Reflections of Life: Utopia > iPad, iPhone, Android, Mac & PC Game

Overall rating

5 / 5

40 of 43 found this review helpful

ONE OF THE BEST GAMES IN THE REFLECTIONS OF LIFE SERIES

PostedMay 1, 2020

biscuitsmama

fromSometimes a brother’s love misses the mark

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Skill Level:Expert

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

5 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

Reflections of Life Utopia is, IMHO, one of the best games in the series. I didn’t even bother to purchase the last game, which is very unusual for me. I think I have almost all the Reflections of Life games since series began as they were graphically beautiful with great storylines.

Utopia brings back what I loved most about the Reflections of Life series in that it has a wonderful storyline, interesting and entertaining puzzles that I enjoyed solving and HO scenes that were excellent. For me the game moved at a great pace as I searched for the items I required to move forward. Although some might find the game easy, I had to use the dreaded hint button far more often than I generally do when playing HOPA games.

The HOS were very creative and sometimes the needed items were not easy to find. Although there were more puzzles in the game than HOS, it didn’t bother me as I did enjoy the puzzles that were included; some of which were my favorites.

When I first started the demo, I didn’t think I would enjoy the game as much as I finally did because I am not fond of puppets or carnivals but by the time the demo ended I hit the purchase button and as so glad that I did because, IMHO, the game is excellent. I simply had to find out why Pandora was in the Casket World, how she got there and why she was always punishing Ada.

Although, Reflections of Life Utopia rates among the top four games I’ve played this year, please try the demo to see if it is a game you will enjoy. Happy gaming! Show less

I recommend this game!

+37points

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Overall rating

5 / 5

25 of 29 found this review helpful

Excellent game to start out the new month

PostedMay 1, 2020

cyndrap

fromMississippi

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Skill Level:Expert

Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Match 3

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

3 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

I really enjoyed the demo
Good graphics
Clear crisp colors
Intriguing Story Line
Good game play
A buy for me

I recommend this game!

+21points

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Overall rating

5 / 5

Very Interesting Game!!

PostedMarch 23, 2023

kandiego

fromLouisville, KY

Skill Level:Expert

Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Strategy

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

5 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

Very interesting story line and fun to play.

I recommend this game!

0points

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Overall rating

4 / 5

1 of 1 found this review helpful

a good HO game

PostedApril 23, 2021

denniann2

fromharrisonburg, virginia

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Skill Level:Intermediate

Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Match 3

Fun Factor

4 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

4 / 5

Level of Challenge

4 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

you are investigating different worlds that ada has been sent to. in this world she is paralyzed but her brother wants to heal so he builds her theaters to play in where she is not paralyzed. i played on the custom level. good hint system.

I recommend this game!

+1point

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Overall rating

3 / 5

49 of 57 found this review helpful

HOO'S GONNA NOTICE?

PostedMay 1, 2020

pennmom36

fromGrace the NON-Owl-Bearer of the Order of the Guardians!

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Skill Level:Expert

Fun Factor

3 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

4 / 5

Level of Challenge

3 / 5

Storyline

2 / 5

Completed Game a little over 5.0 Hours
(including completion of all puzzles & Bonus Chapter)
21 Main Game Scene Locations +7 CE Bonus Chapter
Difficulty Range: Beginner-Intermediate

There are very few "Helpers" that I thoroughly enjoy because a lot of them are annoying and more work than enjoyable, however, once a developer has committed to a themed-gadget/helper, why on Earth would they ditch that helper after 8 previous games in the series? I would refuse to play a game in one of my favorite series if Elf or Mr. Jenkins was MIA, they are a key player in the game, they ARE the game! I can understand seeing what works and doesn't work in the first few episodes, but, eventually, you're riding on a successful fan-base?

Even though Grace's sidekick Mechanical Owl was briefly shown at the opening scene, he's ditched for the entire game without a single use! Admittedly, the owl was a bit annoying at times because of his constant wing-flapping that continued as you had to search for an item he needed, to complete the task. That seems like an easy fix or tweak to make? When the entire series is based upon The Order of The Guardians...when the entire 9-game long series is based upon one of its Guardian members, Grace...when the entire series is based upon Grace, whose character, by the way, is based upon being "The Owl Bearer"...KEYWORDS" Owl-Bearer...why would you decide to ditch the entire basis of the game 9 games into the series?????

