The iPhone App Review : iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad App News & Reviews

Price: $0.99 (3 day sale)    Score: 8/10    By Joey Bright

Puzzle games are a huge part of the app store. Not only are there thousands now, but more and more are introduced every day. Many of those puzzle games released can be looked over without loosing a great gaming experience. Developed by PlayScreen, Match 3D Flick Puzzle is not one of those games.

The general game play of Match 3D is something that has been seen before. The object is to match three alike blocks in order to eliminate them, as more blocks drop down from the top of the screen to replace them. You need to achieve a certain amount of combos in order to progress to the next level. As you are doing this, there is a timer that will run out if you can’t match blocks fast enough. When you progress through the levels of the game, the timer gets quicker, and the game introduces a variety of challenges for the player to overcome, such as blocks that are unable to be moved.

What makes this game different from other puzzle games is the unique 3D aspect of it. As you are manipulating one plane on the cube puzzle, the other planes of the puzzle are also being affected by your movements. While the concept may be confusing, it makes things interesting as combos can be formed on a side of the puzzle that you are not even looking at. Some times, these blind combos may be the things that help get you to the next level. Also, you can change which side of the cube you are playing on, which makes it easy to start fresh in case you are having a tough time with one side of the cube.

There are a variety of options to customize the way you play. Match 3D Flick Puzzle features three different soundtracks to listen to while you are playing. You can also adjust settings such as off axis alpha, rotation snap, and locked brightness in the options panel. When you start a new game, you can choose from classic or survival mode, and choose if you want to play with no locked blocks, no multi blocks, etc.  The game has a leader board system to track how many points you get in either survival or classic mode, giving players the option to try and beat their past scores, or challenge their friends to beat their scores.

One downfall of Match 3D is the look of it. The 3D aspect is very entertaining, and the graphics are clean and colorful, however the characters and shapes on the block are generic to any puzzle game. Also, the starting menu screen is a little awkward when you first experience it. However, once you get into the puzzle, these cosmetic flaws are not enough to detract you from the overall experience.

Bottom Line: Match 3D Flick Puzzle introduces some unique and challenging game play options, has addictive and fun game play and is a great addition to any puzzle lovers arsenal.

Match 3D Flick Puzzle requires iPhone OS 2.2.1 or later and is compatible with iPhone and iPod Touch.