Today I discovered that the Quinn's Aquarium game has been altered and it is not as easy as before to collect 6 shells by matching 6 pairs of blue tiles with shells. That was the goal of the daily challenge for April 9, 2019. I assume the change was made by the creator of the game, Jolly Bear, rather than by Electronic Arts (EA), owner of the Pogo website.
As anyone who has played Quinn's Aquarium Mahjong knows, it is not easy to complete this game without using power ups. Power ups are purchased with gems, which cost money to buy. I typically use 2 power ups on average when playing this game. Occasionally I can complete a game without the use of a power up. The shuffle is my power up of choice.
In the past when there was a daily challenge or badge challenge for collecting 6 shells by the end of the game, all that was required was to play the "Challenge round" where chances of collecting 5 to 6 shells is good. If one is not given the Challenge round puzzle on the first try, then it was possible to restart the game as many times as necessary until a Challenge round puzzle was given. And it didn't take too many tries until a Challenge round was given.
BUT all that seems to have changed! Today there was a NEW change that I observed in playing Quinn's Aquarium. The game now gives a player a puzzle that MUST be completed before moving on to another puzzle. I restarted the game well over 10 times hoping to receive a Challenge round puzzle, but each time I received the SAME puzzle again and again. So I was forced to play the puzzle given by the game. I also learned a new pattern that is now present in the game. There are 4 puzzles given that are not Challenge round puzzles, and then the 5th puzzle is a Challenge round puzzle. After that, the pattern repeats. Four rounds of non-Challenge round puzzles followed by one Challenge round puzzle.
On the 5th round (the Challenge round), I tried to collect 6 shells, but only gathered 5, which happens sometimes. It all depends on how well the game is played during the challenge round, AND it also helps greatly if power ups are used when one runs out of similar tiles to match to avoid having to start over. On my 10th round (the second Challenge round given) I did successfully collect 6 shells and I completed the daily challenge. But it cost me 80 gems to complete this challenge! To complete the 10 games took me a total of 20 power ups, and at a cost of 40 gems per 10 shuffle power ups. That is a grand total of 80 gems for ONE daily challenge!
I know that sounds like Cha Ching music to EA's ears when they hear that. But wait... as I slam my hand down on the buzzer ... BZZZZZZZ! WRONG! As much as I enjoy the Quinn's Aquarium game, largely because of the story that accompanies it, there is NO WAY I will be spending 40 to 80 gems to collect 6 shells in the future. Before it only cost me 2 power ups (for 8 gems) by being able to select the Challenge round puzzle myself. Had I played better on the first Challenge round, it would have cost me "only" 40 gems for 10 power ups (at an average of 2 used per game). NO game is worth that!
So once again, the pleasant light that used to shine at the Pogo website is unfortunately becoming dimmer and dimmer. I wish it weren't true, but I see a decline in experience at the Pogo website. After all, we come here to have fun. When the fun dies out, what is the point of staying?
