iBloxs ($0.99)
Version – 1.1
REVIEW – “A classic puzzle game that feels like Columns!”
One of my favorite types of games is the puzzle game. There’s just something about a game with a simple concept that manages to be so much more difficult that in looks like on the surface. iBloxs has accomplished just that! If you are familiar with the old “Columns” games you will feel right at home with this one. The basic idea is that you have to line up blocks of the same color to score points and remove them from the screen.
The graphics in this game are simple and yet well done. When you open it up to the main menu the first thing you’ll want to do is set up your “Profile.” You do this by touching the button in the bottom right corner of the menu. Once you have that set up you’re ready to play. There are two different game types in “Solo” mode: “Time Attack” and “Puzzle.” You can also play multiplayer with up to four people over Bluetooth. Multiplayer is a slightly modified version of competitive “Time Attack.”
If you choose to play “Puzzle Mode” you’ll be given the choice of what level you want to play before you begin. Each level has a slightly different layout, but all of them
will give you a screen that is completely full of blocks to remove. In this mode there is no time limit, and the object is to get the highest score by getting “combos” which are achieved when you score multiple times with just one move. You also score higher if you can get rid of most of or all of the blocks on the screen. When you can no longer score the game is over and your score is counted.
The second mode of the play, “Time Attack” is my favorite because of its fast pace. The basic idea is that you have to try and survive as long as possible. You start the game with blocks about half way up the screen. As you play more blocks slowly come up from the bottom of the screen. As you get further into the game blockades will drop from the top of the screen. To get rid of them you have to get three matching blocks in a row that touch 
the blockade. This turns the blockade into more blocks that can be removed!
A game like this is always fun but would not be totally complete without the global score list feature that the developers have recently added. There was also a local score list, but now you can see how your scores match up with the rest of the world! With literally thousands of levels in “Puzzle” mode of the game there are tons of score lists for you to compete on!
Another great feature of this app is the multiplayer Bluetooth. Multiplayer is easy to set up and for the most part loaded up fairly quickly. I would definitely recommend that you do a clean boot of your device before trying though because when I first tried it I had problems with it crashing. All of the crashes were related to making the actual connection though. I didn’t have any problems at all with the actual gameplay, and after restarting I didn’t have any during connection either.
The multiplayer game is much like the “Time Attack” mode in single player where you have to see how long you can survive. There is a little twist thrown into it though. Every time you get a “combo” you actually create blockades. You can then choose which opponent(s) that you want to send your blockades at to try and take them out. With a little practice this game can get vicious very quickly!
While this is not the type of app that you would spend 5 or 6 dollars on, the depth of features in this app make it well worth the extremely cheap $0.99 that it is being offered for. Especially if you enjoy puzzle games, this is an app that you can’t afford to miss. So if you’re still here reading this review what are waiting for? Head to the App Store and check out iBloxs today!
- David H.
Download Now!
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Developer – Sebastien Faurite
URL: http://ibloxs.free.fr/
© 2010, Davidh. All rights reserved.