Category Archives: match three

Bitflip HD for iPad Review

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Bitflip HD for iPad Review is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Developer: METAMOOREPHOSIS
Price: .99
Version Reviewed: 1.0.1
Device Reviewed On: iPad

Graphics / Sound Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars
Game Controls Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars
Gameplay Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Replay Value Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Bitflip HD is an intriguing retooling of the match three game, breathing new life into a stale genre. The gameplay is well-designed, the music and sound effects contribute to the overall impact of the game, and the price of $.99 is just right. The only thing unfortunate about Bitflip HD is its annoying tendency to randomly crash or simply never complete its loading cycle. If the developers can correct these issues, they will have created one of the better puzzle games on the iPad.

Given their ubiquity, there seems little need to review the basic mechanics of a match three game. However, Bitflip HD mixes this up a bit by incorporating several new mechanics. The first is the “poptab,” an on-screen device that looks like, well, a pull tab from a Diet Coke. The Poptab has two two holes and can be moved to any position on the board and to any horizontal or vertical orientation. This mechanic subverts the typical match three device of “click two items to watch them switch places.” Here, the Poptab must be used to switch items on the grid, so two items are changed simultaneously, plus it can be flipped over, which also changes gameplay substantially. Each piece in Bitflip HD has two sides and a different color and/or pattern on each side. Both colors and patterns must match before they can be cleared from the board. It’s nothing truly revolutionary, but it’s enough of a variation to make Bitflip HD more interesting than the typical match three.

There are a variety of game variants included with Bitflip HD including “Pop,” where points are awarded based on the number of matches made in a pre-set time, and “Drop,” where disks continue to fall on top of other disks while you clear the screen – sort of Tetris meets Bejeweled. There are also a number of themes ready to go in the game, so you don’t have to settle for the initial basic look.

Taken as a whole, Bitflip HD is a solid puzzler that only suffers due to some annoying and random crashing issues. If the developer can fix these issues, it will be easy to recommend Bitflip HD to anyone who loves a good puzzle game.


[ Bitflip HD for iPad Review is a post from 148Apps ]


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 ]


Review: 180

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Review: 180 is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

180 from Headcase Games, is a fun and fairly gentle matching game that will surely reward puzzle game fans, but left me wanting a little more.

In 180, players must match flippable coins in rows or columns of three or more, trying to keep the ever-encroaching stack from reaching the bottom of the screen.

What makes the game interesting is that every piece has two sides, with images like moons, hearts, musical notes, and so forth printed on each face. Before launching a piece, the player can flip it to make a better match.

Even better, the player can flip any piece already on the board, setting up big combos and possibly clearing the entire screen for a serious bonus. Even on the game’s easiest mode, the speed picks up pretty fast, and 180 can become a real challenge.

In addition to the “endless” mode, which just lasts until you run out of room and the stack hits the bottom, there is a “time attack” mode, which gives you 90 seconds to try and maximize your score, and a “drop attack” mode, which has something to do with depth.

For this last mode, no real explanation was offered, and I wasn’t quite sure what the goal was. Fortunately the game plays pretty much the same in all three modes, so when in doubt, match!

With OpenFeint integration, this is another good app for people with an itch to see their name at the top of the score list, but it doesn’t have to be a mad dash for the highest score. The endless mode can be very relaxing until you lose control, and while the game only features one music track, its dreamy melody helps set the mood.

Despite 180’s good points, there are a couple of things that keep it from standing alongside the puzzling greats. When I first picked up the game, I often found myself pressing the wrong column to send my coin down, which can mess up a game real fast.

While I improved rapidly, the “fat finger” tended to return when the game got more frantic and I was in a hurry. Nothing is more frustrating than misplacing a critical piece with only seconds to spare, and losing the game as a result.

While the game is fairly visually polished, it never quite came together either. This is more of a whine than a criticism, since it has no effect on gameplay, so take it with a grain of salt. PopCap, the ultimate standard for puzzle gamers, has mastered the art of making the action visually and audibly rewarding, which really adds a layer on top of the game itself.

While 180 isn’t ugly, its aesthetics aren’t appropriately rewarding to the player. The end result was that I was less likely to start a new game right away after losing.


Namco Debuts Pac-Man Themed Puzzler Pac-Match Party

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Namco Debuts Pac-Man Themed Puzzler Pac-Match Party is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

Namco Networks has released Pac-Match Party ($1.99), an iPhone-exclusive match-three puzzler celebrating the Pac-Man franchise’s 30th anniversary.

In Pac-Match Party, players must swap and match three or more same-colored ghosts to clear them from the game board.

Special fruit and gift pieces can also be matched for extra points. If certain requirements are met, Pac-Man himself will arrive on the game board and gobble up all nearby ghosts.

Pac-Match Party includes 30 levels and a selection of all-new cutscenes celebrating Pac-Man’s birthday. A free Flash version is also available.


Puzzle Quest Gets New DLC Episode

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Puzzle Quest Gets New DLC Episode is a post from: Best Iphone Apps Review Website

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Hey, remember Puzzle Quest? You know — the medieval-themed RPG with match-three puzzle combat and a mercifully skippable story? That’s the one. Publisher TransGaming has updated Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords with a new downloadable chapter, bringing the iPhone version up to speed with its most recent console and PC expansions.

Chapter 3 of Puzzle Quest includes all content from the Revenge of the Plague Lord expansion pack, and introduces new quests, items, and challenges. The latest core update also brings a set of unspecified bug fixes and gameplay tweaks.

The third chapter is available as a $1.99 in-app purchase for owners of Puzzle Quest Chapters 1 & 2, and can be purchased in a bundle with Chapter 2 for $2.99, if you own the first episode.


Furballs!

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Furballs! is a post from: Best Iphone App Review Website

Furballs! is an addictive new iPhone game that combines the two popular game genres of path-drawing and match three into one package. Using the familiar “tap and draw” control system made popular by Flight Control, you must guide the colorful furballs through space to make matches. As you progress, special objects appear such as meteors which can burn furballs, comets which freeze them, wildcard furballs and satellites too. Furballs! features original music and over 150 levels of ever increasing difficulty.