Stone Miner

 

Greetings mechanics and tinkerers!

Want to be updated when the next blog goes live? Join my newsletter at: https://tinyletter.com/Hakuzo

Today the steam-rollers are loaded up with: Stone Miner

Today I have a fast and quick blog for you. Today is a very simple game where you control a steam-roller and have to chop away rocks. There is no title screen as this game sends you straight into the game. You have to clear away most of the level to get 3 stars. The further away the stones are from the dock, the harder it is to break the rock. Overall, this game is very chill and relaxing.

Once your cart is full you have to drive back and sell the stones. You use these coins to upgrade the vehicle to be stronger or faster. If you want you could potentially upgrade everything with out actually playing the game by watching videos. I wouldn't recommend doing this as this game is so easy. At some points on the map you will find a mine cart that you can load up and it sells for you but you must use emeralds to buy it or watch a video. As you progress you unlock more buildings. A pet shop allows you to buy and upgrade pets that give you some buffs. These pets use emeralds to upgrade as well. Lastly is a factory which I have not open up yet.

There are about 20 some maps right now. You can work to get 3 stars and these will be used later on. There are rarely some events as well that show up, currently is halloween and it has a time-limit of how long you can play in the levels to earn pumpkins. (No screenshots for this event, sorry.)

Now you may be wondering what all these stars do; They allow you to buy buildings on your own personal island. You can then earn emeralds that are used to buy cosmetics for your vehicle. These are a premium currency but it's nice to see its farmable. Oh and you can choose a color for your building after you place it. You can only change the color of the last building placed though.

Lastly, a quick shot of the shop. Daily you get 3 free emeralds for just playing. This game is very generous for being a F2P with microtransactions. This is a nice game that removes a lot of the toxicity around this genre of game.

Overall:

 4 of 5 cogs.

This is a nice and relaxing game where there is no pressure at all. Once you get everything completed in the main game it looks like the events are pushovers. This is a great F2P game that you can easily play anytime you have a few minutes. It can be played offline but progress doesn't save properly.

Story:

 0 of 5 cogs.

Your story is on another island.

Amount of ads:

 many

The one downside is the number of ads you see or have to view. There is a banner ad on the bottom of the screen that displays all the time. You have many optional ads you can watch and sometimes you get a forced video ad during certain parts of the game. Other than that, the ads are fairly tame compared to most games like this. It is chill about trying to force you to spend money and it is refreshing to see that.

Accurate Advertising?:

💯%

Yup, the videos for this game is straightforward and no clickbait here. 

Graphics:

 4 of 5 cogs.

The graphics are very simplistic and only flat colored 3d objects. Some of the cosmetics are better looking than other games in this genra.

Gameplay:

 4 of 5 cogs.

A simple game that anyone can easily play and complete. This game is relaxing to play at any pace.

Free play:

💯%

No need to throw your hard earned cogs around for this one. The game is very generous to you and you can earn everything in a fairly short time of play.

Fun factor:

🏭 contstuctful.

Are you an indy programmer or game dev?

If so, you can leave a comment or contact me on social media for a chance to have an interview with you posted to my blog. I am looking for many devs that focus on mobile programming. If you have a cross-platform game, that is fine too as long as it's on mobile.

Thank You for reading my blog. Please consider donating to the tip jar as these are tough times and every bit helps. You can get updates by joining my newsletter. If you enjoy these reviews please show others this blog by retweeting or liking my posts on social media.

Throw a cog(tip using PayPal) to your blogger.

Match Tile 3D

Want to be updated when the next blog goes live? Join my newsletter at: https://tinyletter.com/Hakuzo

Greetings mechanics and tinkerers!

Today the mechanical Tunnel Rats bring you: Match Tile 3d

Today's game is a very fast and simple one. There is no title screen for this game and it goes straight into it. This will be a short and sweet blog today. So strap in for the short flight.

The first button at the bottom brings up a lot of microtransactions that are very expensive. You also have only one currency in this game. These coins are only uses to buy temporary one-use power-ups.

The second tab will change once when you join a team. You can request lives once a day if you run out.

The frouth tab is the team tab. This is where you go to join a team to get bonuses or refill hearts.

According to the leaderboard, there are thousands of levels. I don't know how long this game will keep your attention but it is very fast and easy game that anyone can play.

The game starts off with just a hand full of items. You have to match 3 items at a time and you have a limited number spaces. You can have three sets of 2 matches and anytime you can match the third to clear it. If the bar fills up fully you will lose the round and a life. It follows pretty standard hyper-casual mobile games. Sometimes you have to dig out the times by matching stuff on top or using a power-up.

Overall:

 4 of 5 cogs.

This is a game for all ages and a great time to relax. The game will become more complex and a lot of the items have similar colors or shapes. As you keep playing you unlock chests that give you coins for power-ups.

Story:

 0 of 5 cogs.

None.

Amount of ads:

 Too many.

There are many ads. There is a banner ad that always displays at the bottom of the screen. Also everytime you complete a level you get a forced video ad.

Accurate Advertising?:

💯%

The videos show a simulated hand selecting items at random and not trying to make any matches. As for the google play store, the screenshots matches the game.

Graphics:

 5 of 5 cogs.

The graphics are simple and cartoony 3D objects. Each object has a gravity physics attached to them and they jumble around as you pick them up.

