Balls Love Puzzles by QinYuan Tian FREE

Balls Love Puzzles comes from QinYuan Tian. Balls bounce around the grid and the object is to rearrange the squares in order to restore order.


JiggleSaw came out 6 years ago and is very similar. It has more features and is a fun little gem. Unfortunately, it is no longer available.


Balls Love Puzzles has 48 levels and is fun. I solved them all.  The most I spent on any 1 level was about 7 minutes. On some levels the balls move pretty fast.


https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/balls-love-puzzles/id1408600187?mt=8

King Rabbit by RareSloth LLC FREE

 King Rabbit comes from RareSloth LLC. It came out in 2016 and I found it by searching for another game. The object is to push boxes around like in Sokoban to discover gold bars and then eventually rescue the queen.

 There are many interesting elements.
1. The buzz saw which, when activated, will chop down trees, and maybe Your Man.
2. Moving platforms to get Your Man across the water.

I've only solved about 25 levels which barely scratches the surface of this game. I'm running away.


If the game had better graphics, I might stay a while longer.


The puzzles themselves, are good.


https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/king-rabbit/id1073389796?mt=8

ROBOGOYO by Csharks Games & Solutions Pvt Ltd FREE

 ROBOGOYO  comes from Csharks Games & Solutions Pvt Ltd. It's a very colorful version of the class Chinese Rings puzzle.

The number of moves to free the shuttle is a geometric sequence dependent on the number of moves. As a puzzle, it's not hard. The blacksmith at Tucker-Jones Tavern Puzzles told me that he could imagine sailors on very long journeys wanting this puzzle to have many rings.


Overall, ROBOGOYO is a good representation of this puzzle. But this puzzle begs to be handled.


https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/robogoyo/id1404239743?mt=8

Cool Circuits: Electronic Puzzle $29.95

Cool Circuits is an electronic puzzle developed by Harry Nelson and Hiroshi Yamamoto.  The object is to place the 8 squiggly pieces onto the board to form a closed loop.  When you are successful, the board lights up and some classical music is your reward.

Games Magazine awarded it as the Puzzle of the Year in 2013.  This game's been on my mind for 5 years! But I've finally gotten around to it.

I've tackled 27 of the 40 levels. Multiple times I peeked at the solutions to get a hint.

There is a sequel called Cool Circuits Over the top. Which mysteriously is not on the company website.  I have the game but have not played it yet.  It won't take another 5 years.

http://www.sciencewiz.com/Games/science_thinking_Games_Cool_Circuits.php

Reigns by Devolver Digital $2.99

 Reigns comes from Devolver Digital. The App Store Editors have had it listed in their 'Games We Love' section for a while. Unquestionably, this is a weird game/puzzle.  The object is to stay alive as long as possible by balancing the 4 powers at the top of each screen: the church, the people, your power, and your money.  If any of these gets to zero or gets completely filled, your Reign is over.

Cards are revealed one at a time. For each card, you have 2 choices. Sometimes they will affect 1, 2, 3, or even all 4 powers. Not always predictable. For example: is borrowing money at 5% good or bad for the kingdom's finances?


On the leaderboard, there are over 900,000 players, which means the producers have made a boatload of money!  Also, the top scorer has lived 666 years.  My guess: that player has played this game a hundred times and recorded the outcome of each card TWICE (because there are 2 options for each card). Then played it to perfection.


This is one game that may have actually consulted a History Major to incorporate all the weirdest scenarios that monarchs have faced over the centuries.


Graphics: not very good.  Consider the fact that there are so many artists who create their own Tarot Card decks with fantastic art.


https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/reigns/id1114127463?mt=8

Kubos. by Abel Galvan FREE

Kubos. comes from Abel Galvan.  It's a 3D maze game.  The orange block will travel until it hits a wall. The puzzle is solved when the red button is hit.

 There are 40 free levels and 40 paid ones.  I solved the free levels pretty quickly.  I struggled on level 34 (4th image).

I particularly like the puzzles that have 2 orange blocks and 2 red buttons.

