AppCraver » Strategy

Omini Stones: Fun and Frustration Rolled into One Strategic Puzzle

Barbara Holbrook — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 02:34:09 +0000

If you just look at the picture, Omini Stones might be mistaken for another drop in the popular match-three bucket. But that, dear AppCravers, is why you should never judge an app by it’s cover.

Omini Stones is a different kind of puzzle altogether. The developers call it a “classic swap-and-match puzzle.” They may be right, but I’ve never played anything like it. Thankfully, the app includes a good video tutorial which explains how to play pretty quickly.

Once I understood the details, the puzzle seemed like simple gameplay. Slide plain stones of contrasting colors but matching shapes to create Omini Stones. The Omini Stones can then be cleared from the board by being nudged over to another matching Omini. Clear enough from the board and move onto the next level.

Simple! At least for the first 5 levels or so. As the game progresses the stones, which start as triangles, begin to vary in shape — triangles, rectangles, circles. Remember, stones can only combine with another stone of the same shape. Pretty soon, it takes real strategy to slide the stones into right place. And another thing, some of the Omini are ticking bombs that must be cleared from the board before exploding.

Gamers that know how to plan ahead will be able to score extra points by destroying Omini clusters. Gathering 3 or 4 Omini Stones of the same color close enough to clear at the same time is a move that shows true mastery of the game. I managed it by accident, but it can also be done with intent.

Try tilting and turning your iDevice for maximum strategy points. As you slide the stones, the rest will fall into place according to gravity. It’s a nice feature and one of the reasons that Omini Stones is worth the slightly higher price tag.

My concentrating cranium was definitely got its weekly workout with this app! Unless you’re a hardcore puzzle-head, Omini Stones isn’t the type of game you’ll play in line at the bank. It requires more intense thought and deliberate strategy than a lot of the other casual gaming apps I’ve come across. It also provides more of a challenge.

Omini Stones is fresh and familiar at the same time. So, if you’re looking for a challenging game, that will comfort you with a sense of familiarity even while you bang your brain trying to break through to the next level, then Omini Stones from MiOmega might be just what you need.

Watch the Omini Stones video demo:

rating: 8/10
app_name: Omini Stones

Sparkz: Qix Clone Finds new Generation of Gamers on the iPhone

Barbara Holbrook — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:30:30 +0000

(Editor’s Note: Sparkz is free today, October 20 for a one-day promotion!)
Sparkz is a puzzle game with a long history. The app is a reproduction of the vintage Mac game Qix, which was in turn based on an earlier arcade game. And while I never played Qix, I hear that Sparkz does an excellent job of porting the popular arcade puzzle to the iPhone platform.

The goal in Sparkz is to fence off the screen by traveling a perimeter of your own design to create closed shapes: square, rectangle, etc. Basically guiding your diamond-shaped controller — the Stix — around the screen to trap the Sqix in an ever-smaller area. At the start of each level, the playing field is a large, empty rectangle, with only your controller and the rotating arches of the Sqix in site. The Sqix is a stick-like form that rotates gracefully, if unpredictably, across the screen

Get going and wall off as much of the screen as you can. The controls are simple and responsive. Use a finger or the accelerometer to guide the diamond marker vertically or horizontally to draw a line. If you complete your shape without being touched by the rotating arches of the Sqix, the territory becomes yours. To complete a level, trap the Sqix by claiming a super-majority of the arena.

Each level you will have to gain more and more territory, while the Sqix begins to move faster and new obstacles are introduced — Sparkz, SuperSparkz and Mines. Sparkz also has 5 hidden gems to discover that add new twists to the game.

There are 50 stages of gameplay, each featuring a different nature photo which is unveiled as you capture territory. Overall, the graphics are straightforward without a lot of pizazz, probably because Sparkz is a reproduction and that’s just how games were in the “olden days.”

Sparkz is a puzzle game, where timing and strategy are required. It’s easy to play and just challenging enough to hold my interest for short bursts of play. If you need more of a challenge, you can also log on to the AGON-supplied leaderboard to compare scores online or against your Facebook friend list, or post your best scores to twitter.

