4 Elements
- July 12, 2010
- Playrix Entertainment
- 20h median play time
Get on Steam"4 Elements" is a charming and captivating puzzle game with a gripping storyline and beautiful animation. Your goal is to restore the ancient kingdom by unlocking 4 books of magic and collecting 16 mysterious cards. With 64 levels, 20 bonus tasks, a rich variety of magic creatures, and stunning visual effects, this game offers a fun and challenging experience.
PC
Windows
Linux
Nintendo 3ds
Nintendo Dsi
Reviews
- Engaging mix of match-3 gameplay with hidden object and spot-the-difference elements.
- Beautiful graphics and relaxing music create an enjoyable atmosphere.
- Challenging levels that progressively increase in difficulty, keeping the gameplay interesting.
- Repetitive gameplay can lead to boredom, especially in later levels.
- Camera movement can obstruct views, making it difficult to see certain areas.
- The game lacks replayability as players cannot revisit completed levels without starting over.
- story103 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally considered minimal and cliché, serving primarily as a backdrop for the match-3 gameplay rather than a focal point. While some players appreciate the cute and whimsical elements, many find the narrative predictable and lacking depth, often feeling it detracts from the overall experience. Overall, the story is seen as a light addition that may appeal to casual players but is not essential to the enjoyment of the puzzles.
“It's a classic match 3 or more casual game with an extensive fantasy storyline, as well as find-it puzzles.”
“The story, while very limited in scope, is a nice touch and it adds on to the overall theme of the game.”
“Very well made, and the storyline is cute.”
“The game should only take you around 6-8 hours to complete and the story is basically non-existent, so I would not worry about anything said by the fairy in the game or even give a worth of a hoot to the intro.”
“But the game is dragged down by a boring, cliché, contrived 'story' that's duct taped around the game and adds absolutely no value to it, nor does it have any bearing on the game itself.”
“Unfortunately, the presentation and 'story' are as clichéd as anything I have ever witnessed in a game.”
- graphics68 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 51 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally described as colorful and appealing, with nice animations and artwork, though they often appear dated and lack resolution options. While some players find the visuals charming and engaging, others criticize the low graphical fidelity and limited customization, suggesting that a graphical update would enhance the overall experience. Despite these shortcomings, many reviewers note that the graphics do not detract significantly from the gameplay, which remains enjoyable.
“4 Elements has nice colorful 2D graphics with some shiny flashy animations and rewarding sounds when breaking jewels.”
“The graphics are beautiful and the music is relaxing.”
“The artwork is quite beautiful to say the least, which brings me to what I consider the only downside of the game: that being that there's no option to change the resolution, so you either have to play it in a tiny window or fullscreen, which works alright but feels a bit stretched out.”
“The biggest problem with the game is the low resolution graphics.”
“Your options are limited to playing fullscreen with horribly stretched graphics and the desktop suffering or playing in a tiny window too small to see anything.”
“One big drawback is the low graphical fidelity of the game.”
- gameplay59 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay is a blend of drawing-based, tile-matching mechanics, and various mini-games, including visual puzzles and spot-the-difference challenges, which keeps it engaging and varied. While some players find the gem-matching aspect repetitive over time, the game compensates with unique mechanics, power-ups, and visually appealing animations that enhance the overall experience. Despite occasional visibility issues and a lack of depth in the storyline, the game is praised for its casual, relaxing nature and solid level design, making it suitable for both kids and adults.
“It combines drawing-based, tile-matching gameplay with some visual puzzles and spot-the-difference minigames.”
“The gameplay is excellent: simple, solid mechanics, good level design, nice graphics and sound produce a game which is fun and, in later levels, challenging enough to give a sense of achievement when you complete the game.”
“The gameplay is really relaxing and well made, since you can connect more colors to make bigger combos.”
“The game adds 3-4 different types of obstructions by that point, largely removing the satisfying 'exploding everything with long chains' gameplay of the early levels.”
