Lost Amulets: Mystic Land

[quote][url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32732116-IndieGems/]Follow our curator page: [b]IndieGems[/b] if you like and want to see more reviews like this one.[/url][/quote] [h1]Story:[/h1] Restore the balance and harmony to nature by finding and restoring the all five lost amulets. [h1]Gameplay:[/h1] The main gameplay of mystic land exists out of a mah-jong like tile game and hidden object game mix along with a bonus ‘wheel of fortune’ that has various mini games like bingo, memory, tangram etc. The wheel’s mini games are skippable if you don’t feel like doing them but keep in mind you can get jade stones with them. These jade stones can also be found and picked up throughout the levels – got to admit it happened often they didn’t catch my eye- and are used for hints and others. A bit of a currency for when you’re stuck. I haven’t used any of them so far. The tile like mah-jong game was a refreshing take in my opinion, as playing it like this was completely new to me and a little later on another fun variation got added where the tile is hidden if you don’t hover your mouse over it. You can choose out of six different tilesets in the options so you can alter them to your taste along with an option to show the tiles more colourful to make matching easier. As for the hidden object scenery, it was a mix of normal hidden objects, matching the silhouette of the hidden object, and finding x-amount of items… So there is variation, which is good or it would become dull, repetitive and boring too fast. There are two game modes you can pick from. Relaxed which is non timed and casual which is timed. After playing a few levels you also unlock zen mah-jong which is mah-jong as you’re used to playing it. Very nice to have that as an extra on the side with also the option for relaxed or casual. Also worthy to mention is that you’re provided with clear instructions and tips which is lovely for people who are not that experienced. [h1]Visuals:[/h1] Clear, clean, themed and lovely in all its simplicity. [h1]Sound:[/h1] I’m one of those people that if I don’t like the sound, I’ll mute it and go to youtube or so to have a sound I do like. But I have to say, so far I haven’t muted it yet and I’m not sure if I will. Sometimes the music was a bit more relaxing, sometimes a bit more upbeat and there’s moments I was so focused I didn’t even pay attention to it at all. I can say the music is also to theme and fits the game well. That there was variation and not an endless -always the same loop was nice. [h1]Controles:[/h1] If you have a working finger and a pc mouse you’re good to go as it is all you need. [h1]Issues:[/h1] I haven’t experienced any so far so nothing more I can put here. Which is a good thing! [h1]Closing word:[/h1] I enjoyed playing so far but I wouldn’t binge play it all the way to the very end, nor play every day. But I definitely will return to it when I feel like taking on a versatile puzzle game that has elements I like and complete it bit by bit. I took the relaxing modus on purpose because sometimes that’s exactly what I need and want, just simple pure enjoyment. A breather and break from hard or exhausting games. It was what I hoped for when I chose this mode and it was what I got. So for me, perfect. Depending on your taste in puzzles and your play style, this may be worth it to pick up and give it a try. If you do, I truly hope it can give you the same low-effort, relaxing enjoyment as it does for me. With love, Tchii [quote]I received the product for free. I did not receive any compensation to write this review. The opinions represented here are entirely my own and were not influenced in any way.[/quote]

[b]lost amulets[/b] is a series of casual games, mostly mahjong and hidden object scenes with other mini-games sprinkled on top. this is the 3rd entry, but without any narrative to tie them together, they can be played in any order. according to the developer's website, the first 3 games all came out in 2009, then again in 2015, and this one made its steam debut in 2022, with the 4th (originally from 2020) coming later. not sure what the differences are, if any, between the releases. they're also available on mobile, free to try, 3-4 bucks to unlock the full games, so [b]the pc version costs twice as much[/b], which is never good. [u]mystic land[/u] is the main game mode with [b]50 levels[/b], can be played [b]with or without a timer[/b] (why the timed version is called 'casual' is beyond me). [b]no level selection[/b] is a major downside, can't replay already completed stages. in true mahjong fashion, the game starts with a [b]hidden object scene[/b]. in fact, in fact, every other level is hidden object. combo bonus if you find them in quick succession, hints are available, plus a counter showing the number of things left to find. jades also hide in plain sight, they can be spent on hints, and too much random clicking darkens the screen. mahjong levels have non-typical matching gameplay, as you have to [b]find tiles highlighted on the bottom of the screen, not just any old available pair[/b]. nice change of pace. combos work here too if there are multiple available tiles of the same kind, frantic clicking is penalized as well. jades are used for [b]power-ups[/b] (hint, shuffle, remove tiles). there are joker tiles and 'memory tiles' only reveal their face while the cursor is over them. not much memorization involved, you can keep revealing them, it's more of a minor annoyance. [u]zen mahjong[/u] is unlocked after a few levels. it's regular matching of any available pairs, match the 2 golden tiles to finish the level. choice between timed and untimed, jades for power-ups, including undo, which wouldn't make sense in the other variant. it's not endless/random but no idea how many levels there are. [b]skippable bonus levels[/b] come up regularly with different mini-games [b]chosen randomly[/b] by spinning a wheel. they don't count towards the 50 regular levels. [b]bingo[/b] has a bunch of moving numbered balls, click the same numbers on your bingo sheet until they're all gone. mindless clicking works here just fine, jades are your reward. other mini-games are [b]matching[/b] (a bunch of colored symbols, find the only identical pair among them), [b]tiling[/b] (jigsaw-like with symmetrical patterns, not bad) and [b]memory[/b] (open tiles, find matches). nice presentation, pretty good music, instructions on how to play. separate volume settings, 5 mahjong tilesets with the option to mix or randomize them, windowed mode (smaller, non-resizable), optional tips and help pop-ups. the 'show colorful tiles' option adds background colors to tiles to distinguish them more easily. settings are only available in the main menu, sadly, but [b]mid-level progress is saved[/b]. didn't expect it even if that's how every game should work. since it's [b]half hog and only half mahjong[/b] (or third and third if you count the bonus levels), I didn't finish it. really don't enjoy the former and there was way too much of it for my taste. if you like both things though, it's worth checking out.

