Neptunia

In Brief

Neptunia is a falling block match three game with an underwater theme.

Installation:

Neptunia downloads to a 32.5 MB zip file that unzips to three files, (a setup.gcd security wrapper, the set-up file and a read me). Those with multiple hard drives can save games on any drive they wish. The newly installed game is MB in size. The game installs to the following path by default, but can be changed by the user if you prefer:

C:\Program Files (x86)\MyPlayCity.com\ Neptunia

Four shortcuts are installed to the desktop. three of which can be safely deleted (Play Online Games, MyPlayCity Games and shortcuts to a free online game which vary each week). Also, if you don't like icons installed to the quick launch task bar, make sure you uncheck the box when the additional tasks window appears (after the Select Start Menu Folder window)

Introduction:

For hundreds of years people tried to guess the secrets of the seas. Generation by generation fathers were telling their sons about mysteries which dark frightening waters kept. Nobody knew then what was there at the bottom. But the stories were so capturing and full of puzzles that many of young men tried to solve them. They prepared for long dangerous trips in attempts to discover new creatures they had heard about in their childhood. And sometimes those fairy tales turned out to be a reality. Now we can't say how many of them became victims of their own curiosity, but it is obvious that the mystery still remains the same. What is there in those seas? If you still haven't read tales about magic lands and civilizations, you have a perfect chance to learn a lot about them. Everything will depend upon your desire and imagination. Neptunia will show you a lot of things you haven't seen before. Try to be attentive while moving stones. Special bonuses will help you on your way. All you need is to be careful and release stones with crosses to proceed. Don't be shy, make attempts to reach excellent results and become an experienced player. Pleasant sounds and colorful elements will make the whole process interesting and calm. But you can't relax because riddles are waiting for you in Neptunia! Solve them, pass through the levels and learn all the secrets of the mermaids. Do they really exist? Download the Neptunia game and everything will become clear at once!

Reference accessed HERE 17th Aug 2018

The Game:

Relaxing, fun and cerebral, Neptunia – an undersea puzzler notable primarily for its extensive storyline, solid production values and leisurely action – is in many ways the quintessential casual game. Based on a simple mechanic, accessible to players of all ages and skill levels, and designed to be enjoyed at your own pace, it’ll prove equally attractive to working professionals and feisty whippersnappers alike. However, being a textbook example does have its disadvantages as well. For example, the fact there’s little innovative or memorable about the game, its sluggish tempo and the general lack of challenge presented within.

Match 3 enthusiasts of all types will find plenty to enjoy with Neptuna, starting with the detailed plotline, displayed via an ongoing series of conversational cut-scenes. The saga in a nutshell: Young girl Lisa and her grandfather discover pieces of a map that lead to a secret submarine realm and promptly set out to investigate, meeting interesting characters and discovering fabulous baubles along the way.

Despite featuring a great deal more dialogue than you may expect, the script does a sound job of setting an intriguing, if oftentimes too laid-back atmosphere. Then again, this relaxed mood is obviously intentional, designed to help melt stress away, and is further accented by supporting effects like undulating waves and swimming schools of jellyfish that flit about stage backgrounds. (Not to mention, that is, the drowsily inoffensive and airy tunes which play throughout the entire episode…)

It’s an appropriate feel for a game set several thousand leagues beneath the ocean, and one where the action’s largely limited to strategic mouse-clicking. Essentially, each stage – consisting of an individual board inhabited by colored, hexagonal tiles stamped with seaweed, nautilus shells, urchins and other aquatic symbols – revolves around simple pattern matching and removal. All you need to know to get started: Clicking on groups of three or more similarly-hued tiles causes them to disappear from the board, with levels successfully ending if you remove special Neptune tiles (ones with swirling patterns) from play before time runs out.

Later levels do introduce extra challenges and obstacles like stones that must be shattered, nets to blow up and sea mines that destroy all surrounding objects. But, by and large, added advancements are infrequent enough that you’ll have plenty of time to master one twist before the next is introduced.

As much care as developer Intenium has put into overall production values, you’ll probably enjoy watching explosives ignite, glass shatter and bubbles swirl as you progress through multi-tiered stages that surprisingly span several vertical screens in height. Nonetheless, the adventure’s hardly what you’d call a nail-biter, especially since in main attraction Normal mode (Timed and Relaxed options are also available) freeing Neptune tiles adds more time to an already generous clock. While these concessions admittedly do make the quest less stressful and more accessible to the general masses, they’ll do little to keep experienced casual gaming vets, or older players, glued to their keyboard.

