Game Reviews

Puzzloop

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| Puzzloop (iPhone)
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Puzzloop
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| Puzzloop (iPhone)

There are some things only the lovely iPhone can do.

Whether that's navigating through the behemoth that is the internet simply by sliding your fingers graciously over the screen, or streaming music directly from your friend's PCs, there's a wealth of applications designed specifically to make use of the phone's features.

There are, of course, also apps that aren't specific at all to the iPhone, but still manage to shine, nevertheless.

Puzzloop most definitely fits into the latter category, proving to be a solid puzzler that doesn't needlessly attempt to make a gimmick of the iPhone's much lauded capabilities.

That's not to say that it doesn't make use of some of its features, that is. Puzzloop, of course, is controlled by the phone's touchscreen, though doing so is reduced to a couple of simple, short and swift movements; all that's required is for you to fire little coloured balls onto a spiral of other little coloured balls.

Said balls appear from the top of screen, gradually working their way around the loop towards the centre. Your job, firing from the middle, is to clear the balls before the reach the middle by matching up groups of three or more coloured balls.

Ideally (and, if you're clever), clearing one set of balls will push other matching balls together, helping set up a chain of combos that both boosts your score and clears huge chunks of the chain.

If this sounds a lot like existing casual game Zuma, that's because it is. However, it's worth noting that Puzzloop originally came out as an arcade game in 1998, so was actually an influence on that game, rather than the other way around.

Firing the ball is incredibly simple – a short tap of the screen does the job, but slight problems do arise when it comes to choosing the direction.

You can fires said balls in any direction, a whole 360 degrees, but doing so can often cause problems, your finger blocking your view as you turn the firing device, which basically looks like a large trumpet, round to face the direction you wish to shoot the ball. You'll also often find that simply lifting your finger off the screen results in the ball flying out of the device.

That's not a problem in itself, but if your finger happens to be in the way at the time it's very hard not to lift it off the screen just to get a glimpse at what's going on. There's potential there for frustration in spades, perhaps, but in time, it becomes only a minor annoyance that you'll quickly find yourself adjusting to.

Of more note are some of the obstacles that block your path along the way. Rocket balls, for instance, power behind the rest of the balls, pushing them towards the centre of the twist. There are also moles and twisters that block the balls' path, bouncing them off the screen entirely.

But for every ying, there's a yang, and Puzzloop also comes with a number of special balls that help your progress; bombs that clear all the balls of whatever colour ball you thwack them at, balls that slow down or stop the balls progression around the loop for a time, and special treasure boxes that release other items when opened.

While these balls can play their part, more success if gained by the quick spotting and setting up of combinations, which, in practice, begins to come quite naturally.

In fact, if you're anything like me, you'll quickly find yourself turning into a screen-tapping demon, frantically firing off balls in a multitude of directions without even stopping to think about it.

Whether you're playing one of the Stage modes (all of which can be cleared), or the Endless mode, which constantly streams out and endless line of balls and asks you to survive for as long as possible, the automatic responses that'll team from your fingers is Puzzloop's buzz, joy and addiction all rolled into one.

This is the kind of game that, on any format, will pull in legions of fans who'll become dedicated to beating their top score, or even their friends' top score, but it's also crucial proof that studios need not randomly implement token iPhone features to enjoy significant success on the device.

Sometimes the 'simply does it' approach pays dividends.

Puzzloop

Simple, addictive, fun. Puzzloop would work on any format, but on iPhone it fits wonderfully
Score
Keith Andrew
Keith Andrew
With a fine eye for detail, Keith Andrew is fuelled by strong coffee, Kylie Minogue and the shapely curve of a san serif font. He's also Pocket Gamer's resident football gaming expert and, thanks to his work on PG.biz, monitors the market share of all mobile OSes on a daily basis.