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Tricky Treats

October 16, 2015 –
December 5, 2018
This entry was deleted.

Here is its eulogy, a collection of the kind words written about it while still among the living. They shall live on forever in its place.

Author Comments

Match three or more treats in a row to clear the gravel off the board before the timer runs out. Beware the skulls, collect them by matching them or by letting them fall off the board. Can you complete each level?

Update 10/20: Options to retry level or restart game on game over.
Update 10/18: Last game medal bugfix, double dirt tiles changed to purple to make them distinctive.

Reviews

Great game !

The last level is pretty grueling, but otherwise a good time.

Good potential with medium content. Runs poorly with animations slowing down the more you click to move pieces. Mechanics are fair and simple. The later levels are only challenging do to lack of maneuverability. The UI options are lacking.

I like match games, I love this one with halloween theme. :D

In terms of mechanics and playability, you've done a good job. Controls work well, animations are smooth, and the game is easy to play. This is a slick Bejeweled clone with a nice Halloween theme.

Unfortunately, I agree with the other reviews regarding flaws. The game lacks polish. I appreciate the mute options, but why is there no way to restart a level, or at least to return to the main menu? These option usually appear on the pause menu (unless I missed something?) I should never have to reload the page just to restart a game or a level.

The difficulty is also a problem. This whole "do the game in one shot" concept is confounding, particularly for this sort of puzzle game, in which you can run out of matches. Having to play around with the tiles in order to clear a tough corner piece can effectively end your game. Count me among the reviews who struggled just to beat level 2. I did make it level 4, only to lose when all I had left was... you guessed... it one tough corner piece. Also, having double dirt tiles right there on level 1 was a little surprising, particularly since we only have 2:30 to beat it.

This style of game has been around for a long time, and there are a number of ways to correct these issues. You could give the player a limited number of "magic wands" to clear out one tough tile at a time (say, three wands per level). You could give the player extra lives, or the chance to win them. You could extend the time limit on each level, or make certain combo and/or special tiles that add to your time when you clear them.

And obviously, you could make it so new levels unlock when you beat the previous. You could make the unlocked levels accessible from the map screen.

You should also add a "scramble" option, even if it can only be used once or twice per level.

In fact, this sort of motif would work well with "magic spell" concepts that allow to you add time, scramble candy, destroy dirt tiles, etc. You could start the levels with one of each, or earn them by making combos, filling meters, or breaking special items.

The possibilities are endless, but I think you should do *something* in deference to players who want to put some time into this game and have hope of winning.

Also, I swear I saw the words, "No more moves" come up one the screen once, but then I continued the level with plenty of moves available. Do the tiles scramble when you run out of moves, or was that a glitch?

I don't want seem too negative. This is a fun game with a good holiday theme, and you handled the mechanics well. I always say that's the most important part. But it should receive a full 4 stars if you can fix those issues. I also want to answer something you said below: a creator can find him or herself too close to the product to make a fair judgement. If you're not certain whether a game is too easy, too hard, too boring, or anything else, don't be afraid to hand it off to someone you trust before posting it. Sometimes, you need someone on the outside to take a look.

turtlesf responds:

That "no more moves" shows up when that's detected, and it scrambles the items and continues on with the game. The boards are so large it rarely comes up. The game engine was originally made for a website that only allows this style of game (play it in one go). It goes back to menu on game over/complete though. I plan on implementing one or two of these things to make the game less difficult, probably a continue? button and maybe a shuffle button. Thank you for the detailed review and suggestions.

Credits

Stats, Info & More

Score
3.12 / 5.00