Category Archives: match 3

Mayan Puzzle

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Mayan Puzzle is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

A variant of match 3 puzzle game like no other. Includes 4 game modes (classic, time trial, challenge, marathon). The action takes place in a beautiful Mayan surrounding spiced up with a lot of special FX and original Mayan soundtrack.

Depending on the mode selected it’s a mind-boggling action/puzzle game which will keep you on your feet, but it can also be a tough brain challenge in a classic/strategic mode. It’s a MUST-HAVE for a serious competitor. Be the first to complete all 32 levels in classic mode.

GAME FEATURES:

Four different modes:
- 32 levels in classic (strategic) mode
- 4 target times in time trial mode
- 4 difficulty settings in challenge mode
- infinite gameplay in marathon mode

Special features:
- 32 Mayan theme animated backgrounds
- 12 minutes of original Mayan soundtrack
- 35 achievements
- online leaderboards


Paradise Quest HD Review

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Paradise Quest HD Review is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Developer: I-PLAY
Price: $2.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0.0
Device Reviewed On: iPad

Graphics / Sound Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Game Controls Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Replay Value Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 3.88 out of 5 stars

It’s becoming increasingly difficult to review match three games, as they have become so plentiful on iPhones and iPads. Still, Paradise Quest HD manages to maintain some originality in the face of so much sameness, and that has to count for quite a lot. It’s a good game for adults, but there are many features that make this an even better game for kids.

I’ve never imagined that match three games could be even in the least bit educational, but Paradise Quest has some educational elements that add to the atmosphere of the game without, fortunately, standing in the way of the play mechanics. The premise of Paradise Quest HD is that you are an explorer/scientist (the two get a bit confused along the way) attempting to revitalize a failing rainforest ecosystem. Matching three in this case allows you to gather precious resources (water, food sources, trees, etc) that you can then use/spend to rebuild the suffering landscape. I give the developers points for making the game eco-friendly; as the ecosystem is improved players are notified of life forms that have returned to the rainforest. These are then catalogued in a scrapbook along with achievements you’ve unlocked, leaderboards and other relevant discoveries. The animal pictures are nice, but it would have been a good idea to provide some information about the animal as well. If you’re going to have an educational element in a game, you might as well go all the way with it.

The designers also include a few variations on the classic match three formula. The main one is that you cannot see the entire board at one time. Each time you make a match, the board shifts subtly in the direction of that match. This, along with attempting to gather specific resources on the board, causes shifts in strategy in terms of which items to match. It’s not a major innovation, but it’s a welcome change.

Visually, the game is extremely colorful and is really delightful to view. Sound is equally impressive, with tribal beats underscoring most of the game’s action. The only significant downsides in the game are the loading times and the match three controls. It seems as though every change in the game is accompanied by a lengthy (by iPad standards at least) loading screen. Once or twice is fine, I suppose, but after several of these they really grow tiresome. Shifting items to make matches also doesn’t feel as elegant as the rest of the game. It works, so from a utilitarian perspective it’s not a huge issue, but moving pieces on the board does not have the usual snap and polish that I usually associate with this sort of game. There’s a slight lag when moving pieces that serves to disconnect the player from the game, and it’s an issue worth addressing in future updates.

Taken as a whole, Paradise Quest HD is a clever, lengthy game, certainly worth $2.99, that seems best suited to children. Even adults will enjoy saving the rainforest, though.

[ Paradise Quest HD Review is a post from 148Apps ]


PAC-Match Party

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PAC-Match Party is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Developer: Namco Networks America Inc.
Price: $1.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0.1

Graphics / Sound Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Game Controls Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Re-use / Replay Value Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Pac-Man recently turned 30 years old, and his friends at Namco decided to honor the occasion by releasing a new game starring the aging superstar. What better way to celebrate Pac’s big three-oh than with a bare-bones, match-3 puzzler! Hmm, wait a sec. I thought they liked this guy? All kidding aside, PAC-Match Party is a cute little puzzler with a large dose of retro Pac-Man charm. Unfortunately, the aesthetics alone do very little to mask a shallow and ultimately uninspired package.

