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Puzzle games are a hit or miss kind of category. It’s easy to have a challenging puzzle, but if the gameplay doesn’t keep your attention, the concept falls flat. Conversely, you can take a simple idea, add an interesting twist, and suddenly it’s a compelling game offering hours of enjoyment. This roundup includes a little of both, as the game I expected to enjoy the most didn’t come through, and the one I expected to blow off held my attention and became a fun game that will stay on my iPhone for some time to come. So, now we put our expectations aside and move on to the reviews!

Shapez

• Developer: RasterNoise
• Requirements: iPhone or iPod Touch, iPhone 2.0 or later
• Price: $0.99
• Appletell Rating: 2/5
• App Store Link: Shapez

When I first read the description for this game, I thought this would be great. It reminded me of Atomica, a Pop-Cap game I used to play on my Palm Treo. The concept is that various shaped puzzle pieces will appear on a grid and you have to rearrange those pieces to form certain approved shapes for which you get points. You can move each piece either horizontally or vertically, but if there is another piece in the way, you will need to go around it. Every time you move, more pieces appear randomly on the grid. As you attempt to build the shapes, the grid becomes more and more crowded. However, when you successfully create a shape, it will explode into a flash of special effects and leave you with more room to work. While all of this is going on, you also have a timer ticking away.

Although the concept sounds like it would be a lot of fun, I found the gameplay somewhat frustrating. I discovered that moving a piece into position would require multiple moves resulting in many more pieces and often times more frustration as pieces would get in my way. Although a hammer can eliminate pieces every so often, using it rarely helped. A challenging game, I kept trying it again thinking I was missing something, but usually I would shake my head and move on. In the end, I found it more frustrating than fun.

Mind Games 2

• Developer: Player X
• Requirements: iPhone or iPod Touch, iPhone 2.0 or later
• Price: $1.99
• Appletell Rating: 4/5
• App Store Link: Mind Games 2

Recently, the “brain fitness” niche has experienced significant growth, and this falls squarely into the “brain fitness” category. Although I think my brain is doing pretty well, I can still see the value in keeping it sharpened just in case I ever have to quickly determine colors or shapes, or solve tons of minor mathematical equations before the evil villain drops me in the vat of boiling oil. Okay, maybe the boiling oil thing is a bit much, but I can still see why these games would be popular for those of us in the over (insert your age here) crowd.

The concept is simple. You run through a series of tests to stretch your brain and see how you respond. The tests get more challenging as you progress, and the game gives you points and achievements to help you keep track of your success. There are a lot of levels to unlock to keep the tests challenging and interesting. Tests include math problems, perception puzzles, hearing tests, memory recall challenges, visual coordination, and much more.

Since I started out with low expectations, this game had to grow on me. But as I played it more and got used to the various tests, I began to enjoy the game. At first it seemed somewhat tedious as you had to learn how each test worked. And although the developer provided instructions before each new type, it didn’t always come across as intuitive. I would love to see a practice round before each new test type, but it seemed to be more of a sink or swim challenge. Yet the more familiar I became with the interface, the more fun I had with it. It’s not a game I will play long term, but I would recommend it to those who are looking for an enjoyable game that will stretch your brain.

SpinSlide

• Developer: AppMobi
• Requirements: iPhone or iPod Touch, iPhone 2.0 or later
• Price: $1.99
• Appletell Rating: 5/5
• App Store Link: SpinSlide

I hate to admit it, but I really didn’t expect to like this game. SpinSlide is an iPhone version of those little plastic sliding numbers games that we all had as a kid. I had a love-hate relationship with these things growing up. I would pick them up and solve them once or twice to prove I could do it, but they rarely held my attention. This iPhone version adds a few twists (or at least a few spins) to the old classic. There are tons of option that allow you to liven up the looks of the game and make it more challenging and interesting as you progress. They also add the ability for the tiles to spin, so you have to spin them back to the right orientation before the puzzle is solved, even if you get them in the correct order. Another interesting addition is the ability to use a a picture instead of numbered tiles.

At first, it was a lot like what I expected as I went through and solved the puzzle. I found the spinning tile feature to be annoying, and it seemed like a silly gimmick to add to the game. But as I played it more, it began to grow on me a little. The game really came to life, however, when I had it carve up a picture from photos stored on my own iPhone. Suddenly the spinning tile thing made a lot of sense and became a fun part of the challenge of solving the puzzle. Of all the games I played, this is the one I kept coming back to again and again. Although at first, the options screen was a bit confusing, the multitude of options is what keeps this game challenging and a constant source of fun! It’s definitely a keeper!

The Verdict

Puzzle games are a great category for the iPhone and the iPod Touch as they can be easily played in short bursts when you need a quick break. SpinSlide is a definite jewel, and it beats the other two in this roundup. MindGames 2 is a close second as a good challenge that may help to keep your brain sharp. Both of these games are a good buy, and I would recommend them to anyone who is looking for a quick break. But be warned; they are addictive enough that you may end up stretching that break just a little bit farther.