Do You Have What It Takes To Clear The Grid In Solisqr?

Solisqr (Free) by Parachuting Frog is a minimalistic board puzzle game fit for iOS 7. If you enjoy puzzle games that require a bit of planning ahead, then this is a perfect brain teaser.

Solisqr is based off the classic board game, peg solitaire. Personally, I have never played the original, but I was still intrigued about Solisqr when I heard about it. I’m just a sucker for minimalistic puzzle games, and that’s just what this is, so I needed to give it a try for myself.

The design for Solisqr is simple, flat, and clean. The title screen showcases an animated background, with square pegs popping up and filling the white space with splashes of color. Starting a new game will fill up the grid with colored squares, each of them making a calming “pop” noise as they show up. The typography in the game is easy-to-read, and there is a soothing soundtrack playing in the background, although this can be turned off if desired.

There are five game modes in Solisqr: Casual, and then Timed, which has Easy, Medium, Hard, and Beat the Best (you need to clear the previous difficulty to unlock the next one). Regardless of the mode you play, there is one simple objective: clear the grid of any blocks except for one in the central position of the board. In order to do this, you need to move a square two spaces to “clear out” another block, and repeat this process until there’s only one left in the middle. Each block can only move two spaces over, and it must be an empty cell. Just tap on the one you want, and then tap on the space you want to move it to.

This may sound easy at first, but it really isn’t. You can’t just make random moves and expect to win. Instead, you need to analyze the board, where the colors are, and plan ahead — that’s what this entire game is all about. At the top, you are able to see how many squares are remaining on the grid, and how many potential moves are available that you can make.

If there are no longer any moves that can be made, it will be game over. You can see the number of blocks that are left once the game ends, start a new round, and hope you do better next time. Solisqr comes with Game Center integration for leaderboards (timed) and achievements. There is one achievement that will be incredibly difficult to get, which is having the best time in the world — good luck.

Solisqr is a free download, but it is supported with ads. These will show up after each game, but they don’t intrude during the game itself. You can remove them via an in-app purchase of $0.99 if desired.

So far, I’m quite enjoying the challenge that Solisqr presents. I haven’t quite beaten it yet, as I always end up with squares left, but it’s definitely a nice challenge. I did feel that the game is a bit glitchy, though, as some blocks that I selected and tried to de-select still showed up as selected. Not a game breaker, though, but just a tad annoying. Hopefully the developer optimizes it a bit in the future.

If you’re looking for a board puzzle game to relax with this weekend, then make sure to check out Solisqr. You can get it in the App Store as a universal app for free.