It's a Trap comes from Ayush Singla. It's a point scoring puzzle app game. The green square is Your Man. Your Man must score points by attacking the other pieces before they surround you or poke you.
The graphics and instructions could be better. Essentially:
The yellow squares never travel.
The red squares rotate and travel.
The blue squares can push you to the next square. Unless there's already another square there, and then you're poked dead.
The black squares appear if you have poked 5 other squares on that spot. Black squares can never block everything and will end your game.
I really did not want to like this game. But I do! Somebody on the Leaderboard has a fantastic score, which means I have not perfected my strategy.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/its-a-trap/id1354434162?mt=8
Monday, March 12, 2018
Thursday, March 8, 2018
Levity by Neon Play FREE
Levity comes from Neon Play. It is quite unusual. The object is to rotate your perspective on the fragmented lines & curves and somehow align them into a single shape to match something else.
This is done be rotating the whole view and zooming in/out. This is definitely a very cool concept.
I've only solved 3 levels. This is very hard.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/levity/id1241212769?mt=8
Monday, March 5, 2018
1SlimePlz by Saran Siripuekpong
1SlimePlz comes from Saran Siripuekpong. The object is to tap on an empty square which is adjacent to 2 or more slime objects and watch them merge.
Ideally, you'll want to end up with just 1 slime pile and hopefully it will land on the star.
40 levels - they go fast.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/1slimeplz/id1271243893?mt=8
Ideally, you'll want to end up with just 1 slime pile and hopefully it will land on the star.
40 levels - they go fast.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/1slimeplz/id1271243893?mt=8
Friday, March 2, 2018
Dissembler by Ian MacLarty $2.99
Dissembler comes from Ian MacLarty. It's a match 3 game. The objective is to eliminate all the squares. Each move is a vertical or horizontal swap of 2 pieces. As long as there is a 3 color combo anywhere on the board, the move is legal.
Some squares have multiple colors. In those, the outer color must be matched first. There are approximately 125 puzzles. I've done about 100.
There is a point scoring version too. In that version, all squares have 3 colors. So there's a lot of strategic planning to stay alive as long as possible. My only qualm with this part of the game is that the playing field is too small and could be increased probably by 50%.
The graphics are great. The puzzles go pretty fast, but I have stumbled. These are well crafted.
Dissembler is a little gem. Great job Ian!
http://dissembler-game.com/
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dissembler/id1293516048?mt=8
Some squares have multiple colors. In those, the outer color must be matched first. There are approximately 125 puzzles. I've done about 100.
There is a point scoring version too. In that version, all squares have 3 colors. So there's a lot of strategic planning to stay alive as long as possible. My only qualm with this part of the game is that the playing field is too small and could be increased probably by 50%.
The graphics are great. The puzzles go pretty fast, but I have stumbled. These are well crafted.
Dissembler is a little gem. Great job Ian!
http://dissembler-game.com/
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dissembler/id1293516048?mt=8
Wednesday, February 28, 2018
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
Memory Line. by Daichi Nagahamaya FREE
Memory Line. comes from Daichi Nagahamaya. The object is to quickly memorize the line path and retrace it.
Simple idea, good execution Kind of fun too.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/memory-line/id1350505955?mt=8
Simple idea, good execution Kind of fun too.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/memory-line/id1350505955?mt=8
Monday, February 26, 2018
Rusty Lake Hotel by Rusty Lake $1.99
I'm not a big fan of Room Escape apps. But the series produced by the good puzzlers at Rusty Lake keep producing good fun games.
The theme in Rusty Lake Hotel: you must visit each of the 5 guests in their rooms, solve some puzzles and kill the guests so that dinner can be served the next night. Yum.
This is the first of their games where stars are awarded for solving each level. I didn't get all the stars so I could not play the bonus room. Rather than replaying the whole thing, I'll watch the bonus room on youtube.
The puzzles themselves still run from simple to weird. None is hard.
Examples:
The simple: finding things behind a picture frame.
The medium: solving an algebraic systems of equations with 4 variables.
The odd: give the rolling pin to one of the puppets so he can beat the other puppet.
The disgusting: taking care of the boar. You'll see.
The boring: seems like every Rusty Lake game has a dresser with a box of matches inside 1 drawer and a knife in another. Another theme that gets repeated is getting a seed, planting it, watering it, watching it grow, then harvesting it to obtain something that has little to do with the plant.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/rusty-lake-hotel/id1059911569?mt=8
Other Rusty Lake Games I've played/reviewed:
Cube Escape: Birthday
Cube Escape: Case 23
Cube Escape: The Mill
Cube Escape: Harvey's Room
Cube Escape: The Lake
Cube Escape: Arles
Cube Escape: Seasons
Cube Escape: Theater
Cube Escape: The Cave
The theme in Rusty Lake Hotel: you must visit each of the 5 guests in their rooms, solve some puzzles and kill the guests so that dinner can be served the next night. Yum.
