... I'm no idiot, but the concept/idea encompassing this "tiles surrounding lonely mines" was something I couldn't get a hold of. Suddenly, I found myself just guessing - and using my memory to go back and retrace steps taken that were good. Now, I DO appreciate the infusion of these new perspectives - these new ways to pinpoint mines, but for me, "Hearts" was too hazy and obscure - and the "Compass" that followed was not much better [albeit it made more sense to me than the latter] ...
... So: I went slowly in the beginning - and like any great puzzle game, my brain quickened, and I was able to analyze the visuals in front of me much quicker and pass boards speedily - w/o resorting to chance or luck or any of that. Why? - Because, like you said: The solutions can be found without having to resort to anything else - the answers CAN be found by analyzing the board. I agreed. My rating goes up. And as I got better and better, I was suddenly ... well ... REALLY underwhelmed by the appearance of "Hearts" ...
So, forward & straight: I spent A LOT of time on this game - playing through all the levels I could on my PC [couldn't go beyond level 143], and I think the game's consistent add-ins of new "Clue Types" is what keeps this interesting. These different perspectives/ways of pinpointing Mines stretch the Brain in great ways - allowing necessary change-ups when things start getting too repetitive. I certainly appreciate your enthusiasm for the game. So I just want to offer some quick & speedy words - and if you wish me to elaborate, then you can feel free to ask questions and reply on my page ...
... Conclusion: I definitely feel like this game is Great Exercise for quickening one’s counting/arithmetic abilities. Do this enough, and you’ll be able to arrive at the Total of a Line of Numbers in no time at all. Suddenly, an answer might just pop up in your mind, w/o any noticeable effort - and yes, this can certainly happen given enough cognitive work-outs - [in whatever category/area one is trying to improve]. Great Game.
... And I speak from no place of exaggeration [and nor do I desire to, having beholden really crummy, d-bag advertisements & marketing that play on people's fears and hopes and fantasies - I wish people would just show/describe their product/service w/o all the rinky-dink, trashy jazz-talk that essentially tells me NOTHING concrete & flat-out REAL about what's being offered and for WHO - "Oh, well, YES! - of course this product is for the WHOLE FAMILY - or FOR EVERYONE - and so on so, but I do, I do, I do digress] ... Anyway, no stretch here. Quite Simply: I breezed through the 4 Grids that Followed the First One in my short, Endless Run - notwithstanding what size showed up. I probably completed ALL 4 Grids combined faster than I completed just that 1 Grid that began my Endless Run. [And I'm no bragger. I'll say it straight when it's taking me hours to do a solitary in-game Task, w/o any fear or concern for how such p-poor performances can make me look. C'mon now! - it happens! ...
Wow. Putting the sleepy visuals & audio aside, this Game can become a good asset when it comes to number pattern recognition & being able to quickly provide the sum of a line of numbers. I crawled to start – counting, pacing myself, feeling a bit sluggish. After doing variegated Grid Sizes related to Badges, however, I simply amazed myself when going for the Final Badge – which required me to complete 3 Endless Levels in a Row. The First Grid took me quite a bit of time - [I was a wee bit quicker than before, having familiarized myself with the Game’s Rules & more speedily combining numbers due to prior recognition] - BUT ...
Did it for the Badge. If it wasn’t for that, I wouldn’t have bothered. Creative? – Yeah – I dunno if the Creator intended to promote a “happy-yellow-trippy-feel” or what. Hey: The Instructions given telleth all: “I have no clue” … Each level does have its own Logic to it – such that turning the screen Yellow shouldn’t be too taxing. And I use the word “Taxing” instead of “Difficult” to provoke a vibe of boredom. An “experience”, yes. But one that I just wanted to get through for a Badge. Don’t feel as though, in the end, that this does anything to improve cognition – or is of any lasting benefit to widening one’s perception.
