Gossip Harbor®: Merge & Story

About

"Gossip Harbor®: Merge & Story is a puzzle game that combines merge mechanics with an engaging storyline and impressive visuals. In this game, you visit Brimwave Beach, where you'll merge, restore, and design different items to solve a fiery mystery. Despite having annoying ads, the game offers an enjoyable experience with its unique blend of merge gameplay and intriguing story."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Gossip Harbor®: Merge & Story screenshot

+17

81%

Audience ScoreBased on 10,000 reviews

story538 positive mentions

monetization684 negative mentions

The game has a fun art style and engaging storyline.
It offers a variety of mini-games and events to keep players entertained.
Players appreciate the lack of intrusive ads and the option to watch ads for rewards.

Energy depletes too quickly, making it difficult to progress without spending money.
The game often requires players to wait long periods for energy to recharge.
Many players feel the game is misleading in its advertising, not matching the gameplay shown in ads.

story
1,049 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
51%
43%
5%
The story aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it engaging and fun, while others criticize it for being slow-paced and repetitive. Some appreciate the cute graphics and character development, but express frustration over the energy mechanics that hinder story progression. Overall, while the storyline has its charm and intrigue, it often feels dragged out and disconnected from the gameplay, leading to a lack of investment for some players.
- “The storyline is interesting - for once, I actually read it instead of skipping it.”
- “I love the story itself besides with the merging.”
- “The story is actually good at drawing you in.”
- “The storyline is awful and the main character is an idiot, whose friends are just as dumb and immoral as her, but if you don't pay attention to that, you can at least waste your time in the mini games spamming merge items until you may or may not get the item you need with a laughably low number of turns before you run out.”
- “The plot moves along at a snail's pace and the main character, Quinn, is not likable.”
- “The actual 'story' is painfully slow to progress and not interesting enough to engage the gamer, and the protagonist isn't likable.”
monetization
844 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
4%
81%
The monetization strategy of the game has drawn significant criticism for being aggressive and misleading. Players report that after making in-app purchases, options to earn energy through ads diminish drastically, leading to frustration and a perception of a cash grab. While some appreciate the absence of intrusive ads, many express a desire for more opportunities to earn energy through watching ads, as the current system feels restrictive and punishing for those who spend money.
- “I really enjoy this game, no ads, and can run without Wi-Fi. Just wish you didn't burn through energy so fast.”
- “I love that there are no ads and no pressure to spend money.”
- “A lot of fun, no ads, and you can play without spending any money.”
- “This game is nothing like the ads (including the floating brain one) at all!”
- “The game is nice but once you put any money in (in my case $1 after almost a year of being free-to-play), they take away 60% of rewards you can get for watching ads, in hopes of extracting more money from you.”
- “I hate that your options for ads pretty much go away after you spend money; I was willing to spend money to support the game, but it's ridiculous to punish those players.”
graphics
187 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
76%
22%
2%
The graphics in Gossip Harbor are widely praised for their vibrant, cute, and engaging art style, contributing to an enjoyable gaming experience. Many players appreciate the smooth animations and customization options, although some express a desire for less clutter and more realistic designs. Overall, the visuals are considered a strong point of the game, enhancing its fun and immersive storyline.
- “I've always loved the graphics and the way you can customize and organize everything!”
- “Great graphics, loads of fun mini games in the play and really easy to understand.”
- “I love this game, the graphics are awesome, the storyline is super interesting, I love me a mystery.”
- “It's just a huge disappointment compared to the artwork done!”
- “The graphics are cute but the character and storyline are annoying.”
- “It is pretty good but the graphics could be better and it gets repetitive sometimes.”
gameplay
89 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
42%
6%
The gameplay in "Gossip Harbor" is generally described as fun and engaging, with a unique art style and interesting mechanics that keep players entertained. However, many users express frustration over misleading advertisements, repetitive gameplay, and a paywall that limits progress, leading to mixed feelings about the overall experience. While some appreciate the balance and challenges, others find the gameplay simplistic and the storyline lacking depth.
- “Each level offers a unique problem to solve, keeping the gameplay fresh and engaging.”
- “The gameplay and story are engaging, and I love that you can gift the characters and get side stories.”
- “Not only is the gameplay a lot of fun, but the storyline is also extremely interesting and keeps you on your toes!”
- “For a game with an ad criticizing misleading ads, their ad is very misleading. The gameplay is nothing like the ad; I played for a few days trying to see if there was an eventual mini-game like the ad, but nothing yet. The game gets very repetitive and boring very quickly.”
- “The gameplay is completely different from what is shown in the ad.”
- “Not even remotely close to the gameplay in ads; another disappointing pile of junk that is a copy and paste of other games. Save the bandwidth and space on the phone; this game is not worth either.”
stability
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
3%
88%
