Ellen's Garden Restoration

This game is fun. It’s clearly well designed aesthetically as far as the design options for each level. *However* it is constantly buggy. Chat support doesn’t respond for multiple days (I’m on day 3 waiting for a response currently). Even if you buy the season pass, you still have to watch an ad after every other game. You can join teams to achieve team chests, but the rewards are lackluster and not beneficial. Additionally, we’ve determined some members have certain features that others do not. For example, some of us have the option to add 2 more moves after a level fail if you watch an ad, yet others do not. Updates don’t come out enough to fix these issues or even at all. If you don’t spend any money on the game, you’ll never get (or will rarely get) power-ups or gems. The levels are much harder than any other match 3, where power-ups are programmed to make the best possible move for you when activated, etc. You’ll end up blowing through 5 lives, even the 10 lives you get with the season pass, very quickly. I would certainly not spend any money on this game. There are too many games just like this one that don’t force you to watch ads, keep you from earning true rewards, and work consistently. It feels like a giant money grab, and it’s turned me off from wanting to play it and contribute towards it, no matter how fun or graphically appeasing it is.

Updating my review: Since my last review, the developers have added a new option to get extra moves - watching an ad for 2 moves at the end of the game. This was very helpful at first, however now I’m seeing forced ads after every level regardless of whether I select the extra moves for free option. Really feels like this is about nickel and diming customers rather than creating a game community that is enjoyable. This is now a 1 star game for me and I will be deleting this app. This game would be much more enjoyable if there were less frustrating free play options. There is no way to earn more diamonds at all, which means that you cannot buy boosters, extra time/moves, etc. The game is also difficult, so without any ability to obtain those, you end up waiting for more lives pretty often. It also seems like if you try to win a level multiple times, eventually you just magically get all the pieces you need so easily. Not particularly authentic and overall annoying. There are many other games like this that have free play options that still allow you to enjoy the full functionality of the game. Will probably end up deleting this app.

I’m really enjoying the game… Love the designs… However, except for referral rewards there is no way to earn energy or diamonds within the game… So if you run out of time, you have no choice but just to wait unless you buy something which I cannot afford to do… And also if you don’t complete a game, you can’t even use stored up diamonds or coins in order to keep going so you just have to keep trying over and over and over again… Not all of us out here are financially able to keep putting money into the game… So that really puts a damper on my playing… That would be something for you guys to think about and initiate… Thank you so much