Two Dots: Connect the dots Reviews

by ToHellWithChrome

An interesting premise, but far too many levels you depend on getting lucky. There are some levels that the dots just USUALLY don’t go your way and you can’t win no matter what moves you make. I’m currently stuck on a level that you can usually tell within the first five moves whether you have even a tiny chance. It seems that a lot of the levels are designed to be impossible to pass without playing dozens of times, waiting to get lucky…presumably in order to make you desperate enough to spend money. One star until that aspect is changed. I have no intention of playing a single level dozens d times just hoping the “random” arrangement of dots makes it possible for me to clear the board properly and win.

To begin more specific: I’m at level 185. The arrangement of that board is such that you CANNOT win unless you just get lucky. You can make every move right if you want, and it isn’t enough; unless the game randomly gives you the color dots you need, you automatically lose. You can make every move right and still lose repeatedly. I’ve played the level countless times, and there is no trick, no technique, no strategy to it; the only possible way to get through it is for the game to just randomly drop the dots you need at the right time.

I refuse to play a single level a thousand times hoping for luck. This is lazy game design to allow this.

by Pinktink1394

It’s actually a super fun little game. There were a few things that annoyed me initially, but mainly just because I’m not a patient person. Every level or two I’d beat, they’d introduce a new feature that I didn’t see a way of avoiding to continue what my mind was already focused on instead of switching gears to whatever new shenanigans and being made to play it. Now that I’m further in the game, that doesn’t happen as often, and even if it did that alone wouldn’t be the cause of my 1 star review. Probably would have given it 4, or even 5, stars. It’s not that big a deal

HOWEVER, what does annoy me is that there are these little maps where you have to find a set number of certain defined objects. They’re pretty fun and a good mindless exercise to do. But I can’t play them, because I refuse to spend money on this game, and the only way to play them is to spend money. That’s extremely harsh. I get having in-game currency and having the ability to buy it. However there should be a way to earn it, at a slower and perhaps more annoying or effort full way than just buying it of course. But not having a way to earn it by playing the game, having the only way to increase your coins be through purchasing them, and then requiring coins to even play pieces of the game … is ridiculous and I wish I could give negative stars for it. Do better.

by PlasticStealth

I’ve never reviewed an app before, but I’m choosing to now because I enjoy the game but there are serious issues. At the core of TwoDots , you have a really fun game that takes strategy and is admittedly really satisfying. You don’t have to pay for ANYTHING- unless you want to. You don’t have to watch ads- unless you want to. Which is great. But the game is LITTERED with random side-games, distractions and annoyances between games that’ve just as bad, if not worse than ads. I can promise you, if I wanted to play a tedious version of where’s Waldo, I would have downloaded where’s Waldo. It’s extremely annoying to tap through these pop ups. It’s like bloatware designed by the developer and implemented into their own app.

Additionally, you’re forced to use power ups at the beginning of matches if you’re good at the game. This seems to help you at first, but actually swaps out the strategy out of the game in favor of randomization that - I promise - will make you lose more than once. I’d rather never use power ups because they’re actually just a ploy by the devs to make you lose the game and buy MORE power ups or skips because you think you’re bad at the game.

All of that being said, I’m probably gonna Lee playing the game despite the annoying setbacks, because overall, the core game is fun.

by Dogsnbugs

I’ve honestly gotten to the point that I hate this game because I love so much about it but it’s just become so frustrating. I loved the little side challenges at first but quickly realized that they’re essentially unwinable without spending money on special moves or extra lives. I have yet to ever successfully complete any of the side games because inevitably you hit a level that you just end up playing over and over because it’s literally unwinable without extras. The main game is not as bad but I’m just not going to spend $20 a week or whatever to pass levels on some stupid phone game. I have no problem purchasing gold or specials occasionally but when I feel like the game is set up specifically so that you can’t win it without using a lot of special moves, then I just feel like I’m being scammed. And playing the same level over and over and over and over and over is just not fun -it’s not like it’s a challenge to get better at it, you just aren’t given anything you can win with no matter how good you are.
Anyway, I mostly keep it in my phone at this point because I love the hidden item puzzles. I wish they’d make a whole game of just that. But any time I try to play the rest I quickly become annoyed and frustrated.

by Shane Anigan

I’ve been a longtime player of Two Dots, from back when it circulated around on a post of calming games. Like a lot of people, I was charmed with its simple design, its playability, and its challenging but rewarding levels. Sometimes I’d play for two hours and not notice any time had passed!