PAC-Match Party makes a good first impression. Instead of matching 3 or more jewels, you need to match the signature ghosts of the series, as well as cherries and gifts. Matching 3 or more gifts gives you special abilities, such as drawing a line on the board for Pac-Man to munch on ghosts, as well as the standard clearing of a row or column, etc. As you perform matches in the main playing field, Pac-Man is propelled around the border of the screen. Ghosts are chasing Pac-Man along this track, so you need to match quickly in order to stay ahead of them. This visual gimmick is a very nice touch, but amounts to little more than a glorified timer.

Things start to go downhill when you realize that there is only 1 game mode in PAC-Match Party. This single mode is 30 levels long (talk about rubbing it in), and the goal is to make matches over the highlighted squares on the board. The ghosts on your tail get faster as the levels progress, although the game doesn’t really get difficult until the last few stages. If you lose all your lives at any point, it’s game over. The game itself performs well, although there is the occasional bout of unresponsiveness when making a match.

The main goal of the game is to rack up an impressive score by performing combos and collecting fruit from extra long matches, but there are no social networking features available in order to compare your scores, etc. Leaderboards and achievements are local only, leaving very little incentive to replay the game. The scoring system seems a bit suspect as well, as you can abuse and mind-numbingly prolong the earlier levels by avoiding making matches that will clear the highlighted squares.

One note of caution with PAC-Match Party is that version 1.0.1 does not perform correctly on iOS4. When run on a device with iOS4, the highlighted squares on the playing field are no longer visible. You need to guess where you need to execute matches to complete the levels, which essentially breaks the game. Pac-Man fans may want to wait until a new version is released and these issues are resolved before picking up the game. In the meantime, you can try the original flash version of the game for free on the official Pac-Man website. The online version is essentially the same, but with a welcomed bigger board, and with a slightly different ghost-eating mechanic that I personally prefer.

PAC-Match Party is an attractive melding of the Pac-Man vibe and a match-3 puzzler, but the overall game is just too simple and insubstantial to contend in such a crowded genre. Much of the potential of this intriguing mash-up is very much unrealized, especially considering that there is only a single, straightforward game mode. There are more standard features missing from the game, like global leaderboards, adjustable difficulty settings, multiplayer or puzzle modes, etc., than there are included. There’s just not much to bring you back for more, and, if Pac had some creeping doubts about losing a step or two with age, this game does little to ease his insecurities.

Here’s hoping Pac-Man’s 40th birthday is more satisfying, and that he doesn’t end up growing a ponytail and buying a red sports car to overcompensate. That would just be sad…

[ PAC-Match Party is a post from 148Apps ]


Piyo Blocks 2 Review

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Piyo Blocks 2 Review is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Developer: Big Pixel Studios
Price: $0.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0

Graphics / Sound Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars
Game Controls Rating: 4.05 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars
Re-use / Replay Value Rating: 3.05 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 3.94 out of 5 stars

Match 3 games are a dime a dozen in the app store, and they come in all shapes and build qualities. I don’t want to sound pessimistic, but the majority of match 3 games that I’ve played seem to be just slapped together in order to make a quick buck. Piyo Blocks 2 doesn’t fall into this category. It is an extremely well made match 3 game that has a single heartbreaking problem, a broken global leaderboard.

We’ll stick with the good first. The gameplay is pretty standard fare match 3, where you match together colored “Piyo’s” in order to clear them off the board. The game is split into four modes, but all are really variations of the same thing, get rid of the Piyo’s. While you are playing, there is a collection meter of the Piyo’s that you have cleared, and different play types treat these differently. The main game type has you clear off a certain amount before you move onto the next level, and there is another that makes you clear off 99 of them before you move on.

The problem with the single player game is that once you’ve had fun with a tough game, you are shown your rank in the OpenFeint scores. Typically I’ll look at the scores and think about how I’m going to get to the top of them, but the Piyo Blocks top scores are so out of reach that there is hardly a point. Here’s how my score played out. I got pretty far, but I definitely know that there is room for improvement. My score was a respectable 109430, which put me at #364 on the list. On top is a guy named “Player 93043594″. His score was 99999999. In fact, all of the scores in the top 5 were eight digits, making my score quite pathetic. I don’t want to sound petty, but that all 9’s score might just lead me to stop playing for good. I don’t like hacked leaderboards.

So with a compromised leaderboard, most of the fun I will have is in the 2 player mode, which is very well done. It unfortunately only works via Bluetooth and local WiFi (no cross country friend battles), but does give you some fun head to head action. The basic gist is that you play like normal, but just like 2 player versions of old Tetris games, you send over attacks when you hit big combos.

