Some time ago, our mobile devices/cell phones entertained us with games like Tetris and Snake, games that have very catchy qualities and seemingly endless replayability that drives us to try and obtain higher scores every time. Quintessential time-killers that provided an addictive stimulus and made waiting for someone or something quite bearable. Now in the present, new titles have emerged with new mechanics, themes and concepts. It seems the folks from ZAKI gaming division have brought a notable and very good product to the AppStore intertwined with similar characteristics previously mentioned with their release of 3volution.
3volution introduces us to a wild microbial world which comprises the primordial soup. Here players will meet three helpers named Nunstuck, Git and Slotermeyer and guide them through a path of progressive evolution. Though, along the way, there will be opposing forces and challenges, such as blockers, movers, goons and the occasional environmental change. Just like in real life, these factors will try to delay and derail you from becoming the supreme intelligent being that will eventually rule the biological world.
The object of the game is to flick one helper in between two other helpers, thus making a valid move or shot that rewards players with points. Though that may sound simple, there are a lot of complexities and factors to consider such as a time limit to do a legal move and opposing units that hamper your shot, all while considering you can't move a helper twice in a row. Failure to do so will result in a loss of life which eventually ends your game session. As you earn points after each session you progress by reaching a certain value that indicates your rank, represented by your current biological form. Starting out from a mindless cell organism and evolving into a frog, so on and so forth.
The game also features randomly sprouting goodies in the primordial soup, which can help you earn more points, destroy some opposition and unleash either the disco mode or fog mode which both have advantageous and dis-advantageous properties. If you want to controll the output of the goodies you can unlock the inventory feature through the game's IAP.
Pretty much, I am hooked on the game's mechanics. Trying to do trick shots and multiple goodie hits for higher point accumulation, while dealing with the obstacles that lay around, is a lot of fun. The strategic elements of chaining a succession of moves for sprees on a fast exciting pace is a testament to the developers very good game design. The visuals and aesthetics of 3volution are also very pleasing to the eye and accompanied by quirky BGM.
If you enjoyed games like Fruit Ninja or other great pastime arcade games be sure to try 3volution. For people on the fence or curious about this, there's a free edition available on the AppStore for you to download to check if this is your cup of tea.
**This review has been contributed to The App Shack by Alister from the Touch Arcade Forums**
0 comments:
Post a Comment