Color Cascade

I know what you’re thinking, because I’m thinking the same thing. How embarrassed must Android developer 59Pixels be to see it’s spelled colour wrong in the title of its brand new game?!

Still, at least it can relax (and reclaim much of its dignity) knowing that this casual puzzle game for Google’s new platform, Color Cascade, is as addictive as it is misspelled.

We’ve a lot to learn about the gaming possibilities of the Android system, but it’s reassuring to see the first batch of paid apps are being led by quality titles like Color Cascade.

It’s one of those clever new game style we so enjoy at Pocket Gamer. It uses simplicity to hook you, then subtly reels you in by tweaking the difficulty level as you lose hours of your life to the four coloured balls.

The game screen is split up into four equal sections. Not that the display has the look of a segmented play area, which is a credit to the understated graphical style, but the background quietly ‘suggests’ a division between the four different coloured balls that fall from the top of the screen.

These red, blue, yellow and green balls make their way down the screen in random order, and in random sections of the game area. Along the bottom of the screen are four coloured circles, which you’re required to shuffle around to match up with the same coloured ball falling down the screen.

Immensely simple, but Color Cascade is still a game that’s been carefully designed to cater to the system it’s played on.

Without the sensitive touchscreen of the G1 (and, presumably, all Android phones that are to follow, since the OS relies on this kind of user interface), moving the receptacles at the bottom of the screen would be a real chore.

Bonus items also come tumbling down the screen for you to catch, though attention must be kept on the coloured balls as each one missed deducts 10 points from your score. Hit zero, and it’s game over.

The presentation of Color Cascade is another winning feature. The balls laugh, smile, wink and grimace at you as they descend, which lightens the tone immensely. The music is toe tappingly funky, even if it’s ultimately short enough to get so stuck in your head it takes a crowbar to remove it.

The ultra-simplistic game style doesn’t lend itself to much - if any - variation, so should you tire of the gameplay that’ll pretty much spell the end of Color Cascade for you.

But 59Pixels has anticipated the short to medium shelf life of its Android game, and priced it accordingly on the lower tier of the Market pricing structure, so no points lost in terms of value.

That said, this is one of those games you’ll undoubtedly come back to whenever you’ve got five minutes to pass, and will remain on your Android home page for a very long time.