Save Cities from Glitches in the Puzzling Cityglitch

The visuals in Cityglitch are unique and distinctive, as the game carries a retro, pixelated art style that is rather nostalgic. The pixels are rather large compared to other pixel art titles, so it reminds me of my old CRT monitors with MS-DOS. While the graphics feel more like 8-bit than anything else, I still found the various characters and objects to be pretty identifiable once you get start playing. Cityglitch is full of bright and vibrant neon colors, so it's definitely eye candy. Animations are smooth and fluid, with no lag on my iPhone 7. Cityglitch also features an eerie chiptune soundtrack that is delightful to listen to and adds to the overall mood of the game.

Like many other puzzle games, Cityglitch is level-based. Players must go through each puzzle one-by-one in a linear fashion. However, once a puzzle's solved, then several stages get unlocked at a time. So you can play them slightly out of order since they branch off, but you still need to clear the present ones to gain access to more. It's an endless cycle, and the game has 95 levels spread out across seven cities. There's also three boss puzzles you'll need to face, which only add to the challenge.

So what is Cityglitch? There's a bit of a basic plot going on, in which virtual cities appear to be glitching out. You take control of the city witch, who must save the cities from these weird glitches. The goal in each puzzle is to light up the runes in order to complete a ritual, and then the glitch gets released. While it sounds easy enough, things get tricky as you'll encounter cats, dangerous arrows, creepy city critters, and other obstacles that get in your way.

Controls in Cityglitch are simple and intuitive. Just tap on any tile to move to it, as long as the path is not blocked. The city witch can move horizontally, vertically, and diagonally. You can choose to move one space at a time, or just go a few tiles at once. However, once you make your move, then other hazards, such as arrows or ghosts, can also move. You should time your moves correctly so that you avoid getting killed, because one touch of such dangers will kill you, and then you have to start over. If you make a mistake, you can tap on the Undo button to go back one move at a time, or tap Restart to start the level from the beginning.

Cityglitch is a challenging turn-based puzzle that will appeal to fans of the genre. The game features an awesome aesthetic design with matching music and sound effects. The puzzles start off simple, but progressively become more difficult as you go on. Controls are easy and unrestrictive, but timing is everything, so planning ahead is required. Plus, there's plenty of content for the price, so it's a good value. Cityglitch also doesn't have ads, in-app purchases, or requires an internet connection.

While Cityglitch is a pretty good game, it isn't without flaws. The biggest downside is the fact that the game doesn't explain anything to you. It took me a few taps in the beginning to understand how to play the game, and after that I caught on pretty quickly. But if you prefer being told or shown what to do, then this game doesn't offer that. There's no hand-holding — you're just thrown into the glitchy cities without much explanation of what's happening. Otherwise, it's a pretty solid release.

I've only just started Cityglitch today, but I'm finding it to be an excellent way to pass the time. I'm a huge puzzle fan and these levels make me use my head, which I love. Plus, the old-school graphics take me back to my childhood days, and the haunting tunes are great. I was a bit confused at first, but once you understand the basics, the rest is straightforward, though a bit tricky. If you're a fan of spooky but fun puzzles, then Cityglitch is a must.

Cityglitch can be found on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for just $2.99.