Unravel Abstract Designs and Colors in Dissembler
November 20, 2020 by RSS Feed
Dissembler ($2.99) by Ian MacLarty is a minimalistic puzzle game about unraveling bold, abstract designs, one color at a time. It's like a match-three game, except for the fact that no more tiles come to replace the ones you clear out. If you enjoyed recent titles like Stack & Crack, Invert, and Crystal Cove, then you'll like what Dissembler has to offer.
Though most of my time is taken up by Monster Hunter: World these days, I still love my puzzle games. In fact, I still prefer them when I just want to do nothing but relax, as it definitely helps take my mind off of the more stressful things going on right now. And while it feels like I've gone through most of the different types of puzzle games on the App Store, I can't help but keep an eye out for more, as I can't get enough. When I saw Dissembler on the App Store, I knew it was another one that I needed in my collection, and when I saw it was by the guy who made Boson X, it just confirmed it.
Stack & Crack
Jambav, Inc
Invert - Tile Flipping Puzzles
Noodlecake Studios Inc
Crystal Cove
Andrey Spencer
Boson X
Ian MacLarty
Visually, Dissembler is pretty simple and clean. On the surface, it looks just like a 2D game, but with the shadow effects and how the tiles flip, there's more layers of depth to it than meets the eye. The creamy beige backdrop provides great contrast for the colored tiles that you're matching, and the tiles are bright and vibrant. Animations are smooth and fluid on my iPhone 8 Plus, and the game features an ambient soundtrack that helps with relaxing your mind. If you're colorblind, the default colors may be a bit hard to see, so fortunately, the developer implemented a colorblind mode as well. The clicking sound effects are fun to listen to, at least for me, and remind me of wind-up toys. Overall, the developer did an excellent job with the visual and audio design for Dissembler.
Dissembler has three game modes: Puzzle (Default), Daily, and Infinite. In Puzzle, players go through a series of various designs, figuring out the correct sequence to make the matches (at least three or more) of tiles in order to clear them all out and have a clean slate. Daily has a new set of puzzles for each day, meaning something new to look forward to. The puzzles in these two modes start out simple enough, but become more intricate and complex as you go, requiring some thought and planning to make sure no tile gets left behind.
Infinite is slightly different than the other two modes. Instead of dealing with single-colored squares, you'll have squares with three rings of color to them, all arranged neatly in a square grid. There's the outer, middle, and inner rings, which are all different colors. You'll be matching the outer ring color first, and then the middle ring expands to fill the outer layer, the inner ring becomes the middle, and a new color shows up in the center. You'll make matches until there are no more possible moves. Infinite also has Relaxed and Hard modes, so you can pick the flavor that best suits the mood you're in.
Controls in Dissembler are easy enough for anyone to understand, and it's pretty intuitively designed for touch screens. Honestly, it would be hard to play something like Dissembler with physical button controls, so this is the perfect platform for it. To swap a colored tile with an adjacent one, just swipe on it in the direction you want to swap it with. If it's a viable move, then the two become a single piece and "flip" over. Otherwise, they just return to their original position.
Remove all of the colored tiles by flipping tiles to make matches.
The Good
Dissembler is a unique matching puzzle that is not your typical match-three. It demands strategizing and planning to figure out the correct sequence to make your matches in, almost like a brain teaser. And while it's proper to go through the puzzles in order, there is an option to Unlock All, so you can play them in any order that you want, which is nice for those who get stuck easily.
The Infinite mode is the most fun, though. I like that it offers this, because I usually just prefer to play endless games and just try to best my own scores. Having the personal challenge keeps me motivated to play.
On top of it all, Dissembler has some great minimal aesthetics and charming sound and music. Like the developers other games, this is another one that's well designed.
The Bad
Honestly, it's hard to find anything negative about Dissembler. But if I had to pick out a flaw, it's the fact that a game about colors doesn't let players change the color theme. There's only the default option and colorblind mode. I would like to see a variety of color palettes added in the future, which could spice up the game to suit everyone's favorite hues.
