Pixld
From the minds behind Portal comes a complex and compelling puzzle game.
It shouldn't come as any surprise to learn that the simple dual-color gameplay of Pixld has sprung forth from two of the minds behind Valve's masterpiece Portal. This mobile game is just as deceptively simple as that famously brain-bending series, and while it never quite reaches the complexity of GLaDOS's most diabolical creations, it's still a devilishly deep mobile game.
Every action on the game board is controlled with just a simple tap of a tiles, each of which is one of two colors. Pressing a tile not only causes its own color to switch around, but also that of every tile surrounding it. As you can imagine, it takes some extremely careful thinking and forethought to make the three-or-more match-ups that add points to the scoreboard.
Each one of Pixld's many game modes does a fantastic job of focusing this simple gameplay towards different goals and challenges. In '60 Sec', you'll need to get the highest score possible in under a minute, but you can capture time bonus blocks by including them in a match-up. 'Levld' is similar, but as you complete match-ups you fill up a leveling bar, which gives you a 20 second time boost whenever it's completely filled. '50 Taps' gives you exactly that many touches to get as high a score as possible.
After exploring the tutorial screens of the game (something we definitely recommend doing), you're advised to tackle the 'Tap 4 Evr' mode where you can explore the mechanics of the game without any time pressure or penalties for failed match-ups. It's useful, but we found the 'Must Match' mode a good deal more useful for learning the ropes. In this mode, the game ends whenever you fail to make a match from a single tap, and it reinforces learning and cautious play much more effectively.
In many of the modes there's an element of chance to many of your finest moments, and you'll often find that opting for the simplest match-up causes a hands-off chain reaction that sends your score through the stratosphere. It's a pity that so many of your high-scores will be accomplished in this way, but there's nothing stopping you from evolving more complex strategies as you become more and more adept at the game.
Pixld's a puzzle game that ticks all of our boxes and we think it will tick yours too. It's a tightly designed, breathtaking simple but addictive design concept, and it will challenge and entertain even the keenest of puzzle addicts for a long time to come.
What's Hot: Simplistic but addictive gameplay, spread across some varied and challenging modes.
What's Not: The tutorial requires you to work out just a little too much on your own.
4.5/5
