Grav is a gravity based puzzle game by 2DM based on the Unity engine. You take control of a small ship whose task it is to collect spheres from around four galaxies imaginatively named Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta. Each galaxy has ten levels to complete and whilst short for a puzzle game it ramps up the difficulty quickly to ensure that the completion of each level is truly satisfying.

So what do you do?

The gameplay is based around using the gravity of various planetoids to circle your ship towards the sphere. Once collected you are rewarded with one to three stars. There is however, various obstacles which get in the way in the form of black floating barriers (who put them there we will never know). Black obstacles on top of the blackness of space does make it hard to see when in bright light but I can understand why they did it as they didn’t want these floating walls to detract from the ‘space-ness’ of the game. By pressing the screen you activate your thrust which can change the nature of your orbit putting you in a better position to thrust to your next target. when you have the right position you effectively ‘swing’ your way to your objective.

Is it any good?

The games simplicity makes it instantly playable and highly enjoyable and you can fly through the first few levels with some ease. Once familiar the levels get decided hard and they add a reversal block which effectively changes the direction of your orbit. You need to use these wisely in order to navigate to tricky ‘blocked off’ areas in order to retrieve the sphere. As an added pressure point, there are many levels which instantly put you in harms way and you have little time to strategize before you are smashed with a meteorite or oncoming planet. And did I mention the meteors chase you… well they do!

The graphics are a pretty standard affair of generic space background, simply rendered ships and obstacles and a futuristic GUI (graphical user interface) giving the game a simple polish. The music is fitting with the theme, if a little to too relaxing considering you are being chased by two flaming meteors intent of your destruction.

Any extra stuff?

Aside from the ‘Campaign’ mode there is a ‘Free Play’ mode where you play a side scrolling distance game. This mode sees you swing from planet to planet collecting multipliers and avoiding barriers. The idea is to get as far as you can and collect as many multipliers as you can in order to get the highest score. Along the way to have to avoid the meteorites and make sure you are not left behind by the scrolling screen. This is fun addition to the game and although it lacks in Game Centre integration (it would be nice to see how you compare with the rest of the world) it is still satisfying to know that you are improving.

Final word

At the time of writing I was in the penultimate level about to face the big ‘forth’ galaxy and I had tackled some pretty difficult levels. In many ways the game is short but I spent A LOT of time tackling single levels of the game being frustrated but not put off which is indication of great game making. This is a great game that you can complete with a bit of effort and its fun whilst it lasts. I’m not sure if I will return to it once complete but I know that when I played it I had fun. If you are after a fun, throwaway puzzle game that’s simple, solid and satisying then I would recommend Grav. Just make sure you get the right game though as there are two games of the same name… This is the one you have to pay for

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Graphics-wise this game holds its own against the slew of Bejeweled and Zuma clones already out their on the market. Although there are not many, there is some really nice animations and the whole package is lovingly polished. Tomb Breaker’s jewel collecting narrative is told through the eyes of a young Tomb raider called Aria Brite. It’s slightly familiar territory but to be honest, it’s all about the puzzles as apart from a cartoon girl and a voice over intro there is no real story or progression through a narrative.

The games main mechanic is matching the same colored jewels with each other that are horizontal or vertical to each other (not diagonal). The jewels do not need to be directly next to each other and you can connect multiple gems in a single swipe. It’s easy to get the hang of but difficult to master. Extra bonus points are given when you connect the entire collection of a single colour or if you cross your own lines. Each round lasts 60 seconds and you not only collect points but special gems which act as currency to buy power ups.

The Power Ups

The power ups come in five styles:
– double points
– 10 more seconds
– lighting mode
– double crossover points
– +1 to all matches

The game is very addictive and it wasn’t long before I had earned my ‘Played 50 games’ gamecentre achievement. Some rounds everything goes your way and you are clearing colours, crossing the lines and stacking up a pile of special jewels to use to buy powers ups and other times you have difficulty getting three gems to line up. This is a great pick up and play game that you can dip in and out of as you please.

The Issues

There is however, a few issues that stops this game reaching the top score and top of that list is the cost of the power ups. I played well over 50 games and earned enough to buy one of the power ups. I eagerly purchased the ’10 more seconds’ power up thinking that more time would lead to more points and more prizes. For a short time (about two rounds) this was true but them the power up was removed and I was left having to play another 50+ games to attempt to earn another one. Of course you can buy booster packs to gain extra currency ($1.99 will get you 100,000 and power ups cost between 3000 – 7000) am I did buy one pack in order to test out the other powers up (as well as support the developer as it was a free game) but I was a little annoyed.

