Aqueduct - Not Your Ordinary Game

Look what were have here... Aqueduct! Aqueduct, created by Kieffer Bros., is a one of those games that you just cannot set down. When it comes to mind games like this, like sudoku or anything that makes you think, they can be very addictive sometimes; in this case, so is Aqueduct. And trust me, I was even addicted to playing Aqueduct when I was testing out the entire game!

In the words of the people over at Kieffer Bros.:

Introducing Aqueduct—a world of jumbled waterways and mixed-up pipelines. It's up to you to rearrange the tracks and restore the flow.

The idea of Aqueduct is to, in the long run, get the water to flow through the pipes. Way back in my Windows Mobile days, I played a game just like this one. But the thing is, no one has really, up to this point, taken that basic pipe idea and turned it into something original... except for Kieffer Bros., because that's exactly what they did!

Want to hear more about this addicting pipe game? Read the full review below.

Levels

Along with any mind game you may set your fingers upon, there are always some type of level system in the game to get you to keep on thinking. In Aqueduct, it has six uniquely different levels of difficulty.

In every level, there are many puzzles for you to complete. With all of these puzzles there is one new strategy they're introducing to you. Whether that's a portal, a gate, or even a conveyor belt, every new aspect of the game has a tiny footnote telling you what that is and even how it is used.

When it comes to the level difficulty, I haven't experienced anything too hard just yet. As I am only on the fifteenth puzzle of level two, I do realize things are going to get quite a bit harder.

As I progress through the levels of Aqueduct, I'll be sure to determine if more puzzles need to be added. Speaking about the number of puzzles, there's 140 unique puzzles packed into this small game! So all that means is you better fix those pipes quickly!

The Game Itself

As you can easily see from above, there are quite a bit of feautures in Aqueduct. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe I've addressed every different feature in the game in the images above.

In the very beginning of the game, a good portion of what you're going to be seeing in the progressing levels is shown to you. As you advance to the next level, things become just a tad bit more difficult.  In the third screenshot above, you see all those portals. Don't let that scare you; they're really not that challenging!

Because of all of the different elements and things you need to do to connect the faucet and the drain together, it can get very challenging. It's not like other games where all you need to do is rotate the pipes; in this one, you need to do everything you can do to get that water to flow!

But from the screenshots provided by Kieffer Bros. in the later levels, I don't see any new features. What more can they add like the portals, conveyer belts, and other things like that to make the game more enjoyable? Leave your comment below! What I think might be a neat feature is if they somehow made the pipes invisible and only unlockable by doing certain things, whether that's pushing on a button or such. That's one thing I can think of that would add a lot. Who knows, it could be in there already! Seems to be I need to play a bit more...

Settings and Sound

There's really no need for a lot of settings in this game. But I am happy that you're able to turn off the music and/or the sound effects.

One thing that does get me just a bit is why they didn't make it so that you can easily listen to your own music. If you play any song and then start the game with the music on, the game will simply fade out your music and start playing theirs. It would be nice if the game detects that and mutes their own music.

Don't get me wrong, if you turn the music off before, it'll work just fine, even with the sound effects, but it would be nice if that was added. I have to say, I would love to hear more of that intro music!

Replay Value

It's certain that Kieffer Bros. spent a lot of time making Aqueduct fun and entertaining during gameplay. The music fits the game perfectly and every single thing in the game just makes you want to come back.

But the replay value of the game, in my honest opinion, could be quite a bit higher. If you unlock a new level, you simply get to go on. Wouldn't it be nice if OpenFeint, or another game service like Plus+, was added into the game? Without a doubt this is a very fun game, and it really gets you to start thinking in different ways, but it would be nice if there was some way to make the user to really want to come back to play it again.

One way I think Kieffer Bros. could achieve this would be to add in a different gameplay, a time based gameplay, so you can try to complete that level as fast as you can. With that, they would be able to give a silver, gold, or even a bronze metal or something similar from your achievement. That's what would make Aqueduct such a fun game; to keep on trying to get a better score.

Graphics

I really cannot give my word to Kieffer Bros. at how well they designed Aqueducts. They take the basic aspects of iOS and really incorporate those aspects in their own game. All of their on-off sliders, back buttons, and even menu buttons are all custom graphics and boy, don't they look awesome!

For example, on the main menu screen, you can still slide you finger across the below section to view the unlocked and locked levels, but it's great that they added their own slider bar in at the bottom. Even in the top left and top right of the screen, where the info button and the settings button is, it's all their own custom graphics.

Things like this really give any game a great touch other than using those basic UIKit elements. I really appreciate them doing that.

Overall

Overall, I really think think that Aqueduct is a fun and addicting game that's easily able to play for hours on end. All of their graphics are easily state-of the art and  every piece of their music in the game is well composed to fit the game.

Aqueduct features many levels of gameplay to get you attached for hours and it even offers many puzzles in that level.

But one thing in Aqueduct that could be improved is getting the user to come back to the game. There's no way to beat your best time currently. If that was added, it would add in quite a bit more replay value.

More Games Like Aqueduct

If you think Aqueduct is amazing, be sure to check out their other games like Orba and Abca.

And of course, if you want to take a look at Aqueduct or even purchase that, you can do that at the below link:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/aqueduct/id377544857?mt=8

I have to give my appreciate to the guys over at Kieffer Bros. for letting me review Aqueduct! I really have to say you guys without a doubt create the most unique pipe connection game available!