The verdict
As a big puzzle lover, Dissembler may be my new favorite for the time being. I love the simple and clean graphics, the music is charming, and the gameplay is fun and challenging. I also like the fact that there are no in-app purchases, and the game even lets you unlock all of the puzzles so you can go through them all at your own pace. I just hope to see more color palettes added in future updates, just to add some variety.
9.2
OVERALL
Game Controls 10
Replayability 9
Graphics 9
Sound/Music 9
Gameplay 9
Dissembler
Ian MacLarty
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Experience the Highs and Lows of First Love in Florence
November 20, 2020 by RSS Feed
Florence ($2.99) by Annapurna Interactive is an interactive storybook that details the highs and lows of a young woman's first love. If you like games that are more about the storytelling and experience, such as Life Is Strange, then you will be charmed by Florence.
Ah, first love — we've all had one, or are still in a relationship with one. I remember when I had my first boyfriend at the age of 16, and I thought that it would last forever. Nope. It's a learning experience, and one that I'm quite thankful for. So when I saw Florence on the App Store, I was drawn in by how relatable this experience seemed to be. I had to check it out for myself, and this is definitely one that pulls at your heartstrings.
Life Is Strange
SQUARE ENIX Ltd
Visually speaking, Florence is beautiful, though I suppose that's to be expected from the lead designer of Monument Valley. The game is entirely hand drawn in a simple art style that evokes the "slice of life" aesthetic. The color palette in Florence features a nice mix of soft pastels and brighter hues, along with darker, gloomier shades. Each kind of color conveys a different meaning and emotion in Florence, so the variety that it offers is nice. Animations are smooth and fluid, so I had no issues on my iPhone 8 Plus. The soundtrack to Florence is also pretty whimsical and emotional, as it helps convey the sentiment that you're supposed to feel during particular scenes.
Since Florence is an interactive storybook experience, the "game" is broken up into a handful of different acts, and there could be one to three chapters per act. The chapters are simply titled with one or two words, but they're enough to tell you what scenario is going to happen next. The titles are also relatable to our real lives as well, which is what I love about the game.
The story of Florence goes like this: Florence is a 25-year-old woman who has a daily routine, like we all do. Get up, get ready for work, commute and check social media, work, talk to mom on the phone, go home, eat dinner, sleep, rinse and repeat. It's a rut that we all feel stuck in sometimes. Then Florence meets a cello player named Krish, and they begin dating. Krish is responsible for changing how Florence sees the world and herself.
Like any relationship, there are the ups and the downs. Each chapter represents a different experience in Florence and Krish's relationship. As you explore their connection to each other, you'll get to play various mini-games vignettes. You'll be there when they flirt with each other on their first date, to witnessing their first heated argument, and then helping each other follow their dreams and passions. But eventually they grow apart, like most of us do with our first love.
One thing that I love about the mini-games is the fact that they resemble actual, real-life experiences when it comes to dating someone.
For example, as Florence and Krish first start talking to each other, the puzzle pieces that resemble their chat bubbles are six pieces. It symbolizes how hard it can be to come up with conversation topics on the first date. As they grow closer with one another and know more about each other, their chat bubble puzzles only have three pieces.
There are only 20 chapters total in Florence, and it's easy to get through them all rather quickly. Still, it's a roller coaster of emotion, and by the end of it, you feel closer to Florence than you ever did, and you may even know exactly what she's been through.
An interactive storybook that is filled with mini games, and follows the story for a first love.
The Good
Florence is an excellent storytelling experience with the slice of life plot. It's the story of your first love, which we've all been through at some point, and it hits close to home. It highlights all of the good and the bad of a relationship, and provides valuable life lessons. Plus, the visual style and music evoke even more emotion from you. It's hard to not tear up just a bit while playing this.