Good job Abel!
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/kubos/id1404372764?mt=8

supertype by Philipp Stollenmayer $1.99

 supertype comes from Philipp Stollenmayer. All of Philipp's games are clever physics puzzles with wondrous charm. The object in this game is to type specific letters so that when they fall, they crash into the correct targets.

There are 111 levels. At the moment, I've done about 50 levels.  Some of the solutions made me laugh. This game is to be savored.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/supertype/id1349292121?mt=8




Some of Philipp's other games
okay?
Zip-Zap
Squaredance

Puzzler in the News

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2018-05-29-syrian-refugee-games-developer-denied-uk-visa-ahead-of-awards-ceremony

Slide Puzzle. NikSan Tech FREE

Slide Puzzle. comes from NikSan Tech. The object is to slide the numbers to their correct spot.


Green tiles are good. Red tiles: need to be shunted around.

There are 500 levels, which is way too many.  I've done about 75 levels.


If you're the type of puzzler who is looking to solve while making the fewest moves, this game is for you.


Relaxing game. If you want more of a challenge, look for Subway Shuffle.


https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/slide-puzzle/id1410193506?mt=8

Solve - Decrypt Logic Kyung-Hun Kim FREE

Solve - Decrypt Logic comes from Kyung-Hun Kim. It's one of those games where each level is a completely different puzzle. Can you figure it out. Hints are available.

I don't know how many levels there are.  The concept has been done before. Still, it's interesting.


https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/solve-decrypt-logic/id1395411687?mt=8

logi. by ÇİZGİOFİSİ $.99

 logi. comes from ÇİZGİOFİSİ. At first, it seems like another laser/rolling ball, with mirrors/bumpers, maze puzzle. But it's much more and very cool.

The blue bumpers can be rotated.
The red bumpers can be rotated, but once the ball taps that bumper, it disappears.
The orange squares are basic walls. Unless there's an X inside. If that's the case, it will act as a red bumper after being hit.
The gear bumper rotates 90 degrees after it's hit.
The green bumpers are dotted on one side, solid on the other.  If the ball approaches on the dotted side, it will pass through as if there is no bumper.
The orange square with the double arrow: when it's hit, will advance 1 space in the direction of the arrow.


There are 70 levels, at the moment.  I've done all 70.  Not impossibly hard. But definitely tricky clever.


Great graphics. Great job.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/logi/id1397173114?mt=8
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.logi.game&hl=en_US
http://cizgiofisi.com/

Rolling Bolts - Logic Puzzles by LÖVLUND INNOVATION AB FREE

 Rolling Bolts - Logic Puzzles  comes from LÖVLUND INNOVATION AB. It's a gear puzzle where the object is to rotate the sections to match the rims.

1. All the gears are connected.
2. Each gear can rotate in either direction. A key element to solve is changing the direction in between moves.
3. The fewer moves, the more stars to accumulate.
4. The big gears move once per move.  The smaller gears move two steps for each move.
5. The smallest gears move 5 spaces. In essence, they're really just moving 1 space, but in the opposite direction.


I like this game.  However, there are ads. Also, I had accumulated a certain number of stars to open the next section.....and mysteriously, my stars were gone and I had to start over again. Another problem: you have to swipe across a gear to make it change direction. Unfortunately, when doing so, you might actually tap it and make a move. This happens more on the tiny gears.


I like the concept. The graphics are okay.  But it's not clicking with me.


https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/rolling-bolts-logic-puzzles/id1376024301?mt=8

Hexa Knot by Michal Gorny FREE

Hexa Knot comes from Michal Gorny.  The object is to swap tiles so that all the edges match and various loops are formed.

There are 500 levels broken into grid sizes of Tiny, Small, Medium, Large, and Huge.


I've been cruising through the Tiny levels. Fast and fun.  The Small levels are not that small!
I've also done a few of the 'Huge'.
Hexa Knot is very relaxing.


Well done Michal.


https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hexa-knot/id1406776241?mt=8

turn, by Adem KAYIRCI FREE

 turn, comes from Adem KAYIRCI. I like this puzzle developer.  See links to his other games below.  The object in this game is to get the arrows to match the image above.

