Before you burn me at the stake for talking up a Facebook game, I implore you to hear me out first! Most important of all points I should make is this though: Don't share your personal information like your actual name and Facebook account in this thread; this is to talk about the game itself and that only. If you're low on friends and are able to trust those you know on this forum, then all the best to you. Okay. There's usually no game that I hate more than the endlessly mindless and repitive games you come across being pushed in your face by odd relatives and obscure friends. I played Candy Crush for two levels and developed a toothache; I never went back. But now, for at least a month, I have been playing a game called "Disney's Hidden Worlds". It's a Search-the-Scene game with a sense of adventure... it's really well put together, and I personally love it. Permit me then, to break down exactly why I love it. Story: Admittedly, this is a game you can just play for its story. The hard to please will think "Oh, the usual inventor-story tropes about imagination, blah blah blah", oh but wait, there's cut-scenes. Yes, you read me right, there are cut-scenes in a Facebook game. Fully-animated, Voiced, well done cut-scenes. Granted, they might remind some older players of Jump Start and Putt Putt level animation, but it's not minimalist and it has charm. It took a while for me to get into it, but by now, I really feel a connection with the script and the characters involved. Disney-itude: This. Game. Is. Disney. Or at least, the developers know what Disney is really all about. From the colors, to the lively atmospheres, and lovable original characters, it is a love letter to Disney and imagination. Each new world is a Disney movie, and new ones are in development. So far, there's "Beauty and the Beast", "Tangled", "Aladdin", "The Little Mermaid", "Brave", "Snow White", and, very recently "Peter Pan". Upcoming ones include "Wreck it Ralph" and "Frozen", I am led to believe. Those who love the movies and really started in on Kingdom Hearts BECAUSE of Disney, this game is the poor man's Kingdom Hearts; a very happy poor man. Crafting: The actual Gameplay is centered around collecting different paint objects and colors as you get different maps. Each map you play, you have a chance to obtain a certain paint that map offers. Collect these paints and papers by completing other tasks, and you have your tools to craft. Probably the most repitive part of the game and what may turn you off. For me, it reminds me of "Disney's Magic Artist" which I played the heck out of as a kid. It's colorful, intuitive, and, for me, fun to collect and mush things together. You craft objects to move along to the next map, characters, and much more. 90% or more of the game is spent crafting, and as you guessed, it takes time and you have to buy slots with Crystals. You start out with one slot, and if you save the Crystals you started off with and level up a few times (You get one crystal per level), then you'll have your second slot in no time. Getting the last two wouldn't exactly kill your pocketbook either. Microtransactions: Some games are like this: "BUY THIS OR YOU WILL NEVER COMPLETE ANYTHING MUAHAHAHAHAHA WE WANT YOUR MONEY!" and some games are like "This is free. This is free. Everything's freeeeeee! Okay, but it's kinda lame though because we can't add any content". Hidden Worlds has a nice system going on. You have Crystals (You start off the game with a generous 20) and they're really easy to come by; more on that later. Why do you want to use Crystals? Because as you craft more and more things you need to craft a bigger thing, the cost to craft that bigger thing goes down. The game rewards you by doing work, but doesn't utterly force you to buy. Still, I confess this is the one and only game I have ever played on Facebook that I believe has ever deserved my money, so I gave them $50 worth of it. With that, I bought the remaining crafting slots and upgraded a lot of things in my world. Gifting and Social Aspect: This may be a pain in the butt, but despite its major influence in the total completion of the game, you don't HAVE to have a lot of friends to play this game. The only thing you ever ask for in the start of the game is one item called "Gift Ink"; it helps you craft compasses to new worlds, upgrades to parts of the map after they reach level 2, characters, and a few other things. Later in the game, you'll have to ask your friends for a few other bits and bobbles, but, for the most part, Gift Ink will be mostly what you need to get by. Those who are the most extreme or impatient of gamers may also wish to ask for Energy ink, which you can use to craft energy packs (Which you can also buy). Music: I leave the sound on if no one's around. The music is relaxing and varies from world to world. Generally, it's music that is inspired by the films the worlds are based on, with some bits of the actual songs thrown in from time to time. The main theme is infectious. It has a Jungle atmosphere and a lively jaunt to it. It's sure to spark your imagination. Anyone already playing it? Anyone now interested in playing it? Let's talk. @cstar @~Phoenix~
