The Plateau for iPhone confounds, pleases
The Plateau is a non-area, a corridor between worlds. That hasn't stopped developer SpoonJuice from packaging it into a $0.99 puzzle game for the iPhone and iPod Touch ($0.99, App Store.
The Plateau's admittedly moreish gameplay revolves around untangling webs of connected "holographic orbs" using the touchscreen to drag them about space, until no lines between the orbs are crossing. Completing each level takes you to a more advanced web to disentangle, generated by an "advanced AI algorithm", meaning you won't see the same web twice.
What makes this game more than a simple puzzler is the gloss that's apparent in every aspect of the game. The graphics are designed by an Apple Design Award winner, Piotr Gajos, and the game looks very professional because of it. The level of attention means things as mundane as backgrounds affect the gameplay in subtle ways. The music, by Sergei Starko, is very well made, but you will tire of what sounds like the soundtrack for a cyborg dracula after roughly 50 seconds.
The game features a challenge mode (50 levels… which seems odd, considering they said there is an algorithm that makes an infinite number of puzzles), Arcade mode (which is timed), automatic game saving and personal high scores. The developers say that online high scores, multiplayer and other game modes are on their way.
There is but one drawback so far: it seems you have to restart your device before playing the game, as failure to do so means the app will crash repeatedly.
The Plateau's admittedly moreish gameplay revolves around untangling webs of connected "holographic orbs" using the touchscreen to drag them about space, until no lines between the orbs are crossing. Completing each level takes you to a more advanced web to disentangle, generated by an "advanced AI algorithm", meaning you won't see the same web twice.
What makes this game more than a simple puzzler is the gloss that's apparent in every aspect of the game. The graphics are designed by an Apple Design Award winner, Piotr Gajos, and the game looks very professional because of it. The level of attention means things as mundane as backgrounds affect the gameplay in subtle ways. The music, by Sergei Starko, is very well made, but you will tire of what sounds like the soundtrack for a cyborg dracula after roughly 50 seconds.
The game features a challenge mode (50 levels… which seems odd, considering they said there is an algorithm that makes an infinite number of puzzles), Arcade mode (which is timed), automatic game saving and personal high scores. The developers say that online high scores, multiplayer and other game modes are on their way.
There is but one drawback so far: it seems you have to restart your device before playing the game, as failure to do so means the app will crash repeatedly.
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