Zen Bound ($2.99, link) is an innovative, intriguing, and engaging puzzle game, though it’s more Zen in its minimalist Asian aesthetic than in any real attempt at self-reflection or enlightenment (which is the real purpose of “Zen”). While the game’s concept is comparatively simple — you wrap rope around wooden blocks — the execution is flawless and eventually challenging. Each level features an object carved out of wood, and your aim is to tie it up. The point at which the string touches the wood is painted, and the level is complete when you meet a certain paint-coverage goal.

The stages are presented as little tags on a tree, each linked to three flower buds. The first bud will bloom with getting 70% of the carving painted, the second at 85% and the third at 99%. You need a certain number of blooms before being able to progress to the next set of stages.

The 76 levels are divided into three “trees”: the Tree of Reflection, where all the carvings are animals; the Tree of Challenge, which is geometric shapes; and the Tree of Nostalgia, populated by childhood toys and objects.

Since there’s no time limit, just a finite amount of rope, the emphasis is squarely on taking a slow, measured approach to each level. You can often cover the requisite 70% of the carving just by wildly wrapping, but the higher goals are trickier — especially as your own rope will often block you.

As you climb higher up each tree/level path, the blocks become increasingly complex, with tiny little notches to try and fill, or so large that each pass of the rope only transfers a narrow strip of paint.

A puzzle game like this lives or dies on its controls. With precision required fairly frequently, if Zen Bound didn’t have a great handling, it would be frustrating instead of puzzling. As it stands, the control scheme is excellent, as you rotate the carving with your fingers, and adjust the angle of the rope via tilt. You can also use multi-touch to rotate around different axes than normal.

The graphics are sublime. Limiting each level to a finite number of polygons means that the iPhone’s processing power is spent making it look gorgeous rather than crunching a large number of objects. The paint spreading across the carving, the different textures and colors in every level, making each feel worn with a beautiful patina.

The levels are set to a 22-minute ambient soundtrack that makes use of stereo sound, so if you have headphones, plug ‘em in. If you hit the Secret Exit button on the main screen of the game, you’ll be taken to the developer’s website, and be given the chance to download the soundtrack — a very cool freebie.

Conclusion

Zen Bound ($2.99, link) is an utterly amazing game. The combination of deceptively simple gameplay, pitch-perfect controls, and subdued but perfect graphics make a game that challenges you to approach each level thoughtfully rather than quickly. If you want to get a feel for it, there’s a free light version with two levels, enough to wet your appetite, so you can drop $3 on the full version (or $7.99 for the iPad, if you have one). We highly recommend this game, and give it a 9.1 out of 10.

If you like wicked brain-twisting puzzle games, Hexlok (free, iTunes link) just saw a price drop to free (was $0.99). Rotate hexagons so that all the triangles within are the same color. The game displays the next color hexagon to create, and you must beat the clock else lose a life.

Hexlok is a free download in the iTunes App Store.

Fans of simple but challenging puzzle games like Blocked or Ivory Tiles should check out iStarGaze ($0.99, iTunes link).

The object of iStarGaze is to connect stars by drawing lines between them, in essence, creating a constellation. Your lines must intersect a predetermined amount of times in order to move on the next level. Sounds simple, but when more stars are added to the sky, some with unique features such as the ability to move them around, your task requires more brainpower to complete. Check out our video below for a closer look.

The graphics of iStarGaze are beautiful and serene, featuring glowing bright stars in the foreground and a cool animation of fainter stars drifting by in the background. The sound effects are likewise soothing, with crystalline chimes ringing out as you connect stars. The game lacks any background music, but it’s not any the worse for it.

The controls are basic: just drag your finger from star to star to create lines. An undo button lets you fix any mistakes you’ve made, along with a reset button to start the level over.

There are 80 levels in all to solve–plenty for all but the most discriminating puzzle-addict.

iStarGaze is a 99-cent download in the iTunes App Store.

