Twistingo: Turtle Bay Collector’s Edition Review

Game: Twistingo: Turtle Bay Collector’s Edition
Genre: Puzzle
System: Steam (Windows only)
Developer|Publisher: MixoGames Ltd.
Controller Support: None
Price: UK £8.50 | US $9.99 | EU € 9,75
Release Date: August 19th, 2023

Review code provided with many thanks to MixoGames Ltd.

Twistingo: Turtle Bay Collector’s Edition is a hidden object variety puzzle game with an environmental message. Earthquakes have recently ravaged this small island, collapsing many turtle nests and leaving their eggs without hope of survival unless you can solve all the puzzles.

Adorable Artwork and the Same Old Song

I love a good puzzle game. There is nothing like a point-and-clicker to just sit down and relax with; if it has great art to go with it, so much the better. Thankfully, Twistingo: Turtle Bay Collector’s Edition is a game treading that comfortable old ground; it’s a puzzle game with some beautiful images but nothing too different from what is expected from a game of this genre.

There are a lot of beautiful photos and items, and everything is in high resolutions that bring Turtle Island to life. It’s bright, bold, and gorgeous. Visually, I have no complaints about Turtle Bay.

I found that playing Twistingo: Turtle Bay Collector’s Edition to be incredibly chill. I knew what I was getting into the moment I opened the game, and it threw me no surprises. There are three or so different kinds of main puzzles: there is a find-the-object puzzle, a pair matching, and a Bingo-style sliding numbers game.

While there isn’t anything new per se here, they have refined the well-worn track of these types of puzzle games into something very polished. There is a lot of detail here; everything comprises high-quality images, vibrant sound, and smooth piece animations.

The Faces Look Haunted

If you have played any games that are similar to Twistingo: Turtle Bay Collector’s Edition, you might have an idea of what I mean about the uncanny valley of facial movements. They are Syncro-Voxed: moving mouths and eyes over a static image. It gives a surreal look to all the animations that are wildly uncomfortable to look at. This seems to be a staple of the genre, and it never gets any easier to look at.

That aside, the rest of the animations, such as objects sliding off screen and the explosions of the Bingo balls, are all really well done. There is a lot of beauty in this game if you can overlook how weird the people’s faces are.

Maybe a Little Too Much of the Same?

I like these kinds of puzzle games; I’ve reviewed similar titles before for LadiesGamers, like my review of Maze of Realities back in July. I enjoy these types of weird little games that have a lot of heart and beauty in them. But the puzzles in Twistingo: Turtle Bay Collector’s Edition all felt like they had been done before.

And this might just be me being nitpicking on a game that doesn’t deserve it, but why is it the Collector’s Edition? I feel like all these games have “collector’s editions” but no other editions. So it doesn’t mean anything if there is not a regular version of the game to compare it to.

Conclusion

Yes, the puzzles in Twistingo: Turtle Bay Collector’s Edition are nothing new. Yes, the faces are weird, and maybe it’s just a little too much of the same as other similar games. But you know what? It’s relaxing and fun. I had a good time playing it. If you like games like this, you will like this one. It’s simple, it’s clean, it’s polished. But it is nothing new to write home about.

Final Verdict: I Like it.