Review: Sheeple
by Adam Blair
December 11, 2009
Overview:
Sheeple is a simple puzzle game. The object is to get all of the sheeple to their stars. You do this by using several tools that you'll learn to utilize throughout the game. The premise is simple, but the puzzles keep getting harder. Can you handle the Sheeple? Do you even really want to? Let's find out...
Features:
Most of the best features are visual like a sparkly cloud when you get the star, a blazing comet, nicely animated fire, and others as well. All of which make the game a pleasure to look at. The tools I mentioned before are numerous, but still leave a little to be desired. Every puzzle is composed of sending comets to destroy boulders, shifting crates, spraying fire on ice, and laying bridges across water, all of which are capped at a certain amount of uses.
This may seem like a long enough list of tools, but I'd like to see a little bit more, and also I'd like a little more of a challenge when it comes to the puzzles. I've had to start some over due to poor planning on my part, but the puzzles really only take about a minute or two a piece. I like puzzle games to be a bit more challenging than that.
Another great feature is the soundtrack that goes along with the game. It is a very nice, folksy guitar song that matches the game's design. The music definitely adds to the overall game.
The Good:
As I've said already, the visuals are a pleasure. They are simple and clean, but complex enough to not get boring. They definitely add to the overall experience of Sheeple. Another positive attribute this game has to offer is the scoring method. It takes into account the sheeples saved, your time, your unused tools, and the amount of “undoes” used to arrive at the final score. All of these variables allow you to play a level multiple times, trying to improve on many different aspects of your gameplay. I suppose I would also say a (potantially) good thing about this game is that it is casual. You don't have to devote all of your attention (or even all of your hands) to playing the game. It is simple enough that it can be a time waster or a multi-tasker puzzle game that you don't have to be playing, just nonchalantly enjoying.The Bad:
Just like everything, this simplicity comes at a price. Although it is casual, that's all Sheeple is. You can never get really engrossed by the gameplay since it just skims the surface of the typical human's brain. I like my puzzle games to challenge me. The main reason it isn't challenging enough is because there is a lack of tools, which means it gets fairly repetitive after a while. I've had to actually think a few times while playing Sheeple, but I've never gotten totally stumped. I like to think of my brain as being of average proportions, so you probably shouldn't get this app if you're looking for a hardcore, mind-consuming puzzler.
