Eighty-Eight
Platform: iOS
Eighty-Eight is a puzzle game from Premiere Liaison that smashes together numbers and logic. The simple set-up places you on an 8x8 grid of squares with a few blocks resting comfortably at the bottom. New blocks appear, ready to be dropped, and with a little bit of forethought (ok, boatloads of forethought) you can create some elegant chain reactions and keep the screen as empty as possible. Or, you know, panic and start crying because THE NUMBERS ARE EVERYWHERE.
New blocks appear at the top of the screen and can be dropped down any column by tapping on the grid. Blocks only disappear when the digit displayed on its face matches the number of blocks in that column or row. So, for example, if you place a "2" block on top of a single "4" block, the "2" will immediately disappear. Numberless gray blocks also appear from time to time, and special shaded blocks need to be busted open before they can vanish. It's all a wonderfully tidy mess of squares!
Old mobile game pros will recognize this very similar set-up as displayed by Drop7, one of the early hits on iOS devices. Eighty-Eight doesn't try to hide its inspirations, but it does go a little further by introducing a badge system, gameplay statistics, Game Center support, and two unique modes of play. Easy to understand, but building a decent level of proficiency will require time and patience, which is exactly why we love games like this!
NOTE: This game was played and reviewed on the iPad 3. Game was available in the North American market at the time of publication, but may not be available in other territories. Please see individual app market pages for purchasing info.
Nice game, but only because Drop7 is such an outstanding game. I still prefer the original Drop7 (over this game and also even over the Zynga version).
Eighty-Eight is still lacking some features such as sound/music settings. Or maybe I just can't find them in which case they're pretty well hidden.
I also ran into a bug within one minute after having bought the game. If you drag your finger off of the screen to the right, the column is deselected and you can no longer drop the piece. You will need to start a new game to recover from this.
Drop7 still works best for me. Best game on iOS ever! :-)
Smee again... :-)
I must admit that I also got quite hooked on Eighty Eight already. It is a good game. One really can't go wrong with Drop7 as the inspiration but this new game is a good implementation. So get this game! And give the original some love as well and get that too!
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