Not sure if Sparkz is for you? Watch the Sparkz demo video from Codengineer to find out:

rating: 7/10
app_name: Sparkz

Apollonia Kingdom: Save the Jars, Save the Kingdom

Barbara Holbrook — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:22:51 +0000

Apollonia Kingdom is an action-adventure game where you must fight your way through a variety of monsters, zombie-like skeletons and goblins to find and retrieve the red jars, which will somehow save the entire Kingdom of Apollonia. (I’d love to know what’s in those jars!)

The backstory may be thin, but the game has more depth. There are five levels to wind your way through using a simple 4-way controller. The game map is pretty extensive, so it can take a good bit of time to locate and recover the jars. (Apollonia video after the jump)

Apollonia Kingdom presents view-from-the-top map. On the left, you’ll find a four-way controller. The top of the screen holds maps and timers. The right side of the screen contains the “fire” button for blasting away at the bad guys. All of these items sit on top of the game map which makes for a cluttered interface. I’d like the option to hide all the extras and bring them up only when needed.

In addition to the clutter, I’ve become to used to playing apps that are controlled by tapping in different areas of the screen. It took some time to familiarize myself with the directional buttons. It’s an easy enough system, but it’s definitely more “video game controller” than “iPhone controller,” and not always responsive.

The screen moves with the player, so you can’t see too far ahead in any direction. You can use the map to plan your route, but it’s an abstract depiction of the landscape and doesn’t include any real landmarks.

During your search you can also collect money. Use your booty to visit the Apollonia Kingdom Marketplace and buy weapons, ammunition, magic ingredients, and spells for destroying the enemy. This is where your strategy skills come in handy. There’s a decent variety of upgrades to choose from, or you can spend your cash on better health and more time to complete the level.

Overall, Apollonia Kingdom feels kinda old school. It’s a fine enough first effort from PervasiveWorks. If you like battling monsters and saving the kingdom, then you may enjoy Appollonia Kingdom. And if not, it’s only $0.99 so it won’t drain you stash of gold coins.

See if Apollonia Kingdom is for you. Watch the app video:

app_name: Apollonia Kingdom
rating: 6/10

Grabl is a Fast-Paced Addition to iPhone Word Games

Barbara Holbrook — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 23:37:53 +0000

Grable — Wordsmiths who enjoy games like Scrabble and Boggle are in for a treat. Grabl is a word-building strategy game that will appeal to those brainy types who prefer a shot of adrenaline with their morning crossword.

At first glance this app from Rocketmaker Productions, seems perfectly straightforward. Like a simplified version Scrabble, Grabl players start with a set of lettered tiles (14 to be exact) and the goal is to form words on the board. As you use the tiles, you may choose to replenish them by tapping the “more please” button. Words with more letters are worth more points and any tiles left over at the end will be deducted from your score.

The real thrill comes from the clock. Much like Boggle (or Word Fu), you only have a set amount of time to get the tiles laid down in word form. As the clock ticks down, the pressure builds and the adrenaline kicks in. It’s also the clock that makes Grabl so addictive. Each time the game ended, I was just sure I could beat my high score next time.

Grabl made me do something that hasn’t happened in a while. I played until my iPhone “died,” then I charged it up and drained it again. And, I’m not the only one with this problem. When I went to bed I was #38 on the global leaderboard, by this morning I was down to #60. Obviously, there are more than a few competitive Grabl players out there!

This word game is tons of fun, but it’s not entirely perfect yet. My biggest gripe may sound petty to those that usually play games at a slower pace. Grabl lets players zoom in and out of the board by tapping the screen. Unfortunately, more than once this strategy had me zooming out while trying to move tiles. In a game where every second counts, this is a frustrating “feature.”

My only other gripe doesn’t affect gameplay, so it’s not as bad. Outside of the game, the buttons have to be tapped just right to work — especially for submitting scores online. It sometimes took several taps before the app responded appropriately.

Neither of these things are deal breakers, and can easily be worked around with practice. But if you have sausage fingers, take note that the control system may take some getting used to.

On the positive side, Grabl has a few settings to let users customize their gaming experience: compare scores on your device or on the global leaderboard, pick your own background image, and choose your length of play 1, 3 or 5 minutes otherwise known as “in line,” “red light” and “coffee break.”

Players looking for a longer game should try out “frenzy” mode. The clock starts off with just 30 seconds and players must rush to make words to earn more time.

