EnterState

Recently Perplext released four game in what they call their “:60 Seconds Series”. All of these games are quick and take… well… 60 seconds to play. Nice idea. The iDevice is a perfect instrument for pick up and play games and many of us a looking for something that provides a quick diversion while we’re waiting for something.

The First of these games is called EnterState and the idea of the game is so simple it will take far less than 60 seconds to explain it to you.

You start with a map of all 50 states and the name of one of them pops up. You have to just tap the state on the screen and if you’re right it goes away and another name takes its place. You need to get all 50 states in 60 seconds in order to win.

Simple, right?

Actually, no. This game is a hard game. Especially the first few times you play it. Think about it… you’ve got just over a second to read a name and then find it on the board. Sure we know where the states are, or at least we should know, but the time constraint it really tough.

This makes for a pretty frantic game and one that is very, very satisfying the first time you get it right. I’m not going to tell you how many times it took me to beat the clock on this game. Just know that I did it, and can do it again. That’s all you’re getting from me.

The map of the United States covers the screen and it’s a bit tough when you get to the New England area of things. This actually works to your advantage when you have to hit a state like Massachusetts – just hit any where near the area. The other, bigger states, all work better and you actually have to hit the right one to count.

Sounds are all pretty pedestrian but it works. Again, keep in mind that you’re only playing this game for a minute so there’s not enough time to get either excited or annoyed with the sounds.

One hard part with the game is that it doesn’t change much. Sure the state names pop up randomly, changing each time you play. But after a while you do get the hang of it and winning the game becomes much easier.

Perplext makes up for this by providing a unique scoreboard. They go away from the usually global scoreboard in favor of a “Friends” board. You and your friends can all be on the same scoreboard by a nice little set up that lets only selected people sync up for the board. The more I thought about this, the more I really liked it. Now you can ignore the people who seem to rule a board and just go up against your friends. This really helps with the bragging rights that we’re all looking for in a game.

I can really see this game working well for a teacher that wants to get the states into their student’s minds. And the “Circle of Friends” scoreboard is perfect for the class.

EnterState is a really nice game in that it does exactly what it sets out to do, and makes it all fun and challenging. It is a very well executed pick up and play game that will frustrate you (in a good way) for… well… 60 Seconds, but the fun of the game will last a lot longer than that.

The Good

Quick Play – Duh!
Interesting “Friends” Scoreboard
Very Challenging

The Bad

The Game Doesn’t Change Much

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3. Clockwize

Tags: 50 States, Education, Name the States

Category: Games