Match Tiles to the Beat in Lumines Puzzle & Music
November 08, 2016 by macjeff
LUMINES PUZZLE & MUSIC ($2.99) by mobcast inc. is the new mobile version of the classic PSP title, and it’s been rebuilt from the ground up. If you were a fan of the original Lumines games, or just enjoy Tetris-like puzzle games, then this new Lumines title is a perfect fit for you.
As I was going through high school, I remember scrounging up whatever extra money I could spare from my retail job to save up for handheld video game systems, such as the Nintendo Game Boy Advance and Sony PlayStation Portable. I’ve been exposed to video games as a young kid, but my love for games bloomed after I met my boyfriend in high school, so I began to buy the games I’ve wanted to play since then. I remember getting my very first PSP in the early 2000s, not too long after the PSP originally came out. I’ve heard of Lumines back then but I don’t believe I picked up a copy since I got my PSP after the launch, but I remember playing Lumines Mobile (original release in 2006) back when I went through many different kinds of cell phones. I was definitely not the best at Lumines, but I always had a blast playing it because it reminds me of Tetris, except it’s much prettier and has fantastic music. Now, about 10 years later, Lumines is back on mobile as Lumines Puzzle & Music, and it’s better than ever before.
Visually speaking, Lumines Puzzle & Music is stunningly gorgeous. If you’ve played Lumines before, then you’ll feel right at home with the bright and vivid puzzle pieces (that change depending on skins), avatars, beautiful backdrops, crazy artwork for songs, and explosive, dynamic light effects that are hypnotic to watch. And if you’ve never played a Lumines title before, it may feel a little overwhelming at first, but you’ll instantly get hooked after a few rounds and watch the magic happen.
Not only does Lumines Puzzle & Music look great, it also has a great soundtrack to play to. Lumines has always been about the music, as well as the puzzle aspect, so you’ll find this title to be jam-packed with amazing dance tracks that are immersive and engaging. As you put the game pieces in their place and make matches, you’ll watch a mesmerizing harmony happen between the visuals and music, and every match plays a sound that goes along with the beat. The key behind being good at Lumines is to play along in a rhythm, so this will take some time and practice if you’ve never played before. Regardless, if you’re a fan of dance music, you’ll find yourself in heaven with Lumines Puzzle & Music.
The puzzles in Lumines are spread out across several different albums, and each album has three game modes: Easy, Normal, and Hard. However, as you start each album, only Easy is available — Normal and Hard must be unlocked by completing Easy first, and then Normal. While it doesn’t sound too difficult, each album is broken up into about three sections with two different skins each. After you complete or fail an album, you’ll see your completion percentage, which will be either 33, 66, or 100 percent. Because of this, it will take multiple attempts on a single album to complete it, so the longevity of the game does last a while. Depending on how you do in points, you can also earn up to five stars on an album. The game also has objectives that you’ll want to complete, because you’ll be rewarded with skins and even new avatars. The skins are essentially the sections and themes of an album that you can play separately by themselves, in case you don’t have the time to sit down and get through an entire album.
Controls in Lumines are pretty simple and intuitive. For each stage, you’ll have an empty grid. At the top of the screen, you’ll see a square that consists of four smaller tiles that are a mix of two colors in different patterns. Tap on the screen to rotate the block to position the tiles as you see fit, and drag your finger around to move the block horizontally. The column that the block would drop in will be highlighted, and you drag downwards to have it fall in place. In order to clear out the pieces, you’ll have to make matches of the same color in blocks of at least four. As the “scanner” line comes in from left-to-right, it checks for these matched blocks and will clear them out, causing the tiles on top of them to fall down, resulting in either a chain of combos or new possibilities for you.
While it sounds easy, the game mechanic has always been fairly challenging. The blocks will start to build up on the screen if you aren’t careful, and as you get further in the game, the pace speeds up, so things get more hectic and it’s harder to clear albums. But that’s part of the charm with the Lumines franchise, and it’s one of the biggest hooks that will keep you coming back — the challenge of beating your own scores, time and time again. And with the ability to unlock specific game boards, music, and even avatars for fun, the replay value of Lumines Puzzle & Music is indeed high.
I’ve only just started Puzzle & Music, but I’ve been waiting for this mobile version of the game for a long time now, and I’m not disappointed. The game has the usual flash and charm of the franchise, the dance tunes are catchy and delightful, and the controls are nicely optimized for touch screens. The albums are challenging, and with different game modes for all of them, there is a lot of reason to keep coming back to the same song — things just get harder but much more rewarding. It’s been a long wait for Lumines Puzzle & Music, but this game was worth the wait.
