Linia Stripes, the follow-up to Nexent’s highly acclaimed puzzler Linia Super, is out now on iOS and Android. A quick refresher course might be handy at this point, since Linia Stripes is the second title in what Nexent is hoping …
Linia Stripes, the follow-up to Nexent’s highly acclaimed puzzler Linia Super, is out now on iOS and Android.
A quick refresher course might be handy at this point, since Linia Stripes is the second title in what Nexent is hoping will become a whole new series of Linia games – all of them different, all original, but all sharing a common aesthetic.
Linia Super hit the App Store and Google Play earlier this year, and it’s, well, super. More specifically, it’s one of those rare puzzle games that manages to be innovative, fun, and utterly stylish.
Gameplay-wise, it sees you drawing lines. That’s it. You’re presented with shapes of different sizes and colors, and you need to draw a straight line with your finger through a set series of colors.
For example, you might find yourself looking at a star with yellow points and blue center. All you need to do is start at one of the points, pass through the middle, and arrive at another one of the points. Easy.
But Linia Super quickly ramps up the challenge with shapes that slide and pulsate all over the screen. This forces you not only to scan the kaleidoscoping jumble in search of a point where all the colors momentarily line up, but also to move quickly and accurately.
It’s like a cross between Fruit Ninja and, well, nothing you’ve ever played before.
Linia Super was featured by both Google and Apple. It was among the ten Play Store Games Picks for March and April, while Apple filed it under both New Games We Love and New and Noteworthy.
If you haven’t already played it, you really should give Linia Super a try.
Linia Stripes, which has just gone live, looks like a worthy follow-up. Nexent describes it as a “relaxing” game that combines board game, match-3, and idle mechanics to create something entirely unique.
The whole game is built around the concept of Truchet tiles, which are basically random decorative patterns.
In Linia Stripes, those patterns are made up of wavy and zigzagging lines, normally in parallel clusters, often in a variety of colors, and always a pleasure to behold. It’s like browsing a catalog of the coolest wallpaper designs in existence.
Each board consists of shapes in a variety of sizes, and your goal is to tap on these shapes in ascending order of size until the board is clear.
Sounds simple, right? Well it is.
Linia Stripes is designed to be a meditative experience, with an emphasis on taking it easy and enjoying the game’s vast collection of generative art.
Art is such a cornerstone of the Linia Stripes experience, in fact, that the game lets you use the patterns you unlock as wallpapers for your phone.
There are tons of patterns to unlock, sorted into collections like The Basement, Suburbia, Rubber Wall, Serpent Sun, Chalk Box, and so on.
Your reward for solving each pattern is determined by the number of stripes on the board, and you can use these rewards to unlock more puzzles. Alternatively, you can unlock new puzzles straight away by watching a video ad.
There are premium patterns, too, which you can pay to unlock.
Linia Stripes is as much an interactive art experience as it is a game, and this extends beyond the visual.
Nexent has also put a lot of thought into the sound, with each tap on the screen accompanied by a note played on a piano. Pick the right line and the game will reward you with a harmonious tone. A false move will earn you an ominous drone.
Still not sure what Linia Stripes is all about? We don’t blame you. Original ideas are hard to describe.
Just head to the Google Play Store or the App Store and check out Linia Stripes for yourself.
