puzzle screen and lost my progress. I probably wasn't really onto anything but still, I hate when I back out of a puzzle when I don't mean to.

I hate it when I get backed out of a puzzle by mistake. It is really annoying.

I remember that puzzle - got it more or less by luck

I tried the puzzle again for about an hour in two more sessions, the first one ending when I once again accidentally clicked out of the puzzle. I got frustrated with it and looked at the solution in the guide which didn't make any sense at all. The gamed defaults to "hard" for the puzzles and I left it there. That's the solution that made no sense. So I switched to "easy" but didn't even attempt that on my own as I had had enough. I used the guide for the "easy" puzzle and then got out of the game again anyway. I guess I should have just skipped it. I usually like to see the solution but by then I wasn't paying any attention.

I have played Secret City: Secret Fire and don't remember the puzzle, but I probably skipped it.

I finished The Adventures of Maryann. I replayed 2 of the missions to make enough money to buy a couple of objects to help me beat those few levels that were giving me trouble. Now I have to figure out what Match 3 will be next.

Wow, that is great that you finished it!

I have started yet another match 3 game; this one is Helga the Viking Warrior: Rise of the Shield-Maiden. It is the first one in the series. I am still playing an RPG also and need something casual for when I want to take short breaks or my time is limited.

I have to laugh at that part about "time is limited". I get myself stuck in Match 3 games for hours sometimes. I was going through my list trying to decide which one to play next and there were a couple I was thinking about but then I looked to see how Season Match looks and found it is no longer on Big Fish so I decided to play it. I just bought it in November in a bundle. I'll probably start it tonight.

I noticed that Icebound Secrets is no longer on Big Fish either and the first game has been removed from Steam too. Steam has the second game but it shows a different develop than Elephant. I had not bought either of those games. Oh well.

I had not noticed that Icebound Secrets is gone. I do have both games, but it's a shame that they have already been removed. I really enjoyed the first game even though it did not have any voice overs. It was ported over from mobile, I believe. The second game was a different developer and I think Elephant was the publisher.

I can't remember if I have Season Match or not, although I think I remember playing the demo years ago. Okay, I just checked, and I have Season Match 1 and Season Match 2.

Season Match is a little different. You click on groups of items (as opposed to swapping to make a group) to clear barriers and a number of certain items. I don't think I will be able to play in timed mode. It's pretty hard. I got stuck on Level 9 last night. I thought I did everything a couple of times but had forgotten about clearing the certain number of certain items. I tried it again today 3 times only (so far) and still could not get it. Part of the problem is that my mouse starts to feel sluggish and is hard to make a fast click. Even after I got out of the game last night and went into my mosaic game, my mouse felt hard to move. Also, there is no "play" button. I'm not even sure what I clicked on to actually start playing. It's kind of weird. I will definitely continue and see how it goes though.

I do remember now that you click on groups of items in the game. I don't think I will try to play in timed mode. I used to love timed mode and now the only game where I still enjoy it is Caribbean Hideaway and maybe Cradle of Rome.

Finished Secret City. Will be playing Legendary Tales: Map of Hope next.

I'm still playing Season Match in timed mode but have reached another really hard level. My arm has gotten sore from quick button mashing, stubborn fool that I am.

I can remember being a stubborn fool with Hotdog Hotshot - that gave me a neck ache for days from being tensed up all the time.

Currently playing Alchemy Odyssey: Rise of Shadows. I plan to play a HOPA after this, maybe the first Legendary Tales game.

Do you like Alchemy Odyssey? I have that in my library.

It is very similar to all of the other Efunsoft games I have played. I am finding it to be a pleasant diversion, like the other ones I have finished. Sometimes pleasant and relatively uncomplicated are all I am looking for.

That's why I like the paint and mosaics games, Marian. The Match 3 games also usually do that for me too but it does depend on the game. I never would have thought there could be so many different types of Match 3 games.

Yes, I can see that. I also like the many solitaire games available for the same reasons (and I never thought there could have been so many variations on solitaire).

Ooh! So frustrating! Several times I have gotten to where I need just one more match to beat that level and it's right there in front of me but time runs out while I'm clicking. This is why I keep trying though and haven't given up yet. So. Close.

I admire your persistence!

