1st Impressions

Two new games have hit the App store recently that follow in the genre of those parking lot puzzles or traffic puzzles where you attempt to move the pieces around until you free a designated one. In this case, the designated one is appropriatly identified as the Blue Block. The clean interface of the game is due in large part to the lack of concentration on different kinds and/colors of vehicles. This game offers a simple GUI and graphics that do not distract from the goal at hand.  It makes up for that typical eye-candy with a massive puzzle database. When I say massive, I mean to convey an almost limitless supply.

Blue Blocks is currently free and contains a virtually endless number of levels (literally tens of thousands) starting with kiddy difficulty levels and immediate levels and going up. Virtual endless game play at a current price of zero should be a no brainer… ButWait!!!!  There’s More!!!

Not to be satisfied with the free Blue Block game, the developers took a common genre and stepped it up a notch. They added an additional blue block. This makes any given level twice as difficult. The almost 4,500 games in this pack are devided between medium, hard, and expert difficulties. If you want something at the kiddie or easy level, go back to the free game.  The difficulty levels seem well set. My attempt at the very first level ended me finishing with close to twice as many moves as it could have been done by a master at these. I learned real quick that I am no master. LOL

The game interface is simple.  Pieces slide with the swipe of a finger just as you would expect.  The status bar across the top displays your chosen difficulty level, the puzzle level you are working on, the number of moves you should be able to complete it in, and, in my case above, the fact that it took me almost twice that to complete it.  Once a level is complete, you can choose to re-play it and try to better your score or to move on to the next level.

I do have a few suggestions for the game(s).  First, I like it when a game has multiple player profiles.  My iPhone is the only one in the house and more than one person plays games on it.  Second, while I would not like a timer to stress me while I played the game, it would be nice if the level selection screen that showed how many moves a complete level took also displayed the time it took you.  Where this could really benefit is if the game added an online leader board that showed a score calculation based on your speed and a percentage of par.  Ability to optionally post these scores to Twitter and/or Facebook as some other games allow would not only allow for a bit of bragging, but also drive some attention to the game.  Finally, I would love to be able to move a piece, change my mind, and move it back without it counting as a move.  My scores are going to be plenty high as it is without my fat-finger mistakes adding to it.

Overall, I’d give this pair of games a solid 10 out of 10.  They make my Must Have list and have replaced any of the competing products on my iPhone.  Close to 40,000 combined levels for a total price of $0.99 is an incredible bargain.  If you want to try the double-block harder levels without the $0.99 expense, there is even a lite version that offers 50 puzzles for you to try.  My recommendation is to skip that though and grab Blue Block while it is free and Blue Block Double while developer still has it at a $0.99 price.  It’s worth a lot more.

Cash Cow is a new game from Chillingo.  Expect it in the App Store shortly.  A great video on YouTube shows the game in action.  It is a port of a very successful game that has already been out for a while.  Game play is similar to the ever-popular match the gems kinds of games, but is totally different.  Instead of just matching colors or shapes though, this requires a whole new thought pattern and seems to exercise a whole new area of the brain.

The object of the game level shown is to match up 5 pennies to make a nickel, some combination of pennies and neckels to make a dime, some combo of those to make 25 cents, and some combination of all of that to make up $1.  Your goal is to collect enough of all of that to meet a set amount for that level.

But this type of level is just one of many available in the game.  Others challenges exist as well.  Things get trickier when you add counterfeit money, ladybugs, gold nuggets, glowing coins, and powerups into the mix.  With the money you collect, you can upgrade your farm.  If you like gem-matching games, you should really try this one when it comes out.

Transformations is an INCREDIBLE word game.  It is definitely a Must Have for anyone that likes crosswords or any other kind of word game.  For $0.99, you get 2,000 puzzles like the one pictured.  Each word is changed a particular way, called a transformation, from the one it connects to.  This can include adding a letter (or two), re-arranging the letters, replacing a letter, and words that sound the same.  It is definitely a mental challenge.  If you get stuck, a two-finger tap on the screen brings up a menu to change to a different puzzle, fill in a letter, show your errors, and even an option to move on to another level.

The game offers three different difficulty levels and two different modes of play.  One is relaxing, and one is timed and you try to complete as much as you can before you run out of whichever time limit you select.  You get points based on the number completed puzzles and the number of correct letters on the current one when the time runs out.  The game also has the nice feature of allowing you to play music from your library while playing the game.

My suggestions for this almost-perfect game are few.  A leader board reflecting how long a particular level takes to complete would be nice.  Adding a transformation for synonyms would make for a nice addition.  Additions to the game is not what makes it just barely less than perfect though.  The keyboard is custom.  It has that “delete word” key on the bottom left.  The keyboard has a slightly different feel to it from the default iPhone keyboard though.  On a couple of occasions, I found myself having to tap a letter twice.  It doesn’t negatively impact overall game play, but if it was refined a bit, it would make this truly a masterpiece.

