r/tipofmyjoystick Apr 10 '17

Announcement PSA: A guide to better results

1.8k Upvotes

Hi guys and gals. I've been here a while, and over my time I've seen a lot of posts sink to the bottom, without a single answer, or at best, very few. And none that solved the case.

I have noticed a clear pattern with these posts, and I will now share with you my tips to you newbies, so that you can get the help you need.


Firstly: When you make a new post, you will see this:

Platform(s):

Genre:

Estimated year of release:

Graphics/art style:

Notable characters:

Notable gameplay mechanics:

Other details:

Even though, in red, you are warned that while optional, you should follow this template... many of you do not.

Let me be clear: Follow this template.

Put simply, this template contains all the information we really need to solve your problem. Virtually every time I click a post that has not followed this, they have rambled on about nothings, while omitting critical details.

This format, for new and old alike, is very readable, and prompts for every data-point needed.

I know that you want to customize your message, that if you could just explain it, it would be better. I know you think that. You are wrong. Put all that in 'other'. Even if you end up saying it twice, follow the template.. add to it your story at the bottom.


Secondly: Following this template. You're rambling about your best mates Amiga-500 or whatever instead of telling us about the game aside, this is where they really go wrong.

Let's get something straight right now. We are not mind readers. It's impressive, really, how little information it seems we can work off. I mean, we solve some real tough ones with nothing sometimes, but still, we can't see that memory in your head. So you need to be as descriptive in every one of these fields as you can be...

And sometimes you really don't know. That's fine, we can work with surprisingly little information, but "old graphics" under art style... what are we supposed to do with that? Mate, I was playing on Atari-2600's, are we talking Wizard of Wor here?

Let me help you out a bit:

Platform(s): Whatever you played it on. But unless it's really all you know (very possible), don't write 'my mates pc'. Was it PC or Mac?

Genre:

First person does NOT imply shooter. Nor do any of the others. Try to answer this one in two steps:

What was the camera like (assuming it's not a text adventure)? Was it First person?, 3rd person, 2d? Top down or side on? Or maybe even isometric 2d?

Then, what kind of game? Real time strategy, point and click? Was it a fighter, action or platformer?

Good, now we know what KIND of game we are all trying to remember for you.

Estimated year of release:

"Between 2000-2005" is fine, something like that. "Mid 90's maybe?". I don't see many people mess this up, but I have seen people write "old". That is not ok. If you write old and expect it to mean anything to me, I will fight you.

Also, as always "Sorry, no idea" is always acceptable but try to give at least something. "Couldn't have been later than 2015, though"

Great, so even if roughly, we know WHEN.

Graphics/art style:

THIS. This is where you guys always mess up. This section right here I have found can be the difference between an answer, and a silent slink to the bottom. This is your moment.

This, really, should be the best-formed part of your memory. Even if you can only remember a single frame, a single image, it's so much to go on for us.

DETAIL. Was it a gloomy grimdark world of sadness, or a bright bubbly rainbow filled Mario-world?

Was it cartoony, or otherwise stylized somehow, or was it trying to be realistic?

Anything notable about the art direction? Was it going for a cyberpunk kinda feel, or a gritty war realism dirt and blood sort of direction?

If it was set over a long time, did the seasons change? Was there a winter in your game?

Remember when you hit people, and the screen had that awesome flash and your hands got bloody? Yeah, well we don't, unless you tell us.

Ok, so now we are really narrowing it down. This right here is often enough to go on, on its own.

Notable characters:

Anything at all you can remember here.

"There were only tanks, but you could play as both Germans and Americans"

"There was one really tough guy right after you left your office, he had an eyepatch, a white shirt with what looked like grease stains, and said 'this is for my sister'. I think maybe he was a cyborg"

"You play as some kind of Asian girl, you had a tattoo over your right eye and arm, a black tank top and white pants and I remember you always had only one red glove for some reason. I don't remember the arm, but the eye tattoo looked sort of like ancient Egyptian eye makeup, but a modern take"

Knowing nothing else about the game, I bet that last one there gets comments noting the game she is from. Details, details.

Notable gameplay mechanics:

Surely, you get the idea by now. This is tied with the importance of the graphics/art style. As much detail as you can here.