I'm stuck in a lock picking puzzle in Legendary Tales and I'm stuck in a tree climbing puzzle in Cats and the Other Lives. Not much playing I can do like this

Yes, that is when I would take a look at a walkthrough, but I also understand why you are reluctant to do so.

I took a look at the Cats and the Other Lives forum on Steam and the developer had some suggestions for the tree minigame:



and



It sounds kind of wonky to me, and the controls don't sound very good either.

Thank you. I didn't see that on the Steam forum but I didn't even know I was still getting hit by stones at that point. I just thought I was falling. I have made it all the way up to the roof but cannot get onto the roof for some reason. I've watched a video walkthough (which has some annoying ads in it) but don't see anything I'm not doing. It looks like you get on the roof once you get up there. I'm not seeing paw prints to jump. I don't know. Maybe I need to move to the right and I'm not sure if I've tried that or not.

Edit: Got the s*cker in the Match 3 game!

Well, progress on the match 3 front!

I think I spent about 4 days on that level, Marian.

And guess what? Now that you have shown me that I was supposed to be dodging stones, not just climbing, I made it to the roof. It still took 5 or 6 tries but I made it! Thank you!!!!

You are most welcome! That is so nice to hear.

Looking for a name of a game. I bought it on BFG, but with close to 600 games in my library, it's like finding a needle in the haystack. Brief description: Set in the late 1800s or early 1900s. You, a single gentleman, have received notice that you're inherited and estate on an island off the coast of England. When you arrive, you are greeted by the island's sole inhabitant, the caretaker for the estate. You discover that the estate was the site of three deaths. Due mostly because of a lovers triangle. One lady and two men. You make it you goal to reunite two of the lovers and see to it that the third lover, who likely caused the deaths of the other two, receives the punishment he deserves. Does this ring any bells? Also, I wouldn't call it time travel, but we not only see the estate as the run-down building it currently is, but also in the pristinely decorated estate it once was.

When I was reading the initial part of your description, I was thinking that the game was Shiver: Poltergeist. The single gentleman inheriting an estate, being greeted when you arrive by the caretaker for the estate. But then the rest of the description made me think that it was a different game as it didn't ring any bells.

Anyway, I will see what you have to say and then think about it some more.

I'm at a total loss for the game's name. I'll DL the game you suggested and if that's not it, see if it rings any more bells. (I'm sure there are several games that fit the description, or at least parts of it.)

Yes, there are probably several games that fit that description. And I just looked at Shiver: Poltergeist more closely and it is a butler and not a caretaker.

How about this one? Death at Fairing Point: A Dana Knightstone Novel

Good thought, Ana.

Sorry. That's not it. Not in the Library, although maybe it should be.

I hope we can get this figured out. I'll keep thinking about it.

I just started Spring Mosaics and must say I'm disappointed from the first puzzle. You have to make guesses or use hints. I chose to guess and made 3 mistakes filling in just 4 answers. Then on the third puzzle I either need to guess, hint, or possibly put it down on paper. It's 4 am so I quit out of the game instead. Doesn't save!

Not exactly a promising start.

I doesn't help me, but another clue .... whatever the game is, it, to the best of my knowledege, is not part of a series.

That is good to know.

No, it's not, especially since I was enjoying doing the last Mosaic game just before bed time. I went in the game today and got myself back to where I was last night and took a screen shot which I put in my Paint program. I then tried to figure it out and there were multiple ways it could be solved. I still made 3 mistakes with it. Then I did a couple more which were okay but now I'm stuck in another one which I have also put in Paint since I am probably going to close the game again. I haven't yet.

Edit: I kept the game open and tried some things. After 6 mistakes I "lost" the level and will have to start over. I'm sorry to say this game is not fun. I may try one more time and use the hint button just to see how that works for me but it is not how I want to play it. I will have to find another game.

Edit 2: I think I'll just play Spring in Japan Mosaic Edition. I finished Season Match. There were only 2 levels I played with the timer off - the last level in both the Quest mode and the Arcade mode. There is also something called Trophy Way but I didn't earn enough coins to play that so I'm done. When you lose a level you can continue to progress in the game but you lose your points and coins and helpful items. I hit "game over" multiple times .

Argh. This Spring in Japan game doesn't save on exit either. Just lost a lot of work.

I started Storm Tale Match 3 the other night, playing in Timed Casual mode.