With very rich, vibrant colors and some solid match 3 game play, Piyo Blocks 2 is a great game for anyone looking for a challenge. If the two player mode is the main component for you, you’ll love the game, but if single player is your thing and you are driven by competition, the leaderboard may just drive you nuts.

[ Piyo Blocks 2 Review is a post from 148Apps ]


Babo Crash Review

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Babo Crash Review is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Developer: Playbrains
Price: $0.99
Version Reviewed: 1.02

Graphics / Sound Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Game Controls Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Replay Value Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 3.63 out of 5 stars

IMG_0647Bejeweled is one of the iPhone’s top-selling apps of all time. Surprised? Don’t be. Time and time again, we’ve proven that we’re just suckers for “match-3’s.” However, if you’re a match-3 fan who’s getting tired of Bejeweled or needs one for this platform, Babo Crash is worth noting. It’s not radically new, but the quick tempo and various power-ups provide a fun experience nonetheless.

The game itself takes place on a familiar 8×8 grid of colorful gems. To match gems, you simply drag from one to another; the gems will swap. If you “match three” or more if the same color, they clear. It’s the old game, just as you remember it.

…except not quite. A number of elements have been added to help Babo Crash stand out from the crowd. Special gems called Heroes and Robos are created when you match four or five gems, respectively. You can then activate their abilities, which range from tilt-controlled gem destruction to destroying all purple gems on the field. Unmatchable “villains” also appear to hinder your progress. Babo Crash also allows you to change the screen’s orientation at will in order to strategically control the gems’ fall, creating immense cascades of gems and consecutive combos. If you finish a level early, you’ll go into Overtime, where you can earn double the points for a brief period of time.

Other than that, the game is pretty straightforward. OpenFeint leaderboards and achievements are available, and the game gives you the all-important option of turning off its music in favor of your own—the background music is all right, but far from exceptional or addicting. The graphics are solid and brightly colored. Auto-save works like a charm. That’s a good thing, too, because my only substantial complaint is that the game takes so long to play. There are twenty-one levels in each game, and no alternative quick-play modes. Auto-save makes this bearable, but Babo Crash’s fast tempo makes me wish that there was a way to finish a game quickly. Where are the other game modes?

Other than that, Babo Crash is a solid, relatively simple title. It’s nothing extraordinarily new, and if you’re sick to death of match-3’s or already have one, this game isn’t for you. If, however, you’re a fan of the genre and need one for your iPhone or iPad, Babo Crash is a good choice. The additions don’t radically alter the game, but they’re nice perks to a solid game.

[ Babo Crash Review is a post from 148Apps ]


Paradise Quest

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Paradise Quest is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Developer: I-play
Price: $1.99
Version Reviewed: 1.3.2

Graphics / Sound Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Game Controls Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

iPhone Integration Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
User Interface Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Re-use / Replay Value Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

IMG_0482Paradise Quest is a match-3 with a bizarre plot but—thankfully—enough of a twist to make it engaging. It’s by no means perfect, but it’s a lot more challenging than your typical Bejeweled clone. If you’re looking for a match-3 game, this is one to check.

The name comes from the game’s plot, which revolves restoring an exotic island to its former beauty. As you play, you earn “resources” which can be used to restore (er, upgrade) your island. The more you restore, the more animals return. It’s a frivolous mechanic and certainly not the game’s biggest draw, but the minor storyline is nice and it does give you a way to measure your progress.

Now for the game itself. Everything starts normally enough: you have a sprawling board, loads of randomly-generated tiles, and you have to swap tiles to form three-of-a-kind matches. However, Paradise Quest mixes things up by forcing you to scroll through the board. In each level, there are a certain number of “locked” coin pieces, each of which is surrounded by a square of brown tiles. You have to clear all of the brown tiles in order to complete the level. However, you can never see the entire board at once; instead, whenever you complete a match, the camera drifts in that direction. This requires a good amount of strategy to get where you need to, which is a welcome change from the aimless drudgery typical to some match-3’s.

Of course, that’s not the end of Paradise Quest’s twists. There are power-ups, barriers, and a “swinging” ability that allows you to jump to another part of the board once you clear enough vine pieces. There are even night levels, where torches scattered throughout the level are your only source of “light.” These features support the explore-the-board theme, but they aren’t radically game-changing.

