This is by no means one for the ages, but Dale Hardshovel and the Bloomstone Mystery is a passable puzzle game, likely to be enjoyed for a short period of time by fans of the genre.

THREE REASONS TO BUY

-$9.99 is about as low a price as one can expect to pay for any video game.
-The puzzles are most certainly challenging.
-The annoying parts of the game are easy to skip or ignore.

THREE REASONS NOT TO BUY

-Production quality is lacking.
-Those who are easily frustrated will not enjoy this game.
-The story is not enjoyable.

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There is a growing trend in downloadable video games of puzzle games trying to have a plot. Fans of puzzle games do not generally play these games because they like the story. They play because they like to be challenged. Dale Hardshovel and the Bloomstone Mystery provides plenty of challenge. Unfortunately it also provides plenty of story line.

GAME PLAY

In a completely forced, hackneyed, and quite frankly, lame attempt at being mysterious, players take on the role of Dale Hardshovel as he works his way through a mysterious pyramid, trying to find the Bloomstone. Thankfully, with a couple of quick clicks, players can blast through the still shot cut scenes, and get right to the meat and potatoes of the game, which are the puzzles that compose each stage.

Each room of the pyramid has artifacts scattered throughout it. It is up to Dale Hardshovel to move like items so they are grouped together, in order to make them disappear. Once two are next to each other or on top of each other, they will go away. When there are three of an item, players need to be careful not to let two of them combine before all three can be lined up. At first, the game is easy to the point of boredom. Very quickly, the puzzles get much harder, often requiring multiple attempts to get right. At that point, players who are not easily frustrated will likely enjoy playing this game, and exploring the new additions that accompany later stages.

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GRAPHICS

The menus and cut scenes of Dale Hardshovel and the Bloomstone Mystery look decent, but without any movement, there is little evidence of effort by the graphic designers. during game play, the graphics only look as good as they have to in order for players to be able to enjoy it.

AUDIO

The music is droning, and somewhat enjoyable, but repetitive comments made by Dale during the puzzles will force players to turn the volume off.

CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION

Pairing objects in a puzzle game is nothing new. Including a story line has also been done. Still, there is just enough different about sliding these pieces around, that players will find this game to be not quite like any other played before.

Game Review Summary: Old School platformer with some nice graphics, but nothing new.

Three Reasons to buy Galaxia Chronicles

- Reason #1: Gorgeous graphics
- Reason # 2: Good story
- Reason # 3: Easy to learn

Three Reasons to avoid buying: Galaxia Chronicles.

- Reason #1: Nothing new in the game play
- Reason #2: Single story line
- Reason # 3: Not much re-playablity

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Full Game Review:

Galaxia Chronicles is a good, but old fashioned platformer with strong combat elements. In the game you play as Maxx, an orphan from Rio de Janeiro who after falling asleep on the beach near his orphanage has a wild dream and then is abducted by aliens and Maxx is off on a real adventure.

You won’t see much that is new in playing Galaxia Chronicles. The gameplay is remarkably simple. Nothing more than a basic platformer; you will maneuver Maxx through several side scrolling levels. You will make your way across the levels and collect crystals that will make Maxx stronger and unlock other levels of the game. In combat, Maxx punches and kicks with the best of them and as he levels up, he gains more life and some serious power improvements. In later levels Maxx gains the ability to heal himself, shoot fire, and even more impressive powers. There are no saving checkpoints on any of the levels, so if Maxx buys it anytime during a level, you are forced to start that level all over again. This can be very frustrating after spending some time on a level, then falling into some trap and having to do it all again.

The graphics are a real selling point in this game, beautifully detailed levels and gorgeous hand drawn cut scenes really bring the game to life. However, all this opulence comes at a cost as there can be some serious lag on slower machines. The sound is good with the music helping move the story along.

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The brainchild of a single developer, Galaxia Chronicles is obviously a labor of love. But the game does fall short when it comes to creativity and innovation. In short, you will quickly recognize most, if not all, the game elements, as something that you have seen before and you will be right. The game is a rather “been there, done that” experience.

In summary, if you are looking for a good-looking, old school, story driven, platforming experience then this is the game for you. However, if you looking for new, compelling game play and not so concerned with a story or graphics then there are better games for your $19.99 American.

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Many moons ago, fans of puzzle games were treated to a game called, “Lemmings.” Now, players can enjoy a similar experience with a new title, “Bloobles.” It is not the same exact game, but the similarities are unmistakable.

