Lots Of Choices

As OddBlob your mission in life is simply to get from the area of stars where you start to the area of stars at the other end of each level.  Along the way there are various fruits and other items of food you can eat, but none of those are essential to your survival.  There are also hearts you can snag, and those are good because they give you an extra life.  There are also clocks you can pick up, and I think what those do is give you some extra time before the level starts crumbling behind you.  Finally there are pieces of cake, and if you happen to snag one of those you’ll get to a bonus level.  On the bonus level you get one move to try and reach another piece of cake.  If you do you get a bonus, and either way you then get dumped back to your regularly scheduled game.

Your main obstacles are pits that cause you to fall to your death and walls that block your passage.  You can get around both of these things with well placed jumps, but be sure that you’re jumping over or away from them, and not into them!  The final problem is that the level is slowly crumbling away behind you, which you won’t notice right away but will become painfully obvious after a while, especially if you’re playing on the highest difficulty level.  Just make sure you keep moving forward at a brisk pace, and you shouldn’t fall away like the fabled Atlantis.

To help – or potentially hinder – your progress, several of the tiles have springs on them in the form of arrows and circles.  Arrows launch you in the direction the arrow is pointing, and you’ll travel either one or two tiles depending on if the arrow is single or double.  Once an arrow is used it goes away and the tile becomes ordinary.  Circles keep you moving in the same direction as you were traveling when you landed on them, and once again either boost you one or two tiles depending on if there are one or two circles.  Unlike arrows, circles do not go away.  The fun part of “spring” tiles is when you land on one that catapults you into another… then another… The down side, however, is when the last catapult sends you into a pit.  That’s never a good thing.

The game has two modes of play (though I haven’t really figured out the difference between them yet), and there are score boards for both modes.  In addition there are several OpenFeint achievements, and there’s an in-game menu to see them (called Awards) so that you don’t actually have to go into OpenFeint.  One thing I like about the awards in this game is that for the ones where you have to collect so many of something, they actually tell you how many you’ve collected.  Progress meters are nice.

Visually this feels like the spiritual successor to Platypus.  The objects are all rendered from clay, and even though it doesn’t necessarily produce the crispest, most detailed sprites, there’s something about the look of clay that can’t be beat.  The blob is well animated, though the rest of the game is lacking in that department.  Still, I love the look and it’s a nice change of pace from cartoony or doodle-like.  The sound is okay, but the best part of it, which is the noises the blob makes, is highly underused.  The music is actually pretty good, and it reminds me of a cross between two things, but I just can’t quite place what those two things are.

I’m not going to tell you there’s a whole lot going on here either revolutionary or even evolutionary, because there’s not.  What I will say, however, is that this is a solid game with simple mechanics that becomes quite challenging when you try to determine the course that will give you the most points as the level goes crumbling away behind you.  And yes, I took about 3 breaths during that last sentence!  Anyway, OddBlob is a great time waster with a cute character and plenty of clay food to munch on.  It’s also a universal application, and as of this writing it’s only 99 cents, so you win all around.

Final Verdict: Recommended
App Store Link
App Shopper Link

[All About Quick Looks]

Crime Alley

Police Range has two modes – Target Practice and Crime Alley.  Target Practice is first and foremost about hitting a certain number of targets, but secondly it’s about accuracy.  You get points for at least hitting the cardboard target at all, but you score more points if you hit the outline of the figure and even more if you hit a “kill zone”.  It takes a while for this mode to get up and going, but once the required number of targets gets between 40 and 50 the targets start popping up fast and furious like, and you will start missing some.  Thankfully once you’ve passed certain levels you can start at those levels, because while the beginning levels are good for easy points, they aren’t all that exciting.

Crime Alley is the typical scenario where you have a building with people popping in the windows, and you have to shoot the bad guys and not shoot the civilians.  Hitting one of the innocent doesn’t automatically mean you lose, but try not to do that too often.  Overall I find this to be the more interesting scenario of the two, but the visuals can be a bit of a detriment sometimes.  The stylized black and white drawings look cool, but the civilians can look deceptively like the bad guys if you aren’t paying close enough attention.  Add to that the fact that the weapons often blend in with the bad guys and you might do more than your fair share of accidentally shooting the good guys.  Guess I just need some more practice – thankfully they have a range for that!

