Simplz Zoo Game Review by Cindy Shanks
Game Rating = 4/5
Game Review Summary
If you’ve always wanted to own your own zoo, you’ll love this game. A letter arrives from your grandfather telling you he has provided you with a zoo to maintain. He wants it be the number one zoo. Your job is to care for the animals and upgrade the zoo.
- You are looking for a family game that provides hours of fun.
- You enjoy entrepreneurial games in this case managing a zoo.
- You enjoy matching puzzle games.
Three Reasons to avoid buying Simplz Zoo
- You prefer games with a short time span rather than lengthy games.
- You are a serious gamer who wants a challenging game.
- You prefer target shooting games rather than empire building games.
Full Game Review
Game Play
The game begins with a letter from your Grandfather who wants you to carry on with his dream of making Seagull Park Zoo, a number one zoo. All you have is a lion to start with who would like to be surrounded by more animals. Your job is to attract visitors by purchasing more animals for the zoo.
The game works on two levels. The first level is buying animals and putting your attractions where you want them. The second level is making sure the animals and the zoo has enough food and resources. This involves playing a matching puzzle where you have a grid and you have to match the same 3 objects together such as coins and food but there is a catch; you must make sure you have the amount it asks you. This leads you onto different rounds until you can afford to go upgrade your position until you are the best ranked zoo. It is highly addictive.
Graphics
The 2D animations are simplistic but striking on screen and easy to see. The colorful animation style graphics will appeal to children.
Sound
The background music is gentle and there are options to alter the level of noise. There are entertaining sound effects when you win each round.
Creativity and Innovation
Simplz zoo is very creative because it takes a simple idea of owning a zoo and gives it an extra edge with the extra puzzles within the game. The fact you have to earn food and resources on the quick fire matching puzzle games make the game innovative and more interesting. The variety stops the player becoming easily bored. The fact you can take the timer off the matching games means it is accessible for the whole family.
The game is good value for money because it is a game which will provide hours of fun for the whole family. This is a game I would consider buying because I love business games and this one also has matching puzzles making it even more entertaining.
Strimko Game Review by Ashley Raybourn
Game Rating = 3/5
This puzzle game, brought to you by Braintonik, combines the theory of Sudoku with more challenging rules. In addition to the basic columns-and-rows play of Sudoku, Strimko adds a third element: streams. The goal is to place each number once in each row, column and stream, a connected sequence. Puzzles vary from 4×4 to 7×7 blocks and shapes.
*Logic puzzles like Sudoku help maintain brain function.
*The puzzles are mesmerizing and addictive.
*Increasingly difficult puzzles keep your attention, but are not so difficult that you will become easily frustrated.
Why you should pass:
*There are cheaper options than this game, like a Sudoku puzzle book.
*We’ve heard this story before and it is just a placeholder to advance from puzzle to puzzle.
*Solving the puzzles is fun, but in the end it is anticlimactic.
Gameplay:
In story mode the player helps Luana, an otherworldly being, collect Amulets to save her dying planet. Solving a puzzle provides a key to unlock a chest containing an Amulet needed to sustain life on the planet, such as running water.
Classic mode allows the player to choose the type of puzzle he or she wants to play. Each type of puzzle builds on one basic puzzle called Zen. A Zen puzzle is a basic square with rows, columns and streams. Pave puzzles are similar to a jigsaw puzzle and require the proper placement of stream connections into the Zen square. Fit puzzles combine elements of Zen and Pave puzzles but the streams are already connected and must be rotated to fit the Zen square. In story mode, all of these puzzle types are used and matching puzzles are interspersed to break up the intense concentration.
Graphics:
Strimko uses very little animation and is simply a point-and-click game. The colors are vibrant neon blues, greens, pinks and purples that evoke an image of fantasy and surrealism.
Sound:
The sound is of good quality but is not the focal point of the game. Strimko music is a looped, mystical and ethereal soundtrack reminiscent of spa ambiance. The music does not distract the player from the task at hand and actually helps in keeping the player focused.
Though the story is unoriginal and adds little to the point of completing the puzzles, Strimko does offer a new take on classic Sudoku for those looking for more of a challenge.
Strimko is available for PC, iPhone and as a web-based version. The full PC download costs $14.95 but is not worth the price. Too much emphasis is placed on a gimmicky story that does not enhance the game. It seems that at least half of all puzzle game stories, and lately a lot of movies, involve saving a dying planet. While the graphics are visually appealing, the price is too high for a simple point-and-click game.
Bloobles Game Review by Josh Komon
Game Rating =3/5
Many moons ago, fans of puzzle games were treated to a game called, “Lemmings.” Now, players can enjoy a similar experience with a new title, “Bloobles.” It is not the same exact game, but the similarities are unmistakable.
Do you enjoy logical puzzle games? Is so, you will love L!ght Deluxe. The object of the game is to use as few moves as you can to direct the source of light to the receiver to win a particular round. There is a tutorial and several levels as you battle through each game.
Three reasons to buy L!ght Deluxe
- You enjoy logical puzzles that allow you to play for long or short periods of time
- You are looking for a family game with different skill levels.
- You want an empire building game which involves buying and selling assets. (more…)
VVVVVV is an interesting name for a downloadable game. Likely, it was chosen to represent the spike strips that litter each stage of this classic style puzzle adventure. The creators of this game took many chances in design, relying more on game play than spiffy graphics. It might have been a worthwhile gamble.
In recent times, the Internet has become awash with puzzle games designed to captivate their audience for short periods of intoxicating fun. Mole Control, designed by Remode Studios, is a perfect example of a generic, yet very fun, addition to the PC puzzle game family.
I was disappointed. I was disappointed that the 60 minute trial period ran out so fast! “Mortimer Beckett and the Lost King” is not your everyday hidden objects game. First, unlike the first two Mortimer Beckett games, this one was based in a world of pure fantasy, peaking new interests.
Awesome Soccer is an austere soccer game available for Windows, Linux and Mac. Play is fast and easy. This is a fun game with some remarkable options for a game in its price range.
Reasons to buy the game
• Simple game controls
• Basic graphics
• Customizations
Reasons not to by the game
• Poor view of the pitch
• Limited player control
• Limited options
Paprikari released the third game in the Mortimer Beckett series. This time the game player finds Mortimer searching for the Lost king by executing a series of tasks and solving puzzles which leads to clues uncovering the location of the Lost King. So far the game has challenged us but then again we get lost in the shower so take that for what its worth. We will publish a full review in a few weeks.