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THREE REASONS TO BUY

-Less than five dollars for a game cannot be beat.
-The puzzles are generally fun and challenging.
-This game comes with hours of game play.

THREE REASONS NOT TO BUY

-The game can be frustrating at times.
-There is little to nothing new to offer.
-The production quality is a bit low.

GAME PLAY

In the main form of play, gamers take on stage after stage, guiding little blue creatures known only as, “Bloobles,” over obstacles, away from certain death, and towards various goals. These little guys walk until something stops them or kills them. In the case of the former, they will turn around and start walking the other way. It is up to the player to give them further commands, such as, “jump,” “turn around,” and “stop,” so that they will not fall to their death, overcome obstacles, and reach any destination they need to reach.

The basic idea has been done before, and in games beyond the grand-daddy of the genre, “Lemmings.” However, it is still a fun and challenging game, with plenty of content to keep players occupied for hours on end. Some of the stages can be frustrating, as players need to play it perfectly in order to be successful.

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GRAPHICS

All the pieces of the game are small, and therefore lack detail. All in all, when the pieces are put together, “Bloobles” looks decent.

AUDIO

The music of the game is boring and cliche, but, when different game speeds are applied, the music speeds up and slows down accordingly, which is a neat effect. The few sound effects involved are annoying at best, though the, “woohoo” the Bloobles give when they reach the goal can be rather cute.

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CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION

The makers of Bloobles ultimately did nothing new. This is nothing more than a name change, and a few tweaks to an already successful formula.

OVERALL

Despite all its downsides, Bloobles is actually a fun game to play. For $4.95 players certainly get their money’s worth. A solid effort.

VVVVVV is an interesting name for a downloadable game. Likely, it was chosen to represent the spike strips that litter each stage of this classic style puzzle adventure. The creators of this game took many chances in design, relying more on game play than spiffy graphics. It might have been a worthwhile gamble.

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GAME PLAY

Players take on the role of a little alien guy as he runs through futuristic space settings. His capabilities are limited, but cover everything he needs to navigate the maze. He can run left and right, interact with terminals and change the direction of gravity. There is no need to jump, when one can run on the ceiling. This ability is behind most of the puzzle aspects of the game. Players have to time the switch just right, sometimes taking moving platforms into account, sometimes running while doing it. The V-shaped spike strips are not the only things that need to be avoided. There are plenty of bad guys floating around the screen in classic repeated patterns.

After the first few minutes of game play, the challenges get incredibly difficult. Fortunately, there are many automatic save spots, and there is only a one second delay between death and restart from the save spot. This alleviates much of the frustration associated with great challenges.

Graphics

VVVVVV is a clear attempt to look like a classic, old-school, 8-bit game. There is no doubt the graphic designers achieved this look and did so with smooth flowing graphics.The look clearly fits the style of game, but it likely would have been the same game, even if the quality of the graphics were improved.

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Audio

In the same vein, the game was designed to sound like it was twenty years old. Some may enjoy this, others may find it to be a cop out.

Creativity and innovation

Chances were taken in design and game play. For the most part, it works. This is not the first game with gravity shift but VVVVVV probably uses it the best.

Overall

VVVVVV is strangely addictive, utilizing just enough storyline to draw the player in and offering screen after screen of unique challenges. It may not be the most enjoyable game ever made but it will satisfy most who enjoy action in their puzzle games. 4/5

THREE REASONS TO BUY

-This is a game unlike any other.
-Unlimited lives and quick restart lead to reduced frustration.
-There are eight large stages to explore.

THREE REASONS NOT TO BUY

-$15.00 is a bit steep for a game that looks like this.
-There are only three real actions players can take.
-All the puzzles revolve around gravity shift, making them somewhat redundant.

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He gives users the option to play an online demo at Kongregrate here or you download as windows or mac demo.

The game costs $15.00

Game Review Summary

You should buy Saira if:

*You like open ended games which involve a multitude of puzzles.
*You are looking for a lengthy game to occupy your time.
* You enjoy a challenge and are an experienced gamer.

You should not buy Saira if:

*You like interacting with characters as the game progresses.
*You want a game with a time limit for each round.
* You would rather play a target shooting game.

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Full Game Review:

Story: How adventurous are you? Saira is all alone in the galaxy. She has to solve puzzles to travel on to the next stage of each game.

Game Play

The player takes on the role of Saira. Before setting off on an adventure you need to find items to fix the ship. Using the keyboard arrow controls the player operates Saira to search for clues to mend the ship and move onto the next level. By pressing specific buttons you are given instructions of what to do next. You have to take photographs of codes for later use, when detonating lasers. This game involves jumping bridges, climbing up buildings and solving puzzles.