The game has score boards for both modes, and it also supports OpenFeint.  Thankfully as part of what appears to be a growing trend, Police Range has it’s own screen to show our achievements as well so you don’t have to enter the OpenFeint interface if you don’t want to.  Most of the achievements are of the “I reached level X in one game” or “I’ve beaten X number of levels altogether” variety, but there are a couple of interesting ones.  My favorite is the award for hitting each type of civilian at least once in the same game.  Not sure if that means I’m terrible at the game or I know what I’m aiming for!

The graphics won’t “wow” you, but they aren’t bad either.  The background in Target Practice mode is a bit sparse, but Crime Alley is pretty decent, and the targets themselves look good.  Of course the targets in Crime Alley are much more detailed, so overall I’d say Crime Alley has the better look, which is fine since that’s the more interesting scenario anyway.  I do like some of the special effects like when the cards chip or just get blown to smithereens as they are shot.  Sound is basically a matter of shots being fired and your gun reloading, as I suppose it would be out of place for cardboard targets to scream.  On the other hand, some background music, even if it was subtle, would definitely take care of the intermittent silence.  You can listen to your own tunes, but the Muppets and Hannah Montana don’t really seem like good background music for a shooting gallery game.

I suppose some of the lack of dynamism in Police Range might be due to a desire to make the game feel somewhat authentic, but the end result is that it’s nothing more than a solid but average game.  Granted the Target Practice mode does get more interesting when things go chaotic and the visuals in Crime Alley are neat, but there’s nothing to really differentiate Police Range from dozens of other shooting games I’ve played.  If you’ve gotta have ‘em all then there’s nothing wrong with adding this one to your collection, but there are more interesting choices out there.

Final Verdict: On The Fence
App Store Link
App Shopper Link

[All About Quick Looks]

In this week’s Saturday Specials I’m going to discuss a genre that’s absolutely perfect for the iDevice – the rolling ball game.  With the accelerometer for movement and a touch screen for jumping, the concept of a ball rolling across a series of platforms makes sense.  The problem is that it’s an easy style of game to just slap together and throw out there, so care must be taken to make something more interesting out of it without over complicating it.  Today I’ll take a look at three different games that have done that to varying degrees, some not as well as one might hope.  To start things rolling…

Funkyball Worlds

This one comes to us from Astraware, who has a pretty decent record of turning out quality mobile games.  Fortunately, Funkyball Worlds doesn’t disappoint.  The goal is to get to the end of each level.  How well you actually do in the game, however, is determined by how little time it takes you to reach the exit.  Each level can be completed without truly ranking, but certain time scores can earn you a bronze, silver or gold medal for each level.  Along the way you can pick up bronze, silver and gold stars which will deduct time from your total at the end of a level.  Unfortunately, on the other side of things there are plenty of obstacles to try and hold you back.

Rolling Through The Desert

The platform layout itself is designed to keep you thinking, instead of just presenting the standard “move from left to right” paradigm that so many of these games use.  In addition to that you’ll run into things like flame throwers, electric barriers, platforms that can only be used a certain number of times, and platforms that can only be used for a certain length of time.  These are just a few of the traps you’ll find waiting for you in the first level set, which is Forest.  In the Desert level set you have to take wind into account, and on the Water level set the gravity of the situation is different.  Each world has 24 levels that you can play through multiple times to try and get the gold star ranking, and there are 33 achievements via OpenFeint to keep you busy for quite a while.

The graphics in Funkyball World are very nice.  The multi-layered backgrounds are designed to reflect the particular world you’re in, and each has its own atmospheric items, whether it’s falling leaves in the Forest or bubbles rising to the surface in the Water level.  There are some slick little special effects as well, like the trail that follows the ball or the swirl when the ball gets sucked into the exit at the end of the level.  The sound effects are nothing special, but they work well and don’t get annoying, so I’m good with that.  I really like the music, and appreciate the fact that each world has its own theme.  I think the music in the world selection screen might even be a different tune than the worlds themselves.

