Good Story about Peace Corps Swaziland

I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer some 30 years ago. I posted some thoughts about that last year.


Caila Lane served recently and has written her account, which is simply excellent. The one thing I would add: in the Peace Corps, there's a lot of down time. It's essential to read a lot, visit other volunteers and fill up that time to stay sane.


http://www.studioslay.com/reflections-of-a-peace-corps-volunteer/

Shapu: free puzzle app game for iphone, ipad

 

Do you remember BrainSquare from about 3 years ago? I liked it.  The same people have made Shapu which is possibly better. The object is to get all the colored balls to their respective homes.

When shifting rows and columns, all the white dots & colored dots travel together.  However, every move must have 1 dot get eliminated by falling off the grid.  Furthermore, the colored dots have to reach their homes in a specific order. To get 100% for a level, make sure that all the white dots are gone.


I like this concept a lot. These puzzles can get difficult.


Two Problems
1. It takes a long time for this game to load. I'm using an ipad 2 which is now 5 years old.
2.  I completed all of Pack 1.  Then moved on to Pack 2.  After taking a break, my progress in Pack 2 was not saved!
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/shapu/id979809752?mt=8

Super Sharp is free today.

Super Sharp is free today. Not sure if this is temporary or permanent. It's a physics puzzle.


The objective is to get the colored object to hit the colored little squares by slicing the white pieces. The black pieces cannot be cut.


I've done maybe 15 of the 120 levels.  Also, it's been rated 5 stars by almost 3000 people. Very impressive.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/super-sharp/id1033873301?mt=8

CastleMouse and Mouse Trapz

 

Gabriel Jensen recently contacted me about his puzzle app game CastleMouse.

 

It's essentially a maze game where the object is to get the mouse to run to the hole.  Look at the third image. Cats scare mice, dogs scare cats....and mice scare elephants!  Great concept.  The puzzle seems easy, but they get pretty complicated at the medium level.




Jason Forbes came out with a similar game called Mouse Trapz a while ago.  I never saw it. If you follow me on Twitter, you may have noticed a little controversy about this.




According to Jason:
Technically speaking, Castle Mouse came first way back in the 90's (it was a Director-based game on Shockwave.com, if you remember in the Macromedia days). I loved the concept of that game and always thought it was really fun and simple to understand but could get infinitely complex, so when I first started getting in to iOS development I wanted to do an updated version. I added some additional elements (like cheese and obstacles) and a level-builder to expand the replayability. 

I didn't even know until you sent this that someone was using the Castle Mouse name now (looks like it just came out), I wonder if its the original developer? I've attached a screen from the original game, which makes me doubt its the same developer (the original had pretty decent art for back in the day, this new version is using Emoji for icons).

My thoughts: both games are good, fun and challenging.  If there's a controversy: just remember this. Nobody is making real money on the App Store.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/castlemouse-full/id1078739935?mt=8 CastleMouse
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mouse-trapz/id426073609?mt=8  Mouse Trapz

The Making of 'Open Bar - Keep 'Em Coming'

Maxime Beaudoin, you may recall, is the author of Open Bar - Keep 'Em Coming. 


Below is his description of all the steps it took to implement the game.   Most interesting, I think, are the changes along the way. 
http://gingearstudio.com/open-bar-the-making-of-an-indie-game


http://gottasolveit.blogspot.com/2016/02/open-bar-keep-em-coming.html

FERMAT - Challenge your limits of memory! Brain training game app

'

FERMAT - Challenge your limits of memory! Brain training game app' is the full title of this memory boosting game. 


The objective is simple: memorize where all the number are.  Then, when you're ready, the tiles are all turned over and you must identify where they are.


I'm on level 10 which has 14 numbers in a 4x4 grid.
https://itunes.apple.com/app/id1070977437?mt=8

Slod: interesting puzzle app for iphone, ipad

 

From the App Store: SLOD
'The rules are simple: swipe to swap the holes on the screen so that they match the colours of the moving balls. Match them up before the time runs out!'