This is the first of their games where stars are awarded for solving each level. I didn't get all the stars so I could not play the bonus room. Rather than replaying the whole thing, I'll watch the bonus room on youtube.
The puzzles themselves still run from simple to weird. None is hard.
Examples:
The simple: finding things behind a picture frame.
The medium: solving an algebraic systems of equations with 4 variables.
The odd: give the rolling pin to one of the puppets so he can beat the other puppet.
The disgusting: taking care of the boar. You'll see.
The boring: seems like every Rusty Lake game has a dresser with a box of matches inside 1 drawer and a knife in another. Another theme that gets repeated is getting a seed, planting it, watering it, watching it grow, then harvesting it to obtain something that has little to do with the plant.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/rusty-lake-hotel/id1059911569?mt=8
Other Rusty Lake Games I've played/reviewed:
Cube Escape: Birthday
Cube Escape: Case 23
Cube Escape: The Mill
Cube Escape: Harvey's Room
Cube Escape: The Lake
Cube Escape: Arles
Cube Escape: Seasons
Cube Escape: Theater
Cube Escape: The Cave
Friday, February 23, 2018
cohex by Adem KAYIRCI FREE
cohex comes from Adem KAYIRCI. The object is to get the colors in the grid to match the pattern on top. There's a Lights-Out component which makes things very tricky.
I solved the first batch of levels pretty quickly. Then the 3 and 4 color problems showed up. That's when I realized how interesting and complicated this game is. In cohex if you've lost your last green tile, you can never get it back. This game is really for serious puzzlers only.
There are 77 levels and I've done about 20.
Update: I had to do them all!
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cohex/id1331937139?mt=8
I solved the first batch of levels pretty quickly. Then the 3 and 4 color problems showed up. That's when I realized how interesting and complicated this game is. In cohex if you've lost your last green tile, you can never get it back. This game is really for serious puzzlers only.
There are 77 levels and I've done about 20.
Update: I had to do them all!
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cohex/id1331937139?mt=8
Thursday, February 22, 2018
Rotopath Classic by Michael Woodard FREE
Rotopath Classic comes from Michael Woodard. The object is to swap the colored discs and rotate them so that the path from start to end matches the color sequence at the top of the screen. The only thing that is obvious is the start color and end color.
The 'Easiest' level is not so easy. The numbers on the right are powerups. If you wish to be given some hints, it'll lower your score by that number. The first hint taken would be knowing which color is in that specific spot. The second hint would rotate the disc to the correct orientation.
There's a lot to like about this game. Good concept & good graphics. However, starting with 7 discs is a bit too complicated.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/rotopath-classic/id1341499849?mt=8
The 'Easiest' level is not so easy. The numbers on the right are powerups. If you wish to be given some hints, it'll lower your score by that number. The first hint taken would be knowing which color is in that specific spot. The second hint would rotate the disc to the correct orientation.
There's a lot to like about this game. Good concept & good graphics. However, starting with 7 discs is a bit too complicated.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/rotopath-classic/id1341499849?mt=8
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
Cubor by Jan Rigerl FREE
The features:
1. Rolling Cubes
2. Cubes are sometimes connected to others.
3. A specific face must sometimes land on the target.
There are 30 levels and they go pretty fast. There are 'daily' levels. I tried yesterday's and they were too easy.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cubor/id1330051577?mt=8
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.devm.cubor
http://devmgames.com/cubor/
Thursday, February 15, 2018
Tiles² by Andrew Abosh FREE
Tiles² comes from Andrew Abosh. The object is to quickly memorize where the numbers are and then tap their locations.
It's a fun game. My only criticism is that the numbers always go down. The 1 tile would never be at the bottom.
Andrew's description:
Tiles² is a memory game.
You have three (3) seconds to memorize a numbered sequence of tiles.
When ready, tap the tiles in the correct order to complete a round.
The difficulty will increase as the rounds progress.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tiles/id1097012706?mt=8
Monday, February 12, 2018
Unicycle Hero by Unept FREE


First, Your Man must rock forward and back and get to the line with good speed & momentum.
This game is terrible. The graphics are 'old school'. I did the first 10 tutorial levels and then a couple of the regular levels. It's just annoying.
However, according to the leaderboard, this game has become hugely popular.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/unicycle-hero/id1241960943?mt=8
Friday, February 9, 2018
A Hollow Doorway by Kenny Sun FREE

Kenny Sun has made some interesting games recently. A Hollow Doorway is a dexterity game. The object is to rotate the center door so that it aligns with the next doorway as it shrinks down in size. Keep doing this over and over.

