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Crystal Cove ($1.99) by Andrey Spencer is a match-three puzzle game that isn't like anything you've tried before. If you enjoyed other unique match-threes like Kenshõ and You Must Build A Boat, then you'll enjoy what Crystal Cove brings to the table.

Life always gets a bit hectic for me, so I enjoy playing a wide variety of games to take my mind off of things for a bit. If you've been following my work here at AppAdvice, you should know that one of my favorite genres are puzzles, specifically, match-threes. I'm not sure why, but I'm always drawn to these types of games, as I find them relaxing and so easy to lose hours at a time to them. Plus, it keeps my mind ticking. Even though it feels like I've played almost every match-three game there is on the App Store, I still get a nice surprise every now and then. Crystal Cove is one of those titles that brings a smile to my face.

$3.99

Kenshō

FIFTYTWO, OOO

$2.99

You Must Build A Boat

EightyEight Games LTD

Crystal Cove features a super minimal 2D design that keeps the game simple yet elegant at the same time. The background features a clear illustration of what looks like a cove (hence the name), but it's not too distracting to take away from the foreground, which is where all the matching is done. The triangular game pieces pop out a bit with pseudo-3D, thanks to the three shades of one color. The color palette is basic with just three soft pastel hues, but I find it soothing and it goes well with the cove theme. There's also a color blind mode, where each color is represented by dots, so no one is left out. Animations are smooth and fluid, so I had no issues with lag or choppy frame rates on my iPhone 8 Plus. The ambient techno-like soundtrack is fairly calming, and helps you think about the moves you're making. The developer did an excellent job here with Crystal Cove's visual and audio design, as it's an overall tranquil experience.

Unlike most match-three games, Crystal Cove doesn't have levels. Instead, it gives players an endless escapade of relaxing block matching. You play until you're surrounded and have no more options except to restart and try again to beat your high score. While it doesn't sound like a lot, the game is surprisingly full of depth and strategy's involved, so you must think about each move if you want to do well.

At the start of each game, you have a colored triangle in the center of the board, which can fit a certain number of triangles. Along the top of the screen is a block that tells you the next three colors of triangles that will appear once you move. When you swipe left, right, up, or down to move, it places the next triangle in that spot. A light silhouette of adjacent triangles that you can move into get highlighted on the board, in case you don't know where to go.

As you match like-colored triangles in clusters of at least three or more (they must also be adjacent to each other), you'll fill up the colored crystals at the bottom. Once these are full, you can drag them to a triangle and change it to that color. They're useful for getting out of a jam, but you should use them often since they refill as you make matches.

If you make a mistake, you can undo your last move with the rewind button. Once you are surrounded with no where left to go, the game asks if you want to use a power-up crystal. Otherwise, you'll have to restart and try again.

Your final score in a round is determined by the number of matches you've made, obviously. However, there are other bonuses to earning points, such as clearing the board, getting consecutive matches and earning multipliers. Again, it looks like a simple game on the surface, but it requires thinking and planning if you want to nab the best score possible.

As you accrue points, they double as in-game money. You can spend these points in the shop for various skins with new designs. They are purely cosmetic, though, as they don't affect the gameplay in any way.

Crystal Cove takes the traditional match-three formula and spins it upside-down.

The Good

Crystal Cove is a fantastic gem of a match-three puzzler. The graphics are simple, clean, and look great with the pastel color scheme. Having the color blind mode is nice too, as it doesn't exclude anyone from enjoying the game overall. The music is upbeat, quirky, and rather charming, so it's delightful to listen to as you play. Controls are simple enough and work well, and having the game show you where you can move is helpful.

The Bad

There's a lot of good going for Crystal Cove, but it's not perfect. While the color blind mode is nice, I do wish that there were more themes available, in case one isn't a fan of pastels. It would liven up the game more I think, and add a bit of customization to it.

I also found that the controls get a bit unresponsive sometimes. It seems to happen when there are less options for me in terms of where I can move, but I'd swipe where I should be able to go and nothing happens. When this occurs, it takes me a few swipes before it seems to register properly.

And while I like the infinite play of the game, I think having some additional game modes would spice things up. Like a puzzle mode, where you must clear the board in a certain number of moves. I mean, variety is nice, right?

The verdict

As an avid fan of match-three games, Crystal Cove is one of my new favorites. I like minimal design that still looks elegant, and Crystal Cove has it. Plus, the music is fun, as it's on par with what I like to listen to regularly anyway. The game mechanic is interesting and brings a new spin on a tried-and-true puzzle formula. I was surprised at the amount of depth and planning that's involved here.

I just want to see optimized controls, more modes, and maybe new color themes in a future update, as it would add more variety to the game. Still, this is a solid match-three that fans of the genre should give a spin.

Crystal Cove is available on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for $1.99. There are no in-app purchases.

