Reviews on the run takes a look at the indie iOS/Android puzzler, Vex Blocks.
In the mobile game app market, praise doesn’t get better than the kudos iphoneincanada.ca gave Vex Puzzles, the latest from Edmonton developer Itzy Interactive. The industry blog raved about everything from the game’s look to its ability to hook.
“Overall, this is a perfect mobile game,” said iphonecanada’s video editor following the game’s spring release. “It’s perfect if you just want to pass a few minutes or if you want to sit down and have a little longer gaming session. Even better, it’s not a mindless button-masher. The game makes you think your moves through.”
This is in addition to a Digital Alberta Award for best mobile entertainment app received in July. Yet sales have not reflected the acclaim, says Itzy Interactive co-founder and lead developer Kyle Kulyk. Once considered a viable entry point to indie videogame making, he’s found the mobile app market tough to crack.
Vex Blocks by Itzy Interactive is a clever twist to the age old game of connecting similar items. It’s fast paced and very colorful, and has an action soundtrack to keep you moving. The idea is simple and the presentation is on par with most puzzle games, but does it play well?
Having spent many hours with this title (because I was part of the team that made it) I've gotta say, if the block you're trying to move to won't select...it's not because the controls are broken, it's because it's a wrong move. We wanted to be a bit forgiving when it came to making a wrong move in the game, so if you try to connect to a block that doesn't match either the symbol or color of the adjacent block, we shrink down the collider (that you click on) so it's actually harder to make a mistake. That's not a control issue, that was done on purpose to help those with big fingers, or with smaller screens.
I think we'll take this out in our next update as we've had a few people who have commented that they felt the controls weren't letting them select blocks. If you don't connect a correct block, it'll "deaden", simple as that. That way you'll have immediate feedback (by seeing the block go dead) and won't feel like "Why isn't it letting me select that one?" The reason is you made a wrong move. We put hundreds of hours into this title between ourselves and our testers. The controls are working exactly as we intended and the vast majority of players get it. It's just once in a rare while someone doesn't. This time it just happened to be a reviewer.
Canadian indie developer, Itzy Interactive, announced today the release of their electrifying puzzler, Vex Blocks for iOS devices via the Apple App Store. Nominated for "Best Brain & Puzzle" and "Best Casual Game" in this year’s "Best App Ever Awards" Android edition, the easy-to-play, exciting and addictive block game is now available for the iPhone and iPad. An alternative to traditional, “Match 3” type puzzle games like Bejeweled or Candy Crush, players create chains of colored lightning by matching up blocks based on symbol, color or both.