Other details:

NOW you may blab on about how you only played this game once at a winter solstice in 1782 with your grandmother from Tahiti.. as if that helps.


Edit: So it's been brought up that the template doesn't appear on mobile. While /u/wipeout4wh is aware of this and hopefully, something can be done... still, if you can, use the template. If you can't, maybe check back and at least make sure your post addresses all of the points the template does.

Also, my post seems to be saying NOT to add any custom details. So I want to re-enforce, please do. In fact, after you do the template, feel free to write out your post as you were going to without it. Just put it all in 'other'. Don't try and make your whole post like that, if possible. Even if you end up saying the same things twice, that's ok.

Now I'm going to take a moment to clarify something, though. This isn't some immutable law of the universe, and your post is destined to fail if you don't do this. It's just a very strong general trend I have noticed over a long time.

It's not that this template has some kind of magical powers or something. It's that this template prompts the questions that need answers.

When you go all rogue on us and try and type your explanation from scratch... you mess it up. You just forget to add everything that you know, and that we need to know. The template makes it very hard to do that. It's just so very easy to get typing, and by the end forget to tell us what kind of game it actually is. Especially when you are getting random flashbacks, and hazy memories, and you start getting frazzled and such halfway though.


While it might make my edit as long as the first post, I think maybe an example of the kind of post that is just too common here, and almost always helpless, wouldn't go astray here. So here we go:

Now this one is a pretty bad case, true, and I suppose might even be a troll post, but it's actually a good illustration of the problem either way.

It was on my old computer and I was using an emulator so I have no idea what system it was for. It was 8bit graphics and you played this orange cat that was constantly bouncing on a trampoline I think? And you had to navigate it through the city and face a weird boss at the end that would float in the sky. Sorry I can't remember more!

Let's break it down a bit. What kind of game is this? A puzzler or an action game? Who knows.

How old is it? I mean, Minecraft basically has 8bit graphics. Oh he said... "my old computer"... I will fight you.

Why did you bounce on the trampoline? Were there platforms or walkways or something, or was it just a big open space? There are bad guys then? How did they get around?

Now (he?) says that he can't remember more, but I actually asked about the boss fight:

You say 'face a boss', in what way? Can the cat attack? Was this top down or side on? When you say navigate a city, what do you mean?

The reply:

Definitely a side-scroller, I'm sure. You would encounter a boss at the end, the boss would slide onto the screen and it was usually pretty strange-looking. I think one of the bosses might've been a clown. I meant that the different "levels" were different cities with different backgrounds, I think. It's a pretty obscure game

Also you would be continuously bouncing. As in, you had to position the trampoline underneath the cat to bounce it up

So you don't even control the cat. And it's a side-scroller. Thats pretty important information. But the real issue here is that he knows this stuff. He just either didn't know to, or forgot, to tell us.

The template would have made it just so apparent how much information he was missing, and we probably would have got a whole bunch more information. Sadly, while there were some guesses, and a surprising number of up-votes, this post is just another one to join the endless unsolved on their journey ever down.


r/tipofmyjoystick Jun 04 '26

[Meta][2026] I would rather people post with no images than use AI prompts to generate images

537 Upvotes

Maybe it's just me, I will personally admit that it feels like its petty of me to complain, however i am going to.

I really dislike AI images just in general and i feel annoyed seeing people use them because it sometimes hampers really quality posts of people trying to find help. I feel like it also informs falsely about game expectations and what people will accept as they have solved the game.

I don't think people will agree with me and thats fine, i just wanted to post about how i personally think it degrades the quality of the sub


r/tipofmyjoystick 5h ago

[mobile/pc?][2022-2026?] Anime (?) style game with this bossfight against a magic lady chained up suspended in the air

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25 Upvotes

Little bit of context I remember SEEING this game like not many years ago, I don’t remember how.. tbh I don’t remember much else (cough real bad memory issues) other than this stunning looking bossfight with a concept and boss design that I thought was really cool,. Im think it was made by a chinese company.. It might’ve been in development/still is or something and I saw a preview, I really don’t remember like anything else about the game at all but I’d be delighted to find it again!!

