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iPhone
SPiN - Super Shape Puzzle
Posted 12/05/2008 at 1:31:12pm | by Michael Simon

 spin main

Which way does it go, George? 

 

SPiN - Super Shape Puzzle is not a game of wits. Its puzzles won’t make you smarter, and gameplay couldn’t possibly be any more repetitive. But crisp multi-touch integration and impressive 3D graphics make it a game that’s hard to put down.

 

The objective is as simple as it gets. Match 3D objects to their 2D silhouettes by rotating up, down, left, right, clockwise, or 

counterclockwise. Earn points and advance levels by being a speedy matcher, but don't expect to unlock any more challenging puzzles. Each board looks different, but the gameplay is virtually identical.

 

The easiest option for beginners, Arcade, is also the most fun, with bonus stages and multipliers for matches made with the fewest possible spins. Games can be paused and resumed at any time, so the timed modes, which are merely time variations of the same theme, seem a little superfluous. A fun set of 20 trophies mark your personal bests--and worsts. We’re not proud to admit it, but the Dumb Monkey trophy appeared in our case awfully quickly.

 

spin monkey

Yes, we were that dumb. 

 

The backgrounds are nauseatingly cute, with candy-colored characters and vibrant landscapes rounding out the game's cartoonish feel. Three-dimensional spins and subtle shadowing complement the responsive motions. And while we wanted to play in portrait mode, but SPiN doesn't twist that way. We also would have preferred hearing our own tunes, but SPiN saddled us with a soundtrack that is a little too anime for our tastes. Fortunately, it can be turned off.

THE BOTTOM LINE
Rotating objects over and over again shouldn't be this fun. But it is.

SPiN - Super Shape Puzzle 1.0
COMPANY: Secret Exit
CONTACT: www.secretexit.com
PRICE: $4.99
REQUIREMENTS: iPhone or iPod touch with 2.0 software update.
Very cool graphics. Extremely responsive. Takes full advantage of iPhone's interface.
No portrait play. Irritating soundtrack. Can't listen to your own music. Difficult to gauge progress. Insulting trophies.
4/5
COMMENTS
avatarSPiN v1.1 Patch

Greetings from Secret Exit!

We are humbled and overwhelmed by the positive words of the review, and wanted to point out that we have been hard at work on an update to SPiN ever since launch. Conveniently, we have been focusing on the following stuff:

- Allowing the users to listen to their own music
- Support for portrait-mode gameplay
- Improved communication of controls
- Minor scoring tweaks

There will be other minor fixes as well, but we'll mention those when the update is released. The insulting trophy is there to stay, though. We believe in the power of negative encouragement!

We're doing our best to have the update released during December.

Also not mentioned in the review is that our game is currently available for the embarrassingly cheap price of $0.99 for a limited time.

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