The stability of the game is a significant concern among users, with many reporting frequent crashes, freezes, and glitches that disrupt gameplay. While some players experience minimal issues, the majority express frustration over the game's unreliability, particularly during new events, leading to a need for constant reinstallation. Overall, the game's stability is described as poor, with calls for urgent updates to address these persistent problems.
- “It's pretty smooth, with no extra pop-up ads and no glitches.”
- “So far, no glitches.”
- “No glitches yet.”
- “I've always loved the game, but even though it's always been kind of buggy, it's almost unplayable now with how much it crashes and freezes.”
- “The game is quite fun; however, the glitches that crash the game are so consistent that I spend more time loading and reloading than actually playing.”
- “The game freezes a lot, and you lose free prizes; some of my rewards don't populate after you claim them.”
grinding
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players consistently find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and time-consuming, with many expressing frustration over the slow energy replenishment and the increasing difficulty of tasks. The merging mechanics, while initially enjoyable, quickly become repetitive and boring, leading to a sense of monotony. Despite some improvements, such as the introduction of a generator booster, the overall sentiment is that the game suffers from excessive grinding that detracts from the fun.
- “It's super tedious to 'merge' items because energy only lasts about 5 minutes but it takes 2 minutes per energy to replenish.”
- “The game comprises mostly of doing little tedious and redundant merges.”
- “I don't like that the tasks get more expensive and at the same time the kitchen tasks get harder to complete but the energy doesn't go up so it takes ages to get anywhere which will become tedious and boring soon.”
humor
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is widely appreciated, with players finding it cute, funny, and often entertaining, particularly in the context of in-game events and character interactions. While some users note frustrations with gameplay mechanics and ads, the overall sentiment leans towards the game being a lighthearted and enjoyable experience filled with amusing dialogue and scenarios.
- “The in-game events add a lot to do too and are really cute and often funny, especially when the house cat is involved!”
- “The story is intriguing and the characters are funny and cute.”
- “I like it, very cute and funny game; it is really fun and addicting to play.”
emotional
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
85%
15%
Users express frustration with the game's emotional appeal, criticizing it as manipulative and misleading compared to its advertisements. Many find the storyline boring and the gameplay tedious, feeling that it fails to deliver a genuine emotional experience. Overall, the emotional aspect is seen as a negative, with players preferring more authentic and wholesome narratives.
- “I've gone through months of seeing the ad we all know that led us here, cringing every time I see it, thinking it was some heart-wrenching story.”
- “Emotional 😭 because I love helping people.”
- “It makes me emotional.”
- “It's a boring storyline, with bombardments of pop-ups and having to press about five different things to claim something you've won. It's just a waste of time and nothing like what they advertise.”
- “Nothing like the adverts - boring story, slow gameplay, and very little brainpower required.”
music
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
54%
23%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising its charm and ability to enhance the overall experience, while others find it repetitive and annoying, particularly due to the lack of options to mute it. Many appreciate the cute and calming tunes, which contribute to a relaxing atmosphere, but there are calls for more variety to prevent the single track from becoming grating over time. Overall, the music is seen as a significant aspect of the game, though improvements are desired.
- “The music is also really great.”
- “I love the art, music, style, mini games, and the story.”
- “Love the graphics, peaceful calm music to relax your mind, and a welcome change of pace from the countless number of mindless match master apps.”
- “But please consider adding some new music; having the one song on loop throughout the entire game is driving me insane!”
- “In all my other games, there is an obvious spot to click on to mute the music (and their music is obnoxious, I would know—as a professional musician). There is no such obvious spot to do this.”
- “Music is a pain.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
Overall, users report that the game runs smoothly, but some express frustration with the lengthy energy refill times and a lack of creative bonuses to enhance gameplay.
- “Works and runs smoothly.”
- “Everything runs smoothly.”
- “The energy refill takes too much time, and there are very few daily bonuses to enhance game performance. It feels boring and lacks creativity.”
- “The optimization in this game is severely lacking, making it frustrating to progress without constant waiting.”
- “I find the game poorly optimized; it often lags and crashes, ruining the overall experience.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
150%
While the character designs are visually appealing and the gameplay is engaging, there is a notable desire for deeper character development, suggesting that players feel the characters could benefit from more growth and complexity.
- “I really adore this game. Despite this being my first time playing, it's really nice. The character designs are eye-pleasing, and the gameplay keeps my mind busy and active, which I love. Keep it up!”
- “The character development is lacking; I feel like the characters don't grow or change throughout the game.”
- “There is little to no depth in the character arcs, making it hard to connect with them.”
- “The characters feel one-dimensional, and their development is rushed and unconvincing.”