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GNOG ($4.99) by KO.OP is a playful puzzle game featuring toys and secrets galore. If you enjoyed games like Campfire Cooking and Vignettes, then you're going to like what GNOG brings to the table. It's also available on the PlayStation 4 with PSVR support.

With the holidays just around the corner once again, life's been pretty hectic. You know, with all of the decorating, buying gifts, and planning out holiday feasts. When I need a break from life and reality for a bit, I just want to sit down with some video games. Most of my time has gone into Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp lately, as it's one of the most zen-like games out there (just like Animal Crossing: New Leaf). Still, I'm a sucker for puzzle games so when I saw GNOG on the App Store, I had to give it a try. Plus, it reminds me a lot of Vignettes, which was a fantastic game as well.

$3.99

Campfire Cooking

Layton Hawkes

$2.99

Vignettes

Skeleton Business

Visually, GNOG is stunningly gorgeous. The game has a nice mixture of both 2D and 3D graphical elements. But the puzzles themselves take place in 3D toy boxes that are shaped like charming monster heads, and each one is unique and distinctive. GNOG is full of bright and vibrant colors that definitely serve their purpose as eye candy. All animations are buttery smooth and fluid, so there was no lag on my iPhone 8 Plus. The ambient and atmospheric soundtrack is soothing to listen to as you solve the puzzles, and the sound effects are delightful, fitting in well with the overall toy box theme. Plus, the monster heads eventually sing along to the music, which changes during the puzzles, and it's amazing.

Like most puzzle games, GNOG is level-based. There are nine toy puzzles to solve at the moment. While that doesn't sound like much, the puzzles can be rather lengthy and challenging, so you do spend quite a bit of time on them. And there's not really any tutorial or guidance, so you're left to figure things out on your own. While some may prefer not having their hands held in games, others who need a little push may feel a tad lost in GNOG.

The goal in GNOG is to solve the puzzles within each monster head puzzle box, where entire worlds can be found. These worlds tell a story through pictures, and these actually serve as clues to how to solve the puzzles. While some are fairly straightforward and easy to figure out, others are more intricate and complex. Regardless, the key to GNOG is paying attention to fine details, so it's a test of your observing skills.

Controls in GNOG are intuitive and optimized for touch screens. A swipe of your finger horizontally on the screen lets you rotate the monster heads, so you can see both the front and the back. There are buttons to press with a tap, sliders to slide, and handles to turn. All of these actions are simple on touch screens, and it makes everything feel even more realistic, as if you're truly poking and prodding at an actual toy.

For a bit of fun, GNOG utilizes iOS's ARKit, so you can play the game using your camera viewfinder to set the background. However, controls in the AR mode are a bit clunkier than normal, so it definitely feels more of a gimmick than it is useful. But it's great to show kids.

An interactive 3D toy that lets you swipe, pull, push, and more to what can happen.

The Good

GNOG is a beautiful puzzle game that simply captivates with pure charm and delight. The graphics are one of the best parts of the game, as the designs for each of the monster head boxes are special and remarkable. In a way, a few of the designs remind me of Dia de los Muertos, which isn't a bad thing. The music is relaxing and I like how it changes once you start to figure out the puzzles, and having the monster heads sing along is a nice touch.

While GNOG is available on a console as well, and even coming to Steam, this is the kind of game that seems to be made for touch screens. The way you need to poke, pull, twist, and turn various interactive parts of the toy box just seems perfectly designed for touch, so it feels natural.

The Bad

While GNOG is a great game, it's not perfect. The lack of guidance can confuse some people, and make them feel stuck. And while the nine existing puzzles provide a distinctive experience, it feels a bit short for the money. I hope that more puzzles are added in the future, if possible, as that would extend the life of the game.

The verdict

GNOG is one of those quirky games that brings in a special kind of experience to iOS gaming. The graphics are amazing to look at, the dynamic music is upbeat and catchy, and the controls feel natural. But the lack of guidance can be a drawback for some, but overall, it's a great game to sit back and relax with.