I highly recommend checking out Lumines Puzzle & Music if you’re a fan of the Lumines franchise or just want a fun, bubbly music puzzle game. Lumines Puzzle & Music is on the App Store as a universal download for $2.99. There are no in-app purchases.
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Bash and Grapple Your Way to Legendary Artifacts in ENYO
November 08, 2016 by macjeff
ENYO (Free) by Arnold Rauers is a tactical turn-based roguelike game that’s all about hook and shield combat with a Greek theme. If you enjoyed titles like Sproggiwood and The Nightmare Cooperative, then you may like what ENYO brings to the table. It’s not a perfect game, but there’s a lot of potential with this one.
If you’ve paid any attention to the gaming industry in the past several years, then you will have noticed that roguelike games have enjoyed a big uptick in popularity. I’m not sure why others love them, but I enjoy roguelikes because they’re usually RPGs, have interesting game mechanics, and are just downright challenging — it’s fun to watch your progress in the game over time as you try and improve with each attempt. So no matter how many roguelikes there are in the App Store now, I just have to check them out for myself. And when the news of ENYO hit my inbox, I was intrigued, as this game is from the same developer behind Card Crawl, an excellent roguelike dungeon-crawling card game hybrid, which I truly loved. While ENYO doesn’t exactly match up to the great Card Crawl, it’s still a fun little time waster.
Visually, ENYO looks fantastic due to the unique Greek-style art. If you’ve ever delved into the world of Greek mythology, then these flat, black-silhouette-like figures that represent Enyo (Goddess of War) and her enemies will look familiar to you. The character sprites give nice contrast as they stand out against the light beige floor and dark brown walls. Spiked walls and lava are easily distinguishable from the safe zones, and the chosen typography gives the game a legend-in-the-making feel. While the layout of the floors don’t seem to have too much detail, I did like how Enyo and the various enemy types have plenty of finer details packed into their models, such as their eyes, weapons, and different stances. The animations are pretty fluid, though I felt that movement was a bit choppy because of the rigidness of the characters. The soundtrack is fun to listen to, especially if you’re into rhythmic drum beats, and the sound effects are a nice finishing touch.
Since ENYO is a roguelike game, there is only one main game mode, but two levels of difficulty that you can choose from, depending on your skill level. There’s also a Daily Challenge each day if you want to see how high of a score you can get on the set stage before it changes the next day, but this is only available through the upgrade in-app purchase. Regardless, before you are able to fully dive in to the game, there will be a tutorial that shows you how to play. It’s necessary to pay attention to it, because this is not like most other roguelike RPGs that you’ve tried.
In ENYO, you’ll have to help guide Enyo through a morphing labyrinth (procedurally generated) in order to find three legendary artifacts. The goal is to clear each floor of enemies through indirect combat. What this means is that enemies can only be defeated by pushing or pulling them into the lava pits and spiked walls, and if you’re next to them taking hits, you can’t do much about it. You’ll see your hearts in the top left corner, which indicate how many hits you can take before you die. The skulls underneath your hearts represent the number of enemies you’ve killed (white is a point), and that is tallied up after every three moves for your score. When you run out of hearts, the run ends and you’ll have to try again.
The controls in ENYO are a bit different and take time to get used to, since it is indirect tactical combat. Enyo can do four different actions, as shown by the buttons along the bottom: Shield Bash, Hook, Throw, and Stun Leap. In order to move, you’ll have to have Shield Bash selected, and then drag your finger from Enyo to the direction you want to go. You can move multiple spaces at once, but only one direction at a time. This is also the way you’ll bash into enemies and push them into lava pits or spiked walls. The Hook will pull enemies towards you, and it’s best to use this when there’s a lava pit at some point between you and the enemy. Throw lets you throw your shield to push foes, and Stun Leap lets you perform a leap that will stun adjacent enemies. After you perform some kind of action, the enemies move one square at a time.
The key to victory are clever maneuvers that can help you get great chain combos, but it’s harder than it looks. It’s important to take note on how each enemy moves and what they’re capable of. By noticing how they tend to move, you can strategize a plan to outsmart them and get them in the lava or spikes without getting hit yourself. And some foes are able to avoid certain obstacles, like the flying bird-like creatures, so you’ll have to use the hook or throw your shield at them to get them into spikes.
