GraviMaze – Gravity Puzzle Solving review

GraviMaze developed by hart[dev] and available for the iPhone and iPod touch, may at first glance seem like something you’ve probably seen on the App Store before; a puzzle game where you must rotate the world to solve puzzles. However, GraviMaze stands out above other puzzler apps in three areas: controls, presentation and the amount of content it includes.

As Gravi, a Mayan block creature, your goal is to grab the coins scattered throughout the level and, once three coins are collected, make your way to the exit portal to end the level. Scattered throughout most levels are traps, such as spikes and black holes, and additional goals that must be completed such as unlocking doors to gain access to different parts of the level. GraviMaze excels in its control scheme; while many puzzle games of this nature force you to tilt the device to rotate the world, GraviMaze allows you to rotate the world with a single finger swipe. The game responds to your swipes instantly and forgoing the typical tilt controls seen in this genre causes GraviMaze to stand out.

GraviMaze includes a large amount of content: 80 levels spread out across five temples. At the end of each level you are rated based on how many coins you have found, your speed and the number of turns it took you to finish; even after every level is complete, you’ll find yourself coming back to this app to record better times and grab every last coin. GraviMaze increases in difficulty quickly so don’t let the first few levels fool you; you’ll find yourself being stumped on more than just a few stages.

The setting of GraviMaze is ancient Mayan temples, and the application pulls this off wonderfully. Each temple is brought to life by crisp, bold graphics that are reminiscent of a cartoon; one of the game’s selling points is that it features “lush, hand-painted visuals” and it makes good on this statement. GraviMaze pays special attention to detail in a way that your average iPhone app doesn’t do; for example, the borders of each level show wear and tear, simulating an actual ancient temple, and Gravi’s face shows a range of emotion. The sound compliments the graphics well, with tribal music helping the temple atmosphere come to life.

This review was completed on an iPhone 4 with version 5.1 software and, as you’d come to expect from a high quality iPhone app, GraviMaze ran flawlessly.

We highly recommend GraviMaze to all iOS brain teaser fans, whether you’re a casual gamer or a puzzle aficionado. It’s easy to pick up and play but can keep you entertained for hours, the perfect combination for any application.