Tuesday 9 September 2014

App Review No. 63 Circle the Dot

Strong Points:
Nice, clear graphics
Good sound effects
Interesting gameplay idea

Weak Points:
No music
Based on luck instead of skill
Very one note
Only one mode
Frustratingly difficult


In-depth Review:

Release Dates:
World Wide: 15 August, 2014

Controls:
Tap the tiles to place an orange dot

The objective of the game is simple and self-explanatory. You have to circle the dot, that's it. However, nothing is ever as simple or as easy as that. The tools that you have at your disposal are orange dots. The enemy, a blue dot. Then the luck comes into play. The blue dot is placed randomly on a board of circles that lead onto six other circles. Around the board are randomly placed orange dots that are there to help you. The gameplay involves you trying to stop the blue dot from reaching the edge of the screen. This is achieved by placing orange dots in its path. However, unless you get a good placement of helper dots to begin with this can be very difficult to achieve due to the amount of possible moves that the dot can make. And so, the game is more about luck than skill although some people may be able to outsmart the app (at least for some layouts). You are judged by how many moves it takes you to completely surround the dot.

Other than that, the graphics are as crisp and clean as I have come to expect from Ketchapp. However, the game can be a little over/under sensitive at times, leading to accidental dot placement (and thereby adding to the frustration). Also, while the sound effects are good, there is no music at all. 

Overall, Circle the Dot is an app that starts out with a great idea but is ultimately undone by a lack of care for it. A different mode would have been nice too.

Rating: 20%

Goodbye for now, Harry 

Update: bug fixes

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