For me, the story was dull and all over the place, not to mention the fact that it is almost identical to another long-running "mechanical based" game series, so much so that if you weren't shown a title or told who developed this game, you would automatically assume it was a new game in that series, and you probably wouldn't guess it was a Reflections of Life game. I was also surprised, almost shocked by the graphics in Utopia, whats Uptopian about the dull color choices of hues of blue? The past games in this series, like Slipping Hope, Call of the Ancestors, Tree of Dreams, for example, had amazing color hues, exactly what you'd expect in a fantasy genre...Utopia doesn't. Although the tasks are way better than recent games by another developer, Granny chooses to reuse the same puzzles over and over, there's only so many times you want to repeat them, right? I'm still a GrandMa fan, but I want to see the kind of effort they put into WS: Dreadful Beauty, put into all of their games! That game was incredible, it even had choices that actually affected the outcome and a Hidden Chapter almost as good as the main chapter! It can't be a hit or miss scenario guys, it has to be stellar...every time, it has to have an interesting plot...every time! Give me games like that one and I will give you 5-stars...every time!

Collectibles & Morphing Objects (CE version only)
Morphing Objects are one thing Granny excels at, they are smaller, not so obvious objects that morph at a good rate to make them somewhat challenging to spot! There are 27 Morphing Objects (most scenes in the main chapters, as well as the CE Bonus Chapter, include 1 morphing object) that unlock Mechanical Theater Figurines @ 2~6~12~20~27 morphs found. There are 54 Collectible Owl Feathers (most scenes have 1 normal flight feather & 1 round body feather) After completing the game, you can click on any of the missing Owl Feathers to be transported to the scene where you missed a feather...Granny definitely gets this feature right! There are 54 Ancient Coins (that look nothing like a coin) located within Zoom Zones (usually 2 per scene) The coins are used to purchase themed costumes for the Mechanical Theater Figurines, such as a Wizard, Aviator, or Painter. There is a pull-out tab on the left that keeps track of the morphs & collectibles found, but there's no indicator that alerts you as to whether or not the collectibles have been found in that particular scene. Although they allow you to return to the scene to search for missing owl feathers after completing the game, it would be awesome having a collectible/morph indicator, especially when you exit a game and return at a later time, because it's nearly impossible to remember what you've found or haven't after a little time passes!

Hidden Object Scenes: (Match 3 Game Alternative available)
There are 13 Main Hidden Object Scenes, 10 Zoom Zone Mini-HOP's +2 regular, and 2 Zoom Zone Mini-HOP's in the CE Bonus Chapter. (in Chapters 3-4 a couple of the scenes are repeated with a different hidden object style) They are mostly Interactive List Finds, but they have thrown in several variations, such as, Silhouetted Shape Progressive-Interactive Silhouetted Shape Finds (find an item that matches the Silhouette and use within the scene to expose the next object, etc.) Multiples of the Same Object Finds, Find & Replace, Keywords in Sentence Finds, Swatches Finds (find areas shown as a swatch sample) and a Spot The Difference Find. The scenes are clear but the items aren't very challenging, once again I was able to find 95% of the objects w/o looking at the actual list or shapes because the objects are very obvious. There is an alternate Match 3 game available but I've yet to play a HOPA Match 3 game version that's actually fun by ANY of the developers. There's never any grid variation, goals, obstacles, or power-ups to make them interesting, they are just boring square grids. All that's required is massive clicking skills; you keep clicking till you're done with absolutely no frills! How wonderful would it be to offer a decent (& lengthy) Match 3 game...even better if they teamed up with a developer who specializes in M3 games!!! :)

Mini-Games:
There are 27 Mini-Games +9 in the CE Bonus Chapter. There are a ton of Tasks that could be deemed as a mini-game (they aren't listed as mini-games on the SG and don't include instructions nor can they be skipped) most of which involve matching identical pairs or choosing symbols in the correct order. Most of the games can be played in an Easy or Hard Mode, and they are basically the same puzzles offered over and over in all games by this developer. They aren't necessarily bad games, however, I would caution Granny to come up with new puzzle ideas because most players have played all games by this developer (they have some great games!) and there's a fine line between "familiar" and "repetitive" the latter can make or break a game! I must admit that I became rather bored with the puzzles because they were far too easily solved, especially when I've played them hundreds of times before! Below are some examples of the games you've played multiple times:

☠-Rotate tiles to recreate the image (several)
☠-Select items in the order shown. (a gazillion times)
☠-Rotate cylinders to match key shapes & place keys.
☠-Select arrows to maintain balance while avoiding obstacles. (sound familiar?)
☠-Rotate tiles to complete paths for each conduit.
☠-Connect crystal nodes of various shapes.
☠-Drag disk sections until lights appear inside all holes.
☠-Use directional arrows to move gears to the top pockets.
☠-Push bubbles to their matching colored tubes.
☠-Select bubbles to reveal matching runes.
☠-Select 4 colored gems-Blue indicates the gem is the correct color, but wrong placement-Yellow indicates correct color & placement (you get 8 tries)
☠-Rotate groups of tiles correctly (moving one affects others)
☠-Arrange animals to their correct habitats.
☠-Follow a recipe according to pictures.
☠-Shoot when the target turns green (how many times have we played this game!)
☠-Jump birds from left to right to switch sides.
☠-Swap pictures to their correct frames (2 different game variations)
☠-Select 2 symbols that when combined, recreate the symbols shown. (tried and true till you're blue game!)

