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Waggle Words ($4.99) by Vermont Digital is a beautiful word game that's unlike other games in the genre. If you enjoyed games like Under a Spell and Spelltower, then you're going to love Waggle Words.

Since I pretty much write full time for a living, I consider myself a wordsmith. That's why word games are one of my favorite genres out there, and a great way for me to unwind and relax after a long, stressful day. While I love word games, I do feel that the market's oversaturated with the same Scrabble or Boggle type of games for a while, and there's nothing new or interesting. That's where Waggle Words comes in.

Free

Under a Spell

Happymagenta UAB

$2.99

SpellTower

Zach Gage

Free

SCRABBLE

Electronic Arts Inc.

Free

Boggle With Friends

Zynga Mobile

Visually, Waggle Words is one of the most gorgeous word games out there. The game is rendered in 2D, but during transition animations, the letters literally pop off of their tiles and fly around on the screen, giving it a pseudo-3D effect that is fun to watch. Waggle Words makes use of a sepia color theme overall, so it has a classy aesthetic going on. The playing grids are always arranged like beehive honeycombs, giving it a unique feel. Letter tiles are dark hexagons with glowing letters, and the colors get inverted when players select tiles. There's a glowing outline on the "Waggle Piece" to differentiate it from the rest, and the light and particle effects are mesmerizing to watch.

The soundtrack in Waggle Words is full of soothing, ambient nature noises, so it's calming and helps you focus on spelling words. The sound effects are fun to listen to as you create successful words, and the "buzz" you hear when using specific power-ups only adds to the uniqueness of Waggle Words and it's beehive design.

There's three game modes in Waggle Words: Casual, Daily, and Speed Game. In Casual, you get a random beehive grid layout (85 different versions with unlimited letter combinations) each time you play, and you can go at your own pace. Daily is a unique game board for the day that you can play multiple times to try and clear it and get your highest score. Speed is a timed game, where your goal is to make as many words as you can in one minute and 30 seconds. For Casual and Daily, the main goal is to clear the board, but you can also quit at any time and go with your current score.

Controls in Waggle Words are a simple affair. To spell words out, just drag your finger across the tiles that you want to use. If it's a valid word, the game tells you at the top of the screen how much it's worth in real-time. Words that aren't valid won't go through. When you have a valid word selected, just lift your finger from the screen and it's submitted automatically.

The one thing about Waggle Words that makes it stand out is the "Waggle Piece" that I briefly mentioned earlier. Once you submit a word, the last letter in that word becomes the Waggle Piece, and it stays on the board but advances to the next letter in the alphabet. If your next word starts with the Waggle Piece, then you increase the multiplier and your score increases. But if you don't use the Waggle Piece in the beginning of your next word, then the streak ends.

As you spell words, there's a chance to earn power-ups that can be used to help you clear the board. It seems the power-ups are random, and you get them when you make high scoring words. There are eight total power-ups available, and they all have a specific purpose.

The power-ups include advancing a letter tile one or two letters in the alphabet either forward or backward, respectively. Others let you move or swap pieces, including the Waggle Piece. There's also the copy boost, but if used on the Waggle Piece, it only copies the letter value, not the Waggle Piece itself. The Waggle Piece cannot change letters through boosts.

The most valuable power-up is the Swarm. This one gets the entire board buzzing and all of the remaining tiles "swarm" together like bees and regroup in a new cluster. This is more like a reshuffle of the board, and it closes all of the gaps that you left by clearing out tiles. I recommend only using the Swarm if you're absolutely certain that there are no other words you can make.

A cool thing about Waggle Words is that there's an AR Mode available for those who are on iOS 11 and have a device with the A9 (or higher) chip. This means that whatever your camera sees becomes the background, and the beehive board is laid out on top of it. It's a cool feature, but in my testing, I didn't find it to be too practical.

The AR Mode can be applied to any of the three game settings. Controls consist of the standard touch, or a different scheme called Target. With Target, you move your device around and line up the tiles you want in the center point, then tap-and-hold a button on either side of the screen to select your letters. When you long-press on both buttons at the same time, you re-center the grid alignment.

Waggle Words also comes with support for Game Center leaderboards, so you can be competitive with other players globally. There's also iCloud game save support, so your stats go with you, no matter which device you're using.

This is one of the most beautiful word games you'll find on the App Store.

The Good

There's a lot of good to be found in Waggle Words. The greatest thing about it is the distinctive visuals that make it stand out from the competition, and the atmospheric sound design. This is really one of the most stunning word games you'll find on the App Store. I also like the different game modes that are available, and the AR feature is cool for showing off your device capabilities. Controls are intuitive and straightforward enough for anyone to pick-up-and-play.

The Bad

While I love Waggle Words so far, it isn't without some flaws. I did find that sometimes it's hard to draw a path connecting letter tiles because it felt sensitive to touch and my finger blocks visibility, so the line would veer off to another tile. It's not a big deal in Casual or Daily, but can be a slight issue with Speed mode. I would recommend trying to be precise in that mode if you don't want to make mistakes.

