Perplexing puzzles that burst to life

Unlike the vast majority of color-matching puzzle games, the play mechanics that power Fractal: Make Blooms Not War may not be readily apparent the first time you play it, nor does the game offer up a dead-simple intro tutorial. Fractal is a bit obtuse, no doubt, but this elegant puzzler is well worth scratching your head for, as the grid-shifting approach gives it a unique feel unlike that of its contemporaries.

As with many such puzzle games, the goal here is to align like colors to clear the icons from the screen—but that’s where the similarities start to fade. Creating large clusters (called “blooms”) of same-colored hexagons is the goal, but instead of moving or rotating existing pieces on the board, you’ll shift entire rows by pushing in new icons, whether you click on a border spot or any empty space on the board.

Skilled placement is needed to pass the difficult missions.

In the campaign mode, you’re given limited pushes to clear a certain number of hexagons from the board in each stage, which requires smart placement and an eye toward spawning epic chain reactions. On the other hand, the arcade mode is all about speed and activating time-extending special pieces, while a puzzle mode brings oddly shaped stages with only a handful of pushes available to clear the objectives.

All three modes bring a unique flavor to the formula, and it’s heady, challenging stuff throughout. Both the minimalist visual aesthetic and bumping electronic tunes perfectly suit the gameplay—and if it wasn’t already alluring enough, the bite-sized Mac App Store price tag should seal the deal for curious puzzle gurus.

The bottom line. Though Fractal: Make Blooms Not War requires a little more patience than the average color-matching affair, you’ll be rewarded by an excitingly distinct and well-designed puzzle experience.