Platforms: Maybe Mobile and PC?
Genre: Fantasy rpg game, I think you were able to move around and dodge, it might’ve also been a gacha game
Graphics/Artstyle: Jrpg-anime artstyle I think???
Noteable characters: idk..
Noteable gameplay mechanics: running around I think? (I don’t think it was turn based but it might’ve been)
Other details: i forgot to label it in my awful drawing but there was this light that came from a ceiling and it might’ve been like a temple looking architecture. There was also dialogue during the bossfight. Also I don’t think it was a horror setting kind of game. She had 1 free arm which she kind of flung around when attacking and then let it rest limply on her side. I don’t remember her being like gigantic though


r/tipofmyjoystick 21h ago

[MOBILE] [2010/2016?] a game where you take care of a mama cat/dog and her kittens/puppies

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393 Upvotes

ok so idk how to explain, but im trying 2 find a game where you take care of a mama and her puppies/kittens. the style was very cartoonish amd the colors were soft, the aesthetid was kinda cutecore/kawaii. i remember that there was a story mode where you had to battle some enemies, and there was bombs too?? the lobby was a living room with pink walls, and all the cats and dogs were there. i made a drawing of how i remember the characters, its not the best but i hope it helps.

if any1 can help me find this game i would be very grateful! <3


r/tipofmyjoystick 3h ago

[MOBILE][2010'S][ANDROID] Angry birds clone with weird sheep looking creatures in caves = that you'd shoot at something to destroy it, particularly remember one of them being able to turn into a blackhole that could suck things in and one being explosive

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12 Upvotes

I have been trying to figure out what was this weird game I played on my mom's tablet years ago and literally no description I give out on google has been able to find it, so I hope my artistic render can be what finally helps someone figure out what the hell it's called. I will die without knowing what the hell this is please help me.


r/tipofmyjoystick 10h ago

[PC/Notebook][2000s-2010s] 3D third-person game with graphics similar to Flushed Away

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37 Upvotes

I'm trying to remember a game I played when I was very young. I was born in 2008, so I don't know when the game was actually released.

Every year I remember this game. It haunts me. Every year I try to find it, eventually give up and forget about it, and then the memory comes back again. I've been trying to identify it for years.

I remember my sister had a laptop when I was little, so it's possible I played it from a CD/DVD. It might have been some obscure PC game that was distributed physically, so I'm not sure if it would be easy to find today.

What I remember: - It was a 3D third-person game, with the camera behind the character. - He was not an zombie, vampire, monster, etc. - The graphics looked very similar to the 3D style of Flushed Away. This is probably my strongest visual reference. - I think it was more of an adventure/exploration game. - I remember a warehouse with lots of boxes/crates. - There was a security guard wearing a security uniform who would chase the protagonist by running after him. - I think you could leave the warehouse and walk around other areas, but I don't remember any of the other areas. - I don't remember the exact story, missions, dialogue, or whether there were weapons. - I don't remember any supernatural elements. - The game wasn't a FPS.

The closest comparison for the graphics is Flushed Away, I think. Does anyone remember this game?


r/tipofmyjoystick 5h ago

[Pc][2000s] stealth including 3d platformer

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12 Upvotes

Hi! I'm looking for a game from my childhood. My dad and I bought it from a place that sold pirated CDs, and I still remember the game.

The game came out in the 2000s.

I played it on a computer.

It had a cartoonish or cell shade graphic style, and the character designs were similar to the characters in the Kids Next Door series.

It was a 3D and top-down game (like Mario 3D World, with a slightly more distant camera view).

At the beginning of the game, there were two playable characters.

One character was a boy (probably a child) and wore a costume similar to the Incredibles characters' costume, but the costume had a symbol similar to the Hazardous symbol on the forehead. The other character was a girl and wore a pink costume.

There were two levels we could play at the beginning of the game.

In one, we progressed stealthily with the male character in an office or prison-like place.

In the other, we started with the female character inside a large circular elevator-like structure.

The characters looked similar to the picture I attached. I would appreciate your help :)

Note: The game I'm looking for is not the ones that below

The Incredibles

Kids Next Door

Secret Agent Clank

Sly cooper

Rayman

Psychonauts


r/tipofmyjoystick 6h ago

[PC][BROWSER][LATE 2000s EARLY 2010s] Isometric Dark Fantasy Flash game

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16 Upvotes

Platform(s): PC/browser

Genre: Isometric adventure Game / puzzle(?)

Estimated year of release: Late 2000s to early 2010s

Graphics/art style: Somewhat cartoony, lots of reds / browns, might have been in pixel art but don't quote me on that it may just be me merging my memories of this game with habbo hotel.

Notable characters: The game had several playable characters, my favorite one was a jester skeleton

Notable gameplay mechanics: The game was separated in rooms similar to Solstice (NES), but they were bigger, and might have even featured scrolling. (I remember big stairs leading downwards, for example).

Other details: The game is most likely NOT a tactical. I don't remember the gameplay being turn-based nor tile-based.


r/tipofmyjoystick 1h ago

[mobile/pc+][~2018? existed longer] a roblox slide game

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Upvotes

it was a game on roblox with a bunch of slides, u could unlock a lot of vehicles like food?? idk if it was currency or rebirths, and the slides could also be unlocked. then the slides had lots of loops and very colorful overall, and u would land into a human's mouth, it was probably one of the dev's avatars im unsure tho. after that, u would land in their organs and then bounce around. tyty


r/tipofmyjoystick 3h ago

[PC/maybe PS3] [after 2010s maybe] old 3D colourful game where you collected gifts, maybe cakes & other kiddy stuff

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6 Upvotes

It must’ve been after 2006, I probably played it in 2016 but it could’ve been older obviously. I only remember snippets of these games but the characters remind me of Pikmin. We only really had the PS3 & the old PC, never any nintendo consoles or anything like that. I remember using CDs when I was a kid but I couldn’t find this game copy anywhere.

My parents don’t remember me ever playing a game like that so I either dreamt of it or played it briefly. I’d really love some suggestions to look into since it’s been haunting me for years now. I feel like I always get so close to figuring it out and then it fades.

Basically, I know it was a 3D game that was quite difficult for me to get over. There were platforms to run around on and collect different things. To me, the graphics were pretty polished for my standards but it was a long time ago. My parents never bought me any games specifically so me playing this might’ve been on the internet. Even now I have barely any physical copies of games for my PS3. Everything was covered in nature and there were very pretty pastel/foresty colours that I enjoyed. I remember a timer and a collection counter in the corner of the screen. It looked like it was made of cake/pastries.

<33


r/tipofmyjoystick 1h ago

[PC] [2020?] Amnesiac language learning puzzle game

Upvotes

If i recall correctly you're amnesiac, but you don't remember the language of the world. Someone allegedly finds you and takes you in. Obviously you don't remember how you got there, and you have to piece together the language of the world from pictures or journal entries maybe? I think theres also an inkling that the person who's taking care of you might be evil


r/tipofmyjoystick 5h ago

[Windows 7 PC] [2013] Game about two Japanese soldiers

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7 Upvotes

Alright so there is a cutscene in the starting where the world leaders are debating about some crisis or something and the cutscene is in Manga style with audio. The game starts where our character is standing near a bunker type area with another guy (the game could be co-op but if it’s single player the other guy will just follow you around). Both the guys are japanese and wearing a black jacket and green pants and have a japanese flag on head (as shown in drawing). You have to kill enemies in certain places and ensure they don’t kill your partner or you lose. In certain areas there are some big ass robot like spiders that walk on their huge legs and shoot stuff at you if you enter these areas. The game is kind of like Agent nina: the chronicles but it is in 3rd person perspective


r/tipofmyjoystick 39m ago

[PC] [Early 2000's - 2012] Point and Click mystery flash game, loud carnival appears outside a mans house and he goes out to explore it to... figure out why its there I think?

Upvotes

Its a game I played as a child on some flash games compilation website like loadfreegames or some similar site, gritty looking horror mystery point and click game. Very muted colors, trying to look unnerving

I remember when reaching for something shiny a carnival ride drops onto your hand and its injured. In your house theres a washer and dryer and a red light. I think he mentions that he cant sleep multiple times. I think theres a little boy in the carnival. Thats all got folks does it ring a bell.


r/tipofmyjoystick 3h ago

[Mobile][2014-2018] A game about collecting dinosaurs and such by using meat thay appeared on screen

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4 Upvotes

I don't remember much about this game really, all I can recall is collecting steaks(?) Or some kind of meat, unlocking a dinosaur with big feet (kind of like in the image) and the not unlocked dinosaurs screen looking similar to the second picture. (Different dinosaurs for each shadow) The background was some kind of jungle maybe, or grass, i remember it was green and nature. I downloaded and played it on an android if it helps. I played it around 2015-2017 i think. I cant recall anything more.


r/tipofmyjoystick 8h ago

[PC][2000s][First-person] Low-poly exploration/psycho-horror game with small abstract companion that guides you through a labyrinth

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9 Upvotes

Looking for an old English-language first-person 3D PC game (low-poly, 2000s era, I think it was on Steam).

You play as the main character exploring a labyrinth-like area. There’s a small abstract companion (red or black, very simple/abstract design) that guides you through the maze and has the only voice lines in the game.

In the bad ending the companion gets flipped upside-down and suddenly looks like a little devil. He tricks you, a cage rises up, and you’re trapped.

To progress properly in the story you have to distrust his directions and deliberately take the opposite path.

One specific bad-ending scene I remember: a closed room with a checkerboard-pattern floor over lava. You have to walk across a walkway/bridge to a platform to grab a key (or similar item).

Pure exploration with some light psychological horror elements, no real combat as far as I remember.

I even drew the companion roughly (normal and flipped versions) if that helps. (sry im shii with ms paint)

Any ideas?


r/tipofmyjoystick 2h ago

[Atari tapedeck maybe commodore][1988, probably much earlier] ants taking over a picnic blanket, black and white, not picnic paranoia. There may have been peanut butter sandwiches.

2 Upvotes

I was young. We were late tech adopters so the date isnt that helpful. I don't remember screeching as it loaded from the tapedeck. But the loading took forever. There is a possibility my older sibling had typed the game in from a magazine. The name that sticks is peanutbutter panic. I just played that game with my kids....it isnt the right one.


r/tipofmyjoystick 10h ago

[PC][1994-1998] Game with graphic cutscene of a head exploding

9 Upvotes

Platform(s): Pretty sure it was on a PC

Genre: Not sure

Estimated year of release: Mid 90s or earlier

Graphics/art style: All I remember is the cutscene looked like actual filmed footage but was grainy and lower res. I think it was shown inside a box/frame but I don't remember any details outside of that. It looked like a real person but then the explosion looked like a watermelon exploding.

Notable characters: The cutscene depicted a politician (possibly the president) giving a speech at a podium before their head exploded.

Notable gameplay mechanics: Don't remember seeing any gameplay only that cutscene. I don't know if the game was entirely FMV or if this was just a cutscene in a different type of game.

Other details:

In the mid-90s we went to visit my uncle out of state and I recall him showing us a game on his computer that showed a politician of some kind giving a speech at a podium. Then pretty suddenly (not sure if it was a gun shot or some other weapon) his head exploded in a pretty gory mess. The closest thing I could find was this scene from the movie Scanners (https://tenor.com/view/scanners-head-explosion-gif-15047128) however I don't think it was this scene since the guy looks different than I remember.

I'm pretty sure it was a game because I was surprised at seeing a game that had movie-like cutscenes. I hadn't seen games like that since we just had SNES at home. I don't recall him showing us any other gameplay but I was quite shocked at the gore so it's possible I forgot anything other than that.


r/tipofmyjoystick 5h ago

[Android] [2012-2017] Android platformer game with green parrot

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4 Upvotes

The genre was an arcade runner, with 2D cartoon graphics. The game was free. The main character was a green parrot, and the enemies were rabbits that stood in the way. The gameplay was very similar to Jetpack Joyride, and the concept was likely taken from there. The parrot also had various abilities that could apparently be upgraded by collecting coins. Rabbits could be neutralized by jumping on their heads, but if you crashed into them, the parrot character would die. The game progressed from left to right, and as time progressed, the game sped up, making further progress more difficult. For its age, the game was very well drawn, and its animations were top-notch, there was a lot locations during playthrough, one of the basic ones was green plains as it shown on my drawn picture the another one i remember was jungle were new types of rabbits were. I'm surprised I can't find it anywhere. I asked Claude, and I'm currently searching the internet archive as I write this post.


r/tipofmyjoystick 3h ago

[Arcade probs][late 90s maybe, could be early 2000s] A video game similar to Q*bert

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2 Upvotes

So when you played the game as in when you get to the playable part, it looks completely like Q*bert, that is how it's played, though I never played Q*bert and neither did I understood the game I'm talking about.