After you die, you’ll see a screen that shows you how you lost, as well as a board of the other ways you’ve died in the past and how many times it happened. It’s a fun thing to look back on, and you can tweet your run results if you want to share your progress. But I was a bit disappointed that there is no super quick way to just restart in the selected difficulty, as you’ll have to exit out of that results screen, go back to the main menu, and select the difficulty again. I think there should just be an instant restart button after a game ends so less time is wasted.
Since ENYO is a free game, there are occasional video ads that pop up between rounds and it will even prompt you before you start a game at times. The daily challenge mode is also available only after you unlock the full game and remove ads, which will cost $1.99.
As a fan of roguelike games, I’m enjoying ENYO so far, but I do think that it is lacking in variety at the moment. While each level of the dungeon is procedurally generated, there just doesn’t feel like there are enough different enemy types and hazards to deal with, so gameplay can get a bit repetitive. The controls also felt a bit clunky to me, as you have to have your finger on Enyo and trace the path you want to take, rather than just swiping anywhere on the screen to initiate movement or action with a weapon. While the graphics and sound are pleasing, the rest of the game is more like a diamond-in-the-rough.
Even though I’m a big fan of Card Crawl, I found ENYO to be slightly disappointing in terms of content and controls. If you don’t mind ads and less-than-optimal controls, then ENYO is worth a look, especially since it’s free. But I think holding off until it’s more polished is a better choice.
ENYO is available on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for free. There is an in-app purchase of $1.99 to “unlock” ENYO’s Daily Mode and remove ads.
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Bluk is a Beautiful Physics-Based Platformer Where Skill Matters
November 08, 2016 by macjeff
BLUK ($1.99) by Deepak Madathil and Pixel Ape Studios is a physics-based platformer game where you control a single block with magical abilities. If you’re a fan of skill-based games, then Bluk is one that you should check out.
As a gamer for a little over a decade now (didn’t fully get into video games until I hit high school), I’ve gone through a lot of mobile games since I’ve started at AppAdvice. Even though my latest addiction has been Pokémon Go since it’s release in July (I’ve been out for hours at a time just walking around), I like to come home and kick back with more games that don’t require me to put my feet to work. For these moments of the day, I love relaxing games that still keep my mind stimulated, because that’s just a terrible thing to waste. When the news of Bluk hit my inbox, I was pretty excited to check it out, since one of the guys behind Bluk also created Blyss, another recent favorite. Needless to say, I’m not disappointed by what Bluk brings to the table.
Visually speaking, Bluk reminds me a lot of Monument Valley because of the abstract, isometric visuals that have a minimalistic aesthetic to them. While some may not like how almost every other game tries to copy Monument Valley’s style, I like it, as it calms me every time I see such graphics. Bluk features simplistic architectural structures within a soft, pastel-colored world that does turn dark at some points, and it’s just a nice visual treat for the eyes. The 3-D rendering is great, with the foreground in sharp contrast to the objects in the far distance, and I truly love the colors that they chose to represent the world of Bluk. Animations are buttery smooth, and the ambient soundtrack helps soothe your soul as you focus on the game itself. Overall, Bluk is a great visual and audio package that will delight everyone.
In Bluk, players control a block that has special abilities, and you find yourself on a journey to uncover a darkness that is disrupting the eternal harmony of the realm. There are several different worlds in Bluk, which you can traverse through one-by-one. The transitions between worlds is done seamlessly, as you’ll just notice by the change in pillar color, and the background color shifts over. Once you reach a new world, you’ll be able to start from that point on a new run, rather than starting from the very first world each time. The new areas that you’ll uncover will introduce their own peculiar obstacles that you’ll have to overcome, so the variety and difficulty of the game is kept fresh and interesting. The game is also pretty lenient on how you can play, as well, since you can either go through the rather abstract story, or just always play endlessly.
Controls in Bluk are simple enough for everyone to understand. The block starts out on a pillar, and there are many more pillars that are laid out in front of it. You just drag your finger on the screen to aim the block with the dotted trajectory line, and then release your finger to jump. It’s like Angry Birds controls, except without the annoying birds and pigs. The goal is to land on the next pillar without falling, and if you manage to land inside of the square on the pillar surface, you’ll earn bonus points for the “perfect landing.” If you don’t land in the square, you’ll still get one point for a successful landing. The moment you fail to land and fall, the run ends and you’ll see your high score. You can then choose to retry from your chosen starting point, or you can go to the main menu and pick a different one.