This is definitely one of the better games of this style in the App Store.

Final Verdict: Recommended
App Store Link

Fastball

This game had special interest to me because it was developed using a program that runs on Windows (I know that won’t mean much to the non-programmer, but aspiring iPhone developers will understand the significance).  It turns out the game isn’t too bad, but it is a bit rough around the edges.  Like most games of this genre, the goal is to reach the end of each level.  Along the way you’ll collect stars, which is what gives you your points each level.  Traps are pretty standard fare in this game, consisting mainly of objects and pits to jump over.  One thing I found kind of interesting was that if you hit the edge of a platform instead of landing on top of it you die.  That makes this more of a “have to keep moving forward” game than a “let’s explore the levels” type scenario.

Into The Red

I like the fact that there are multiple paths on many levels, which actually lead to different exits.  It’s nice not always having to try to get to the same place on a given level.  I also like the fact that there are two different game play modes.  In Progress mode you actually have levels you have to beat.  In marathon mode you traverse one big level and just keep going until you hit something.  Unfortunately, the obstacles in marathon mode don’t seem to be randomly generated, which is a bit of a bummer.  I also don’t like the fact that tapping to jump seems to have issues sometimes.  Once you’ve gotten to work it appears to be fine, but I’ve had several times where I’ve had to play a level 2 or 3 times before I could actually jump.

The graphics are nothing to write home about, but they aren’t terrible either.  The ball is probably the most detailed element, with everything else basically being outlines of objects.  There aren’t really any nifty special effects, either.  There also aren’t any sound effects, which is kind of a shame.  The music is nice, but overall things just seem to quiet.  Also, while I like the music, it would have been nice to have a separate theme for the marathon and progress modes.

For a first effort this isn’t a bad game.  The problem is that for the low price point that most games sell for in the App Store, there are much better options in this genre.

Final Verdict: On The Fence
App Store Link

Stone Wheel

To be perfectly honest, I bought this as much to have a third item for this review as anything.  In hindsight, I might have been better of digging through my collection to see if I had anything else to fill the gap.  It’s not that Stone Wheel is necessarily an awful game, but it’s certainly not great.  It takes a few unique twists to the rolling ball genre.  Some work, some don’t.  Unfortunately, the end result is a hodgepodge that’s more frustrating than fun.

Who Lost Their Wheel?

First of all, you’re a wheel, not a ball.  That’s fine with me, as a change of theme is always refreshing.  Second, you can’t jump.  This is where the game gets a bit weird.  To move between platforms – at least ones that you can’t just roll between – you’ll need to use red platforms that allow you to bounce and little things that look like nails which cause you to fly in the air.  It’s actually an interesting concept, but the level designs are so maddening that you soon don’t care about the novelty of not jumping.  If you’re using the accelerometer for movement, staying on a moving platform is next to impossible.  After a while I ended up switching to using touch to move the wheel, but in the end I don’t think it would make much of a difference.  You’ll basically spend a few minutes fighting with each level, ultimately beat it with a sigh of relief that it’s over, and after about an hour realize that you’ve beaten the whole game.

The graphics are kind of a mess.  The wheel and some of the objects like torches don’t look bad.  The platforms look like they were haphazardly pieced together, and there are lots of places where you can see seams between images.  The backgrounds look like leftovers from a default wallpaper package for Windows XP.  Sound effects and music are non-existent, which only adds to the blah nature of the environment.

I applaud the fact that the developer tried to do something different, but this game needs some cleaning up before it can compete with its contemporaries.

Final Verdict: Not Recommended
App Store Link

That’s it for this week.  I don’t know what next week has in store, but rest assured whatever topic it is, the reviews will come in a set of three.  Until then…

[Note: I've updated this post several months after publishing simply to add App Store links for all the games. I can't believe I didn't do that the first time around. Oops.]