However you choose to play Grabl, it’s a fun addition to the category of iPhone word games.

rating: 7/10
app_name: Grabl

Orbital: Best-Looking App, but Still Requires Strategy and Skill

Barbara Holbrook — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 20:53:21 +0000

Orbital, the new space-themed app from BitForge, is a stand-out game that can be played with one hand. It falls loosely into the brick-breaker category, but takes this straightforward concept adds a few new ideas, a bit of social media and packages it all up with gorgeous graphics. In fact, it’s so polished that I can’t immediately think of a better looking app.

Don’t let Orbital’s shiny graphics and simple instructions lull you into thinking this iPhone app is child’s play. The rules are easy, but the gameplay takes strategy and skill.

Much like pool, it’s all about the angles. If your aim is true, you’ll destroy each target after 3 collisions. If your aim is off, your orb will bounce erratically until the targets disappear with an explosion of color that almost eases the sting of losing.

For most of this review, I’m only talking about Pure Mode. In Pure Mode, Orbital gameplay is exactly what you might expect. Aim, shoot and if you’re right, you’re right. But, for more advanced players, Orbital has two modes.

Gravity Mode is not for the feint of heart. In Gravity Mode, each target produces a gravity field that tugs at your orb as it shoots across the sky. For me, Gravity Mode is instant Orbital death. But, if you’ve got what it takes to play against the gravitational forces it looks like a lot of fun.

The App Store description calls Orbital “highly addictive.” What an understatement! Orbital should come with a warning: “May cause sleeplessness and increased Facebook updates.” I had serious one-more-game syndrome for about three days. I knew I was in trouble when I started thinking I could probably sneak in a quick game or two on the freeway — you know, because traffic was kind of slow that day.

Why increased Facebook updates? Orbital uses Facebook Connect to let players update their profile page whenever they beat their personal high score. When logged in, users can also compare their score to their FB compatriots. Unfortunately, none of my friends had Orbital which immediately put an end to my hopes of social-media smack talk.

I love the worldwide leaderboard and personalized FB leaderboard. But, it would be nice if these social aspects included the ability to play with others over WiFi. Orbital has a two-player mode which is really fun, but I can’t always find a partner. Connecting with other Orbital players for a quick game would be just about the only thing that could make this game more awesome.

rating: 9/10
app_name: Orbital

Medieval is a Polished Castle Defense Game

Barbara Holbrook — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 23:00:37 +0000

It’s not often that a game can truly appeal to gamers of multiple skill levels. But I think that Medieval, the castle defense game from Brisk Mobile, is one of those games.

Set the difficulty to easy and it’s challenging but winnable, a good incentive for casual gamers to keep playing. Increase the difficulty and it requires a whole new set of strategy and skill. Medieval has three difficulty settings, 6 troop styles which include unique war machines, and 8 different weapons all with additional upgrades. This combination of settings, weapons and difficulty ensures that Medieval has enough tricks to keep serious gamers strategizing for quite some time.

When it comes to gameplay, Medieval is a typical castle defense game — waves of enemies will attack your castle towers using the usual weapons (arrows, catapults, fire), you defend your castle using a similar array of weapons, along the way you’ll earn gold to upgrade your weapons and cause greater mayhem and destruction to your enemies.

What really sets Medieval apart from the crowd are the graphics. The app has 5 beautiful backdrops with nice details — clouds float by as your flag waves realistically in the wind.

As nice as this game is, the controls take a little getting used to. I had trouble aiming during the first few rounds. This did get better with practice, but I did even better when I just plain stopped used the single arrows and switch to the multiple arrow weapons. It’s hard to tell if this is a flaw in my skills or the game. Either way, it’s easily overcome by using different tools.

Another thing I like about Medieval is the variety of weapons you can use to destroy the enemy. Arrows, flaming arrows, boulders and later soldiers with calvary, catapults and axes. This many choices necessitates a sophisticated control plan. Medieval uses a row of buttons along the bottom which allows users to switch among their weapons. The problem is that with this many weapons the buttons are small and it’s easy to choose the wrong one. Again, it’s an annoyance that can be overcome with practice.

