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Mallow Drops ($2.99) by John Kane is a gravity puzzle that is a combination of platformer and sliding block games. If you enjoyed puzzlers like Slayaway Camp, Red’s Kingdom, and Le Parker: Sous Chef Extraordinaire, then you will get a kick out of the adorable Mallow Drops.

Life has been stressful for me lately, but I always take reprieve in video games or other hobbies, such as card games lately. Games are always a great stress reliever for me, and one of my favorite escapes as of late. Though I enjoy gaming on all platforms, when it comes to iOS, I usually prefer the puzzle genre, because they’re relaxing but stimulating at the same time. And while I feel as if I’ve gone through all of the puzzle games (or at least the ones that truly matter), I can’t help but still be on the lookout for new ones, and Mallow Drops caught my eye over the weekend — I can’t help but be drawn to cute things, after all!

Visually, Mallow Drops carries a somewhat retro aesthetic, as the game features a classic 16-bit pixel art style. If you grew up with classic consoles like the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis, then you will feel right at home with these old-school graphics. Despite the pixelated style, Mallow Drops still manages to pack in a good amount of fine details and textures to the environment, especially the backgrounds, which are actually previous levels you’ve already completed. The color palette in Mallow Drops is full of earthy tones and soft pastels, and everything melds together beautifully. Animations in the game are super smooth and fluid, and there are even seamless transitions to the next stage since you can see the previous one floating in the distance with a slight blur to it. I had no issues with lag when it comes to shifting gravity or moving around, so it’s clear that the developer put a lot of work and care into this gem. To top things off, Mallow Drops has a soothing atmospheric soundtrack that is rather whimsical, so it’s fun to listen to as you play, though there are options to turn the music and sound off if so desired.

Like many other puzzle games, Mallow Drops is level-based, with several different chapters for players to go through, though they must be unlocked one-at-a-time. Each level pack contains about 20 stages, so there are plenty of puzzles to solve at your leisure. Another nice thing about Mallow Drops is the fact that you can play the stages out of order, since clearing a puzzle unlocks the next few stages at once, so you can play available levels in any order you’d like. When all stages are cleared, the next chapter unlocks. The goal of the game is simple enough: help two kiwi birds recover their lost eggs and then reach the portal to get out of the broken and shattered stage. While it starts off fairly easy, things get trickier as you find more intricate stages, obstacles, and even other critters who will jump and drop to get in your way.

The controls in Mallow Drops is intuitive and responsive. For the sliding block mechanic, all you have to do is swipe your finger in the direction that you want your kiwi to go, and it moves in that direction nonstop until it hits a wall or obstacle. As far as the gravity element of the game, just rotate your device and the laws of gravity will take effect. If something on the stage is able to move due to gravity, it will shift, and this is key to solving the puzzles due to the sliding block aspect. Since the game does not have a star system or move limitations, you can take your time on each stage and solve it at your own pace. Once you finish a puzzle, the game tells you how long it took you, how many moves you made, as well as any deaths. If you’re into statistics and want to do better, then this is a great bit of information.

I’ve only started Mallow Drops recently, but so far it’s proving to be a fun and delightful puzzle experience. I’m a big fan of endearing puzzle games, and Mallow Drops falls right into that category. The graphics are a nice homage to the classics and also rather adorable to look at, the music is soothing, and the controls are easy enough for anyone to understand. I like the mashup of both gravity and sliding block puzzle game elements, as it creates an interesting mix of puzzles to solve, and the fact that you can play at your own pace makes it a winner. I can see Mallow Drops as a game that I’ll be returning to for a while.

I recommend giving Mallow Drops a try if you’re a fan of cute little puzzle games and want a challenge. You can find Mallow Drops on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for just $2.99. There are no in-app purchases. There is also a Steam version for $4.99.

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Under a Spell (Free) by Happymagenta UAB is an educational word game that will appeal to any linguist out there who is seeking a challenge. If you’re a fan of games like Spelltower, TypeShift, and Alpha Omega, then you’re in for a real treat with Under a Spell.