Overall, if I were to rate the game, I would give it a 9.5 out of 10 stars.  It’s that good.  If the $0.99 isn’t enough to make you want to rush out and get this, a lite version containing 40 puzzles is available for you to try.  If you like word games though, skip the lite version and go for the full thing.  It is guaranteed to bring you hours and hours of fun and challenge.

Cubit is a great little game that just hit the App Store in August.  It is a wonderfully executed puzzle game.  As you can see in the screen shot, the top of the screen has three views that show you where your block(s) reside from three different perspectives.  The goal is to move it/them so that the numbers on your “key” at the top correspond with the number of sides that are touching.  The numbers turn yellow as you achieve that goal.  As you move your finger around on the bottom of the screen, your field of play rotates around so that you can view it from any angle.  By touching a block, you can move if forward/backward, left/right, and/or up/down.  It sounds a lot more complicated than it really is.  It is actually very intuitive and the means of play in no way gets in the way of the game.

In many ways, this game reminds me of the old Nonogram style games.  In this case though, it has been elevated to 3D.  It is this increasing level of complexity with a small playing field that is perfect for the iPhone.  Larger puzzles with massive grids would be too difficult to casually play.  I would, however, love to possibly see 4×4 grids added in the future.

Some real thought went into this game.  There is no timer or anything to cause you stress.  As you finish a level, you can post the fact that you completed it on Twitter.  The first few levels are nothing really to brag about though.  If this feature were disabled until you got into more advanced levels, that would be fine with me.  Other thoughtful things are that you can leave the game at any time.  When you come back, it not only remembers what level you were on, but the position of your blocks as you left them.  If you get stuck, you can skip to the next level (as long as you stay in the same difficulty level of 20 puzzles) and return to the current one at another time.  As you get close to completing the puzzle, it will even tell you how many moves it will take to finish it.  While sometimes this appeared helpful, when you are really stuck, it is a taunt at how close you are.   One undocumented feature is that you can turn off the sound in the game and listen to your iPod library of music while playing the game.

My suggestions are few.  I’d love for there to be some hint system for the more difficult puzzles.  When you are getting up to 5 different blocks to move around, it would be nice of you could replace the actual view of things as displayed on the top with the front, side, and top view of what the solution looks like.  In other words, you would see the solution represented graphically instead of numerically.  Having both modes of play would really help, I would think.  The only other suggestion I would have is to add additional levels that are generated on demand and/or levels with an increased playing field size.  While I think the higher levels of the game are probably smarter than I am and I’m likely to never get finished with them all, I could see the benefit of having more puzzles available in the cheaper difficulty levels.

The game currently consists of 100 different levels that get increasingly more difficult.  If the $2.99 price tag is too much for you, a free lite version is available that contains the first 15 levels.  And, if you can wait until September 5th, the app will be on sale for $0.99.  At that price, it definitely makes my Must-Have list for any puzzle fan and deserves the 5-star rating in the App Store.  While I don’t give out stars here, this game made it to my single partially-full iPhone screen of favorites.  So, out of the hundreds (300-400) apps and games I’ve tested and/or reviewed, this makes it to my list of top 10-15 games.  So my suggestion is simple.  Download the Lite version to play with for the next 72-hours, then grab this thing while it is on sale.  You won’t regret it.

UPDATE: Seems that once you get past the novice and beginner difficulty levels (40 puzzles), you do get into 4×4 grids.  This means that you have 64 possible positions for blocks instead of 9.  My genius son played some of these higher levels (as well as everything before them), but found it more difficult to maneuver the blocks where you wanted them.  It became frustrating.  It also revealed the need for keeping track of user progress for more than one user.  If I am any indication, the game gets too difficult at some level that probably differs from one person to the next.  That is why I would love to see it generate new levels within a certain selected difficulty level.

Quest for Knight’s Onrush is a free promotional title for the previously reviewed Knight’s Onrush.  It is much more than just a “lite” version of Knight’s Onrush though.  While it does include that lite version so you can play “defend your castle” is the unique and addictive way it is implemented in Knight’s Onrush, but Quest adds a whole new stand-alone game that is more offensive than defensive.  As I said in my iStore review, it is like seeing an old friend in a fresh new context.  Reminds me of the first time I saw a corporate friend by day in the role of a very talented musician by night.  This nice mixture of old and new really works with this game.  You have to familiar “old” characters from Knight’s Onrush doing refreshingly new and different things.

As I posted in the preview I did for the game, you really need to check out the YouTube video to see this game in action.   So go ahead and start that 2-minute loading of iTunes and watch the video while you wait for the free download.

Game play is simple.  Your left tumb-pad area controls your movement, while your right controls your jumping or sword play.  It is virtually identical to the controls in Inkvaders and works as well here as it does there.  The sound effects in this game are a real riot.  It really adds to the comical nature of the game.  When the little character exerts all that effort to jump over something/someone or gets poked with a lance, it’s just hilarious.

