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The first game ngmoco released is a 99 cent physics-based puzzle game, called Topple, which is a good idea. Trends in the App Store has shown that quick, fun low-cost games are the ones getting the most attention and purchases. Topple achieves this by being a game you can quickly get into, have fun, and then exit when you have to. The goal is to stack a bunch of mischievous, depraved shapes as high as you can within a set amount of time without everything toppling over.
You guide shapes on top of each other with your finger, and then tilt your iPhone/iPod Touch to keep things stable if necessary. The expressions on the faces of each shapes give you clues as to the stability, and whether or not they can hang in there or not. The expressions is a large part of why the game works out so well. They are funny, full of personality, but the best part, is that they are part of the gameplay.
There’s a training mode to get you familiar with how to play the game. Then there’s the Levels mode which allows you to play in increasingly difficult levels, of which there are 10. Finally, there’s Free Play mode where there’s no time limit and you can stack shapes as high as you can go.
Unfortunately, in Free Play mode, it doesn’t record your height, and when you lose it doesn’t tell you how high you went. Free Play would’ve been a lot more fun if it had some sort of score/tracking mechanism involved.
As you play, you can unlock achievements, similar to how it works on the Xbox Live. There are 10 achievements in total to unlock. Each level that you complete records your highest height for that level, the minimum time to beat, and the target score to reach.
Some rudimentary physics is involved in Topple. Each shape is affected by the shape it interacts with. So if you put a square shape on top of a round one, well … don’t expect it to hold up. There are golden eggs that, if you put it in play, will award you big points.
One issue I have with the physics is the perceived weight. If you barely touch another shape on the side, it’ll go flying, no matter whether it’s a big shape or a small one. If the bigger shapes were heavier, it’d add an additional (fun) strategic element to the gameplay.
The game is over when, in Levels mode, the time runs out, or if more than four pieces fly off the screen. You can throw away shapes if you don’t want to stack it, but you’re only given four chances to do this.
Topple looks great. As mentioned above, each shape has their own expression that convey what’s going on. The colors are bright and vibrant, and even the menus are polished and well-done. As you go higher with your stack, the level changes slightly to convey that height (ground, to the stars, for example) and every 3 level has its own unique look. Both sound effects and music are fantastic, and are quite memorable. The music changes tempo based on what’s going on; so if it looks like everything’s about to topple, the music picks up in urgency.
All told, Topple is the perfect 99 cent game. It’s easy to pick up and play, has a lot of replay value, and the quirky personality of the shapes has proven popular with people I showed the game to. Other than a few minor niggles with the physics, this is a perfect puzzle game.
Tags: ngmoco, Puzzle, reviews, topple
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ngmoco has lowered the price of all of its currently available App Store titles, in promotion of the upcoming release of the puzzle-platformer 
