Saqqarah - Temple of ThotSeqqarah is a new series of puzzle games for the iPhone.  The goal of the  $0.99 Temple of Thot (pictured) is to match colored gems so that each of the sections of the game screen consists of a single color.  You do this by switching any two adjacent gems.  The logic behind Temple of Thot remindeds me a lot of those old sliding games where you had to line up the numbers one through fifteen.  Once the game level is complete, you can move on to the next level without any cost.  In other words, you can skip a tough level, but it costs you in points.

In the $0.99 Temple of Isis, the game play is much like Bejeweled except with a twist.  While you can make lines of three or more gems disappear, the ultimate goal is to make squares or triangles of the same colored gems so that it turns the background of the section that they define from black to red.  I found this style of game mechanics to be more relaxing than Temple of Thot.  My one complaint in both of these games though is that you play against a timer.  While I like that as an option, I also like the ability to take my time and not feel rushed depending on my level of mental alertness.  I wish an option were available where you could play without the timer even if the trade-off was that your scores were not saved or something.

I really enjoyed the new game play of these games, particularly Temple of Isis.  And the graphics are absolutely incredible.  They look a much more expensive than a $0.99 game.  Ultimately the entire series is promised to have 500 different levels.  My hope though is that developers continue to offer more levels for each of the different “temples” so that if you have a particular favorite game style, additional levels will be available.  I also hope a generic and light/free Saqqarah version is in the works with a taste of each of the different puzzle types so that they can be attempted prior to the purchase.  With several different game play mechanics in the works, I’m looking forward to seeing what the next “temples” will bring.