Review: ShapeShifter
Roll up, roll up for carnival style fun with Astraware’s Shape Shifter in collaboration with Game House. Remember those baby toys putting shaped pieces into slots? Shape Shifter uses that idea to create a unique game for all, combining puzzle solving and precision against the clock for frantic fun.
Shape Shifter is compatible with QVGA and VGA screens but does not have a native VGA version. It requires Pocket PC 2002 or later and is Windows Mobile 5 compatible.
Thanks to Alison Barclay of Astraware for providing a review copy.
Supplier: Astraware
Cost: US$14.95
Available in the 4WindowsMobile Game Store
Or from Astraware here.
Tested on:
MDA Compact
VGA Version not tested
Also available for Palm OS (not reviewed)
Installing
Shape Shifter uses a very modest 932K of memory, very low for a colourful game with effects and sound. Installation went flawlessly.
Starting
The help is just one sentence for each game mode. Game play is simple so it is not hard to pick up, but a small animation would have helped because Shape Shifter is different to any other PPC game I’ve tried. The first couple of runs I lost the game before I could work out what was going on. Very soon I got the hang of it, and only gave up after two and a half hours because my hands hurt.
Try out before purchase
The game is fully functional in trial mode with a nag screen that imposes an increased delay each time it appears, giving potential purchasers a fair opportunity to assess the game.
Basic Game play
The rules are very simple: move shapes from the tray at the bottom of the screen to fill up the holes in the moving rows. When all shapes in a row are filled the row disintegrates. Movement can be drag and drop a shape, or tap on the shape then tap on the hole. The rows of holes move across the screen in different directions; every so often they all change and start moving the other way which is very disconcerting.
There are two game modes:
Shape Speedster
The game board starts with three rows to be filled. Each level has a number of rows to be filled up. The player must clear existing rows to make space for the new rows that appear. Complete a level by filling all its rows; if a new row arrives when there is no space for it the game is lost.
Beat the clock
The game board starts full to the top. Fill all the rows before the time runs out. Bonus levels offer higher scores for more challenging play, but the game continues even if the bonus is not won.
More game features
Placing a special game piece indicated by the silver bubble effect earns a reward – extra time, bonus score, a tray full of paint tube shaped wildcards to fill any hole or use of the revealer. When the revealer is operational tap on a shape in the tray and every hole of the same shape reveals itself by flashing grey.
The circle at bottom left allows players to dispose of unwanted pieces. Individual pieces can be moved to the circle in the same way as to a hole, or if you are in a hurry just tap the circle and it will swallow the leftmost piece in the tray. This is very useful when frantically trying to find the last piece for the last row against the clock.
There is a pause button to permit play to be stopped and restarted. However this isn’t needed, as there is an excellent resume feature. Simply stop playing and exit the game. On re-opening there is a choice of resuming the same game or abandoning it to start a new one. The pause and resume also handles alarms and incoming phone calls.
At the end of the game the score is shown briefly at the top of the screen and then the top 10 scores screen is shown. Sometimes this seems a bit too fast. The game is frenetic so there isn’t time during play to keep an eye on the score; it is frustrating to miss the score sometimes.
Sound
The sound effects give useful feedback indicating when the player is attempting to put a shape in the wrong hole, and a satisfying noise for a correctly placed shape. The sounds intensify the frenetic pace of the game, especially the countdown against the clock.
The music is quite pleasant, but does not stick to the carnival theme.
Sound effects and music can be controlled separately.
Graphics
The excellent graphics are a very big contributor to the quality of this game. The playing pieces are really well shaded and the playing arena is well drawn. There are delightful little touches like the sand running through the hourglass until the top is empty when it spins around.Level complete is indicated by illustrations in the style of old cigarette cards. These provide a welcome natural pause point in play.The carnival theme is maintained consistently and helps to make Shape Shifter into a visual treat. Even the high score table is in style.
Longevity
Both game modes have 99 levels. Higher levels are more difficult. They contain more shapes and pairs of similar shapes that are easy to confuse, such as smiling and frowning faces. Shapes that always had one colour on the lower levels suddenly change to a different colour, making them harder to recognise.The player can choose the start level, so it is not necessary to keep repeating the easier levels. The player can choose a high numbered level for a difficult but quick game or a lower numbered level for a longer session.Taken together these features add up to a game that will continue to provide a challenge for a long time to come.
Conclusion
Gorgeous graphics, good sound effects and unique play add up to a real treat. I’ll still be playing this in a year’s time trying to finish every level, which makes it the best game on my device.
Pros
• Unique game play
• 99 levels offer a long-term challenge
• Great graphics with a unified theme
• Pause and resume play at any time
• Starting at a high level offers good players a quick but satisfying game
Cons - very minor
• Introduction for new players is rather short
• Score display disappears a bit too soon sometimes
4WM Rating 95%
Linear Mode
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