I play Facebook games. Allison plays Facebook games. Many of my friends play Facebook games as well. So, when I was asked to test out a new game on Facebook called Tail Towns Friends I said sure. The game has a soap opera feel and story line with a large cast of characters where you come in as a figure who shakes things up a bit.

Playing through the tutorial you will learn that there is a group in town that is intimidating all the other people in town. They are the Rete and they run Chez Rete, a restaurant in Greenwood City. The leader is William Rete a tough guy who has everyone in the town complying with him out of fear. Rete is trying to run Devin’s Diner out of business. Luckily you arrive and start helping Devin as well as earn yourself a home of your own.

By playing through the tutorial you learn all the basic ways to play the game. The main things that you do as a user is that you raise money (acorns) by raising crops and selling them to the businesses in town. You increase your Decor Score by adding decorations to your home. You also can increase your reputation by visiting your friends and performing tasks at their homes. At the same time you work on goals that come up from the inhabitants of Greenwood City.

I’ve played a ways beyond the tutorial and I’ve noticed a few things that I like about this game. I like that there is a story line and your character is part of this bigger picture. What your character does in the game makes an impact in whatever else is happening. There is also some voice acting and mini movies interspersed throughout the game that reveal some of the plot points. Also, I like that you don’t have to go begging from your friends to finish buildings and goals (well, there is a little of this but far less than other games).

I’ve been playing another Facebook game for over a year now and the amount of things you need from other players is staggering. That makes the game so much less fun to play when all you are doing is begging from each and every friend. Tail Towns Friends is not like that. For the most part building things requires money and energy not a bunch of additional resources from friends. Some goals do require help from friends but that is what makes it a Social game.

Another thing that sets Tail Towns Friends apart are the collectible hand painted figurines. These cute collectible figures each come with a Secret Code that you can use in the Tail Towns Friends game. The secret code unlocks that figure’s special story line, “Secret Diary Goals,” which gives players insight into his/her life and also a specialty decor item for your virtual country home.

I would have liked to have seen my figurine, George the Gardener, appear as a friend in my friends bar though. It seems to me that buying a $14 figure should get me a little more than a virtual item and another story line. After playing along further I see that I also gained additional acorns after I entered the code for George the Gardener, I’m not sure how much though, I think $20,000. I think I’d like to get some Facebook credits as well. There might be more to this than I’ve explored though so the additional goals and game play might be worth the collectible figurine’s price. Although if this is the only way to play with that character in the game then I can see these figures being highly collectible for serious players.

The figure itself is solid. It is very well crafted and looks cute. The hand painting and detail is also very well done. I just feel that you should get a little something more in the game for the money.

I’m no stranger to buying figures that work with my games either. I’ve also chased after offline products to give me in game items too like Lays chips that gave users in game items for Castleville, Farmville and other games. I even bought a bunch of stuff at 7-11 for Mafia Wars items. I play Skylanders and have bought every single figure for that game. Each character in that game unlocks a ton of gameplay and makes each member of that character’s element stronger. I feel like I got more from those items than I do from the Tail Towns Friends figurine.

Gameplay

Playing the game is pretty simple. You have certain objectives that are in the form of goals that you get from the characters in the game. You move between your home and Greenwood City and your friend’s homes. On your friend’s homes you can perform 5 tasks like tending to their crops, visiting a wishing well and other tasks. You earn some acorns and reputation points as well as one energy for each friend you visit.

In Greenwood City you can sell your crops, fruit and other items at the warehouse. This is also where you meet with many of the characters in the game and learn more about the story.

On your own home part of your job is to build up the homestead by expanding to adjoining spaces. You are also going to buy decorations and improve the decor. Your home is also where you raise up crops and other items that you will in turn sell to the inhabitants of Greenwood City.

For the most part game play is pretty smooth but there are some redundant things that you must do like when you have completed a goal you have to click on that goal to get your reward for completion. I think that if you complete a goal then the message should automatically pop up and tell you that you completed the goal.

I’ve now played for quite a bit and have leveled up my character, have added some additional friends and have gotten my home looking pretty nice too. This is an enjoyable game to play. I feel like I can play for a little bit each day and not get completely obsessed with it like I have with other games. This is a good thing. It is a fun game with beautiful artwork and the collectibles are also equally cute.

Disclosure: I was sent a Tail Towns Friends figurine to review as I played the Tail Towns Friends game. Opinions about the game and figurine are 100% my own.