The Bad
The only negative to Florence is the length. Again, it's only 20 chapters long, and it's easy to get through them all (or at least most) in less than an hour. For the amount of money, some may not think it's worth it. However, if you appreciate a good story, then Florence's tale is worth it.
The verdict
Once I started Florence, it was hard to stop. I went from knowing nothing about Florence to knowing everything about her daily life and then about her and Krish. It reminded me of my relationships, and I'll admit it — I got quite emotional. I love slice of life experiences, and Florence is definitely one you don't want to miss.
Florence is on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for $2.99.
8.5
OVERALL
Game Controls 10
Sound/Music 10
Graphics 9.5
Gameplay 8
Replayability 5
Florence
Annapurna Interactive
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Take a Journey Through Gaming History in Evoland 2
November 20, 2020 by RSS Feed
Evoland 2 ($6.99) by Playdigious is the ultimate homage to classic RPGs that most of us grew up with in our childhood years. If you were a fan of the first Evoland, then you don't want to miss the sequel.
I grew up with consoles like the NES and Sega Genesis when I was a kid. Back then, there were plenty of great games, especially RPGs, that provided adventure and challenged players at the same time. As time went on, RPGs grew and matured, becoming much more detailed than their original counterparts and even blossoming in glorious 3D. If you're the type of person to get a bit nostalgic over gaming history, and also enjoy a ton of references, then Evoland 2 is a perfect match.
Evoland
Playdigious
Graphically speaking, Evoland 2, like its predecessor, is rather impressive. The game provides an excellent visual timeline of the capabilities of gaming throughout the years, going from 2D and 8-bit pixels to more complex, 3D modeling systems. Still, even when you go through the 8-bit part of the game, everything is still quite detailed, so you can still make things out and it's not too plain looking. The colors in Evoland 2 are a nice, lush mix of vibrant brights and more muted, earthy tones. Animations are smooth and fluid, with no issues of laggy or choppy frame rates on my iPhone 8 Plus. The soundtrack is also a nice tribute to the classic RPGs that you've played in the past, and the game even pokes some humor into that from the very beginning.
In typical RPG fashion, players will find a storyline that is jam-packed with plenty of JRPG tropes and clichés, but done in a way that is supposed to be humorous and entertaining. You have the protagonist who doesn't remember who they are and what happened to them before the start of the game. You're in a village with various NPCs who all have their own quirks and charms. The silent hero gets sent out of the village to do some errands for someone, but you need a sword first! Help the daughter of the man who rescued you from the forest from a bunch of monsters and witness a catastrophic event that changes the world as we know it.
Yup, that sounds about right, doesn't it? Evoland 2 has the standard JRPG fare, but does it in a tongue-in-cheek way that is pretty meta and breaks the fourth wall. It makes jokes about mechanics from other games, such as The Legend of Zelda (cutting up shrubs), and there are a ton of references to look for if you've played any major RPG or adventure type game.
Since it's an RPG, players do have to go through the game in a chronological series of events, but there is the ability to grind for experience and level up. You know, when you want to be so overpowered that you can decimate anything in your way.
Evoland 2 expands on the previous game by adding in new game mechanics and elements. Instead of just the regular old adventure RPG game, Evoland 2 implements different mechanics that get introduced in games, such as shooters, card games, platformers, and more. It adds more variety than the original Evoland, and it keeps things fresh and interesting. With all of the different genre mashups involved, it's guaranteed that you'll never be bored by what Evoland 2 has to offer.
There are two ways to play the game: through the default touch screen controls, or by using a MFi controller. The touch controls, while they work, are a bit wonky in my experience. The bottom left has the non-fixed joystick for movement, and the bottom right has a fixed-position button for attacking.
While the controls do work, I found it to feel clunky at times. This is because the movement joystick freely moves around to where your thumb is, but it doesn't seem as responsive as I'd like it to be. I often found myself trying to turn and not, resulting in my attacking in the wrong spot. Or I would just run into an enemy instead. I hope that the controls get better optimized in the future, or at least allow for some customization, as there's currently no options.
