[phoenixreanimation]

FancyStacker1.1 is featured in the "what we're playing" section now !




iTunes Link: iTunes Store
Lite Link: iTunes Store


Youtube::

flickrImage: Flickr: REANIMATION2009's Photostream
flickrVideo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/reanima...09/3952953268/


Another Topple this is not. The closest I think it comes to is Stacked. The BIG difference though is that while you are given an ordered set of shapes to drop and balance, the order in which they appear is not necessarily the proper way to complete the level. For instance in one of the earlier levels you get a triangle and then a long plank. But the only way to get them to balance is to get the long plank UNDER the triangle - so you have to drop the triangle from high on the screen, get the plank and quickly drop that one so that the triangle lands on it - reversing the order. Then there is a level with balls rolling down a ramp and a spinny thing at the end. Now to prevent the little balls from falling down you need to get one of the last shapes offered on the spinny thing before all the little balls. So as you can see the game takes quite a bit more planning and manipulation than the other stacking type games.

Graphics: 3/5; Sounds: 5/5
The graphics are of the line drawing that have become popular of late. I am not sure why some of the check marks are sideways or even tilted or bent. In fact though I know WHY there are exclamation points that turn to check marks I am not sure that is needed. It actually makes me a bit nervous that I did the wrong thing and its warning me that I dropped the block in the wrong place! The colors are a bit muted and sometimes makes the objects look a little blurry (maybe just my eyes though). The music (new in this release) is soothing and suits a game of this nature.

Gameplay: 4/5
There are walkthroughs of the first ten levels which can be considered a help guide. It shows that sometimes the order of the shapes are not the ideal order to solving the puzzle. All in all, the difficulty ramps up rather quickly in the 40 levels. That's not such a bad thing for a game with only 40 levels though. It will detract those that are more comfortable with the easier difficulties. Not quite sure that someone who knows their ability on this kind of game lies in the easy to medium range would want to take a chance on a game with only 40 levels knowing they might only get through half or less. I would rather see more levels spread across the difficulties.

Controls: 5/5
Controlling the pieces is all done by touch and I found them to be very precise and tight. That is a big plus since you rely so much on precision and timing in this game.

Overall: 4/5
When all is said and done, this is an excellent physics stacker that is quite unlike the other stackers on the market. This one involves timing and precision and thinking ahead with the pieces you have available. With some fine tuning on the graphics (the clarity and the exclamation points) this will be an excellent alternative. Adding some easier and mid-level difficulties will also open this up to the more casual gamer who likes to just drop and stack - but with the timing twist.

Great job at creating this Phoenix Reanimation and wonderful to see you involved in the fine tuning of this game.

reviewed by New England Gamer