The action does improve with time, and the more you progress into the tale, the cooler the surprises that wait in store. (We’ll refrain from inserting any spoilers here, however). Still, for all the nice touches you’ll find, e.g. collectible statues and clues that advance the already enjoyable plot, none are must-see attractions. More’s the pity too… We’re quite taken in by the overall package. Even if, that is, it’s possible to get stuck on certain levels. (Though you can always restart or skip ahead in exchange for losing a life.) And, of course, aggravation occasionally ensues due to blocks hiding at the edges of the screen that annoyingly prevent the view from scrolling downward when needed.

In summation, go into Neptunia with grand-scale expectations, and you’ll be disappointed. Dive into the adventure simply looking for a pleasing way to wind down after a hard day at work, however, and you’ll find that it’s full of sunken treasure.

Edited reference accessed HERE. Originally posted by Joel Brodie on Aug 27, 2007. Edited and reposted by Whiterabbit-uk 17th Aug 2018.

Other Reviews of Neptunia:

You can see community reviews of Neptunia HERE, and more information HERE, HERE

Conclusion:

Although the graphics are a little dated by today’s standard (released almost 11 years ago), the game is well made, simple to learn, and relaxing to play. There is little to challenge you with this game. Even in the timed mode you have plenty of time to achieve the set goals. Neptunia is ideal for the youngsters in a family, at least the game play parts. There’s a fleshed out story that continues throughout the 40 levels, which are divided into 10 stages.

If you miss today's game giveaway you can always get the game via MyPlayCity 24/7 HERE; or If you prefer to purchase the game you can get it directly from Big Fish Games HERE.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank MyPlayCity for giving away Neptunia with the toolbars etc. removed and also to the game giveaway team, as always, for securing other ways to get free games.

Suggestions:

After you've had an opportunity to play Neptunia please take a few moments to give some positive or negative feedback about the game; for example, what you liked or disliked, or how improvements could be made to make it more enjoyable and perhaps change your mind about this game? If you don't like Hidden Object games at all, please explain why? If you don't have time to post a comment today, please do so at your convenience. These comments will always be accessible for as long as this site is open and provide a valuable resource for game developers, thank you. To access the comments once the giveaway is over, open the game giveaway to its home page then scroll to the bottom of the page where it says Archives and select the date the giveaway was live (giveaway days are in bold type). This will open up the appropriate page for you to post your comment or review.

Useful Information not related to today's game giveaway:

I've updated the games section that used to be posted with the review. The thread is now called 'Weekly roundup of game deals', formerly the games section of the weekly reviews. You can find the new thread (which I've posted in the sticky section of the game discussion forums to make it easier to find if you are perusing the game discussion forums) HERE.

The rest of the information that used to be posted here can be found in the forums HERE. Also, check out the Delenns thread over in the game discussion forums HERE for details of other free games and offers. For example there are two Steam games on offer for free for a short time; i.e. Orwell, which you can get via the Humble Bundle HERE and BROKE PROTOCOL: Online City RPG directly from Steam HERE (I don't know when these offer end so don't delay).

Having problems installing today's game?

If you have a problem installing or activating or getting Neptunia to work please visit the problems section, which you can find in the FAQ's thread HERE. Also, read through the community’s comments because sometimes fixes have already been posted. The main issue we have is with the giveaway wrapper, which uses a Themida based code to protect the games executable. Unfortunately, Themida is also used to hide malware; so, as a precaution, some security software may block the installation and sometimes even delete the executable file. Blocking or deletion is usually determined partly by the way your computer is set up. Usually, you'll get a message saying ''the file is corrupted'', but, the files are okay. There are a couple of things you can do to overcome this issue. The first is to reboot in safe mode with networking, install the game then reboot, or secondly, you can (at your own risk) temporarily turn off your security, install the game, then turn your security back on. A note of reassurance to those that choose the latter and quicker method. The game giveaway team have been giving away games for over a decade (Dec 2006 & prior to that, via the main site 2 or 3 times weekly from Oct 2006 to Dec 2006) and have 'NEVER' given away a game infected with malware; they always test every giveaway with several of the top anti-malware suites to ensure all games are free from malware.

If for any reason you want to contact the giveaway team, for example, if you have a problem getting the latest game or other issues that the FAQ's thread or these comments don't cover or solve or if you have a game to offer the community you can do so HERE