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Daily iPhone App: Pivvot mixes music and mayhem
I really have a thing for simple games. And I'm not using the word "simple" as a replacement for "easy." I just mean that if a game can teach me how to play it without having to explicitly explain how, I'm much more likely to enjoy my first experience with it. Pivvot is that kind of a game. Part puzzle game and part rhythm game, Pivvot teaches you everything you need to know about it within the first 45 seconds of playing. You control a floating orb that is tethered to a long track. Your only input comes in the form of swinging your orb in one direction or the other in order to avoid various obstacles. These obstacles are sometimes attached to one side of the track, prompting you to swing in the opposite direction, or spread across both sides with one side being impassable and the other being a tight, but necessary squeeze. If your orb touches one of these objects, it disintegrates in a multicolored explosion and you'll have to try it again. There are two main modes of play, a checkpoint-based run where your progress is saved, or a more intense ride where the speed of the course ramps up quickly and a single failure sends you back to the very start. Regardless of which you choose, it's no cakewalk, and the "Expert" variations of both of these modes make things considerably harder. There's also a truly sadistic "Berserk" mode that throws a ton of obstacles at you at high speeds. This core gameplay is satisfying in its own right, but what really makes Pivvot worth playing is its soundtrack. The techno tracks match the minimalistic art style perfectly and many of the obstacles twist or sway along with the beat, adding an additional layer of complexity. Playing the game with headphones is an absolute treat. Pivvot makes it a point to say that the game features no in-app purchases whatsoever, which I can appreciate. However, the game does cost US$2.99 upfront, so it's a bit of a tradeoff. Still, the game is undoubtedly worth its asking price and if you're looking for an arcade-style thrill that is instantly accessible, Pivvot is for you.
Daily iPhone App: Alien Hive might help evolve your brain
I am not sure whether I like Alien Hive or not, and I'll explain why in just a second. But last week at GDC, whenever I had a free moment to play games on my iPhone, I found myself pulling out Alien Hive and playing yet again. So I think that's more than enough reason to recommend it to you here. The game was described to me as a match-3, and I guess it kind of is, in only that you need to match three items of a certain type to earn points. But in practice, it's much more like Triple Town than Bejeweled. This is a slower-paced, thinking man's game, where you need to make your moves more carefully. You get a board with various tiles on it and one empty space, and you can slide tiles horizontally or vertically, trying to make a match to evolve your tiles up into the next type. Tiles fall into the categories of plants or aliens, and matching up plant tiles earns you more moves, which allows you to keep your gaming going along. I'm not sure I like Alien Hive yet because apparently I'm not very good at it. The aliens on the board start out as little eggs, and matching them together evolves them up into more and more complex creatures, with you eventually unlocking a full hatchery of different alien types. But despite all of my playtime, I haven't unlocked a single higher-level alien. I do feel like I'm progressing in terms of finding matches and lining them up, but apparently I haven't even really started up the game's progression curve. Part of the problem is probably that the game involves "boosts," where you can spend a certain amount of earned currency to give you items or abilities that help you move things along. But I hate boosts as a player, so I really haven't spent any money on them, and that could be what's holding me back. At any rate, despite my issues with boosts as a mechanic and despite my inability to actually evolve any aliens, I'm enjoying Alien Hive -- I like that the game requires some thought despite the relatively simple mechanics. Hopefully sooner or later here I'll figure out the trick to evolving my aliens (and hopefully it won't just be to spend more money on boosts). If you want to join me, Alien Hive is available for free.
TUAW Review: Reiner Knizia's Monumental turns puzzle apps upside down
The basic gist of Reiner Knizia's Monumental [$1.99] is that it's a thinking man's Tetris. This isn't to say that Tetris is a game for dummies – it's not – it's just that the never-ending rain of blocks means it's part puzzle, part twitch-fest. In Monumental, on the other hand, blocks fall constantly, but they do so at a rate you define. You still want to form complete lines and make them disappear, something old Tetris hands will feel right at home doing, but now you're placing each block carefully instead of in a frentic rush. The game is the brainchild of prolific board game designer Reiner Knizia, and you can feel the math Knizia is known for (he has a PhD in mathematics, after all) in his games poking its head. Read on to find out if a slow-paced but tense puzzle game is worth your time. %Gallery-91650%
