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Vandals ($3.99) by ARTE Experience is a turn-based stealth puzzle game that's all about promoting gorgeous street art. If you enjoyed games such as Deus Ex GO and Hitman GO, then you will love Vandals.

Life has been fairly busy for me lately, so whenever I have some time to spare I want to just sit down and bust out some games. It takes the pressure off for a while, and it's relaxing, you know? My favorite genre of game is puzzles, as they're stimulating but calming at the same time. When Square Enix released their series of GO games, I fell in love with them right away. There's just something about those minimalistic puzzles and the mix of stealth that are hard to resist. So when I saw Vandals, I felt it was reminiscent of those games, and I had to check it out for myself. I can definitely say that this one does not disappoint.

$4.99

Hitman GO

SQUARE ENIX Ltd

$4.99

Deus Ex GO

SQUARE ENIX Ltd

$4.99

Lara Croft GO

SQUARE ENIX Ltd

$4.99

Monument Valley 2

ustwo Games Ltd

$1.99

Mr Future Ninja

Appsolute Games LLC

Visually, Vandals is truly stunning. The game features a visual style that reminds me of other games like Monument Valley and Mr Future Ninja with somewhat isometric graphics. However, unlike the dreamscape or futuristic settings of those other games, Vandals focuses on realistic and modern environments, based on real world locations. Each area you'll explore in Vandals showcases inspiration from the locales in real life, but they truly shine with the modern graphical style and lighting. Colors in Vandals are a nice mix of dark tones and bright and vibrant neons that provide excellent contrast with each other. Animations are smooth and fluid, so there's no issues of lag on my iPhone 8 Plus. The ambient soundtrack is rather atmospheric, and the sound effects are lifelike. Overall, the developers have knocked it out of the park here with the visual and audio design.

Since Vandals is a puzzle game, it's level-based like many before it. There are five chapters, each taking place in a major city from all over the globe. At the moment, Vandals includes Paris, Tokyo, via São Paulo, Berlin, and New York. Each locale has 12 puzzles to solve, and you must clear the previous one before you can progress. There are three stars to earn on each level, though one is technically a "bonus" that you can collect on the stage if you choose to, though it's usually out of the way.

The goal of Vandals is simple and straightforward: sneak around police surveillance and tag walls with your glorious works of spray paint art. However, it becomes harder and harder to do this when security becomes more intricate and trickier to get around.

Each puzzle consists of pathways on the floor that are represented by solid or dashed lines. Dashed lines are only for you to sneak by, and police cannot traverse on these. The dots on the paths indicate one space, and you can only move one space per turn. Just swipe in the direction you want to go. As you move, the police move as well, and the red line represents their eyesight. Don't be caught in the red, because that's when the police catch and arrest you. Your goal is to reach the space with the spray paint icon on it to paint the wall, and then reach the goal space, where you then sneak out of the area like nothing ever happened.

You're equipped with a whistle, which you can use when you need to distract the police. To use it, just tap on the icon in the bottom right corner. You can also pick up empty bottles on certain spaces, which can be thrown to another nearby space to distract the cops. With these two tools, you'll have to plan your moves strategically to spread your art and get out of there.

Again, up to three stars may be earned on a stage. You get a star for being invisible (not ever detected by the cops), another for completing the puzzle in a certain number of moves, and the last one can be collected on the stage itself. You need enough stars to gain access to the other areas, so try to get as many as you can.

The best part about the game is the street art part. Once you get to the walls, you're able to freely draw whatever you want, or you can just tag it with your name that you chose at the start of the game. Your creations get saved on each stage, and a photo gets put into your in-game Black Book. You can share your best artworks with others if you want, which is pretty cool.

In addition to challenging puzzles and the ability to create your own street art, Vandals has a lot of background info on the evolution of street art since the 1960s. As you play, you'll unlock more facts and tidbits from 40 experts, and these are accessible from the Black Book as well.

A turn based stealth adventure.

The Good

Vandals is an excellent stealth puzzle that rewards creativity. The visuals are gorgeous to the eyes, and the original music is immersive. Controls are simple enough for anyone to pick up, and the game can be played in either portrait or landscape modes, along with a left or right-handed option. Being able to weave in your own artworks into the game is a nice touch, and it definitely encourages creativity and uniqueness among each player.

The Bad

While there's a lot of good going on in Vandals, I think that the animation speed can be a bit slow and tedious at times. This is especially true when transitioning to the spray painting screen on a level you've already done, going through menus or stages, or if you need to retry a stage because of failures. I wish that there was a way to speed up some of the animations, or even skip them. Maybe the developers can consider that in a future update.

The verdict

Vandals is definitely a new puzzle favorite of mine. I love these types of games, and Vandals is challenging while looking and sounding amazing. Controls are simple, and you can play the game in whatever position is most comfortable for you. I just hope to see faster menu and scene transitions, because it does get annoying after a while. Still, Vandals is an excellent turn-based stealth puzzler that encourages you to get a little artsy.

