Sudoku Party Review
:: SURPRISINGLY FUNPrice: FREE
Version Reviewed: 1.00
Device Reviewed On: iPhone
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It was surprisingly fun to do a sudoku with someone on the iPhone. It's surprising because I've actually tried to do a sudoku with someone else on a physical piece of paper. That annoyed me quite a bit. This was challenging and fun (even more fun considering that I tend to win).
Multiplayer is split up into "Party Play" and private games. "Party Play" sets the player up with the next available player online. But players can also "Invite Friends" to play via the username they create in-game. Multiplayer is just a free-for-all to see who can fill the most sudoku squares. It seems that players can share a point if the other player figures out what goes in that box before a certain amount of time runs out. Single player gameplay is identical to a paper sudoku puzzle and the controls are similar to most other sudoku apps.
An easy, medium, and hard puzzle is available each day for single player. There's a one-time access fee of $1.99 to unlock puzzles for all previous days. The rationale behind purchasing those puzzles reminds me of early iOS app, Crosswords. Paying a one-time fee of $9.99 unlocks potentially infinite crossword puzzles because new ones are released frequently. Similarly, this one-time fee unlocks potentially unlimited sudoku puzzles because new ones are released daily. There's also a $1.99 fee to remove ads from the app. Anyone who enjoys the app should pay to remove the ads. They're quite annoying in this one.
A feature that I would like to see added is the ability to chat with players after a game is over. Creating a multiplayer game is a social experience. A chat is almost implied. Yes, I would have used the chat to talk about how horribly I beat someone. But isn't that the point of chatrooms in multiplayer games? Results can be shared for bragging rights via Facebook, Twitter, or email.
A minor problem that I noticed was that it's too easy to accidentally hit the "Talk to us!"/"News" button when trying to tap "Remove Adverts." Those three buttons are just too close to each other.
Sudoku Party is great for any sudoku or just puzzle fans. It's a free app that's easily worth the $1.99 unlock previous puzzles and remove ads.
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