Warehouse51 [rating: 4/5]
My Dad used to always tell me that you learn something new everyday. Well the thing that I learnt today was the meaning of the word Sokoban. It turns out that I already knew, but I just didn’t know it. A Sokoban is a genre of puzzle where the the aim of the game is to push boxes around to designated areas. There are variations of the theme of course and Warehouse51 is one of those variations for the iPhone/iPod Touch.
Warehouse51, yes it’s a play on the infamous Area51, is a super secret government facility and you’ve been hired to move a series of crates to their special consignment areas, together with their mysterious contents. You are helped in your process with the aid of a bulldozer to push the crates around.
The game is split over three different levels of Alpha, Bravo and Charlie, each of which offer more levels both in terms of quantity and challenge. Starting with the Alpha levels you will be introduced to the main concepts of the game including the controls and and the various types of crates and their unique movements.
The controls are nice and simple. A d-pad allows you to move your bulldozer vertically and horizontally around the grid based area and if you next to one of the crates at the time you will push that too, presuming it’s not blocked by any of the various obstacles. In addition you can double tap any location on the screen and your bulldozer will automatically zoom to that location. This is a nice addition and allows you to move around the screen quickly and accurately.
You’ll probably complete the 8 Alpha levels pretty quickly but the 30 levels of Bravo definitely crank up the difficulty level and you’ll soon find yourself putting a lot of thought into the potential solution even before you start moving any of the boxes around. As you move through the levels new types of crates will be introduced, ice crates will zoom across the screen only stopping when they hit another obstacle while ghost crates will mysteriously transfer through other crates.
The biggest challenge comes with the alien crates though which not only move but also move corresponding crates in a variety of ways. There’s no time limit on any of the levels, instead Warehouse51 is a relaxed brain teasing puzzle game which entertains and challenges.
However, while at first glimpse all this seems like great value at just 99 cents the game uses in app purchases to make up for the initial bargain price. Once you’ve completed the Alpha and Bravo levels you will be keen to try the challenge of the Charlie levels, however before you can do that you’ll need to spend another 99 cents to access them.
The game also promises the option of a level editor where you can design and build your own levels to share with your friends, however just like the access to the Charlie levels you’ll also need to shell out an additional 99 cents for that too. I’m not saying it’s not worth it and I guess it does give each user the option of buying just what they want/need but I was left wanting for more when I clicked on the links only to find out that it was going to cost me more.
With that said Warehouse51 is still a fun challenging game and definitely worth the initial 99 cents, whether or not you decide to shell out the additional $1.98 for the extra levels and the game editor is up to you.
Pros
Cons
Price: $0.99 (iTunes Store)
Category: Games
Released: Jun 10, 2010
Reviewed Version: 1.0
Size: 4.9 MB
Language: English
Seller: Shengli Zhou
© 2010 Ronin Software, LLC
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iPhone OS 3.0 or later.
The Package [rating: 3.5/5]
The App Store is full of physics games and some very good ones too, so when a new one is launched it has a lot to live up to. The latest one is simply called The Package and your challenge is to successfully move a given package from one end of a room to the other using a variety of widgets including conveyor belts, fans and even a boxing glove. Needless to say I’m not sure I would want to see the inside of the package once it’s been moved around this facility!
There are 20 levels which need to be completed in sequence with scores being based on the speed that you complete each level. Completing the levels can be quite a challenge even from the first few levels where accurate placement of each of the widgets is key to completing the levels successfully.
There is a detailed tutorial to start with too if you don’t want to dive straight in and it takes you easily through selecting objects and their placement, that being said it’s not that difficult so even if you choose to skip the tutorials you shouldn’t find yourself in too much trouble.
The levels look good and there are a variety of themes to them too. While you start in dark factory style rooms you’ll also make your way through Egyptian looking tombs, high tech secure rooms and what looks like a medieval church!
You start each level with a range of objects some of which you will have multiple off and after surveying the area you can start the placement of them. Placing them is simple enough, after selecting the pieces you can drag and drop them to any available place with a red circle being placed around it if the location is not accessible. It’s also worth noting that while you are given a set number of objects you don’t have to use them all and in most cases just a few will be required.
When you feel you have all the pieces in place hitting the play button will start the parcel on it’s journey and hopefully to it’s destination. More often than not it will take a few attempts to successfully complete each level and that’s as simple as hitting the stop button, making a few tweaks before hitting the play button again. However the difficulty does crank up pretty steeply and you’ll find yourself re-doing the later levels many times before you complete them, if you don’t give up!
Each level has a number of golden packages along the way that will be picked up if your main package hits them, these golden packages will get you bonuses for your trouble but aren’t required to complete the levels.
The game is for a single player only and while each level will show it’s own high score for you to beat there are no leader boards either locally or online to enhance the game play. At just $1.99 this isn’t going to break the bank but it also doesn’t have a a great deal of replay value either, the game is fun for a while but ultimately left me feeling a little short changed. The Package for iPhone is a very stylish game and a fresh addition to the physics game genre. If the developers include ‘hints’ to help players complete the levels it would add great value to the game.
Pros
Cons
You can find more video walkthroughs here
Price: $1.99 (iTunes Store)
Category: Games
Updated: May 31, 2010
Reviewed Version: 1.02
Size: 35.2 MB
Languages: English, Norwegian
Seller: Rock Pocket Limited
© Rock Pocket Ltd
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iPhone OS 3.0 or later.
iShifting from Calibre Games is a fun puzzle / object management game. In it you play Charlie, assembly line worker drone. Charlie’s job involves directing the flow of parts on the conveyor belt to their appropriate location so that items can be assembled. As Charlie gets better at his job the speed with which items must be assembled, the speed of the assembly line, and the number of items increases. As long as Charlie can keep up with the pace and perform all his tasks in the allotted time he’ll continue to progress.
iShifting’s interface is simple and easy to understand. In each level there is one or more items that require assembly. They are connected by conveyor belt to a part supply area in the upper left hand corner of the screen. Parts appear one at a time and are color coded. Each assembly item is color coded as well and you must direct the part to one of the appropriately colored boxes. Parts are directed to the appropriate box using a swiping motion at each conveyor belt intersection. Directing a colored part to the wrong box will not immediately fail you out of the level but does count against your final score for the level.