Now, it’s an unnavigable mess that’s completely pay-to-win. Everything is a money grab, and even the new features I liked (the new Where’s Waldo-esque search puzzles) ended up locking me out because I wouldn’t pay for more gold, or the godforsaken gold mine, to keep playing. Every single puzzle could probably be solved in a minute if you’re willing to fork over dollar after dollar. Trying to keep track of the new puzzle features is a headache as well, and I can’t get behind consulting an off-app compendium to see how I’m supposed to solve something when the initial draw of the whole game was... minimalism. That, and why bother learning how to solve it when, again, you can just pay $5 or more and solve it in a few taps? I know people have to make money somehow, but this seems extreme if they’re locking players out of certain features.

It is still a beautiful game, and I enjoyed some of the Pride-themed puzzles recently, but I’m probably going to end up deleting TwoDots. The user experience feels rotten now and it just comes across as a cash grab wrapped in pretty packaging.

by A.M. DeRosa

Game is a lot of fun! Always different games at every level & the hidden objects games are such a great addition! The problems I’m having is that I was playing against some friends via Facebook. We had been playing this game for a few months. Then all of a sudden we were disconnected. I tried to connect to Facebook again & was unable to. A message came up saying TwoDots was not able to connect to Facebook because it’s still in development, or something along those lines.
Another issue I have is that the daily prizes are very inconsistent. I’m a daily player & each consecutive day you play you get rewarded. It was like that for awhile anyway. Now, when you log on it says you’ve missed days, even though you haven’t, and the rewards are nonexistent. It doesn’t affect the game at all, but it’s pretty annoying considering you put all of this time into the game & then everything you’ve accumulated is gone.
The developers of the game could apparently care less because there isn’t one response to any of the complaints in these reviews. The people who support their game & pay for the extras are just being ignored, just like I will be, I’m sure. There are many, better games that I would rather spend my money on games developed by people who care about the players. Deleted!

by Erinnium

I’ve been playing this app for 4 years now and I love the game. It’s minimalist, very relaxing, and I play it almost every night as I’m falling asleep. However, the last couple updates have been pretty terrible. There are more and more popups asking you to purchase coins, making it so that every time you open TwoDots or finish a level you have to close out 3 different windows before actually getting to the game or home screen. The latest annoyance, the “win streak”, offers terrible power-ups that often prevent you from getting squares from the start of a level and thus make it unwinnable. When asked “Are you sure you want to give up? You will lose your win streak!” I often am grateful to lose it because the power ups have cost me so many games.

The more popups and attachments and bells and whistles you add to the game the more charm it loses since one of the biggest draws is how minimalist it is. The past year has seen update after update challenge this minimalism, making the game less relaxing and more stressful. Because of this, it has become harder to play before bed and I have been using TwoDots much less than in the past. If you don’t want to lose long-time players I would advise minimizing the in-game popups and ditching the win streaks altogether. I don’t need a “piñata party” every time I play and I definitely don’t need a “win streak” meter.

by Some Random Angry Kid

This game is fun as a whole, but the best part in my opinion is something called the Two Dots Odyssey. This is essentially a digital I Spy book, and it’s extremely fun. However, you have to pay in game currency to unlock new sections of it. You collect said currency by playing the main levels, and upon completion, the coins are sent to a “mine.” From there, you have to pay real money to unlock the mine. The mine only holds 50 coins, and once it’s full, any new coins that you collect just disappear, and you have to pay $2.99 to unlock the the mine. Once you’ve unlocked it, a new mine is created, ensuring that you have to pay real money each and every time you want any coins at all. Furthermore, the price of new sections of the Odyssey rises with each section, with the first two being free, the third being 7 coins (if I remember correctly,) and the fourth costing 15 coins. At three dollars for 50 coins, that means that the first four sections will cost you $1.31. To add insult to injury, when you click on the mine icon, a message pops up which reads, “Don’t miss out on your hard earned coins!” If you want to play the most fun part of this game, you have to be willing to constantly pay your hard earned money to collect your hard earned coins. There are other problems with this game, but this one bothered me the most, so I chose to focus on it.

by Jenny1193

The basic gameplay is really good. Some of the mechanics are annoying, but that’s a matter of preference. The big issue is that there are so many other things going on, and so many distractions that you are forced to deal with...Pop ups that you have to tap through in order to get back to the game. Even if you don’t want to play these other parts of the game, or if you know what the deal is with them, you have to tap through the info about them every time they pop up.

