Review: Poppi

Overview: Poppi couldn't be simpler. It is a game that consists of falling shapes that you push around and collide in order to clear the screen. Poppi is that easy. Despite its simplicity, Poppi is addictive, fun, and clean. But is the right game for you? Features: The object of the game is to deflect falling shapes off of your finger in order to make them collide with certain other shapes. The colliding of two correct shapes will cause them to disappear. The first thing that you'll notice about Poppi is that it knows physics. When the shapes fall, the bigger ones fall faster, and tapping below the shapes will make them act as if you have pushed a physical, falling object in a new direction. The physics within Poppi is very realistic and natural. The next thing you'll notice is that the shapes and backgrounds used are marvelous. They are subtle, colored nicely, and have an odd glow and pulse to them that makes them very nice to look at. You hardly notice it while you're playing, but the glowing shapes of multiple designs and the pulsing background add a lot to the overall “feel” of Poppi. Some more little additions that add to the “feel” also improve the game. The most notable is the little halo that emanates from your finger whenever you touch the screen to deflect the shapes. This halo just feels right as it pushes the shapes away, and then fades back into nothingness. Some other nice things that add to the game are the burst of transparent stars when you complete a stage, the shattering of two shapes after their collision, and the sounds. The sounds are really great. The soundtrack that plays behind the game is very simple and is the kind of song that you don't notice is present, but that you'd miss if it were gone. Another nice sound feature is what happens when two shapes collide: there is a very interesting sound that occurs, and that differs for each shape that gets hit; the sound is indescribable, but makes the game much more interesting to play. The Breakdown The Good: The best thing about Poppi is its “feel” that I mentioned before. It is all very futuristic with glowing, pulsing, simple and hypnotizing designs that make the game a treat to look at. The next best thing is the simplicity of the gameplay. The game begins with one type of shape falling that you have to match with itself and it gets progressively more difficult as more shapes, more obstacles, and less matches fall through the screen. The Bad: The worst part of Poppi is also the “next best thing”: the simplicity of the gameplay. This is the only real negative thing that I could come up with. The replayability is somewhat poor when it comes to Poppi since the premise of the game is very, very simple. Therefore, it does get a little old. The Verdict Poppi is a great game. It combines edgy and tasteful design, classic (and a little bit too simple) gameplay, and an interesting soundtrack. If you can put up with a very basic premise in a game and love simple, futuristic designs, you'll love Poppi. I know I do.