Photon Review
PROS
- Tilting and moving orbs gives players a unique way to 'order' color drops.
- Difficulty set by the player; drop more if you want higher scores, but it's risk vs. reward.
CONS
- IAP provides shortcuts to one-off power-ups that can significantly change your score; feels anti-competitve for its leaderboard focused mode (especially as you need to pay to keep playing).
VERDICT
Photon is deceptively simple - while you can play at a relaxed pace, adventurous gamers can turn up the challenge at any time, making it an interesting color-matching experience.
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[This title is the Mini-Review for the Friday News Wrap-Up for the 27th of April, 2012]
I recently caught up with some of the fine lads who work with the Australian developer Valhalla Studios Bifrost and it struck me as odd that I hadn't checked out their relatively recent arcade puzzle title, Photon.
Sporting a Tron-like neon visual style, the gameplay itself takes its cues from the three-match genre. The game's catch is simple - tilting can jiggle around the orbs, allowing you access to longer chains.
In the 'Classic' mode players also have to contend with bonus orbs that can be added to and also used to extend your chain; at first the gameplay is slow, but once you're accustomed to making matches you can speed things up by 'forcing' additional drops. The game's second mode, 'Arcade' pits you against a variation of the Classic gameplay, removing power-ups and replacing them with multi-color chain extenders. You have a limited time to earn as many points as possible, and players can purchase single-use power-ups that affect your attempt with 'atoms' earned during play.
Of course players can purchase more atoms via IAP, giving a distinct advantage to those who pay to play over those who have to grind their way there.
None-the-less, Photon is a simple puzzle distraction that will keep your hands busy if you need a new time waster.
Screenshots