The verdict

Waggle Words is a nice hidden gem among the App Store in recent weeks. I'm always up for a good word game, and this one is definitely a new favorite. I love the exquisite graphics and amazing sound design. Casual is the mode that I'm enjoying the most, but Daily gives me something to look forward to each day, and Speed is a real test. The power-ups provide variety and can change the tide of the game, helping you get closer to clearing out board. Replay value is high with this one, and I'll be coming back to Waggle Words for a long time.

I highly recommend Waggle Words if you're in the mood for a word game that is unlike anything you've tried before. Waggle Words is available on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for $4.99. There are no in-app purchases.

9.3

OVERALL

Graphics 10

Sound/Music 10

Replayability 9

Gameplay 9

Game Controls 8.5

$4.99

Waggle Words

Vermont Digital Arts LLC

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

"PUSH" ($0.99) by Maciej Targoni is a zen-like puzzle game about pushing buttons. If you enjoyed other recent puzzle games like Lynk and Linelight, then you're bound to enjoy PUSH.

Let's face it — life gets stressful, and we all have different ways to de-stress. My preferred way is to kick back with some video games, preferably puzzles as I find them relaxing yet stimulating, and a great way to pass the time. While I feel like I've tried pretty much every puzzle game there is on the App Store, I can't help but keep an eye out for new ones as they release. So when I heard of "PUSH" a few weeks ago, I had to check it out. It's another great game from the minds behind Klocki, Zenge, and Art of Gravity.

$0.99

Lynk.

Michael Le

$1.99

Linelight

Brett Taylor

$0.99

"klocki"

Maciej Targoni

$0.99

Zenge

Michal Pawlowski

$0.99

Art Of Gravity

Michal Pawlowski

Visually, PUSH is gorgeous with a minimal art style that's simple and pleasing at the same time. Like the other games from the developer, it's fully rendered in 3D, with a dash of optical illusion magic going on. While it's not a perspective puzzle like Monument Valley, the angle at which you view things in PUSH depend on how the object is rotated. PUSH makes use of a no-frills color palette that consists of soft pastels and various shades of white, gray, and black. The subtle glows of the buttons as you push them or successfully complete a puzzle are soothing.

Animations are subtle, smooth, and fluid with no lag on my iPhone 8 Plus. PUSH also has a tranquil atmospheric soundtrack that plays in the background, which I found delightful. The clicking sound effects are also a nice touch. Overall, the developer did an excellent job with PUSH's visual and audio design.

Like many other puzzle games before it, PUSH is level-based. Players must complete the puzzle that they're currently on before they can move on to the next one. The goal is easy and straightforward: push the buttons and figure out the correct sequence so that all buttons are pressed. There are no move restrictions, time limits, points, or stars to worry about, so you can play the game at your own pace.

Controls in PUSH are effortless and intuitive. To push a button on the object, just tap on it. Of course, things get much more complicated as you progress. Eventually, you'll have to figure out the correct sequence to push the buttons in, otherwise, previously pushed buttons are depressed, so you lose progress! Some stages involve large objects with multiple sides, so you have to rotate to see all of the buttons. Once all of the buttons are pushed and stay down, then you've successfully solved the puzzle.

While this all sounds easy, it's not. You'll begin to find buttons that are appear to have a numbered order to them, but you still have to figure out if they're supposed to be pushed in ascending or descending order. Then there are buttons with directional arrows on them, cubes to push around on the stage, and much more. The beginning is easy, but once new tiles are added, PUSH gets tricky.

PUSH is another gem of a puzzle game from Maciej Targoni that does not disappoint.

PUSH is another gem of a puzzle game from Maciej Targoni that does not disappoint. The game looks stunning with a simple and clean aesthetic, and the music is definitely helpful in easing your mind and soul after a long day. While there are no tutorials or guides to help you understand, I found everything to be rather straightforward and easy to pick up on your own. Controls are simple enough, and the difficulty curve is gradual.

There's a lot of good stuff going on with PUSH, but this is not a game for everyone. If you don't like puzzle games that make the gears in your head turn, then this game isn't for you. This is a game that is relaxing and stimulating, so if you're in the mood for something with more action, then PUSH is not what you're looking for. But if you do want a challenging puzzle that doesn't put much pressure on you, then PUSH is worth a purchase.

The verdict

Overall, PUSH is a great puzzle game to add to your iOS game collection. The graphics are eye appealing and the sound is charming. While it explains nothing, you're able to pick up on the game mechanics as you tinker around, so it's friendly enough for everyone. I do wish that the game provided some different color theme options, just to spice things up a bit, but it's not a big deal. It's unclear how many levels there are, because you have to go through them in linear fashion. But from what I see, there's plenty of content for the price.

I recommend giving "PUSH" a try if you're a fan of sequence puzzle games. You can find "PUSH" on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for just $0.99. There are no in-app purchases.

9.1

OVERALL

Game Controls 10

Graphics 9.5

Sound/Music 9

Gameplay 9

Replayability 8

$0.99

"PUSH"

Maciej Targoni

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