Levels are only failed once the allotted time period has expired. As long as all items are assembled in the allotted time frame you progress to the next level. Completely a level in the allotted time frame with the least amount of errors provides the highest score. Individual items are fully assembled when the color on the top of the box is replaced with a picture and the level is complete when all items are assembled.
Although I really enjoyed playing iShifting, there was one shortcoming in the reviewed release. Social gaming is an item I keep coming back to in review after review. The iPhone platform was made for social gaming and with OpenFeint available, integrating this kind of functionality shouldn’t even be a second thought. Although true multiplayer doesn’t translate well to this genre, competition through social gaming is a must.
iShifting is an interesting, fun game that requires some additional tweaking to make it great. Hopefully a future release will address this issue. iShifting is a fun game that just requires a little further assembly.
The Good:
The Not So Good:
Reviewed by: Erin Peterson
Price: $1.99 (iTunes Store)
Reviewed Version 1.0
Size: 13.9 MB
Seller: Calibre Desenvolvimento de Software LTDA
Paradise Quest [rating: 4.5/5]
Paradise Quest is the latest match 3 style game to join the the app store where there are already a plethora of similar titles. To stick out of the crowd these types of game need to be at the best and preferably add something new to the genre, so how does Paradise Quest match up to these two requirements?
First the basics, the game has a beautiful tropical island forest theme, a multitude of animals and birds frequent the screen as you navigate the menu’s and play the game adding to the Paradise Island feel. The sound effects and music are nice too, nothing too intrusive but noticeable enough to add to the ambiance. The controls are simple. The menu’s are navigated by touch and while some of the navigation button can sometimes be hidden by the beautiful backgrounds once you know where they are you’ll have no trouble using them. The one thing I did find is that some of the navigation buttons and option controls are rather small and you have to be very accurate in ensuring you choose the right option, after silencing the sound it took me at least a couple of minutes to be able to grab the slider control again to turn it up!
Controlling the game is simple, especially with the addition of sliding controls to select your pieces as well as tapping them. As with most match 3 type games the board is initially randomly set with a range of playing pieces and again in keeping with the games theme the playing pieces range from bugs, birds and animals to flora and fauna and your task is to swap adjacent pieces to line 3 matching pieces up. All pretty straight forward up to this point.
The twist to Paradise Quest is they way you clear the board, uncover artifacts and progress through the 40 different levels. Each level consists of a different shaped board which extends beyond the edges of the iPhone/iPod touch screen and therefore you have to navigate around it to uncover all the treasures of your Paradise Quest. Navigating around the board is done as you match the items. If you clear a set of 3 or more pieces on the right side of the screen it will move to the right, clear a set near the top of the screen and you’ll move up. Clearing the vine tiles also helps you navigate each map as it helps grow the vine that surrounds each map. Grow the vine completely and it will allow you to swing to anywhere on the map directly.
Navigating around all areas of the different locations is key to finding the hidden treasures that not only allow you to complete the levels but also uncover power-ups that when used allow you to clear whole sections of the playing are in one go. The main treasure you need to find on each level is the Habitat Fragment and there is often more than one of these on each level to be found. Each one is surrounded by a stone tile and you’ll need to clear all 8 tiles surrounding the Habitat Fragment to release it.
Sometimes areas of the map will be blocked by walls and you will need to find the key before being able to pass. These keys and other artifacts are hidden on each map beneath sand tiles and you’ll need to clear those before being able to progress. All of this at the same time as you try to beat the clock and not run out of possible moves.
As you clear each island you will build up your resources, which resources you build up is based on which ones you use most often to clear the levels. You can then use these to upgrade the island and bring back the wildlife. The are a plethora or species to bring back and not only can images of them be seen in the island itself but you also have a photo album to keep track of all your successes.
There’s no multi-player mode which would have definitely added an extra dimension to the game but there are achievements to be unlocked and a online leaderboard to compare your skills to the masses.
With 40 levels to play through and additional packs available via in game purchase Paradise Quest should keep you entertained for quite a while, if you are a fan of the match 3 genre or puzzle games in general I would encourage you to spend $1.99 on this excellent game.
The Good
The Not So Good
Reviewed by: Craig Willis
Teaser
Price: $1.99
Reviewed Version 1.0.0
Size: 79.5 MB
Publisher: I-play
Doodle Bomb is a physics-based puzzle game by Bottle Rocket. The goal of the game is to progress through 50 levels by performing a series of tasks using bombs to solve puzzles that ultimately open a door. Although generally speaking I’m more of an explosions and gun play kind of person, I found Doodle Bomb to be fun and challenging.
The interface of the game is easy enough to understand and control. The player must throw bombs at a variety of targets and obstacles. Bombs are thrown by tapping on the screen. Tapping closer or further away from the bomber adjusts the strength of your throw. Once a bomb lands it can be moved by tilting the iPhone. You have until the fuse runs out on the bomb to move it into position.
