Strata
is a puzzle game from Graveck Interactive famous for their games like Jump Dewds!
and Skee-Ball on Apple's iOS. Good to see a highly acclaimed developer making
its way to the Windows Phone 8 Platform.
Strata
is a unique puzzle game that has a perfect combination of simplicity ,
elegance and challenge.
Gameplay-
Puzzle consists of squares arranged in a
grid which have a unique colour. The goal of the game is to strategically
layer coloured ribbons in rows & columns to match the pattern of coloured
squares. As simple as the rules are, the challenge lies in matching the top
most ribbon with the same coloured square underneath it which becomes
cumbersome as the number of grids increase.
Tutorial does an
awesome job of setting out the rules of the game within a short span of time
The game starts with 2x2 grid but the number of grids increase as
you progress. If you manage to complete the level without reversing your move,
u get a 'Perfect' award as shown in the picture above.
Getting
a 'Perfect' award requires a lot of forethought & you have to plan your
strategy precisely as you don't get a second chance. Although, this can be
mastered by playing the same level again
Design-
The design of Strata and its User
interface is minimalist and simplistic as the Metro UI (Oops Modern UI) of
Windows Phone. There are no distractions in the form of advertisements or any
mindless interruptions. The transitions while swiping the ribbons are
smooth. The UI consists of 3 icons- Hints, Restart and Back.
Audio-
The most striking feature
of this game is the background audio which starts when you swipe the ribbon.
The tempo builds up as you swipe a layer of ribbon, which fades away if u stop
swiping for too long. If you make a wrong move, there is a bummer tone. These
little audio changes have a pleasant effect while playing.
Number of levels-
The game is divided into 6 sets - Entwine,
Flourish, Persist, Sundry, Prodigy and Harvest. There are a massive 396
levels in total which will take hours to complete. There is no in-app
purchasing, all the levels are available when you buy the Full game.
Performance-
The game was reviewed on
Lumia 920 which has 1GB RAM. There was no lag or crashes whatsoever. Although,
there is a minor bug which occurs when you press back button rapidly when you
are at Set 5 or 6.
Wrap Up-
The puzzle game which gets its basics
right. Simplistic design & impressive audio coupled with massive number of
levels, this game is a must buy in case you love puzzles. The game cost Rs.160 ($3). But not to worry, you can try the game before purchasing. Click the link here.
The review is written by Zeeshan Mhaskar, a Medical student and Diehard Gamer who enjoys playing Dota, Halo and Assassin's creed. XBL GT - Zeeshan360
Review Edited by Alim Aslam.