“What can I say, I want nothing more than to say this is a juvenile puzzle game with a cutesy story, and zero real plot development and terrible graphics and gameplay.”
“So repetitive gameplay, slow progress and a storyline you'd rather kill than follow.”
- music51 mentions
- 51 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, described as pleasant, relaxing, and fitting for the gameplay, though some players noted it can be repetitive. Many reviews highlight the soundtrack's ability to enhance the gaming experience, making it enjoyable and soothing, while a few found it less engaging or even boring. Overall, the music contributes positively to the game's atmosphere, with several players expressing a desire to purchase the soundtrack.
“The music is very well done and fits gameplay perfectly.”
“A really relaxing and outstanding soundtrack.”
“Every click of a button results in a harmonious tap or chime, rewarding your headway with a rush of flowing water or wisp of wind, weaving an encouraging musical atmosphere as you restore the world around you.”
“Music is repetitive and boring.”
“This one is just pretentious, and the music puts me to sleep.”
“The music is rather repetitive.”
- replayability14 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players find enjoyment in improving their speed through levels, others feel limited by the lack of diverse modes and the necessity to replay the same levels. The absence of features like a freeplay mode or options to modify gameplay elements detracts from its overall replay value, leading to a consensus that it could benefit from more variety to enhance replayability.
“Because of the mechanics, there is a good bit of replayability.”
“13 hours for $4 and definite replayability?”
“Surprisingly enjoyable and replayable.”
“Not sure how much replay value there is, as I'm pretty sure you would just replay the levels over again.”
“- no real replayability.”
“That, however, does negate the game's replay value unless you like going through the same levels again. The music is great and offers a soothing distraction from the fact that you're being timed on every level.”
- grinding5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and monotonous, particularly criticizing the repetitive nature of tasks like spot-the-difference puzzles. While the initial concept is appealing, many feel that the gameplay quickly becomes boring and lacks engagement, leading to a desire for more varied experiences.
“For me, there are two big flaws: the tediousness of the game and the sharp curve in the puzzles.”
“First, the game is very tedious.”
“Concept is nice, but after the first few levels, it gets boring and tedious.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is generally well-received, with players finding it unexpectedly entertaining and funny, particularly due to the presence of a fairy character reminiscent of Navi. However, some critiques mention that the story is lacking and the gameplay can be overly simplistic, which detracts from the overall comedic experience.
“Really funny game, didn't expect much by the images, thinking it was another free-fall-like game, but it manages to be really entertaining with a pretty good curve of difficulty. :D”
“Overall, I wouldn't recommend the game unless you are really a match-3 fan and find it funny to have a fairy at your side making you think of Navi.”
“Funny match-3 game with good but low-res graphics, nice OST, and a really bad story.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, frequently freezing for 1-5 seconds every few minutes during gameplay, while other applications remain responsive. This indicates that the problem is isolated to the game itself.
“The game very regularly freezes up while playing a level, becoming completely unresponsive for 1-5 seconds at a time, sometimes several times a minute.”
“Browser, Steam client, Notepad, Task Manager, and Windows menu all respond fluently at the time the game freezes, so it is very clearly just the game window.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere is characterized by a harmonious blend of sound and nature, where each action is accompanied by soothing taps and chimes, creating an immersive experience that enhances the sense of progress and restoration in the game world.
“Every click of a button results in a harmonious tap or chime, rewarding your progress with a rush of flowing water or a wisp of wind, weaving an encouraging musical atmosphere as you restore the world around you.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The monetization of the game is viewed negatively by users, with some labeling it a "cash grab" due to a lack of ongoing support and unresolved issues, leading to frustration despite the game's functionality on certain systems.
“I'm tempted to downvote simply because the devs and Steam are not making these issues avoidable, and this is basically a cash grab title that is no longer supported.”
“The monetization strategy feels exploitative, as it seems like the developers are more focused on making money than providing a quality gaming experience.”
“It's frustrating to see so many features locked behind paywalls, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending extra money.”