Also, you have to tap TWICE to quit a game I order to start a new one (it asks “Are you sure????”) but one quick accidental tap and the game happily and quickly takes coins that you paid actual cash for, that you may have been holding onto for something else, and now you have wasted by mistake. I know the developers need cash flow to keep releasing new levels. I’d rather have to pay a bit on a subscription than put up with this crap. (And y’all out there thinking that you’re entitled to all this work for free are part of why we have to put up with this manipulative gamey nonsense) But seriously this app, I’ve given up paid coins 4 times unwillingly because there is no confirmation on that tap...the game has gotten so tedious.

by Kumitekat

The game developers have become confused about who their audience is in the last year or so. This is a casual puzzle game for people who like to think through complicated puzzles and take a break maybe from other stressors in life. I find the puzzles relaxing. But recently, there have been so many bells and whistles added to make it flashier, and to encourage people to spend money, I assume, that the relaxing aspect has diminished. Trying to make the game more exciting has taken away from the original selling points. Also, all the windows that pop up up now before I can start the next puzzle have become annoying. I am still able to play the game, but I am not as big a fan as I used to be and my interest wanes when I get too annoyed with all the pop ups.
I don’t know if all players would agree, but I would rather pay a small amount to open new worlds, say $0.50, than have all this constant noise about spending money interrupting my game play. I don’t want to pay to solve the puzzle because that defeats the purpose of it being a puzzle. I also don’t much care for giving me automatic boosts at the beginning of a puzzle...I prefer to solve the puzzle on my own. Solving it is where the reward comes from in a puzzle game. I will keep playing until developer greed gets too large and the puzzles are no longer fun....you are getting close.

by Fui Trchioiytgi

- This game keeps causing my phone to overheat and crash. It seems to be an app issue because I have plenty of storage space. TwoDots drains the battery and I feel like any time I want to play it I have to make sure my phone is plugged in. I have no other app that causes this. The game itself lags. It especially crashes when clicking on the videos for free boosts. It’s just a plain black screen that I need to close out and then reopen TwoDots — almost every time I click the “watch video for boost” option. Thus—the boost is not applied and I have to go back into the game and level. The boosts themselves are problematic and most free boosts actually don’t help you—other reviewers have commented on this problem.

Also—what is the point of rewarding coins if those coins have to then be bought? Yes—keys can be used to buy some of the power ups but not all of them. It’s disappointing that as I have continued to play this game (please stop asking if I want to link it to Facebook) it’s become more apparent that TwoDots is only interested in adds and getting you to buy more coins.

While recognizing that TwoDots has at least acknowledged quarantine and allowing unlimited hearts it still seems to be like most apps—all about profit.

by Mckennabear09

I found this game to be really entertaining and a good way to exercise the mind. I do have some problems with it though. For most levels one must arrange the dots to form squares, and use those squares to eliminate many dots at once. But there are things that get in the way of forming squares and make completing the level near impossible. I‘ve found that, for many levels, if one makes a single wrong move then making squares isn’t doable for the rest of the level. The game doesn’t seem to supply the dots in a way that gives the player another chance to make a square. Basically, the player is stuck swiping at random dot arrangements for the rest of the level until they inevitably lose. Another thing I really dislike are the win streak „boosts“. If the player wins a single level they will get a win streak. This comes with boost dots that, when eliminated, will eliminate many other dots at once. The thing that bugs me is that the boost actually gets in the way of finishing the tasks. It eliminates random dots in a way that isn’t helpful to making squares, so you’re stuck again just swiping at random dots. I actually sacrifice my lives and restart levels often just so I can get rid of the boost. So yeah. I‘m only writing this super long review because I wish the game designers could change these features to make the game more enjoyable. I already like it a lot, I just wish it were easier to play in these ways.

by Super Is Pandas

Been playing a long time and I love the challenges. It’s very addicting and sometimes too addicting. However, there are a few issues that have developed:
1) I leveled out a month ago or so. I have had to wait a week or so to get new levels added, usually just a handful. I’m done with them that day and then have to wait for more. I appreciate the other side challenges like the Flip race and excursion that allow me to at least accrue “prizes” while I wait. 2) some of the aids (like mushrooms) are meant to benefit you but many times I’m almost through a level and the beneficial mushrooms actually skip over the items I needed to complete the level. This is really frustrating to waste your final move. 3) sometimes the squares glitch and don’t clear all the colors- has cost me games before! 4)some levels fail to provide the items you need to complete. I may have 7 moves left and need one chick, and never get another added!
I’ve seen people complain about the “win streak boosts”, but I love them. I’m bummed when I lose them. They’ve won me way more games than theyve lost me. That being said, we need to remember that it’s just a game. We aren’t forced to play it. I might actually get more done while waiting for more levels!

