iPhone Series: Enigmo

Enigmo is a physics-based puzzle game that centers on the seemingly simple goal of getting drops of water from one pot to another, although accomplishing that goal can be quite the task.

You have 8 different items at your disposal, although each level only lets you use a certain number of those items, so you have to use them in a certain way. There are bumpers, slides, accelerators, sponges, and a few more pieces you can use. There is an inventory area on the left side of the screen and you simply tap on one to grab it and then slide it where you want to move it. You can then rotate and place it however you like.

There are multiple obstacles in your way as well. Sometimes, it is simply that the vase you need to get the water in is in an odd location, behind some walls, but other times, there are gates and buttons that you need to press. In many levels, there are multiple colored pots, so you have to get the standard blue in the blue pot, red in the red, and/or green in the green, however, only the blue water drips to start with. In order to get the others to turn on, you must ricochet the blue droplets onto the red or green button. This is the same process as unlocking gates; you must get some droplets through a hoop to make the gate vanish, but you can’t simply move the water away once you get a few through the hoop. In order to keep the water dropping or keep the gate down, you have to have the water bouncing on the button or through the hoop, respectively. Also, if you don’t complete the puzzle quickly, the water collected in the vase will start to evaporate; you need 40 droplets total.

I’m not sure exactly how points are earned, but I know you get a bonus for not using all of the parts, as well as there being a bonus timer, which continually runs down until you complete the puzzle. However, the bonus timer can completely run down and you can continue your attempt, you just won’t get any extra points. Unfortunately though, which I don’t like, the bonus timer starts right when you are introduced to the level, so you don’t have any time to think if you want the most points. I think they should have given you some time to at least look at the level first and think for a second before the bonus timer started. I think the timer should start when you pick up your first item.

The game itself comes with 50 levels, but you can also download level packs from other users for free, which is an awesome feature. Currently, there are a lot of user submitted packs available for download and most of them have around 50 levels in them, so the game can last infinitely.
This is a perfect game for the iPhone or iPod Touch, as levels are short, so you can pick up and play whenever you get a minute, or sit down and go though a bunch of levels at once. The levels are clever and will require some thought and experimenting, so they are fun and rewarding when you come up with the solution, and the controls are very simple. You can zoom in and out as you would any other application and move around objects with ease. The physics in the game are spot on and overall, this is just a great game.

Overall Score - 9/10

You can buy Enigmo on iTunes.

Posted in collaboration with GamersPlatform.