I'm about half way through Legendary Tales: Map of Hope and so far I've actually solved all the puzzles, mostly with luck I think.

Hi everyone!
Its been a while since I posted but I've gotten back into adventure and casual games recently.
I just finished playing Lost Lands 1: Dark Overlord. I was looking for a game to play on the iPad and a friend recommended it. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the game is completely free for iPad. I was expecting to encounter the 'please purchase the complete game' screen, but it never appeared 😀
The puzzles range from really easy to some head-scratchers, but I was thankfully able to get through most of the game and only needed to consult the walkthrough a couple of times.
Overall, a very enjoyable game and I'll be playing more in the series - it looks like there are quite a few.

Hi LaurenJodi, I am glad you have been able to get back into adventure and casual games!

I love Lost Lands: Dark Overlord and have played it three times so far. As of right now, there are eleven Lost Lands games, the latest of which hasn't made it to Big Fish yet.

Sounds good so far with Map of Hope, ob.

Thanks Marian!
I've already started playing it again from the beginning 😂 I want to just wander through all the gorgeous locations this time.
Lots of lands to look forward to 😀

That's great, LaurenJodi. I am happy that you joined the discussion.

Hi LaurenJodi. Have you played any of the Legendary Tales games yet? There are 5 of them and they are by the same developer as the Lost Lands games. I like them a little better myself.

And the Darkness and Flame series as well as the New York Mysteries games are good as well (all 5 BN).

I still haven't started either of those series yet, Marian. One of these days...

I'm sure you will get to them eventually, ob.

Think I have discovered the problem with the game I wish to identify. I printed out my library list. I know it's not part of a series, which eliminates a certain percentage of the games. Of the games that are left I thought I would try to match them against the alphabetical list on the BFG home page. Then read the description that comes up when I click on a candidate. Problem. There is no alphabetical list that can be searched on the BFG home page. Just nine pages of 50 games/page that aren't listed alphabetically, or by original date of publication, or any other searchable criteria.

Heck of a way to run a company. Good guess is that the games that are left are the only ones who didn't receive their walking papers with the latest change of ownership.

Good news is the Drawn Trilogy, which I wasn't able to download as recently at three weeks ago, is now available for sale on the site again. Going to try a download tomorrow.

I, too, miss the alphabetical listing that they used to have but I don't even see where you are seeing a list at all. I see categories and if you go into a category you should be able to sort it by "product name" over on the left hand side of the screen. There are other sorts available also but don't forget to select your language and platform (PC or Mac or whatever else they show) or you will see multiples of all of the games. Oh, and it doesn't hold your language anywhere as far as I can tell so if you change categories you probably have to select your language again. I absolutely hate that! It should keep my language in my profile or a setting somewhere.

Thanls for the recommendations Oldbroad 😀. I haven't played those ones yet. I have played two of the Bridge to Another World games - The Others and Alice in Shadowland as well as Reflections of Life: Tree of Dreams. Those were a bit more linear that Lost Lands, but the stories and puzzles are engaging and I enjoyed them a lot.

I will add all of the games mentioned by others here to my list. Thanks!

The list is is on Game Manager under Purchase History. Use the game title option. Copy and paste the list onto Notepad or whatever app you use. Print, and you are ready to go ... if, make that IF bfg still had the alphabetical list available on its home page.

Thanks, rtrooney. I know about the list in the manager. I was referring to the site. You can list by Category and then alphabetical.

That's likey true, but I think I can only get to that screen if I log in. Something I'm only willing to do under the direst of circumstances. The two sites, BGF home page and Game Manager don't recognize each other's passwords. That's been a loong-time problem. Unfotunately, I don't consider finding the name of one game sufficiently dire to risk logging in. That's why I hoped someone would reccognize it from my description.

Side note: I was able to download Drawn2&3. Drawn1 is currently a no go.

You can browse all the games without logging in.

I found the "alphabetical listing" although I would hardly call it that. It's kind of like the old days visiting a record store. The albums are supposed to be in alphabetical order but the only thing you see is the album covers. Regardless, what I did see is of no use. I've got more titles in my Purchase History that BFG has on it's web page. Thanks for the effort.

