Some impressions of some games I tried over the past few days:
Alphabetic:
Appshopper link
Currently freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee for this weekend.
I really like this. It's basically like the 'find mario' game from the DS mario games, but with letters, and instead of being random, they're in order - a quick game comprises finding A, then all the letters fly around in different formations and patterns (and colours), then find B, C etc.
There are a lot of really nice transitions, you can chain quick finds together, the scoring system appears pretty deep, and it works pretty well. Some frustration is to be had with breaking your combo because of the inaccuracy of the touch screen, but only minor (becomes problematic when trying to achieve perfects, bat scores, or challenges).
What sets this apart (even though I think it's the only game of its type), is that it looks pretty and has a lot of challenges and achievements to go for (such as timed challenges, find the alphabet backwards, etc), keeping you occupied for a lot longer than the $2.59 it costs. Since it's free this weekend, I highly recommend you try it. My only real beef is that it doesn't have music, but I guess you can play your own.
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Aqua Globs:
Appshopper link
99c
To be fair, I didn't play this all that much to give good impressions, but basically it's another line drawing game. Nothing to set it apart from the pack. Adequate controls and a pretty nice presentation. I tend to go for the original Flight Control, however.
The twist is that you have to link like with like. I don't find the concept to be that different, however.
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Polyhedra:
Appshopper Link
$1.99
I've not played other games like this, but it says it's different from the rest. This is one of those games with a really nice aesthetic, and has a sense of design behind it (a la Edge, Eliss, and co). The game isn't as compelling, but it's competent. You basically have to fill 66% of the screen up with shapes by dropping them in. Touching and holding expands a shape until you let go. Two things complicate this task:
- there are enemies that bounce around the screen. These don't damage any shape you've already dropped, instead if they touch your shape while you are still expanding, they will knock back one from your counter. Luckily, you can still move around while holding. The strategy comes in from balancing the expansion of your shape with the ever increasing numbers of bouncing enemies (and limiting your shape usage).
- All the shapes fall to the bottom of the screen, depending on your orientation. You can tilt your device to have the shapes trap enemies.
Overall, it's really well presented, and menus and the like are generally well thought out. The game feels a bit simple, however. Nevertheless, this is holding a place next to my other games that I classify as "Designer apps that provide an experience more than just the game itself", which include Edge, Eliss, and Space Invaders Infinity Gene, although each of those are actually better games. (this will probably get replaced by Unify if that turns out to be good).