OCTOPI review

In Octopi, you control a circle that can multiply and form links and chains of itself to gather coins. As time goes by, the parts will deteriorate and explode so you have to maneuver quickly and avoid filling in too much space and trapping yourself. This game is like snake or any game similar to that. This game was released by Baris Tumerkan and is available for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.

The main game is unique and it’s unique because it works. You start as a single circle in the center of the stage. A yellow coin is sitting on the side of the screen and your job is to multiply a clone of your main circle to an empty space on the field. Essentially, you are extending an ‘arm’ out to grab the coin. The nice trick is that you can branch off from any of the circle clones and create a new arm to grab a coin. If any part of the branch cuts apart from the main center circle, they will turn red over a few turns and explode, causing damage to you. You have to reconnect the orbs to save them.

Art in this game looks like a Flash game tutorial. Circles that are linked though straight yellow lines and yellow coins on a gradient background. The art is simple and nothing to really talk about. Even the main menu consists of a green flat background.

The strength of this iPhone app, and the reason why the art doesn’t matter, is the programming. The game is very logical. You create circles that are always adjacent to the spawn point. The yellow lines all connect if the circles touch. You have to balance between spawning new parts, saving old parts, and making sure you don’t trap yourself in, and all of it is executed perfectly.

It’s a fun game with a surprising amount of complexity behind each level. They really took a simple game like Snake (like the one on my old Nokia cellphone) and changed the concept. I was taken aback by how interesting it is to branch off over and over again and then panic because a huge cluster is about to explode!

I really liked this game. It was unique, it was executed very well, and despite the lacking of art, the game is fun. If they improve the graphics, made moving backgrounds or dynamic elements to the game, then it would be perfect, but as it stands now, I say download it and play around with it for a bit. You just might fly past an hour and not even care.

AppSafari Rating: 4/5

AppSafari review of OCTOPI was written by Joseph Ho on July 29th, 2010 and categorized under App Store, Games, Puzzler, Universal. Page viewed 4735 times, 1 so far today. Need help on using these apps? Please read the Help Page.