I just finished Legendary Tales: Map of Hope (except for going through all of the "extras"). It is a really nice and beautiful game! There were some puzzles that I had to look at the objective (how to play it) but never used the guide or a hint or the skip button. I don't know how I managed that because I didn't feel that the puzzles were easy. I guess I mostly got lucky because I know there were some that I have not been able to solve in past games I've played.

I think I might play Behind the Reflection in Win 7 next. The game I have is on a disc.

I have been continuing to play both Spring Mosaics and Spring in Japan Mosaic Edition even though there is a lot of guessing and neither game will save a partially done puzzle. I am not having quite as much trouble with the guessing. Maybe I didn't try hard enough on those first ones, but still, there IS a good bit of guessing which I don't like.

Edit: Spoke too soon about the Mosaics games. Working on one now that is mostly all guessing.

That's wonderful about Map of Hope. I haven't played that one yet and look forward to it.

I don't think I have Behind the Reflection.

And I agree - I don't like guessing in Mosaics games.

I started Behind the Reflection tonight. It's a bit different. You find things all over the screen as well as in some HO scenes. Some items might need to be made or repaired in order for you to find some other items. I have used the hint button once already in a HO scene and became frustrated in a memory puzzle and almost hit skip but instead got out of the game.

I also started Fishdom 3 Match 3.

Fishdom 3 I have, and have played. I don't believe I ever finished it, though (if there is an actual ending to the game, which I also don't recall). I always liked the Fishdom games.

Thanks for telling us about Behind the Reflection.

Turns out that is the game! When I said it was not part of a series, I fooled myself. All "Shivers:" games have the same title words, but they are all completely different games. Poltergeist had nothing in common with Vanishing Hitchhiker or any other Shivers game. When you said it didn't ring any bells, I stopped looking. Truth is you only meet two of the love triangle characters in the first halof of the story. The third character doesn't appear until much later.

Anyway, I dl's it today, and it's just as good as I remember it being. And, the rest of you can stop looking.

Good news that you found the game and are enjoying it again! And, you can usually trust Marian!

That is great news, rtrooney! This is indeed an excellent game. Enjoy the replay.

I only have Fishdom 3 and Depths of Time, not the two earlier games.

Behind the reflection is sort of fun but I have found a couple of frustrating puzzles already. I did manage to beat the memory puzzle but I just did one puzzle that about killed me. There is a key in a fish aquarium and you have to have the fish push it to the upper left corner to get it. It was very hard to do and quite frustrating. I am actually out of breath now. There is no skip button that I saw for this. I am also currently stuck in some other puzzle that I don't know why it isn't working. I think I'm doing it right. It does have a skip button though if I can't figure it out.

I finished Behind the Reflection day before yesterday and I enjoyed it enough that today I started Behind the Reflection 2: Witch's Revenge. I hope I won't be sorry. I don't usually like to play series games right in a row.

Yesterday's dollar special was Dana Cipher: Dead Man's Hand. Short and easy; played it in one sitting.

I hope you like the second game, ob.

Tally Ho, I did not even notice the Daily Deal yesterday. Hopefully it was worth a dollar.

Finished Behind the Reflection 2 which played just like the first game. They were pretty enjoyable. There was a puzzle or two that I skipped in this second game though. I'm not sure yet what Casual I'll play next.

I also finished both of the Mosaic games I was playing that required too much guess work. In one of the games there are some jigsaw puzzle pieces hidden behind a duller color in some of the puzzles but I missed 9 of those. Since there is no way to know which puzzles they are in, they will stay missed. You don't even complete the jigsaw yourself anyway. It fills the pieces in. (Unless they scramble up once they're all there so you can do the puzzle. I don't know.) I have gone back to my Nonogram game now.

Marian, I don't know if there is an end to the Fishdom game. It looks like it may go on forever and I saw some reviews which indicated that also. The game is fine but I'm not getting lost in it for hours like I do with some Match 3 games. That is probably a good thing though .

Just finished , Nancy Drew ... Secrets of the old clock Loved it and i keep loving to play them

Installed the latest 'catch' - (Enchanted Kingdom Arcadian Backwoods.) It starts up, with audio and a fancy cursor, and a totally black screen. I clicked around the black screen, hoping to discover a slot for player-name, or Play, or Quit, or anything. No such luck. It's from Domini; I have had the same thing happen before; same developer. Domini puts out a LOT of games, and most of them work without problems.