I normally don't like mahjong games, but the mechanic used in Lost Amulets made the game for me. Instead of clicking on 2 matching tiles in the stack, you match a tile in the stack with one of the tiles displayed in the row at the bottom. Every so often you get lucky cat tiles which are wild tiles in the bottom row to keep you from running out of moves and having to reshuffle, which is my major complaint with most games in the genre as I often find myself reshuffling over and over just to get through a level. About half of the main game is this type of mahjong play and the other half is HOG. Several bonus pearls are hidden in every level which you can use to get hints, reshuffle the tiles or remove some tiles. Every few levels you get a chance to play one of four different minigames: memory card matching, find the pair in a set of scenes, assembling a mosaic pattern puzzle, and a "bingo" game which is a different take on the marble popper genre where you click on a number in the bingo card when you see the matching number marble appearing in the chain. The minigames are optional, but will award more pearls for completing them. After playing a bit of the main game, the Zen mahjong mode unlocks, which is the traditional pick 2 tiles mahjong style. There are around 50 levels in the main game and 16 or 18 (sorry, I lost count) levels in the Zen mode, which also features the same bonus minigames in between the mahjong boards. The objects to find in the HOS are rather tiny, so might be better played in fullscreen. I also found the "casual" (timed) mode to be rather difficult as the timer is not generous at all once you get past the first amulet. If you are a completionist who has to get the best possible accuracy and/or find all the bonus pearls in every level, much better to play in relaxed mode.

This is a remake of "Liong, the Lost Amulets". Some updates are good, others I didn't like so much, and some things are not updated at all. What's new: hidden object scenes have a variety of styles like named, "find all", and silhouette (I love these new modes). The hidden numbers are now a bit 3d, so they stand out more (less challenging, I miss the old ones). The yin-yang medals are bigger and brighter and stand out more (same as numbers, I miss the old style). There are some new types of items to find (I like the new things!). Overall the feel is similar to the original game but the graphics are updated and some of the items have an updated design. The "Matching" items are new and not very challenging at all, ,even 5-pearl level (on the Bonus Game in between some levels). I wish it was a little more challenging. (also the origami set is the same as in the original game) The Bingo 5-pearl level is more challenging and fun! There is a "Random" option for the mahjongg tile sets, which picks a tile set for you before each game. I love this option! The bright pattern tiles are brighter and more colorful, but unavailable tiles are pale until they become available. Some of the traditional and nature tile designs are updated. Jade pearl design is updated, and I think there are only 2 on mahjongg levels but I admit I only noticed a few times so it might be different on different levels. What's old: All of the "Tiling" (bonus game between some levels) are exactly the same as the original game. I don't know why they didn't just make some new tiling? The "story line", the amulet designs, and the placement of the gems in the amulets is the same. The music is the same. Which I liked, so I'm good with! The words made from the golden tiles on the levels are the same. Overall it's a good remake and a very solid Mahjongg game!

A variety of simple puzzles are solved to achieve an overarching goal. I liked the clear instructions and the option to turn off the timer and play in relaxed mode. This game is a low-frustration experience.

I only ever played the original game (also had lost amulets in the name) when I was a kid and never knew there were more games, it's honestly a great blast from the past for me and still an enjoyable game.

A very relaxing variant of mahjong! Highly recommend!

trying to find the pearls before the end of each game

I've enjoyed this developer's twistingo games, so I thought this was worth a gamble. While it's equally well executed, I just don't enjoy the collection of minigames here nearly as much. The two main puzzle types are hidden object (search by name, or by outline), and a mahjong themed tile matching game. The hidden object games are decent, with well hidden objects, but just are not that much fun with a lot of staring at the computer screen to find the last few hidden objects. The tile-matching is just a boring zero-strategy slog, with a set of five tiles along the bottom that you search for among the tiles on the board. There are also a large set of more enjoyable "bonus" games which you get assigned randomly between hidden object or matching levels. Weird design mechanic. On the whole I can't say this is bad, exactly, with excellent graphics and music, and smooth controls, but I also have many other games I'd rather play.

Keeps you entertained for the money. Found it very good with different games to play