Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This was one of the best games I've played on my Kindle Fire. It has an engaging story. The graphics are superb. The options for building your own mansion, estate, town, and environment are a delight. You can personalize the game in many ways so your game feels like it's really your own, perfect home by the sea. One of the best things is how low-stress the actual game is. Most objects aren't very hidden. They don't change places between levels, either. Also, this is a superb game to improve your memory skills, without worrying you'll run out of time before solving the mystery. So, why did I rate this one-star...? It's not because some of the words (in English) were wrong for the item. In close to 90 levels I played - I think that happened only four or five times. I was okay with the regional vocabulary issues, too. For example, what I'd call a bag (like a grocery bag)... it was a "sack" in the game. And what I'd call a purse... it was a "bag" on the same screen as the "sack." That can be confusing when you're looking for a slightly hidden object, but - for me - it's a minor issue. The reason I stopped playing - and I'm giving this game one star - was Wooga GmbH's customer service. It's terrible. It's easily among the worst I've encountered among gaming companies. Here's what happened, so you can judge for yourself: Part of the game includes using your coins (which you earn, free, or purchase with cash) to buy items to add to your landscape. Those landscape items could be anything from a hedge to a conservatory, or something entirely decorative. Some of those are limited-time, themed items, like a tennis court offered during three "summer camp" weeks. (You can only buy those items during the event. You still keep them after the event is over, but you can't buy more of them, later.) And, when you buy a certain number of those limited-time items - which can take minutes or days to be constructed (virtually) for use in the game - you earn a special reward. It's a decoration that can't be purchased, only won. So far, so good. The problem was when - two days before the event concluded - I was five points short of the reward. (I think the reward threshold was 3000 in points, or something like that.) Though I could have bought a smaller item, I decided on I something that added over a hundred points to my score. That put me far above the threshold for the reward. But then, after that purchase, I didn't receive the reward. That was a surprise. "Okay," I thought. "Maybe it's because the item needs three days to be constructed, and the challenge is over in two days." So, the next day, I bought (with game coins) a smaller item that would mature within the time limit. And I continued playing, content that I'd soon receive the event reward. The smaller item was fully constructed overnight. In the morning, it was ready for me, with a nice red ribbon to untie, which I did... but the reward still didn't show up. After about half an hour, searching the game's FAQs, I discovered that - to qualify for each limited-time reward - the item (1) has to be purchased, and (2) has to be constructed within the time the reward is available, AND (3) you have to untie the ribbon on that item. Otherwise... no reward. Before my lengthy search of the FAQs, that information was never displayed to me. There's no formal tutorial presentation in the game. It's fairly intuitive. But it seems silly to expect players to comb through FAQs for fine print that so significantly affects game play. So, I contacted June's Journey support, explaining what had happened. I didn't really expect them to give me the reward I thought I'd earned, but I did expect a dialogue about more accessible information for players. Instead, the tone of the reply was, "Too bad. You didn't read the fine print." (I think it was a form letter. Not the most sympathetic phrasing I've ever seen.) When I wrote back, explaining how upset I was, I still expected a dialogue of some kind. Other games are fairly straightforward with details players need to know, to get the most enjoyment from the game. How could such a great game, like June's Journey, fall so far short on this one issue...? Again, I received the equivalent of a shrug, as if my concerns didn't matter. And I guess they didn't. I look back on how much actual cash I spent on June's Journey, and that's annoying. I'm far more upset because - up to that point - I thought it was the very best game available. I looked forward to playing it, daily. I was heartbroken as I deleted the game from my Kindle Fire. (Today, I reinstalled it to be able to write this review, so it shows up as a game I've actually had experience with. The pangs I felt, seeing the Wooga screen... ouch.) Having played many games on my Kindle Fire over the past couple of years, I'm astonished that some of the best games have the worst customer service. And games that are weak in other areas seem to offer the most thoughtful and personal customer support. I still think the concept of June's Journey could make it one of the best games at any price, even if it was around $50. However, I can't recommend it because I have no idea how many other "gotcha" rules are hidden in their FAQs. For me, it just took one - and then terrible communications from their support staff - to quit playing June's Journey. (This same company - Wooga GmbH - also produces "Pearl's Peril," which I have not played.) I'm giving it one star so others are warned about the hidden rules that spoil this game.