Gameplay:

 4 of 5 cogs.

This is a very simple and repetitive game. Most people may get bored of this game unless they are dedicated to climbing the leader board.

Free play:

💯%

This game is very feasible to play for free if you are skilled enough. There are many ads that do deter from the play experience.

Fun factor:

😐 Average.

Thank You for reading my blog. Please consider donating to the tip jar as these are tough times and every bit helps. You can follow by email or via follow on desktop websites. f you enjoy these reviews please show others this blog by retweeting or liking my posts on social media.

Throw a cog(tip using PayPal) to your blogger.

Idle Brick Breaker

Want to be updated when the next blog goes live? Join my newsletter at: https://tinyletter.com/Hakuzo

Greetings mechanics and tinkerers!

Today, the mechanical spiders of the web bring you: Idle Brick Breaker

Today's game is another one filled with neon art. A simple game that you watch more than play.

The game has two currencies. Dollars and gems. Gems are premium currency used to buy upgrades. You get level after level of random block shapes with increasing hp. You can gain diamonds from tasks or every so often challenges show up. Very rarely, bricks can have a single gem.

Balls, at least 12 different kinds. The first button with the purple ball brings to the ball menu. You get a random 3 to choose from. Each one does different things. Poison balls make bricks take more damage from other balls. The prices to upgrade these become silly, fast.

The bulk of your powerups come from these cards from the second button with the magenta square. These upgrades take a lot of premium currency.

The yellow bolt is a menu that holds temporary upgrades or tasks to earn premium currency. Very time consuming for very little offered. 

Prestige is the way you reset. You gain massive bonuses that help you progress along with the infinite resets.

Perks show up under levels. These last for one prestige. When you hit certain levels, you get a perk. They give you boosts until you decide to restart from level 1 again.

Overall :

 4 of 5 cogs.

The game is simple, but you spend more time watching. You can click on a block to do 1 point of damage. There is no upgrade I found to increase that damage.

Story:

 0 of 5 cogs.

Your story is in another dirigible. 

Amount of ads:

 

None except for optional ones that give very limited powerups or dollars.

Accurate Advertising?:

💯%

Straight forward. All video ads I've seen match the content exactly.

Graphics:

 

2 of 5 cogs.

Simple, hyper-casual game graphics. This game was most likely created by a single person, in a short amount of time.

Gameplay:

2 of 5 cogs.

Just an idle game with limited interactivity. You spend time just staring at the screen or letting it idle offline.

Free play:

90%

Free to play and get everything but it is very grindy to do so.

Fun factor:

💤 sleep-inducing.

Thank You for reading my blog. Please consider donating to the tip jar as these are tough times and every bit helps. You can follow by email or via follow on desktop websites. If you enjoy these reviews please show others this blog.

Throw a cog(tip using PayPal) to your blogger.

Wood Turning (simulator)

Today's game:

Wood Turning (simulator) by Voodoo 

Want to be updated when the next blog goes live? Join my newsletter at: https://tinyletter.com/Hakuzo

You can find the game here: Wood Turning

This is a game I've seen advertised in several mobile game ads. This game is short, simple and well... Glitchy. 

The basics:

You start off with a chunk of wood, metal or even fruit. You use either one of the three tools to carve away the material until you get as close to the shape as possible.

Once you move on, you use a sponge/sandpaper that you control the width of it. A sponge seems very unusual for such a task. You will move it around to smooth out all the curves.

At this point, the game crashed when I tried to take a screenshot, so these next screencaps are from another play:

Now onto spray painting. The last 3 colors are locked behind videos you must watch to open them up. That feels very silly to me.

Now for the last step. You can not skip this step:

As you can see here, there are several locked. You start off only with the first two unlocked. The rest are unlocked via video or $3,000 in-game currency. It is the only thing you can use the money right now.

After you peel off the stencil, parts of the original material are revealed. It's not even very pretty. Then you collect money based on how well you copied the original shape. Rinse. Repeat. Infinite♾️.

Overall:

 3 of 5 cogs.

Overall, the game is fun for about 10 minutes. The game is very forgettable. On Google play, you can find a long list of clones, which I can not say is better or not. 

Amount of ads:

High levels

This game is loaded with Ads. You get a mini thumbnail ad at the start. You get ads between each step that can be skipped after 5 seconds. I recommend unlocking the three colors then play with airplane mode on. (More about ads and this kind of game later in the blog.)

Advertised as seen:

🌟 💯%

You get what is shown in previews. Simple, straightforward and no real meat to the game.

Graphics:

 1 of 5 cogs.

The graphics are very simple and lack anything beyond the 3d part of the game. The stencils ruin the finished product and make it look ugly.

The different kind of material is a small interest but doesn't add much.

Audio:

0 of 5 cogs.

Non-existent. No sound effects, no music. The only noticeable thing is the phone vibrates as you lathe.

Gameplay:

 3 of 5 cogs.

Simple and fast to pick up and put down. It is very repetitive and boring. 

Free play:

 🌟💯%

This game is 100% free to play at this time. No microtransactions. No loot crates. But this game eats data for videos. Watch the initial 3 for colors and play in airplane mode.

Fun factor:

🤨 Variable. It starts out fun, ends mediocre.

Once again, fun for a short time.