7.9

OVERALL

Graphics 8

Sound/Music 8.5

Gameplay 8

Replayability 7.5

Game Controls 7.5

$1.99

Crystal Cove

Andrey Spencer

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

It's Full of Sparks (Free) by Noodlecake Studios is a fast-paced platformer that will have you contemplating life by the end of it. If you enjoy games like Sonic Runners Adventure or FEZ, then you'll like what It's Full of Sparks has to offer.

Most of us enjoy fireworks, but have you ever wondered what the life of a firework is like? Yeah, me neither. Honestly, it's never occurred to me, but it's interesting enough to make a game about it, since It's Full of Sparks exists. I consider myself having quite an open mind to things, so It's Full of Sparks is one of those games that I had to check out for myself. What Noodlecake did was create something that's as fun as it is philosophical.

$2.99

Sonic Runners Adventure

Gameloft

$4.99

FEZ Pocket Edition

Corporation Polytron Inc.

$4.99

Lara Croft GO

SQUARE ENIX Ltd

Visually, It's Full of Sparks is gorgeous and a sight to see. The game's fully rendered in 3D with beautiful, crisp architectural structures. In a way, the graphics remind me a bit of Lara Croft GO, except cleaner because you're not dealing with ancient ruins. It's a modernized low-poly look that is rather trendy these days, and definitely eye catching. The colors in It's Full of Sparks are a nice mix of soft pastels and bold, vibrant hues that mesh together to create a lovely world of fireworks. Animations are smooth and fluid, with no issues of lag or frame rate choppiness on my iPhone 8 Plus. The music is rather whimsical and charming, and the sound effects are fun and quirky.

Since It's Full of Sparks is a platformer, it's level-based, which is pretty standard. The game starts off with a firecracker who's all fine and dandy, that is, until they realize that once the fuse (spark of life) is out, they explode and die. With that in mind, the goal of the game is simple: get these sentient firecrackers safely to the water to put out the fuse, and live a little longer. Ultimately, if you're successful on the journey, you'll meet The Old One, which is a mythical firecracker that's never had their fuse lit.

While you can enjoy the game at your own pace, there are also stars to earn depending on how fast you complete a stage. The faster you are, the more stars you get. From my experience so far, you'll need to replay a level multiple times to memorize what to do, and then do everything correctly on your speed run. This is great for competitive players.

Controls are simple and intuitive. In the bottom left are two buttons to move your firecracker left and right. On the right side, after you collect the corresponding artifacts, are colored buttons. When you obtain the colored glasses, you'll be able to see or unsee certain obstacles and objects that can help guide you safely across. You have to tap on these buttons at the right time to toggle them, and make sure you get the timing and positioning of your firecracker correct, otherwise, it may lead to untimely deaths.

It's Full of Sparks is a game where you're going to die a lot. Each time your firecracker dies, whether by exploding or falling, you'll have a chance to try again with a new firecracker. These firecrackers count as "lives." You start the game off with a handful of firecrackers, but once you're out, you'll have to get more lives.

Fortunately, the game can be fairly generous with giving you more lives for free. You can slowly get a few lives at a time as a free gift every so often, or watch a video ad to get 15 at a time. If you enable ads, you get 25 more. If the video ad system bothers you, unlimited lives can be bought via a $2.99 in-app purchase.

A beautifully rendered 3D platformer that lets you play as a firecracker.

The Good

It's Full of Sparks is definitely a gem in the App Store, as it's fun, challenging, and makes you ponder your own life (existential crisis, anyone). The game has stunning graphics that are pure eye candy, and the music is delightful to listen to. The levels start off easy enough, but the difficulty ramps up at a nice pace. It's also great that the game allows you to either play at your own pace or do speed runs, since you can move on to the next level without earning stars.

The Bad

While there's a lot of good about It's Full of Sparks, it's not perfect. During my testing, I experienced a handful of crashing right after "completing" the first stage. The game would just freeze up and become unresponsive, resulting in force quitting and trying again. It happened twice in a row before I was able to have it not crash and proceed with actually playing the game. I'm not sure what the cause is, but it should be ironed out in the next update.

I like the idea that each new life is a new firecracker, but I also think that you can burn through your lives too quickly since things get a bit twitchy. Though there are free ways to obtain more firecrackers, I feel like it's pushing you towards the in-app purchase.

The verdict

Despite the minor inconveniences, I'm enjoying It's Full of Sparks a lot. The game is downright beautiful on Retina HD and Super Retina displays. The whimsical music is great to relax to, and the controls are easy enough for anyone to learn. I always like challenging games, as it's incredibly satisfying when you manage to overcome a stage you're stuck on, and It's Full of Sparks provides just that. Hopefully the kinks get ironed out sooner rathe than later.

It's Full of Sparks is available on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone or iPad for free with in-app purchases.

8.3

OVERALL

Graphics 9

Replayability 8

Game Controls 8

Sound/Music 8

Gameplay 8.5

FREE

It's Full of Sparks

Noodlecake Studios Inc

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