... My only complaint has nothing to do with this Game, but with the fact that I wasn’t awarded the Badge for passing all 30 Levels. Having perused comments below, this doesn't seem to be something out of the ordinary, - but ... darn it all! This was the first time I've ever encountered this problem, and it just so happens to coincide with what I what I feel is my current most "well-deserved" Badge, with all of the time & brain-squeezing put into it. But ... That is another matter. Again: Awesome Game. Look forward to playing the Sequel.
... This isn't to say that the Game throws in Easy Levels betwixt Hard ones - that's hardly the case. I just found that the difficulty seems to be divided more or less in clusters of levels. In any case: Awesome Game ...
... In fact, completing all 30 Levels took me longer to do than any other Game Task/Win I've done on this site thus far. And that's a GOOD THING. The game definitely gets harder as you progress - and from experience, this doesn’t happen on a level-to-level basis, meaning: “the next level will be a little bit harder than this one, and then the one after that a little bit harder than the last, etc.” For example, the last 2 Levels took me only a couple of minutes, whilst the 2 Levels before the latter took me much longer. Some of this just might be the way the particular level is laid out, such that Level “such-and-such” has me stretching my brain for half-an-hour, whilst another player might breeze through it ...
This is a REAL Brain Workout. The first 10 or so Levels might have you thinking you're in for an easy Badge win - but just wait. I remember being stuck for over half-an-hour or more on one Level - really stretching my Brain to think outside the "Cube" ...
... You are just essentially watching the GameMaker’s idea of an evolutionary progression with Ghosts and Werewolves advancing alongside Plankton and Birds. The only unique part is what you combine now or later. The progression is always the same. The end is always the same. Just click, click, click, click ... then click & click some more. Some might find this "experience" great - and if so, then so it is. I would have liked, however, to have been given a description of what it was I was jumping into - not an elaborate, "you-can-build" scenario that is far removed from what this is. Colorful Squares. Pictures. Sub-menus - with more colorful pictures. Just try to combine anything & everything. No risk. No reward.
... Nothing is further from the truth. Your decisions have NO CONSEQUENCES, and your combination choices have no effect on your progression. Your whole experience will boil down to clicking “Elements” and making over 100 Combinations. Sure, you combine these first, and Joe over there might combine those first, etc. It doesn't matter ...
I don't understand why this game is part of a quest called: "Best of 2010". To be blunt: This isn't even a "Game". And what really bothers me the most about all of this is the Game's Description: It's utterly misleading. It markets the "Game" as one in which you can create your own rising, unique civilization. It would have you believe that your decisions are meaningful, and will lead to actual consequences ...
... [3]: - along with the addition of the 2 Aforementioned Badges, which I believe should exist, given the level of challenge offered & the potentially long time expenditure, particularly on the Larger Boards. Just my thoughts. Again: One of my Favorite Games, thus far, on this site.
... [2]: Now: I REALLY WANTED to Complete this game, notwithstanding having acquired the sole Badge for this game early on. [Note: Considering the fact the a "Big Board" Size exists, I think that this game deserves at least 1 more Badge for completing a specific quantity of levels on the latter - in addition to an all-inclusive Badge that is rewarded upon clearing, say, 40 Levels on ALL Board Sizes - making for 120 Completed Levels. But I digress.] However, I did not realize until just now that this game never ends - which kind of puts a slight damper on my experience. I think having 2 Modes available [e.g "Adventure", whereby Completion of each Board is possible, and potentially challenges players with Speedruns with Leaderboard Competition; and "Endless", which would be just be what the game offers right now, would be a great addition ...
This game is currently one of my Favorites. Easily. The "Small Board" Size is an excellent, introductory series of very simple Levels - something to help prepare your Brain for the subsequent Board Sizes, which have proved thus far to be quite challenging at times [and I have only progressed through over 30 Levels on the "Medium Size" Board - which, to be honest, is certainly not a "baby-step" up from the Small one, with some Levels having kept me stuck and/or shifting around for 10 minutes or more.] Simple Controls – just a “Mouse & Click” – no turning/rotating blocks or anything like that. Easy to just jump right in. And the colors allow for easy screening of the various blocks [i.e. what shapes & sizes they are relative to one another] ...
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