Category: Game Review

Planet Blue Art
App Store: Arukone Free

Arukone is a classic Japanese game where the objective is to connect similar shapes. This sounds more simple than it is in practice! You cannot have any connecting lines overlap and to complete a level you must draw lines on all of the open paths. There is a hint button that will show you what move you should make next, but the hint button will disappear if used to much. The interface is what you would expect for this type of game. The puzzles are quite challenging and not meant for the faint of heart (or small children).

This free version of the game comes with 10 levels that give you a really good taste of what Arukone has to offer. Arukone is a great game for anyone that loves matching and path finding puzzles. The full version of the game contains 200 levels and a bunch of level packs that can each be purchased for $0.99 and include 100 levels each. I had fun playing through all 10 of the levels in the free version and could see myself playing through more. This is a great game to pickup and play when you have time.

Snappy Touch
App Store: Flower Garden $2.99 | Free

Flower Garden is an interactive flower gardening application that has lots to offer to those with and without a green thumb. Everything in Flower Garden is very well polished and makes great use of the device. You start off with several empty pots, seed varieties, and some fertilizer. You plant seeds into the available pots and then you can either water or apply some fertilizer. A dose of fertilizer will make the plant grow a full day’s worth immediately, or the other option is to water your plants and take a more organic approach. The plans grow faster than a real plant would grow, so it keeps you engaged. Once you have fully grown flowers you have the option to cut flowers to create bouquets. Once you have created a bouquet that you are satisfied with you can share the bouquet  by sending it via email or Facebook.

There is also a Flower Shop that allows you to purchase new seeds, fertilizer, pots, and a greenhouse to keep things interesting. You can either start with the full version or the free and purchase your way to all of the things that the full version offers by default. The application is very well done and the developer is constantly adding new features and items to the Flower Shop. Flower Garden is very forgiving for those that forget to water for a few days and you can always plant new seeds if you completely neglected any flowers for too long. I would highly recommend Flower Garden to anyone that needs a peaceful experience or enjoys gardening.

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Get Set Games
App Store: Addicus $1.99 | Lite

Questioning your ability = Simple Addition + (Colors * Time Limit). Welcome to Addicus. The game is extremely simple to play. The game gives you a number that is color coded to solve. Using the different colored mushrooms you must add up to the number given. You have a time limit in order to solve the addition problem. During game play there are various bonuses the player encounters. The bonuses depends on how fast you solve the addition problem and how many mushrooms you use. There is an Overdrive mode where you gain extra points. I have only done this three times. I think it is time to go back to school after failing to reach a certain point in the game, and lack of obtaining a certain amount of overdrive levels.

The graphics are fantastic and pleasing to the eye. The music to the main menu had me fooled. I first thought that the elevator music was going to be the main soundtrack to the game. I was wrong. The soundtrack is great. No learning curve, except for math 101, when it comes to the UI. There is the pause button at the top, and the rest is just tapping mushrooms to your heart’s content.

Current playability will keep you interested for only so long. Adding a different object that represents multiplication to the mix would really spice up the game. Another idea is to have the ability to play against a friend. Both players would see the same mushrooms, and must solve faster than the other. All in all, a great game to exercise our brains which we need more of.

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Little White Bear Studios
App Store: Compression $0.99 | Lite

Compression by Little White Bear Studios is an incredibly addictive and fun match three type game. The goal is to match a minimum of three blocks of the same color. You progress to new levels by removing all of the hollow blocks on the screen. This might seem like an easy task, but the side walls and floor compress as you play the game! Needless to say, you have to stay focused to keep up with both the walls compressing and the blocks dropping before they very quickly become overwhelming.

The main menu is one of the nicest looking menus of any iPhone game I have played. The music and mood are very well balanced and really help to make you feel the pressure to beat a level as fast as you can before you run out of room. Leadersboards and achievements are available using OpenFeint, which are completely transparent unless you access your stats from the main menu (no popup notifications).

I would highly recommend this game to anyone that enjoys a good puzzler. Compression has unlimited levels and the achievements offer you very challenging goals to achieve. Well worth the price!

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Semi Secret Software
App Store: Canabalt $2.99

I actually played this game before it was released on the iPhone. I was excited when I heard it was going to the iPhone. The entire city is going down in a blaze of glory. Destruction at its finest. You start off in an office building running towards the window. From then on it is jumping from building to building to escape the inevitable. During the jumping and running there are obstacles that will appear; the chairs, crates, crumbling buildings and occasional satellites plummeting from the heavens. The satellites are the hardest. They crash down when least expected. I use the chairs and crates to my advantage to slow me down when the speeds get insane.