  

This game is not hard - puzzle wise.  But because there's a time limit, it becomes hard!  The graphics are good.
https://itunes.apple.com/ky/app/slod/id1029541856?mt=8

Merge Number Free - puzzle app game

 

Ya Zhou Wang has a history of copying other puzzle apps, Illusion Maze being one of them.

 

Merge Number Free looks a lot like Merged! which I really like, but it's not. It's more like Twelve - Hardest Puzzle. The object is to combine numbers (two 5's make a single 6) and score points.  Twelve - Hardest Puzzle - shuffles the numbers after 24 moves and adds a number after every turn.  In this game, new numbers are added every 20 seconds or so.  This turns the other game into a speed contest.


I've played this game in the Easy & Hard modes.  My high tile in the Easy mode was 17.  In the Hard mode, I got 16.


This is a decent game. However, it really needs to be polished. Lots of rough edges. I'm guessing there was very little play-testing.
https://itunes.apple.com/ae/app/merge-number-free/id1077648311?mt=8

Busy Week

Puzzlers,


I've been too busy with other things this week.  Back on Monday 2/22.  In the meantime, if you're playing a great puzzle app that I have not reviewed, please let me know.


TC

Zink: Play. Create. Share. Think - puzzle app game for android, ipad, iphone

        

Victor Moreno and Mario Morales are the brains behind Zink: Play. Create. Share. Think. All the circles travel together, unless blocked by a wall and each colored circle must get to it's home.


We've seen this type of puzzle many times in the past.  See links below.


What's different?
1. Look at the first image. See the green square with a green dot in the middle?  The green circle will die if he lands on it.
2.  Same image: the red & yellow circles must unite and then land on the orange home.
3. You can create your own levels and share them with the world.


There are 200 levels each worth 3 stars.  At the moment I have 105 stars.  I'm stuck on level 47, which is a tiny grid. How hard can it be?!


https://itunes.apple.com/app/id991750879
http://www.amazon.es/dp/B00YUTSFP4/


Similar games (this list is incomplete):
Movez  Pretty much the same as Block Mania but it has 1680 levels. I've solved 592 of them. That's probably enough.
Frozen Ice Cubes  What's different: there's a point of 'no return'.
Vubu What's different: the vubu men have different powers. Very sophisticated, very intelligent. Possibly the very best in this genre.
Escapology, reviewed by Nicola Salmoria. He told me about this game ages ago. I played it and enjoyed it, but never blogged about it.
Block Mania Similar to Movez
Move Puzzle - A Funny Strategy Game, Matching Tiles Within Finite Moves

Open Bar - Keep 'em coming!

 

Loyal Blog Follower Daniel Scher alerted me to Open Bar - Keep 'em coming!

 

Daniel's description of the game to me pretty much sums up very nicely:

'The mechanics of the game are pretty simple: You need to place two to three tiles on a small grid to create single-color straight paths. You always have exactly three moves to create all the paths and clear the grid. On each move, you either drag a tile on to the grid or move an existing tile on the grid to a new space. Before dragging a tile onto the grid, you can first rotate it. One interesting move, which doesn’t get used nearly enough, is to drag one tile onto another to merge their paths.

Once you get past the first 20 levels or so, the game doesn’t get any harder. In fact, you can play infinitely long because the levels are randomly generated. While the game isn’t going to win any awards for being deep or hard, I do think it’s pretty original and elegant. The fact that you can solve each puzzle in exactly three steps makes it a great time filler. And if you want to add some extra pressure, give yourself a time limit of, say, a minute to solve each level. Some of the levels had me stumped for a while!'


My 2 cents: I've solved approximately 70 levels and I totally agree with Daniel.

Maxime Beaudoin is the author.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSsYB94If7A&feature=player_embedded
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/open-bar-keep-em-coming!/id1065519317?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo=4

Cube Escape: The Mill

The good people at  Rusty Lake have produced 7 terrific 'Escape the Room' type puzzle app games. I've played 5 of them so far. The first one I played: Cube Escape Seasons was outstanding.

Cube Escape: The Mill is the latest one. Like the others, there's an element of horror.

