Review: 1010! Puzzle

G'day there guys and gals!

In recent days, my family members have been engaging in a battle to be the best and I, once realising what they were doing, took it upon myself to take up the challenge. And that battle is in 1010! Puzzle.

To put it simply, 1010! Puzzle is a strategy puzzle game, where players much place various blocks on a small grid and delete the lines before the next stack of three. The the game obviously takes a shine from the classic Tetris but has made it well their own game. Instead of falling blocks and placing them in rows on the bottom, 1010! allows players to pick and choose where each block goes on the small grid, regardless of place, out of a selection of three randomised blocks, ranging from single blocks to giant L shaped and 9 grid blocks.
Small bits of music can be heard from time to time, mostly when deleting blocks and getting close to ending your game, but these (and the sound effects) aren't much to rave over.

Gameplay can be quick or take up much of your time, depending on your placements and strategy. Colour range is bright yet not to the point of neon, whereas players can also pick and choose their background, which leads us into microtransations. Of course these are all optional, but some may be discouraged at the $4.27 price for a single skin pack of a background and block pattern. The game also heavily features ads, but this is to be expected and around 90% of them can be skipped. The game also offers players the ability to remove ads for a $2 fee. In total, if you're looking to buy all the textures and remove ads, you'll be set back around $21.80.

Lastly, I should mention the few bugs I have experienced, but none haven't caused many issues. Exiting the game to go back to main menu may occasionally take you back to your phone's dashboard, ads may randomly glitch outside the game when using the window option (but is gone by entering the game again) and the brief frame rate will stop on the occasion but only on long playthroughs.

All in all, 1010! is a fairly addictive game that has redefined the inspiration Tetris has left on the gaming world over the decades, and while their work is impressive, it isn't enough to achieve a "wow!" factor. Does this make it bad game? Absolutely not. Gram Games has made a well balanced and excellently made game, and is well worth your time to kill some time. 

Out of 10, I give 1010! Puzzle a 7/10

1010! Puzzle is out now for free on the Google Play and App store.

Jan 2016 Update - Apps/Electronics and E3 Reviews!

G'day there guys and gals! And happy 2016!

Yep, you read that title right; for the first time in years, The GameCave will now offer regular App/Electronic reviews and a return of E3 notes!
In the past, I've made several reviews in regards to products for the Xbox consoles (such as third party controllers, recharging docks, etc) to well success and during my comeback from hiatus of last year with a review on Fallout Shelter, it was also just as well received.

And with E3 also now just around the corner, I'm happy to announce that reviews for Apps, electronics and E3 will now be a full time offer from GameCave!
In regards to this, I'll be reviewing any Apps suggested or currently used, despite of release date, the same with electronics. As for E3, I'll be making key notes of specific conferences and posting them here as well.

So that's it! Expect App/electronic reviews to be smaller than standard reviews but otherwise, it's business as usual! I'm still incredibly busy with University, which must take priority, but again I'll be reviewing whenever possible.

And as always, have fun and game on!

-Al

Review: Assassin's Creed Chronicles India

G'day there guys and gals!

(Please note! As I didn't have the time to review AC Chronicles China when it came out, I'll give my score for the game at the bottom of this review. Also, as the Chronicles are meant as a trilogy, each part will be rated in DLC form)

Assassin's Creed Chronicles China opened the world of the Brotherhood to a 2.5D world, where players needed to navigate puzzles and obstacles in order to progress. Chronicles has so far featured Shao Jun, one of the last members of the Chinese Brotherhood on a quest for vengeance after her mentor's death during the 16th century, all the while the story revolving around the mysterious box Ezio had given her in AC Embers. Now in the India setting, players take control of Arbaaz Mir, a young Assassin on a journey to free his mentor and discover the secrets of two Pieces of Eden.

Immediately we see slight similarities between the previous game, including the usage of Eagle Vision, cryptic clues, collectibles and so on, but I'm glad to say here is where most end. The gameplay itself is mostly the same as its predecessor (as to be expected) including the based missions, painting cutscenes and text exposition, but includes a few new tricks with items such as Smoke Bombs to temporarily stop enemies, and Chakrams, ringed throwing knives that bounce off surfaces. The game also introduces a few more difficult enemy types such as Masters, enemies that hide inside hiding areas, rarely move and will instantly kill you if unnoticed. Also introduced are decayed areas, stalactites, scaffolds and the like that will eventually break and drop, speeding up your movements.
The sound effects sadly are most of the same, but the musical score is revamped and given the eastern civilization twist, with the odd Ezio's Family popping up now and again. I'd also like to mention the terrific art style, as the games do feature a lot of red, but this time around is much more bright and colourful, despite the often dark overtones. 

Voice acting is surprisingly well done, the dialogue between Arbaaz's mentor and Pyara Kaur, however short and brief these moments are, but Arbaaz truly ties it together well with his (dare I say) cheekiness and charm. The story itself is ever so slightly off-putting, as a single page of text drops you into Arbaaz's world (so those who do not read the comics/books may be a little lost), however the game does pick up fairly well after that. Without giving away plot points, the ending is fairly cut and dried with not much to go on, but I do recommend to watch after the credits (As the same with Chronicles China) for a tiny glimpse into the future and past of two people in the AC World.

Overall, I am fairly excited to see what will happen next in Russia with one of the fandom's oldest and most beloved character and I do highly suggest fans check out the Chronicles for themselves. India is fairly shorter than China, but the extras (even additional ones such as cosmetics and gameplay styles) is fairly worth your time. To Casuals wishing for a different take on the Assassin's Creed world on a bargain, this is the place for you.

Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China - A-

Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India - B

Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China and India are out now for the standard price of $13