Tally Ho, there were also people on the Big Fish Fans page experiencing the same thing with this game, namely a black screen with audio. Various Do/Domini Games have presented players with this problem over the last few years and I am surprised that they have not fixed this by now. Oldbroad and TLC both experience this with some of their games. On the surface this sounds like a video card/video driver specific issue, but of course I can't say this with certainty. It's annoying, for sure. The solution at this point is probably to have two different computers with different system specs and different video cards, but of course it's not always feasible to have this kind of set-up. It's this kind of thing, though, that has always prompted me to try to have two computers around.

I just googled "Domini games black screen with audio" and was shown a number of what sounded like good suggestions to troubleshoot/fix this issue. It might be worth taking a look if you are ever in the mood.

If you have access to Windows 7 it will play there, though I believe it is a video card issue not a OS issue. (My opinion!)

I tried multiple possible fixes, nothing worked. This is a fairly new computer running Windows 11.

So I went to my 65" TV, which has an even newer computer attached, and installed the game. It runs normally; so it must be the on-board video that makes a difference.

Thanks for the help!

I absolutely agree. It is almost assuredly not an operating system issue.

Anyway, Tally Ho, I'm glad you figured out a way to get the game working. Hopefully the other "problem children" will run this way as well.

I started the game Royal Trouble tonight. It's pretty fun so far!

That was a good game, ob. The sequel was also good, as I recall.

I started Missing Hearts: Crimson Cruise yesterday.

I have the sequel also, Marian!

Enjoy your Domini game!

Thank you, ob. I am enjoying it.

And I figured you had the sequel.

Well, I didn't plan on playing Royal Trouble 2 immediately after the first game but when I went to play tonight I found myself already at the end of the game after 2 minutes. I hadn't realized I was that close to the end or I would have finished it up last night. So, I started the 2nd game.

Just finished Nancy drew Shadow ranch decided to go a little more Casual , just started, "Haunted Hotel - Charles Dexter Ward CE

Have fun, Leeana! I still have not even started that Haunted Hotel series at all.

Oh Thank You so much oldbroad, it just dragged me in I was not expecting too much , but yes its on my desktop computer I wait till night-time because during the day its harder to see for me , cant beat a game that starts with great scene and wow to , "Lure" you in like a fishing pole cant beat that

Haunted Hotel: Charles Dexter Ward was a really good one, I thought.

I finished Missing Hearts and have now started Haunted Legends: The Undertaker.

Good to hear, Leeana!

Haunted Legends is another large series I haven't started yet. Enjoy, Marian!

I finished Royal Trouble 2 tonight. Nice little games. Too bad there weren't more of them.

I think I will go back to Mystery Trackers next and play #10: Paxton Creek Avenger.

I liked the Haunted Hotel games.
Being tempted to go over them again, now !! 😁

I am playing the first part of True Fear: Forsaken Souls. For some reason, I always find myself playing after dark and scaring myself silly. I've got to play when its still light outside 😂

I just finished Mystery Trackers: Paxton Creek Avenger. The game was fine, not too hard but there was a defective scene in the bonus chapter. You go in this room, talk to this girl, and then the whole room was frozen. I could see a morphing object but couldn't click on it. I could examine something where there was a magnifying glass (not a close up, just a comment) but couldn't click anything. I don't know if the morphing object mattered or not. I never saw anyplace that said I missed any or didn't miss any. Oh well. I only care about those extra items if they keep me from doing something in the "extras" because I didn't find them all, which didn't seem to be a problem in this game.

Have to figure out what's next.

i just started Tales of Terror estate of the Heart , it shows me that i still have those girly girl chills , lol

An odd glitch, ob. Sometimes these things just happen for no apparent reason. I played that game in the last few years and did not have any problems with it. I agree with you that the game itself was fine.

Have fun with Tales of Terror, Leeana. I enjoyed that one.

I liked Haunted Legends: The Undertaker. ERS certainly had a unique style.

I just finished Mystery Tales: Alaskan Wild CE. For the life of me I wish I knew why (as far as I know) this is the only Do game that has been removed from their catalog. It really bugs me that it is gone. I wrote to Do asking them why it is not there anymore and they replied that I would have to ask Big Fish that question.

Marian, according to Google AI that game was removed "due to its age and compatibility".