It may sounds like Medieval requires a lot of practice, but it doesn’t. The app is easy to pick up and play in short bursts. All your levels will be saved and if you’re interrupted with a call, you can resume your game. It’s a nice touch that I wish more developers would make standard.

Watch a video demo for Medieval on the iPhone:

app_name: Medieval
rating: 8/10

Saga Catapult: Aim and Shoot is a Good Strategy for SAGA Developers

Barbara Holbrook — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 17:00:23 +0000

SAGA has been available as MMORTS game for quite sometime, now Silverlode Interactive is bringing a taste of their real time strategy game to the iPhone and iPod touch with Saga Catapult.

Essentially an aim-and-shoot strategy game, gamers play a catapult operator, the last line of defense for the kingdom. From your tower you take shot at orcs, elves, and assorted bad guys with varying battle skills. For each bad guy that hits the dirt you earn gold to buy better, faster weapons or more lives. Choose wisely you’ll need increasingly powerful equipment as you work your way through the invading forces.

Saga Catapult is Silverlode’s first iPhone app. For a game company with so much experience, it’s surprising they waited this long to make the move into the App Store. It could be they spent the extra time on creating a quality app — a choice I wish more developers would make. I played Saga Catapult for the better part of an afternoon and not once did the app crash or require me to restart my device. And, no, I’m not on the “S” is for speed iPhone. It’s the sign of a well-made game. Saga Catapult’s developers understand memory management. Right on.

Saga Catapult has nicely rendered graphics that are appropriately medieval and a soundtrack that adds just the right touch of “epic saga.” The soundtrack can also be turned off, which is good thing, but I prefer games where sound effects and music can be controlled independently. Sometimes, I want to hear the bad guys scream without the musical accompaniment.

When it comes to control, you can choose your own poison — tap to fire or drag to aim. The drag-to-aim option feels a bit clunky because it’s hard to have any real precision. This may be influenced by my lovely-but-large fingers, but I think it’s more a limitation of iPhone gaming. Tap-to-fire worked like a charm.

As a stand alone game, Saga Catapult is a lot of fun and subtly addicting. However, Silverload isn’t just building an iPhone game. In an upcoming update, gold earned in SAGA Catapult will be able to be sent directly to a player’s SAGA MMORTS Online nation. I’m not a Saga online player, but it’s good to see game companies moving in this direction. I want games I play on my iPhone to influence my ranking when I play those same games on Facebook or another site. This is exciting stuff.

The only feature that’s really missing in Saga Catapult is the ability to save your progress. You can pause the game, but if you quit you’ll have to start over from the beginning. There’s a lot of gameplay in this app, so it can take a while to work your way through all the levels and having to start from the beginning with each session is frustrating.

Even if you’re not familiar with the SAGA community, Saga Catapult is a great game. Of course, if you are a SAGA fan then Saga Catapult is a must buy.

app_name: Saga Catapult
rating: 9/10

Ballz! Pro Adds Sporty Animations to Twisted Match-3 Puzzle

Barbara Holbrook — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 22:00:05 +0000

Ballz! Pro — If you’ve played a mobile game in the last 5 years, chances are you’ve played some variation of the match-3 puzzle popularized by games like Bejeweled. Easy and addicting, match-3 games are a dime a dozen in the App Store. Often, it’s the same game with different icons.

Purplezoo Productions has changed the same-old, same-old with their new game Ballz! Pro Version for iPhone and iPod touch. Ballz (the original) was a traditional match-3 with smiley icons.

While loosely based on the original, Ballz Pro is a whole new game all together. Ballz Pro adds extra challenge with locking squares, extra help from the exploding bonus ball, large Ballz, 3 shuffles to extend gameplay when you run out of moves, and a localized and worldwide scoreboard. The whole game is wrapped in a sportier new theme that features animated sports Ballz similar the grimacing blocks in Topple 2.

Ballz! Pro is an interesting next step in the match-three game. The large ball and locking squares create a new level of challenge for anyone getting bored with the genre. It’s familiar enough to pick up and play without reading the instructions (my favorite kind of game!), but has enough to new twists to keep things interesting.

According to PurpleZoo multiplayer mode is on the way. I’d also like to see some new themes. The gameplay is fun, but sports isn’t really my thing… how about flowers or a nature theme for the next go ’round?