On top of it all, Evoland 2 has three ways to play the game: Adventure, Good Old Arcade, or Hardcore Challenge. There's plenty of diversity offered with the different types of gameplay, and the challenge mode is great for those who want a real test of skill.
An RPG game that mixes many classic together in an all new story.
The Good
Evoland 2 is a great mashup and homage of RPGs through the years. The visuals look fantastic and are nicely detailed, even when it's supposed to be "less" detail for the old graphics. The music is excellent as well, as it serves up typical adventure fantasy fare. The different style of gameplay mechanics and elements that are introduced provide a huge variety, and it's a great way to go through gaming's history. And last but not least, the humor with the dialogue and references is top notch.
The Bad
Evoland 2 is great, but I wish that the touch controls were a bit better. It's hard to move quickly and aim your attacks properly, as it gets unresponsive and sticky at times. Hopefully the control optimization gets tweaked in future updates. For now, if you have a MFi controller, it may be the better way to play.
The verdict
As a fan of RPGs in general, I am liking Evoland 2 so far. I believe I had the original game, but didn't get around to playing it for whatever reason (this happens more often than not). The cheeky humor and references bring a smile to my face, and I love how the world transitions to different graphical styles. The soundtrack reminds me of older RPGs that I used to play too, so the nostalgia is nice. I just hope the controls get better in due time. It may just take some practice to get used to.
Evoland 2 is on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for $6.99. There are no in-app purchases. It's also available on Steam (PC and Mac) starting at $19.99.
8.4
OVERALL
Graphics 9
Sound/Music 9
Gameplay 9
Replayability 8
Game Controls 7
Evoland 2
Playdigious
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Impale Penguin Vikings and Hipster Ice Giants in Lichtspeer
November 20, 2020 by RSS Feed
Lichtspeer ($3.99) by Lichthund and published by Noodlecake Studios is an action game that's packed full of retro neon lights, futuristic yet ancient German mythology, and plenty of lightspear-throwing fun. If you like physics-based action games, kind of like Dandara, then you'll get a kick out of Lichtspeer.
Ever since the rise (and fall) of Angry Birds, there was an upsurge in physics-based games that utilize the slingshot aiming method that the franchise made popular. While there haven't been as many of these games out lately compared to years ago, they're still fun, especially when you have something like Bowmasters. I tried Bowmasters for a while, but the constant ad shoving in your face bothered me. I had also seen Lichtspeer on the Nintendo Switch eShop several months ago, and while I didn't buy it on the platform, I found it incredibly intriguing. Now that it's on iOS, I had no excuse to not check it out. Boy, this one does not disappoint.
Dandara
Raw Fury AB
Bowmasters - Multiplayer Game
Playgendary GmbH
Alto's Adventure
Snowman
Alto's Odyssey
Snowman
Lichtspeer's graphics are visually impressive as a whole. The game features a minimalistic aesthetic with the 2D, low-poly art style. The various environments also feature unique backdrops that look great, and have a kind of Alto's Odyssey look and feel to them. Despite the low-poly style, the character models for your warrior and various enemies, including the Hipster Ice Giants, are detailed and can be easily separated from the rest. The colors in Lichtspeer range from bold and vibrant brights to muted, earthier tones, and then there are the bright neon lights of your lichtspear weapon and pyramid lasers. Animations are smooth and fluid, with no issues of lag on my iPhone 8 Plus.
The game's music is just as unique as the game itself. Players will find an upbeat and quirky EDM soundtrack that plays in the background, and the sound effects are nicely done. So whether you hit your target or miss, the game wants to make sure you know.
Lichtspeer has several different areas on the world map, and each one has a handful of levels to get through. But on top of it all, each level is broken up into several stages, and you must clear one stage to move on to the next part. Once you finish them all, then your total score gets tallied up as LSD, which stands for Lichtspeer Standard Denomination. You'll have to complete the first world to get access to the shop, where you can purchase and upgrade your Lichtpowers.