I actually can't wait to play the remaining 2 games. But I'll save them for a rainy day.
https://itunes.apple.com/app/id1022292932

"L" - puzzle app game for iphone, ipad

 

"L" is a point scoring version of the famous Knight's Tour.  The object is to move Your Man on the board to complete a row or column.  When that happens, the tiles in that row or column disappear and you score points.


I played this game maybe 10 times on the Endless Mode. Have not tried the Timed Mode.


I like this game, but I don't "L"ove it.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app//id1052061566?mt=8


Other Point Scoring Games Worthy of Your Time
NumberMania
Four Straight Lines
Pushopolous
Stickets
Folt
Nineout
Nineout II
BeeCells Lite
Kindly Colors
HexAgony
Domino Drop
Put Number
Tripevo      
Triple Town          
Kindly  Colors    
COLORswipe     
SubaraCity
Virus Pop Smash
+1 Number
4 Way Puzzle
Merged!

Merged!: Puzzle game for all devices

 

Merged! is a point scoring puzzle app game.  The object is to put three or more 1's together.  They will Merge! to form a single 2.  When three 6's Merge!, a single M is created.  When three M's merge, they disappear at the same time as the 3x3 grid that surrounds the final M.  This leaves more space for new numbers.  The game ends when you've run out of space.

   

I'm a big fan of this game.  The graphics are very crisp & cool.  The mechanics of the game are most similar to Put Number (link below).


There's a gambling element at play. You may have two 3's, two 4's and two 5's all lined up for one big chain. If your next number is a 5, do you take the easy points and free up space?




My high score is 4618 and that places me at 1303 out of 629,339 players.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7l24Wtdcxw&feature=player_embedded

http://www.merged.it/
http://www.merged.it/videos/place-pieces.b5bb3eee.mp4


https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/merged!/id1055672607?mt=8






Other Point Scoring Games Worthy of Your Time
NumberMania
Four Straight Lines
Pushopolous
Stickets
Folt
Nineout
Nineout II
BeeCells Lite
Kindly Colors
HexAgony
Domino Drop
Put Number
Tripevo       
Triple Town          
Kindly  Colors    
COLORswipe     
SubaraCity
Virus Pop Smash
+1 Number
4 Way Puzzle

KK+

 

KK+ is really Kenken.  Not a new concept at the app store.  However, the grid sizes go up to 9x9.


I've never been a huge fan of kenken.  Killer Sudoku is more my cup of tea.


330 puzzles.  I did about 5 of them.
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/kk+/id1073689863?mt=8
http://www.stormtek-games.com/main/index.php/games/kk-


Sudoku Killer: I've spent way too much time on this. But it's brilliant.

Xmove Bird: free dexterity puzzle app

 

Xmove Bird is one of those dexterity puzzle app games that we should all be playing to ward off Alzheimer's.


The object is simple, swipe Your Bird to pick up the little circles while dodging the evil birds.

My high score is 24 in level 3.  Level 3 requires you to avoid 4 evil birds at the same time.  Pretty hard.
Guangyu Ye, the author, describes his game as 'Simple. Funny. Gorgeous.'
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/xmove-bird/id1073299066?mt=8

A simple trick to crack all Rubik's cubes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NL76uQOpI0&feature=em-subs_digest-vrecs


This video is perfect for new twisty puzzle people to figure out how to come up with your own algorithms for solving any twisty puzzle.  As opposed to copying somebody else's formulae.

Escape Puzzle A totally free slide puzzle game - for all devices

 

Yumi Mito's Escape Puzzle A totally free slide puzzle game is a sliding tile puzzle: Get the brother and sister to the exit, without getting close to the killer.

 

Some tiles must first land on the keys.  Some tiles can only move a certain number of times.  Other tiles, let's say, orange, move as a group, even though they are not connected to each other.




Overall, it's a very good set of puzzles.  Not too hard, which makes this perfect for novice puzzlers. One negative: the ads pop up at the bottom, sometimes obscuring the grid. A simple cure: disable the wifi.


I'm not sure how many levels there are. I've done about 40.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/escape-puzzle-totally-free/id1067580612?l=ja&ls=1&mt=8
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=to.eco.ketcha.escapepuzzle

Six Logic: Use Your Brain!

