A matching color block puzzle that explores 3D space and features fast, addicting gameplay.
+ This game is another variation of a matching color block puzzle. The selling point here is that you play in a 3D environment and that the speed is key (this isn't a casual game where you have lots of time to make your choices, though there is a mode where you can do that).
In Classic mode you start with a block of cubes. Then, you have a current cube that you must place anywhere on the block. Your goal is to have four similar colors match, at which point the cubes will disappear. The controls are really easy: one mouse button places the cube, the other rotates the giant block. The trick is that the giant block is slowly and continuously moving closer to your screen, and as you put more cubes on the block then it gains more mass. Each level has a certain threshold and if you go beyond this "critical mass" then it will explode and you'll have to start the puzzle over. So you really need to have quick movements and know where to place the cubes to eliminate the largest chunks. You also have power ups like a score multiplier, a timer slow-down, and a large power up that pushes the giant block back and gives you more time to complete the level.
The Classic mode only has 10 levels, but the later ones can get especially long and challenging. Classic mode also has three difficulties to play through, each just adjusting the critical mass (which gives you more or less time to complete each puzzle). There are other modes like survival where you play a puzzle infinitely until your block explodes. Also, there is meditation mode where you start with no block but you have control over every cube placed. This is more of a puzzle mode because the time limit isn't really a factor here. Additionally, there is rush mode where your score is determined by how fast you eliminate the block.
The gameplay is simple to understand but if you play Classic mode it can get pretty frustrating if you're expecting a relaxing puzzle. Unfortunately you can't save your game, so playing through Classic means that you have to start at level 1 and go through level 10 in one sitting. The game does save your scores for each mode, though, so you do have the personal goal of trying to beat your previous best.
The one thing that I found irritating was that the giant block slowly rotates and moves around on its own when you don't touch it. And often times this would cause me to place a cube in the wrong location because the giant block moved just slightly off of my cursor. And one misplaced cube can really screw up the combos you have set up, so it can be bothersome sometimes to accidentally slip up and place a cube in the wrong spot.
Story/Presentation: (N/A)
+ It's a puzzle game. No story here.
Graphics: 3.5/5
+ Everything is simple, colorful, and elegant, just like a puzzle game should be. They do an exceptional job at making a three-dimensional chunk of blocks seem manageable for this type of puzzle. The one problem I had was in regards to the colors. I had a real hard time distinguishing between the green and yellow colors, but this may be since I am partially colorblind. I personally think they could have made green a little darker, but fortunately they do have a colorblind mode which adds shapes to each block. I turned this on and it made the game a lot easier to play through, so just keep that in mind.
Value: 4/5
+ It takes about a half hour or so to beat Classic mode, but there's plenty of stuff to come back to in this game. You can beat Classic on all difficulties, then try all the other available modes. Each mode has leaderboards, rankings, and high scores too so each time you play you can try to beat your own (and other people's) scores. I played the game for 5 hours and I felt very satisfied because I know this is a game that I could pick up and play for any length of time in the future whenever I wanted to. $5 is definitely a good price tag for this game, too.
If you like fast-action puzzle games as well as color-matching games then Critical Mass is worth checking out. As a warning, some people find the speed to be too challenging, though, so don't expect the regular game to hold your hand. But I thought the difficulty was adjusted very well to my style of play.