DropZap is a new action puzzle game available for iPhone and iPod touch that proves you can still get something good for free. Resembling other block puzzles only slightly, DropZap is set on 7 x 7 grid of squares. The object is to score high by zapping the blocks and setting off a chain reaction to clear the levels. The key to this action puzzler is in the chain reactions and shrinking blocks.

DropZap features four modes of play, but within the standard mode, which is also the easiest, you can play at your own pace. Squares will rise from the bottom row and drop from the top of the screen. Players simply choose a row to drop the top squares in and tap. Each block phases through six different colors from purple to red, or biggest to smallest respectively. When a block is already red or shrinks to red, the next zap will eliminate the block. Blocks are zapped by other blocks that are adjacent to one another in any given row and column. The game ends when the grid is full or a column of blocks rises past the grid top.

Though at first glance DropZap appears familiar, the gameplay is different from similar games. There is no need to match up colors or shapes, but rather strategize towards setting up the best field of play. It takes a few levels to develop a strategy, and even after several go rounds, you might still find yourself searching for a fail-proof way to clear the level.

With three modes in addition to standard – relentless, action, and relentless action – you can change the pace of the game and boost the reaction time required to play. Each level requires a minimum number of blocks to be zapped away and the game automatically keeps track of high scores with in-game status of your highest score.

While DropZap has its own unique sound effects, they are minimally annoying. Thankfully, you can toggle the sound effects on and off in the settings from the main menu and you can also play your own music from your device’s library. The graphics aren’t flashy, but they don’t need to be and the overall simplicity is part of DropZap’s charm.

Though there is an always-free Lite version of DropZap, the full version is also free – at least for now – and is a simple, fun and quite infectious addition to mobile puzzle gaming.

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app category: Best Free Apps, Editor's Picks, Games, Puzzle