The game starts out pretty easy, but naturally, the difficulty amps up as you get further in. Eventually, you’ll find pillars that will topple as you jump, or they’ll start to fall one piece at a time, so you’ll have to work quickly to make it to the next pillar. However, the block will also find runes at certain points, and these runes unlock new abilities, such as extending your trajectory line so that you can be more accurate with the jumps. There’s only five runes to find, and you can easily see your progress on the title screen. Bluk also has achievements that you can obtain, leaderboards to compete on, and even a Hall of Fame, so the replay value is extended.
I’m still early on in the game, but Bluk is proving to be a fun and challenging game that is not like anything I’ve played on mobile before. The graphics are gorgeous due to the clean aesthetics and colors, the music is tranquil, and the one-touch controls are intuitive. The gameplay itself is distinctive and the difficulty amps up at a nice, gradual pace. I’m really enjoying the game so far, and it’s definitely a title I’ll be coming back to when I have time to kill.
I recommend checking out Bluk if you’re a fan of physics-based platformer games that require both skill and patience. Bluk is on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for $1.99.
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Super Powerboy is a Breathtaking Pixar-Like Platforming Adventure
November 08, 2016 by macjeff
Super Powerboy ($1.99) by Super Powerboy Limited and Pixel Blast is a auto-running platformer game that is a bit reminiscent of Mega Man titles. If you love a whimsical and charming game, then Super Powerboy is one you should not miss.
As a ‘90s kid, most of my childhood was spent on platformer games, because they were the crème of the crop of games back then. Most of the popular games were platformers, like Super Mario Bros., Mega Man, and even Sonic the Hedgehog. I loved them because they were challenging and fun, even if I may not have been a platforming pro back then. And as I grew up, I was able to discover the magical world of Pixar movies, which are always full of delightful visuals and universes, and Super Powerboy is a game that makes me think of just that. If you think of Pixar making some kind of platformer game with awesome character upgrades, well, then you would have something like Super Powerboy. And boy let me tell you, this game does not disappoint.
The visuals in Super Powerboy are breathtaking and gorgeous. As I mentioned, the 3-D rendered graphics in the game definitely make me think of Pixar immediately, from the unique environments that you’ll be exploring to the character model of Super Powerboy himself. This is one of the most ravishing games I’ve played lately, and it just oozes with charm. The world map and stages are beautifully laid out with incredibly fine detail, and the obstacles and enemies contrast nicely with the spectacular backdrops. Colors range in tone from soft hues to rich and vibrant ones, and there are some neat lighting effects as well. Animations are buttery smooth, and it’s amazing to be able to watch your character’s progression as you have upgrades available, since everything shows up on your actual character model in-game. To add to the Pixar-like feel, the game has an ambient and atmospheric soundtrack that is a wonder to listen to, so this is one of those games you’re going to need your favorite earbuds for. Plus, the voice for the narration is fantastic too. Overall, Super Powerboy is a magnificent visual and audio package, and it shows that the developers poured a lot of soul and heart into this awesome title.
In Super Powerboy, you’ll find out in the beginning cutscene that aliens have invaded Earth and plan to plunder it until nothing remains. But there is one boy who has the ability to stop them, and that’s Super Powerboy, but he will need your help in gathering enough power to stop the aliens from stealing all of our valuable resources.
The game is level-based, with different 45 stages that are spread out across five different areas on a world map. The main goal in each level is to collect all of the required shards, which is indicated on the world map. Without getting all of the shards, you won’t be able to unlock the next stages to move on in the game. And for each level, you’ll have to make your way from the starting point to the end goal while avoiding obstacles and getting rid of alien enemies along the way. Additionally, there are bonus objectives on each stage, which include gathering a certain amount of power and defeating a number of enemies. These extra goals keep things interesting, and give you an extra incentive to replay stages as you look for the remaining shards. Plus, the power that you gather helps you level up and open up new character upgrades for your disposal.
The controls in Super Powerboy are different and will take some time to get used to compared to other auto-running platformers, but they’re still intuitive. Each level begins when you tap on the screen, which will send Super Powerboy running forward automatically. The screen utilizes both halves of the screen as controls. Just swipe up on the left to jump, down to duck-and-slide, and tap on the right half to do things like punch attacks. Since the game features auto-running elements, it’s all about timing and precision of the controls in order to succeed and clear stages, as you can’t go back and fix your mistakes. Objectives are clearly shown at the top so you know what’s left, and new game mechanics are introduced as you progress. Once you reach that glowing light pillar at the end of a stage, you’re done there and can advance to the next level.
