Orba - Color Smasher Review

By , on March 15, 2010


Orba
Download on the AppStore
3 out of 5

PROS

  • Addictive, simple and elegant gameplay.
  • Visually polished to a mirror finish.

CONS

  • Really just another three-match game.

VERDICT

Orba is another three-match App that's worth having just to show off your Touch device and to eat up those spare moments in your day.


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  • App Store Info

Before we get any further in to this review - yes, Orba by the Kieffer Brothers is little more than another three-match game for the App Store, but before you automatically switch off it's genuinely worth your time. With its polished design and more-ish gameplay, you'll find yourself gravitating back to Orba just because it fills those 30s gaps of free-time in your day perfectly.

Gameplay is basic and requires you to tap groups of three or more orbs to clear them from the screen. The remaining orbs fall in to their new place and form new groups that you can clear. Bonuses are awarded for clearing an entire color off the field and more orbs are added once no more matches are available. There are two game modes available out of the box, with Classic mode adding a new colored orbs after 5 rounds and Quick mode adding them every round.

Ordinarily it's so easy to ignore games like Orba because when push comes to shove, it's been done before - often to death. However unlike many games that are graphically on par with Billy's-first-Flash-game, Orba practically drips with polished style that's clean and visually fresh. It's disappointing that there's no music to tie the App together, but iTunes is supported for background music.

What Orba lacks in depth it makes up for with its polished design and elegant mechanics. If you're going to whip out a game while waiting for the elevator or in a queue at the cafe and don't want to be embarrassed, then this is the game for you.

Screenshots

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