iON Bond is an upcoming iOS and Android scientific puzzler about particles and people
Get a little closer
Smiling Bag's upcoming mobile game iON Bond is practically the opposite of its previous game I Am Level.
I Am Level had you constantly being pushed around and repelled by flippers and bumpers. iON Bond, however, is about bringing atoms closer together, you see.
It's a puzzle game about "particles, people, philosophy, and everything in between".
In fact, if I shut my eyes for a second and imagine just what an interactive science book would look like, iON Bond would probably be staring right back at me.
The tutorial starts with the basics of atomical bonding. It tells you that two particles of opposite charge will attract.
So, you draw a line between the '+' and '-' particles to bring them together. There are also neutrons to collect along the way to get the highest score in each level.
This gets steadily more complicated as different coloured particles and neutral particles are introduced. Then, you learn that an attraction can be formed through the walls but not the black matter.
Soon enough, you end up having to wriggle particles around with a careful balance of attraction and repulsion. The harder technique is cutting their movements short so they stop in the right place.
I've still got a long way to go through iON Bond, but it's already gripped me with its scrupulous puzzling and scientific (and metaphorical) narrative.
I also love how the particles send out shoots of stringy colour each time you smash two particles together. It's a satisfying result.
iON Bond will be available for iOS and Android (and PC) on May 29th for just 69p / 99c. You can find more information about it on its website.