Dropout Games are back and looking to follow on the success of ‘Blyss’, a game which perfectly combined relaxing visuals with fun and challenging gameplay with their new game ‘Neo Angle’,
Neo Angle which is inspired by the 80s neon art style and retro synth scene is an innovative game, full of complex puzzles for you to complete. The game introduces you to the gameplay elements in a simple fashion with a very basic tutorial on how to move through the levels. which is done by swiping in the direction you want your triangle pieces to move.
The aim is to swipe your way through the level collecting pyramids as you go and eventually ending up at a designated end triangle. The game becomes difficult with restrictions put in place when you collect a pyramid. Each time you do so the blocks you have gone through become locked, meaning you can’t go back on yourself. This forces you to take a very specific path to complete the levels. Eventually the game becomes more difficult introducing other elements to the gameplay with the addition of portals and switches. This forces the player to adapt to the situation in order to advance to the next level.
Thankfully the game is set at a steady pace. There are no lives, and you have an unlimited amount of retries, meaning the game doesn’t thrust-rate the player. That’s not to say it’s not difficult, because at times it is. Some levels can take up to ten minutes to solve, whilst others can be done first try. The varying difficulty of the levels are what keeps the game interesting and makes it quite addicting.
The developers are huge believers of keeping their games simple. Something they did in Blyss. The same principles have been followed in Neo Angle where the developers have implemented minimal elements and almost no text, whilst also noticeably lacking a menu apart from buttons to control audio and to retry a level. There is also no controls except for the swiping, which is simple yet works perfectly.
The developers are huge believers of keeping their games simple. Something they did in Blyss.
The gameplay goes perfectly with the 80s styled neon artwork and accompanying synth music which really makes you feel like you are in an arcade. The best way to describe the theme is very similar to the popular 80s game Tron, of which there is obvious inspiration. That’s not a bad thing though as the Indian development team have done a great job in replicating that feel, but not going overboard.
At times though I do wish there was some variation in the level design, although the artwork is good, after a time it feels like more of the same. Blyss was enjoyable because of the different themes, whilst this game just has the one. Hopefully this is something which can be added to in future updates.
This game could have easily been turned into a freemium model game. I’m glad the developer decided not to do this as it means for a better gameplay experience. Despite this the current app store environment doesn’t support puzzle games that are paid, and in the long run this could hinder the games success. A possible solution would have been to release the game for free and have adverts and in app purchases (IAPs) for lives, whilst having an option for people to pay to disable these should they want to do so.
Despite this small complaint Neo Angle is a very enjoyable game that successfully manages to replicate the 80s style retro games whilst bringing the theme into mobile gaming. For 99c it’s a great pickup if you are after a challenging puzzle game without the pesky adverts and in app purchases.
Article originally published on Pocketfullofapps.com