by MattMann64

I have been playing two dots since it came out I think 5/6 years ago? Point is I’ve been playing it a long time. I’d take long breaks so I could play it more often because I kept getting to the end of the game and I had to wait for updates. I have no complaints about that I don’t think y’all should work any faster. I am sad about the most recent updates though. I miss the doors in the beginning and I miss being able to look forward but now it’s blocked off so I have to get to those levels to see. I understand that might make it more intriguing and I might just be upset because I’ve liked it that way for so long. For me I just am sad I can’t see new beautiful art and see/guess what new things those levels will hold. I’m also not a huge fan of the whole coin system. There isn’t anyway to get the coins! You just have to buy them with real money. I guess that makes more money for you guys but it’s just annoying. I think there should be an option to buy a bunch but also a way to get coins like you get 5 or something every time you pass a section and get a postcard. Or be able to win them in treasure hunts or something. Overall beautiful and fun game I just wish there was a couple changes.

by Mimic624

I never write reviews but have become rather obsessed with this game (and spent a fair amount of money doing so). It is so much fun and relaxing while challenging at the same time. One thing I would love to see… If you beat the levels within the required number of moves and still have moves left, allow the player to continue using the remaining moves to keep squaring and improving their score. Or maybe give extra stars for beating the level with less than the required moves. Lots of opportunity to give extra awards! Thank you for considering it!

Update… I’m afraid to say at this point it’s getting ridiculous how much money I’ve spent. I know they say you can beat the levels without spending money but I’d still be back on level 10 or something playing the same levels over and over. Lately I have been extremely frustrated because certain levels want you to (for example) drop 20 anchors.. but then you have to make several moves without an anchor ever even appearing on the board! Now you’re down to one or two moves and you still have four anchors to drop so you either have to use your tools that you supposedly don’t have to buy, or spend coins to continue playing. If I spend money to get five more moves I better be able to use them! Please developers make these changes!

by Iguessthatskindaneat

I bought this game ages ago and was quite happy to rediscover it. Despite being very beautiful, and having the potential to be a fantastic and relaxing game, I’ve found that over time TwoDots has more or less transformed into a add riddled and somewhat chaotic mess. Marketing itself as a “minimalist” game may have been true a few years ago but due to all the pop ups and constant requests to either rate TwoDots or pay for different features, the adjective no longer rings true. Updates in an app are indeed a great way to stay current but it can be difficult to enjoy with the constant bombardments of varying new quests and tasks. Regardless, I can understand why this type of content is coming into popularity as young children and those with ADHD are gaining access to technology rapidly. I concede that perhaps this game is not for me personally, as it is abundantly clear by other reviews that people enjoy it. I’m simply here to leave suggestion that perhaps a more relaxed approach has the potential to make TwoDots better. I am very happy to amend my review if it bares anyone any ill will and the one star was meant only to get the attention of the developers. I do think this game deserves more praise than I have given it for the art effort that was clearly put into its creation. With that said, I will leave my review here. If anyone takes the time to read this I appreciate it.

by Small Call Skalds Downcast

~2021 UPDATE!~ PLEASE READ AND TAKE TO CONSIDERATION THANK YOU! :)

PLEASE fix your daily prize part of TwoDots!! I’ve noticed you guys change the doors with gift boxes which is cute and all but IT DOESNT SHOW UP EVERYDAY! And then it would say I missed my streak. This is frustrating because I open TwoDots everyday just to get the daily prize. :/ So please, App developers fix the bug or glitch that is going on with the daily prize not popping up everyday! The daily prize really makes a difference, it helps me pass many levels, also the win streak power ups are really helpful thank you for adding that as well.

This game definitely makes you think, which makes it fun and challenging. The different themes and levels are what makes you coming back for more! I’ve been playing this game for over a year now and I’m not tired of it at all. JUST ONE SUGGESTION: can I use my golden keys for some power ups?? Can we make that a option game developers!! I would honestly play this game everyday if I could but with me being on a budget I’m not spending $5 -$100 dollars on 5 erasers and 6 booster boxes. No. I’m sorry. I have soo many golden keys that I would like to use them on things that are worth it. The extra lives to me aren’t worth it. PLEASE READ THIS AND TAKE IT TO CONSIDERATION PLEASE. :) :)

