Puzzlejuice – Review – Tetris, Boggle, and match-three served in a blender
By App Type: Uncategorized
Our rating: 
By: Asher Vollmer
Version #: 1.0.1
Date Released: 2012-01-26
Developer: Asher Vollmer
Price: 0.99
User Rating:
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Puzzlejuice is a fairly new universal iOS game that’s a really smart synthesis of concepts inspired by Tetris, Boggle, and match-three games. In Puzzlejuice, the player controls a succession of blocks made up of multicolored tiles dropping from the top of the screen. As in the ultra-popular game Tetris, the blocks must have been moved, rotated, and neatly arranged the moment they fall so that eventually at least one horizontal line is fully occupied by tiles. But unlike in Tetris, where tiles disappear, the tiles in Puzzlejuice turn into letters as soon as they make a complete line. That explains the Tetris part of Puzzlejuice’s DNA, but what of Boggle and match-three?
The Boggle part lies in the player’s objective to clear tiles from the screen by forming words out of the letters so far revealed. Adjacent letters—be they adjoined horizontally, vertically, or diagonally—are swiped according to their sequence in the word being formed, and if the resultant word is indeed a real word the letter tiles disappear, yielding more space to drop blocks into and prolonging the game.
But it’s not only through forming complete lines that letters can be produced. The basic mechanics of match-three games are invoked in the player’s option to make more letters appear on the screen by tapping three or more adjacent tiles of the same color. Given this choice, the player doesn’t need to repeatedly stand by for the correct blocks to fit into whatever void there is on the screen. So long as tiles of the same color are adjoined on the screen, the game is safe.
Puzzlejuice has two game modes. The mechanics heretofore discussed are applied in Core mode. The other mode is Zen mode, and is so called because in this mode blocks don’t fall at all. Each new block remains stationary at the top of the screen until it is swiped downwards. Another point of departure of Zen mode from the Core mode is that each game is played with the aim of getting a high score within only 90 seconds, as opposed to the functional infinity of Core mode.
After each game, formed words are recapped, and the player can double-tap on any of the words to see the definition provided the iOS system dictionary. The developer has also clearly anticipated the trouble in spelling words on the iPhone, whose relatively small screen makes it difficult to see what letters are underneath the player’s big finger, and this has been remedied with the game’s Picture-in-Picture loupe feature. On the iPad this feature is unnecessary and is thefore absent.
Evidently, Puzzlejuice is born out of an idea so clever that the player might end up slightly resenting the developer for being the one who thought of it first. As soon as the resentment is over, though, full appreciation and addiction would definitely come into play.
Quick Take
Value:High.
Would I Buy Again:Yes.
Learning Curve:A bit high.
Who Is It For:Players who like to play Tetris, Boggle, and match-three in one place.
What I Like:The clever mixing of concepts from other established games, the colorful graphics.
What I Don't Like:On the iPad, the dictionary occupies the entire screen instead of just popping up in a small box alongside the word being defined.
Final Statement:The proper spelling of Puzzlejuice is S-U-C-C-E-S-S.
boggle WOW WE'RE STILL FEATURED DISCOUNT!!
Puzzlejuice takes all of the elements of your favorite puzzle games and puts it into one convenient brightly colored package!
This game was designed to challenge both your spatial and verbal abilities and if you don’t feel overwhelmed then you might not be human. It’s a puzzle that will keep you hooked.
COME FOR THE PUZZLE. STAY FOR THE JUICE.
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* HOW'S IT WORK? *
Multicolored BLOCKS constantly fall from the top of the screen and it’s up to you to arrange them. Once you complete a row with these blocks they will turn into LETTERS! The only way to clear out these blocks is to spell WORDS. Oh and also you can MATCH COLORS—that will make letters too.
* CORE MODE *
Test your endurance by seeing how long you can withstand the downpour. Complete objectives to unlock POWERUPS that will make you life easier as the game gets harder!
* ZEN MODE EXTREME *
Don't have a lot of time? Great! This mode is Zen because the blocks don't fall, so you don't have to worry about them piling to the top. This mode is EXTREME because you ONLY HAVE 90 SECONDS.
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"LOCAL" MULTIPLAYER: There's a lot to do in this game so it's great to play with friends! One of you can sort the blocks while the others look for words. Divide and CONQUER.
PICTURE-IN-PICTURE: We've packed the same experience into both the iPhone and iPad, but we know that phones are small and thumbs are big, so when you start spelling a word on the phone, a preview pops up to show the letters underneath your fingers!
GAME CENTER: Challenge your friends or try to become the world's best Puzzlejuice Master!
DICTIONARY: Spell a word and don't know what it means? No problem, we've got you covered.
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It’s not your mother’s word game; it has balls. Brass balls. Puzzlejuice is for closers.
