Homescapes
- September 19, 2017
- Playrix
- 5h median play time
Homescapes is an adventure game that combines home design and match-3 puzzle elements. Players help Austin the butler restore a beautiful old mansion while enjoying the game's wonderful graphics, good soundtrack, and plenty of humor. However, be prepared for grinding, numerous ads, bugs, and potentially excessive in-app purchases. The game's description: "Redesign a beautiful old mansion solving puzzles along the way!" accurately conveys the core gameplay experience.
Reviews
- The game is fun and engaging, with a variety of levels and challenges.
- Great graphics and storyline that keeps players interested.
- The ability to decorate and renovate the house adds a unique element to the gameplay.
- Many levels are excessively difficult, often requiring players to spend money to progress.
- The game frequently crashes or fails to load after updates, causing frustration.
- The advertising is misleading, as the gameplay does not match the promotional content.
- monetization1,817 mentions
- 4 % positive mentions
- 6 % neutral mentions
- 90 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game has drawn significant criticism due to its misleading advertisements, which promise engaging puzzle-solving gameplay that is largely absent in the actual game. Players report that the game primarily consists of match-3 mechanics similar to Candy Crush, with the advertised mini-games appearing infrequently, leading to frustration and a perception of the game as a cash grab. While some users appreciate the lack of intrusive ads, many express dissatisfaction with the aggressive push for in-app purchases, particularly as levels become increasingly difficult without spending money.
“Best thing about the game is no ads!”
“There are in-game purchases, but they are not absolutely necessary to play the game.”
“I have not spent a penny so far on in-app purchases and am currently on level 8700!”
“The ads for this game are 100% misleading.”
“This game used to be fun and casual, but now it has turned into a cash grab.”
“The game feels rigged to try and force in-app purchases.”
- story1,019 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The game's story is often described as engaging and cute, featuring a home renovation theme intertwined with character interactions and mini-games. However, many players express frustration with the slow progression of the storyline, which requires completing numerous challenging levels to earn stars for story-related tasks. While the graphics and character design are praised, the gameplay is frequently compared to Candy Crush, leading to mixed feelings about the balance between story and gameplay mechanics.
“The story is very wholesome, and I love following it.”
“The soundtrack is beautiful and the storyline is immersive and well written.”
“I love the story and how unique the protagonist is!”
“The storyline is absurdly slow.”
“The story is weak and unbelievable, and the game just doesn't go forward.”
“The story makes you want to continue with the game even when you're stuck on a level.”
- graphics409 mentions
- 72 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
Overall, the graphics of the game are widely praised for their vibrant colors, smooth animations, and detailed artwork, contributing to an engaging visual experience. Many players appreciate the aesthetic appeal and the effort put into the design, although some express disappointment with inconsistencies between in-game graphics and promotional materials. While the visuals are generally considered a strong point, several reviews note that the gameplay can become frustratingly difficult, overshadowing the positive aspects of the graphics.
“The graphics are great and I have never had any problems in gameplay.”
“The graphics are superb.”
“The graphics, artwork, and development are astounding!”
“The graphics are mediocre at best.”
“The graphics for the main character and house are cool, but once you get to the game they are off-putting and kinda lame.”
“The plot seems boring, boosters are put in the way, you have to waste moves on pieces that just appeared and have no progress value, the hints don't factor in the level objectives, graphics are pretty basic, and they hold a chunk of your coins hostage so you pay actual money for a safe.”
- gameplay340 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 66 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay has been described as visually appealing and initially enjoyable, primarily revolving around a match-3 mechanic similar to Candy Crush, but many players express frustration over its repetitive nature and misleading advertisements that do not accurately represent the actual gameplay. Users report that the game becomes increasingly difficult, often requiring in-game purchases to progress, which detracts from the overall experience. While some appreciate the story and graphics, the overwhelming sentiment is that the gameplay lacks variety and is heavily reliant on luck rather than skill, leading to a tedious and sometimes infuriating experience.
“Gameplay is fun at first, swapping pieces like Bejeweled but with additional challenges, boosters, or combinations.”
“The graphics are top-notch, the gameplay is addicting, and the characters stand out in their unique way.”
“The gameplay is enjoyable, and the story is solid, making it a fun experience overall.”
“It's a huge waste of time; if you are coming to play this game from the ads, don't bother, that's not the gameplay.”
“The gameplay is nothing remotely like the ads.”
“The ads for this game are not reflective of what the gameplay is like, not in any way.”
- stability187 mentions
- 2 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 98 % negative mentions
The game's stability has been heavily criticized following recent updates, with numerous users reporting frequent freezes, crashes, and glitches that hinder gameplay. Many players express frustration over losing progress and rewards due to these issues, which often require restarting the app to resolve. Overall, the game's stability is perceived as poor, significantly detracting from the overall enjoyment and playability.
“I simply love this game; the graphics, the design, everything is just perfect. No glitches or crashes, and it is really challenging.”
“It's so fun! Even in 2022, it's so nice—no bugs and no glitches, most importantly.”
“Other than that, I am not experiencing any glitches, and the game is running great.”
“The game freezes and you cannot continue unless you restart the game.”
“Great addictive game, however, since the winter update, the game doesn't start anymore; it freezes at the loading screen. Even reinstalling it from scratch only loaded on the 4th try, and a day after it gets stuck on the loading screen again.”
“Game freezes up (background keeps moving but doesn't give you rewards, let you select the next level/options or any icon) after beating levels, and you have to restart the app to unfreeze it.”
