With so many gem-based puzzle games coming out on what seems like a monthly basis, it's tempting to consider a name like "Gem Rush" as a metaphor for the current state of the genre on Facebook. Most, to be sure, are forgettable, and even the best of them sometimes feel like doppelgangers of Bejeweled Blitz. I'm pleased to say that this isn't really the case with Gem Rush. Far from being a mere rip-off, Gem Rush provides a slick, fast-paced experience that will suck you in for dozens of minutes at a time. The only is question is whether if offers enough to keep its players past the initial rush.
ZONR is a rare treat. It's a game so intuitive that it doesn't even require instructions, yet so challenging that you'll find yourself cursing out loud at your inability to do the one simple task it asks of you. It's colourful, fast-paced, perfect for quick gameplay bursts, and nearly impossible to put down. Oh - and did we mention it's free?
Puzzle games that can be played in short spurts of time are often ideal in casual or social gaming platforms such as Facebook. Cube Galaxy is one such title, offering players a seemingly familiar game style that comes with a handful of simple changes that make it play drastically differently. Credited to developer TribePlay, the app is centered completely around earning high scores. Surprisingly strategic, you can make use of power-ups and special boosts to out perform your friends within a span of 60 seconds.
When I was a much younger lad, I worked briefly as a grocery clerk. As you might imagine, it was a job that led to a lot of packed groceries. In fact, after a few months on the job, I got so good at it that I had a hard time letting other people pack my groceries for me. To this day, I have friends and family that make me cringe every time I watch them put cleaning supplies in with fresh produce, or a pot roast in with a bag of chips. Bag It!, the upcoming iOS debut from Hidden Variable Studios, is a puzzle game that celebrates my particularly unique skill set.
Extensive Studios has just released a new title for iOS by the name of Snappy Dragons. A combination of both old and new design elements, it is an app that plays similarly to Angry Birds, boasts the destructive style of Worms, and incorporates an original flavor all its own. It's a physics puzzle game that challenges users with one basic goal, and that is to eliminate all enemies on screen.
The arcade-style game developer Mindjolt is adding another simplistic casual game to its social collective on Facebook. The name of the app is Tower Stack and it's a concept many will be familiar with as it plays virtually identically to Tower Bloxx from Digital Chocolate. A high score-oriented title, it challenges you to a game of timing and very basic physics to build a structure as high as possible.
Recoil Games' side-scrolling puzzle platformerRochard, which enjoyed a successful launch on the PlayStation Network back in September, is coming to the PC via digital download through Steam on Nov. 15.Rochard takes gamers on a gravity-bending adventure packed with puzzles, action, humor and a rich story full of fascinating alien mysteries.
It's probably for the best that Amon Ra, Ancient Egypt's sun god, isn't around anymore. If he could see his name in Crystal Caverns of Amon Ra, I'm pretty certain that he'd rain fire down on the land from his sky barge. Honestly, he'd be pretty justified, because this new game for the Mac isn't worthy of his association.