Amanda’s Sticker Book

Amanda’s Sticker Book is a charming match-3 puzzle game where players assist young Amanda in restoring her ruined sticker book masterpiece, damaged by her careless little brother, just in time for the annual competition. Featuring 79 engaging levels across five distinct rooms, players swap and match colorful stickers while using special power-ups to clear tricky areas and revive the book in this relaxing, first-person point-and-click adventure.

Amanda’s Sticker Book: Review

Introduction

Imagine a digital scrapbook scattered in chaos, stickers flung far and wide by a mischievous sibling’s rampage—just as the clock ticks down to the ultimate sticker book showdown. This is the whimsical premise of Amanda’s Sticker Book, a 2014 match-3 puzzle game that captures the innocent joy of childhood crafts in pixelated form. Released amid the casual gaming explosion of the early 2010s, when titles like Candy Crush Saga were reshaping mobile and browser play, Amanda’s Sticker Book stands as a humble artifact from indie developer e-FunSoft Games. Though overshadowed by flashier contemporaries, its enduring availability on platforms like Steam and in bundled collections speaks to a quiet legacy in the tile-matching genre. My thesis: While mechanically competent and thematically endearing, Amanda’s Sticker Book exemplifies the formulaic charm of mid-2010s casual puzzles—accessible fun for all ages, yet constrained by its lack of narrative depth and innovative twists, cementing it as a nostalgic footnote rather than a genre-defining masterpiece.

Development History & Context

e-FunSoft Games, a small Indonesian studio helmed by multi-talented creator Agung Wijaya—who handled design, programming, and primary art duties—birthed Amanda’s Sticker Book in a landscape dominated by browser-based and downloadable casual games. Wijaya collaborated with his brother Laksmana Wijaya on design, Febry Ariyanto for additional art, and international talents like Staffan Melin and Gwilym Wogan for music and sound effects, with John Bardinelli managing localization. This lean team of six reflects the era’s indie ethos, where solo or micro-studios leveraged accessible tools like Flash or early Unity precursors to churn out polished casual titles for portals like Big Fish Games, the initial publisher.

Launched on October 28, 2014, for Windows via download platforms, the game arrived during a pivotal shift in casual gaming. The mid-2010s saw match-3 explode with Bejeweled sequels and King.com’s free-to-play model infiltrating PCs via Steam Greenlight (the game hit Steam proper in December 2018 under HH-Games publishing). Technological constraints were minimal—requiring just a 1.2GHz CPU, 128MB RAM, and DirectX 9 graphics—but this simplicity enabled broad accessibility on aging hardware, targeting families and older players wary of high-end AAA titles. The gaming landscape buzzed with mobile ports and social features, yet Amanda’s Sticker Book stayed true to point-and-click purity, mouse-only interface eschewing controllers or touch. Its vision? A kid-friendly antidote to grindy freemium traps, emphasizing progression through restoration over endless monetization, though bundled releases like Amanda’s Sticker Book 1+2 (2018) and Spellarium 6 + Amanda’s Sticker Book 1+2 (2021) later capitalized on Steam’s bundle economy.

Key Milestones

• Initial Release: Big Fish Games/HH Games, October 2014.
• Steam Port: December 17, 2018, expanding reach amid casual bundle saturation.
• Franchise Expansion: Spawned sequels like Amazing Wildlife (2017) and a sprawling Amanda’s Magic Book series (2018–2022), blending stickers with magic themes.

This context positions it as a product of Big Fish’s puzzle pipeline, where quick, satisfying loops fueled subscriptions like GameFools On Demand.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

At its core, Amanda’s Sticker Book weaves a straightforward tale of sibling sabotage and creative redemption. Protagonist Amanda, a plucky young girl with dreams bigger than her sticker collection, returns home to find her meticulously crafted book in ruins—courtesy of her “careless” little brother. The player’s role? An invisible helper tasked with matching stickers across 79 levels in five distinct rooms to restore the masterpiece before the annual competition, promising a triumphant trip to Hawaii. This setup evokes universal childhood nostalgia: the tactile glee of peeling stickers, the frustration of disarray, and the sweet victory of perfection.

Plot Breakdown

The narrative unfolds linearly through level progression, with no branching paths or dialogue trees. Cutscenes or interstitial screens likely depict Amanda’s dismay and growing excitement, culminating in a contest climax. From GameFools’ blurb: “Her little brother’s careless actions have left her masterpiece in disarray,” framing a redemption arc sans villains beyond juvenile mischief. No voiced lines exist—purely textual prompts guide objectives, like gathering “more than a dozen elements” via matches.