Bubble Shuffle is all about words.  More specifically, it’s all about “how many words can you form with letters x,y and z?”  There are four modes of game play in Bubble Shuffle: Shuffle Rush, Shuffle Puzzle, Fast Finder and Discovery.  The first two are a pair and so are the second two, each differing only by the fact that one mode is timed and the other isn’t.  In the Shuffle variants, you must get at least one word with a certain number of letters in it.  All the rest are icing on the barnacle, as it were.  In Fast Finder and Discovery you must build a certain number of words from the letters you are given.

Need A Six Letter Word

No matter which mode you play you are presented with a list full of blanks that shows how many words can be formed with the letters you are given.  To form words you can either click on the letter bubbles in the correct order or drag them to the area where you are spelling the word.  When you feel you have a valid word press the Enter button.  You’ll either receive points for the word and it will be added to the list, or you’ll be told that it’s not a proper word.  Either way the spelling area will be cleared.  If you make a mistake you can press clear to remove all the letters, drag the letters around the spelling area to rearrange them, or simply drag a letter you don’t want out of the spelling area.  Finally, if the order the available letters are displayed in isn’t helping you to think, click the shuffle button to rearrange them.

Like most puzzle games these days there are awards to be won for achieving certain milestones, but Bubble Shuffle only has 7 altogether.  There are also records, including high scores and the quantities of certain lengths of words that have been found.  The awards are broken up by mode.  Finally, the state of each mode can be saved independently in terms of progress in a game, which is actually pretty nice.  My biggest issue with Bubble Shuffle is that it’s not all that exciting.  Games that have you spell words are a dime a dozen on the iPhone, but Bubble Shuffle doesn’t really offer anything above and beyond that.

Graphically the game looks decent, but it’s nothing out of the ordinary.  The words in the “already solved” list are actually quite readable, which is nice given the limited room available.  The fish that guides you through the game is cute, but other than a little bit of a shake every once in a while it’s not very animated.  The only other real movement in the game is the slight ripple of water at the top of the screen.  Sound effects are okay, but they don’t really add anything to the game.  The music is pretty decent, but it more or less heightens the peaceful, dull nature of the game.

Given the plethora of word games that are available for the iPhone, Bubble Shuffle really needed to do something different to stand out, and unfortunately it didn’t.  It’s a solid game, but it doesn’t bring anything new to the table, and what’s there gets kind of boring after a while.  The atmosphere is pleasant but uninspirational.  It’s a shame that with the wealth of puzzle goodness Astraware / Handmark has at it’s disposal that Bubble Shuffle had to be one of their first iPhone puzzle releases.

Final Verdict: Not Recommended
App Store Link
App Shopper Link

[Note: image courtesy of App Shopper]

Here Comes The Bee

I highly encourage you to read the Pocket PC review, because I don’t want to mindlessly reiterate everything I have written there. As a quick synopsis, though, the idea is that you want to match like colored petals on different daisies. You do this by spinning the daisies around either clockwise or counterclockwise, depending on the arrow on the daisy. When you clear all the petals on a daisy the petals will be replenished with a cry of “Flower Power”, and if you can clear petals off of more than two daisies at one that’s a “Daisy Chain”. Crazy Daisy tries to accommodate a wide variety of puzzle gamers with its three modes: endless for those who just want to keep spinning their wheels (or flowers in this case), puzzle for challenge seekers who don’t like to be timed, and arcade mode for people who not only want to lose, but want to do so quickly! There’s nothing revolutionary about the game play, but it’s a fun, solid implementation of the item matching genre.

For the most part the graphics look like more polished versions of the Pocket PC images.  There are a couple of nice new additions, however, most notably the bee that buzzes around from time to time.  You can click on it several times to get it to go away, though it will eventually leave on its own.  There are no points for pestering the bee, so I’m not sure what purpose it serves, but it’s cute and a nice diversion from flower spinning for a little bit.  The sound effects fit the mood of the game really well, especially when it comes to things like the voice that says “Flower Power” and “Daisy Chain” or the noise the bee makes when you click on it.  The music is wonderful, and it seems that they’ve added a new track for arcade mode, or at least I don’t remember it being in the Pocket PC version.

Crazy Daisy was fun a year and a half ago when I first reviewed it for the Pocket PC, and it’s still a blast now on the iPhone.  This is one of those rare games that I’d suggest you purchase again, even if you own a copy of it for a different platform.  Besides, as of the writing of this Quick Look the game still costs only 99 cents.  You can’t go wrong there.

