If you like to play poker and have a mac it can be kinda frustrating when
Just recently I spoke about another review i did for a match three style game where I proclaimed I really didn’t like the genre as there were way to many of them and nothing set them apart. Well today I am here to publicly confess I was wrong.
A new twist on the gameplay provided by Tetris, Polycubes features a 3 dimensional take to the popular classic. In this game a random sequence of polycubes (3-D pieces composed of cubes) are falling on a 3-D gamefield. The goal of Polycubes is to create complete layers of blocks without any gaps. When one of these layers are created, it disappears, and any blocks above the completed layer will drop down a step. As time goes on, the pieces start falling faster and faster to increase the difficulty.
Gameplay is just like that other 2-D game we all know about, except this is quite a bit harder to wrap your brain around. Controls are simple, with buttons f
or the 3 ways to rotate the pieces, a drop button, and a simple directional pad to move the pieces around. The top down view works well, it’s not difficult to view the pieces at all, and the color coding makes it simple to see which layers are presently filled. At first it’s confusing on how to rotate the blocks, but after a few minutes with Polycubes, rotating then dropping them will be no trouble at all! The commands are carried out instantly, and the touch controls are spot on, so there’s no lag to adjust to, or guessing if your finger actually hit the icon.
The graphics are not bad, giving a retro, yet futuristic feel at the same time. The blocks are transparent so it’s easier to see what pieces are being placed and their orientation, and when placed, each layer is a separate color which is easily identifiable. The playing field is a solid black and white grid, and the other icons and images are all smooth and well done. However, sounds are completely missing from Polycubes. There’s no music, no sound effects at all to speak of. While not a huge factor, as it’s better than having horrible sounds, it would be nice if they were implemented somehow.
There are a few options to fiddle around with. The width and depth of the field can be adjusted, making the game a little more varied, and the level that is started at can also be changed. This changes the speed that the blocks fall down. The last option is the ability to choose what the pieces are. The simple pieces are the basic Tetris shapes you all know of, just in 3-D, but once the bar is set to complex, all sorts of crazy shapes come into play which make for very challenging games. In the middle is a medium option, for players who have moved past the simple pieces, but aren’t quite ready for the complex ones.
It would be nice if statistics were kept track of, and if maybe there were different game modes such as a timed mode, or strategy mode where layers have to be cleared in the fastest way possible, other than just the normal marathon mode. Regardless, Polycubes is certainly well done, and should be considered a hidden gem. It’s well polished, gameplay is extremely engaging, and at just 99 cents, you might as well go for it now! Anyone wanting to fill that need for a good puzzler should certainly go ahead and check this out.
The Good
New twist to a classic
Evident that time was taken in making this
Well presented gameThe Bad
Sounds are nonexistent
More game modes would be nice
Addendum
The Devleoper is working on adding sounds to a patched version as well as improving the gameplay modes.