On the surface, StoneLoops! of Jurassica ($0.99, download), with its familiar formula, may not look like a standout iPhone game. But after playing it for about three weeks now, I can’t put it down. StoneLoops! is a fast-paced marble shooter, and, like highly rated Flight Control or Frenzic, it’s just one of those small addictive iPhone games that fits perfectly onto the platform. With its smooth controls and uptempo pace, the game just has to be played to be understood (there’s a free Lite version available if you want to test it out). We are rating it an 8.3 out of 10, highly recommended.

StoneLoops follows a familiar match-three formula: launch colored gems and try to match three or more of the same color to clear them. You have to clear all the gems before they reach the end of a winding path.

The controls are comfortable and accurate as you slide your finger to aim, and the quick pacing moves things along in a manner perfect for mobile gaming. There’s a certain overall flow to the game that when I start playing, I don’t want to stop.

There are 5 areas of 15 levels each (75 levels in total).

The game features 75 total levels to complete, which is about 20 hours of gameplay or more, depending on how good you are (I’m stuck on level 73). The graphics are cartoony with a prehistoric, “Jurassic” theme, but all-in-all, they’re very pleasant to look at. The sound is professionally designed, featuring bombastic music and a wide range of sound effects.

To help you clear the game board of gems, there are several power-ups that do things like destroy all gems in a certain area, reverse the flow, or alter colors. Make sure you catch these when they appear–they’ll get you out of more than one hairy situation.

The game is divided into 5 areas made up of 15 levels each. Each area has its own theme like the desert or the arctic. The gems follow paths that change after each level and increase the difficulty level by looping or overlapping, preventing you from launching your gems at certain areas of the playfield.

There is one aspect of the game I found kind of lame. There’s a reward system where you have a house in each area, and the house gets updated with things like a new roof or a walkway when you complete a few levels in each area. But that’s it. You stare at your upgraded house for a second, then go back to playing the game.

Conclusion

StoneLoops! of Jurassica is an addictive marble shooter with uptempo, addictive gameplay that is a perfect match for the iPhone and iPod touch platform. 8.3 out of 10, highly recommended.

Name: StoneLoops! of Jurassica
Developer: Playcreek
Version Reviewed: 1.0
Price: $0.99
iTunes Link: Download

Most of us probably had toy wooden blocks when we were children and spent hours stacking them on top of the other. Maybe it’s some deep, pleasant childhood memory that makes Tower Bloxx Deluxe 3D ($5.99, iTunes link) such an enjoyable game. Or maybe it’s the beautiful graphics, flawless gameplay, solid background music and sound effects, and overall polish. In any case, Tower Bloxx Deluxe 3D is one of those games that just seems to fit perfectly on the iPhone platform (it was also a popular game on FaceBook). It’s both easy to pick up and challenging to complete, and fun and relaxing to play all the way through. We are rating it 8.0 out of 10, highly recommended.

Tower Bloxx features nice graphics just about everywhere.

The basic gameplay of Tower Bloxx involves stacking chunks of buildings on top of each. You stack by dropping the the blocks via a swinging wire attached to an unseen crane. The wire’s elasticity would make any construction insurance company very nervous. If you don’t stack the building blocks straight, your task becomes even more complicated by the swaying of the building.

Built on top of that basic gameplay is a city building mode that adds a puzzle-game aspect. The object of city building mode is to reach a certain population by building the right type of building next to each other. Some building types can house more tenants than others.

At the beginning of each level, you’re presented with a blank city grid, and your job is to fill in that grid by constructing the buildings so that they contain as many tenants as possible. Dense overpopulation is not a problem in this city, apparently. You won’t want to drop just any type of building. The game requires you to think ahead about what building types go where. It sounds difficult, and in the higher two levels, it is. But the first level is a type of introductory level to get to know the different building types.

There's a puzzle game aspect to Tower Bloxx too.

Dropping the base of a skyscraper.

The graphics are cartoony but sharp and beautiful. W must say we love the style that the developers, Digital Chocolate, are applying to their games, and they are quickly becoming one of our favorites. The music and sound effects are als professional and help create a very enjoyable, whimsical game atmosphere.

Conclusion

Tower Bloxx Deluxe 3D features beautiful graphics and flawless gameplay. It’s pretty much a perfect mobile game that can be enjoyed by gamers of all ages, although some of the higher city-building levels require some advanced puzzle-solving skills. 8.0 out of 10, highly recommended.

