Flicking alien scum with Linkoidz for iPhone and iPad
Species match-three
Have we had enough of match-three games yet? Apparently not.
Linkoidz, the latest game from Retro Dreamer (Sneezies and Eyegore's Eye Blast), sits solidly in the genre, but its theme and fast pacing make the experience very different to a Bejeweled or a Puzzle Bobble.
Down, up and at 'emYour stranded spaceman sits at the bottom of the screen, protected by his shield from the various types of critter who drop down in rows above.
Using your gravity gun - tapping on and pulling down - you collect linkoidz of the same colour within your shield, then swiping upwards to deposit them in a different position.
Obviously, your goal is to match three or more, at which point they will disappear, allowing more linkoidz to drop down, as well as unlocking any adjacent frozen or rocky linkoidz caught within the explosion.
Adding to the mix are larger boss style creatures who can't be moved and are only removed from the screen when zapped by a certain number of explosions.
Great alien ballsYet these mechanisms aside, the thrust of Linkoidz is its speed of play.
As your shield can only withstand a certain height of linkoidz per row, you have be super fast pulling in and spitting out matches, giving it a real arcade feel.
Modes include 30 tutorial and challenge missions spread across three Arcade themes, plus there's Endless, the quick Sprint option, and a more relaxing Zen mode. You can set the difficulty levels for Arcade levels.
High score and achievements are supported through Game Center and OpenFeint, and the game comes as a universal app (including support for Retina graphics), for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.
Linkoidz is out now, priced $1.99, €1.59 or £1.19.
You can see how it plays in the following video.