The graphics are excellent.
Even better: in the control panel, the sensitivity of your thumb movement can be adjusted. Calibrating this to your needs is essential.
I felt very proud when I solved all of the levels. Then I realized that those 100 doorways was just level 1. I've since done 4 levels and am quite proud. Those other guys on the leaderboard who've done 60 & 70 levels? They're like gods.
Kenny must be a philosopher/poet. His description:
A Hollow Doorway is a meditation on the meaningless. A love letter to nothingness and an introspective look at the heart of purposeless infinity. Desperately swipe and spin your doorway in a futile attempt to match the rotation of rapidly approaching concentric walls as sweat pours from your armpits and your soul pours into your trembling thumb. It's fun!
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/a-hollow-doorway/id1265660005?mt=8
Kenny Sun also made YANKAI'S PEAK.
Wednesday, February 7, 2018
Scale Sticks - Hardest Game! by Jan Brelje FREE
Scale Sticks - Hardest Game! comes from Jan Brelje. It's a dexterity game. The object is to tap the bar that is shrinking as fast as possible and then move on to the next bar that is shrinking. The game ends when any single bar gets to zero.
Interesting idea. I've only played it a few times. Too fast for me. Also, the bars should be separated more.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/scale-sticks-hardest-game/id1342592954?mt=8
Interesting idea. I've only played it a few times. Too fast for me. Also, the bars should be separated more.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/scale-sticks-hardest-game/id1342592954?mt=8
Tuesday, February 6, 2018
Only 3 Words by Blue Boat FREE
Only 3 Words is described as 'one of the best word games for kids.' Before I saw that, I thought to myself, hey this is really good. I'm semi embarrassed. I like this game. In particular, I like the wording of the clues.
For example: 'Low digit' was not 'one' or 'two'. The answer was 'toe.'
7 Little Words is similar, but tougher.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/only-3-words/id1322894061?mt=8
For example: 'Low digit' was not 'one' or 'two'. The answer was 'toe.'
7 Little Words is similar, but tougher.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/only-3-words/id1322894061?mt=8
Monday, February 5, 2018
Video & Book
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sc43PXe1T7w Greg has been making some fantastic custom twisty puzzles.
https://www.amazon.com/Farm-Tom-Rob-Smith/dp/1455551066/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8 The Farm by Tom Rob Smith is the perfect book when you're trapped on an airplane.
https://www.amazon.com/Farm-Tom-Rob-Smith/dp/1455551066/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8 The Farm by Tom Rob Smith is the perfect book when you're trapped on an airplane.
Friday, February 2, 2018
The Room by Fireproof Games $.99
There are 7 letters from your long lost uncle or cousin. All of them talked about his finding some mystical power. None had any relevance to the actual puzzles.
I'm glad I finally played this game because everybody's been raving about it for so long. But I wasn't so enthralled that I'm going to play their 3 other games right away. But I will play them.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-room/id552039496?mt=8
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.FireproofStudios.TheRoom
http://www.fireproofgames.com/games/the-room
Check out Mystery Lighthouse. It's the same idea, though much simpler. The artwork is totally different and much brighter. It also has a certain charm to it that The Room is missing.
Thursday, February 1, 2018
Sweet Drmzzz by Bart Bonte $.99
At the moment I'm stuck on level 26.
There's a lot of charm to these puzzles.
http://www.pocketgamer.biz/interview/67883/indie-spotlight-bonte-games-bart-bonte/ Good interview/article about Bart.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sweet-drmzzz/id924000453?mt=8
http://www.bontegames.com/
Other Bart Puzzles:
Factory Balls - excellent
Boo! - a mini sequel to Factory Balls
Blocky XMAS - fun and at times hard
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
PuzzleNum by Lingyu Zhong FREE
The blue dot is Your Man. The goal is to get Your Man to the star. Passing over a red square subtracts that number and Your Man must be at least 1 to get to the goal.
Not shown in the images:
White Squares with a red boarder: passing over this square will reduce all the other red squares by that number.
Orange Squares: these are =, <, or > with a specific number.
There are 60 regular levels and at the moment I've done about 40 of them. There are 20 (I think) advanced levels and I've done just 2 of them.
These puzzles are designed with great 'aha' moments. This game is a little gem.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/puzzlenum/id1332981013?mt=8
Friday, January 26, 2018
7 Little Words by Blue Ox Family Games, Inc. FREE
I reviewed 7 Little Words way back in 2011. For some reason it was listed as a new game. Oh well.