The puzzle is similar to Rubik's Clock where turning one arrow will turn its neighbors in the opposite direction.


There are 3 modes, each with 60 levels. In the first mode: all the elements are straight lines. As a result, there are only 4 positions for each space. I've done 52 levels.


The second mode: each element is an angle that opens and closes. Each element has 8 distinct positions.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/turn/id1168647642?mt=8

Flow Water Fountain 3D Puzzle by Maria Vegas Gallego FREE

 Flow Water Fountain 3D Puzzle comes from Maria Vegas Gallego. The object is to transport the different colored water faucets to the matching fountains.

 What makes this game particularly interesting is that the elements can be stacked.

 There are 250 levels, of which 150 are free.  On the 50 Easy levels, I definitely struggled on the last 5. I'm stuck on #50.

 Right above this text is level 6 from the Mix set. Right below is the solution.

The graphics are great. The hidden pipes in the blocks definitely add a good 'aha' piece. The puzzles are challenging but not overly so. I'm doing the Mix levels now. A few a day. Give it a try.




https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/flow-water-fountain-3d-puzzle/id1391824875?mt=8
http://frasingo.wixsite.com/flowwaterfountain
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.Frasinapp.waterfountain

Real Life Escape Room

We've been traveling in the Lone Star State and pulled out of a Walmart to find a storefront called The Great Escape of Corpus Christie.  We were lucky that one of their 3 rooms 'The Heist' was available.

The Heist 

Pierre De La Vie, considered to be “The Stone of Life,” is the most coveted stone in the whole word. The Pierre De La Vie was thought to have been lost for centuries.  The precious stone has finally been found and is now on display in a private collector’s museum. The first team has already gone in and disabled the security system for sixty minutes.  Now it is up to you and your team to go in and finish the job! Will you succeed?

We stole the gem within 60 minutes. Actually, they gave us some bonus minutes because we were so close.


The proprietors have explicitly asked that we not reveal anything.  But, we can say this: it cost $85 for 3 people, which included the promo codes. The puzzles incorporated a wide variety of genres. 


The set was decorated superbly.  It felt like being in a movie. The Hot Rock from 1972 comes to mind.
During the game, we were in walkie-talkie mode with the game facilitator who offered us hints if we needed them.  We did!  Afterwards we debriefed and they were a little surprised that we didn't ask for a specific hint. Reason: there was a mechanical puzzle that I knew very well. I think it's in my collection.


The ending had us laughing and we left with big smiles. These folks have 2 more escape rooms and hopefully, we'll do another.






http://thegreatescapeofcc.com/

Voro! by Abstratum FREE

 Voro! comes from Abstratum. This is the company that produced Voro - 100% unique and addictive from 2013. The original game is a masterpiece in computer programming and wondrous gameplay. I can't believe I never reviewed it.

The new game works exactly like the original but points are mysteriously awarded.
Complaint #1: the game does not save your position for another time.
Complaint #2: there's no leaderboard. 


My score of 120,000 took about 1.5 hours to play. Which is really complaint #3 because a good point scoring game shouldn't go past 30 minutes.


Stick to the original. But you'll probably want to down this too. Fantastic graphics.






https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/voro/id1103692903?mt=8 New Game
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/voro-100-unique-and-addictive/id534996970?mt=8 Original Game

maze cube gravity by Adem KAYIRCI $.99

maze cube gravity comes from Adem KAYIRCI. The object is to get the red cube to the target. Each time the maze is tilted clockwise, the gray segments fall all the way down.

 It's not terribly hard. But there's an element that's very important for some levels: once you swipe the red cube on its way, it won't stop until it reaches an intersection or a square region that is bordered by a white line and a gray line. It will stop in a region bordered by 3 white line segments.

Once you've done 10 levels, you've pretty much done them all.  The other 67 levels are more of the same. The grids get a bit larger. There are some traps to avoid: the 2x2 regions where Your Man will keep rotating in an endless circle. 


The last 10 levels were easy.  Definitely worth $.99.


https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/maze-cube-gravity/id1324018253?mt=8




cohex is another game from Adem which I really liked. I did finally complete all the levels of this too.

