Gemocide

Gemocide is a puzzle game that is available on Apple devices. You can probably get it on other fancy phones too. I first played it on the 30th of April this year and found that it caught my attention immediately.

You complete screens by moving coloured gems to their designated places on the 'board'. When the coloured gems touch, they often change into other gems or disappear completely (but not always!) Learning the combinations of gems and how they interact is a key part of solving the puzzles. You can get the gems moving with a swipe of your finger, but they won't stop until they meet an immovable object or another gem.

I was a little dismayed to find that I was forced to play a tutorial. I often prefer to get stuck into a game and, if I find I'm struggling with it, then try a tutorial. Anyway, that's a minor complaint.

The instructions on their own are REALLY confusing to me. In fact, I would say there's not much point in reading them before you play. However, the instructions make a lot more sense once you've seen the game in action. I have found myself referring back to the guide more and more as the game gets harder. However, now that I've reached the final level, I still don't feel as thought I've learned the rules. (Perhaps this is more to do with me than the game: EG I've played hours upon hours of Pokémon games and I'm STILL not sure which types are strong/weak against others etc.)

I think the game would benefit from different sound effects. The one 'ding' noise for the moving gems quickly becomes tiresome and I muted it after a few minutes.

A week after I first started playing I let Lucy play it with no instructions at all. She thought she couldn't do it at first but then seemed to enjoy it. It certainly passed ten minutes on a train.

I'm getting more addicted to Gemocide and tI'm rying to play a sneaky level or two during the day, even at work.

I'm still having to use the help menu to remind myself how the different gems interact, but I do seem to be starting to learn some of the rules.

 

 

While playing the game, I've encountered more than one level where I've been almost convinced that there is no solution. I've been very close to giving up and contacting the game's creator to complain! However, I've stuck at it and have been very pleased to crack these almost impossible levels. Another great thing about Gemocide is that there is often (if not always!) more than one way to complete a puzzle. After completion of a screen, the game lets you know if you found the most efficient way of doing things (ie the fewest number of moves) This adds an additional challenge to an already addictive game! To sum up, Gemocide is an engrossing puzzler suited to people who like to think things through and who get the buzz of satisfaction from finding solutions to problems.

 

Recommended!