The object of the game is to cover as much distance as possible and deal with all the enemies you find on the way.  I guess they are “off to storm the castle” and your job is to defeat them before they get there.  So while Knight’s Onrush was a stationary battle, this is a moving one.  It totally changes the game dynamics.  Each time you play, the placement of the enemies and their objects is different.  I’ve been killed in as few as 50 feet, but also have managed to make it several times that.  So each time through is a unique experience.  This promises a lot of a game play for a price that is free as you could ever hope for.  I also love it that you can turn off the music and listen to your own iTunes library while playing the game.

My suggestions are few.  On the main screen, you have an option in the bottom left to “check this game”.  It is worded awkwardly.  I realize space is tight there, but you are not really checking out “this” game by tapping there.  You are taken to the iTunes page for Knight’s Onrush.  A “Tap here for more information” or something would be a bit clearer, I think.  Also, I had a bit of a glitch in the game.  I had died and let the iPhone time out and turn off.  When I turned it back on, I had a mixture of the high scores screen asking for confirmation of my name, and the main pain “play” window asking me to select between the Knights Onrush Lite or the Quest game.  All I had to do is hit the return on the keyboard for it to go away, and I haven’t been able to duplicate it, but thought I’d mention it in case any of the developers are lurking.

At a price of FREE, you have nothing to loose by trying out this game.  Based on number of downloads and customer feedback, the developers are already promising a full-features game with different levels, different heroes, different enemies, online scores, and so forth.  I’d really love to see that happen and encourage you to leave some feedback on the iTunes store of what you would like to see in a full game.

This soon-to-be released title from Chillingo looks like a lot of fun.  A screen shot really doesn’t do it justice.  You really need to check out the YouTube preview to see what this title is going to be all about.

Using the same characters from the hit game Knight’s Onrush, the developers have promised a lot of new development in this free game if it turns out to be popular.  I’ll be posting a full review of it once it is released.

To be perfectly honest, arcade games are not a huge attraction for me.  As I’ve said before, I am more of a puzzle kind of game.  Arcade games just never hold my attention…until this one came out.

Inkvaders is a new title from Chillingo.  I predict that is is going to be a huge seller for them.  The game is pretty much perfect in every way.  Controls are easy.  The left thumb-pad controls the direction you head.  The right thumb controls your jetpack and your firing of your selected gun. An icon in the top corner shows you level of ammunition for your gun.  Tapping that icon lets you choose a different weapon.  Up to 15 different weapons are available in the “vending machine”.

Game play is very smooth.  Your goal is to kill all the zombie-like aliens that are beaming down to the planet/moon depicted by your current level.  Three different locations are available for play.  As you collect points from marked boxes or by killing aliens, you are offered upgrades and additional weapons in the vending machine.  You also collect points by using your jetpack to “catch” stars and asteroids that are above you.  Ammunition and jetpack power run out though, so you have to be careful about when/how you use them.  Run out of ammo and/or jetpack power, and your ability to avoid the aliens gets severely limited.  If they get too close, they “zap” you and your health decreases until you die.  Loose all your lives and the game is over.

Three different difficulty modes are available.  The game also comes with an “endurance” mode so that you can play as long as you wish.  The ability to leave the game and resume it is a real plus.  At the $0.99 intr0ductory sale price, this game makes my must-have list.  It is a ton of fun for a buck.  Although I didn’t need it, my only suggestion would be for there to be an option to reverse the controls for those that are left handed.

Cleopatra is a $2 slot machine game.  It has five reels and utilizes twenty lines.  For gamblers, it probably scratched that itch.  I just didn’t have that itch though, so it didn’t do anything for me.  The graphics and sound are really nice though.  The game also offers two modes.  In one, you start with a particular balance and play until you run out of points.  In the other, you can actually submit your scores to a leader board.  As you play, if you get three or more sphynx symbols on the screen, the game gives you 15 free turns.  If you are into casinos and such, you might want to check this title out.  If not, I’d take a pass.  It isn’t going to hold the attention of non-gamblers for very long.

Iro is a challenging puzzle game. At $0.99, it offers about 50 levels divided between tournament and puzzle types. The goal us to tilt your phone so that the pieces fall in a particular direction in order to get three or more pieces of the same color to combine…and to do this to clear the pieces in a certain number of moves. I found the game to be mire of a frustration than a challenge though. The new concept of this type of puzzle was something that I could not get my old brain wrapped around. But at a buck, younger minds that like puzzles may want to take a small risk on it.

Touch KO is a new release from Chillingo.  Pardon the pun, but thus app packs a punch.  As the training mode shows, you can block, dodge, punch, do upper cuts, combo punches, and so forth.  These are all done with thumb gestures or, in the case of dodging a punch, by moving your iPhone.  The graphics are amazing.  The rapping background music can be turned off in case you desire your own playlist.  Quick play modes are good for a quick fight.  Career mode let’s you customize your character and track his progress.  You can play as a guest, or log in and share your stats on the leader board.  This game is probably the best and most complex arcade style game that I have ever played.  It is currently on sale for $2.99 in the app store.  If you like these types of games, you should really grab thus before the price goes up.