Up Left Out by Maciej Targoni $.99

 Up Left Out comes from Maciej Targoni. Any time I see his name, I know the game is going to be artistically and intellectually pleasing.

There are 51 levels. I solved them in about 1.5 hours. Not too hard. One particular element, which I won't mention its nature, is really cool.  Well worth $.99. Keep up the good work Maciej.




https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/up-left-out/id1339172788?mt=8
http://upleftout.com/
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rt.upleftout
https://store.steampowered.com/app/867380/Up_Left_Out/




Other games from Maciej that you must download.
"klocki"
"Hook"
oO
"PUSH"

Path to 9 by Halil Ozdemir FREE

Path to 9 comes from Halil Ozdemir.  It's a point scoring game.  The object is to place the 3 pieces at the bottom to fit on the grid and score points. When the pieces don't fit, the game is over.

When adjacent squares match, the square of the tile being placed disappears and the existing square/s will increase by 1.  When a tile gets to 9, it disappears and you have more room for future pieces to fit.

 

I like the concept of this game. Smaller board sizes make it much harder.


But this game has problems. First, the scoring seems to be cumulative from previous games.  Second, the game has ads which I think interfere with starting the program.


Tomorrow I'll complain about another game.  But Friday: I've got a winner.


https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/path-to-9/id1382235764?mt=8
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.habosoft.pathTo9
https://sites.google.com/view/path-to-9/home

Solitaire Cube, Classic Cards by Tether Studios FREE

When I was a kid, my father mentioned that he had heard it was possible to win money playing the standard Klondike Solitaire game. We were always intrigued by that notion.


Solitaire Cube, Classic Cards is an app that somehow enables you to make money by playing solitaire. Essentially, you play against other people and your score is determined by how many cards you got on top. Your score also increases by ordinary play: placing a black 4 on a red 5. 


You have 5 minutes to play a game.  If you use less time, that's more points for you.


Very intriguing concept.  I've played for a few nights and won no money. The 5 minute time limit definitely helps set up the 'just 1 more game' feeling.


Must delete this.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/solitaire-cube-classic-cards/id1114214294?mt=8

The Futoshiki by Aliaksandr Uvarau FREE

Loyal Blog Followers: I'm back. I wish I could say that I've been swamped with so many great new puzzles. Unfortunately, the hits are harder to find. I've also noticed a significant decline in the number of puzzles being published on the App Store.

The Futoshiki comes from Aliaksandr Uvarau. The object is to create a Latin Square where each row/column has different numbers.  The black triangles are actually 'greater than signs'.

The 4x4 grids are incredibly easy. Perfect if you're listening to a tv show that's all dialog.  The 9x9 grids are really terrific.  I've only done a few and each has taken about 30 minutes. These puzzles reminded me of Sudoku Killer.


Altogether there are 12,000 levels - completely free.  I tried to contact Aliaksandr about how he generated these. I was unsuccessful. Surely he didn't do them by hand!?


Also interesting, the 'greater than' symbols always point down or right and never left or up. Hmmmm.


https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-futoshiki/id1398126397?mt=8
http://coralgames.com.au/app_info?id=com.alexuvarov.android.futoshiki
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.alexuvarov.android.futoshiki


Similar Games & Other Latin Square Puzzles
Sudoku Sweeper
Futoshiki  also known as Hi-Lo Sudoku
LogicCity
Kropk'i Sudoku
Logi5Puzz
TetragonoS
Futoshiki Light
Futoshiki Game
Joint Number Place

Lateral Puzzles : Series #1 by HYBRIONA TECHNOLOGIES LLP FREE

I've been a fan of Lateral Thinking Puzzles since I was about 12.  The coining of the phrase Lateral Thinking was done by Edward de Bono.


This particular game Lateral Puzzles : Series #1 has 100 puzzles with a few ads thrown in.  I've done 50 in about 30 minutes. Many are old. Some have spelling mistakes.


I'm attaching just 1 image. The solution made me laugh.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/lateral-puzzles-series-1/id1394753363?mt=8