Overview
From the iTune's page: "The classic labyrinth game where you control a steel ball by tilting a wooden labyrinth. Download and play over 500 levels and more as they are created by the community."
Gameplay
Get ready to tilt (and yes, if you're familiar with poker I'm talking about
that kind of tilt as well). First, you need to load up some Level Packs (developed by fellow Labyrinthians).
Click 'Play' and then the '+' in the upper-right to see a list of packs & authors -- tap to download.
Barring your willingness to calibrate (which was a game unto itself before I realized winning entailed placing my iPhone on a flat surface and pressing 'Calibrate') or enable time limits, you're ready to play.
Tap the 'Play' button, press a pack, and start moving your iPhone in such a way that your metal ball avoids the black holes and lands in the checkered one.
Review
My earlier reference to
tilting alluded to the fact that Labyrinth can be an extremely frustrating game -- but in a good, challenging, fun kinda way. I quickly became lost in the game and couldn't stop playing much like a, well, actual labyrinth!
I was familiar with the 'lite' version of Labyrinth from its jailbreak version which has, according to the developer's site, been downloaded over 2 million times. The addition of MANY levels (now ~500) enhances the gameplay immensely, but there's still plenty of room for improvement.
Sounds! I want some sound damnit! I remember the real thing as a kid, and while Codify AB's take on Labyrinth definitely brought me back, it was lacking just a little pizzazz. The sound of the metal ball gliding against the wood -- the
thuck of a lost ball dropping into the abyss -- my adoring fans cheering wildly as I approached victory -- all removed from this app.
Also helpful would be a difficulty rating system. Near the end of my play I found myself a little bored and, not to toot my own horn, slightly unchallenged by the levels (especially after beating Marco Cavazzana's "Frustration comes in 8" pack). Though I'll chalk this up to my inability (and laziness) to go searching for harder packs, I'd have been much obliged if the leg-work had already been done for me.
Summary
Great start modernizing an old classic for the 21st century. Brilliant use of the accelerometer, but missing a few bells & whistles. Final words?
Daddy wants more...
