Not-so-hot off the heels of the first two installments of Mindfields comes Mindfields 3, the latest in the tile-based puzzler series. The folks at Gamesheep and WitchHut are back, bringing joy to puzzle lovers everywhere!
As enduring as government corruption and pepperoni on pizza, nothing about the gameplay has changed. But for those for whom two-and-a-half years is ancient history, here's a refresher. All of the tanks on a level would like to get to the transporter. Unfortunately, all of the tanks on a level are also incredibly stupid on their own, and will keep on chugging in one direction until they're told to stop. Your job is to place tiles that tell them exactly where to go and what to do. Not only must the tanks navigate the terrain, but they'll have to open gates and destroy mines and lasers, too. Luckily, there are tiles which tell the tanks both to teleport and shoot. You're usually just provided with the bare minimum of tiles necessary to complete each level, so some ingenuity will be required to get the most out of each and every one.
The most obvious improvement to the latest in the series is the spiffy new graphics. Going back to the originals, I had to cringe at the bulgy tanks and clashing palettes. I was a little disappointed to find that Mindfields 3 doesn't add any new puzzle elements to the mix. (I'm also disappointed that there still does not seem to be any actual mind agriculture taking place, but I'll shelve that complaint for the time being.) Despite the lack of novelty, I found myself just as taken as when I played the first two games. While none of the puzzles are mind-knottingly difficult, each has its own unique challenge to be overcome, and there are enough bafflers to provide a healthy challenge for most people.
Unfortunately, I found that the trickiest puzzles were neither saved for the end nor spread out nicely across the whole level set, meaning that if you graphed out the difficulty ramp, it would look something like a cardiograph. This could be a little off-putting to some who might give up early, not realizing that they've been working on the hardest level of the entire game. But ultimately, Mindfields 3 provides a solid, if familiar gaming experience sure to quell your puzzle cravings. If the original 25 levels just doesn't satisfy you, check out the hundreds of custom levels from players like yourself, or sign up for a free Gamesheep account to make your own.
On Level 13, I managed to reach the exit using only two of the tiles given, so after entering Level 14 I went back to see the true solution to that level. When I came back to the menu, Level 14 was unavailable. Thinking that might be a bug, I did the stupidest thing I could have done: I went back to Level 1. Turns out it WAS a bug, and all the levels after the first were locked again as if I had just started playing. No way I'm doing those levels all over again!
Game doesn't work for me. When the first level loads, there's just a blank playing field, with no pieces to place, and no tank. And the timer is already counting down.
Oh well. Liked the series, but if I can't play it...
Ads between levels? Are you kidding me? That's a bit too much, really.
The overall look is more polished, it's nice that the speed is faster, I like the autosave, and the multiple tanks are a great touch. I like this series. But there are still some bugs to be ironed out. It's a bit irritating that you can't click and drag to move a piece but instead must click to delete and then click and drag it from the stock, and the game pieces could afford to stand out more cleanly from the background art. From other comments it sounds like there are some technical glitches here and there... I look forward to a new instalment.
What the heck is "mind agriculture"? An internet search revealed only this page using the term in the same context within the first 40 results. Thank you!
Anybody know how to beat level 12? I have been stuck for hours.
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