There are 5000 puzzles! I've done about 50 of them. The first 20 were too easy. I've been struggling on the last 10.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/7-little-words/id431434152?mt=8
There are 5000 puzzles! I've done about 50 of them. The first 20 were too easy. I've been struggling on the last 10.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/7-little-words/id431434152?mt=8
Thursday, January 25, 2018
Pop Color Puzzle - Smash Block by Kui Tan FREE
Pop Color Puzzle - Smash Block comes from Kui Tan. The object is to place the squares in the grid so that the outside edges match and then explode. The puzzle is solved when all the outer & inner rectangles are gone.
Definitely an interesting game. I'm not sure if the scoring has a chain-reaction. There are 25 levels. I've done about 14. They get complicated & clever.
There's an infinite mode where the object is to get a high score. This mode is okay, however, it never ends. There should be a much smaller grid for this.
Description from the App Store:
***Here come the most challenging color game: Pop Color Puzzle***
With 25 stages of blocks as well as various free modes, you will definitely enjoy a colorful game jouney playing with this puzzle game. It's logical, predictable, beautiful and also it's super fun. It's more than a crush game, you can predict the score you can get but you need to think more logically and deeply to reach a higher point. The Infinity mode gives you smooth flow to deliminate the blocks. While in the Master scene, you need stratagy, even complicated stratagies to organize a serial of blocks. Only because it's one shoot, you only have once chance to make it as perfect as you can.
One more, one more block! You will always say this to yourself when you play this game. Sometimes you are so close to it and you just need a little help. Don't worry, call a Bomb to help if you stuck. The bomb has no magic, it just clears any blocks you choose and give you a chance to continue.
How to play:
1. Place color blocks next to one another to match colors and make combos.
2. Once a color of the block is removed the next color layer is active setting off a chain reaction.
3. Place all the blocks correctly to eliminate all your pieces and get the highest score possible.
4. Use a tip or bomb smartly when you meet a stuck.
*The more blocks cleared in one move, the higher bonus you will get!
*Try to finish each puzzle with "Perfect", that means try to get the highest points as you can.
*Don't forget to share a pictures to your friends when you make a break. Ask them to challenge you!
Come on and play Pop Color Puzzle, burn you brain!
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pop-color-puzzle-smash-block/id1335022874?mt=8
Definitely an interesting game. I'm not sure if the scoring has a chain-reaction. There are 25 levels. I've done about 14. They get complicated & clever.
There's an infinite mode where the object is to get a high score. This mode is okay, however, it never ends. There should be a much smaller grid for this.
Description from the App Store:
***Here come the most challenging color game: Pop Color Puzzle***
With 25 stages of blocks as well as various free modes, you will definitely enjoy a colorful game jouney playing with this puzzle game. It's logical, predictable, beautiful and also it's super fun. It's more than a crush game, you can predict the score you can get but you need to think more logically and deeply to reach a higher point. The Infinity mode gives you smooth flow to deliminate the blocks. While in the Master scene, you need stratagy, even complicated stratagies to organize a serial of blocks. Only because it's one shoot, you only have once chance to make it as perfect as you can.
One more, one more block! You will always say this to yourself when you play this game. Sometimes you are so close to it and you just need a little help. Don't worry, call a Bomb to help if you stuck. The bomb has no magic, it just clears any blocks you choose and give you a chance to continue.
How to play:
1. Place color blocks next to one another to match colors and make combos.
2. Once a color of the block is removed the next color layer is active setting off a chain reaction.
3. Place all the blocks correctly to eliminate all your pieces and get the highest score possible.
4. Use a tip or bomb smartly when you meet a stuck.
*The more blocks cleared in one move, the higher bonus you will get!
*Try to finish each puzzle with "Perfect", that means try to get the highest points as you can.
*Don't forget to share a pictures to your friends when you make a break. Ask them to challenge you!
Come on and play Pop Color Puzzle, burn you brain!
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pop-color-puzzle-smash-block/id1335022874?mt=8
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
It's Full of Sparks by Noodlecake Studios FREE



In the beginning, Your Man discovers a pair of red sunglasses. When he puts them on, he can see & cross red bridges and interact with other red objects.
This is a lot like Monument Valley. But there's a time limit which I don't like.
http://toappsto.re/itsfullofsparks
https://itunes.apple.com/app/full-of-sparks/id1269336188?ls=1&mt=8
Monday, January 22, 2018
red (game) by Bart Bonte FREE
There are 50 levels and a hint for each - but you have to watch an ad. I solved all the levels over 2 days. I used about 4 hints.
https://itunes.apple.com/app/red-game/id1335080517?t=1&cn=ZmxleGlibGVfcmVjcw%3D%3D&refsrc=email&iid=96abf14c56a14c219e8e39869d6007cb&uid=48697856&nid=244+281088008
http://www.bontegames.com/
Other Bart Puzzles:
Factory Balls - excellent
Boo! - a mini sequel to Factory Balls
Blocky XMAS - fun and at times hard
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