Sunday 25 January 2015

One Minute Gaming # 38 - Flow Free

This week, I've been playing a puzzle game called Flow Free. The basic idea is to join up like colored spots without crossing paths. You start off with four pairs of colored spots and a 5x5 grid. The starter levels are really easy which makes it a great game for kids.
Once you get up to a 9x9 grid with 9 colors, it gets much harder although not impossible. The original game starts with a regular pack - a selection of boards in the 5x5 to 9x9 range. They've obviously expanded the game with new packs and some are locked but you don't have to pay to unlock them - just clear a whole earlier pack to unlock the next one.
There are 2 extreme packs to unlock - they contain 150 boards of 8x8 to 12x12 and if you play on an ipad, there is a jumbo pack which goes up to 14x14 - now that's difficult!
The best thing about this game is the simple idea that gets your brain working and of course, it's totally free. There are real cash options - you can buy extra hints packs or more puzzle packs but with the basic game having over 1000 free boards before unlocking the bonus free levels, I don't think you need to buy any more!

I like this Flow Free puzzle and I'd give it a 7 out of 10. It's not the most addictive game I've played but I enjoy it anyway.


If you have a game you'd like to suggest, you can contact me on twitter @NevAHAddict or leave a comment below.
So until next time, have fun!


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Check out my latest project!

Sunday 18 January 2015

One Minute Gaming #37 - Jenga!

This week I found an old family favorite that's been adapted to a digital game - Jenga. It's been expanded from the original idea so there are several modes of play available. You can play online with friends or strangers by signing in to Jengaworld in a real time game or you can play solo against the clock and compare times & tower heights with friends through the gamecenter.
There's also an arcade style game where the blocks are colored and you get bonus points for making new layers of the same color blocks. The faster you remove & replace blocks, the higher your score but you're against the clock too so make the most of those color bonuses.
I like the classic version best - I'm slow and careful so playing fast against the clock just results in very short games for me!

The graphics are great and you can turn the camera angle for best view of your tower. There's a tumble warning icon too so you can change your mind before you start removing a block.

You can tap or gently swipe a block to remove it but just like in real world game, watch carefully for the tower wobble - you don't want to go too fast & bring it down after all!
It's an absorbing game and just as much of a challenge as the original so I'm giving Jenga an 8 out of 10.
If you have a game you'd like me to try, you can contact me on Twitter @NevAHAddict or leave a comment below.
So until next time - have fun!


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Check out my latest project!

Sunday 11 January 2015

One Minute Gaming #36 - Amazing Ninja

This week I've been playing a very simple looking game called Amazing Ninja. It has only two controls - tap on the left of the screen to jump or on the right side of the screen to attack. As the screen scrolls, you face simple little stick men ninjas or runners - you have to jump over the blue guys and attack the red guys. That sounds so simple doesn't it? Well, it would be if the blue guys and red guys didn't come at you pretty fast and you have to jump across obstacles and gaps in the terrain too. You can't attack from mid-air either so if the blue guy gets in the way, you'll probably die to the red guy behind him!
I played for over an hour and my high score is about 6! I'm useless at it but the sound effects and continual failure noises made me giggle - rather like Flappy Bird did. You giggle because you can't believe how such a simple looking game can be so difficult!
The graphics are extremely basic although very neat, the idea is very simple but the gameplay is quite challenging. frustration levels for Amazing Ninja are very high though so if you have a blood pressure problem, I wouldn't play this one!
Overall, I'd give Amazing Ninja a 6 out of 10 - easy to learn, hard to achieve good scores but great for a 5 minute break now & then.
If you have a game you'd like me to try, you can contact me on Twitter @NevAHAddict.
So until next time, have fun!



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Check out my latest project!