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Flipominos ($2.99) by Ultramegatronic is a procedurally generated puzzle game that contains an infinite amount of levels. If you love a good brain teaser-like puzzle game, then Flipominos is a match made in heaven.

I’ve said it many times before but I’ll say it again: I love mobile games, but the genre that fits in perfectly with the platform are puzzles. And honestly, who doesn’t like a good, challenging puzzle every now and then? I’ve gone through my fair share of puzzle games on iOS over the years, but let me tell you — I can’t get enough of them. They’re perfect gems to kill some time with, and they’re stimulating for your mind, which is always a good thing (don’t let that brain go to waste). So when I saw Flipominos on the App Store, I was intrigued by the minimalist concept and the procedurally generated levels with infinite possibilities, so I had to check it out for myself.

Visually, Flipominos has a super minimalistic aesthetic, as it features a bland light gray background and monotone checkered grid layouts for each stage. The only sign of color lies within the blue cube structures and the matching squares on the grid. The 3-D rendering of Flipominos is decent enough, but I wish that it had some shadowing to give it a bit more depth and soul. Still, for a minimal aesthetic, the game looks fine. Animations are smooth and fluid, and while there is no background music, the sound effects are a fun touch.

In Flipominos, every level is procedurally generated, though the main piece that you must match to the proper spot will be the same — it’s the layout that will vary. The game claims that there is an infinite number of levels, but states in the App Store description that there are currently 4.3 billion, which is a lot of puzzles. Flipominos has players go through the levels one-by-one, though you can also go back and replay stages through the “Level Select” menu option. Some stages will be fairly easy, but others will be more tricky. There are no stars to earn or points to rack up, but you can get a “perfect” if you make no mistakes on a puzzle. Other than that, the game is essentially just solving it at your own pace.

So what is Flipominos, exactly? Each grid features a different layout, but you have some blue squares shown on the grid. On top of the board will be a blue cube structure, and your job is to get that structure to match up with the marked base area. To move your object, just swipe anywhere on the screen in the direction you want it to move. If the structure can’t be moved that way, you’ll know with flashing red squares and your object unable to advance. Once the structure matches up with the base, you’ve completed that stage and will move on to the next.

While the stages start out pretty easy at first, there will eventually be obstacles, such as lasers and spikes that you must avoid and maneuver the cube structure around. These additions make the levels trickier than they appear, but it’s a good challenge that is always welcome.

Plus, if you get stuck, there is a unique hint system. Instead of just providing you with a hint in the game, you’ll use an automated Twitter-based hint system, where you can send a tweet to @flipominos. If you follow them, you’ll get a direct message that shows you the complete solution. If you don’t follow them, then you’ll only get to see what the first few moves should be before you have to figure out the rest on your own. For full details on this distinctive hint system, check out this link.

I only downloaded Flipominos yesterday but I’m finding that it is pretty difficult to put down once you get going. I think the graphics could have used a bit more “oomph” with some shadow detail, but the current style is still going to appeal to the minimalists out there. Controls are intuitive and easy to learn, and the puzzles do get challenging the further you get in the game. Plus, with over a billion levels in the initial download, there is going to be plenty of content to keep you busy for a long time. What’s not to like about Flipominos?

I think the only drawback is the fact that the hint system requires a Twitter account, and I know that there are some people out there who don’t understand what the point of Twitter is and don’t care for it. Perhaps the developer should consider an alternative hint system for those who do not use Twitter and don’t plan to just for one game.

I recommend giving Flipominos a try if you enjoy stimulating puzzle games. Flipominos is available on the App Store as a universal download for $2.99. There are no in-app purchases.

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Elemelons is a diverting game that challenges your fast thinking and swiping skills. Offered for free, Elemelons by Andrea Probst features a quirky storyline and simple to understand gameplay.

Features:

Elemelons challenges players who “think they’re good at swiping” to think quickly. In this unique game of color matching fun, games start out with stationary “melons” that need to be swiped to match their correct color wall.

The game quickly speeds up to include moving melons and redirecting these melons to their correctly colored sides gets pretty challenging. Even more moving pieces are added the further into the game you get.

In-app instructions guide you in basic gameplay, and they teach you how to use some of the special power-ups offered in the app. High scores are kept as well.

Overall, the concept of Elemelons was well translated into this fun, fast-paced game. I did experience some lag with swiping melons on occasion, which was a bit frustrating particularly since quick actions are necessary to succeed in Elemelons.

Appearance and Layout:

Matching colors is the main concept in this game and because of that, there is not much need for detailed graphics. Still, the creators of Elemelons made effort to make the characters detailed enough to add a certain charm to the game.

Instructions are provided for first time players, making it very easy to understand the goal of this game. The homepage is simple as well leading to effortless in-app navigation. 

While the graphics of Elemelons are somewhat elementary, they are still fun, quirky and match well with the overall feeling of the game.

Value:

As mentioned previously, Elemelons is a free app. In-app purchases for additional lives can be made if desired, but I felt that the difficulty of Elemelons was not so great as to tempt me to make such purchases.

The graphics are quirky and simple, and gameplay in Elemelons is very easy to get the hang of. The issue with occasional in-game lag, however, is definitely a setback for the value of this app; there’s nothing more frustrating than a lagging game preventing you from achieving high scores. If this issue is corrected in a later app update, players of Elemelons would find little to complain about.

Elemelons iPhone app requires iOS 6.0 or later and is compatible with iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad.

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