Review: Edge (gaming in an isometric universe)
The iPhone has recently been picking up a lot of higher-quality game titles, such as SimCity, Rolando, and more recently - Edge. Edge ($5.99, App Store) is an interesting title from studio Mobigame that found itself winning a lot of awards in very little time, and was brought over to the iPhone's App Store promptly.
In Edge, you are a colour-shifting cube in a isometric universe made of other cubes. The goal of the game is to navigate through these hard-edged levels, collecting smaller brightly coloured cubes if you can, and then to reach an exit point, at which point you will be teleported to the next landscape of cubes.
The game is controlled either with the touchscreen, by swiping your finger in the direction you'd like the cube to roll to, or using the accelerometer in the iPhone, meaning you can tilt to control your cube. Both are very finely tuned control schemes - and for good reason, as many will discover later on in the game.
What must be mentioned is the Edge's presentation. The graphics are subtle yet distinct, and rolling your coloured cube across a landscape of smoothly shaded cubes has a visual pleasure to it that cannot be denied. The game's visual cues are well thought out, too: cubes with coloured vertices mean that they are animated and prone to shift around the stage, and also mark needed collectibles and goals. The menus tie in perfectly with the game's signature look, with hard edges and plenty of flashing, coloured pixels setting the tone.
Fitting in with the mesmeric visuals is the equally hypnotic music, which ranges from bouncing electronic beats to soft and ominous hums using sounds that remind us of older electronic games - purely electronic sound. Throughout Edge, there is a sense of purity being part of the design document, from the graphics to the music, and all the way down to the gameplay.
The gameplay in Edge starts from simply getting bearings on moving around in a square world, and then quickly begins to introduce new mechanisms like switches, which would lift you on a platform into a bumper, which would launch you into a myriad of moving platforms. This sort of level design begins to become more and more complex, until the moving platforms are dancing around you, and exploring the level feels a little like stepping into the void.
Then you begin to discover all the little nuances of the game, such as how your cube can use its ability to balance on edges to effectively float in mid-air, which when combined with moving structures of cubes becomes a vital way to get about in the game. This, combined with many more such little tricks, begins to make the cube's repertoire very acrobatic, attaining Mario-like bouts of fluid and fun movement. It's something that has to be seen to be admired.
The game is quite forgiving -- falling off the level instantly puts you a few moments back in the game, making progress through the game a joy rather than a chore - but it is also challenging. At the end of each level, you are scored on time, the number of falls you had, and the number of minicubes you collected, and graded. In future versions (which will also include new levels), there will be functionality for net rankings.
The game is deep, enigmatic, with plenty of room for playing it over and over. It has charming presentation and music, and is perfectly suited to short bouts of moreish play, perfect for the iPhone, which is quickly becoming a huge success in the world of mobile games.
In Edge, you are a colour-shifting cube in a isometric universe made of other cubes. The goal of the game is to navigate through these hard-edged levels, collecting smaller brightly coloured cubes if you can, and then to reach an exit point, at which point you will be teleported to the next landscape of cubes.
The game is controlled either with the touchscreen, by swiping your finger in the direction you'd like the cube to roll to, or using the accelerometer in the iPhone, meaning you can tilt to control your cube. Both are very finely tuned control schemes - and for good reason, as many will discover later on in the game.
What must be mentioned is the Edge's presentation. The graphics are subtle yet distinct, and rolling your coloured cube across a landscape of smoothly shaded cubes has a visual pleasure to it that cannot be denied. The game's visual cues are well thought out, too: cubes with coloured vertices mean that they are animated and prone to shift around the stage, and also mark needed collectibles and goals. The menus tie in perfectly with the game's signature look, with hard edges and plenty of flashing, coloured pixels setting the tone.
Fitting in with the mesmeric visuals is the equally hypnotic music, which ranges from bouncing electronic beats to soft and ominous hums using sounds that remind us of older electronic games - purely electronic sound. Throughout Edge, there is a sense of purity being part of the design document, from the graphics to the music, and all the way down to the gameplay.
The gameplay in Edge starts from simply getting bearings on moving around in a square world, and then quickly begins to introduce new mechanisms like switches, which would lift you on a platform into a bumper, which would launch you into a myriad of moving platforms. This sort of level design begins to become more and more complex, until the moving platforms are dancing around you, and exploring the level feels a little like stepping into the void.
Then you begin to discover all the little nuances of the game, such as how your cube can use its ability to balance on edges to effectively float in mid-air, which when combined with moving structures of cubes becomes a vital way to get about in the game. This, combined with many more such little tricks, begins to make the cube's repertoire very acrobatic, attaining Mario-like bouts of fluid and fun movement. It's something that has to be seen to be admired.
The game is quite forgiving -- falling off the level instantly puts you a few moments back in the game, making progress through the game a joy rather than a chore - but it is also challenging. At the end of each level, you are scored on time, the number of falls you had, and the number of minicubes you collected, and graded. In future versions (which will also include new levels), there will be functionality for net rankings.
The game is deep, enigmatic, with plenty of room for playing it over and over. It has charming presentation and music, and is perfectly suited to short bouts of moreish play, perfect for the iPhone, which is quickly becoming a huge success in the world of mobile games.