WP App Review : Pixel Shaper

Pixel Shaper (Version 1.0)

Rockhead Games

$0.99

Pixel Shaper is an older game which is based mainly on shooting elements mixed with a bit of strategy/puzzle. Small blocks, or pixels, slowly fall from the top of the screen and your goal is to shoot small circles into the dots to clear them away. Pixels that are connected must all be filled before cleared from the screen.

The main screen is Tetris-like as block pieces slowly progress towards the bottom of your screen. In the example above, you'll need to touch the screen on the same axis as the block at which point you can tap on the large "shoot" button on the right. Small circles will fire and when you fill up both of the blocks, it'll clear away from the screen.

Continuously filling the blocks without missing will earn you multiplier points as more complex patterns are dropped down. And with these more complex pieces, you'll get the urge to randomly fire. However, if you fire towards an axis which already has the blocks filled in, a red circle will pile up in that axis. This red circle prevents the block pattern from being cleared out and you must tap on the red circle to clear it out before the whole block piece can be cleared away.

And of course, the obligatory "boss" fight at the end of each stage ...

It might seem a bit confusing reading the explanation, but a few playthroughs is all that's needed to get the hang of the game. The overall game play experience is well polished; graphics are crisp and colorful and the game features a nice solid electronic beat to it. Controls are extremely responsive, however, it can be a bit troublesome to aim towards the right of the screen since you'll need to stretch your thumb out. If you have smaller hands, this may pose a problem. Although the controls are solid for the most part, having an extra dedicated button to move left/right could have worked as well. The touch implementation is nice but feels a bit hard to control accurately when trying to shoot quickly.

Pros : Easy to pick up, fast paced, solid graphics and game play

Cons : More control settings would be nice