The Impossible Line Review

The Impossible Line is a casual puzzle game from Chillingo. In this game, players must simply guide a chalk arrow across a chalkboard to a designated target space. The game is successful as a very casual experience purely through its nice progression and simple design. Just don't come looking for a particularly deep experience.

Much like most casual puzzlers on the iOS store, The Impossible Line slowly releases players into the main action of the game by providing tutorials that explain all the basic facets of how to play. Players simply drag their finger across the screen to the target in the first few levels, then obstacles are introduced, then vanishing obstacles, etc. until players find themselves having to memorize complicated sets of invisible obstacles and using an on screen radar and power ups to help them complete the stage.

It is all very smart and well done, as would be expected for a game that operates on a very narrow scope. There isn't much more to The Impossible Line than what I've already described, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. The game delivers exactly what it sets out to, and does so well. Perhaps if this were a game that players had to pay for it could get knocked for its lack of depth, but The Impossible Line is 100% free.

What very much is a problem with The Impossible Line is the abundance of in-game ads that take away from the otherwise cool chalkboard aesthetic. After each level, ads pop up on multiple areas of the screen. Also, after completing a certain number of levels a full screen ad appears and asks players if they want to "learn more" or "skip" it to continue playing. I know the devs need to make some money off of their free game, but I found the implementation of advertising in The Impossible Line to be on the verge of egregious.

Overall, The Impossible Line is a solid - yet shallow - game, with a lot of ads surrounding it. Depending on players' tolerance of these ads, their mileage may vary. But hey, it's free, so why not check it out?