REVIEW: Amazing Alex for Android/iOS devices

Name: Amazing Alex

Type: Puzzle

Platforms: Android, iOS

Price as reviewed: £0.69 full version on both platforms. Android has free trial available

Rovio, the makers of the hugely successful Angry Birds have
released a new game called Amazing Alex. However, is the new game going to be
as successful as Angry Birds ever was? The bar has been set pretty high but
with Rovio’s previous experience it may just be as popular.

The Game Itself

Amazing Alex involves a lot more thinking and logic than
Angry Birds, which may discourage you but I promise you it’s not that bad. The overall
objective of Amazing Alex is to complete the “task” that is given to you at the
beginning of each level. As it’s a physics-orientated game, you can use a lot
of common sense to complete the somewhat difficult-looking tasks with ease.

The task is relatively simple however, often just making a
ball move into a basket or a balloon being released into the air. You will be
given a bag of equipment at the beginning of each level, containing a specific
number of items such as tables, buckets or ropes. You can choose to position
these items on the screen in a certain way that when you click the “play” icon
the task will complete itself.

You are allowed to flip, rotate, move and position the items
in any way you wish, whatever helps you complete the task. The brilliant thing
is that there is not just one combination of items which allows the task to be
completed, but a number of different ways. You don’t even have to use all the
items to complete it!

Alongside the main goal of completing the task, you can also
try to collect the Stars that are around the screen. There will always be 3
Stars in each level, and getting them all will result in the best possible
outcome. To collect a Star, when you press play an object must come into
contact with that star. You cannot position stationary object on the Star, but
placing a football for example above a star will make the ball drop and hit the
Star when you press play, thus obtaining you a star.

Highlights and overview

It’s really sensitive to touch, which makes positioning and
rotating items really precise. It also doesn’t run slowly, even on a relatively
old device. The simple design helps new users instantly get hooked, and it’s
certainly easy to navigate. Although saying this, it can be very confusing as
what the task is you have to do. During the first few seconds of the level
opening, it will give a brief animation of what you have to do, and this sometimes
can be hard to interpret.  

Another thing which may frustrate iOS users is that Rovio
have allowed Android to have a free trial, but not for Apple users on the App
Store. However the full version costs £0.69 on both platforms, which isn’t bad
considering it comes packed with 100 challenging levels , 35 interactive
objects and the ability to create and distribute your own levels.

However, the main frustration I found with this game was
getting exceptionally close to completing the level with all 3 stars, but never
being able to collect the 3^rd star. I would have to re-position my
whole layout and try it from a completely different perspective.

As with the Angry Birds franchise, Rovio have promised free
life-time updates for the continuation of the game.

Amazing Alex is not an original game. In fact, Amazing Alex
is actually an up to date version of Casey’s Contraptions. Rovio had acquired
the rights for the game back in May from its creators, Snappy Touch and Mystery
Coconut.

Verdict:

Amazing Alex is certainly an addicting game which can be
used to easily take up a lot of time on long journeys, and with 100 levels it’s
not likely you’ll complete the game very soon. You don’t get the thrill or suspense
of doing well as you get on Temple Run, nor do you get the excitement of
completing a difficult level on Angry Birds.  However, some levels require a lot of thought
and it’s the completion of those levels which really enables you to feel a
great sense of achievement. It’s a slow game, one which you can take at your
own pace.

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