Living Life on the Edge May be Cliche but it's a Compelling Puzzle Game

It's been a while since I've had an "Aha!" moment with an iPhone or iPod touch app. Mobigame's Edge reminded me of what I've been missing. It's by far one of the most compelling games that I've seen in the App Store.

There's not much to Edge and yet, there's everything. The graphics are basic. The primary game piece is a cube and the playing field is a composed of cubes on a multiple of tiers. You have the option of moving the cube with a finger or the accelerometer. I found using the motion sensor control more challenging and more fun.

The object of Edge is to move the cube around the playing field, picking up points and avoiding either getting knocked or falling off the platform. Edge is so simple anyone can play it.

Yet, it's hypnotic, engaging and I hate to say it — because the word has become a cliche when used to describe a game — addictive. The sound effects are pleasing and vary enough so they don't become monotonous. Anyway, you have the option of turning the sound on/off.

Edge has a couple of flaws. One, control over the cube's movement is imprecise and it's easy to overshoot your mark and fall off the platform. Perhaps a tweak to the Edge's physics would take care of that. The instructions appear to have been written by a non-native English writer — they could be a bit clearer and more complete. For example, while running through my checklist of things I usually look for when reviewing an app, I found I could put Edge into landscape mode using two fingers, which is not mentioned in the instructions.