Tanglers
Developer: Greenstudio
Publisher: Chillingo
Platforms: iPhone (reviewed), iTouch, iPad
Release Date: June 28, 2012
Price: $0.99 – Available Here
Overview
Tanglers is the latest in a long line of cute little puzzlers that have a countdown clock, require a quick eye and finger coordination, and are seriously addictive. However, these days, there needs to be more than that to an app, something that keeps people interested and stops them from losing interest after a few weeks. So does Tanglers have that factor?
Gameplay
The gameplay is quite simple, it just involves matching up the same type of little creatures with each other, except that the line that connects the two must only have two right angles. While this sounds a bit complicated and odd, it is very easy to pick up and soon enough will basically become second nature.
There are unofficial ‘stages’ as more aliens get added to your screen to dispose of, and the goal is to try and get rid of as many as possible before the next wave of aliens come. If you finish early then you get some bonus points, depending on how much time you have left until the next wave. You can still have some aliens left over when the next wave comes, but if there isn’t enough room in the screen for the next wave then your game is over.
You also get bonus points on the length of the line, which can increase if it has angles in it. Once you’re comfortable with the time aspect of the game, it turns into you trying to come up with the most convoluted ways to join the two aliens that will give you bonus points. There is a gradual learning curve, but the ceiling to it is quite easily reached unfortunately.
The game is all about reaction times, how quickly you can manage to make the connections. It gets to a point where the game can’t keep up with the choices you make, and the graphics will lag behind, but that’s the sort of pace you have to set to go far in this game. It’s like a high-speed game of memory that requires matching cards to be in very specific spaces.
There isn’t much to the game beyond that to be honest. It is enjoyable enough, and quite addictive due to the quickness of it and that constant competitive drive that so many of us are afflicted with, but apart from that there’s nothing else to truly keep you invested in the game. The difficulty rises in terms of the amount of aliens and the time that you’re given, but that’s the only thing that you can expect to change or increase the challenge you might face over time.
This would be the perfect app to get the kids into, because it’s simple enough for them to pick up and there’s no real ‘failing’ of the game that they’d lose patience with, it just ends when you run out of space. So, if you’re okay with sharing your iDevice with a younger person, then this will surely be a hit for them, and might be a great way to keep them occupied.
Visuals
The aliens are all fairly cute and are all designed differently enough that telling them apart quickly isn’t too difficult, which is important in a fast-paced game like this. You can also change your background if you want, which your little helper dude in the corner insists on reminding you about. However, to get the extra wallpapers you have to like the app on Facebook.
Audio
Tanglers sounds like a space arcade game, with all sorts of stereotypical space sounds going insane, the passing abducted cow, and general shooting lasers type sounds. It’s made up of generic science fiction type sounds, and follows a severely repetitive tune. However, if you’re looking for something to keep your pulse racing while you try to keep the game going.
Overall
Tanglers is one of those games that you can get addicted to but cannot at all explain why you’re addicted to it to other people. It’s extremely simple, takes no time at all to pick up, and doesn’t really offer a huge challenge unless you’re a high score chaser. It’s just one of those fairly quick games that you keep around for when you need to kill a bit of time. It’s never going to be your favourite, and it doesn’t really discern itself from other apps or offer anything too different, but it still is enjoyable and you can find yourself drawn to it in moments of boredom.
