What this very simple puzzle gets right about mobile games

You know those little contraptions babies have where they must put a square block into the square hole, and a star-shaped block into the star-shaped hole? South Korea’s Everstone Studio has made a grown up version of that for mobile.

EverPuzzle: Blocks is reminiscent of many games. A bit like the Singaporean-Russian indie gem Shapist, EverPuzzle sees you fitting shapes – made out of blocks, and hence the game’s title – into a different outline at every stage.

It’s actually quite a basic game. Fit blocks into the given shape, receive a round of applause, rinse and repeat. There is no background music, just the bare minimum of sound effects, and a persistent ad banner at the bottom of the screen.

So what does it do well enough to warrant mention on Games in Asia?

Firstly, this puzzle game is unpretentious. It’s got a simple concept and it sticks with it. Nothing fancy, and it’s easy to pick up. We’ve been doing this since we were babies. Secondly, in its first stage alone there are 120 levels. There are six stages in total. That’s a lot of content for a completely game free.

While the ad banner is an eyesore, it doesn’t block anything important. Ads are EverPuzzle’s main form of monetization anyway. A player gets two free hints for when he’s stuck on a level, then he can watch video ads for more hints. Interstitial ads, one of the most common methods for monetizing through advertising, are annoying and obstructive. EverPuzzle chooses to do it less obtrusively, and I feel that pays off by giving players a better game experience, and in turn they stick it out for longer with the game.

EverPuzzle is not a game that I’m going to be playing consistently until day 30, but it is one that will remain on my phone so I can play it whenever I’m bored. It’s challenging enough to be interesting, and not too difficult as to turn people off. Barring its rather simple visuals, I’d say it’s a good puzzle game.

EverPuzzle: Blocks is available on Google Play.

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