- grinding81 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game has been widely criticized for becoming tedious and frustrating, with many players expressing that it detracts from the overall enjoyment. Users report spending excessive time on difficult levels with minimal rewards, leading to a sense of boredom and discouragement. While the game starts off fun, the increasing difficulty and repetitive nature of tasks often result in a grind that feels more like a chore than an engaging experience.
“It's gone from a fun, relaxing game I look forward to playing to a tedious and frustrating bore.”
“The levels and requirements to do the tasks are making this game annoying and tedious.”
“You end up grinding the same stage for days because 'hard' and 'super hard' stages end up coming so often that you just can't move the story along.”
- music59 mentions
- 41 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for being relaxing, beautiful, and well-suited to the gameplay, with many players enjoying its smooth jazz elements. However, some users have reported issues with the music disappearing or being annoying at times, particularly the intro track. Overall, the soundtrack enhances the immersive experience, although players appreciate the option to turn it off if desired.
“The soundtrack is beautiful and the storyline is immersive and well written.”
“The music is relaxingly chill and the colors really pop off the screen.”
“The jazz music is relaxing as you work through the levels and it's rewarding to collect stars, even for the most mundane tasks.”
“I've been playing for a while now and I love the game; however, that intro music when you first turn the game on is super obnoxious.”
“Cons: the music is so bad, I turned it off.”
“I thought I hated donuts, bubbles, and frosted cookies, but nothing compares to my hatred of musical notes.”
- humor55 mentions
- 91 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is generally well-received, with players finding it interesting, funny, and a good stress reliever, often highlighting the amusing storylines and character interactions. However, there are criticisms regarding misleading advertisements that do not reflect the actual gameplay, leading to disappointment among some users. Overall, while many enjoy the humor, some feel it diminishes over time, especially when faced with challenging levels and pay-to-win mechanics.
“One feedback to the developers - there is every kind of room but no bedroom for Austin's parents in the mansion, I found it quite funny 🤭”
“It's really kind of a funny game. I've seen the commercials so many times and I was like that looks ridiculous, but it's actually really fun to play.”
“The app is fun to play, the characters are interactive and come up with some interesting and funny things to say randomly. It also encourages you when you've lost a game a lot.”
“The ad that they use is so low it's not funny.”
“It's not funny anymore.”
“I have spent so much money that it's not funny anymore.”
- emotional25 mentions
- 84 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
Players express a strong emotional connection to the game, often feeling moved to tears by its heartfelt storylines and relatable characters. While many appreciate the wholesome atmosphere and themes of restoration and friendship, some criticize the gameplay mechanics and pacing, which can lead to frustration and detract from the overall emotional experience. Despite these mixed feelings, the game's ability to evoke genuine emotions remains a standout feature for many players.
“Believe it or not, I just gave 5 stars to an app the moment I downloaded it because it's the first app that got me so emotional with tears in my eyes 😭 watching that poor lady and her kid get screwed by someone who looks rich and are freezing to death 😡.”
“Congratulations, I don't get emotional like this over games and hardly over TV or movies, but this intro really pissed me off where I want to be their hero 🥺.”
“Breaks my heart and I genuinely want to cry because I love this game.”
“All this to build up an ugly house for a boring story that you end up wanting to skip constantly.”
“The game just becomes about watching the boring story unfold, which I couldn't care less about.”
“Boring story, boring idea, and demotivating.”
- optimization13 mentions
- 62 % positive mentions
- 15 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is generally praised, with many users noting that it runs smoothly and is well-polished, with minimal bugs. However, some players have reported occasional slowdowns and frustrations related to specific gameplay mechanics. Despite these issues, the performance is often highlighted as a strong point, contributing positively to the overall experience.
“A lot of effort was put into the visuals, the sound design, and the performance of the game, and I applaud the people who worked on those things.”
“However, it's fairly polished: I haven't encountered a single bug or an instance of 'awkward' design; everything runs smoothly.”
“The optimization for smooth loading is impressive in its own right.”
“It's very frustrating to know you would have won a round if it weren't for the poorly programmed counterintuitive booster performance.”
“When comparing the levels with the original ones years back, you'll find the game has been optimized for pay-to-win.”
“Love this game, but I am having an issue with it running slowly lately.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Users express concerns about the game's replayability, noting that as levels increase in difficulty, it becomes less accessible for players without the means to purchase power-ups. They suggest that adjustments should be made to ensure a more balanced and enjoyable experience for all players.
“Because the higher your level goes, the harder it gets. Please make the levels more playable and not so difficult.”
“Some people don't have money to buy power-ups, so make the game more accessible.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere of restoration and friendship is overshadowed by its aggressive monetization practices, leading to a dissonance that detracts from the overall experience. While the potential for a wholesome environment exists, the focus on cash-grabbing undermines its appeal.
“The wholesome atmosphere of restoration and friendship has been completely undermined by all the insidious, greedy practices this game implements.”
- character development2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The character development in the game is praised for its depth, featuring well-crafted life goals, dramatic arcs, and intriguing secrets from the past, all contributing to a compelling story and character design.
“There's character development, life goals, drama, and secrets of the past.”
“Great story plot and character design!”
“The character development feels shallow and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with the protagonists.”
“I was disappointed by the lack of meaningful growth in the characters; their arcs felt predictable and uninspired.”
“While there are attempts at character development, it often feels forced and doesn't resonate with the overall story.”