The other day I noticed City Enigma, an Elephant game, has been removed from Big Fish. I didn't have that one yet.

I'm going to go ahead and play Spirit Legends: The Aeon Heart, the last of the Domini games to play on my Windows 7 computer. I then have 3 more that are playable on my Windows 10.

That's total nonsense about "its age and compatibility." There are plenty of Do games older than this one on Big Fish and they all play perfectly fine, and they all use the same game engine from what I can tell. Alaskan Wild plays great on Windows 7 as well as Windows 10. I haven't tried it on Windows 11 but I will at some point.

City Enigma as well as Icebound Secrets 1 and 2, all released relatively recently, have been removed from the site. I think this may have something to do with the fact that sad to say, Elephant and Big Fish Entertainment are involved in a lawsuit. I don't think we will see anything else from Elephant removed, though, as far as I know. I have all three games and quite enjoyed Icebound Secrets 1. Elephant is releasing future Icebound Secrets games on Google Play.

Sounds good about the Do games you plan to play.

Yes, we discussed Icebound Secrets before. It has also been removed from Steam. I don't have either of those games. I have a pretty long list of Elephant games that I haven't purchased yet and I did look some of those up the other day. Still there. Hopefully they'll be there when I go to purchase but I suppose I'll never miss them if they aren't.

The Aeon Heart is good so far. I think I played 2 chapters.

I thought Aeon Heart was a good game.

I just finished Aeon Heart. I thought it was a pretty good game but it did fall apart for me a little in the bonus chapter. I got stuck not knowing how to proceed so I got out of the game. When I went back in I still couldn't figure it out so I had to use the hint button twice, and it turned out to be using an item someplace where I had already tried it but apparently I didn't click on just the right spot. The right spot made perfect sense and I guess I really should have figured that out myself. Then in the very last puzzle you have five targets to hit with a slingshot. I could not get the last one and got frustrated with it in about 5 minutes so I skipped it.

I may play Living Legends: Haunting Melody next or I may try Artifact Seekers which I downloaded from Steam where it is free. I won't pay for hints or anything but since I haven't bought any of the games from Big Fish yet and the 4th game is coming out soon, I thought I'd try it out for free.

I will be interested to hear what you think of Artifact Seekers - I have not tried that series as yet.

Congratulations on finishing Aeon Heart!

I started Artifact Seekers last night and have already played almost 5 hours. I'm pretty certain that even though it says Season 1, it includes all the seasons so far. I am just in the first chapter "Tropical Island". There are a lot of puzzles and they are not easy but so far, have been manageable. There are some that you don't have to do but I guess doing them gets you stars as I think finding the collectibles and morphing objects does also. I don't know what the stars do but I think they get you more coins for more hints. I'm not sure. I haven't gotten any stars yet to see if my coins will increase. They start you with 50 I believe. I haven't used any hints but it looks like they might cost different amounts of coins in different areas because I see a "5" down by the hint button most of the time but in one area tonight I saw a "25" there. Again, not sure about all this.

So far it is pretty fun. I find the time slipping away quickly while I'm playing. You really need to use pen and paper to make notes of things you think might be clues and you also really have to click all around because things are all over the place and you don't know where. There is a whole lot of stuff to do.

That sounds very promising! I am looking forward to playing this.

I finished Unsolved Case: Ash and Secrets CE yesterday and am now starting Myths of the World: The Heart of Desolation.

Myths of the World is another series I haven't even started yet.

You have a lot to look forward to.

Well, I received 2 stars now but no extra coins for hints so I don't know. Maybe you can't earn any hints? I would think you could but I've never played one of these types of games.

Googling tells me there is a built-in hint system:



And then it directs me to a YouTube video here to show me how the hint and coin system functions during gameplay. Maybe the YouTuber explains it more?

Thanks Marian! I was thinking (while trying to go to sleep) that I should probably try to Google it. Not sure if I should watch the video as I don't want any spoilers at this point. I'm doing pretty good but it will be a shame if I get stuck and can't proceed because I have no hints left or something, which is why I'd like to know more about them. Then again, I guess I can look at 123Pazu's playthrough if I get too stuck, can't I.

