mightbe
01-30-2010, 05:27 PM
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2678/4016765803_8e92d3f13d_o.png (http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?p=395888#post395888)
Product: Color Cross (http://www.little-worlds.com/uk/little-worlds-studio-produits-uk.htm)
Platform: iPhone/iPod Touch
Price: $0.99
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4022/4316749137_c5e7257819_o.png
WHOA hold on. This looks a hell of a lot like Picross.
Indeed at first blush this game looks like a $1 version of the Nintendo DS classic Picross. And if you're like me, that game has earned permanent spot in your rotation while traveling. Until now, that is!
I'm glad to say that Little Worlds Studio's (http://www.little-worlds.com/uk/little-worlds-studio-news-uk.htm) Color Cross is a nifty evolution of Picross with a nice set of twists and a few new features to make you feel more like you're playing a well thought out sequel than a simple rehash.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2774/4317482138_acd2398100_o.png
Once you finish one color of the puzzle and switch, you'll begin to see that there's a fair amount of depth here.
Where Color Cross distinguishes itself from the monochromatic Picross is that each puzzle has multiple colored pixels and all must be filled in. If you're stuck on a certain area, you can always flip over to other colors and try to fill in some more spaces to help chip away at some of the more devious parts of the grid. If you've got a good amount of visual memory to go with your logical problem solving, you can flip back and forth between color layers and use them to completely solve one before moving on to another.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4017/4317482260_2619234aa8_o.png
As you finish puzzles in a category you can unlock badass pictures like this dragon one. I'll tell you I did not enjoy the "Baby" category, but I finished it like any hardcore gamer would.
The next thing to consider is the controls of Color Cross. I'll say that they get the job done admirably but can be a bit touchy at times. The iPhone/iPod Touch do have one of the best touch sensors available on a mobile device, but there's only so much it can do. Fortunately, you can zoom in and out of the puzzle smoothly with the familiar pinch/push method. Filling in long lines is easy with just holding down a pixel and dragging in the appropriate direction and it won't let you accidentally fill in adjacent rows or columns while you're continuing your drag.
Interface wise, the ability to drop "X"s in squares you know to be vacant on that color layer is as easy as tapping the button off to the right. You can also quickly change your background color and color layer in the same fashion. Sure it would likely be a bit easier to navigate with a few hard button so that you didn't have to look at the edge of the screen to see what you're switching between, but even with my massive sausage fingers, I have had few problems getting Color Cross to do what I wanted.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4019/4316749307_d0245a9ef7_o.png
Those little icons are exploding from my just-completed crossbow. I'm assuming since it was in the "Magic" category, it's at least +1.
As far as score keeping, you're timed by how long it takes to complete your puzzle but you're never given an actual cap for how much time to spend in the main game mode. You'll get an increasing time penalty and be notified when you make a wrong move which is a bit of a departure from Picross, who let you stumble in the dark and place incorrect pixels without any notification in its later game modes.
If you're looking for a bit more of a hectic challenge, you can try the arcade mode which forces you to complete a series of puzzles in a tight period of time. I find that I don't deal well with such time deadlines and would probably be the worst time bomb diffuser ever as I degenerate into a frustrated caged animal attempting fruitlessly to paw the lock off of his cell.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4038/4316749411_830a921578_o.png
Hell yes it's a baby booty.
So who should own this? Anybody who was a fan of the original Picross or enjoys block pixel art and logic puzzles. I really don't have any reservations about recommend a puzzle game that has probably a dozen hours worth of puzzles for only a buck.
The real question is what other ultra-cheap puzzle games are out there that I haven't come across yet?
Moving Target (http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=13112) is a weekly mobile gaming feature by Curt "Mot Wakorb" Lecaptain (clecaptain@colonyofgamers.com) and Rob "mightbe" Schuster (rschuster@colonyofgamers.com). Check CoG every Saturday for updates. Hit us up if there's something you'd like us to cover.
Product: Color Cross (http://www.little-worlds.com/uk/little-worlds-studio-produits-uk.htm)
Platform: iPhone/iPod Touch
Price: $0.99
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4022/4316749137_c5e7257819_o.png
WHOA hold on. This looks a hell of a lot like Picross.
Indeed at first blush this game looks like a $1 version of the Nintendo DS classic Picross. And if you're like me, that game has earned permanent spot in your rotation while traveling. Until now, that is!
I'm glad to say that Little Worlds Studio's (http://www.little-worlds.com/uk/little-worlds-studio-news-uk.htm) Color Cross is a nifty evolution of Picross with a nice set of twists and a few new features to make you feel more like you're playing a well thought out sequel than a simple rehash.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2774/4317482138_acd2398100_o.png
Once you finish one color of the puzzle and switch, you'll begin to see that there's a fair amount of depth here.
Where Color Cross distinguishes itself from the monochromatic Picross is that each puzzle has multiple colored pixels and all must be filled in. If you're stuck on a certain area, you can always flip over to other colors and try to fill in some more spaces to help chip away at some of the more devious parts of the grid. If you've got a good amount of visual memory to go with your logical problem solving, you can flip back and forth between color layers and use them to completely solve one before moving on to another.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4017/4317482260_2619234aa8_o.png
As you finish puzzles in a category you can unlock badass pictures like this dragon one. I'll tell you I did not enjoy the "Baby" category, but I finished it like any hardcore gamer would.
The next thing to consider is the controls of Color Cross. I'll say that they get the job done admirably but can be a bit touchy at times. The iPhone/iPod Touch do have one of the best touch sensors available on a mobile device, but there's only so much it can do. Fortunately, you can zoom in and out of the puzzle smoothly with the familiar pinch/push method. Filling in long lines is easy with just holding down a pixel and dragging in the appropriate direction and it won't let you accidentally fill in adjacent rows or columns while you're continuing your drag.
Interface wise, the ability to drop "X"s in squares you know to be vacant on that color layer is as easy as tapping the button off to the right. You can also quickly change your background color and color layer in the same fashion. Sure it would likely be a bit easier to navigate with a few hard button so that you didn't have to look at the edge of the screen to see what you're switching between, but even with my massive sausage fingers, I have had few problems getting Color Cross to do what I wanted.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4019/4316749307_d0245a9ef7_o.png
Those little icons are exploding from my just-completed crossbow. I'm assuming since it was in the "Magic" category, it's at least +1.
As far as score keeping, you're timed by how long it takes to complete your puzzle but you're never given an actual cap for how much time to spend in the main game mode. You'll get an increasing time penalty and be notified when you make a wrong move which is a bit of a departure from Picross, who let you stumble in the dark and place incorrect pixels without any notification in its later game modes.
If you're looking for a bit more of a hectic challenge, you can try the arcade mode which forces you to complete a series of puzzles in a tight period of time. I find that I don't deal well with such time deadlines and would probably be the worst time bomb diffuser ever as I degenerate into a frustrated caged animal attempting fruitlessly to paw the lock off of his cell.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4038/4316749411_830a921578_o.png
Hell yes it's a baby booty.
So who should own this? Anybody who was a fan of the original Picross or enjoys block pixel art and logic puzzles. I really don't have any reservations about recommend a puzzle game that has probably a dozen hours worth of puzzles for only a buck.
The real question is what other ultra-cheap puzzle games are out there that I haven't come across yet?
Moving Target (http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=13112) is a weekly mobile gaming feature by Curt "Mot Wakorb" Lecaptain (clecaptain@colonyofgamers.com) and Rob "mightbe" Schuster (rschuster@colonyofgamers.com). Check CoG every Saturday for updates. Hit us up if there's something you'd like us to cover.