Final Verdict: Recommended
App Store Link
App Shopper Link

If you’re looking for something that exploits the power or unique capabilities of the iPod Touch, eXact isn’t it. However, if you’re looking for a simple puzzle game that challenges your capability to think ahead then eXact might just be for you. This is one of those games that, rather than trying to break any new ground, presents a proven concept in a slick, professional package. Is this eXactly what you’re looking for?

100 Point Bonus

As with many other puzzle games, the premise behind eXact is to either clear the playing field or get a certain number of points to move on to the next level, depending on which mode you’re playing. Each level starts with some randomly generated clumps of blocks scattered around the board. Along the four edges of the board there are two rows of blocks. These are the blocks you use to try and clear the board with. When you touch a block in the inner row it will slide into the center of the board, stopping when it hits another block or the other edge of the board. The idea is to get three or more blocks of the same color together, in which case they will disappear and you will be rewarded with some points. The outer row of blocks, though a bit harder to see because they are shadowed, gives you a clue as to what’s coming up next. This is important because planning ahead can save you some headaches down the road.

Once you get a few levels into the game you are rewarded with some special blocks to play with. Bombs will destroy any block within a 3×3 radius of where it stops. X-Stones will push any row or column of blocks it comes in contact with over by one square. They can only be destroyed by bombs. X-Gems will transform into a random color once they stop moving. Finally there are mystery blocks, whose purpose will be revealed when they are used. The only real obstacles in the game are filling up the board and time (if you’re playing Timed mode), but you always have to be cautious that you’re not sliding blocks haphazardly, because the playing field can fill up quicker than you think.

50 Point Score

There are three different game play modes in eXact. Arcade mode is the easiest of the three in that your goal is to fill a progress bar at the top of the screen by scoring points. Once the progress bar is filled you move on to the next level. There are no time constraints, and you only have to worry about clearing the playing field if you want bonus points (which, of course, help fill up the progress bar). In strategy mode you must clear the playing field to advance to the next level. You can play a board as long as you like, but ultimately all the blocks must be destroyed to move on. Finally you have Timed mode, which is Strategy with a timer. Personally, my brain doesn’t think quickly enough for this mode, but it’s certain to please even the most hardcore puzzle gamer. When not in timed mode there are occasions where the game feels a bit slow, but then when you stop to consider the strategic nature of the game that’s not really a big deal. My main gripe with the game play is that the squares are a bit small, but there’s an undo button should you slip and launch the wrong block, and until you’ve actually let go of a block, you can slide your finger away to let go of the block without releasing it.

The graphics are typical puzzle style graphics. They look polished, but there’s nothing special about them. There are little effects from time to time, like sparks that fly when you get a match, and the word Bonus popping up when you match 5 or more squares at the same time. As usual, though, you don’t really need fancy images to get the point across here. The sound effects are fine and serve their purpose. If they were more prominent I probably wouldn’t like them so much, but they pop up just enough to add ambiance without getting annoying. Unfortunately there is no music in the game, and with the slow paced nature of the game play for Arcade and Strategy modes, this is a sorely lacking feature.

Graphics: 8
Sound: 5
Installation Ease: 10
Fun Factor: 9
Usability: 10
Documentation: 10
Adjustability: 6

Addon Packs: NO
Suitable For Young Kids: YES
Online Support: YES

CONS:
- Slow Pace
- Blocks A Bit Small
- No Music

PROS:
- Great Variation On Match 3 Games
- Game Modes Have Different Objectives
- Overall Presentation Is Polished

OVERALL::
eXact is one of those nice games that surprises you with it’s challenge given the simplicity of the premise. It’s a wonderful variation on the highly overpopulated match 3 genre, and is sure to provide you with hours of game time. The slow pace of Arcade and Strategy modes might be a turn off for some, but the quick thinking required for Timed mode should please even the puzzle game fanatics. At a price point of 99 cents, eXact is worth every penny.

Overall Rating: 8.3

App Store Link: eXact