What I'm really amazed by is that I keep playing this in the wee hours of the morning (when I'm ready to go to sleep) and I'm doing this good. I usually don't play games that make me think at that hour. Maybe that's been my mistake. Maybe my brain is more relaxed and works better then. Of course, it's not good trying to fall asleep afterwards. Active mind and weird dreams!

Edit: I did use the tutorial at the beginning but when it said to use the hint button, I didn't because I was afraid it would take one away from me that I might need. Maybe if I had done it, I would already know the answer to this!

2nd Edit: I found this: "Replenishing Coins: If you run out of coins, you can earn more by actively hunting for morphing objects, finding collection items, and completing bonus puzzle levels." This is where I've gotten my stars from. Maybe I need a certain number of stars or maybe the coins never show more than 50 but are there waiting if I need them. I may have to try to find out by using some but I'd rather wait until it is a necessity.

3rd Edit: I finished Episode 1 but originally had only 3 out of 10 stars. The game allows you to continue in the episode to try to get all of the stars. I did get 2 more but that's it. It's kind of aggravating because the stars come from finding morphing objects, collectibles and completing optional mini games. I missed one morphing object and only found the others from clicking all over. I only actually saw maybe 3 of them. The mini games mostly are sets of 5 of the same game but you have to find an object to activate the game each time. Two of them I played 4 times but couldn't find the fifth object, so no star. One I played 3 times. I think there was one that I did get the star. Then there was one mini game that you received the star if you completed it in a certain amount of moves. That did not happen. I can try it again but I'm lucky I even got it at all the first time.

Oh well, off to the Wild West next time.

It sounds like good fun, ob, and I'm glad you are enjoying it. I am enjoying reading about it.

Artifact Seekers 4 CE is coming out tomorrow on Big Fish. I will be sure to pick it up when the price drops.

I'm disappointed right now with a puzzle in Episode 2. I'm sure I have the solution correct but it won't solve for me. I even was able to take a picture of how it is supposed to look and in comparing, my solution looks right. I tried two walkthroughs but one didn't get that far I guess and the other has a different solution (the puzzles are random from what I've read). It confirmed for me though that I wasn't missing some other clue somewhere. I'm going to look at some more walkthroughs to see if my solution is in one of them. I posted earlier that I thought some hints cost more coins than others. Now I'm thinking the 25 is not for a hint, but for the skip. I may end up having to use it to continue on in the game.

Edit: Hah! I found a walkthrough with my solution and was able to use it to complete the puzzle! I think the puzzle was maybe a little too fiddly, but I guess I may just feel that way because it gave me trouble.

Edit 2: Finished Episode 2 with 6 stars.

It sounds like you are doing really well with this game so far.

Playing Enigmatis 3, part of my annual play of the trilogy. Think Marian just completed Enigmatia 2. Enigmatis 1 was the first game to use the Artifex Mudi-developed Spark HO Engine. Great game, but a work in progress. Enigmatis 2 had the best story of the three. And E3 was far and away the best produced.

Good to hear your thoughts on the series, rtrooney. I haven't played Enigmatis 3 yet but am looking forward to it. And yes, I did replay Enigmatis 2 and finished it last week.

I finished the main game of Endless Fables: Dark Moor last night and enjoyed it very much. A very solid HOPA. I think Sunward Games did not get enough credit for some of the HOPAs they made, partly maybe because their output was smaller and thus overshadowed by some of the biggies.

I started Episode 3 of Artifact Seekers last night and I fear the puzzles are getting harder.

Still have all the Endless Fables and Enigmatis games to play some day.

Good luck with Episode 3, ob.

I am now playing Secrets of the Seas: Flying Dutchman CE which I would recommend to all as a really good game; however, much to my dismay it appears to have been removed from the website in the last few years. This had escaped my notice until I went looking for it the last couple of days. They also have removed Ghost Towns: The Cats of Ulthar CE, which I played a few years ago (and I remember ob saying that she had that game). Anyway, I consider Secrets of the Seas a real winner but will not put it in the recommendations thread because unfortunately it is no longer on Big Fish.

What OS are you playing Secrets of the Seas in Marian? I played the SE version in 2022 in Windows 7. I noted on my games list that it wouldn't play past the opening video in Windows 10.

And, yes, I do have the Ghost Towns game, installed on Windows 7 but haven't played it yet.

I'm finally making some progress in Episode 3. I was stuck for quite a while.