This game is as simple as it gets folks. You only need to touch the screen when you need to jump. The character moves automatically at increasing speeds. The jump is processed in three different ways. A light tap will cause a quick and short jump. A medium tap will give it a good distance jump, and the of course the long tap which gives you olympic length jumps with a touch of hang time. Nothing to it. The music is fast paced adding to the overall ambiance of the game. Catchy music.

The UI is extremely simple. Tap anywhere on the screen to jump. If you need to pause the game then the pause button is at the top of the screen. The game is fun and addicting. Definitely a game I turn to when at the theater waiting for a movie. It becomes repetitive after the umpteen time of trying to pass 5000 meters. What would enhance the game is the ability of playing in major cities like New York, London, Paris, Tokyo, Sydney, Dubai or Vancouver. The landscape would look different making it less repetitive.

Studio FungFung
App Store: MiniSquadron $2.99 | Lite

After watching the video on the game play I knew I had to try this game out. I downloaded it right away when I heard it had been released. The game did not disappoint me. I did not stop playing until I beat the game first time through. I had a lot of fun playing the game. I can’t say the same for my iPhone. The bottom corners where the controls are located were oily and dirty.

Mini Squadron has 8 areas with 12 waves of enemies per area. You have the chance to collect the planes that you have encountered giving you more options when flying. During battle you have many chances to collect stars that give you bonuses during combat. Be careful, the enemies can also pick up these stars and use the bonuses against you. If you fly to high your plane will stall. I have actually used that to my advantage when fighting the UFOs. They are nasty.

The sound effects are simple and clear. I enjoyed listening to the soundtrack of the game. It fits the game well. With the new update you can listen to your own music which is a big plus. The graphics of the game are cartoony with the focus being on the planes. This is nice since I can concentrate on the enemies and not be distracted by the background. Of course, I then forget to watch out for stalls or crashing into the ground.

The UI of the game is simple and perfect. As you know, I have issues when it comes to an over complicated UI. Someone who has not played this game before will be able to immediately pick up the device and begin playing. Very intuitive. Animation of the planes is smooth. At one point I thought I was the one doing the barrel rolls to right myself during flight, but actually that is not true. I then stopped trying to figure out the movement to cause the barrel rolls.

The gameplay is fast and fierce.

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Touch Foo
App Store: Soosiz $2.99 | Lite

Soosiz is the first game by Touch Foo. Don’t let the graphics fool you; any other graphics and this wouldn’t be Soosiz. The music and sound effects are OK. It is what you would expect from a platform game like this.

The game play is unique. I really like the gravity element for each “planet”. I don’t know what else to call it. I will call it platforms for the review. Jump to a platform and gravity will take hold; adjusting the view for you. It gets pretty intense in some levels leaving me dizzy with the platform jumping and gravity switching. In the game you have to rescue your little friends which in turn give you special abilities. Other added game elements are collecting gold coins. 100 gold coins gives you Star Power. Star Power is the same concept as in Mario. It makes you invincible letting you run through enemies. I really enjoyed the secret blue coin levels. You need to collect 50 blue coins within a certain time limit. The physics for the blue coin levels is perfectly done.

The controls are simple and everything is on the screen. It is intuitive and simple. This is my biggest caveat. I do not like D-pads, hunting around menus for gameplay controls or overly complex flow of gameplay. Soosiz has exactly what I am looking for, a good gameplay flow. If I want something complex I will go play Eve Online.

I am always on the look out for anything unique when it comes to UI. Actually, I enjoy seeing new concepts of anything. Soosiz does something cool that I really like. The main menu changes to reflect the level you are currently on.

Soosiz delivers in a big way. This game comes highly recommended and will not disappoint. It is in my top five games, and will always be on my iPhone. I would love to do a live interview with the developers, hint hint.

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Thunder Game Works
App Store: Trenches $0.99

Thunder Game Works has really put together an addicting game with Trenches. You control the british commandos in your fight against the Germans in this WW1 side view game. The object of the game is to make your way to other side of the map using an arrangement of specialized troops. You can use the trenches to your advantage for protection when fighting against the Germans. Don’t stay holed up too long or the Germans will use Fire Support and wipe out your men.

The graphics are well done and adds to the gameplay. The UI is simple and easy to understand. No hunting around hidden menus for game play objects. Everything is kept on one screen for easy access which is less confusing for the player.

The music and voice acting are well done. The only gripe with the game is that controlling more than one set of troops becomes a little tricky. Something that will really take this game to the next level is being able to play multiplayer.

Overall the game is well done, polished and addicting.

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