With the scoring system, Lichtspeer follows an arcade formula. You get points based on the number of enemies you killed, but you earn bonuses for headshots, consecutive hit and kill combos for multipliers, and not using up a continue. Plus, there are set goals for each level that you'll want to strive for, so it keeps things fresh.
The goal in Lichtspeer is simple: you're a lone warrior who holds the Lichtspeer, and must use it to clear out the waves of enemies coming at you. Defeat them all, and then you can move on. There are also boss battles that present a true challenge, and are not for the faint-of-heart. Despite the simple premise, Lichtspeer is a hard game. Prepare to die — a lot.
The controls are simple and seem made for touch screens, though I have yet to play it on the Switch. To aim your Lichtspeer, just drag your finger on the right side of the screen. You'll see the trajectory line for your Lichtspeer. Release your finger to throw it, and hope you aimed well. Then rinse and repeat for every enemy on the battlefield.
Your starting Lichtpower is the Trispear, which splits your single spear into three when you tap the screen with two fingers (left and right side). You may want to spend your LSD earned from each level (all stages) to upgrade it to become more effective (eventually splitting into five spears) and reduce the cooldown timer. Other powers may be purchased as well, such as the Licht Hammer, Lichtray, Das Shield, and more. There's a total of 10 powers that you can have, and they prove to be quite useful in battle. Getting enough LSD for all of them, on the other hand, may take some time.
Toss spears at all kinds of crazy creatures in ancient Germanic future.
The Good
Lichtspeer is an amazing physics-based arcade game that everyone should play. The visual style is unique and looks fantastic on Retina screens, and the sound is top notch. The controls work out well enough, so it's pretty simple and intuitive overall. There's a lot of variety in terms of environments and enemy types (Hipster Ice Giants and Penguin Vikings, hello?), so you'll never not have a good time here. The humor is excellently done too, and the Lichtpowers kick things up a notch.
The Bad
The game can be a bit unforgiving, because if you even let one enemy get through to you, then you've failed. When this happens, you have to start that section over from the beginning, which can get pretty tedious if you died a good way through the wave. I wish that there was a life system instead, making it a tad easier, but I suppose that would defeat the purpose of the game, which is to be challenging. After all, it is a simulator where you're a warrior facing off against hordes of enemies.
The verdict
While I'm still fairly early on in Lichtspeer (it's pretty hard, alright), I'm enjoying it a lot and find it hard to put down once you get the hang of things. I've died plenty of times now, but if you pay attention to the attack patterns of the waves, you'll notice when and who you should strike first. It takes some time and practice, but it gets easier once you recognize the sequences. Plus the graphics are beautiful, the music and sound is quirky and delightful, and the controls feel natural. It's a bit unforgiving, but pushes you to get better.
Lichtspeer is available on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for $3.99. There are no in-app purchases.
9.5
OVERALL
Graphics 10
Sound/Music 10
Replayability 9
Game Controls 9.5
Gameplay 9
Lichtspeer
Noodlecake
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Don't Get Greedy as You Hunt for Treasure in Temple of Spikes
November 20, 2020 by RSS Feed
Temple of Spikes: The Legend ($5.99) by Tigrido is a tough-as-nails platformer that puts your reflexes to the test. If you enjoyed other challenging games recently, such as Thumper: Pocket Edition and Lichtspeer, then Temple of Spikes is another worthy addition to your collection.
As a person who grew up in the '90s, I can definitely say that platformers always have a special place in my heart. I had the NES and Sega Genesis consoles when I was a kid, so I have fond memories of playing whatever games my parents got me at the time, which were usually platformers. To this day, I love platformers, and I don't think that's ever going to change. While I prefer physical buttons for the genre, I still like to check out what platformers are on the App Store, so Temple of Spikes piqued my interest over the weekend. It's a solid game with just a few quirks.
