We’ve got a couple of games that combine classic elements from the kids’ games Labyrinth and Memory, but come up with two very different interpretations. Read on in today’s Fresh Games to see if they appeal to your nostalgia, and your wallet.
Buck and the Coin of Destiny (iPhone) $0.99
Ever seen one of those GameStop commercials in which a frustrated bunny gets pummeled by a terrible game? Now that game really exists — Buck the Bunny goes bouncing around side-scrolling levels in this touch-enabled platformer.
The aesthetic and tone of the commercials are captured by the app, which is designed to be a quick offering of classic gameplay without a lot of deep involvement on the player’s part. Levels are randomly generated, so the game is different every time you pick it up, and there’s even an endless mode. GameStop tossed in OpenFeint compatability as well, so you can compare your coin-grabbing bunny abilities with others around the world, as well as rack up achievements.
Decoloro (iPhone) $0.99
Try to stay with me as I explain this game to you. It’s like the old board game Labyrinth, in which you turn dials to tilt the game board and guide a ball through a maze. Decoloro has you titling your iPhone to guide a ball through a similar maze, littered with obstacles, but you also have to bump into orbs scattered around the playfield to reveal what color they are. I
n order to score, you have to find a matching color orb somewhere else on the board, and you only have a limited amount of time to do it — the score you can earn from the match decreases as time passes. So there are elements of Memory mixed in there as well. And Decoloro is kind of like pinball, because not every orb will change colors. Some will hide deadly skulls that will bounce you around the board, and others will contain power-ups.
In short, Decoloro resembles something like an insane pinball-style puzzler that combines a lot of great elements from classic games. For a dollar, it’s worth checking out.
Squaresly (iPhone) $0.99
Here’s another take on Memory and mazes, but with different results. Squaresly presents game boards covered in 8-bit squares, then shows you a path through them, before hiding it. That’s when the Memory aspect comes in — your task is to tap out the path through the squares from what you remember. The longer you play, the more maze-like and difficult to remember the paths become.
Squaresly has a cool retro look that old-school gamers will appreciate, but it’s simple enough to be the kind of addictive app that’s great for killing time.