Loyal Blog Follower David Cole steered me to Six Logic: Use Your Brain! It's a pictorial logic puzzle. The object is to sort through the Row Hints and the Column Hints to determine which figure is in which cell.

There are 3 levels of difficulty.  The easy ones are good to start with to understand how the hints are written.  I've done a dozen of the 'normal' puzzles and they took between 9 minutes and 45 minutes. The 45 minute game may have been shorter because - after making a mistake, a time penalty is added.


I think puzzles are generated randomly.  Also, at the end of one game, I noticed that there were 2 possibilities for the final 2 cells. But there should be a unique solution for each puzzle. That's okay.




https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/six-logic-use-your-brain!/id344058289?l=es&ls=1&mt=8 In Spanish
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/six-logic-use-your-brain!/id344058289?mt=8 In English

Six Logic: Use Your Brain! was originally published in December 2009. It's been updated a bunch of times, most recently in September 2014.






Fastest Robot Solving Rubik's Cube

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/robot-solves-rubiks-cube_us_56a5d134e4b076aadcc71acb


About 18 months ago I attended the Rubik's Cube exhibit at the Liberty Science Center in New Jersey.  It had a video showing the history of robots that could solve Rubik's Cube.  I believe the fastest machine did it in 6 seconds. Or maybe it was 3 seconds.


Well, there's a new robot in town that is blazing fast.

Continuity 2: puzzle app game for iphone, ipad

Continuity 2 came out 4 or 5 years ago, but I'm only now getting around to playing it.

It's the sequel to the online version (link  below).

Your Man must run left & right and pick up keys and yellow circles before reaching the door.  Where it gets interesting is when Your Man gets to the edge of a tile. You will have to rearrange tiles to resume your path. Where it gets extra fun is when Your Man leaps into the abyss.


There are 50 levels spread out over 6 'Worlds'. I have a feeling that 2 of these are impossible.  On one of them, I'm trying to make a leap from a small cliff and keep crashing into a spiked wall.


The original version was an online puzzle game and was simply brilliant.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/continuity-2-continuation/id432555999?mt=8
http://continuitygame.com/

SudokuMaze

Sam Wormald recently contacted me about his variation of Sudoku called Sudoku Maze.  It's not an app yet, but he's working on it.  In the meantime, one can visit his website and print them.


http://sudokumaze.com

Cube Escape: Harvey's Room

The good people at Rusty Lake continue to produce clever, fun 'escape the room' type puzzle app games. Cube Escape: Harvey's Room is short & sweet.  You are a bird, trapped in a box and must escape. Definitely fun.  My only qualm is that when you're done with an object, a match - let's say, it should be removed from your inventory

https://itunes.apple.com/app/id999924447


Rusty Lake's other Cube Escape Games that I've played.
Cube Escape: The Lake  - short
Cube Escape:Seasons  - the best                                         
Cube Escape: Arles - historically bizarre

About Love, Hate and the Other Ones: puzzle app game for iphone, ipad and PC and Mac

About 2 weeks ago Apps Gone Free announced that About Love, Hate and the Other Ones was being offered for free. I had never heard of it.

The objective is to get either Love (Flower on top) or Hate (horns), to push the red button.  Love has the power to attract the little Green Men toward it.  Hate has the power to repel them.

There have been other games with similar themes - jumping around or stacking objects using sokoban concepts. This game is not very hard, but the graphics and gameplay are well worth your time.

Who are the 'Other Ones'?.
'The thing that looks like a walkie talkie': If either Love or Hate click on it, they will swap places with the walkie talkie.


The Fan that propels Love and Hate upward.


The Ghost Man. When Hate zaps him, he shrivels up. When Love sends out her love, the Ghost Man pops back up. The Ghost Man never travels.
The X Man cannot be moved by either Love or Hate.


The Red Hat Guy. He pops up at level 61. He's a pesky one. He knows how to deal the X Man.


There are 80 levels, not 70 as indicated in the last image.  At the moment, I'm stuck on 65.




https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/about-love-hate-other-ones/id558459510?mt=8
http://www.aboutloveandhate.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=T51k1UWcreg