Levels get progressively harder as you work through the game. The first mission or two will just have you basically throw the bomb directly at the target. After that, missions will vary obstacles and the number of targets to work through. Each level has a target number of bombs to use to complete the mission. If you use less than the alloted number you are awarded a badge towards your quest to be a Bomb Master. You can certainly use the strategy of throwing a whole barrage of bombs but it certainly won’t aid you in your collection of badges. Doodle Bomb requires preciseness and a mastery of physics of the game to defeat it. There are many levels of complexity to this game under its cartoonish surface. Don’t let the simple graphics fool you, this is a rich and complicated game.
This game has some nice extras as well. Game play does not have to be linear. Once you start a new campaign, you can skip to any of the other levels 1 through 35. Although from a complexity point of view you may wish to work your way through the game in a linear fashion, this is a nice option if you get stuck on a level and want to bypass it for later. Levels 35 through 50 are unlocked after collecting enough bomb badges. You can also listen to your music during play if you want.
One drawback to Doodle Bomb is its lack of social gaming. I seem to be harping on this point lately but one of the strengths of the iPhone gaming platform is social gaming. With established platforms like OpenFeint available, social gaming shouldn’t be an afterthought. The inherently competitive and challenging nature of Doodle Bomb would really be enhanced by being able to share accomplishments and high scores with friends. This would be a welcome enhancement to an otherwise great game.
Doodle Bomb is a great physics puzzle game that deserves a place in your repertoire of iPhone games.
The Good:
The Not So Good:
Reviewed by: Erin Peterson
Doodle Bomb iPhone Gameplay Video
Price: $1.99 (iTunes Store) as of 20 Jan
Reviewed Version: 1.0
Size: 9.7 MB
Seller: Bottle Rocket
We just spotted a new game developed by VK Games called Secret of Lost Pyramid which is now available on App Store ($.99). Secret of Lost Pyramid looks like an addictive card game with beautiful 3D graphics.
ABOUT GAME
Ancient maya pyramid keeps its secrets. You have to help archaeologists to find the store treasures. To get there, you need to challenge ancient pyramid guards and win 41 jade stones fighting against them in the ancient card game.FEATURES
★ Exciting and not complicated game play
★ Campaign with three episodes.
★ Full 3D graphic
★ Three different arenas
★ Ethnic soundtracks
★ Suitable for children
★ OpenFeint 2.4 ready
If you love card games and have already bought this game you can leave a short review in the comments section.
Secret of Lost Pyramid Video
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Tumbledrop [rating: 4/5]
If you’ve played a lot of iPhone/iPod touch games then you may have played Topple 2, the block building puzzle game. Well as part of that game there was a level were instead of building towers you had to “un-build” them while attempting to not break an egg that was placed on top of the building. Starfruit Games have taken it up a few levels and expanded, built and improved on it in all possible ways!
So Tumbledrop is a physics based puzzle game where the aim of the game is to move a pink star from the top of a pile of blocks to the base below with over 60+ levels split into 3 categories of Beginner, Medium and Hard. The simple premise to the game is matched by its simple controls where all you need to do is tap on a block for it to disappear. Depending on which shape you select the tower will begin to move/fall along with the pink star on top of it and as necessary you will need to remove other blocks, perhaps multiple blocks in order to get the star down to the base without it falling into the surrounding water.
One nice addition is that you are not able to remove blocks one straight after the other but instead have to wait approximately 1 second between moves. This puts much more emphasis on the physics of the game and makes you think in advance as to how you feel the blocks are going to fall. Because the base of the blocks is floating on water there is also a slight rocking motion which ensures that no two attempts are ever exactly the same.
Clearing the levels is relatively easy. I cleared my way through the first 20 beginner levels and 20 medium levels in under 45 minutes but clearing each level is not the only challenge. Each level has two targets. The first target is to complete the level with the minimum number of blocks removed while the second is to complete the level with the maximum number of blocks removed and it’s these two challenges that will keep you coming back again and again with a cry of “Just one more try”! And don’t worry if you fail at a level as one tap of the reload button with have you back at the start of the puzzle you are on in a split second with no annoying load times, confirmation menu’s or screens to navigate through.
It has to be said that there currently is a known bug in the game with one of the levels and this is preventing me from moving on past the 40 levels that I have already completed but the developers have already submitted a fix for this and it is currently waiting to be approved by Apple. More levels in addition to the existing 60 are to be made available in future free update too.
The graphics are very cutesy, with little animated faces on each block which react as they move, crash and fall. However that’s not to say that this game is only for children, far from it. Tumbledrop is a very accessible game and one that will be able to be played by all ages. The music and sound effects are well done too, simple yet effective which seems to be how everything in this game is.
There are mo multi player options at this point and no leader boards, either locally or online, however these omissions take little away from what is a wonderful, relaxed paced, physics puzzler.
Starfruit Games have done a wonderful job with their first release to the app store and even with the current bug it’s well worth the $1.99 price tag. Tumbledrop is a cutesy, simple and addictive puzzle game which will have you wondering why can’t all games be like this.
The Good
The Not So Good
Reviewed by: Craig Willis
Play the original browser game here for free!
Price: $1.99 (iTunes Store) as of 18 Jan
Reviewed Version: 1.0
Size: 14.4 MB
Seller: Starfruit Games
Word games on a touch screen device are one of the most addictive casual games. There are many word based games in the App Store but, Bee Spelled is very different and casts its spell on you before you are through with the first level!
Help Chub the spelling bee to fend off waves of diabolical enemies! Spell words to vanquish foes, unleash an assortment of powers and attacks, and raise your score to climb the leaderboards!
Bee Spelled for iPhone from The Dumpling Dimension is a simple word game with a unique twist. The object of the game is to spell words from the alphabets presented and attack your opponent by proving your spelling prowess combined with various powers and attacks.
