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Strata is a colorful, relaxing puzzler with a unique personality
Strata is a puzzle game like none that I've ever played, and since I spend a good deal of my time specifically looking for unique puzzle games on the App Store, that's saying something. There are no fun little characters, no bright lights or flashy graphics; it's just colorful ribbons and some soothing music, and it's a fantastic way to unwind. Your objective in Strata is to layer colored ribbons over a grid in such a way as to color the blocks underneath. You can lay your ribbons in two directions, and when two ribbons overlap the top ribbon color is the one that gets carried through to the block below. Each puzzle grid consists of a square with anywhere from four to 36 blocks, and as you might imagine, the difficulty increases exponentially with each grid size. Depending on the number of colors involved, puzzles can take just seconds or several minutes to figure out, but the point here isn't to rush through each challenge. The game rewards you for taking your time and thinking out each ribbon placement ahead of time. Scoring a "Perfect" rating means layering the ribbons the exact correct way with no re-dos. This is a lot more difficult than it might sound. The music of Strata is perfect for the type of relaxing puzzle experience the game provides. Soothing tunes ripple and sway as with each ribbon you place and when you mess up, the music will squawk in an unappealing fashion, alerting you to the error. Strata costs US$2.99, and there are currently level packs available for a couple of extra bucks. There are also "Hint packs" you can purchase to help you through the trickier spots, but I'd highly recommend ignoring this option, since the feeling of accomplishment when you best a challenging puzzle is really what the game is all about.
Daily iPhone App: Strata is a puzzler that'll challenge your mind while calming your spirit
Strata is a unique puzzler that uses multi-color ribbons as the core element in the game. The game challenges you to weave together these ribbons in a specific pattern to complete each level. Sounds easy, right? I'll let you answer that question after you've spent a few hours with the game. Strata is more than just a test of your ability to create the perfect weave. The game has rules that make mixing the colors of the ribbons in the weave a bit of a challenge. In the early rounds for example, you weave your pattern based on colored squares that are aligned in a grid. Each weave has to end with the ribbon that matches the color of the block underneath it. If you have a purple block, your weave over the block must end with purple. You cannot weave two blue ribbons over that purple block. As your grid expands and your colored blocks start to alternate, you have to really pay attention to what ribbons are going where. One feature I love about Strata is its relaxing environment. The graphics are elegant; the colors in the app are soothing; and the music is very calming. You might be working your brain while playing Strata, but you won't be biting your nails. It's a refreshing change to not have a timer breathing down your back while you try to solve a level. If you are a puzzle game fan, then you should take Strata for a whirl. You might find the game fills your free time with a nice mix of mental exercise and Zen-like relaxation. Strata is available for US$0.99 in the iOS App Store.
iPhone 5s and 5c shipping to regional carriers on October 1st, but not to US Cellular
When your name is on a Major League Baseball stadium, and you're a mobile operator, you carry the iPhone. Unless you're US Cellular, that is. For reasons that cannot be comprehended by mere mortals, one of the United States' largest regional carriers still isn't offering the iPhone in any variant, despite promising back in May to carry Apple products before the year's end. In fact, things have gotten so bad over at USCC that its Facebook page has gone dead silent since September 13th, with customers far and wide ranting in the comments section about the carrier's inability to get the one phone they all want. Making matters worse for USCC is the fact that Appalachian Wireless, C Spire, Bluegrass Cellular, Cellcom, GCI, MTA, Nex-Tech Wireless, Ntelos and Strata are all lined up to start selling both the iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s on October 1st. We suppose even more could be added as time rolls on and the supply / demand balance rights itself, but it's probably high time for US Cellular holdouts to head on over to a rival. Patience only gets you so far, you know?