As you gather enough power, Super Powerboy will earn an energy orb that goes into one of the slots on his avatar. When all three are filled, you will level up and unlock a new equip upgrade, which you access by tapping on the lightning bolt icon on the main screen. Every couple of levels unlocks a new one, and when you select the upgrade, you’ll see it get put on Super Powerboy himself, so you always have a visual of your game progress. New mechanics will have quick tutorials at the start of a mission that introduces them, so you are never lost in the game.
So far, even though I’m still pretty early on in the game, I’ve been enjoying every second of it. Super Powerboy is simply impressive with the stunning visuals, the music and sound effects are a joy to listen to, and the controls, while a bit different from the norm, are intuitive once you’ve gotten used to them (rather than buttons). Even though it’s an auto-running platformer, I found the stages to still be rather challenging, as you have to time your moves precisely if you want a perfect score, and the objectives keep giving you something to work for on every level. And I love games that reflect character upgrades in the gameplay, so it’s awesome seeing Super Powerboy grow from a normal kid to an awesome mech-like character after all upgrades.
The only drawback of the game is the fact that it was never disclosed in the App Store description that it was an auto-runner. When I first noticed it, I thought it was just a regular platformer. Not a big deal for me personally, but I do know some may be put off by the fact that it is auto-runner.
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Travel the Cosmos With a Magical Flute in Samorost 3
November 08, 2016 by macjeff
Samorost 3 ($4.99) by Amanita Design is the latest exploration adventure puzzle game from the makers of Machinarium and Botanicula. If you love a good point-and-click adventure, then Samorost 3 is worth taking a gander at.
Life is great, but it can be super stressful at times. For me, personally, I find relaxation in playing video games, specifically the ones that don’t add more stress to my life (you know those kinds of games). I’ve gone through a ton of different titles, but the types of games that help me mellow out are definitely puzzles, and even more so when they’re an adventure with exploration involved. I’ve been a fan of Amanita Design when they first released Machinarium several years ago, because their unique art style and charming characters captivated me. So naturally, when I saw that they were back at it again with Samorost 3, I had to check it out for myself, even though I did not play indie hits Samorost 1 or 2.
Like their other titles, Samorost 3 is visually stunning. Players will find themselves in a distinctive world in space that is full of gorgeous, lush environments that make you feel as if you are truly there, complete with depth-of-field effects. The artwork for each area is insanely detailed with fine textures and the colors range from dark and rich to vibrant, soft, and dreamlike hues as you make your way through the game. The animations of your space gnome character, as well as other living beings, are buttery smooth and fluid, and everything is just bouncing with their own personality and charm. The ambient soundtrack in Samorost is atmospheric and truly engaging, so you’ll want to whip out your favorite earbuds for an immersive experience. And since the game revolves around a magic flute to listen to special tunes from objects, sound is a pretty big part of this game.
Like most other games of the genre, you’ll find yourself dropped into a beautiful world without too much direction. You control a little space gnome who ends up with a magic flute, and you set out on a journey to discover the flute’s origins. In Samorost 3, there are nine total alien worlds that you’ll be able to discover and explore, with each of them having their own special alien life form inhabiting it. And since it is also a puzzle adventure game, there will be plenty of challenges that you’ll come across that need to be solved before you can move on.
The controls in Samorost 3 are simple enough to understand, and if you’ve ever played any point-and-click adventure in the past, then you know how it works. You can zoom in or out of an area by doing the pinching gesture. Dragging your finger across the screen lets you pan the scene left or right. To have your space gnome move, just tap on where you want him to go to. If it’s impossible, he lets you know by shaking his head. You can interact with other objects and characters in the environment by tapping on them and seeing what happens. When you see an object with pulsating white rings, that indicates that you can drag the magic flute from the top right corner to the object, and your gnome will listen to the tune of the object. This is the key to discovering the various alien life forms that you can find. In order to get far into the game, you will have to explore and interact with everything that you can on the screen.
I’m not always into these types of games, but Samorost 3 did catch my attention over the past few days (after all of the excitement of new iPhones, of course). I found the game to be rather relaxing, even with the tricky puzzles that you come across. Plus, the graphics are truly exquisite and even look realistic with the blurred depth-of-field parts in the foreground. The music and sounds are top notch, and this is a great game to just kick back and relax with after a long, hectic day.
The only thing that could be improved is the lack of text to describe all of the menu options when you pause the game, as I don’t think all of the icons are clear enough, and it is entirely possible to accidentally reset your progress if you aren’t careful. Hopefully the developers can consider this and improve it in a future update.
I recommend checking out Samorost 3 if you’re a fan of exploration adventure puzzle games and like Amanita Design’s previous titles. You can find Samorost 3 on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for just $4.99. There are no in-app purchases.
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