The game has only one mode which can be played in Easy, Normal and Difficult modes. The levels progress very well and give you enough time to warm up to face challenging levels. You play as Chub the spelling bee and you have to battle against your opponents which includes cats, spambots, PC and more. The user interface is very simple and works well with the overall feel of a casual word game. The graphics are 2D are the animations are cute and funny.
The bottom of the screen presents you with with 16 alphabets in 4×4 grid form to spell words and you can tap the letters to make the longest possible word to get a high score and perform combo hits. You and the opponent have a health bar on the sides and on each turn one tries to defeat the other. As you use letters from the grid to spell different words the letters used are replaced with new ones.
The game features 3 types of special tiles. If you use a letter on red tile it will burn your opponent and reduce its health. The blue tile freezes your enemy and it is forced to skip a turn while green tiles help you regain your lost heath. In order to achieve a high score and to be able to defeat your opponents you must try to form long words using as many special tiles as possible. One level carries on until the health bar of one of the players depletes.
Bee Spelled features online high scores and points based raking system which gives the game high re-playablity as you continue to outwit the world top players. You start as a Newbee and then as you continue to score higher you graduate as a Beeginner then Initiate , Apprentice, Scribbler and more. You can also track interesting game statistics which include your Rank, Best Score, Highest Level Reached and your Best Words. If you are new to the word game genre then it is advisable for you to go through the Tutorial mode which guides you through the rules and gameplay.
Bee Spelled is a fantastic addition to the word game genre and offers an enjoyable casual gaming experience. We would like to see more game modes like Two Player and Time Attack mode to extend the game.
The Good
The Not So Good
Reviewed by: Ravin
Bee Spelled iPhone Game Trailer
Price: $.99 as of Jan 11 (iTunes Store)
Version reviewed: 1.0
Size: 22.1 MB
Seller: The Dumpling Dimension LLP
Independent Games Festival finalist and now partnering with Chillingo, Lazy 8 Studios is certainly having a great new year. We received an update from Chillingo regarding their upcoming game for iPhone developed by Lazy 8 Studios called ‘Cogs’.
Cogs is one of the most stylish and sophisticated mind bending puzzle game you might ever come across for an iPhone. Almost every other request at Touch Reviews being a puzzle game (Match 3 puzzles!) Cogs proved to be a surprisingly pleasant change and a new take on the puzzle game genre. PC version of Cogs has already been a success and if you play a few levels (download free demo) you will begin to realize that this game reflects high quality and its design creates a fantastic gaming experience.
The main object is to solve puzzles which are presented as parts of machines and need to be connected in order to make the machine functional. Machines comprise of various gadgets which include gears, pipes, hammers, chimes, balloons and much more. Players will be able to choose from 50 levels and 3 gameplay modes.
Cogs is much more than just a puzzle game. If you love puzzle games or ever wanted to build a machine and see it work this is the perfect game for you.
Cogs will be available for iPhone/iPod touch this January!
Cogs Trailer (PC Version)
Cogs Teaser (iPhone Version)
Cogs iPhone Screenshots
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Colorix is a Tetris style 3 ball match up game where you need to match 3 or more falling balls to clear them from the playing area and score those all important points. From the start you will be impressed with the stylish graphics of the game, both from the navigation system to the glossy visuals of the game itself. So does the game-play live up to the style?
The controls are straight forward and you’ll pick them up pretty quickly. Swiping left or right will move the falling set of 3 marbles in the respective direction while a swipe up or down will rotate the order of the marbles helping you control the color matches as the marbles land and any matching rows, columns or other multiples of the same color are cleared and points earned.
Matching lines of 3 marbles whether they are vertical, horizontal or diagonal is relatively easy but as is typical with these type of games the easy options don’t bring the big rewards and so to succeed in Colorix you will need to go for combos, chains and other special combinations. Some of these combinations aren’t as obvious as you would at first think but the Tips & Tricks pages help you out here with graphical representations of the big scoring combinations which include the Ladder, Tower and V combo’s.
You’ll start the game with just the standard colored balls but as you progress through the levels, which appear to do nothing other than give you an idea of how far you have progressed, new special colored balls will be added to the mix for you to utilize. There are black marbles which do nothing other than block your progress for up to 9 moves, rainbow marbles which act as wildcards and white marbles which will change to a random color once you place it.
If you utilize the combo’s well you can soon rack up some pretty impressive scores but as always with the Tetris style of game as the game screen fills up points are harder and harder to come by any you’ll find yourself ending the game with no possible moves left in the playing area.
High scores are tracked both locally and globally so it’s easy to compare your best to that of players all over the world with the global high scores being split into both Daily and All-Time charts. Global high scores are very competitive though so if you hope to get into the top 10 you’d better be ready to bring your game!
Colorix doesn’t change things up enough for my liking and at $2.99 I would probably look elsewhere if you are looking for this type of game. While the game looks great it is lacking in the substance and that would keep you coming back for more.
Price: $2.99 as of Jan 04, 2010 (iTunes Store Link)
Version reviewed 1.0
The Good
The Not So Good
Reviewed by: Craig Willis
Colorix iPhone Game-Play
]]> https://touchreviews.net/colorix-iphone-game-review/feed/ 0Finding myself reviewing yet another variation on the classic 3+ item match game I thought I would be short on inspiration to describe such a repeated concept. However Lines Deluxe from Colorbox proved to be a great addition to the flooded genre with twist on the style.
So if you’ve ever played this type of game you would not need any help on understanding what you need to do, however, for those of you who are living under a rock a brief description would be this. Simply get a horizontal line of matching pieces and they disappear, repeat, repeat, repeat until you can’t move any more pieces and it’s game over and time to compare your score to not only your previous scores but also the global leader-boards.
