Gossip Harbor: Not What You Think It Will Be

What I Thought It Would Be

Many of us have probably experienced the option to watch a 30-second ad in exchange for more game “gems,” “energy,” or “coins” in the game we are playing.

I was determined to get all the free extras I could, and time and time again, I was given the ad for the same game, Gossip Harbor. It shows a sad woman and her child, hungry and cold, walking with ripped clothing and trying to warm themselves with some matches. Then it takes you to them moving into a broken house with holes in the wall and prompts you to pick two options to fix the problem in the room. For example, choosing tape to cover the window that is blowing in cold air, or another option. After seeing this so many times and how ridiculous it was, I finally decided I needed to see what this was all about!

What It Actually Is

So, I downloaded the game. And it turns out there is a lady and her daughter. But they aren’t shivering in their drafty house. Instead, she has a restaurant, and she fixes up her restaurant.

To be fair, you can make choices on the updates you pick for this restaurant, like the decorations, and have three options. But the majority of this game happens to be a merge game. The goal is to match exact items; once matched, they transform into a new item and advance to the next level for that item. This can be food, pool toys, snorkeling gear, and an orange tree, just to name a few categories. For example, two sacks of flour become a roll, two rolls become a larger baguette, two loaves become sliced bread, and so on. You have to use “energies” to tap on things to get on the board where all the merging begins. And you are allowed only so many items on the board. Then, in turn, the customers line up, and you try to match the items on the customers’ plates, and as a reward, you get coins when you complete their orders. The coins then advance you in the story, and you advance levels in the game. As you advance in the story, you can earn coins or a treasure chest full of board items, energies, or rubies. Then you are presented with three options for the decor or furniture in the restaurant.

I’m Still Glad I Downloaded It

So, I think it is misleading what you think the goal of the game will be, and what you actually do. But who knows, maybe down the road in the story, they lose it all, and you help get to pick that tape over the window.

Not what I expected at all. Even though I only downloaded it because it was ridiculous and I was curious about it, I’ve actually found it entertaining and a fun distraction after all!