Review: Enigmo for the iPhone / iPod Touch

Enigmo by Pangea Software is for sure a game that’ll have you hooked. It’s a type of 3D puzzle game where you get to manipulate water around in order to get it in a beaker. In the later levels, this game can really get your mind thinking. It’s for sure a thinking game. But it’s also highly addicting.

Enigmo (cannot find version number in the game; does say 3.0 in the AppStore as of 7/6/09)

Reviewed on a iPod Touch 1G

The interface of this game is fairly simple. But the thing is, I couldn’t find a version number of the the game anywhere… Enigmo loads very quickly and has very nice graphics. All the levels in this game make it such a challenge for anyone. Enigmo is also on a lot of other platforms out there (Mac OS X, Windows, Windows Mobile).

The idea of Enigmo is pretty simple. You have types of “tools” let’s call them, and the user has to rebound the water through the maze-like structure in order to get into the beaker below (or even above in some cases). But if this looks simple, it really isn’t when you get up in the levels. You can have two beakers, and two falling-waters for you to redirect into the beaker. And if that sounds hard, it just got even harder! You have to get the water through rings, make them press buttons, and sometimes, direct the water through a “cannon” to launch it very quickly. It’s for sure a fun game that really get’s you thinking, and just a addicting one over all.

With the included 50 levels, you can also download user-created levels. The cool thing about this is, you’re able to create your own custom levels for even more entertainment. The thing is, some of these user-created levels are not perfect. Because of this, there are additional levels you will be able to play created by Pangea Software. But these extra levels will run you an extra $.99 and there’s only two of them. These levels are mainly focused for kids, to make it easier for them to play the game. What would be nice is some levels that are ridiculously hard for adults!

There’s a built in high score system, called Geocade, that’ll allow you to post your high score online and compete with other high scores! It’s nice that there’s a in-game pause menu you’re able to tap on if you wish to.

The settings are fairly simple. What you have is the Sound FX (the main sounds) and a sound test. In the settings, they recommend you to turn these off for best performance. But what they really could do is add in a switch to go from high, medium, and low sound quality. This would, in return, speed some things up. It would also be nice if you can adjust volume level. The unfortunate thing about Enigmo is that there’s no background music. The only thing you can hear are the water droplets and also from you clicking on the sever tools you may use to manipulate the water. But what Enigmo does have, which I personally find really annoying in some games, is that if you are playing music in the background, it doesn’t stop it! So you can play with your music running! This, for me, is for a added bonus!

Here’s an overview of Enigmo:

Pros:

• A level creator so you can create your own levels
• Additional level functionality (the in-app buying system)
• Really addicting and what amazing physics
• A online high score system
• The ability to play your own music during game play
• The fun “tools” you are able to use to manipulate the water (I love the “cannon” personally)
• It’s really easy to get the perfect tilt for your selected “took” – or for you to manipulate

Cons:

• There’s no free-play, or when you are not timed to finish a certain level
• Only five saved game slots (you can only have five separate saved games)
• The help documentation is in a internet browser. It would be nice if that’s in-game.
• There’s no way to edit the volume settings (except turn the sounds off) in-game
• There’s only 50 levels. It would be nice to have a bit more built in to the game…

Enigmo is for a great game. But because there’s only 50 level’s and no “adult” ad-in-packs, that’s a bit of a disappointment. And it would be nice if there was background music to keep the user interested; music in games always seems to help.

Overall, I give Enigmo a 4/5.