With that being said, lets get into a little more detail! Lines Deluxe is played on a 9 x 9 grid and you start with a handful of playing pieces randomly scattered across the it. The playing pieces consist of a range of brightly colored spheres with geometric shapes on them. To align the pieces your only option is to move the existing pieces with new pieces add to the board each time you move a piece without it resulting in the completion of a line of spheres.
The pieces that are going to appear after the next move are high-lighted on the playing area so that you can use that as a guide as to where your next move should be. You are limited in moving your pieces only to spaces that you can get to without jumping over any other pieces and that’s where your forward thinking will come into play as you try to ensure that the lines you are building don’t get blocked off.
The simplest thing to do is to create lines of 5 shapes, however, while this is relatively easy to do the rewards are limited in that you will only score 5 points and no power ups. You can complete lines up to and including 9 playing pieces and the bigger the lines the bigger the rewards. From a points perspective you’ll get 5, 10, 15, 20 & 25 points for each additional sphere you can add to your line and then progressively better and better power-ups too.
Power-ups include the ability to destroy a single sphere, the eight spheres surrounding the power-up sphere, all pieces in the same line both horizontally and vertically and the ability to destroy all the playing pieces of one color. The power-up balls can only move in the same way as the standard playing pieces so again it’s key to ensure that you don’t get them blocked in. Use them well though and you’ll soon be racking up big scores and preventing the premature end to your game.
The graphics, animations and sound effects all look polished and working well together and makes Lines Deluxe great to look at as well as great to play.
The games are split into two modes and three styles. The two modes to choose from are Classic and Extreme, Extreme includes the power-up options while Classic does not. The three styles are Endurance, just you and your tactics, Time Race where you play against the clock and finally Tactic where extra initial pieces are added to the grid to make things a little more difficult for you. All in all you have 6 different games styles all of which have there own local and global high score boards for you to rank yourself.
Despite the number of similar titles available in the App Store I found Lines Deluxe to be an addictive puzzler with all of the basics working together to produce a quality game that produces many hours of puzzling fun. The satisfaction of clearing a line of 9 spheres is something that keeps me coming back for more over and over again.
Price: $.99 as of Jan 03, 2010 (iTunes Store Link)
Version reviewed 1.0.0
The Good
The Not So Good
Reviewed by: Craig Willis
Lines Deluxe Official iPhone/iPod touch Trailer
]]> https://touchreviews.net/lines-deluxe-iphone-puzzle-game-review/feed/ 2AddictingGames.com has long been a destination for online gaming. Offering an extremely wide range of mainly Flash games, it has provided endless hours of entertainment and enjoyment. AddictingGames has taken the next logical step in the gaming experience and started to reproduce many of its most popular games for the iPhone platform. The latest such transformation is Bubble Spinner and it translates very well to the touch-enabled environment.
Bubble Spinner is a pattern-matching puzzle game in the same proud tradition as Tetris and Bejeweled with its own unique twist. Instead of a horizontal arena onto which is dropped objects of varying types and sizes, the playing field is a hinged group of colored bubbles that freely moves on a central pivot. This playing field is initially a hexagon at the center of the arena but this will morph and change shape as bubbles are added to the game. The object of the game is to clear the playing field by adding the bubbles offered at the top of the screen to those already in play. Bubbles are cleared from the screen when three or more bubbles of the same color appear in a row. Dropping a bubble into play also moves the playing field in the direction the bubble was added.
I once heard someone say that the best games on a given platform do well because their controls play to the strengths of the platform. In the iPhone platform the touch and tilt are the primary means of interaction. Sure games can add virtual joysticks and other somewhat artificial means of interaction but the best games are controlled with a simple touch or tilt of the screen. Bubble Spinner is no exception. Dropping Bubbles on to the screen is accomplished with either a finger swipe, touch, or tilt of the screen which is an option of the game. The controls aren’t needless complex and I like that.
Gameplay and controls aside, Bubble Spinner has some nice additional options. The background music sets a nice mood for the game. It is quiet and unobtrusive but at the same time certainly seems to add to the game. If it isn’t your thing though, it can be turned off on the options screen. The game also provides the opportunity to notify your friends through Twitter, Facebook, or email about the game. This is just a blanket notification about the game itself, the game does not currently have a mechanism for sharing high scores and achievements. Probably the best option though is the choice of game boards. Bubble Spinner currently features a Classical board with very simple color schemes and a white background. Anyone who’s played Bubble Spinner at AddictingGames.com will be familiar with this interface. Additionally, the game also features an Awesome board not available online. This board is very stylized in a wood grain, almost steampunk, interface. I really liked this board and play most of the time with it.
All in all, Bubble Spinner is one of the best puzzle games I’ve played on the iPhone platform. It melds a familiar game concept with fresh twists and an easily understandable interface. Gameplay is difficult enough to be challenging but not so difficult to discourage replay and the replay potential for this game is great. You’ll want to come back again and again.
The only downside I can find in the current version is a lack of social gaming options and global high scores. Most games now feature some sort of social gaming and achievement system like what is offered by OpenFeint. Bubble Spinner currently does not. As well, the current version of this game only keeps local high scores. These would be excellent upgrades for a future version of this otherwise great game.
In conclusion, this game is well worth the 99 cents in the App Store. Bubble Spinner is out of control fun. (iTunes Link)
The Good
The Not So Good
Reviewed by: Erin Peterson
]]> https://touchreviews.net/bubble-spinner-iphone-game-review/feed/ 1UPDATE: We recived a note from the developer saying:
we have an update planned to come out in the next couple of weeks that will add Open Feint support. The addition of Open Feint will bring online high score tables and achievements.