I have spent the week playing and playing and although I still think this is a great game, many gamers will lose interest with it after a while as there is no story or quest mode, and you are ulytimately playing the same board over and over. If there was a steady progression of obstacles, enemies, boosters and general forward movement then this would score better on the longevity front. As it stands however, you may be like me and really enjoy playing it but ultimately stop playing after a while for lack of progression. If you enjoy playing over Facebook and challenging friends then it will last longer but if you are just after a fun puzzler in those ‘quiet times’ then you may be disappointed later down the road.

Overall

Overall this is a highly polished and hugely addictive game marred by over ambitious in app purchasing expectations and limited story line and progression. As its free I would definitely recommend downloading it but if you are stingier gamer who doesn’t like shelling out for in-app purchases then don’t get too excited about the power ups as you will only get to use them one in fifty games.

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The post Review: Tomb Breaker | iOS appeared first on AppTrawler.

Little Viking follows the trials and tribulations of one little Viking as he roams from room to room collecting gold and keys before being allowed to move on, simple right? Traversing the dungeon is done by rotating the entire room. As gravity takes hold you are able to access different parts of the level in order to complete your tasks. Along the way you will encounter enemies and obstacles such as monsters, spikes, and gas all out to stop you. Boulders and rolling rocks are used as both obstacles and tools to solve the puzzles of which there are approximately 100 to trawl through. The learning curve is gradual but you will find yourself stuck on the odd level for decidedly longer than the average level.

The graphics are simple and cute with minor animation in the flaming torches, and although these are great it wouldn’t hurt to have some animation on the main character when he walks. The death animation is reminiscent of the classic retro game Rick Dangerous which always brings a smile to my face. The silhouette style level design means there are little or no loading times but with 100 levels I was hoping for more than different hues of wall colour delineate the 10 different zones.

Music and sound effects are solid and the Viking battle scream as the hero enters the vortex is both sweet and amusing.

Gameplay is straightforward and uses four buttons, left, right, rotate left and rotate right and although they are responsive and easy to use they could benefit from being a little bigger. I sometimes found myself falling down a chasm hoping to pull right only to be impaled on spikes and my thumb just to the side of the button. The games instructions need to be discovered through trial and error as there is little in the way of ‘how to’ screens or help bubbles but to be honest it is quite refreshing to be rid of all the chaff and unnecessary options that can bump up the file size of most mobile games.

Overall, this is a great game that is easy to play and highly addictive. What it lacks in optional extras and background diversity, it makes up for with a horde of great levels and simple pick up and play gameplay. If you are after a fun little puzzler that doesn’t take itself too seriously then your will get a good few hours of Little Viking.

The post Review: Little Viking – Dungeons of Doom | iPhone appeared first on AppTrawler.

Breakout your glow sticks

Orbital is the Geometry Wars of breakout games, with vivid glowing neon colors, simple lined graphics and particle effects galore. This game appears on the surface, to be really simple to play, the player uses a trajectory cannon to fire balls onto the play area. Once settled in their final resting place they expand until they touch a surface, be it either the sides of the game area or another orb. These orbs of varying sizes each start with a number on and count down with each ‘bounce’ from other orb, until finally exploding into a pixelated flurry when reaching zero. Once the orb falls below the firing line, or you find yourself penned in the game is over. There are three fantastic game modes to choose from; the standard is the Supernova mode mentioned above, Gravity mode; which adds a moving cannon as well as giving the orbs their own gravitational field and finally, there is the pure mode that is essentially Gravity mode but without the gravity (a slight disappointment but still fun).

The game’s simplicity is its greatest feature as it is easy to boot up and kill a few minutes and I found it is now one of my top toilet games as it’s quick, easy to control with one hand and is different every time.

Sound wise, the game has some retro robot voices and a slew of upbeat techno tunes that all add to ambiance and style of a really solid puzzle game. This game is better than the screenshots convey and will be a worthy addition o any puzzle fans collection. For those that love games such as puzzle bobble and Geometry Wars you may have just found your next download…

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The post Windows Phone Review: Orbital Puzzle Game appeared first on AppTrawler.