I’ve been under a bit of stress these days, but I am able to calm down by spending time with my boyfriend or playing video games, but a lot of the time it’s a mix of both since we’re both gamers. I’ve mentioned it a lot here at AppAdvice, but one of my favorite game genres on iOS are puzzles, especially when it involves words. This is because I write for a living, of course, and I enjoy expanding and putting my vocabulary to use. While I’ve tried plenty of word games on my iPhone in recent years, I’m always looking out for new ones that have their own unique spin on the genre, and Under a Spell is rather captivating. It’s also a bit different from the developer’s other offerings, which include classics like Tomb of the Mask and Into the Dim. However, after playing Under a Spell, it’s definitely a hit that will not disappoint.

Visually speaking, Under a Spell features super polished graphics that look stunning on Retina screens. It has a rather cartoonish art style to everything, but I thought that it adds a nice and refreshing touch to your typical word game fare. And Under a Spell also packs in an incredible amount of detail, from the book cover that contains the world map of levels, the drawings to represent each chapter, the letter tiles themselves, and even the transitions between stages — Happymagenta didn’t leave any stone unturned in terms of graphical attributes in this game. Under a Spell also has a bright and vibrant color palette that is sure to be eye-catching, and all animations are buttery smooth and fluid, so I had no issues with lag on my iPhone 7. In the background is a soothing atmospheric soundtrack that even has some nature sounds, which are bound to help you relax and focus on solving the word puzzles in Under a Spell. Needless to say, I think Happymagenta did a standup job with the visual and audio design of Under a Spell, making it stand out above the rest.

Under a Spell is a bit different from most word games, instead following the suit of traditional puzzle games. Players will find a book that has a map spread out across several pages, and the number represents the chapter, which has about 10 levels each. In each stage, the letter tiles are arranged differently, and will even contain numerous layers stacked on top of one another. To clear a level, players have to find a certain number of words contained in the mix of tiles, but there are specific words that you need to find, and the game does not tell you what they are, so you have to discover them on your own through trial-and-error. The game does give you some hints, though, such as the number of letters that the word contains, and if there are any special colored tiles in the word, you’ll see them in the clue area. Under a Spell starts off easy enough, but things do get more challenging once you get to the further levels, as new game elements, such as frozen and bomb tiles, begin to appear, as well as more tile layers and complex words.

Playing Under a Spell is rather simple thanks to the intuitive and responsive controls. Like other word games, you can only spell out words with tiles that are adjacent to each other, and this can be done horizontally, vertically, and diagonally. To spell words, you can either swipe across the ones you want to pick with your finger, or just tap on them one-at-a-time. Honestly, I found it to be more accurate if you tap, because sometimes the swipe would pick the wrong letter instead, leading to some frustrating moments. If the word you spell is correct, the game proceeds to the next word; if it’s wrong, nothing happens and you just try again. Sometimes you may get the right word, but in the wrong order — if that’s the case, the game lets you know and tells you to reset from that point.

The coolest thing about Under a Spell is the fact that the game dictionary is rather vast, as there’s a specially designed AI that has picked up on many words from books, movies, and other forms of media throughout time. Because of this, you can even learn some new terms here and there, and the game is also multilingual. What the multilingual part means is the fact that you earn a higher score if you play the game in different languages, and the more languages you do, the better. Your score is indicated by the “Magic Power” number at the top of the screen, which increases each time you spell a correct word. If you’re stuck, you can always use a hint (bottom right corner) to reveal a letter of the word that you are currently on.

To keep things fresh and interesting, Under a Spell also has a mission system, where you can earn rewards by completing goals, such as scoring a certain number of points, reaching a specific level, and more. There is also a Daily Puzzle Challenge that gives you a new puzzle to solve each day, and you can compete with other players for the best completion time. And for hints, the game is rather generous, giving players free gifts every couple of hours, or you can get more by watching ads. There is also an in-game slot machine that is another way to earn prizes, and you get one daily spin. If you desire more, you can get a 10 daily spin subscription for $9.99 a month, though I think the price point for that is a bit high, but hey, if that’s what you want, then it’s there.

For what it’s worth, Under a Spell is a great word game that I have been finding to be highly enjoyable. I love the exquisite graphics, the music is superb, and the fact that you must look for specific words that are unknown to you from the get-go makes things challenging. I’ve gone through my fair share of word games, but Under a Spell truly stands out from the rest due to the vast dictionary and multilingual support giving you an incentive to try other languages and learn something new.

I recommend giving Under a Spell a try if you’re into word games and want to expand your own vocabulary while having some fun. You can find Under a Spell on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for free. There are in-app purchases for more hints and a daily spin subscription.

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