Thumper: Pocket Edition
Drool LLC
Lichtspeer
Noodlecake Studios Inc
Visually speaking, Temple of Spikes is beautiful with a unique 2D pixelated art style that serves as a nice homage to classic platformer games. It's a nice mix of 8 and 16-bit graphics, and the environments presented in the game are lush and wonderfully detailed. The colors in Temple of Spikes are a great mix of bright and vibrant with muted, earthy tones. Animations are smooth and fluid, with no issues of lag or choppy frame rates on my iPhone 8 Plus. The game's soundtrack is pretty fitting with an adventurous overtone that is reminiscent of Indiana Jones and the like. Overall, the developer did a great job with the visual and audio design of Temple of Spikes: The Legend.
Like many other platformer games, Temple of Spikes is level-based. At the moment, there are 30 levels, which you can easily see on the world map. However, even though it's only 30 stages, the game supposedly holds at least 50 hours of gameplay, so if you want a lengthy game, then this is a good contender. The goal in each level is to help an archaeologist explore the labyrinth of an ancient temple, find all of the riches that await you, and then make it out alive.
Of course, this is all easier said than done. The temple is full of spikes (obviously), lasers, dark critters, and many other dangers and traps. There are even challenging boss battles that await you. Your only guidance is the ghost of the treasure hunter that came across the temple before you. Each level is split up into several parts, but there are save points that serve as checkpoints, so if you die, you can just pick up from the last save point.
The controls in the game are simple enough, but the buttons do feel a bit clunky at times and not as responsive as I'd like. In the bottom left area are two directional buttons for moving left and right. In the bottom right are buttons for jumping, accessing time control powers from artifacts (slowdown, rewind), and other actions, like attacking and placing bombs once you unlock it.
My problem with the controls is the fact that the default placement of the buttons floats slightly above the bottom of the screen. Because of this, your fingers will actually cover up where your character is, so it's hard to see where you're going and what's coming up.
You can customize the touch controls in the settings by dragging where you want the buttons to be, or scaling them so the touch area is larger. However, even when I customized the controls, it still didn't feel quite right, and sometimes the buttons didn't seem to register my input properly, so I ended up dying due to unresponsive controls.
The default character in Temple of Spikes is the archaeologist. However, as you play, you'll collect coins, which you can spend on new playable characters. Some characters will have unique abilities, like collecting faraway items or keeping more blue hearts (time control power), so they'll have their own play style you'll need to adapt to. The better the character, the more it will cost to unlock. There are no in-app purchases in the game either, so you'll have to save up those pennies.
A speedrun hardcore platformer with cute retro graphics juxtaposed to extremely difficult level layouts.
The Good
Temple of Spikes is true to the developer's description of a "hardcore" platformer. The game has moments that require fast thinking, reflexes, and skill to get through, and it's definitely not for the faint-of-heart. The graphics look stunning on Retina screens, and the music is quirky and delightful to hear. The humor in the dialogue is a nice touch as well, all things considered.
The Bad
As challenging as Temple of Spikes is, the controls need to be better for it to be great. The default layout doesn't work too well with me, and even with the option to customize, it takes a lot of tinkering around to get it right, which seems to be more trouble than it's worth, at least for me. I think it just needs better optimization overall to match the hardcore skill level that the game requires. Hopefully this is addressed in future updates.
The verdict
Despite the flaws in the controls, I'm still finding Temple of Spikes to be a fun and challenging game. The visuals are cute and detailed, the music is excellent, and the difficulty is just right for what's considered to be "hardcore." It's not incredibly easy, but it's also not overwhelmingly hard. It's a good balance, in my opinion. The wide roster of characters also adds a lot of replay value to the game, especially since each one has their own unique traits. I just hope to see the controls better optimized in the future.
Temple of Spikes is available on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for just $5.99. There are no in-app purchases.
8.4
OVERALL
Graphics 9
Gameplay 9
Replayability 8.5
Sound/Music 8.5
Game Controls 7
Temple of Spikes: The Legend
Aleksandr Filatov
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