Name: Tower Bloxx Deluxe 3D
Developer: Digital Chocolate
Version Reviewed: 1.0.03
Price: $5.99
iTunes Link: Click here

Blocked ($0.99, iTunes link) is the current #1 selling game in the App Store. The object of the game is to slide blocks around so that a blue block can escape. We’ve seen similar apps before (eg, Parking Lot, $0.99), so why is this particular one so popular? Maybe because Blocked is a simple pleasure. It’s relaxing yet challenging, with large smooth, pencil-art graphics that are easy on the eyes and squint free. The game is perfect for playing anywhere in any situation, and we can recommend it for mobile casual gamers.

Perhaps best about Blocked is that encourages you to constantly interact with the game. The solution is just as likely to reveal itself from randomly moving the blocks around as it is passively thinking the puzzle through, perhaps more so. It’s a puzzle game for everyone, where perspiration is 90% of the solution–at least in the early stages of the game.

Blocked is a 99-cent download in the iTunes App Store.

*Update 5/17/2009* I’ve started a thread in our forums featuring a ton of solutions to many of the levels in Blocked.

Certain genres of iPhone apps, such as tip calculators and Sudoku, have seen dozens if not hundreds of iterations. If you’re going to introduce a new app in these genres, it’d better stand out. Chop Sushi falls within the highly populated match-3 realm, and luckily, it supplies a fresh take and rises above the App Store chaff.

Chop Sushi ($2.99, download) adds a role-playing twist to the match 3 genre. The main character levels up, gains health, adds new weapons, and battles powerful enemies. Game play starts out relatively basic but grows strategic with the introduction of new combinations of sushi (known as “recipes”) that have varying effects like draining health, giving extra turns, or healing. Chop Sushi gets better the longer you play, a rare trait for iPhone games. Its anime-style graphics, quirky storylines, and challenging game play put a fresh twist on a tired formula. We enjoyed this game a lot and are rating it an 8.1 out 10, highly recommended.

Like all match 3 games, the object is to line up three pieces of similar sushi or more. Chopsticks pick up the pieces when you tap them, and a swipe moves them to the end of a row or column.

Each game is a battle against a computer-controlled enemy. In the early levels, damage is done by matching wasabi (a green paste used to give sushi a little kick). As you progress, new recipes can be purchased that include the other types of sushi on the game board.

There are three modes: Adventure, Quick Play, and Challenge. The game is really based around the Adventure mode, which adds a mini side-scrolling adventure that is used to navigate to the next opponent. Along the way, you can play a mini fishing game. The fish you catch along with points gained in matches can be used to buy new recipes, challenges, and traps.

The game features an anime style to the graphics and a quirky storyline of “expelling of personal demons.” You don’t defeat your enemies so much as their jealousies, hatreds, and vanities. For example, one character is jealous of his neighbors’ furniture, and your job is to defeat that jealously and cure him. The characters thank you afterward and offer to sell you new recipes.

Chop Sushi’s strength is the depth of game play. While the early battles are pretty simple, the later stages become quite complex with the introduction of different types of weapons and healing recipes. Not only do you have to be concerned with your next move, but your opponent’s as well. In the later stages of the game, several recipes can be in play at once, and both you and your opponent can take advantage of them.

Chop Sushi is far from perfect though. The sushi are pretty small and hard to select, causing a small amount of frustration at times. But with a little practice, I got used to it. The game also drags on a bit in between matches. Traveling to the next opponent becomes a somewhat tedious process.

Conclusion

Chop Sushi is an entertaining twist to the match 3 genre that grows more challenging and engrossing the longer you play. Its quirky style and storylines will have you scratching your head at times, but in a positive way. Overall, found the game to be challenging with deep game play. 8.1 out of 10, highly recommended.

Chop Sushi is a $2.99 download in the iTunes App Store.