If life was like most of the games in the App Store are like it would only take you to stand in line with 2 other members of the same sex, or two other people wearing the same hat for you to disappear. Luckily life isn’t like that but there appears to be an abundance of puzzle games in which matching a given number of items to clear them from the playing area is the aim of the game and the latest is Gyrotate from GoosTrix.
Gyrotate brings this traditional puzzle game to you with a new style though as the playing area is set up in a 9 x 9 grid consisting of 4 squares inside of each other. Each of the four squares is made up of the playing pieces which are a variety of geometric colored shapes in a chalk style which gives it a simple and stylish appeal. The are 7 different shapes to work with and the ultimate aim is to clear a given amount of each of them to complete the round.
To clear the desired number of shapes you will need to line them up in lines of 4 or more. Clearing them will reduce the number of shapes required to clear the level getting you closer to clearing the level. To align the shapes of the same color you simply rotate each of the 4 squares which contain the shapes. Moving these was initially quite tricky and I often found myself rotating the wrong square, however once I realized that once I had grabbed the appropriate square I was able to move my finger anywhere accross the screen it made life much easier.
As there are four squares of shapes to rotate the most common number of shapes you’ll clear and while that will suffice it won’t get you anywhere fast. Clearing more than 4 shapes in one go will reap you rewards though. Initially it will simply increase the number of shapes cleared from overall count, however it will also grant you multipliers and as you progress through the levels special shapes including wildcard shapes that allow you to use it as any color and clock shapes which will add additional time if it’s included in any line that you clear.
These clock shapes will be vital as you progress through the levels as each level has a time bar at the top of the screen that gradually decreases as you work to clear the alloted number of shapes on each level. The time limits get more and more aggressive as you progress and being able to pause time will be vital for you to clear the stages. Multipliers will also help you out should you match multiple lines at the same time as well as longer lines.
Gyrotate is a single player game and also has no high score board either locally or online which limits it’s playability somewhat. There is a statistics page where you can view such stats as Highest Level, Playing Time & Total Matches for example but this doesn’t really add anything to the game especially when it’s not comparative.
For 99c (iTunes Link)you can’t really go wrong with Gyrotate, it’s looks nice and plays well but to make it a keeper it needs a little more to keep you wanting to come back for more. Multi-player options, online scoring, achievements would all be valuable additions to this puzzle game.
The Good
The Not So Good
Reviewed by: @CraigWillis
Gyrotate Gameplay Trailer
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Jewel Quest Mysteries: Curse of the Emerald Tear [rating: 5/5]
If you’re a fan of hidden object games or the match 3 games then Jewel Quest Mysteries: Curse of the Emerald Tear could just be the game for you, and if your are a fan of both then all your dreams may have just come true as it’s those two genre’s that are both included in this new game from EA Mobile, the prolific iPhone/iPod touch game makers.
Jewel Quest Mysteries: Curse of the Emerald Tear is a puzzle adventure game with a Indiana Jones style to it, in fact the whole game seems as if it’s been taken from the Indiana Jones story boards from the font style and graphics to the storyline where you hunt for hidden jewels, and that’s no bad thing either as it all fits together so well.
The main part of the game is the hidden object part where you will make your way across Egypt in your hunt for the Emerald Tear jewel and the mysterious powers that it beholds. Making your way though the 20+ hidden object puzzles is completed by selecting various locations on your map and completing multiple hidden objects will take you through to the Jewel Quest match 3 puzzles which you’ll need to complete before you can move on to the next part of the map and the next set of hidden object puzzles.
So lets start with the hidden object puzzles. Each of these puzzles is set across various locations and they are all beautifully drawn and are packed full of many, many objects. The objects are scattered all over the screen and while some are simply laying about waiting to be found others are well hidden into the surroundings making for quite a challenge.
There is a time limit on each puzzle and at times it can be a challenge to find all the objects in that time. Random clicking is also combated as you will find yourself penalized 30 seconds each time to you try to select a wrong object 3 times.
There is salvation to the tricky challenges though as in each puzzle there are also hidden jewels and coins. Finding these additional coins and jewels will not only allow you to find those difficult objects that you can’t find but also purchase power-ups that will help you on later levels. A nice touch that adds an extra dimension to the game.
As mentioned earlier completing the hidden objects puzzles will take you through to the Jewel Quest puzzles. These are your standard match 3 style puzzles where matching a horizontal or vertical line of jewels will not only clear the board to be replaced by new jewels but more importantly change the color of the board behind the cleared squares to gold for this is the main challenge of the Jewel Quest.
If you can turn all of the board gold you can move on to the next set of hidden object puzzles, this task is also not as straight forward as you may think with the corners of the board proving particularly tricky to convert to gold. Again you find yourself up against the clock but also you can use your previously earned coins to help you out of tricky situations.
The back story of the game where the explorers Rupert & Emma trek across Egypt provides a fun way of linking the puzzles together rather than taking away from the game or even getting in the way of it.
This would be a great game as it is, however the addition of a multi-player option where you can play against other players via Wi-fi and Bluetooth adds even more value to the game which means you’ll be playing it for a long time indeed.
If you are a fan of either style of puzzles in this game then spending $2.99 of this app will be some of the best money you have spent on a game, while if you are new to them then this is a great time to give them a try. EA Mobile have once again hit the mark with Jewel Quest Mysteries: Curse of the Emerald Tear.
The Good
The Not So Good
Reviewed by: @Craig Willis
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flipside [rating: 4.5/5]
You’ll flip head over heels for this mind twisting game!
Flipping my iPhone into landscape today is flipside, a very well designed and challenging tile matching game. Unlike many flash based matching games found on the internet this game adds some good gameplay twists, different game modes and good use of multi touch.
What makes flipside unique to the tile matching genre is that each tile has 2 symbols on it which livens gameplay by penalising you if symbols are matched in the background, which means a score decrease or starting a puzzle all over again. You are also limited to dragging tiles around side to side so no dragging them over tall obstacles unless it’s from the same level or above, while these twists are cruel to the veteran player of similar games I can’t help but appreciate them for making the game unique and keeping things challenging.
There are 5 different game modes, Tutorial which shows you the ropes, survival which gives you a grid to try and clear while it throws tiles at you. Puzzle gives you a range of preset tile grids you have to clear completely and Vs. com which pits you against the computer to pull off combos on the same grid to reach the goal before they do. Completing the package is peer to peer which lets you play with a friend via bluetooth making iPhone OS 3.0 a requirement to play this game.
Interface and graphics are solid, responsive and feel professionally done with it’s own design conventions which is sadly broken up by standard OS popups and menus which really do look out of place and begs the question “why aren’t these messages integrated into the design” since the interface has clearly had a lot of time spent on it. Multitouch support is a boon, being able to trigger up to 4 (maybe more) tiles at once sure feels neat especially when it completes a level in fewer moves and racking up a good combo bonus, while not quite sure if the levels are designed for this, it becomes some deeply satisfying gameplay very quickly.
Other than a few sound effects and seconds long jingles there’s no soundtrack to this game, while most won’t miss it, it doesn’t stop this game being a good challenge for puzzle lovers while honouring similar games it adds unique features that breathe new life into the genre.
Price: $2.99
The Good
The Not So Good
Reviewed by: @TylerDurdan
]]> https://touchreviews.net/flipside-challenging-game-puzzle-lovers/feed/ 2Gelex looks like a promising puzzle game with cute graphics and a gameplay that resembles Topple and Tetris, will be made available on the App Store at the beginning of December 2009.
Creative agency Handjoy has come up with an interesting contest where You can decide the games’ price!
The rules are very simple:
Write anywhere on the internet I want Gelex for free! and we will make it happen. People can write this message on their blog, twitter account, in YouTube comments, on various discussion forums or anywhere else, where Google can record it.
Day before Gelex release day, we will search Google using the quated query “I want Gelex for free” and according to results we will set the starting price for this game:
Want to contribute? You can start with posting a reply “I want Gelex for Free!” on this thread on our forum!
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FLIPT iPhone
One of the highest number of review requests we receive are for games and most of them fall under ‘Puzzle’ category, each game claiming to be unique and entertaining.
iPhone gaming platform is great for casual puzzle games as the controls can be very intuitive and even the most simple gameplay can offer hours of fun.
InstantAction is ready to flip us this November with their upcoming game for iPhone/iPod touch called Flipt. This puzzle game relies heavily on the accelerometer enabling you to solve puzzles and blast your way around deadly traps by twisting, turning and flipping your device. FLIPT will be launched with 20 themed levels, game characters to unlock and with endless possibilities to solve puzzles by using all axes.
FLIPT iPhone Game_3
Key Features
Most puzzles games suffer with low re-playability and it will be interesting to see how long will Flipt be able to flip and twist us!
FLIPT Screenshots
FLIPT iPhone Game
FLIPT iPhone Game_1
Polyhedra [rating: 3.5/5]
“Another puzzle game” I hear you cry, “my iPhone is already full of puzzle games, why should I get another one?”, well I’ll tell you, if you have an iPhone/iPod touch full of puzzle games you must obviously like them, and secondly it’s only 2 bucks so what have you got to lose? If that hasn’t got you interested already, read on, if you are interested also read on!
The aim of Polyhedra is to fill a given percentage of the screen with geometric shapes, sounds simple enough right? Well obviously it’s not that easy. Firstly you only have a certain number of shapes to use, secondly, there are a multitude of enemies hell bent on stopping you from building your shapes. The whole game can be played with a single finger so that makes controls pretty simple. Touching the screen creates your shape and the longer you hold your finger down the larger it grows, don’t let one of the enemies that are bouncing around the screen touch the shape that you are creating though as it will kill it and reduce the number of shapes that you have at your disposal by one.
You start with circles and as you complete enough levels you get to unlock squares, pentagons, hexagons and more with your high scores all being uploaded to the Agon leaderboards which is a portal for Polyhedra and other games too. The psychedelic backgrounds create quite a colorful experience and with the simplicity of the game play the balance works well.
A ‘Toy Box’ has been added where you can play with all the geometric shapes just for fun to create you own pictures, but it doesn’t really add anything to the game and most of my time was spent playing the game rather than playing in the Toy Box.
Polyhedra is a relatively short game but what it lacks in quantity it makes up for in simplicity and fun.
Price $1.99
The Good
The Not So Good
Reviewed By: Craig Willis
Retweet this post to win promo codes!
Polyhedra iPhone Gameplay
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Puzzlegeddon [rating: 4/5]
Promo Code Winners: Rubens, Ramesh King, faresf [Please contact us via Twitter to receive your promo code]
Fasten your seat belt. Leading German mobile games publisher HandyGames (developer of top hit BeerShooter and Tattoo Mania) and Swedish game developer Pieces Interactive present the much anticipated iPhone version of the puzzle action hit Puzzlegeddon. Having sharpened their take on the game with PC and mobile versions, they have now unleashed this challenging mix of puzzle, action and strategy to the iTunes Store.
Imagine using the character of your choice along with your strategic puzzle skills to conquer planets. Defend and defeat through the manifold galaxies, game modes and challenges. Presented with a square puzzle board made up of blocks in four colors, the player shuffles blocks around by moving rows and columns. As a block is moved out of one edge it wraps around the board and appears on the other side, similar to a “flattened version of a Rubik’s Cube”. The objective, similar to other match 4 games, is to match blocks of similar color ultimately defeating countless obstacles that patiently await your arrival.
Featuring 12 attacks and power ups, eight different characters with their own special skills, you must make your way through themed planets by sliding rows and columns of similar color. Make sure to make large combos which will reward you access to the various power-ups necessary to boost your score.
Due to the massive amount of puzzle games available at the App Store, these developers have worked hard to stand out from the competition. Some of the exceptional features include:
I have only a few gripes about this application. The background music is irritating and repetitive. Turning off the volume fixes this problem however it would be nice if it supported iPod music. As for the graphics, they are “good”. The animations are simple but smooth. In order for this game to make it to the top of their competition, multifaceted and complex animations must be added to enhance the overall look.
“PUZZLEGEDDON is a game for every taste and play style – it makes you think hard, play smart and act fast!” Use your skills wisely and your strategies wiser. Try the free version to see if you are up for the challenge. You can’t go wrong with “Geddon” this game!
Price: $3.99
The Good
The Not So Good
Reviewed By: Dana Sperling
Win Puzzlegeddon for iPhone!
To win Puzzlegeddon promo codes leave a comment telling us why you want it and follow HandyGames on Twitter.
Puzzlegeddon for iPhone/iPod touch: Trailer
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T-Kara [rating: 3.5/5]
As more and more puzzle games flood into the App Store a game needs to have something different if it’s going to stand out and that is what T-Kara developed by Mexond is offering, and not only that it’s offering two for the price of one.
The game is played on a 8 x 9 grid and in both modes the movement of the pieces is done by sliding entire rows or columns back and fourth either vertically or horizontally and while this premise is easy the puzzles are not.
The first mode is Time Attack, a Bejeweled style game where aligning four or more matching shapes will make them disappear. You’re up against the clock though and you need to reach a certain score to open up the next level and new pieces. Each level also brings new challenges where certain new pieces can only be cleared in certain ways. These lock patterns certainly raise the difficulty level but certainly make it more of an enjoyable challenge too.
Puzzle mode takes away the timer and makes for a more relaxing game. While the controls and movement of the pieces remain the same the task now is to move the pieces so that they match a predefined pattern. The difficulty level racks up pretty quickly here but thanks to the the lack of a timer your able to take your time to complete the 12 puzzles.
The game graphics and menus look sleek and navigation is via unique system of side panels around the edges of the screen, this can be a little confusing to begin with but after a few minutes you’ll be navigating around the app with no troubles at all. While the music is your standard puzzle style background music it certainly doesn’t irritate and the sound effects fit in well.
If you are quick you can pick up this new style puzzler for a bargain 99 cents and while this puzzler could be completed quickly by puzzle addicts this should provide enough of a challenge for most puzzle fans. Hopefully future updates will include more pictures for the puzzle mode too.
The Good
The Not So Good
Reviewed By: Craig Willis
Win T-Kara!
To win T-Kara promo codes for iPhone/iPod touch Retweet this post and leave a comment.
T-Kara Screenshots
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The puzzle game genre is a packed category for the iPhone/iPod touch so for something to stand out it either needs to be something new altogether, take an existing style to another level or extend an existing style with a new twist. For Alchemize it’s the latter, taking the standard combine multiple items to make them disappear and clear the screen in the style of Bejeweled and adding the twist of unlocking elements along the way. Unlock all the elements and find the gold to win the game.
What sounds like an easy task is anything but, however, the added twist really adds to the addictiveness of the game as you work your way through all the elements to your treasure. You start with just a couple of elements and each time you combine three or more of them they will leave behind one of the next element inline and subsequently this new element will also be offered to you as the pair of elements are passed to you for placement.
As with most games in this genre the elements are passed to you in pairs with the ability to see the current and one more set being visible at any one time. It’s important to look ahead to whats coming next as this will greatly help you unlock future elements. It’s also critical to remember which elements are created each time you combine a set and this is not easy as in total there are 25 elements from potions and fauna to fruits and precious gems all on your way to your ultimate goal, gold. Access to all the elements and there order is only a shake away though as with each firm shake of your iPhone/iPod touch will toggle between the game screen and the element screen.
As you progress through the game and the screen fills with multiple different elements you will be given some help in the form of Special Elements. These items which appear randomly for your placement include bombs, dynamite, joker and a magic wand which will all help clear sections of the screen in there own way. And just as the placement of the standard elements is crucial so is the placement in these special items too.
All the elements are beautifully drawn and really standout on the handhelds screen while controlling the placement of the elements via tapping and sliding your finger on the screen is easy too. Slide left and right to position the elements and tap to rotate them before a quick slide down of your finger places the element in its chosen spot and the elements explode. It’s important to remember that when you do combine three or more elements the element at the lowest left position will be replaced by the next element in line. Grab this line and you can unleash a number crunching chain of combos. Get it wrong however and your screen will fill up quicker than you can say “Give me your gold” in your best pirate accent.
Because of the way the game plays there aren’t multiple levels to this game, success is measured both in points and in the number of elements you unlock. However once you fill the screen and have to start again you will have to unlock all the elements again too. There is a save option though and so if you feel you are in a good position in the game and feel like you would like to come back to it at a later stage in case it all goes wrong you can, obviously the save function works in the normal way too should you get interrupted and need to continue later.
High scores can be submitted online however this only tracks your score and not the number of elements that you’ve unlocked which is one area where the game is let down. There are 0 stats in the game so seeing how many and the highest elements you’ve unlocked is not possible. This would have certainly added value to the game as would a multi-player which is also missing.
That being said though it is an addictive new take on an old favorite but Alchemize falls just shy of being really magic.
Price $2.99
The Good
The Not So Good
Reviewed By: Craig Willis
Alchemize for iPhone: Trailer
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