iPhone Review: Eyestorm
by Dave PitchforthPublisher/Developer: Vivid Apps
Genre: Puzzle
Price: $1.99
Verdict: Awesome Jezzball clone worth $1.99 of anyone’s money
Pros: 48 levels, plenty of enemies, plenty of challenges, saves game on exit
Cons: 48 levels might not seem like enough
One of the things I’ve loved about having my iPod Touch and playing games on it is that occasionally someone will develop a clone or update of a game I loved as a kid. Games like Worms and Virtual Pool already have versions available for the iPhone and iPod Touch, and my recent review Numeri is also a clone of an older game. When I was given Eyestorm to review, I didn’t know anything about it so hoped straight onto iTunes to take a look at it. My face lit up when I was it was a clone of Jezzball, a game that I’d imagine many older gamers have played, or at least a game that was based on Jezzball’s ideas. Not only does Eyestorm do justice to Jezzball, it offers many new challenges and proves to be a hugely enjoyable game.
The idea behind Eyestorm is quite a simple one. Enemies, in the case of this game – eyes, bounce around the current stage, with your aim to be to fill in a certain percentage of the screen. You do this simply by drawing horizontal or vertical lines across the stage without being touched by the enemies. If the newly fenced off area doesn’t contain any enemies, the area gets filled in and you claim it. To beat each stage you need to fence off or claim a certain percentage of each area. It’s a very simple idea in theory and could easily get boring quickly, but thankfully Eyestorm has several tricks up its sleeve to make sure the game stays challenging.
To start with, each level has a time limit. This can range from a generous 120 seconds to a ridiculous 10 seconds. I’m sure you’re thinking that 10 seconds surely isn’t long enough to complete a level, and you’d be right. What Vivid Apps have done to help you is to offer you power ups, which can be collecting by claiming the area in which the power ups are floating. The power ups could be an extra 30 seconds added to the level clock, or a double speed bonus which draws your lines twice as fast as previously.
Of course, just changing the time limits and adding a few power ups wouldn’t really be enough, so Vivid Apps has gone one further and added 15 different enemy types. You have standard eyes, which just float around the stage in a predictable pattern. You could then have a tank like enemy which randomly shoots eyes in different directions in short intervals, meaning that unless you work quickly you’ll soon find yourself overran with enemies. Then there’s the tank which fires black eyes which will blow up part of your fenced off areas, leaving you in a constant battle to try and increase your share of the stage while trying not to have too much of it blown up. The variation of enemies makes the game a real challenge at times, as you may try to lock in a particular enemy to a certain part of the stage so you can concentrate on claiming the rest of it.
Out of the 48 levels you can play, you’ll find a good amount of variation in them, as you won’t always be playing on blank stages. Often you’ll find walls pre-made in the level, meaning you just have to close them off quickly to claim a good proportion of the level. The theme on the levels will change as you go through them as well, changing from city to desert and outer space.
There are two additional features I really like about Eyestorm. The first is that the game remembers where you were up to if you have to close the application down. Given the iPhone’s inherent lack of multitasking, I’m always very appreciative when a developer takes the time to include this feature in a game. Should you need to leave you can simply return to the game later with the option to carry on from the level you were previously on. The second feature I like is the level warp option that allows you to start from any previously beaten level. It seems Vivid Apps has really nailed what an iPhone game should be here, as most portable games like this are designed to be played in short bursts, perhaps on the bus or waiting for a train. Having the ability to go back to where you last played, as well as the ability to start from wherever you want, is awesome. The developer gets full marks from me for those two features.
As good as the gameplay is here, it’s a shame that the graphics and sound couldn’t reach the same high standards. It’s not that either of them are bad at all, as they’re functional and never get in the way, but when the rest of the game as excellent, it’s always a shame when one or two parts don’t reach the same grade.
As far as fun puzzle games go, Eyestorm is up there with the best of them. I enjoyed every minute of playing it, even though some levels are really frustrating. The variety and challenges offered are great, and with the ability to effectively save your game, along with online leaderboards, it means you’re offered an excellent gaming package for your money. At $1.99, there are not many games that offer the same bang to buck ratio, and I would highly recommend anyone giving this game a chance, especially as there is a Lite version to try before you buy. Definitely worth picking up.