9.2

OVERALL

Game Controls 10

Graphics 10

Sound/Music 10

Gameplay 9

Replayability 7

$4.99

GNOG

KO_OP

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Hoppenhelm (Free) by Tobias Ornberg is a twitchy platformer arcade game. If you're looking to get a quick gaming fix while you're out-and-about, then Hoppenhelm is a great contender for that. If you enjoyed games like Super Samurai Rampage and Dragon Hills 2, then chances are you'll like Hoppenhelm.

My life's been pretty busy lately, so I've taken refuge with a ton of different video games recently. My latest vice is, not surprisingly, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, but when I'm done fulfilling requests of cute animals, I need something else to do. This is when quick-fix mobile games come in, as I can just play these in short bursts throughout the day. As a big fan of platformer games, I'm liking what Hoppenhelm has to offer so far.

$1.99

Super Samurai Rampage

Brackish Games

$2.99

Dragon Hills 2

Cezary Rajkowski

Visually, Hoppenhelm carries a retro aesthetic that takes me back to my childhood days of 16-bit games. The game is completely in 2D with a pixel art style that serves as a fantastic homage to SNES games and the like. Despite the pixelated look, Hoppenhelm manages to pack in a lot of finer details, such as textures to indicate crumbling platforms that you need to watch out for. Character models are all unique and distinctive, and the enemies have their own behavioral patterns as well. Animations are smooth and fluid on my iPhone 8 Plus, with no issues of lag or choppiness. To top it all off, Hoppenhelm has a fantastically eerie chiptune soundtrack that fits in perfectly with the game's environment, and the sound effects are delightful.

Since Hoppenhelm is a twitchy reflex arcade game, there are no levels or anything of the sort. Instead, it's an endless game where you test how far you can go. In Hoppenhelm, you control a knight who must hop through a dungeon environment while also attacking and defending himself from various enemies. Each hop counts as a step, and your score is essentially the number of steps you took.

The game's one-touch control scheme makes this incredibly playable anywhere, anytime. There are three large buttons towards the bottom of the screen. The biggest one is in the center, and that's the button to hop forward one space. To the left is the button to perform an attack, and to the right is the button to defend with a shield. While the game sounds easy enough with such simple controls, things are actually challenging and can get pretty tricky.

With Hoppenhelm, you must time your hops carefully if you want to make it to the next platform before the crumbling one dissolves underneath your feet. Enemies also attack you, so you have to take them out before they get a hit in on you, or block with your trusty shield. There's also moving spikes, coins to collect, and other deadly hazards to watch out for.

There are multiple knights that you can unlock in Hoppenhelm. If you have collected enough coins, you can unlock the next character. The price goes up as you get towards the stronger ones, but they're worth the cost. Each knight has a special ability, such as being able to take more hits before dying or dishing out more damage to foes.

Additionally, there are also weapons to unlock. Again, the price is more for stronger ones, and these also include unique traits, such as the chance to land critical hits. With the combination of knight characters and weapons, you can end up with some interesting play styles.

An arcade platformer with one touch controls that presents you will all kinds of dungeon obstacles.

The Good

Hoppenhelm is a fresh take on arcade platformer games. While there are many twitchy arcade reflex games, there aren't too many that have the platforming aspect, so it's nice to see. The graphics of the game are top notch, as it's a great homage to the classics. The chiptune music is done well too.

The controls are intuitive and easy for anyone to pick-up-and-play. But don't be fooled — the game proves to be rather challenging when you factor in all of the dangers that await you. Plus, there's many possibilities of character and weapon combinations, so you can find a play style that fits you.

The Bad

Mostly everything about Hoppenhelm is good. However, just keep in mind that this is a freemium game, so there are occasional ads that pop up every so often. However, it doesn't happen too frequently and is not super intrusive. Like other games, there's always the opportunity to watch an ad to double your coins though. If the ads bother you too much, then there is an in-app purchase that removes ads, but it's completely optional.

The verdict

As a fan of twitch reflex arcade games and platformers, Hoppenhelm is a nice mix of both. I'm in love with the graphics and chiptunes, as they make me feel like a kid again. The one-touch controls make the game easily accessible for anyone with a touch screen, but the challenging gameplay and unlockable content keeps you coming back for more.

9.4

OVERALL

Sound/Music 10

Replayability 9

Game Controls 9.5

Graphics 9.5

Gameplay 9

FREE

Hoppenhelm

Tobias Ornberg

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