Category Archives: Reviews

Puzzlebeams Title

[Review] Puzzlebeams by Blue Candle Games

General Info

Puzzlebeams is an Android puzzle game by Blue Candle Games. You use laser beams to push colored balls into holes of the same color. There are 40 levels. The game is ad supported, but ads can be removed for a small fee. You can get the game here.

Gameplay

You are presented with a game board which features colored balls, colored holes and laser emitters. By swiping, you activate the lasers pointing the direction you swiped. The lasers push the balls in the direction they fire. The balls retain a little bit of momentum after you shut off the beams, but the collision detection on the beams is pretty generous, so you never get into a position where you hose yourself by having momentum carry your ball slightly too far.

There are 40 levels in the game. So far I’ve been through 20 of them. The core mechanics do not change much. Some removable walls are introduced and a couple of levels have moving walls. Other than that, it’s just slightly more complicated arrangements of the same pieces over and over. A game this simple doesn’t really need more mechanics. I think it was a good design call.

Puzzlebeams has a casual feel. The levels are very short, progress is automatically recorded. I like that the game can be picked up for a minute or two, played and put away. The game play is simple and engaging enough to become addictive. I found myself pulling my phone out of my pocket and playing it every time I was waiting in line for something. I have absolutely no doubt that I will finish all 40 levels.

Visuals

Screenshot_2015-08-07-11-34-54

 

The graphics are very simple, which I like. This game doesn’t try to dress up it’s gameplay with a bunch of overdone graphics, or unnecessary particle effects. 2D sprites over a simple background gives Puzzlebeams a board game-esque feel, which I really enjoyed.

Suggestions

Sell level packs to up the level count. I would pay to extend this game to 80 levels, without question.

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Grapple title screen

[Review] Grapple – Free Platform Game for Android

General Info

Grapple is a free and ad free platform game by Oakmead apps. You play as a king who has been dethroned. Naked and alone, you’re tossed into sort of an evil forest where you try to get key pieces (and clothing) so that you can reclaim your rightful place on the throne.

Gameplay

Grapple features a variety of puzzle elements and is very reminiscent of Escape Goat. Players control the king with on screen controls. You’ve got three buttons. Left, right and up. The buttons appear at each bottom corner of the screen. I suspect this was to accomodate both people used to having a D-pad on their left and buttons on the right (like an NES controller) and people who are used to using arrow keys with their right hand, and other keys with their left.

Actual gameplay starts out pretty slow, with a series of tutorial levels. Some people dislike tutorial levels, but I’d rather play through them than read a manual (or worse, not get any instruction at all). After you get out of the tutorial heavy levels, the game gets pretty challenging. You work to dodge saw blades, position boxes on buttons and catch platforms to reach a single treasure chest which contains a portion of a key, or an outfit. If you die, there is no real penalty. You just fail the level and have to try again. Levels are timed, both as a fail condition, and as a means of replayability by challenging yourself to beat your previous best time.

Grapple has Google play achievements.

Visuals

grapple gameplay

Grapple game play, not the controls in the bottom corners.

Grapple is a pretty game. It features SNES-like sprites. It seems pretty retro, with the exception of a few gradient backgrounds which are too smooth to be retro, and some particle effects which are beyond most retro systems.

Suggestions

The only thing I’d change about this game, would be to move the controls around a little. It’s way to easy too accidentally jump. This could be solved by moving the jump buttons to the upper corners so it’s impossible to hit a jump button and direction at the same time, on the same side.

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poster_portrait rev

[Review] Cartesian by Betashark

Cartesian is a laser based puzzle game by Betashark. You play as a mining robot who is trying to rescue three miners from an alien planet. You are armed with a laser that you use to destroy enemies and to unlock doors by lighting up orbs which are the same color as your laser. Hostile enemies appear and try to shoot you with their own lasers. Switching the color of your laser and using mirrors to reflect your beam are core mechanics of Cartesian.

Cartesian gameplay

Cartesian gameplay

Cartesian has a very portal-esque vibe and a casual, light-hearted vibe. Lives are infinite and dying only sends you back to the beginning of the current level. Levels are pretty short so it doesn’t feel like you’ve been set back too badly. Cartesian is well suited to casual or busy players. Cartesian is very friendly to short, interrupted play sessions. Saves are frequent and automatic.

Levels in Cartesian are incredibly well designed. I was amazed with how hard some of them were to solve and at how many different angles and movements were needed to get through. The game is engaging from start to finish, and with a run time of about three hours, it doesn’t overstay it’s welcome.

 

Spaceship

Spaceship

Cartesian feels like it has a very solid core, but it could use a little bit more polish. In particular, I think the game needs a hint button, for when players get badly stuck (I was able to ask the developer when I got stuck, but most users probably will not have that privilege). I’d also like to see a control reference added to the menu you get when you pause.

I would love to see this game Greenlit through Steam. Its better than many of the other platform/puzzle games I’ve seen there.

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