Filling In The Boxes Is Harder Than It Looks In SeQu, The Numeric Puzzle Game On iPhone
SeQu: Fill the number as you crunch and stumble (Free) by Albi Kohen Avdan is a unique new puzzle game that will really make you think. If you’re in the mood for a bit of number crunching in your puzzle games, then you will want to check out this little gem.
I’m definitely a word person, but I can still work with numbers, sometimes. Mostly just in games, though — I’m a bit rusty when it comes to more complicated work with numbers, you know? And I also love puzzle games, I mean, who doesn’t these days? So naturally, a mix of both of these will seem like a match made in heaven for number puzzle fans, and that’s just what SeQu is.
The game features a simple interface. It features a dark gray background with bright orange accents in the headers and buttons. The menus to choose the size of the board are done up in a traditional iOS scrolling dial, so it feels natural. The boards themselves are pretty simple, featuring a light “paper” background with lines on it to make up the game grid. The typography that is used gives SeQu that “handwritten” look and feel, as if you are actually playing on real paper, which is nice.
SeQu is a game that can be played at any time, and with just one hand, making it the perfect little puzzle to play while you wait somewhere. In order to start, you will need to pick from two game modes: Arcade and Time Machine. With Arcade, you can take your time with filling in the boxes. Time Machine is more fast-paced, as you try and get the highest number you can against the clock. In addition to these game modes, there are five different board sizes: 4×5 (Beginner), 7×7 (Intermediate), 10×10 (Advanced), 11×11, and 12×12 (Expert).
The gameplay seems a bit confusing at first, but it’s actually quite simple once you play a few games. Of course, this is one of those simple-to-learn-difficult-to-master type puzzles, so it will take some time before you become a connoisseur of SeQu.
The goal of the game is to fill in as many boxes on the grid as you can. However, there are some rules in place that make this a challenging little task. The first thing is that you can start at any square on the grid. This will be the first box, marked with a “1.” You can move in any direction you want to fill the boxes in. This means horizontal, vertical, as well as diagonal. However, there are some restrictions that you need to follow when it comes to movement — you can only move horizontally or vertically if you skip two boxes, and diagonally if you skip one. You can undo a step with the undo button at the bottom.
I know you were thinking, “Oh, filling in the boxes sounds really easy!” But when you take into account all of the rules and restrictions of movement, the game becomes very challenging. You could play the game by tapping on any available box on the grid, but then you’ll probably end up with a low score. If you plan out your moves, you can get really far, and possibly fill up most of the board. Your score will be the number of boxes you successfully fill in, and that’s easy to tell since they’ll all be numbered in order. The higher the final number, the better. If there are no possible moves remaining, the game ends, so you really have to think your moves through.
I’m a bit surprised that there is no Game Center integration, because this seems like the perfect little game to compete with friends over who can get the highest score. Hopefully this can be integrated in the future.
Since SeQu is a free download, there will be ads every now and then. While I understand the need for ads, I got a bit annoyed at times because it didn’t seem to have a button to get rid of the ad after a few moments. I’m not sure if it was designed this way, but it stopped appearing like that after more games. There also does not seem to be an option of paying to remove the ads, which I found annoying, but perhaps ad revenue pays the bills more-so than in-app purchases or paid games. This is fine if you don’t mind an ad every now and then, but personally, I would like to have an option to remove these for games I actually enjoy.
Still, SeQu is a challenging little puzzle game, and it should appeal to fans of logic and number puzzles. Since it’s free, I recommend giving it a try for yourself, but just don’t mind those pesky little ads.