Review: Flipstones - Path Drawing Plus Matching Equals Fun?
by Staff Writer
August 9, 2010
Overview
Flipstones combines path drawing with puzzle style in a game that looks very similar to Trism. PressOk is walking a fine line in the App Store with their first title Finger Physics a little too close for comfort in comparison to Topple, and now they have a game that looks just like Trism. Thankfully it plays nothing like Trism, and is a rather unique experience on the iPhone.
Features
You drag the path of the various colored stones to make a big triangle composed of four stones or a hexagon composed of six stones to remove them. The main part of the game is challenge mode with four different levels per stage, and there are 18 stages. Every level offers a different objective, and when you complete a level in a stage, the next one picks up right where you left off.The Good
This makes the levels intertwined, and trickier because if you barely pass the previous level you’re in for tough times in the next level. Every stage also introduces a new color, and matches of that color give you a special ability whether it's dissolve, explode, or add wings to some stones. The new abilities are vital to survive in the later levels as new stones are added quickly, and the board fills up leaving you very few moves.
The game is fun as you drag the stones across the board to make a triangle or hexagon, and it becomes plenty complex with multiple colors. The game gets hectic on the later levels as you have a lot less room to maneuver, and so many different colors to deal with. The game is designed well with a sheen to each stone, and nice animations with matches.
The Bad
The problem is that you can only make two shapes which is repetitive at the least, and becomes boring very quickly. Every level gives you a different objective, but you’re still making only one of two shapes. Even including an endless mode and OpenFeint doesn't help replay ability when the basic mechanic doesn't engage you or offer enjoyment.
If that wasn't bad enough the controls don't work as smoothly as you would like especially for path drawing. Sometimes it takes a couple tries to move the stone, and then it occasionally doesn’t land in the exact place you want it to. When new stones are being added the game doesn't pick up your actions very well, and it's tough to get two moving at once with the input recognition system.
When new pieces are added they often are placed in the most frustrating places which is challenging sure, but becomes frustrating quickly as you're replaying levels. Even when a stone is flipping to where you drew it to, a new stone can be added interrupting the path. The longer you play the less fun, and more frustration there is even though you've only made it to less than a third of the game.
