If there wasn’t enough drama on Facebook, a new game called Tail Towns Friends by Ganz is taking the gaming world by storm with intriguing story lines, fun interactive goals and a little mystery and suspense built in. I’ll confess that I am not a fan of Facebook games, but I do enjoy Tail Towns Friends, which was specifically designed with the preferences of female games as a top priority.
One of the truly fun elements of Tail Towns Friends is the ability to buy actual character figurines as pictured below. With each unique figurine (MSRP $14), you receive a secret code. You can also purchase a virtual character without actually having to buy the figurine itself if you like. If you haven’t played the game, you might be wondering why anyone would want to do that. However, once you have played for a bit, you realize that other players are decorating with items you can’t seem to access at any level of the game.
Ah ha! And, the light dawns. Each figurine’s secret code unlocks both a unique story line with its own goal in the game AND something fun to add to your growing orchard which you can’t get without having bought the related figurine.
When you start the game, you are “given” an somewhat run-down orchard that needs sprucing up and decorating. Your public score is based on your “decor” points based on items added to your land bought with the acorns you receive as “cash” for harvesting fruit, vegetables, flowers, etc. By going into town, you can sell your goods and interact with “businesses” in the town of Greenwood City to get additional acorns and reputation points.
You receive new permits for additional land by building “reputation” points from visiting other people and promoting the businesses in town. It helps to get to know other people playing the game so that you can visit a larger number of orchards to harvest their produce, flowers, flour, grain, quartz, etc.!
Below is a somewhat advanced orchard with a lot going on. You can see a small box with a picture of an acorn. As you play the game, you will recognize this symbol as a source of more acorns and something you should click on if you have the energy.
In terms of game play, the game is fairly easy to understand. At the top, you have a number of progress bars you can click on to see where you are in terms of energy, decor, reputation, experience, produce harvesting, etc. You can also learn where to buy figurines in your area if available.
At the bottom, you will want to explore all the tabs so you know how to visit friends, visit downtown, move items, sell items, maximize your screen, receive gifts and awards, etc.
As you play, various characters will talk to you. Although you can play the game without memorizing who is in competition with who in the land of Tail Towns Friends, it helps to understand upcoming plots if you actually read what the characters are saying and get to know their various personalities.
One of the most enjoyable aspects of the game is the ability to decorate a beautiful garden, which is very relaxing at the end of a stressful day. Gaming for 10 or 15 minutes here or there helps me unwind once the kids are in bed and I’ve finished all my work projects for the day. Yes, I admit, I’m hooked! See you in Tail Towns.
On October 9th, join me, fellow bloggers and Facebook gamers in a Tail Towns Twitter Party for a chance to win nearly $1000 in prizes to pamper yourself (gift certificates for beauty stores and spa treatments). My Twitter handle is @buzzmommy, and you also can follow @teammommedia for more info on the Twitter party and other contests in the Tail Towns Facebook community where you can meet other fans of the game, make friends and win thousands in prizes during October and November.
{Disclosure: I received two figurines to review the game for this post, and I also work on the social media team for Ganz. All thoughts and opinions are my own.}