Either way, Ballz! Pro is animated addition for players looking to add some variety and a bit of challenge to their match-three gaming.

Watch the Ballz! Pro video demo:

rating: 8/10
app_name: Ballz! Pro

Expand Your Game Experience with Xpandaballs

Amelia Sauter — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 17:00:02 +0000

I know a game is good when I need to write a review of it and I find myself saying, “Let me just play it once more first.” Xpandaballs is one of those addictive games.

Xpandaballs is unique. I do not know whether to call it a puzzle game, action game or strategy game. Essentially Xpandaballs falls into all three of those categories.

To play Xpandaballs, you try to destroy balls by hitting them with other balls. Each ball requires a different number of hits to be destroyed. When the ball you fired stops bouncing off the walls of the iPhone screen, it expands to fill the space where it landed. If the ball hits the boundary line at the bottom, you lose a life. Different colored balls have different properties; my favorites are the yellow, which can safely hit the boundary, and blue, which destroys a ball with one hit.

I like to challenge myself by playing Xpandaballs as fast as I can, making it an action game. You can also play Xpandaballs slowly and thoughtfully, mapping out the trajectory of each ball in your head before you shoot. Xpandaballs’ ambient music peacefully accompanies the thoughtful moments, but when I am feeling like a daredevil I prefer to turn the music off.

Xpandaballs has three levels, each decidedly more difficult than the previous level, leaving room to grow your skills over time.

Depending on how you decide to play Xpandaballs, Xpandaballs can be whatever kind of game you want it to be. Today you can play fast and furiously; tomorrow you can be meditative and pensive. In a world with so many uncreative apps, Xpandaballs is a truly original game that is both addictive and adaptable. Developer Craig Caldwell is onto something good with Xpandaballs. I highly recommend Xpandaballs; it has earned a permanent spot on my iPhone.

app_name: Xpandaballs
rating: 9/10

Ancient Tribe Off to a Good Start, but Needs to Evolve

Jennifer Beam — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 16:30:03 +0000

If you’re scoping out real-time strategy games for iPhone in the App Store then you may run across Ancient Tribe by Celestial Digital Entertainment. Ancient Tribe is a strategy game where you grow a tribal village by hunting and collecting natural resources. If you enjoy strategy games like Age of Empires, you might want to give Ancient Tribe a go, but be warned, while it’s a great concept for iPhone it’s still in need of some serious work.

Ancient Tribe has several features that lend to its intensity, but it remains a fairly casual real-time strategy. There are nine different tribal villagers to acquire, from warriors to shaman, various pre-historic game, such as boars, dinosaurs, and mammoths, which you hunt at different locations, and rocks and wood to collect for village upgrades. There are also “god” powers to acquire to help you increase your mightiness.

Ancient Tribe was first released as a $0.99 game and has since undergone an update to fix a known crash and a price increase. That’s all well and good, but performance and stability still appear to be an issue from what I have experienced. On day 12, one of the members of my hunting party managed to hit a glitch amongst a pile of debris and trees in the Oasis and no matter how I tried to return him to the village, he was stuck. I also experienced similar glitches on two other days, one of which completely shut down the app. Restarting revealed that all of my progress for that “day” was lost. As an FYI, these glitches always occurred on the East side of the map.

Progressing to the end goal of Ancient Tribe, which is to reach a village population of 10,000 to witness the construction of a tribal “miracle’ in tribute to you, could be a laborious process. As your tribe grows in population, you need more food, which requires larger hunting parties. Logical? Yes, but every time I tried to separate my hunting party to make quicker work of it, one of the little Captain Cave Man-like dudes would get stuck frantically bouncing off a group of trees or something similar. It became frustrating.

Aside from stability and performance issues, Ancient Tribe does have some promising aspects. Though I have yet to figure out how to acquire any of the beasts for my army, it’s a worthy goal. There are several pages of instructions included in the help section that become a bit more helpful if you revisit them from time to time. The developer has listed a few of the features that will be included in future updates, some of which sound promising as well. Ancient Tribe has the potential to develop a fan base, however until the stability and performance issues are addressed, Ancient Tribe may disappoint more users than it pleases.

app_name: Ancient Tribe
rating: 6/10