Vandals is available on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for just $3.99.

9.2

OVERALL

Graphics 10

Sound/Music 10

Gameplay 9

Replayability 8.5

Game Controls 8.5

$3.99

Vandals

ARTE Experience

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Woodways ($2.99) by Stav Goldstein is a sliding puzzle game that features cute and endearing woodland creatures that you'll fall in love with instantly. If you enjoyed games such as Fliplomacy and Threes!, then you'll get a kick out of Woodways.

Life has been super busy for me lately, so whenever I have a spare moment in the day, I like to just whip out my phone and play some games. It takes my mind off of reality for a bit and calms me down. One of my favorite genres of games to relax with are puzzles, so when I saw Woodways on the App Store, I knew I had to have it. Plus, how can I resist adorable critters? I got my hands on the game, and so far it's pretty good.

$0.99

Fliplomacy

Shobhit Samaria

$2.99

Threes!

Sirvo LLC

In terms of visuals, Woodways has a fairly simple but cartoony aesthetic, which adds personality and life to the game. Everything is rendered in 2D as well, but carries a pseudo-3D look due to shadows and the top-down perspective. Woodways takes place across several different environments, from the lush woodlands to frozen tundras to sandy beaches. The textures for each setting are subtle, but enough to tell each area apart from each other. The color palette also has a nice mix of bright and vibrant hues to more muted, earthy tones, so it all ends up being a rather nice visual package. The game soundtrack is rather whimsical and cheerful, so it's hard to not smile while playing the game. Overall, the developer did an excellent job with the visual and audio design of Woodways, considering that it's their first release on the App Store.

Like many other puzzle games, Woodways is level-based. At the moment, there are three main areas for players to go through, and each one contains a handful of stages. In total, there are over 50 puzzles to solve, and they get increasingly more difficult as you go. However, it's never so overwhelming because it's more gradual, so it's friendly enough for everyone in the family. But as each animal is introduced, they have their own unique attributes and ways of interacting with the environment. Because of this, you have to think carefully to solve the puzzles at hand. The goal is to get all animals into the purple portals.

Controls in Woodways are easy and intuitive. To move, just swipe your finger in the direction you want to go in. The key element with Woodways is that you control all of the animals on the stage at once. So when you swipe, all of them move one space. If you want to undo your last move, just double tap anywhere on the screen. A button in the top left corner lets you reset the puzzle.

As mentioned earlier, there are three animals, and each one has a special trait. The fox is balanced, and lightweight enough to step on a cracked square without breaking it, but cannot swim so must avoid water. The duck is able to swim, as well as be on land, even cracked terrain. The buffalo is rather heavy, so he'll fall right through cracked spaces and cannot swim. With these properties in mind, players must think carefully about the stage layout before moving.

In addition to the cracked floors and water surrounding each stage, there are other game mechanics that you'll need to pay attention to. Rocks can prevent an animal from moving, so this is useful for shifting the position of animals around to better fit the portals they need to reach. There will also be slippery ice and teleportation pads as you advance in the game.

Fortunately, Woodways does not have stars to earn, time limits, or restricted moves, so you can play and enjoy the game at your own pace. If you fail for whatever reason, the game just undoes your last move for you, kind of like a checkpoint. But you can continue to undo your moves or just reset for convenience.

Woodways is a cute and charming puzzler that will delight everyone in the family with challenging puzzles.

The Good

Woodways is a cute and delightful puzzle game that's friendly enough for everyone in the family. The cartoonish graphics are adorable, the music is charming, and the controls are easy enough for everyone. The gameplay is not entirely new, but it follows a tried-and-true formula that's hard to get wrong. Controlling all of the animals at once keeps the game challenging, and truly makes you utilize your head when solving the puzzles. And of course, being able to play and enjoy the game at your own pace without stress is a great thing.

The Bad

There's a lot of good going on in Woodways. However, the art style may not appeal to everyone. And while the animations are smooth, the animals look a bit stiff as they move and slide, which I thought was a bit odd. It makes them feel like cardboard cutouts, and doesn't look as lively as it should be. But these are just small details that don't affect the gameplay, so if it doesn't bother you, you're golden.

The verdict

As a puzzle fan, I'm liking Woodways so far. It's full of quirky little animals and the gameplay is challenging. The music is fun to listen to as you play too, and the sound effects are nice. The controls work out nicely and with nothing to stress out over, Woodways provides a great and relaxing puzzle experience. I just wish that the animals were a bit more lively as they move, because they look a bit stiff at the moment.

Woodways is avaialable on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for just $2.99.

8.5

OVERALL

Game Controls 9

Sound/Music 9

Graphics 8.5

Gameplay 8.5

Replayability 7.5

FREE

Woodways

Stav Goldstein

Source link: http://appadvice.com/reviews