Graphics

With colorful and scenic graphics this game invites the player into beautiful surroundings of tranquillity. The objects are realistic and Saira is a tiny 2D character on the screen which enhances the vastness of her surroundings.

Sound

The sound effects are good. At times there is the sense of a tranquil environment where water is flowing. The background music is low level without being intrusive.

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Creativity and Innovation

This game is creative as it is a multi-level game with various outcomes depending on the choices made by the player. The biggest challenge for the player is having no weapons or characters to interact with. It is not just about jumping bridges and running to the next task but it is also about practising various skills. There are different codes and puzzles for lasers to be disabled so that the player isn’t injured. These consist of travelling through a maze and using a keypad to type in codes to deactivate lasers.

It is value for money as it keeps the player entertained with different problems to solve. There are certain points you return to if you make a mistake without going right back to the beginning. However returning to these checkpoints after being injured is frustrating and repetitive at times. It isn’t a game I would consider buying because I prefer games with quick fire rounds.

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Game Review Summary

Buy this game if
-You want a simple yet satisfying 2D action game.
-You are looking for a game with a lush but charming visual style
-You love classic fantasy with a warm and light hearted touch.

Do not buy this game if

-You want a deep and engrossing story and characters.
-You want deeply developed gameplay.
-You want a little more RPG with your medieval fantasy.

Full Game Review
Do you like Gnomes? Do you like Goblins? Do you like Gnomes beating the ever-loving Snot out of Goblins? Then you will love Emberwinds. Emberwinds is a 2D-action platform game from indie developer TimeTrap. While the game sports an interesting visual style and entertaining gameplay, it seems somewhat unpolished.

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Windows PC – System requirements
Windows XP or newer,
50MB of HD, 256 MB of RAM,
1 GHz processor

Mac OS X – System requirements
OS X Tiger or newer,
50MB of HD, 256 MB of RAM,
G4, G5 or Intel processor

Buy The Game Now $12.00 (Windows, Mac)

Story

The game takes place in the fantasy kingdom of Dalriada, a land teeming with Gnomes, Fairies, and Brownies. Players take the role of Kindle Elderwood: local Gnomish watchman. When his beloved home is besieged by goblins, Kindle leaves his beloved “Gnomestead” with his trusty white owl Wick on a journey to liberate the nearby villages and set things right in the land. So basically, it is your standard Tolkienesque fantasy tale, yet told with a slight hint of humor to take some of the edge off. While the story is charming, the writing seems a bit on the sparse side, with NPC dialogue coming off as little more than filler than anything truly remarkable.

Gameplay

The gameplay is your basic 2D sidescrolling fare. Run and jump through the levels, whacking at Goblins with your staff. Occasionally, you’re called upon to light fireplaces in villagers’ homes, which has its own sort of “fetch quest” vibe to it. The fighting is a mix of melee combat with RPG elements thrown in for good measure. Although the fighting can be fun, some of the levels can be rather confusing in their design. Often times, players are only given a vague objective with little indication of where to go or how to get there. This is made more complicated by the games spotty controls, which often have you running when you’re only mean to walk.

Graphics

The in-game visual style is impressive. Characters definitely have a surreal fairy tale quality to them, giving them a truly inspired look. The world itself is definitely a treat to behold, taking medieval fantasy and taking it back to much more charming look. Meanwhile, power-up and combat effects are visually stunning, lighting up the screen with explosions and sparkling effects. The image of cartoon goblins being lit a flame is definitely entertaining in its own right.

While the game is a gem to look at and entertaining for a while, it is not the most polished experienced. The tragedy is that it seems that there was a lot of potential here. Sadly, Emberwinds is not a truly realized experience. This is definitely a game that could have used some more development time.

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Windows PC – System requirements
Windows XP or newer,
50MB of HD, 256 MB of RAM,
1 GHz processor

Mac OS X – System requirements
OS X Tiger or newer,
50MB of HD, 256 MB of RAM,
G4, G5 or Intel processor

Buy The Game Now $12.00 (Windows, Mac)

You can get the PC and Mac demo’s on their site at

http://www.timetrap.se/emberwind/

The game costs $12.

System Requirements:

Windows PC – System requirements
Windows XP or newer,
50MB of HD, 256 MB of RAM,
1 GHz processor

Mac OS X – System requirements
OS X Tiger or newer,
50MB of HD, 256 MB of RAM,
G4, G5 or Intel processor