Crates Night Shift HD

It’s uncommon for an app that only costs $0.99 to be worth more than that in content, but Crates Night Shift HD manages it. Of course, I’m not claiming that other games haven’t done it. But it’s refreshing when I come across one.

Crates is one of those puzzle games where players tap on connecting blocks to make them disappear. It’s not an original concept at all, but it’s an effective execution of this type of game. What gives the game more content than $0.99 worth is the amount of levels that come with the game (over 140). It’s not the kind of game that I would pick up and play for long periods of time, but I’ve played it quite a few times over the last few days. The blocks that the player taps consist of, for some reason, a soccer ball, grapes, a pineapple, a banana, and a daisy (with more in later levels). That’s right: a flower, three fruits, and a sporting good. I’m not sure where they were going with this, but it doesn’t take away from the gameplay other than the brief moment of confusion when the realization occurs.

The gameplay is very simple. In fact, my nephew (6 years-old) played it effectively. And that was my problem with the game: it’s WAY too easy. Normally, using the simple strategy of doing the same thing on both sides (because the levels tend to be mostly symmetrical) brings the player out on top. If that doesn’t work, the what needs to be changed the next time the level is played is obvious. Being a person who loves a good, challenging puzzle game, this game isn’t puzzling enough.

The background is a nice touch to the game. “Night Shift” seems to mean that the player is some kind of dockworker (because the “crates” are stacked on a dock) that has to sort through the crates by tapping them. Which is why the game’s background consists of a lighthouse, what seems to be a factory, and a boat that’s bouncing up and down on the water. The background plus the music gives the game a decent feel. I’m generally prone to call the music in these type of games repetitive. The music is repetitive in this case but doesn’t annoy as much as I would expect, so I leave it on.

Crates Night Shift HD is easy. But for $0.99 and 140 levels worth of content, it’s probably worth it.