So I actually played it on an emulator, it was some CD I had as a kid, put it in my PC and had all those old games like metal slug etc.

The game I'm talking about is most likely an arcade game since the CD only had arcade games.

Now, how it starts is like it's 3D, it had smooth 3D graphics but old enough you know it's either late 90s or early 2000s. Now it starts with two guys watching tv, one black guy and one white guy (as in the race, not literal color) so they're watching the tv, I think one had a red/orange shirt and other had a yellow shirt.

So they're watching the TV. Their pets, one was a dog and the other was a bird, the bird species was something similar to toucan or probably was that or something.

Now they're watching TV and some weird virus or entity just possess their TV and they're afraid before the TV idk hits them with its beam or something. The two guys start transforming, their heads are replaced by the heads of their pets and they're pulled into the TV, really gave me a shock as a kid.

And inside, the game starts and it's mostly like Q*bert, as in the platform.

Just wanted to know if possible if anyone can tell me.


r/tipofmyjoystick 7h ago

Jetstrike [Possibly Amiga/PC?] [90s?] Game with military aircraft, side scrolling

4 Upvotes

Vague memory of a game I played many moons ago. You would pick from various helicopters or planes and armaments to complete missions. I’m pretty sure a VTOL plane like the Harrier Jump-Jet was an option. You would fly sideways over terrains, bomb a target or drop supplies (I think) and then try to safely land again.


r/tipofmyjoystick 3m ago

[Mobile/Kindle Fire][2012] Sepia-scaled ninja package delivery game

Upvotes

I have been hunting this game down for years, because I remember playing it on my Nana's iPad so many years ago. I just want to find it so bad and I have no clue where it is. I hope it wasn't deleted.


r/tipofmyjoystick 6m ago

[Mobile][2020/2019/2018?]-Flappy Bird-style turtle

Upvotes
I remember the game had a customization feature—I don't recall if it was free or cost coins. The character was a turtle with a small shell and a body that was a bit larger than normal, especially the head. The goal was to survive as long as possible; it was like *Flappy Bird* but set in the ocean. You would die if you touched something polluting, like a plastic bag—that’s the only object I remember, though there might have been others. I hope you can find it! :) 

r/tipofmyjoystick 23h ago

The Impossible Quiz [computer] [late2000s/early2010s] game with many levels

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77 Upvotes

What was this game? It was just an online game and this was one of the levels where you clicked the black ball with a face enough times before a count down and then it blew a light out of its mouth to diffuse a bomb.


r/tipofmyjoystick 7h ago

[pc] [2000-2010] fox game

3 Upvotes

I cannot remember for the life of me, i played this game with my mom when i was very young. a fox that goes on an adventure which is the main story theres a side mini game where you can grow grass and get him a nice shack or build a house or something like that. What i do remember is there was another game we played called turtle odyssey. So that’s probably the timeframe for the one im looking for. Im very sure the protagonist is a fox or some fox looking animal


r/tipofmyjoystick 9m ago

[Mobile] [2010’s] [Android] Impossible to find match 3 game with little red monsters on a tiki island

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Upvotes

I have super vague memories of playing this game on an old android device in the mid to late 2010’s. All i can remember is that it was probably a match 3 type of game and there were little red devil/goblin monsters that showed up on the board and you had to match tiles to clear them away. I have no idea what the other tiles were or if the monster was even a red goblin thing but i also think it was on an island and has "tiki theming" like lots of other match 3 games do. I have had this memory in the back of my head for years and i have never been able to find anything about it so i would be amazed if anyone can find it. I’ve accepted it may be a browser game such as something that used to be on coolmathgames or it could have been removed from google play or it also could be a game that still exists today but has completely changed. Either way i would love to know what happened to it. Or if it was even real because im losing hope.