Characters & Dialogue

Amanda is the sole focal character, archetypal “determined kid” with implied enthusiasm (“Amanda is counting on your match-3 talents!”). Her brother is a faceless antagonist, embodying chaos without redemption. Dialogue is sparse, functional: level intros like “Swap stickers to clear the board!” or upgrade teases. Localization by John Bardinelli ensures clean English, but lacks depth—no banter, backstories, or emotional beats.

Underlying Themes

Thematically, it celebrates restoration and creativity, mirroring real sticker books as canvases for imagination. Themes of perseverance shine in escalating challenges, power-ups symbolizing ingenuity. Subtly, it nods to family dynamics—sibling rivalry resolved through collaboration (player as proxy parent?). In a genre often plotless, this lightweight story elevates it above abstract match-3s, fostering satisfaction in “bringing her creation back to life.” Yet, its shallowness— no character growth or moral quandaries—limits emotional investment, a hallmark of casual design prioritizing play over prose.

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

Amanda’s Sticker Book distills match-3 to its essence: swap adjacent tiles (stickers) to form lines of three or more, clearing boards themed around rooms. No combat, just puzzle loops across 79 levels in five rooms, blending standard matching with restoration goals (e.g., fill specific sticker slots).

Core Gameplay Loop

1. Matching Phase: Point-and-select swaps; matches remove stickers, dropping new ones. Collect elements for progress.
2. Objectives: Clear quotas, reach targets before moves run out—escalating to “boss levels” (rare in match-3, per community screenshots).
3. Power-Ups & Tools: Three tools (e.g., bombs, shuffles?) and 20+ upgrades clear tough spots. Steam notes “special power-ups for hard-to-reach stickers.”
4. Progression: Unlock rooms sequentially; upgrades via gathered elements enhance swaps or bombs.

UI is clean, mouse-only: intuitive grid, toolbars for powers, progress trackers. Flaws? Repetitive later levels; Steam complaints highlight inaccessible corners (“How am I supposed to make matches up in that square?”). No multiplayer or daily challenges—pure single-player campaign.

Innovative/Flawed Systems

• Strengths: Layered boards simulate sticker pages; room variety refreshes visuals.
• Weaknesses: Predictable cascades lack physics flair; limited tools feel undercooked versus peers like Bejeweled Blitz.

Pacing suits short sessions, with autoplay hints for casuals.

World-Building, Art & Sound

The “world” is Amanda’s home: five rooms (e.g., bedroom, living room?) as sticker book backdrops, evolving from messy to pristine. Atmosphere is cozy, childlike—no lore, just thematic cohesion tying puzzles to restoration.

Visual Direction

Agung Wijaya’s art shines: vibrant, cartoonish stickers (animals, objects) pop against pastel rooms. 2D sprites, simple animations (cascades, pops). First-person perspective (per MobyGames) might imply book-view immersion, but gameplay is top-down grid. Low-res charm fits era, though dated on modern displays.

Sound Design

Staffan Melin and Gwilym Wogan’s score: upbeat, whimsical tunes evoking kids’ crafts—light piano, chimes. SFX crisp: satisfying pops for matches, whooshes for powers. No voice acting; loops reinforce relaxation, though repetitive for long plays. Collectively, elements craft a soothing vibe, amplifying “delightful matching adventure” feel.

Reception & Legacy

Launch reception was muted—no MobyGames or Metacritic critic scores, zero player reviews on Moby. Steam (2018): “Mixed” (58% positive from 12 reviews; 61/100 player score via Steambase). Gripes: UI quirks, repetition; praises: charm, accessibility. Estimated 3k units sold (GameRebellion), bundled heavily (e.g., Fruit Friends Match3 Bundle).

Legacy? Modest. Kickstarted e-FunSoft’s Amanda empire—sequels like Sticker Book: Amazing Wildlife (2017), 10+ Magic Book entries blending match-3 with HOG. Influences casual bundles on Steam, embodying “largest Match3 collection.” No industry ripple like Candy Crush, but preserves 2010s indie puzzle purity amid live-service dominance. Evolved rep: Nostalgic curio for genre fans.

Conclusion

Amanda’s Sticker Book distills match-3 joy into a sticker-strewn rescue mission: solid mechanics, heartwarming theme, and breezy execution across 79 levels make it a fine casual diversion. Yet, sparse narrative, formulaic puzzles, and mixed reception underscore its niche status. In video game history, it earns a spot as an unpretentious gem from e-FunSoft’s small-team triumph—a testament to casual gaming’s golden age, ideal for family play but unworthy of hall-of-fame enshrinement. Verdict: 7/10—charming filler, not collector’s keeper. Perfect for a rainy afternoon sticker session.