by Hanniemichaust

I’ve been playing this game for a few years because it is so addicting and fun! Each update and addition has only improved the game and made it more enjoyable. I love that you can choose when to watch an ad, and that for the main game play you don’t have to purchase anything to continue. I only have two critiques. The first is that the levels have gotten significantly harder somewhere around level 1500, where even introductory levels to new dots are difficult to win in the first couple tries, as well as the levels that aren’t labeled as hard or ultra hard. They should be much simpler and easier to win. Being stuck on a level for a month or more is discouraging and sometimes makes me take a break from the game for a while. The other critique I have is that I would love to see the hidden objects mini game turn into its own game. I like it SO MUCH better than any other hidden objects games I’ve found on TwoDots Store, but when it shows up in Two Dots I beat the levels quickly and have to pay to play past level 2. I’d love to see this as it’s own game. Aside from those two things this game is the best in the market!

by ChilledChick

I discovered Two Dots quite a while ago, and I have come to love this game. Unlike other games of the same genre, it’s not pure luck. As you play the game and advance levels, you learn how to strategize. One of my favorite parts about Two Dots’ setup is that boosters and cheats are easily obtained for free. If you need a little help on one of the harder levels, you can use a cheat without worrying about consuming your one-time allowance. The design is clean, sleek, and easy to navigate. I love that they don’t automatically give in-depth tutorials on new dots and what they do. It’s interesting to play around with it and discover the mechanics for yourself. For those of you left confused and needing more of an explanation, there’s a tutorials tab that gives you more of an idea what you’re dealing with. The game has different sections, which is an attractive concept considering I didn’t really like the monster dot section. The sections after that have been much more enjoyable to play, and I haven’t encountered a demonic dot since. 😈 The game developers provide updates with new content every week, which both squashes annoying bugs and gives players new material. Tom sum it up, I’m addicted.

by Im So Smart

I’ve been playing two dots for a year now and it is such a beautiful game that puts your advanced thinking skills to the test- like chess. It’s such a fun and creative spin on the normal dot matching games!
Firstly, it makes me sad to read some of these negative reviews. Are there ads? Yes. HOWEVER- I have never once seen an ad without choosing to do so. Where as on games like Words with friends you’re forced to watch the ads because they are always on the screen and play automatically. For me, the 5-30 second ad is worth it for me. If it’s not worth it, you don’t have to watch it.
Next, I’ve gotten to level ~640 on my own, with plenty of free power ups and special moves, without buying them. It is very tempting, and they do advertise it a lot, but at the same time I think “buying to win” would take away the fun, strategic atmosphere to the game.
Finally, there are a lot more features to the game than just the dot matching levels, (the “flip” games, the “find waldo,” and the special levels) personally I don’t play them too often, but I do see how some people get annoyed with all the new features, it is slightly overwhelming on the main screen.
Overall, an addicting and fun game. Download it and see for yourself. I dare you.

by Almighty Cloud

Overall, I really enjoy this game. It's aesthetic, the game play, the special events, they're all top tier and fun to interact with. The ads don't bother me, as that's how they make their money, so I don't mind. And the hidden object mini games are super fun.
But.
There is one element that really takes away from the whole thing.
The aforementioned hidden object mini games, which are personally my favorite part, have a barrier to entry where each level needs to pay gold. Now, that's okay, plenty of games have an in game currency, and being able to spend real money to purchase some is very common thing. But what is uncommon is that there is NO other way to get gold. It's not a reward for levels, for special events, for daily quests, nothing. There isn't even the option to watch an ad for one or two gold pieces, which is still earning then money. And I wouldn't be bothered by this if it were currency used for costume changes, or less ads, or something like that. But it is the only way to gain entry to an entire section of game play. And it wouldn't be a one time purchase, you'd have to continually re purchase more coins to keep playing this aspect of the game.
This is an otherwise really solid game, so I hope this changes eventually.

by Ratskul

When I first started playing this game, around when it first came out, some of the levels seemed impassible, and eventually I got frustrated and deleted it. I started playing again a few months ago and it seems different in a better way. I feel like the levels are more randomized and aren’t exactly the same each time you play the same one. On some of them it might take dozens of attempts, but I feel like if I play a level long enough, eventually I’ll get a random free booster or something will happen that will finally let me beat it. I’ve learned to just keep trying, even on the ultra hard levels, and eventually I’ll pass it. My girlfriend is in the high 800s of this game now (I’m only on 178) so I know I just gotta keep trying! One suggestion for the makers though - I think it would be cool if you could buy the “infinite lives” perk and be able to activate it at a later time so you could wait for that perfect moment when you actually have a bunch of time to kill like on a long flight or something.