For the most part, playing Paradise Quest is a lot of fun, but a few things sully the experience. There’s no auto-save if you want to stop mid-level, which is a huge pain…and there doesn’t seem to be a way to beat the tenth level. Maybe I’m missing something, but there are only two (of the required three) coins located in the tenth level. The result is that I’m stuck, unable to progress. And then there are more minor problems: playing your own music isn’t easy, and the interface, is clunky and incredibly inconsistent (sometimes there’s a back button; on other screens, it simply doesn’t exist).

The whole idea of match-3-plus-an-island isn’t exactly thrilling, but Paradise Quest is still a challenging, engaging spin on the old formula. It’s strange that a few issues manage to mar its polish, but I enjoyed myself all the same. If you want a match-3 with a bit more depth, be sure to give the lite version a try.


Tetryon

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Tetryon is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Developer: Boomslang Games
Price: $0.99 (on Sale)
Version Reviewed: 2.1.1
Reviewed on: iPhone 3GS

iPhone Integration Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Controls Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
User Interface Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Re-use / Replay Value Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 4.1 out of 5 stars

IMG_0311

By now, I’m sure that we’re all pretty much familiar with this generic match-3 genre .. and I’ll be the first to admit that it has become extremely generic and stagnant. That said, every once in a while developers surprise me by finding and applying new and unique ways which make match 3 their own. Over the weekend I got the time to have a quick play around with another. Developed by Bloomslang Games, Tetryon is a futuristic styled match-3 title which bases its concept on making explosive reactions using different types of coloured glowing glyphs. Each of these glowing glyphs are different in their initial shape and harness different unique properties.

Opening the app and starting to play you may start to believe you’re playing another Trism, or Bejeweled, but progressing through the game you’ll see its the little strategic methods and processes you have to play around which make Tetryon all the more playable. Set out on a 20 sectioned board, the game plays out over 62 levels over 3 worlds, including; Prototype, Kemetic and Bitcrush – each of which get harder in difficulty the further through the game to proceed. All in all, there are 75 glyphs you’ll need to get to grips with, with 10 volatiles there to help you. Volatiles can be used to get rid of surrounding glyphs on the playing board and therefore releasing space to put down more glyphs in order to create more reactions.

IMG_0303To create a reaction within Tetryon you have to match 3 glyphs in a row (either horizontally or vertically). To do this you simply pick up and drop the glyphs from the glyph generator located at the bottom of the screen. Sounds easy right? .. But there’s a catch. In order for a reaction to be counted as a valid one, the third and completing glyph must land or be placed in-between two other glyphs of matching shape. By adding this simple restriction, the game becomes a whole lot more difficult and challenging than perhaps other match-3 type titles. Not only because you have to think about where you’re place glyphs on the board strategically, but also having to avoid blocking a potential future reaction from happening, by placing other glyphs on the board. As you progress through the levels, your playing board gets smaller and smaller, with the game placing these ‘metallic slabs’ down wherever it pleases, adding even more challenge to gameplay.

Along the way you can use these things called volatiles. These are used for two purposes. The first is if you need to complete a reaction you can use a volatile as a wild card, meaning it will act as any shape or coloured glyph, and complete the reaction for you. The other use all the more useful, allowing to to get rid of nuisance glyphs which are just getting in your way. Volatiles can obliterate these for you, allowing you to continue creating reactions and gaining points! Although, there’s a catch. Leave a volatile on the board for too long and it will explode. If you’re really stuck and need to save a glyph for later but not actually place it on the board yet, in the bottom panel of the game screen there are two ‘holding areas’. Now, glyphs will stay here forever until you choose to use them at a later date. Volatiles however, after a short visual warning, will burn out and become useless to you.

Summing up, Tetryon is a highly playable puzzler which lends its gameplay from match-3, but in the same sentence uses restrictions and methods to further enhance its combined gameplay. While I did feel the game could have benefited from use of the iPhones accelerometer, Tetryon’s visual style and accompanying sounds make for intense and at times frezied gameplay which I have to say can’t be rivaled with anything I’ve previously played in the match-3 genre.


