Zentomino
by Eric March on March 10, 2009 at 10:15 am
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(3 votes, average: 3.33 out of 5)
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App Name: | Zentomino |
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| Developer: | Little White Bear Studios |
Version: | 1.0 | |
| Publisher: | Little White Bear Studios |
Size: | 4.1 MB |
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| Category: | Logic & Puzzle Games |
Price: | $1.99/Free | |
The last time I reviewed a LWBS game was the middle of last August, in Frapstr Classic issue 13, wherein I briefly reviewed TanZen Lite and decreed that it was good. It was, as its name suggests, very zen, with some smooth, eye-and-brain-pleasing visuals patterned in a zen garden motif.
This time around the folks at Little White Bear have released its spiritual cousin called Zentomino. Most people will probably find the concept quite familiar, as there are numerous variants of these on the App Store: Fill each board with tetris-like shapes such that they all fit together without overlapping or running over the edge. Little White Bear however have kind of done the Tangram thing here in that each level has a particular design that you must fit the pieces into, rather than just a square board. This adds a certain level of challenge beyond just making squares and rectangles. There are a total of 12 pieces at your disposal, and some or all of them may be employed on each level; it’s up to you to figure out what and where.
The gameplay is simple and intuitive. Tap one of the 12 pieces along either side and drag it to an area you want. Single-tap a piece to rotate it 90° clockwise, or double-tap the piece to flip it horizontally. Then just drag it to the spot you think it fits in; there’s no need for precision, as the game will slide it into the nearest spot once you let go. If you want to put a piece back, just tap and drag it off to either side of the screen and it will return to its slot.
Zentomino also features a rather cool hint system. Double-tap an empty area of the board and you will be given the silhouette of a piece in the spot where it’s designed to go. It doesn’t just give you all the answers if only you keep double-tapping for hints, though. It will only show you the first four or five correct pieces and positions, one at a time, in the same order. You will have to fill in the blanks from there, though. Hey, enlightenment ain’t free, pal.
The visuals follow rather directly in the footsteps of TanZen, bringing back the lovely and familiar zen garden motif, and the music has done the same, with a pleasant, soothing shakuhachi-and-zither piece to accompany your puzzling meditation. There are a grand total of 144 puzzles in this version of Zentomino, which is a whole lotta zen, and there are more being added with updates, too, which is always welcome. At a measly $2 there’s just no way for a puzzle nut to go wrong here — but if for some unfathomable reason you’re still on the fence, Zentomino Lite is also available and will let you evaluate a generous 18 puzzles, and all you have to do for it is snatch the download from the App Store’s hand.
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Posted in Games: Logic & Puzzle, Paid Apps