Bonus Chapter: (CE version only)
Play Elenor's husband Arthur Lumiere as he desperately searches for his wife and daughter after they vanish mysteriously. This is an average-length chapter that takes place over 7 Scene Locations with an additional 9 Mini-Games, 2 Hidden Object Scenes, and 2 Mini Zoom Zone HOP's. You will continue collecting 2 Feathers and 2 Ancient Coins in each of the 7 scenes, as well as a single Morphing Object per scene which allows you to unlock the final 2 Mechanical Theater Figurines (each figurine can also be "dressed in themed costumes) which then unlocks the Bonus Puzzle Chapter which is an additional Hidden Object Scene.

Collector's Edition Extra's:
9 Wallpapers, 9 Concept Art Pictures, 24 Movie Cutscene Videos, 8 Music Soundtracks ♪, 9 Replayable Mini-Games♙, 14 Replayable Hidden Object Scenes, 13 Achievements, 54 Collectible Ancient Coins (used to purchase themed costumes for the Mechanical Figurines) 54 Owl Feathers, 27 Morphing Objects, 5 Theater Mechanical Figurines to Unlock (with 2-6-12-20-27 Morphing Objects) 4 Main Chapters (Fateful Stranger) +Bonus Chapter (Suspicious Invitation) +Hidden Puzzle/HOP (you must find all Collectibles to unlock) and a Built-In Strategy Guide.

REFLECTIONS OF LIFE SERIES LIST
Title***Standard Edition Release Date***Average Rating

1-Tree Of Dreams (July 20-2014) 3.6
2-Equilibrium (May 17-2015) 3.9
3-Dark Architect (February 12-2016) 4.2
4-Call Of The Ancestors (September 11-2016) 3.6
5-Hearts Taken (June 11-2017) 3.7
6-In Screams And Sorrow (May 25-2018) 3.7
7-Slipping Hope (January 27-2019) 4.0
8-Dream Box (September 15-2019) 4.1
9-Utopia (May 1-2020) n/a

by: GrandMa Studios Show less

+41points

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Overall rating

3 / 5

3 of 3 found this review helpful

Okay game, but SUPER short

PostedAugust 29, 2020

MissPeach3

fromRockland County, NY

Skill Level:Intermediate

Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object

Fun Factor

3 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

4 / 5

Level of Challenge

3 / 5

Storyline

3 / 5

The game was the same old, same old hidden object game. It wasn't bad but it was extremely short. Being that is the most recent in the series, that was a disappointment.

+3points

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Overall rating

3 / 5

2 of 2 found this review helpful

Not a fan...

PostedAugust 25, 2022

ipprocessdoc

fromAustin Texas

Key Contributor
This "Key Contributor" plays, rates, and reviews a lot of games. We think you'll trust their thoughts and opinions about games.
Key Contributor

Skill Level:Expert

Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle, Time Management

Current Favorite:

The Cabinets of Doctor Arcana

(104)

Fun Factor

3 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

1 / 5

Level of Challenge

3 / 5

Storyline

2 / 5

This is not even close to being one of the best games in this series. Where to start with the problems...
First, the voices sound computer generated. It is really annoying.
Second, what happened to the sidekick? The owl was there for a little bit, gets caught, and then doesn't make another appearance until the closing scene. Seriously? Isn't this series about the sidekick? If you suddenly decide you don't want one, why introduce it at all?
Next, the games are all repeats and not even good repeats. The first few hidden object scenes were like playing on a plane experiencing turbulence. They were moving!! What the heck was that all about?
This is far from Utopia. If it IS Utopia, I don't want to go there...EVER. Show less

I don't recommend this game.

+2points

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Overall rating

2 / 5

11 of 19 found this review helpful

Sitting on the fence with this game

PostedMay 1, 2020

CiCiRR

fromOntario, Ca

Key Contributor
This "Key Contributor" plays, rates, and reviews a lot of games. We think you'll trust their thoughts and opinions about games.
Key Contributor

Skill Level:Expert

Fun Factor

2 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

3 / 5

Level of Challenge

2 / 5

Storyline

2 / 5

Great graphics. Challenging hidden object puzzles (except they jiggled around every few seconds; it was not a good effect which offered nothing to the game play). That being said, I found the story line over-pretentious that made sense in some places, but went right off the rails in others. I would recommend this game but not a buy for me.

I recommend this game!

+3points

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