Name: Chop Sushi
Developers: THQ Wireless
Version Reviewed: 1.0.16
Price: $2.99
Download:

Ivory Tiles ($0.99, iTunes link) is a cool little puzzle game designed by “puzzle master” Mung Qi Fun. The object is to tilt the phone so that ivory tiles move about the board and eventually fall into various slots. While it seems simple on the surface, the puzzles are quite varied and require different ways of thinking to solve. Ivory has 80 different puzzles to solve and moves pretty fast. It’s one of the better puzzles games we’ve played, and we are rating it 7.5 out of 10, recommended.

The game’s strength is in the puzzles. I’ve never heard of “puzzle master” Mung Qi Fun, but there is indeed a certain genius in the design of each puzzle. Solving them often isn’t an epic mental battle–sometimes you can figure the solution by trial and error. All-in-all, the game moves pretty quickly–I didn’t spend much time passively thinking through the moves to solve each puzzle. It’s more of a pleasant combination of quick thinking and trial and error. Just like real life.

The graphics have a natural theme, with wooden blocks and ivory tiles. They are somewhat limited in scope, not changing much as the game progresses. The sound, too, is limited, but it’s well done. The ivory tiles produce an addictive click/click as they slide around and smack into one another. Beautiful traditional Chinese music plays in the background for each level. All features combine to offer a pleasant gaming experience.

There are two choices for controlling the game: accelerometer and touch. Tilting the iPhone will cause the tiles to slide in that direction (the accelerometer controls resemble Labyrinth, without the pinballs). But if you don’t like tilt games, you can switch to touch controls, which allow you to tap the screen to tilt the game.

The only negative for the game is that it does have a “quick app” feel. For example, as mentioned before, the graphics never change throughout. The background music, while beautiful, also doesn’t change. Most of the work went into the puzzles it seems.

Conclusion

Ivory Tiles was a pleasure to play from start to finish. Although the graphics and music don’t vary much, the methods for solving each puzzle do, and you’ll be surprised at every tilt of the iPhone. 7.5 out ot 10. Recommended.

Name: Ivory Tiles
Developer: MunkyFun, Inc
Price: $0.99
Download:

ChittyChitty (download) is a simple but challenging iPhone game that is currently free in the iTunes App Store. A red ball moves along rails, and your job is to make sure it has a never-ending path. You can slide the rows of tiles horizontally and vertically.

The game has some minimal sound effects which can be turned off when the game starts up. The animations are basic but eye-pleasing. Note that after a ball passes over a tile, the pattern on the tile is randomly changed to another shape.

ChitttyChitty is currently a free download in the iTunes App Store.

Mouse About ($1.99) is a cartoony puzzle game that give your brain some exercise without a lot of frustration. While the game is easy on the eyes and relaxing to play, its main drawback is that it lacks variety and becomes redundant after a while. But if your current puzzle game is wearing a little thin, Mouse About is fun, easy to pick up, and relatively polished. Sometimes the simple games are the most enjoyable. We are giving it a 6.8 out 10 rating. Check out our video review for a closer look:

The object of the game is to maneuver a mouse so that it collects all the food without running off the screen or out of time. Swipe your finger to set the mouse running off in a direction. Only running into food and or various solid objects will stop the mouse, else it will run off the screen and into the waiting jaws of a cat.

Each stage is also a race against time. As the timer counts down, the shadow of a cat slowly grows larger and stretches across the screen.

After a few levels, the game becomes challenging, and you must think several moves ahead. The game is perfect for exercising the brain without a lot of frustration–the thinking-ahead part requires effort, but since it involves only one kind of action, it’s not terribly difficult.

The graphics are over-the-top cartoony. The soundtrack features songs worthy of a Tom ‘n Jerry cartoon and goes far to enhance the overall ambiance. There is nothing groundbreaking here, but there’s a simplistic pleasure to playing the game.

Conclusion

Mouse About is a polished, simplistic, and challenging puzzle game, but don’t expect too much in terms of depth. Still, we recommend it for those who like challenge without having to learn a lot of new game rules.

Pros: Simple yet challenging. Cartoony, fun graphics. Relatively cheap price.

Cons: A little short on variety. Not a lot of game depth.

• Name: Mouse About
• Developer: Cobra Mobile
• Version reviewed: 1.1
• Price: $1.99
• iTunes Download: