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| Notification for treasure themed update |
Gold seems to be the theme colour, with a real variety of such stuff. From statues and a telescope to royalty and a treasure map, there's no doubt that this is one of the more random updates. Here's the complete list of additions, with everything unlocked at level 22:
Tables:
- Compass Table - 3 gems
- Royal Council Chair - 10,000 coins
- 'X' Marks the Spot - 6,000 coins
- Thousand Arms Statue - 8 gems
- Golden Buddha Statue - 10 gems
- Bronze Telescope - 12,000 coins
- Golden Horus Statue - 45,000 coins
- Royal Crimson - 5,000 coins
- Gold and Marble Tile - 5,000 coins
- Stacked Trunks Counter - 2 gems
Usually I'd write off an update of this calibre instantly citing its randomness as a big no-no. But on this occasion I'm seeing some promising decorations and reasonable prices which hold me back from drawing such a premature conclusion.
There's no teaser to look at this week - no reason has been given for this so we'll all be praying that this doesn't recur over the next while. The teaser famine a while back wasn't well received whatsoever so Storm8 would definitely be wise to ensure this absence is nothing more than an anomaly.
So without the teaser we're diving straight in. There are four new floor decorations, with three of these being statues. The Thousand Arms Statue, Golden Buddha Statue and Golden Horus Statue are all solid gold sculptures which depict some figure from history. Only the last of them is available for coins, but the others are fairly priced I'd say - they're only 1x1 in size so you wouldn't expect anything too hefty, and 8 and 10 gems respectively is certainly affordable.
The Thousand Arms Statue interprets Avalokiteśvara, a notable figure of the Buddhist religion. Avalokiteśvara translates as 'the lord who looks down on the world' - basically this is an important figure. The additional arms are said to have been provided to him to help aid unhappy souls. In this depiction the arms are not as pronounced as they needed to be in my view, and that may be partly due to the arms being the same tone of gold as the rest of the statue. Nevertheless the design work for all those jewels is nice, and the infamous sparkling glint has at last found a suitable home!
Meanwhile the Golden Buddha Statue also features lots of jewels. It's slightly shorter than the Thousand Arms Statue, but that's alright as it's taking into account the fact that this statue is sitting cross-legged. My only concern is that she appears to be sitting on a giant set of rotting teeth!
No such statement can be made about the Golden Horus. Horus is an Ancient Egyptian God, and translates as 'the one on high'. A man with the head of a falcon, we don't quite get that effect here, with the focus very much on the falcon side of things. The curve of the eyebrows suggests that Horus is not happy at being immortalised in a statue, although hopefully he'll be pleased to hear that I think he'll fit into my Ancient Egyptian themed section perfectly the next time I pull it out of storage.
The last of the floor decor is the Bronze Telescope. This is a beautiful piece, with plenty of thought having clearly been ploughed into every inch of its design. The mix of bronze and gold looks terrific, and now I'm just left wondering how to utilise it - the Steampunk collection may be a good shout, particularly alongside the Steampunk Globe.
Using the Bronze Telescope you may successfully find the hidden treasure. Failing that you can always check out the 'X' Marks the Spot map for the wall. This is your typical treasure map, with a dotted trail leading to the all-important 'X'. There's also a compass in the corner just to ensure that this is an official map. If you've got any of the pirate content including prizes from the Pirate Chest released three years ago then this is a must-buy to enhance your collection.
Staying on the wall, the Royal Crimson wallpaper places a golden form on a red background. Is that a bird hiding in the middle of all those curves? It may well be, but with or without it I like this one. Red wallpapers are hard to come by, and this one truly does have a royal feel about it.
And the Gold and Marble Tile follows suit. The circular and flowery patterns are nice, although this time the price is steep - 5,000 coins each means you could notch up a sizeable bill quickly. However it's a flooring with plenty of possible uses, much like the French Wood which is of a similar tone.
And going along with the rest of this update, the new table, chair and counter are all very different. The Compass Table follows the theme of the 'X' Marks the Spot, and would make an excellent companion for the Pirate Table (which doesn't already have a compass on its map!)
The Royal Council Chair is fit for a king or queen. The Royal Crimson would make a fantastic backdrop to this throne which shares the same colours. I do have a quibble with this item - the red cushion could do with a bit more texture depth, with the Romantic Dinner Chair and Bombay Chairs examples of what the game's developers are capable of. On this front this chair feels like something of a backward step.
Finally, the Stacked Trunks Counter covers the expedition that was promised in the update notification. I could have done with this piece as a floor decoration, but it will probably look decent enough with food on top. It's not often we get a counter that's as well disguised as this - if there had been a teaser (and there was no food on it!) then I think we'd all have assumed this was a floor decoration. More subtle counter designs like this please.
That's almost it, but there's a box sale to be analysed before we part. And it's looking good...
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| Notification for Carnival Box sale |
I've been waiting for the Carnival Box to be offered at half price all summer, and finally it is available for just 12 gems for a limited time. Suffice to say I am delighted! There are some real crackers in this crate, and I'll definitely be having a dip or two in the coming days - having not spent many gems in recent months I'm certainly well equipped!
For some this sale may be too late. Summer is nearly over, and so the attraction of a carnival theme may be fading. But between you and me I've got something juicy coming in my restaurant over the next fortnight, and the prizes in the Carnival Box fit in snugly. My excitement is building!
Before I burst with hysteria I'm going to sign off. At a glance this update doesn't look particularly impressive, but when you take a closer look there are some items which work really well with existing decor. And overall there's affordability too, meaning that this is actually a good update for my money. And that's without the triumphant punch of the air that came with the Carnival Box's sale notification!
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