Game Reviews

dEXTRIS

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iOS
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dEXTRIS
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iOS
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Neon sparks blast out of a maze wall. My finger is pushed hard into the right side of the iPad screen. I lift it up and the two squares twang back into the centre of the image, sliding between the pointy end of two grey spikes.

A diamond appears, fat and ominous in that central path. I push either side of the screen, split my two squares and dart past the obstacle, smashing back together on the left wall to avoid another spike.

Dextris might not be the most complex game to pick up, but once it accelerates it becomes a sweaty palm-inducing arcade menace.

The score chasing brigade will be right at home here, and there's enough weight behind the slidey gameplay that they'll probably stay for a while.

Neon sides

The game is very much from the pure play school of thought. Minimalist graphics bounce against simple controls with the ever-increasing speed the biggest enemy in your path.

You tap the sides of the screen to move left and right and tap them both to wrench apart the two squares you're controlling and send them to the opposite walls of the spiked track.

When you lift your fingers the squares twang back together in the centre of the screen.

It's an easy mechanic to get to grips with, but keeping your brain geared to the correct finger movements when the game is whizzing past is pretty difficult.

The spikes and diamonds you're trying to bypass come in groups of ten, so you always know roughly how close you are to your high score.

Timing is everything, and missing a press by even the slightest of margins will result in a shower of shattered cubes and the 'game over' screen.

Sharp edge

Dextris isn't the finest example of the genre, but it adds enough new ideas to the mix that it's still eminently likeable.

It generates enough compulsion that you'll find yourself sucked into its simple imagery time and time again, and probably let out a little cheer when you pass your high score.

This isn't the sort of game that will sway players to the few-touch twitch cause, but it's welcoming enough that the curious should certainly give it a try.

dEXTRIS

A fast-paced, clever dodge-'em-up, Dextris has enough going for it that it's definitely worth a look
Score
Harry Slater
Harry Slater
Harry used to be really good at Snake on the Nokia 5110. Apparently though, digital snake wrangling isn't a proper job, so now he writes words about games instead.