Colorix, Match-3 Hit from Android Now on the iPhone

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Colorix, Match-3 Hit from Android Now on the iPhone is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

colorixColorix, a kicked-up Tetris/Columns game has taken the leap from Android and is now available on the iPhone.

Colorix from Purtugese developer Awesome Software has done something few games have. They’ve taken the jump from the Android marketplace to the iPhone App Store. The game has been a top selling game on the Android, we’ll have to see how it does on the App Store.

Colorix isn’t your normal match 3 game, more in the style of Columns than Tetris with a few extra twists thrown in. It’s taken to the next level. Wonderfully rendered and amazingly smooth graphics.

The game does require some extra strategy if you want to make it onto the global high scores list though. You need to know the game extras, the patterns and sequences that you get extra points for. Then you have to do the hard part and actually set up the board for those patterns. Oh yeah, and you have to keep from losing too.

Well worth a try if you are a fan of a good, casual, match-3 game. There’s a good tutorial included along with local and global high scores. There’s also a lite version available, give it a try.

Colorix Lite

Category: Games / Strategy
Released: 2009-12-16
Price: FREE

Colorix

Category: Games / Strategy
Released: 2009-12-11
Price: $2.99


First Look: Gelex, a Match-3 Game Developed by a 78 Year Old Grandmother

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First Look: Gelex, a Match-3 Game Developed by a 78 Year Old Grandmother is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Gelex5Gelex is not your average match-3 game. Not in many ways. For one, it’s a bouncy, physics based Tetris like game, but the main reason is that it was developed by an 78 year old grandmother of 5, Maria Bila.

The game itself is a match-3 game that uses bouncy tetriminos that you can control for a certain amount of time as they fall. The goal is to match 3 of the same color in any formation. Obviously the more you match, the more points. After playing a few times, I’ve found the game rather satisfying. it’s fun to be able to bounce the pieces into each other and have them force new matches. Satisfying indeed.

There do seem to be some odd game design issues, ones that I’m sure will get fixed. For one the pieces need to touch sides, touching a corner of a square to another pieces is not good enough. Another oddity is if the falling piece is above the cut off line, the game is over even if it hasn’t landed yet. There are some other oddities — I’ve had the game end for no apparent reason.

Now here’s the best news, the game is free for launch right now, so grab it while you can. I’m sure it will improve, and even with the issues above, it is a rather fun take on a match-3 game.

Gelex

Category: Games / Puzzle
Released: 2009-12-04
Price: FREE

Hit the jump for a few more screen shots of Gelex.


App Sale: Billionaire

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App Sale: Billionaire is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Billionaire is on sale for free – normally $.99

If you like Tetris, then I think there’s a good chance you’ll like Billionaire… it’s pretty similar, but instead of trying to fit blocks together you’re basically doing a match 3 thing where you have to match up falling jewels.

The action is a little slower than I’m used to for this kind of game, but it’s tricky enough that you’ll eventually appreciate the moderately lazy pace at which the gems are falling. Shen Marshall has built in a good set of options that allow you to adjust game control, background, music, and a couple other game attributes.

At this game’s normal price of a buck I’d say that’s about right, but it’s even better when it’s free! If you miss out on the sale, there’s also a free lite version.

iTunes Link – Billionaire


App Sale: Styx Halloween

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App Sale: Styx Halloween is a post from: Best Iphone App Review Website

Styx Halloween is on sale for free – normally $2.99

The further you go, the more different kinds of Halloween faces you have to contend with

The further you go, the more different kinds of Halloween faces you have to contend with

Styx Halloween is one of those match 3 games where you run your finger across matching units that are either touching or diagonal from each other. I guess that technically makes it a “match as many as you can” game and the combination of great graphics and tons of powerups makes this a pretty fun Halloween diversion!

The game comes with three modes: Chains, Time Trial, and Puzzle. Chains and Time Trial are both very similar in that your goal is to find as many chains as possible, and Puzzle forces you to figure out how to eliminate groups of Halloween icons in the right order so that no individual pieces are leftover.

EMV Software built in a global scoreboard and made Styx Halloween iPod-friendly, so I’d advise you to go get this app while it’s still free! The App Store page says this game is on sale for 2 days only, and the price went down 2 days ago, so it may go back to its original $2.99 price any minute now.

iTunes Link – Styx Halloween
Version 1.4
iPhone 3G OS3.1.2