Flower Board review

Flower Board is an enticing board puzzler app for the iPhone and iPod touch. For those who enjoy color matching games such as Bejeweled or Bubble Popper but want something a little more challenging, Phoenix Mobile’s Flower Board might be just the thing. Unlike Bejeweled or Bubble Popper, though, there is none of the anxiety of watching a timer count down as you try to score as many points as possible to stay in the game. In Flower Board, you have as much time as you need to make your next move. But the reason for this is because with every move you make, the fuller the board becomes, pushing you closer and closer to game over if you do not clear the balls fast enough.

The objective of the game is simple: match up six or more balls of the same solid color to clear the board and score points. You level up through the game when you score a certain number of points. There are special balls that can be used as a wild card to match with any color on the board to help you create your combinations. They come in real handy when you’re stuck. Once the board becomes full, there are no more moves and it’s game over. Under Settings, you can adjust the difficult level, sound, music and choose whether or not you want a preview of the next balls before they show up on the board. You can even change the background theme of the game. There is also a high scores board to keep track of who is beating who in the game.

The graphics are simple and pleasing to the eye; I mostly played on the flower garden theme. The balls are actually differently colored flower blossoms, and when they show up it really does look like they’re blooming to life on your board. The music is a relaxing jazz tune I eventually found not-so relaxing; I just ended up turning it off. But it was nice hearing the ‘click’ every time I moved a ball, so I kept that sound on. Flower Board is a great game for those who enjoy thinking a few steps ahead as they are playing a game, so try it out if you’re a chess fan. Unlike the almost mindless color matching of other similar games, you really have to make sure your next move is a good one or you might trap yourself in a corner–literally. The time needed to master the game and the inherent randomness of the balls on the board makes the replay value of Flower Board well worth it.